I think everyone did their parts. This drama is 90% veteran casts and I like it. I can appreciate their art. Though I started because of Lin Yu Shen, he actually doesn’t have a lot of screen time and didn’t really become involved til around episode ten or so. By then I was already invested as I wanted to see the development of the plot.
I’m not talking bad about this actress but it was so hard to adjust to the character JYiDi. Credits to the cameraman because in her parts it pans so long on her reactions it gets frustrating. It would have been tolerable if she had some great profound script after staring at her face that is pondering, looking like about to say something. Yes she does have some meaningful lines but in comparison to not, had to skip over. Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar with her and her acting but yeah, that character was pretty bland. In fact, very minor significant character though it may seem she has a major role.
Overall I enjoyed it. Definitely could have been done in ten less episodes because plot of same business schemes became repetitive. Lost its gist towards middle in parts. Lots of loose ends with characters of female leads sister, parents, etc. Would have wanted to see them again but they just disappeared. Too bad because I think this could have been so much better.
So, if you like a business story with a smart and honest female lead this is good. Romance is a fading hint but missing if that matters. Give it a shot for the veteran actors.
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This review may contain spoilers
Abandoning principles for shortcut to success.
What attracted me into this drama was the 1st epi. of a reporter going undercover to expose a scamming housing estate .They did a market survey and founds victims made up of lonely and rich middle class retirees whose children lived/studied abroad.(kinda wish writers do market survey to find out whether viewers prefer their O/S Endings or not?!)The plott is mostly focus on 5 main characters 2FL-XLH, chief editor of a financial magazine,and JYD, an investment capital manager, 3 males ZH, husband of XLH, YS,-JYD's boyfriend and ZD, director of a robotic ihealth company. Both ZH and YS were directors of investment capital firms.
When the two women were set up by their superiors and subordinates, they were initially enemies. For XLH it was for her position and JYD as scapegoat of her boss,Wu, who had siphoned off money to set up a robotic ihealth company. Both women fought back to get back their positions,They eventually became friends when they realized they were set up and they had a mutual friend in ZD ,who both were trying to get funds for his firm.JYD', got back her post when her new boss,YS, found her capable and believed her evidence that Wu and his people set her up. He was also attracted to her.
Don't expect much romance as it will fizzle out for both ZH and YS out played ZD to get his company,legally but morally wrong.. ( ZD ,without funds , found himself facing police investigations for buying smuggled components parts,hence forcing shut down of his company, comitted suicide) They both did that to get rank up as partners in their respectives firms for their motto in business is being a wolf and not a sheep. The 2 women eventually found out and left them.
I enjoyed this drama for its women power as the 2 FL conducted themselves in cool and calmness when facing their enemies and doing business in principled ways ,not being sheep following low ethics and moral codes .
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The lives of Men
I enjoyed this drama more so than I would have wanted. I started because I like the actor that played Yu Shi (Lin Yu Shen), but throughout the 40 episodes I found myself discovering and coming to love many more. Liu Yi Jun for his brilliant portrayal of the loving husband, as a viewer I understood his actions and decisions, although they could be seen as monstrous in one light, he was just a man in all others, a greater man than most. I emphasized with him and his choices, and most of all his love. It would not be a stretch to say the only reason I have sought to write this review is him.It is truly a shame that this drama ended the way it did, but I think it remained true and grounded despite of it. We watch dramas to be impressed and entertained, to be whooshed away to whatever world has been conjured. This unlike most is not a pure romance, or even partial romance, there are hints of it but only in small doses, yet the story moves around love and is moved by love as the final scene could be so much more different has the main characters been rational heartless men.
The acting in this drama is stellar so much so I would nominate it as one of the best dramas of 2025 (because it ended this year), there are very few that can match the effort the actors combined with a brilliant director have put in. This dawned on me when Yi di ordered Yu shi for coffee not in the actors themselves but in the way the things they tried to do, and whether or not they did a good job you could see that the direction there was well thought out and that there was a vision behind it. The director, Lin Yu Shen and Tan Zhuo I believe are the stand outs in terms of performance followed by their fellow cast members.
The music was good, but it was almost non-existent as if it wasn't even needed. My experience with the soundtrack was that it left a decent impression but only on certain phases of the drama, as if it was just another actor in a scene, and in the end, I can only remember 4 times when I felt it moved me or elevated a scene.
The story is something that as a drama watcher I have seen time and again. Where it stands out is that the writers took their time and clearly constructed it with care. You see that in how clean the dialogue is and how almost all narratives were resolved in the end, it was rushed a tad bit, but they were all realistically and well dealt with. It is a credit to the writers, but the story was clearly elevated by the cast and director who outdid themselves, turning something that is good to one of the best shows of the year.
I recommend you watch it, but only in times when you have time and a reasonable level of patience and freedom.
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