Master of My Own

"Lemon, what happened in your childhood to make you believe people are good?”

Starting my review with a quote from another drama with a Lemon character. Lizz lemon- 30 Rock ;)

Beyond 30 Rock:
Similar to 30 Rock, we have a bright eyed newbie in a corporate world having to deal with a boss who starts off as cynical, conservative, un creative, racist, arrogant, but this is where the parallels end. In 30 Rock Liz was used to humanise Jack who was not at all a nice person. This is not the case with Lu Ji Meng. He is ambitious but also conscious of the responsibilities of the investment field. He is an excellent mentor to Ning Meng and I'm glad that the romantic relationship wasn't based on her total dependence on him. His character growth was impressive- from arrogant to pitiful to humbled.

Working in the Corporate world:
This drama showed me a different side to capital markets and investment- which it goes in details with - without making it seem too wolf of wall street types- atleast that's the stereotype I have of this industry. Even though I am not in the field, I have worked in corporate and Ning Meng's experience was extremely relatable.
I liked the way they show subtle difference in work spaces that are dominated by men and workspaces that have more female workers but who are also supportive of each other. The drama is aware of these social dynamics and is able to convey it without being preachy and obvious.

On Nostalgia:
Interesting how the romantic interests of the respective leads tried to manipulate them with nostalgia. The FL was most pragmatic, she got over her childhood crush but was still easily influenced. Nostalgia is never a critical place, it's purely emotional. Goes to show how easy it can be to control someone using sentiment of the past.

Overall thoughts:
I would have preferred it to be entirely about Ning Meng's journey from secretary to director without the romance element. But I also liked her dynamic with Lu Ji Meng- felt similar to the chemistry of Ming Lan and Gu Ting Ye- they're very comfortable being friends and are almost destined to end up together irrespective of the paths they choose.
I was lost in the middle when Yi Meng was introduced, felt her character was under developed compared to the rest.
Liu Chang's character was also quite two dimensional. Besides dining out and the predictable trope of a spurned lover, he didn't really add anything else.
I lived for the scenes with Shi Ying and Ning Meng, they were each others' fan girls and the chemistry was incredible. Yang Xiao as the secretary was too cute- her banter with Lu Ji Meng was pure comedy.
I haven't enjoyed a similar workplace drama since Rememberance of Things Past which also had a perfect fusion of almost documentary like detail of corporate work life along with drama and romance.
I might do a Tan Song Yun retrospective and re-watch this along with The Sword And The Brocade where she was also phenomenal

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Slow and long for some seconds of closure...

Just some thoughts just after watching the show...

STORY - interesting story about a merciless boss that we, as the show progresses, discover the feelings and sweetness towards FL. Interesting stories, projects and a taste of investment in new ideas.
Great and powerful women also! Chasing the dreams is a wonderful way of living...
Some things didn't make sense to me like Su Wei choosing to go to the police, the extremely radical change in Lu Ji Min.

CHARACTERS / ACTING - wonderful acting for most.

MUSIC - didn't pay much attention to the music.

REWATCH - I think I will never rewatch this again, especially due to the abrupt ending.

OVERALL - I enjoyed watching this. For me, what downgraded the drama for me was the ending. After more than 30 episodes, a kiss is not enough for me.
I don't agree with lots of opinions saying this isn't romance. For me it is, all the movements and decisions of Lu Ji Min were for love, even if he didn't knew that.

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Not a rom-com, but a woman empowerment drama

I think if I didn’t have high rom-com expectations, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed. I went into this drama for the actors. I have seen almost everything Tan Song is in because she is just that good. I love her short stature, her bubbly personality and her smiles. She’s never lead me wrong. I’ve seen Ling Geng Xin in Princess Agents where I liked him more in that role.

My main issue with this drama was the tone and pacing. The first 10 episode was the ML being a horrible person to the FL. He was not supportive, he didn’t do anything adorable or cute that made you think he had best intensions. Not only did he say she wasn’t good at anything, but she wouldn’t amount to anything, he didn’t really care that she struggled. He treated her so harshly for 30% of the drama, I was basically against him from that point forward.

I started to look at the drama in a new light, as in, this is a woman empowerment drama and I was simply rooting for the FL to get her awesome power back. I was so happy to watch her figuring out issues (with little to no help from the ML) and kind of letting all the people that doubted her that she is just as good as them.

There was hardly any romantic interactions between the ML and FL. I found them to be bickering people that are just friends. The ML is only two years older than the FL and he acts and looks beyond the years. I was very shocked by this.

I felt like a lot of entertaining and moving moments happened when the FL was speaking to secondary characters, like the second ML or her best friend or my favorite person in the drama, her second boss. I really liked the relationship between the FL and her second boss because, well that is how the ML should have acted.

Husband liked the financial side of the show since he is in finance and could understand all of that language. It was easier for me to understand when he explained everything about “margin calls”, “bonds” “liquidated stocks”, so just note, it’s very financial heavy in the dialogue.

I’m happy the drama is only 32 episodes and costume and sets were decent to look at. I would watch it for the actors if you are super fans, but don’t expect your typical rom-com or heavy romance drama.

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slice of life & intellectual women are nice

It's really really nice as a journey through life, with a lot of slow-paced events and ordinary things that add to the realistic picture, but it somehow became boring when nothing really happened... It was so so slow that it became unrealistic for some intellectual educated successful people like our protagonists!
The ML is doing an incredible job with performing someone who is unable to accept and express his feelings and establish the human relationships he is craving for. Also hard to believe that a smart woman - the FL - could miss the signals of a man's obvious interest in her... The SML and SFL are nice and funny in their own way, but still lacking as characters. Actors are always top notch!!
Too bad the writer and director didnt make more of the excellent script and cast and chose to drag and drag and reach an incredible 30 episodes - or so - over... nothing!
I truly enjoyed the first half of this series! It conveys a lot of meaning. So much that it made the other half useless for me.

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Dependency is not romantic folks

I think this one has cured my c-drama addiction for good.

This is the story of an overly giving woman having to raise an emotionally stunted man in order for him to be acceptably human enough to have a so called relationship with.

It’s a shame because it started off so well. FL actually managed to escape from the narcissistic ML but then repeatedly allowed herself to be pulled back into an endless cycle of abuse and humiliation whilst still continuing to aid and support him.

What are signally to young people here?

Writers need to do better, I mean the ML called the FL in the night to ask how to use his coffee machine so he can entertain another woman, and the FL talks him through the process WTF - all the while knowing the woman is with him.

Only watch this is you have high tolerance for idiocy.

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Male leads like this should be illegal!

OVERALL
This drama is cliché, and not the good kind. Watch it if 1) You're really, REALLY a fan of the actors, 2) You're a masochist in love with jerks, 3) You love seeing women debased by men. If you're not, then do yourself a favor and skip.

THE STORY
I gave this drama a try because of Seven Tan, who I liked in The Sword & the Brocade. Unfortunately, this drama turns out to be one of her many projects I simply can't get behind. The only positive thing I can say about this drama is that it starts well. I like how Female lead is introduced, as a total boss who knows her stuff and is in control of the situation. That lasts about...five minutes. Then we move on to Male Lead being a jerk, and more Male Lead being a jerk, and (yes, you got it right) more Male Lead being a jerk, while Female Lead just takes it all. By episode 7, he's still a total jerk and Female Lead is...somewhat into him? Like what? There's ABSOLUTELY nothing to be attracted to! This type of drama drives me mad because under the pretense of a "male growth" drama it sells the idea that guys can do and say whatever they want to girls and girls are just supposed to put up with it. Male Lead is really HORRID, as bad as the king in Yanxi Palace (if you know, you know!), if not worse, and this is a modern drama. It's TOTALLY unacceptable!

To be fair, the problem is not only Male Lead. Female Lead's submissive behavior bothers, her inability to see things coming (when she was so good at it in the first 5 minutes) too, and then you have the overused, triggering cliches like the glasses removal (oh, now that she has no glasses, she's SO pretty! *eyeroll*). I came, I saw, and I gave it up. Save yourself the trouble, skip.

THE ACTING
Ok, but not mind-blowing. I saw some people in another platform say main leads had chemistry. I must be blind, because I didn't see any.

THE MUSIC
No comment.

REWATCH VALUE
Nonexistent.

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Story of Ning Meng

Ning Meng's Character analysis:
come from loving family, hard worker, cheerful.

Childhood:
wanna be investor because her father business went bad.

College era:
took finance major, a clever student, confessed love to classmate but got rejected, never date anyone ever since.

Graduated:
applied at Joint investment division but ended up as secretary of investment owner/director. Learn a lot from this perfectionist/bossy/arrogant boss about investment, found out this company was not her place to got what she want.

3 Years after working at Joint co, got job at Eaglestone co, got a very kind boss, join a project with her former boss company as representative, the love feelings started develop as she found out her boss is actually good to her:
- start to realize her feelings to her ex boss

- broken hearted seeing her boss already got someone he loved (her ex boss later realized his feelings are actually for Ning Meng but kinda too late)

- accepted her previously rejected her classmate, date this classmate, rejected love confession from her soon-to-bankrupt ex-boss, realized her classmate is psycho but try to go on, kept contact with her now-bankrupt ex-boss (nothing happen between this two 'professional' people), but being hardly slapped by this psycho thought she was cheating and break up.

- her career rocketed since she got out from Joint co to Eaglestone co, because she is smart, got learn many things from ex boss, got good new boss to give her opportunities, she is also hard worker, also kind to everyone and willing to help them.

- "chased" her now-"poverty stricken"-ex boss, resigned from her position as director company, helped him rebuild new company again, sent all criminals that ever "bully" her ex-boss to jail, succeeded, then got proposed by her ex boss.

Conclusion:
1. Hard work and stick on your dream will definitely come true.
2. Be kind, there are many people out there still understand kindness and repaying kindness.
3. To have loved ones support you, cheer you up, when you're down is important.
4. Career or love? Both can!

The End.

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Be a master of our fate, not a victim

Master Of My Own is a C-drama that covers romance, comedy and tragedy.

It tells a story about a young personal assistant, Ning Meng, to a venture capitalist, Lu Ji Ming, who was given the job at her job interview out of urgency and was guaranteed a role with the investment team in the company.

When she realises that she is not going to achieve her dream by constant sabotage by her colleagues, NM quits her job and joins another investment company to pursue her dream.

From then onwards, she experiences the ups and downs of her role as an investment analyst while bumping into her former boss regularly and dealing with his tantrums.

This C-drama is entertaining for those who work in the corporate world.

Watch it.

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Love the story!

Honestly, I loved this drama way more than I expected. The storyline is inspiring but also super entertaining—it mixes career struggles, romance, and just the right amount of comedy so it never feels too heavy. The little comedic reliefs throughout had me laughing out loud and gave the show so much charm.

But the real standout for me is Lin Gengxin (LGX). He absolutely nailed this role. His acting feels so natural—he can be cold and intimidating one second, then warm and funny the next. The way he delivered subtle emotions and his perfect comedic timing made his character come alive. Plus, the chemistry he has with the female lead is off the charts.

This show isn’t just about love—it’s about personal growth and learning to stand on your own. With a fun storyline, lots of heart, and LGX’s amazing performance, “Master of My Own” is definitely worth the watch!

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