Oh! My Sweet Liar! Review

I’m not familiar with any of the leads in Oh! My Sweet Liar! (偷心画师) but the trailer made me give it a try. Frankly speaking, the title itself is kind of cheesy and I wouldn’t have considered watching it if not for the beauty of YouTube algorithms which keep throwing out related clips in our feeds. Anyway, this is a nice surprise for me mainly because my expectations was low to begin with. It is not superb but it is comparable to a lot of dramas out there which have more popular leads. You can check out Oh! My Sweet Liar! review below for more details.

My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 29
Type: Romance
Aired: September 2020
Images Credit: Youku

The Cast Of Oh! My Sweet Liar!

• Xia Ning Jun as Li Hong Bin
• Xi Zi as Xiong Xi Ruo
• Lan Bo as Li Hong Yu
• Kang Ke Ren as Dai Ru’er
• Andy Huang Xing Yuan as Li Jing You
• Yang Da Peng as Li Jing Tong / Duke Lean
• Tan Li Min as Madame Li
• Tian Shu Chen as Song Zhi
• He Ling Chang as Song Qin
• Yu Bai Shui as A Mao
• Liu Hao as Li Jing Rui / Uncle Li
• Cui Yi as Madam Xiong
• Dai He Jia Qi as A Shuang
• Xie Yi Jiao Yang as Dr. Ye Zhi Han
• Song Zi Qin as Ning Xin

Main Characters

Li Hong Bin

Hong Bin is a general who is reputed to be cold and ruthless. He is also the eldest son of the powerful Li family. Hong Bin has a liking for army life and is resistant towards inheriting his father’s duke title and responsibilities.

Xiong Xi Ruo

Xi Ruo is a talented artist who draws under the pseudonym Happy Fairy. Her works include scandalous graphic anecdotes. Xi Ruo also has a photogenic memory. She was an abandoned kid who was brought up by a dance pavilion operator. Hence, she is street-wise and crafty.

Supporting Characters

Li Hong Yu

Hong Yu is a famous painter. He is the Li’s family second son and Hong Bin’s younger brother. Hong Yu prefers a carefree life and likes to stay away from the confines of the Li Manor.

Dai Ru’er

Ru’er is Hong Bin and Hong Yu’s distant cousin. Their mother likes her a lot and Ru’er herself loves Hong Bin. Ru’er is gentle in appearance with a manner befitting a lady of the noble class. But she is also a jealous person. She had a sister, Ke’er, who had passed away due to sickness.

Li Jing You

Jing You is Hong Bin and Hong Yu’s third uncle. He is younger than both of his nephews but likes to emphasize his seniority as an uncle. Jing You is a little immature but can spot a liar and evilness in a person.

Li Jing Tong / Duke Lean

Duke Lean is the head of the wealthy Li family and oversees the territory of Yunyao. He has 2 sons, Hong Bin and Hong Yu. Duke Lean is an affable man who is fair and understanding.

Madame Li

Madame Li is Duke Lean’s wife and mother to Hong Bin and Hong Yu. She can be fierce and short-tempered but will see reason once she has calmed down. Privately, she is also a soft-hearted woman. She shares a loving relationship with her husband.

Li Jing Rui / Uncle Li

Jing Rui is Duke Lean’s elder brother and Hong Bin and Hong Yu’s eldest uncle. He is familiar with the Song family due to his time spent in the capital.

Song Qin

Song Qin is Duke Song’s daughter and Song Zhi’s younger sister. She is sent to Li Manor to be married off to one of Duke Lean’s sons to supposedly strengthen ties between the 2 families. Song Qin is a spoiled brat who would throw a tantrum if she fails to get what she wants. She is immature and fickle-minded but means no harm.

Song Zhi

Song Zhi is Duke Song’s second son. The Song family is based in the capital and has great powers. Song Zhi is an ambitious and ruthless man who will not hesitate to break the law to achieve his aim.

A Mao

A Mao is Hong Bin’s loyal subordinate and confidant. He follows orders without question and has good martial art skills.

Madam Xiong

Madam Xiong runs a dance pavilion. She takes in orphans and her adopted daughters include Xi Ruo and Ning Xin. Madam Xiong is loud and likes to talk but a loving mother.

A Shuang

A Shuang works for a mysterious master and is an assassin. She is good in martial arts and speaks with a slang. A Shuang and Xi Ruo know each other from the past.

Dr. Ye Zhi Han

Dr. Ye is a reputable doctor in Yunyao. He is Xi Ruo’s childhood friend and is indebted to her for saving him from bullies when they were kids. Dr. Ye is a loyal friend.

Ning Xin

Ning Xin is a dancer at Madam Xiong’s dance pavilion. She is also Madam Xiong’s adopted daughter. Ning Xin and Xi Ruo grow up together and they are like sisters. Her childhood dream is to be a dance champion.

Synopsis

Hong Bin has just returned to Yunyao from the frontlines. His father, Duke Lean, forbids him from re-joining the army until he captures an artist who goes by the pseudonym Happy Fairy who has created scandalous anecdotes of the Li family.

Xi Ruo is Happy Fairy and she is a talented artist with a photogenic memory. A Shuang hires her to paint the 4 Arhats. Due to A Shuang’s slang, Xi Ruo misunderstands it to mean 4 nude men. Xi Ruo is then smuggled into Li Manor disguised as a manservant. She is assigned to serve Hong Bin. Xi Ruo assumes her task is to paint a nude picture each of the 4 men of Li Manor.

Xi Ruo starts off with Hong Bin and an accident with a knock-out powder results in her sharing the same bed with him for the night. When she is caught trying to flee from the manor with her nude painting of him, she has to reveal her gender and claims that she is pregnant with his child to escape punishment. Xi Ruo then becomes a convenient excuse for Hong Bin to get out of a marriage alliance with the Song family who is after Yunyao’s iron minerals. They end up agreeing to a contract marriage.

As different people try to break Xi Ruo and Hong Bin apart for different reasons, they also gradually fall in love with each other. Would Xi Ruo’s fake pregnancy get exposed? What is the 4 Arhats painting? Would the couple be able to overcome all the obstacles that are thrown their way?

Oh! My Sweet Liar! Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Oh! My Sweet Liar! has a happy ending that depicts the fate of each character in the Li family after 5 years. Hong Bin and Xi Ruo have a daughter who is as tricky as her mother. Xi Ruo’s book is also in much demand and this time her anecdotes of the Li family end with a happily ever after scenario. Hong Yu is still leading a carefree life and stops by a betting stall on the way home. The stall owner is Xiao Wu who is from the dance pavilion.

Ning Xin and Dr. Ye already have 2 sets of twins and she is pregnant again. Jing You and Song Qin have been happily married for 2 years. Duke Lean and his elder brother are enjoying each other’s company but behaving like kids. Madame Li has to step in. The late duke has another son and he is Duke Lean’s personal servant. They are all shocked by the revelation in a funny way. For a full drama recap, you can check out the Oh! My Sweet Liar! episode summary.

When Did Xi Ruo’s Fake Pregnancy Get Exposed?

Xi Ruo was honest with Hong Bin and told him the truth in Episode 8. She wanted to get out of the marriage and had fled back to her mother. But Hong Bin insisted that they go ahead with the wedding partly because he was already fond of her although he made it out to be solely because of the need to avoid marrying Song Qin.

The fake pregnancy is fully exposed in Episode 26. Ru’er, who had been banished from Li Manor for her various crimes against Xi Ruo, returned as Song Zhi’s concubine. She exposed Xi Ruo’s deception to Duke Lean and Madame Li. Xi Ruo admitted that she had lied to them. Duke Lean ordered for Xi Ruo to be evicted from Li Manor.

When Did Hong Bin And Xi Ruo Confess Their Love?

Hong Bin confessed his feelings for Xi Ruo in Episode 15. He was drunk when he did it and then admitted his feelings when Xi Ruo told him what he had said the night before. Hong Bin asked Xi Ruo to be a real married couple then. Xi Ruo told Hong Bin that she really likes him in Episode 21. He had found her in the forest after she fled from Song Zhi.

Is Xi Ruo A Princess?

No, Xi Ruo’s background is not mentioned in the drama. There is a slight twist in the plot when the jade pendant that she has been carrying all along signifies her status as a long lost princess. The princess was lost while on a tour with the Emperor and there was a riot.

In actual fact, the pendant belongs to Ning Xin who gave it to Xi Ruo when she was found. Madam Xiong couldn’t afford to take in another kid then. Ning Xin claimed that she found the pendant on Xi Ruo to entice Madam Xiong to adopt the latter. Madam Xiong didn’t have the heart to turn her away but also gave the pendant back to Xi Ruo and told her to keep it well.

After learning the significance of the pendant from Song Zhi, Xi Ruo gave it to Dr Ye who is Ning Xin’s husband. Dr. Ye showed it to his wife who confirmed that the pendant is hers.

Who Are The Family’s Enemies?

The mysterious man whose face isn’t shown in the beginning of the drama is Hong Bin’s elder uncle, Jing Rui. His identity will be revealed in Episode 19. He colluded with Song Zhi because he believed Duke Lean had snatched the duke title from him. Jing Rui was sent to the capital when he was a kid to show loyalty to the Emperor. He was under watch by the Song family and thought his family had forgotten about him which led to his bitterness. But Jing Rui repented when he found out that his late father had never given up on him in his will and that his brother was forced to inherit the title due to their father’s poor health then.

Ru’er’s crimes towards Xi Ruo were all due to jealousy as she wanted to marry Hong Bin. When she was banished from Li Manor, she ended up being Song Zhi’s woman in her quest for revenge. Ru’er also thought she would be Song Zhi’s concubine and be accepted into the Song family. But Song Zhi was merely making use of her and immediately abandoned her when she failed to steal the iron mineral map from Li Manor as instructed.

Song Zhi was fighting with his elder brother to inherit their father’s duke title. So, he wanted to gain control of Yunyao’s iron mineral to show his worth. In the end, he was captured when he kidnapped Xi Ruo and blackmailed Hong Bin to get the mineral map. Song Zhi was sent back to the capital with a list of his crime sent to his father.

Where Is The 4 Arhats Painting?

The 4 Arhats were actually painted on the Treasury walls. Jing Rui thought they contained the secret that will prove that he is the chosen heir to the title. But the mural had disappeared from the walls over time. The message of the 4 Arhats painting also symbolized family harmony rather than any mysterious letter. The 4 Arhats were also the clues to unlock a secret compartment that contained the iron mineral map which only the duke has the authority to access.

The late duke’s letter was never meant to be any secret. It was simply lying on a table in the Treasury waiting to be found. But it was just collecting dust and nobody took any notice of it. The letter stated that Jing Rui has the right to ask for the duke title back when he returns from the capital. But Jing Rui felt too ashamed for betraying his family and unqualified to hold the title. Hence, he decided he didn’t want it anymore.

Oh! My Sweet Liar! Review

There are a few things going for it where Oh! My Sweet Liar! is concerned. Firstly, there is actually a story behind the romance. It is not only sweetness and fluff unlike the very thin plot found in General’s Lady. This one has a lot more depth and the start of the drama is pretty interesting and humorous. I was left wondering what painting that A Shuang had wanted Xi Ruo to copy. The play of slang is creative and the result is an initial funny tale of Xi Ruo trying to come up with nude paintings of the men in Li Manor.

Secondly, it doesn’t have a feeling of a low budget production despite the not so famous cast and a cheesy title that give precisely such an impression to potential viewers. The cinematography was well done, aided perhaps by the filming location as some picturesque scenes came up beautifully. The costumes look good especially for the wedding scenes.

Lastly, the cast delivered on their acting although they don’t have a long list of dramas under their belt. Both Xi Zi and Xia Ning Jun look comfortable in their roles. The characters that they play may be flawed but both the leads were able to bring out the unique attributes that define Xi Ruo and Hong Bin respectively. Their chemistry is not too bad either. It is not off-the-charts kind like Leo Luo and Bai Lu in Love Is Sweet but good enough to pull it off for a historical romance drama. At least, they can move me a little unlike the lackluster romance of the main couple in Dance Of The Phoenix.

What May Be Off-Putting

While Oh! My Sweet Liar! has its good points, I think there may also be some aspects that could potentially kill off your interest. For instance, not everyone will like Xi Ruo’s character. My guess is the fake pregnancy story could put some people off especially when her in-laws are kind people. To be fair, she is not solely to be blamed since Hong Bin knew the truth before their wedding. But Xi Ruo isn’t the type of character that is readily liked compared to, say, Chu Yue in The Sleepless Princess. She needs to grow on you as the drama progresses.

The next complaint that I have is the slow pace found in certain episodes. Hence, the middle stretch could get a little boring for some. Song Qin’s continuous childish tantrums and her relationship with the equally immature Jing You are a turn-off for me. I also don’t see the point of Dr. Ye and Ning Xin’s romance which is simply boring. Hence, the producers could have just shorten Oh! My Sweet Liar! by a few episodes for better pacing. As it is, some of the sub-plots seem to be overstretched as the side couples’ stories are hardly enjoyable to watch.

My Verdict – Better Than Expected

Overall, I would say that Oh! My Sweet Liar! is better than expected. It is watchable although it is certainly not meant to be a compelling story in the class of big budget productions like Love And Redemption and Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. It is simply a delightful distraction when you have spare time on your hands. There is proper account for all of the characters in the ending and there is no over-exaggeration in terms of acting and plot. So, by and large this is a well executed drama.

Of course, to enjoy this, you would need to like Xi Ruo’s character or be neutral at the very least. You would also need to be accepting of the fake pregnancy storyline because it is one of the main pillars of the drama. It is not exactly a dealbreaker but it could potentially be annoying.

For this Oh! My sweet Liar! review, I think a 7/10 score would be fair. It is nothing memorable but generally interesting while it lasts. It is not a stressful watch although there is a bit of suspense and anticipation in the plot as the leads try to flush out the enemies and figure out the mysterious painting. Just watch it with an open mind and don’t judge the female character too harshly. If you can do that, then Oh! My Sweet Liar! would be a pretty enjoyable ride especially when the male lead is very likable and easy on the eyes.