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This review may contain spoilers
"Think more, feel more, and produce less."
I really underestimated No Pain No Gain. Watching it puts me in such a good mood. It’s a refreshing and funny office drama about a video game company, filled with quirky and lovable characters. I can’t stop grinning and laughing.
The plot:
Pei Qian is given startup capital to launch projects and run a company. However, the payment structure is reversed: if the project makes a profit, he only receives a small base salary. But if the project loses money, the amount of the loss becomes his bonus. Pei Qian decides to deliberately try to lose money in order to earn more. But his employees are unaware of this. And things are not going according to his plans at all... Meaning: the company keeps achieving unexpected success. The employees are overjoyed and celebrate, while Pei Qian secretly goes off to cry.
Pei Qian is a great boss. Let me briefly introduce a few rules and benefits that employees of his company have:
- There is no probation period for new employees.
- No long or unnecessary speeches from leaders.
- Meetings are relaxed and informal. Gossiping and small talk are encouraged.
- Employees must use the company's own gym and entertainment facilities for at least four hours per week.
- Flexible start time after weekends or holidays.
- Overtime is strictly forbidden.
- Public holidays that fall on weekends are moved to weekdays.
What a dream, right!? I'm submitting my application immediately.
The characters:
First place in terms of my favorite characters definitely goes to Pei Qian. He's such a silly, creative, ambitious, generous, and witty cutie patootie.
His mission began with him vehemently trying to lose money with his company. In doing so, he spoiled all his employees immensely, ensuring they had a really good working life. They were able to show what they were truly capable of without overworking themselves or being treated unfairly in any other way. At first, this meant that Pei Qian himself was significantly worse off financially. But he didn't give up most of the time. And he has undergone such a positive development!!!
What's more, the others quickly realised how lucky they were to have Pei Qian as their boss. They really loved him and wanted to help him... And well... Pei Qian has slowly taken everyone into his heart. All in all, the whole of Tengda became one big family.
Secondly, I really like Li Shi. At first, I thought he might become a new annoying rival, but omg, was I wrong! That kind-hearted, milk-drinking smiley face! He became Pei Qian's biggest fan and surprisingly supported him so many times when things got dicey. Thank you, darling!
Thirdly, Xin Hailu is simply wonderful. At the beginning, she seemed to be just an observer, emotionally rather detached from the company. But more and more, she saw how much good Pei Qian actually does and how happy it makes everyone. She clearly admired him for this and ultimately became a supportive force for him.
Of course, I also took all the other key employees at Tengda into my heart. It couldn't have been any other way!
Ma Yang is truly Pei Qian's best bro. He even became jealous when Pei Qian seemed to have a better bro relationship with someone else. He can be a bit (or a lot) silly and hot-heated, but has a big heart and really enjoys helping others to realise their dreams.
Huang Sibo is such a hard-working, kind soul. He is prone to falling into stressful downward spirals that cause him great despair, but he nevertheless remains energetic and motivated. No one can stop this man. He just keeps going and going.
Lin Wan is attentive, composed and strong. While almost no one notices what Pei Qian is actually struggling with, she has a certain sense that something is not quite right. Developing games is her passion, and she does everything she can to achieve her goals. Above all: making players happy. She is also good at motivating others.
Lv Mingliang wants to keep as low a profile as possible. He doesn't want to draw too much attention with all his talents, because he is afraid of being taken advantage of. At the same time, he is always there for his team and is quickly persuaded to use his talents - and that clearly gives him happiness.
Tengda has many other great employees. I will miss them all. It was wonderful to spend time with them and see what great things Tengda will achieve.
The OST:
I still listen to the OST very often after I finished watching this drama. I'm not used to hearing so many pop/EDM songs sung in English in a Chinese drama. I really like it. It suits the vibe. My favorite songs are New Born by Dong You Lin, and Shadows Dancing by Mi Ka.
Favorite funny scene: When Pei Qian accidentally ended up being the designated driver for the drunk Li Shi and Zhou Muyan and didn’t want them to recognize him, so he put on some kind of bank robber mask. Brilliant idea. Of course, it made him look extremelyyyy trustworthy! And how cute it was that Li Shi and Zhou Muyan were practically cuddling in the back seat. Zhou Muyan was suspicious about the mask the whole time, and Li Shi was completely relaxed. Then suddenly the near accident, where Pei Qian’s driving skills were insanely impressive. Then the foot chase and Zhou Muyan’s diving tackle on Pei Qian. And finally, all three of them at the police station. Every single part of it was just delightful.
Final thoughts:
I decided to give the drama a 9.5 rating. I enjoyed it throughout and love the creativity in every episode. The business ideas are fantastic, unusual and innovative. That, combined with all the charming and quirky characters, made for really good and truly funny entertainment.
But the drama can feel repetitive here and there, and they used so much AI art, which is sad and just ugly. Both weren't a biiig problem for me, I could ignore it most of the time, but I still deducted 0.5 points.
This drama thrives on its unusual plot and all the multifaceted, lovable dorks!
Thank you, No Pain No Gain and especially Pei Qian, for making my evenings so delightful and for always putting a smile on my face.
[finished watching on 21 February 2026]
The plot:
Pei Qian is given startup capital to launch projects and run a company. However, the payment structure is reversed: if the project makes a profit, he only receives a small base salary. But if the project loses money, the amount of the loss becomes his bonus. Pei Qian decides to deliberately try to lose money in order to earn more. But his employees are unaware of this. And things are not going according to his plans at all... Meaning: the company keeps achieving unexpected success. The employees are overjoyed and celebrate, while Pei Qian secretly goes off to cry.
Pei Qian is a great boss. Let me briefly introduce a few rules and benefits that employees of his company have:
- There is no probation period for new employees.
- No long or unnecessary speeches from leaders.
- Meetings are relaxed and informal. Gossiping and small talk are encouraged.
- Employees must use the company's own gym and entertainment facilities for at least four hours per week.
- Flexible start time after weekends or holidays.
- Overtime is strictly forbidden.
- Public holidays that fall on weekends are moved to weekdays.
What a dream, right!? I'm submitting my application immediately.
The characters:
First place in terms of my favorite characters definitely goes to Pei Qian. He's such a silly, creative, ambitious, generous, and witty cutie patootie.
His mission began with him vehemently trying to lose money with his company. In doing so, he spoiled all his employees immensely, ensuring they had a really good working life. They were able to show what they were truly capable of without overworking themselves or being treated unfairly in any other way. At first, this meant that Pei Qian himself was significantly worse off financially. But he didn't give up most of the time. And he has undergone such a positive development!!!
What's more, the others quickly realised how lucky they were to have Pei Qian as their boss. They really loved him and wanted to help him... And well... Pei Qian has slowly taken everyone into his heart. All in all, the whole of Tengda became one big family.
Secondly, I really like Li Shi. At first, I thought he might become a new annoying rival, but omg, was I wrong! That kind-hearted, milk-drinking smiley face! He became Pei Qian's biggest fan and surprisingly supported him so many times when things got dicey. Thank you, darling!
Thirdly, Xin Hailu is simply wonderful. At the beginning, she seemed to be just an observer, emotionally rather detached from the company. But more and more, she saw how much good Pei Qian actually does and how happy it makes everyone. She clearly admired him for this and ultimately became a supportive force for him.
Of course, I also took all the other key employees at Tengda into my heart. It couldn't have been any other way!
Ma Yang is truly Pei Qian's best bro. He even became jealous when Pei Qian seemed to have a better bro relationship with someone else. He can be a bit (or a lot) silly and hot-heated, but has a big heart and really enjoys helping others to realise their dreams.
Huang Sibo is such a hard-working, kind soul. He is prone to falling into stressful downward spirals that cause him great despair, but he nevertheless remains energetic and motivated. No one can stop this man. He just keeps going and going.
Lin Wan is attentive, composed and strong. While almost no one notices what Pei Qian is actually struggling with, she has a certain sense that something is not quite right. Developing games is her passion, and she does everything she can to achieve her goals. Above all: making players happy. She is also good at motivating others.
Lv Mingliang wants to keep as low a profile as possible. He doesn't want to draw too much attention with all his talents, because he is afraid of being taken advantage of. At the same time, he is always there for his team and is quickly persuaded to use his talents - and that clearly gives him happiness.
Tengda has many other great employees. I will miss them all. It was wonderful to spend time with them and see what great things Tengda will achieve.
The OST:
I still listen to the OST very often after I finished watching this drama. I'm not used to hearing so many pop/EDM songs sung in English in a Chinese drama. I really like it. It suits the vibe. My favorite songs are New Born by Dong You Lin, and Shadows Dancing by Mi Ka.
Favorite funny scene: When Pei Qian accidentally ended up being the designated driver for the drunk Li Shi and Zhou Muyan and didn’t want them to recognize him, so he put on some kind of bank robber mask. Brilliant idea. Of course, it made him look extremelyyyy trustworthy! And how cute it was that Li Shi and Zhou Muyan were practically cuddling in the back seat. Zhou Muyan was suspicious about the mask the whole time, and Li Shi was completely relaxed. Then suddenly the near accident, where Pei Qian’s driving skills were insanely impressive. Then the foot chase and Zhou Muyan’s diving tackle on Pei Qian. And finally, all three of them at the police station. Every single part of it was just delightful.
Final thoughts:
I decided to give the drama a 9.5 rating. I enjoyed it throughout and love the creativity in every episode. The business ideas are fantastic, unusual and innovative. That, combined with all the charming and quirky characters, made for really good and truly funny entertainment.
But the drama can feel repetitive here and there, and they used so much AI art, which is sad and just ugly. Both weren't a biiig problem for me, I could ignore it most of the time, but I still deducted 0.5 points.
This drama thrives on its unusual plot and all the multifaceted, lovable dorks!
Thank you, No Pain No Gain and especially Pei Qian, for making my evenings so delightful and for always putting a smile on my face.
[finished watching on 21 February 2026]
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