I have finished ep 1 (real life interferes with drama fun) and I ship Da Ren and You Qing so very much precisely because they are not dramatically star-crossed or romcom cute - no, they are so achingly real and people I am fascinated with, care about. Plus, they have all that history.
I've read about people not liking Ariel's character but for me she is the highlight of the drama, more than the score and the indie vibe and even Bolin Chen's marvelous Li Da Ren (though, wait, perhaps the latter is not true, as I love Da Ren and You Qing equally). She is something drama heroines are so rarely allowed to be - a real, breathing, flawed, complex human being. I can see both how she'd be hard to deal with and how Da Ren could love her. She's smart, independent, impatient, brusque, funny, self-absorbed, perfectionist, loyal, difficult, self-aware, dreamer. I adore her.
Oh, and I loved this little flashback, after her first defeat, when Da Ren told her she is a great girl. And then added not to misunderstand, he's never going to fall for her. Oh, honey!
I could watch these people do absolutely nothing exciting for eps and eps.