I had this one my list and planned to watch it in the far future. It was mostly due to the fact that I have such a long to-watch list that I didn’t know when I was going to get to it. Yet, fortunately for them (lol), I was on a Dylan binge and wanted to see what happens. I usually don’t watch legal dramas so that was also one of the reasons for my delay. But when I started, I realized it wasn’t actually a legal drama, but more like business-related. Well, it was about 70% business-related and about 30% family and/or romance. How was it? Surprisingly enjoyable. There were many frustrations throughout but it was worth it in the end.
Main Cast:
- Qin Lan (秦岚) as Shen Ruo Xin (沈若歆). A corporate lawyer for ZENPRo Group who became a scapegoat for a public backlash incident regarding a car malfunction incident. She was professional and ambitious, wanting to lead the Legal Department one day but was sabotaged. She continued to push forward and try to make her comeback throughout. Yet different events occurring influenced her decision in taking another path. It was a new venture for her and she had doubts at first but never gave up on her career. That was admirable and inspiring in many ways. As for personal life, she had a complicated family background and lacked the emotional support so she had to fight most of her battles alone. In romance, it might be lacking and she might appear to be cold but she actually cared more about it than anyone else who thought it was their business to dictate her life. She wanted someone who she could connect with, not getting married just because. I think the last time I watched Qin Lan was in Dreams Link and I was really frustrated mostly for her so never watched her stuff again to save my peace. It wasn’t her fault, most of them seemed really heavy and frustrating, that was all. Although this one was very tiring at times too, which I will save for later sections, I felt I really liked this role of hers. It was a mixture of strong and gentleness, depending on the situation.
- Li Xi Ai (李熙嫒) as Young Shen Ruo Xin (小沈若歆).
- Dylan wang (王鹤棣) as Qi Xiao (祁曉). A small businessowner who later became Shen Ruo Xin’s assistant and then eventually her boyfriend, leading to him leaving the company to pursue his business venture. He was a young man full of hope, wanting to start his business and getting his creations out there to the world. However, his partner ran away and he had no choice but to put his plans on the back burner. By chance, his roommate submitted an application to ZENPro for him and he was accepted (or was given a chance for an interview). Initially, he had a rough start and had to use some deception to get his job. However, he proved to be quite reliable and capable in many ways. This role of his allowed him to be both immature and mature at the same time. Given his age, it was normal to have immature moments and how inexperienced he was about life. But it was revealed later that he was forced to grow up early on so he could take care of his mother after his father passed away. To look at it another way, he was optimistic about life because his mother was such an optimistic person herself. Yet he had some of his stubbornness at times too and that had allowed him to walk his own path. In here, Dylan reminded me so much of a young Wallace Huo, especially the business suits and all. I liked this role, obviously, for the above reason I described. He was very real, trying to make it like everyone but also have moments where he fell and needed to find his own direction again. He could also be quite petty and jealous at times, but he would never hurt others intentionally–if he could help it. He apologized soon after since he felt responsible for ruin Shen Ruo Xin’s proposal moment, not realizing he had actually helped her. So, I guess, what I was trying to say was, he tried his best and would accept responsibilities for his actions. It was more than the majority of the men in here could have done. Perhaps, that was why he became the model character later and the most suitable candidate for Shen Ruo Xin.
- Li Zong Han (李宗翰) as Xu Min Jie (徐敏傑). For a major character, he appeared a bit late into the show and his presence wasn’t so prominent as they made it out to be. He was ambitious and hopeful about the new energy source for vehicles but needed to do extensive work to get the others on board. He invested a lot of time and energy and money even to prove his point. And he proved his capabilities by hiring the best to secure his chances. He was quite innovative and a source of hope for the new generation to aspire to because he was willing to take the leap, not trying the same old, same old. His one mistake was his overconfidence. Because he thought he understood Shen Ruo Xin but failed in the end. Probably, in some ways, he was old school, thinking the typical wine and dine and the powerful background (hence being able to protect her) was what would impress her. But he was wrong.
Supporting:
Shen Family (沈家):
- Guo Kai Min (郭凯敏) as Papa Shen (沈父). I swear I thought he was dead. Yes, the way they were talking about him throughout. So, I thought Qi Xiao’s expression at that moment was all of us. I meant, I knew Shen Ruo Xin’s parents got divorced at one point, according to bits of pieces here and there. Yet I assumed he passed away, that was why they were no longer in contact and how he no longer took her to the amusement park. Yet I didn’t realize it was because she had listen to her mom and was no longer in contact with her father. Or at least, not purposely seek him out.
- Pan Hong (潘虹) as Zhou Yi Lan (周依蘭). Shen Ruo Xin’s mother. Like a typical traditional mother, she was very overbearing and suffocating. Being a teacher made her tenfold stricter and not as understanding. She expected discipline and good behavior. It was almost like living with a drill sergeant, I guess. I couldn’t relate to her at all but she freaked me out sometimes and frustrated me during others. All I could say was this veteran actress could act. But the rest was really unrelatable. She was only forgiven so easily was because she was the main lead’s mother. They had to show she could change and willing to compromise later so it would be easier on the main lead, that was all. Did I welcome the change? Yes, but still didn’t think she deserved an award or something.
Zou Family (鄒家):
- Kang Kang (康亢) as Zou Cheng (鄒誠). I hated him at first because of how he was cornering his wife and was going back on his vow just because he was going through midlife crisis. Yet he wasn’t irredeemable because he was willing to change his view after having realizing some things. He just lost his way and forgot how some things were. The work life had killed part of his spirit but he finally found his way back and tried to make it work. Once again, solid acting from Kang Kang and another collaboration with DiDi, lol. (Technically, this was before all the other ones I watched but it was still fun to see their different links across various dramas.)
- Bao Wen Jing (包文婧) as Song Zi Yan (宋梓妍). Zou Cheng’s wife, Shen Ruo Xin’s best friend. At first, I found her to be a bit spoiled, even if I agreed with her about some matters. Yet her character soon grew on me when her story unfolded even more. She was a very talented person of her own right and given the right motivation and encouragement, she was able to achieve great things. She was able to prove herself to others. She was also a good friend, even if a bit gossipy, lol. But I thought that was fair, considering how long she knew Shen Ruo Xin and all.
- Shi Yu (施羽) as Papa Zou (鄒父). Zou Cheng’s father.
- Yang Kun (杨昆) as Mama Zou (鄒母). Zou Cheng’s mother.
- Gu Ke Jia (顾珂嘉) as Gu Ying (鄒瑩). Zou Cheng’s younger sister. I found her really annoying that one time and her actions were terrible regardless. She can’t just drop her kid there as she felt like it. Not to mention how her kid was a child from hell or something.
Su Family (蘇家):
- Chen Peng Wan Li (陈鹏万里) as Su Yang (蘇洋). Qi Xiao’s friend since college and roommate. He lacked confidence at first because of the uncertainty about his future and was scared to commit to any sort of relationship. Those worries were reasonable. But he later found the courage to take a step forward in regard to both romance and his career.
- Wang Zhi Min (王之民) as Papa Su (蘇父). Su Yang’s father.
- Zhen Xiao Wan (郑晓婉) as Mama Su (蘇母). Su Yang’s mother.
ZENPRO Group (振鵬集團):
- Zhang Yan Yan (张棪琰) as Fang Li Sa (方麗薩). Vice President of the Sales Department, later becoming the Executive Director of the New Energy Department of the Shanghai branch. She was the right-handed person under Xu Ming Jie’s command and had helped him a lot in expanding the new energy market. She was very intelligent and capable. So I was glad she wasn’t reduced to some jealous opponent like some other drama would have done with the whole rivalry thing to hype up the drama. I thought the drama already had enough of those jealous parties. She knew Shen Ruo Xin was capable and was willing to exchange ideas and focused on expanding the department to a whole new level.
- Wei Yi Bo (韦奕波) as Liu Pei (劉沛). General Manager of the Shanghai branch. He was part of the old generation who operated on the mentality that whoever wanted to gain favors must abide to his rules and establish connections with him and his likeminded teams. At first, I thought he was just trying to keep everything professional and the type to think for the company and cutting losses with the whole publicity stunt and using Shen Ruo Xin as the scapegoat to resolve the matters. It wasn’t ideal but it helped the company to extinguish the flames of the public outrage. However, he lost me when he told Li Fang to give Shen Ruo Xin a hard time as much as she could. It was unnecessary and unproductive. That wasn’t the end of it either. Because he continuously tried to sabotage and belittle Shen Ruo Xin’s progress and achievements throughout. So, I thought he got what he deserved in the end. It was probably a little lenient, considering how he got to resign on his own terms. The ultimate blow was no one missed him when he left. Because the majority were just kissing his ass to gain favors or kept quiet, fearing backlash if they were to go against his wish. That was what he got for surrounding himself with those who only bend to his will when they wanted to gain something from him. What was more? It was too late when he realized Shen Ruo Xin was the only one willing to talk to him and say goodbye in his last moments at the company.
- He Bin (贺彬) as Ruan Ye (阮曄). A high-ranking manager of the Legal Department, later became the Director of the Legal Department. He was a yes-man under Liu Pei’s wing. He was seen often tattle-telling on Shen Ruo Xin to Liu Pei and tried to sabotage her as much as possible. It was like he took time out of his day to constantly obsess over her or something. He was a truly despicable person who only cared about his own career and power, so he wasn’t a loyalist to Liu Pei but needed to cling onto him to achieve his goals. It was really pathetic to see him try and suck up to Shen Ruo Xin later. He exposed himself throughout with his actions, so no one needed to take actions toward him in any way.
- Wang Yi Nan (王一楠) as Li Fang (李芳). Director of the Administrative Department. She was very petty and unprofessional, abusing her power throughout as she felt like it. It was mostly due to the fact that she was backed up and enabled by Liu Pei. That didn’t excuse her behavior but she proved to be one of the most petty persons there and should never be near any source of power. Yet terrible people were usually given power because they could climb over anyone to the top, using all means.
- Lin Xin Yi (林昕宜) as You Si Jia (尤思佳). Shen Ruo Xin’s legal assistant, Qi Xiao’s college classmate. She liked Su Yang and later became his girlfriend. She was one of Shen Ruo Xin’s loyal co-workers and it was like a compensation for all those misfortunes Shen Ruo Xin encountered at the company at first. She refused to take advantage of the situation for the promotion, even if Shen Ruo Xin gave her the go. She was one of the shining spots of the show and pumped back some humanity surrounding Shen Ruo Xin, even if she could be considered naive.
- Tong Yue (佟悦) as Cui Li Xin (崔立新). Shen Ruo Xin’s co-worker and boyfriend, later ex-boyfriend. He was a scumbag wrapped in nicety if you will. Yes, he was the Mr. Nice Guy of the show yet didn’t realize how despicable he was. No amount of justifications could make him a decent person for me. His soap stories were what the majority of the people went through who were trying to make it in the big cities too. He used Zhou Yi Lan to get to Shen Ruo Xin and then practically forced himself into her life yet acted like he had every right. Considering how their mother and daughter relationship was already rocky, he took full advantage of it and drove a bigger wedge between her and her mother. And the funniest thing was, he still succeeded in being her favorite “son-in-law” despite hurting Shen Ruo Xin so bad that it took so long for her to recover. He was just a spoiled brat who lashed out when he didn’t get his way because he resorted to insults when Shen Ruo Xin turned down his proposal and then tried to take it back, acting like he was still the good guy. Then when all failed, he torpedoed her career. So, I agreed with Qi Xiao that Shen Ruo Xin was too softhearted for not exposing him completely. (So what if she felt that she owed him because she didn’t love him the way he wanted? He forced his way into her life, she didn’t want that. It was like a hostage situation, considering how he had such a strong grip on her mother.)
- Wang Xin (王鑫) as Li Xiao Le (李小樂). Xu Ming Jie’s assistant.
- Jin Chen (金晨) as Xiao Tian (小田). Li Fang’s underling.
- Ren Wan Jing (任婉婧) as Xiao Zhang (小張). Public Relations Department’s employee.
Others:
- Bao Bei Er (包贝尔) as Chief Feng Chi (風馳堂主).
- Tian Miao (田淼) as Mama Qi (祁母). She was so cute. I was so scared that Shen Ruo Xin would have to face the other difficult parent too, considering her luck throughout. Yet she was so open-minded and lovable. Perhaps, it was because of how she went through the same thing with having her parents opposed to her marriage and how she had to work hard to prove that she didn’t make the wrong choice, etc. She only wanted her son to be happy, so she was happy with her son’s choice.
- Benny Qian (钱泳辰) as Gu Yu Tao (顧禹濤). Shen Ruo Xin’s classmate in collage. He was also an attorney and had traveled wide and far, but wanted to return home after many years to settle down. According to him, he was previously married but had divorced. Although he acted like all had been settled and the past was just the past, he seemed to still be very bitter toward his ex-wife and talked bad about her (i.e. she was the one not seeing things clearly and not seeing the big picture), etc. Unfortunately for him, he dug his own graves by exposing himself early on regarding his divorce and the bitterness he still held, so Zhou Yi Lan was able to see that firsthand, considering how she was also divorced but the party that people often say was “difficult” and closeminded. Talking about that, he was definitely that guy in real life who often tell others his ex was the crazy one, but he was totally the problem without knowing it (or willing to accept that). Interestingly, he was in Love in the Forlorn City with Qin Lan previously and was also linked to her and it didn’t work out either, lol.
- Wu Jun Chao (吴骏超) as Ah Ting (阿霆). The lead singer of the band at the bar where Song Zi Yan worked at.
- Hao Ping (郝平) as Jin Yuan Hao (金元浩). The owner of the car that exploded. He was having an affair and tried to cover it up by blaming the company for making unsafe vehicles. He also piled it on by making Shen Ruo Xin the bad person for forcing his hands with the settlement. Basically, a compete asshole all around.
- Guo Tong Tong (郭彤彤) as Mrs. Jin (金太太). Jin Yuan Hao’s wife.
- Zhang Xiao Qian (张晓谦) as Xiao Yu (小魚). The real estate agent whom Shen Ruo Xin sought out at the beginning to help her search for a place for Xu Ming Jie. I felt bad for him, I really do. They were already on a tight schedule and the client was such a sticker for details and he was forced to comply to everything.
- Zhang Shu Lun (张舒沦) as Zhu Lin (竺林). A fashion designer and Qi Xiao’s business partner.
- Ren Luo Min (任洛敏) as Papa Song (宋父). Song Zi Yan’s father.
- Zhu Ya Ying (朱亚英) as Mama Song (宋母). Song Zi Yan’s mother.
Relationships: family, friendships, romances, etc.
- Qin Lan/ Shen Ruo Xin and Dylan Wang/ Qi Xiao. Their chemistry was surprisingly really good. Despite the age gap, yes. I know, I looked the number up. Yet I was still so surprised. I wasn’t sure if it was because of Qin Lan’s wonderful acting or the unusual phenomenon with him always matching with his co-star regardless of how much older they were compared to him. Watching them go through the trials and tribulations and bonded way before getting together made all the difference. There were still some hurdles they had to face when they were finally a couple, but the foundation allowed them to get past it at long last. I wasn’t sure how the story was going to shift to romance although I saw clues of them starting to like one another at various points. Also, I wasn’t sure they were heading toward romance either. Because I thought it would be a morbid one with them not being able to get past the age gap and overcome public opinions, etc. There were signs of jealousy (more from him) toward her other pursuers and how protective he was of her (even though she was the older one). Then how subtle it was that she told her mother Qi Xiao wouldn’t like so and so when her mother tried to matchmake for him. The scene where she was trapped in the building and he was trying to get to her during the storm sealed it for me. That scene was brilliant (even if it seemed normal because it had been done before with the main leads being caught together in some storm together and bonded, etc). Because they had the real talk. Well, it was like a shouting marathon at first because he was so worried and scared that something had happened to her (and it did). He didn’t know why he had to be the mature one running around looking for her and she was the careless one who didn’t love herself more (aka caring about some materialistic stuff getting destroyed than getting out of there before the storm). It was an intense scene and their bridge of emotions finally broke. Both did really well during that scene and that was the final push they needed to get together. Even if there were still uncertainties and doubts. Once they were together, it was so cute and sweet. And for those complaining about her going overboard and acting like a child and the sweet scenes were forced or cringy, I wanted to ask if you’ve ever been in love before? I totally felt her happiness was genuine and Qin Lan portrayed it well. Because as sad as it was (considering how she had so much on her shoulders), it was her first time ever falling in love (for real and NOT just dating for the sake of dating with that scumbag at the beginning). The first time falling in love could cause people to resort to such innocent gestures and the feeling like you wanted to fly. So those scenes weren’t overboard, it illustrated her feeling well. She was finally truly happy. All in all, an adorable couple.
- Qin Lin/ Shen Ruo Xin and Bao Wen Jing/ Song Zi Yan as best friends. I could totally feel their friendship, unlike some recent productions just pushing the ‘best friends’ dynamic so the main lead could have sort of background story or ally (even if not that strongly). They’d been through some stuff together and understood one another, not afraid to confide with one another. There were no judgment either. They supported one another throughout. Even if there were times that some not so ideal advice were given, it was genuine. Whatever was the final decision, one would support the other.
- Kang Kang/ Zou Cheng and Bao Wen Jing/ Song Zi Yan. At first, I thought they were going to divorce. It was inevitable when vows were forgotten and their goals no longer matched. The yelling didn’t help. Then they moved toward Song Zi Yan finding work at that one bar and how she found her new purpose in life and built her own career. I thought she would be more convinced than ever to get back on her own two feet and move on. Yet, somehow, the scriptwriters brought them back together. And surprisingly, it wasn’t some forced formula either. I meant, if it was so, I wouldn’t blame them since everyone wanted to see a happy ending. It was going to happen one way or another to promote another harmonious ending, whether it made sense or not. But this one didn’t dodge. The writers wanted Zou Cheng to see and understand what his wife was trying to tell him all along. That scene with him eating alone and remembering all those times he took her for granted and thought that he contributed more to the family but it wasn’t so. They were supposed to be a team, but he left her behind, thinking that he was the one pulling all the weight. But he was just carrying a one man show on his own. It wasn’t until she was gone that he realized what he was missing. It was sad it took that for him to realize it. But at least, he realized it. He also thought carefully from her perspective. His parents giving them pressure was just another excuse for his inattentiveness. The separation helped her as well. Because it allowed her to cool down and find herself again. Then explore some paths that she hadn’t taken before. She found her purpose (like said above) and her next goal. It was a good journey because it allowed her to think her relationship also. The disagreements weren’t so one-sided and her stubbornness wasn’t helpful in the whole situation either. The cool down had to happen for both to analyze and realize what had happened before they could come back together as a team. So, yes, another well done story arc.
Likes:
- Song Zi Yan successfully communicated with her husband and took charge of her life. This was a major surprise for me after the disappointment of many productions (doesn’t matter the region, they’re all the same with the endgame even if the technique was different) attempting to depict strong, independent woman yet always failed when it came to children. Yes, I got it they can’t go all the way. So, it was fine they didn’t bring it in. But when they bring it in, they often leaned the way of persuading the female characters how important it was to fulfill her duties as the mother, etc. Then somehow forced her back into the house and silenced her (not completely but they made it so natural and acted like that was the way). It didn’t matter that the children didn’t exist yet, the hypothetical children would always rank higher than the women. So, I already given up. I could live with the mushy, typical family dynamic of marriage and kids, etc. Because after all, it was ingrained in their minds what the definition of family was, etc. I didn’t care since it was part of the entertainment experience after all. Yet this surprised me how things turned out, like I said previously. Song Zi Yan wasn’t completely against children because she learned that she quite liked them when she started to teach music to the kids. However, she learned that it had to be on her own terms, not forced. She also said at that dinner with her in-laws that she didn’t want to become an incubator, she wanted to truly become a mom–if that was where life took her in the future. What was more? She got her husband on the same page with her through communication and calm words–after they cooled down and spent time apart to reflect on what had happened and what will happen going forward.
Dislikes:
- The fact that Zhou Yi Lan never knew how much of a scumbag Cui Li Xin was. Yes, once again, I knew Shen Ruo Xin felt like she owed him because of how much effort he put in, etc. She said they were already even with what happened. However, that was annoying with how Zhou Yi Lan thought she knew what was best and was never wrong, etc. Sure, she changed her mind later after interact with Qi Xiao’s mother regarding a lot of things, but she still needed to know the truth about the person who destroyed her daughter’s career completely at one point.
- The fact that Xu Min Jie liked Shen Ruo Xin and wanted to possess her as well. Yes, this irked me because it put Shen Ruo Xin into a very difficult position. The first obvious reason was he was her boss, so the power dynamic was obvious. Even if he didn’t retaliate against her because she rejected him, it still created a very awkward situation for her. Then there was also the gossips among the other employees. I know they would gossip regardless because they were pissed that they couldn’t take her down after the last time. Yet his liking her made it more justified for their words. He couldn’t outright say that that wasn’t true. In some ways, they were going to talk regardless and he probably didn’t care what they say anyway. But I would have liked it that he spoken up about it at one point. Thirdly, it totally undid all her achievements. Hell, the two top office bullies were saying how she had slept her way up with that new promotion. (By their logic, I thought the two guys were sleeping together hence the other guy got the head of the law department position.) So, yeah, it was frustrating that Xu Min Jie thought he was smart yet he just sabotaged her effort. Those who watched and knew her understood she got all her promotions through her efforts throughout. Yet it was frustrating to see such rumors circulating when she was back in. I guess that was a realistic aspect of real life with how women were criticized regardless and how their achievements got downplayed by immature and jealous parties. But it didn’t make it less frustrating. At least, karma got all the troublemakers in the end.
Discussions:
- The mother-in-law playbook. Yes, I don’t know what to call it exactly. But almost every guy in here used that playbook throughout. Instead of talking to Shen Ruo Xin directly or interacted with her like a normal person, they went through her mother AND then acted surprised why she didn’t like them. Cui Li Xin did it. Xu Ming Jie tried. Gu Yu Tao did it. Even Qi Xiao, himself, wasn’t exempt from the cliche formula. Because he did try to gain favors with her at one point and try to sabotage Xu Ming Jie by tattling on him. However, Qi Xiao’s saving grace was he would often keep Shen Ruo Xin’s feelings in mind in his final decision, regardless of how mad he was at times with her.
- The reason why Shen Ruo Xin stayed was because of her mother. Um, this was the part where she passed by the new opportunity to stay. She learned how many things her mother gave up for her so she didn’t want to abandon her mother, so to speak. Yet I felt like that was doing a lot of pulling for the whole plot. Her mother chose after all. Although it wasn’t coming from the mother but it still seemed like a major guilt trip. Obviously, her staying benefitted Qi Xiao too. But still. Very weak point.
Recommended? Yes, if you enjoy office dramas, lol. But seriously, it was a good one for older woman and younger man type of series. Also, you have to be a major fan of the main leads to enjoy it. Yes, the romance didn’t start until way later but you have to like them to watch the whole thing.