No Pain No Gain

年少有为 ‧ Drama ‧ 2026
- Comedic manhua/donghua to live action adaptation, both done really well
- Same lead actor (Peng Yu Chang)
- I Am Nobody is fantasy/action but lbr NPNG should also count as fantasy what with a mysterious man giving me money to make a loss


Recommended by bingewatchingdisorder
After her mother falls ill, Lin Yi Ran leaves her job in Beijing and returns to her hometown, where she takes the civil service exam and becomes part of the Economic Development Office in Taohua Town. There, she witnesses the decline of the traditional Xuan paper industry, once represented by the thousand-year-old Xuan family, now struggling to survive. Determined to help preserve this heritage, Lin Yi Ran launches new projects — from developing Xuan paper notebooks and securing wallpaper orders in Beijing to organizing a cultural festival celebrating the Four Treasures of the Study.

Through her efforts, Lin Yi Ran not only revitalizes the local Xuan paper trade but also rediscovers her own connection to her roots — growing from duty to genuine affection for her hometown. Along the way, she meets Xuan Lu, an innovative yet misunderstood Xuan paper artisan devoted to cultural innovation. Realizing they share the same ideals, the two join forces to forge a sustainable path for the future of Xuan paper and the culture it represents.
Recommended by Orchid
If you like Ctl+Alt+Life, you might like No Pain No Gain. Both dramas are premised on videogames and emphasize the gamer life.

However, Ctl+Alt+Life centers on professional eSports gamer, No Pain No Game centers on running a gaming company, the gaming industry, developers, and end users. It's also a workplace comedy and has an interesting premise.
Recommended by a cappuccino gal
Although at first glance these two shows don't seem that similar with No Pain No Gain being about a modern day gaming company and Guardians Of Dafeng being a wuxia, they're really similar in tone. Both have this satirical take on their genre of choice and with our leads sort of bumbling from situation to situation accidentally picking up followers and continuously doing exceptionally well at their jobs.
Recommended by AllieCatDiva
If you liked Never Give Up, you might like No Pain No Gain. Both are workplace setting comedies dealing with business and entrepreneurship mixed in with shenanigans and absurd propositions.

Never Give Up has more of a sitcom vibe, while No Pain No Gain centers on a video game company.
Recommended by a cappuccino gal
No Pain No Gain poster

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  • Score: 7.9 (scored by 201 users)
  • Ranked: #3051
  • Popularity: #7698
  • Watchers: 1,712

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