Yang Yang was in “Love O2O”(2016) and “You Are My Glory” (2021). Both these Chinese dramas were written by Gu Man. She also wrote “Boss and Me” (2014) which is out on Netflix.

source: themoviedatabase

I’m creating this thread so it’s easier for me to find later should I decide to continue it. As I mentioned in the “What Are We Watching Thread, I’d be interested to see Gu Man’s development and progress as romance writer. I want to see how her perspective on romance and general worldview have changed over the years.

I began to watch this drama a few years back but dropped it after the first episode because:

one, the male lead didn’t appeal to me. He had the appeal of a string bean to me, and

two, I’m not into boss/secretary romance. In real life, this is a recipe for disaster. Even when dating begins as a consensual relationship, the employers will have to consider the consequences should the relationship fail (or not fail). There can be claims of favoritism, reprisals, harassment, and other legal issues. An office romance is just messy proposition in my book.

However, being aware of the good, the bad and the ugly in workplace romance, we can watch this show with open eyes. We don’t have to mistake the drama’s message of love-conquers-all as a workable and feasible corporate policy.

I’m transferring our comments here.

@agdr03 said,

I didn’t mind Boss and Me but the ML there is very arrogant and there were times where I felt he should have been more approachable.
The kiss scenes were good though. 🤣

I answered:

Ahhhh… so Gu Man toned down her hero’s arrogance after “Boss and Me”? Interesting.

Xiao Nai was a know-it-all but I didn’t mind his “benevolent sexism” because it worked in her favor. I’m only watched 2/5ths of “You Are My Glory” so I don’t know how the hero acted towards her at the end. In the beginning, though, because of their status and income differences, he seemed to be at a disadvantage.

@Sandi wrote this:

watched Boss and me as soon as it reached Netflix only on the strength of the actor who plays the ML. I have seen his other works. It was only later I realised the author also wrote You are my Glory, my much loved cdrama of 2021. So I made sure to watch the fourth of her works made into a drama, My Sunshine. I even read some of her writings on which Boss and Me is based. The context is that 50 Shades was big at the time. The cdrama version is a much toned down version of her writings. After all, he always worked quietly at making her a better version of herself. But reading it did help give me a couple of eureka moments.

Did I understand you correctly, @Sandi???  The drama was influenced by “50 Shades of Grey”? Your comment sparked my renewed interest in the Cdrama. lol.

@Welmaris added:

While waiting for the start of February dramas, I’m watching the Cdrama Boss & Me, based on recommendations in this thread. It’s fluffy and tropey, but I’d keeping me entertained. Part of the fun is mocking the production values: scenes supposedly set in England with white people who can barely speak English; pancake makeup on actors’ faces with noticeably different-toned skin on their necks, ears, and around their eyes; the sweater worn by someone’s mother in Hunan also seen being worn by a part time worker in Shanghai.

@Fern replied:

@Welmaris, they also use the same white people over and over as passersby in different scenes. Also, you can see that some exterior scenes are filmed in actual locations with locals in the background looking questioningly at the camera. The interiors of sets have certainly improved over the last 8-9 years. I suppose there are places in England that look so shiny and slick, but I haven’t seen any for a while. 😁 It is true, however, that many front desk staff in the UK are from other countries and have accents. But they usually speak multiple languages and have been hired for those qualities.

Tropes I don’t like: even though the FL proves her business sense, she is yet another diminutive and chirpy Cinderella-type with a tall and tsundere boyfriend. The FL and ML don’t communicate well and she becomes tiresomely insecure, repeatedly coming to the wrong conclusions. The only black people in the film are violent thugs. Did you notice the dig at the Korean plastic-surgery culture?

I think this was meant to be a bridging drama between classic Cinderella stories and more current dramas like YAMG, YAMH, and Forever and Ever, which are styles I much more prefer. I do like that she is meant to be someone with whom he can relax, but it takes her forever to realise that because he is so cryptic. I also like that his chaebol family is open-minded about her background as long as her family are respectable. No water-throwing or pay-offs! I did end up ff’ing through this.

@Welmaris said

@Fern, Boss & Me is a combination of Cinderella and Pride & Prejudice. The aunt in B&M is cut from the same cloth as Mrs. Bennet. ShanShan and her family harbor prejudices against people with wealth; unfortunately, ShanShan is not as self-assured as Lizzy Bennet.

Let’s enjoy the show!