May 3, 2026

A Splendid Match | Review

A Splendid Match
A clever girl trying to survive family schemes while four men compete in her harem.
Notable Actors/Actresses
Ci Sha: Chen Yan Yun
Ren Min: Gu Jin Zhao
Director
Screenwriter
Chinese Title

良辰美景

Fine Time; Beautiful Scenery
Everything Lovely
Year: 2026
Episodes: 40

Jump to Remarks | Review | Recs | Comments

Cast


Ren Min:
Gu Jin Zhao		 Ci Sha:
Chen Yan Yun
Dong Si Cheng:
Ye Xian		 Huang Yi:
Gu Lan
Wu Gang:
Fu Hai Lian

 Wang Yang Yi:
Qing Pu
(FL's maid)
Zuo Ye:
Chen Xuan Qing
(ML's nephew)		 Yin Xiao Tian:
Gu De Zhao
(FL's father)
Yang Tong Shu:
Ji Han
(FL's mother)		 Li Fei Er:
Song Miao Hua
(Concubine)
Zhang Yao:
Ji Yao
(FL's cousin)		 Huang Ri Ying:
Xue Qing Lan
Yang Kun:
Old Madam Gu(-Feng)
(FL's paternal grandma)		 Yang Qing:
Madam Ji(-Wu)
(FL's maternal grandma)
Ding Jia Li:
Old Madam Cen
(ML's mother)		 Li Yuan:
Dai Yu Zhu
Huang Ling:
Dong Pei Qin		 Qian Bo:
Fan Chuan



Romcom/Romance Checklist


How much of the plot is angst/romance?
0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The ML:
Cold–Lukewarm–Warm / Timid / Tsundere / Falls in Love First / "Reborn" / Noble Idiot / CEO / General
The FL:
Bold / Cute / Cool & Independent / Falls in Love First / Better than ML / "Reborn" / Noble Idiot / Business-woman
Describe the Relationship (the tropes):
Annoying Love (F/M) Rivals +++ / Bickering Start / Childhood Connection / Cohabitation / Contract Marriage or Fake Couple / Enemies to Lovers / Hidden Identity / Healing Love / Harem / Love Triangle / Married Couple (Real) / Opposites Attract / Pining Love / Second Chance / Secretly in Love (F/ML) / School to Adulthood / Star-Crossed Lovers
Relationship Progress (officially together; first (official) kiss; breakup*):
Ep 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 / 33 / 34* / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40
# of CPs (including main CP):
0 / 1(+?) / 2 / 3
Ending:
Happy? / Sad / Open Happy / Open Sad / Bad / Rushed+++



Drama Overview & Review


[Drama Info]

良辰美景 is adapted from the novel of the same title by Chen Xiang Hui Jin (沈香灰燼), the same author behind The Rise of Ning. And it reunites Ren Min and Ci Sha, except this time with Ci Sha stepping into his first-ever ML role.

Before The Rise of Ning, our leads were in The Longest Promise. And so this is technically their third drama together.

It is directed by Jin Xiong Hao (You Are My Secret) and adapted by You Er, who also wrote the contemporary drama The Glamorous Night, a recent release that did relatively well.

Wrapped on August 18, 2025.

[Ending]

Sudden happy ending.



☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙



Main CP. Chen Yan Yun is a very mature old man who falls for a girl who just had her adult rite. Okay, let’s do this the way the drama wants us to see it instead LOL. Chen Yan Yun is professional, hardworking, emotionally steady, and completely devoted to duty. He had no interest in marriage until he met a girl clever enough to surprise him, challenge him, and make this serious old man soften little by little. [Top | Skip »]
Because he’s old and needs reading glasses
•ᴗ•

*Whistle Whistle*
("Thank you")

Gu Jin Zhao: “I never thought we’d be together.”
Chen Yan Yun: “If you’ve never thought of it, then start from today.”

☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙


2ML + FL. Ye Xian. A sickly little tsundere 傲娇 rich boy with terminal “can’t say anything nice properly” syndrome. He falls for Gu Jin Zhao because she’s as clever, sharp, and surgical with her words as he is. Unfortunately for him, this means he spends most of the drama jealous, petty, bitter, emotionally constipated, and incapable of expressing affection like a normal person… while secretly being soft underneath all that attitude. And then they raise a kitty. D’aw. [Top | Skip »]
This cape has a life of its own

POOR YE XIAN :(
Go Ye Xian!
☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙


3ML & 4ML. Rounding out the harem is Ji Yao, FL's cousin… and Chen Xuan Qing, ML's nephew… Fun! xD. (!!! Spoilers for Ep22 & Ep35+ !!!). [Top | Skip »]
Ji Yao proposing in Ep22.

Chen Xuan Qing catastrophically clowning his own life in Ep35+.
☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙


Secondary Romances. Sister. Huang Ri Ying. Servants. [Top | Skip »]
Gu Lan and her pillar?
Ye Xian and Xue Qing Lan?
Qing Pu and Chen Yi?
☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙



Ending CliffsNotes. A sudden happy ending. [Top | Skip »]
Ye Xian and Chen Yan Yun become bros by the end. Although they love the same woman, they can still agree on one thing: country, family, honour. Chinese period drama men.

Ye Xian tells Chen Yan Yun not to die on the battlefield… then goes and dies on the battlefield himself.
In his will, Ye Xian says he’d rather die fighting than die from illness. So in a way, it’s a happier ending for him. T_T Then this petty man smugly writes that dying this way means he’ll forever have a place in Gu Jin Zhao’s heart. So even in death, he’s still trying to beat Chen Yan Yun. Do I cry or laugh lol.
Ye Xian: "這個賤人"
"That bastard" = Chen Yan Yun

Meanwhile Chen Yan Yun and Gu Jin Zhao’s ending happens SO suddenly. They defeat the enemy, walk hand-in-hand out of a a blazing house. And literally one second later: credits.
This is the ending scene lol.

Also Chen Yi dies, so his romance with Qing Pu goes nowhere. We barely see Gu Lan and her pillar either. None of the secondary romances really get proper closure.

And to be fair… neither does the main romance LOL.
☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙


P.S. Best Actor Award goes to: the dad. [Top | Skip »]



[Review & Rating] By cynlynn.
My biggest issue, even more than the abrupt ending, is actually the progression of the main romance. For the first half, the drama was so committed to restraint. It genuinely felt like the show was building toward a gradual, mature love story. I was seated. And then suddenly… the restraint dissolved in one episode. And so my interest stood up and left.

The political plot also was never strong. From beginning to end. Which is why having the finale lean so completely into political conflict down to the final second made the ending feel even weaker.

What surprised me most though was how much I ended up enjoying Ye Xian (2ML). Not in a “he should get the girl” way, but because he actually has a full emotional arc. He starts immature, remains immature in many ways lol, but still grows in a way that feels specifically Ye Xian. Petty, emotionally constipated, secretly soft-hearted… and unexpectedly moving by the end.

But as much as I love Ye Xian, I still think it’s a storytelling problem that the drama favoured the 2ML, giving him the emotional momentum while the ML and FL’s relationship/character development almost felt like it stopped midway in the drama the moment they got together.

P.S. Best actor: Ren Min. Sincerely. She out-acted every man in this show combined. Ci Sha unfortunately did not convince me that he can fully carry a drama as the emotional centre ML. And yes, we have officially reached a consensus (of at least three people haha) that the issue may genuinely be his lack of visible eye whites. If there were more contrast and you could see the outline of his pupils more clearly, I think his emotions could come across stronger. Professional acting analysis concluded. LOL.

Rating: 2/5 ♥


Recommendations


Scheming ML Harem Clever FL
The Glory Glory Scent of Time
→ Go to May 2026 post
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)