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This is a write-up on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site, that perfectly explains why Guardians of the Dafeng exploded towards the end.

"In reality, analyzing the mainstream market's approach to hit dramas, the core theme of GOTD is quite risky. Mainstream blockbuster dramas typically have a strong emphasis on individual heroism, with intense emotional hooks related to love, hate and personal relationships. However, GOTD is different.

Contrary to the belief that the earlier episodes rely heavily on lighthearted comedy, the overall structure of GOTD is actually modeled after Jump-style manga. This may be the first time such a format has been used in China's entertainment industry, making the show highly innovative. Its primary focus is on warmth and humor, delivering a relaxed and entertaining experience. It features significant emotional ups and downs but does not aim for deep emotional entanglement. Instead of relying on plot-driven character development, it builds its characters through dialogue and small details. The show follows a unique production model - fluid in form yet cohesive in spirit - akin to a well-crafted literary vignette.

However, due to excessive negative press early on, the mainstream audience - who would have been the most receptive to this avant-garde storytelling - was initially kept away. In this format, achieving a breakout success put immense pressure on the creative team. The so-called "explosive finale" was largely the result of public sentiment rebounding after the negative press dissipated.

Without a doubt, the male lead played a crucial role in turning things around for GOTD. He became the key figure in breaking through the challenges. With his strong, strategic and heroic screen presence, audiences expected a classic heroism story. But what was surprising was how seamlessly he adapted to the lighthearted comedy tone. Around episode 15 and in the final 10 episodes, he elevated the personal heroism aspect to its peak, strengthening the framework and depth of the entire show.

The creative team may have anticipated that the drama would break historical records in securing sponsors, and they were likely aware of the male lead's immense fan influence. However, they probably didn't foresee that their choice of a lead actor would be the decisive factor in GOTD ultimate success.

Through the "free-spirited portrayal of everyday life and deeply emotional performance", he became the backbone of GOTD, keeping its essence intact while lifting it to new heights. With a different actor, the show would not have reached the same level of success.

Surpassing 30,000 (in ratings or viewership metrics) must have been a relief for the creative team. The male lead was not just a support against the negative press - he singlehandedly lifted the entire story structure and gave it wings.

Going forward, whenever GOTD is mentioned in the industry, beyond its unprecedented blacklisted trending topics, record-breaking commercial value, and dominance over anime raning charts, the biggest testament will be how a "soulful male lead" can profoundly impact a drama.

With GOTD, the male lead has undoubtedly secured more significant opportunities, naturally expanding his audience base. GOTD has quietly begun reshaping the entertainment landscape in China. Countless production teams will now study its trajectory, its unique engagement strategies, and how it managed to withstand negative publicity. This drama is both an industry phenomenon and a grassroots hit.

Many viewers are curious: why do some high-budget dramas with major IPs and seemingly impressive viewership numbers fail to truly capture an audience? The answer lies in GOTD superword discussion. If your acting cannot genuinely attract an audience, data remains data. Numbers alone do not convert into real viewership engagement. There are no shortcuts - you have to earn the audience's recognition step by step."

Plot Summary: Zheng Shu Yi (Bai Lu) is a pretty, brilliant and hard-working 25-year-old reporter who hopes to write the front-page article of the Financial Vision magazine for at least the 9th time. And her ticket to scoring the latest cover article is to land an interview with the CEO of a venture capital company, 27-year-old Shi Yan (Dylan Wang), who, as it happens, has taken an interest in her, insisting the magazine send her to interview him.

Before that happens, her boyfriend dumps her for a girl surnamed Qin whose uncle owns impressive cars with impressive plate numbers. Having found out that Shi Yan has a niece with a surname of Qin and that he owns a roll royce with an an imposing plate number, Shu Yi concludes that her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend is the niece of Shi Yan.

Armed with a desire to use her rejection as fuel to succeed in her career as well as with her dream of upgrading the online version of Financial Vision magazine, Shu Yi pursues Shi Yan to get him to agree to a series of interviews for the online magazine. That is, as she makes herself believe. But might she be harboring some other reason for pursuing the handsome aloof bachelor?

For some mysterious reason of his own that will be revealed later, the cold CEO, who would have spurned such advances from any other girl, humored Shu Yi. Frequently thrown in each other's company due to the interviews as well as their jobs, they develop a deeper bond that propels them into a rocky journey of growth necessary to bring about a lasting and happy relationship where honesty and effective communication prevail.

Review: This drama is character-driven thus requires a good understanding of the characters to be thoroughly appreciated. Skipping scenes would jar one's ability to be drawn into the characters and understanding them. In addition, skipping scenes could make one miss the campy spoofing feel throughout the drama, such as Shu Yi's pursuit of Shi Yan, the blind-leading-the-blind attempts of Shu Yi's cocksure but clueless best friend to give her advice, Shi Yan's seeming ability to hear Shu Yi's thoughts which could be a device to show they are on the same wavelengths, the phone conversations that everyone in the room can hear, the phone interruptions, the over-the-top riding clothes and many more. Those who recognize the campy humor in these situations would laugh. Those who don't would grumble.

Therefore, if you skip scenes or don't pay attention to the story, don't blame the writer or director if you can't find, much less understand, the plot.

This drama does not describe characters by having somebody directly point out that, say, Shu Yi is brilliant or that Shi Yan is a visionary. The drama SHOWS the audience, another reason skipping scenes is a no-no.

Shu Yi is not the conventional sensible-can-do-no-wrong cdrama female lead. She is smart, kind, friendly, playful, a good sweet daughter, hard-working, cannot be bribed and stays cool when a conniving work rival plays dirty tricks against her. But having been pampered by her parents, she is spoiled, self-centered and not above using people to attain her goals. Most of all, the drama shows her tendency to lie, causing her to do things contrary to what she feels and to make excuses to avoid facing up to the consequences of inappropriate actions.

It is intentional that Shu Yi sometimes throws ethics to the wind. Those who think smart people never do stupid things have unrealistic expectations of people. A lot of intelligent people make unwise decisions. Shu Yi's ethical lapses are part and parcel of the story which is unique to one particular reporter who does some things she should not do. So, complaints about degrading her profession are terribly misplaced. It is highly improbable that the drama would make viewers think reporters do this sort of thing all the time. In fact, that's why this story is told - it deals with a unique character.

I understand why Bai Lu bravely took on this role. Shu Yi would have been a challenge to portray because not doing her right could have made her obnoxious. I was amused at her flaws, scrapes and outrageousness, indicating Bai Lu portrayed her well.

Shi Yan is another complex character. The viewers' first impression of him is his stoic demeanor which is the amalgamation of his reserved and taciturn nature plus his upbringing and grooming to take over a company that would have made him resolute about appearing proper and older than his age at all times. The business scenes show how intelligent, competent and forward-thinking he is by letting us see how he handles meetings with business associates and how he chooses business partners. For example. He concurs with a startup's philosophy to put quality of technology ahead of production. These scenes also show the challenges he faces from senior executives who undermine his capability to lead the company due to his youth and inexperience. To delineate his sincerity in helping startups, the drama shows us that through thick and thin, he stands by a struggling chip producer he has been helping to establish. He gets personally involved in the chip industry and time and again defends his company's stand to finance the startup.

The business scenes also show how compatible the leads are in terms of interests and values. They are both hard-working. Shi Yan's passion to give back to society by helping startups is matched by Shu Yi's passion to make a contribution to society by creating an online version of her company's magazine that would allow more people access to information about finance. They both agree in doing the right things such as when Shi Yan, with Shu Yi's support, refuses to work with a corrupt battery manufacturer.

As he gets to know Shu Yi better, Shi Yan unlocks other parts of his personality - his thoughtfulness and dependability, his gentle and caring nature, his jealousy and his vulnerability that he only shows in her presence. Reserved by nature, Shi Yan's love is shown through his actions - making sure Shu Yi has eaten or has a ride home, even cooking for her. He is a natural nurturer, the best person who can help a spoilt girl in her journey to maturity.

This drama also shows how lack of communication can exacerbate couple issues. This is another hurdle the leads must face and overcome. Those who are intently watching would actually welcome a rift between the leads to knock some sense into Shu Yi. She has a lot of growing up to do and Shi Yan is prepared to take that journey with her as long as she wants to. All he wants is to love her, if she wants that love. What hurts him, more than the thought that she used him, is the thought that she loves another man. He is heartbroken as he muses, "what you wanted was never me". Though it devastates him, he loves her too much to force her to be with him while she is unsure of her feelings. So he lets her go and gives her space and time to sort her feelings out.

One of the things I admire about this drama is how subtle it showed Shu Yi's growth. She was self-centered before she met Shi Yan. She treated her ex-boyfriend like a driver, choosing to do an interview rather than celebrate his birthday with him. When he broke up with her, it was her pride more than her heart that was hurt. Shi Yan's unselfishness must have rubbed off on her. When she received her bonus, the first thing she thought of was to buy her parents gifts. When Shi Yan blocked her, she did not try to make excuses for what she did as what a spoiled child would have done. She felt guilty and remorseful thus felt resigned to losing him. She remembers Shi Yan's loving care and was ready to talk to him in person. When she saw him with another girl, she most probably took that as punishment for what she did and accepted the heartbreak. When news of Shi Yan's shareholders broke out, she first thought of Shi Yan's feelings instead of the effect the news would have on her online magazine. When she finally broke down, she did not care that her fierce work rival was there to witness her anguish. She did not whine or complain about her heartache but got sick due most probably to intense mental and psychological pain.

But the starkest manifestation of Shu Yi's growth was that, when her relationship with Shi Yan stabilized, she stopped lying.

Finally, to complete this multi-dimensional characterization of Shu Yi and Shi Yan, one needs a good idea of the world they're living in. Their friends, families, work, hobbies and other activities provide that additional dimension to their world.

Alliance, as this drama is known in English, is about a brilliant programmer Lin Shuang (Zhang Xiao Fei), who was always top of her class and graduated from a first-rate university. She suspended a bright career to focus on raising a family with her husband Wei Ming (Li Ze Feng) and daughter.

She finds out her husband has been having an affair and investing in real estate overseas behind her back. Knowing how ambitious her husband is, she knows he would not consider marrying his financially-strapped mistress Jiang Xi (Jenny Zhang), who works in the same company as him. Lin Shuang confronts Jiang Xii, suggesting they form an alliance to take him down. At first dubious about Lin Shuang's plan, Jiang Xi gets on board after Wei Ming finds a rich girlfriend who can help him climb the corporate ladder.

Meanwhile, Lin Shuang has been taking steps to restart her career. She meets ex-classmate Gu Xu (Huang Xiao Ming) who had always placed second to her in class and still carrying a secret torch for her. He just came back from overseas studies and work where he had been successful. She lands a job at his company that has some dealings with Wei Ming's employer. Due to some dirty tricks Wei Ming pulled, Lin Shuang was forced to resign from her job. She starts a company. Will she succeed? Does she get to enact her revenge against Wei Ming?

This is a well-written and directed drama. Lin Shuang is a quiet force to be reckoned with. She is patient, biding her time, as her brilliant mind carries out her plan. Who would have thought of forming an alliance with her husband's mistress? In the end, it would seem that the best thing that happened to her was when her husband divorced her.