My Bargain Queen (2021)

Too Long!

The first thing that pops up in my mind after watching all the 40 episodes of My Bargain Queen is that it is just too long. Many episodes are unnecessary. I think the whole drama would have much better pacing if the producers have cut it down by 10 episodes or so. For instance, it is pointless to introduce Xia Qan’s father into the drama for a few episodes and then have him fade away from her life again. Just like Sunshine Of My Life and Love Designer, you will have to be prepared for draggy patches after a fairly good start.

The plot itself is nothing new. It has the enemies-turned-lovers flavor with a smart and handsome executive falling for a professional bargainer with each wanting a different outcome for a deal initially. The good thing is he is not another cold and emotionless CEO like in Unforgettable Love and The Trick Of Life And Love. At least, My Bargain Queen moves away from those tropes. Apart from the romance, the story also has a business aspect to it which means it takes a more matured leaning compared to your usual rom-coms.

Romance Fizzles Out
If you like to watch a romance-heavy drama, I certainly don’t think My Bargain Queen is a good choice. This is because the romance seems to fizzle out for the next 10 to 15 episodes after the couple got together. It is rather bland to me in the middle part of the drama where the main couple’s relationship is concerned. They are not as cute like the couple in Forever And Ever and neither are they full of passion like Qiao Qing Qing and Yu Tu in You Are My Glory.

I see Zhe Ning and Xia Qian’s relationship as very ordinary. But it is also closer to reality with no over-exaggeration and hype. They have their sweet moments but nothing over the top. The downside to this is that their interactions don’t leave a lasting impression either once the drama is over.

With the main couple’s romance being largely stable for a substantial part of the drama, the focus also shifts to the side couples to fill the 40 episodes. This is another potential pitfall where My Bargain Queen is concerned.

Side Couples May Not Be Likable
There are 2 sides couples in the drama. Shuang Shuang and He Bo is a couple with a large age gap between them. While the age difference may not be a problem, I’m just not sure if viewers could feel the chemistry between them. Furthermore, He Bo started off as a villain and Shuang Shuang betrayed Xia Qian to help him out at one point. So, this couple’s story may not be one that viewers could feel invested in although it really depends on your taste for age-gap romance.

The other side couple is Ning Meng and Zhi Jun. Ning Meng is definitely an annoying character in the drama. Hence, I doubt anyone would be rooting for this couple. As the side couples are unlikely to appeal to a majority of the audience, the drama ends up being draggy with their stories especially when they occupy quite a big chunk of the screen time as the drama progresses.

The Leads’ Chemistry
Personally, I think Wu Jin Yan has better chemistry with Johnny Huang in Something Just Like This than Kenny Lin in My Bargain Queen. Her personality in these 2 dramas is kind of similar. So, if you enjoy watching her in Something Just Like This which is also a business drama, chances are you would also like her in My Bargain Queen. Wu Jin Yan brings out the gutsiness and enterprising spirit of Xia Qian’s character rather well.

On the other hand, Kenny Lin’s Zhe Ning has a calmer and more cautious personality. When you put both of the leads together, the chemistry doesn’t have that explosive feel. It is good enough for a romance-cum-business drama but nothing extraordinary to make the romance a really memorable one for me when I reached the end. The same goes for the side couples. Thus, I do wonder if they have got the casting right because with better chemistry, this could have been a much more enjoyable drama.

My Verdict – Watchable With Some Skips
I think My Bargain Queen is one of those dramas that you can watch with some skipping in between. For instance, you can skip the side couples’ story if you find them to be uninspiring. It is really a bore if you were to watch all the 40 episodes from start to finish. That is why the pacing could have been much better if the production team had not lengthen the drama unnecessarily.

While the plot is hardly unique, this drama is watchable for those who like a good balance of romance and business. It is also good if you prefer multiple couples in one drama. It has a few annoying characters and some sad moments but nothing too stressful or melodramatic. The romance has a more matured feel and a big plus is that the main couple has no trust issues and silly quarrels. However, the kisses are not of the sizzling kind despite the maturity of the couple unlike what you would find in Love Is Sweet. So, if you like plenty of passion in your romance, this drama would not meet that need.

For this My Bargain Queen review, I would give it a score of 7/10. It is not too bad overall if you don’t mind some boring stretches in between. At least, the story flows along logically and is easy to understand. The characters too are well-developed and there is growth in some of them by the end of the drama. The concept is great but it all boils down to how much boredom and skipping you can tolerate in the middle before the story picks back up towards the last quarter of the drama.

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14th April 2022 - Ep1
I don't know how I stumbled upon this show, I literally just decided I wanted to watch a drama and then it randomly came up on youtube. So I decided to click it and watch it.

Seems really interesting though, there's so much back story to each character. The one thing I liked is that every misunderstanding gets resolved pretty much straight away. I think I prefer that then the lingering annoying misunderstandings that happens in many dramas, and your there yelling at the screen "JUST TELL HER/HIM".. LOL.and you wasting your time watching a drama of them both angry or ignoring each other because of it.

Xia Qian: I find her character occupation really interesting. Like how she helps people find the cheapest items. I wish we had one of these in Europe. But then again, we don't have as many companies to choose from. But her character personality, is a little strange, like super stubborn and literally gets angry soo easily. But I still like her

Qin He Bo & Shuang Shuang: I find He Bo, his character is sooo innocent, like he's super evil in trying to take the company, but he's so innocent when he's with Shuang Shuang. I really like Shuang Shuang as a friend and she seems to always have a positive mindset and a really happy aura from her. I enjoy watching her in this! She's such a nice character. I actually love watching these two. I'm only reviewing from Ep 9. But I think they're a really cute couple and hopefully he doesn't turn evil ~

(Reviewing this couple after finishing show): These two were my favourite couple, Qin He Bo & Shuang Shuang, I thought the episodes were so funny when she went to her home-town and like she showed up. I think they both gave such a like positive like down to earth kinda couple to watch! Even though they were only the co-stars! I really enjoyed them and thought they were soo cute.. I recently looked up both their ages though and I didn't realise the actor for Qin He Bo was soo OLD! LIKE WHAT 26years apart in reality! But they acted pretty well together I'd have to say!

Ep 20: Kinda random and irrelevant to the story of the drama. But I think the reason why I found this drama interesting was because of the beginning and the ending credits. I like the way it wasn't drama related, like it shows none of the drama, just like a short animation of like kinda the story. But I hate watching the drama beginning and end credits and it literally gives away EVERYTHING! It's nice to see something different like related images, that go with the drama and not spoilers of what will happen.

Ep23: Realising half-way watching this that I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought. I love the difference in watching both Sheng Zhe Ning & Xia Qian and also Qin He Bo & Shuang Shuang's relationship. I think both couples are sooo cute <3 <3 I love how funny they are both like in a quiet supportive way!

BUTTTT! I really don't like Zhui Jun & Ning Meng.... I find this couple kinda annoying. At the start I thought Ning Meng was a really nice, interesting, pretty independant character but then as time went on her relationship when they got married, or after she realised her husband was actually with Xia Qian.. she completely changed and like she annoyed me soo much! I literally skip when I see the two of them - like it makes no sense why she was soo possessive.. at times the husband feels a bit sus. But both of them are strange, and I don't really like watching them..

Ep 26: I was reading a comment on Youtube that made me LOL! It said "If I could just slap someone through the screen" ... TOTALLY AGREEE, literally what I feel about Ning Meng and her annoying jealous best friend. It actually annoys me - makes me skip more episodes cause I get so annoyed watching it

Ep 28: Chen Man Hui: This character Ning Mengs besties, or I guess not really a bestie just a bestie so she can try get her brother.. I always find these girls super scary. Like they try to do anything to get a guy they can't have. Like why? You're wasting your own time trying to get with a guy that CLEARLY doesn't like you at ALL! - Once the music changes, you know these girls are up to no good. These type of jealous girls are soo scary, because you never know what their up to making you in the wrong...

Ep 32: Welll, that was a weird plost twist! - and I now get why there is 40 episodes. I really thought this would be a non-breakup kinda drama. I sorta understand and get why Sheng Zhe Ning and Xia Qian can't see each other, and I totally get why there's such a big guilt on Xia Qian but I don't get why Ning Meng, JUST accused her! Like literally your husband knew about it and kept it from YOU & Xia Qian as well.. Like she just blames her? What?

And I agree: reading comments on how can a lantern make such a big accident. (After finishing this drama, I fully understand why it didn't make sense! LOL)

To be honest from Ep 32-36: Kinda the plot twist, or like the main drama I suppose. I skipped ALOT. I don't think I enjoyed it, there was too much like crying and like fakeness and like misunderstandings and mothers getting involved and no.. I guess I recommend watching these episodes if you want a good cry, or just feel annoyed about something and want to make it worse to watch something this dramatic.

Finished: 3rd May 2022
You know what though, in the end! Although a very long drama. I enjoyed it. Although I know from the Ep32-36 episodes were a little annoying and I just had to skip it, and felt it could have been a little shorter in terms of episodes. But after around Ep36-40, I think I started to enjoy it again, with all the like coming together as a team, and then like everyone just getting along again. I enjoyed watching that part of the story.

But I enjoyed the ending of it. How they met at the bus stop and then ended there too. Like a full circle with the perfect end to it.

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Started off well but afterwards annoying sister ruined it all

The first 15 episodes was good! I actually really liked the beginning of the story and thought it was different, however continue watching was such a let down!

Female lead Xian Qian is a bargainer, who helps people get things they like for a lot cheaper of a price, for example trying to bargain hunt for a place of wedding... Two years ago her boyfriend ran out on their engagement party, which was held Chang Sheng hotel. The male lead is Chang Sheng's ceo. He witnessed the breakup of the couple and accused her of pressing the fire alarm.
Xian Qian and Sheng Zhe Ming meet through, Xia Qian organizing Zhe Ming sister's wedding. It also turns out Xia Qian 's ex is with Zhe Ming's sister. Before she knew this she tried all her best to get a booking the Chang Sheng hotel. She even tries to go uncover to steal the list of people who supposely has a wedding on that day to see if they could change times.

The leads meet and slowly but surely the male lead falls for female lead. I love the female lead's character, she's smart, sensible, and down to earth. I also like their bickering. I think it was cute when they finally got together.

But knowing it was 40 episodes, there was bound to be some drama. First of all didnt really care for Wu QiLong to be the second? lead. He falls in love with Xia Qian's coworker. Their storyline is pretty much skip worthy! The other storyline is the ex fiancee and the lead's sister. Except the lead's sister is a bitch ! and super annoying. She's always jealous of the female lead, shes always trying to do things to hinder her brother and female lead's relationship.

As for story development wise it becomes weak.. and pretty boring. I would of love to see more cases that she worked on to bargain or something along the lines. There wasnt much plot development.

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Empty plot

I cannot understand why so many people put good reviews on this deceiving show.
The first episodes made me laugh and I thought it would be a light rom-com. FL is an intelligent woman who was dumped by his college lover just before the engagement party. She met our handsome ML who is a wealthy boss of a great hotel and helps him to cope with the complots in their professional environment. Obviously it starts with misunderstandings and a love and hate relationship , it passes by an awkward and pkatonic cohabitation when ML looses his job. This rich’, nice and extremely handsome man (34 y.o.) actualy had never kissed a girl before he met our FL. Would you believe this? But it is a drama, we can accept it.


This prince seems to have a major problem: a very very bothering sister. She is not only psychologicaly disturbed but the future wife of our FL’s ex. Minutes before their engagement party with our FL he texted her to informing the break up without any explanation.

When the sister-in-law and FL’s interacts it turns to something unbearable for him and for the public.

Then we shall waych many misunderstandings, office betrayals, situations repeating or occuring at random to keep 40 episodes. I skiped a lot but looked at some parts because I’d like to know why the ex had left our FL and married a boring and crazy ex-patient of him, given that he is a psychiastry and seems to be a nice guy.

****Spoilers ****

Though there was a reason, it was not develloped. So it seems he was threathed by a patient and he thought he was responsible for her mental health status because of an accident . But it is not logical and very obscure since we do not know which woman he loved. It would be hard to believe he fell in love with his wife and forgot his former lover. But at the end they want us to believe it happened and the issues with our FL were briefly exposed.

There were funny moments though.

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A tropey show that was stretched to the limit

This Show started fine. The meet-cute was functional and the first few episodes motoring along setting up the relationship between all the characters. However, this is when cracks start to appear. First of all, this Show is tropey. It has all the cliché situations lined up one after another. Many shows are tropey, but this Show was rolling in them and make it too predictable. Secondly, the pacing is slow and got slower as the Show progressed. It is a classic case of stretching a thin plot to fill up as many episodes as possible. Honestly, you can half the episode count, and it will be a much better show.

The Show is, unsurprisingly, split into two main themes, the various romances and business shenanigans centred around the "hostile" takeover of the hotel managed/owned by the ML and his sister. On the business side, everything was focused on the hotel. It would have been decent if there was some clever business manoeuvring but it mostly came down to dirty tricks and back stabbing. It was good that the leads were shown to be able to stay one step ahead of the schemes but it went on for the entire length of the show and the plot was definitely wearing thin. On top of that, the obsessive behaviour by the antagonist was never fully explained. Was it revenge or spite?

On the romance side, the chemistry of the OTP is not particularly strong. There is a bit of skinship, but the kisses shot from afar looked staged and the closeup ones are awkward. There were the usual push-pull and then it just coasted along until we were served the longest non-breakup breakup that went on for too many episodes. It was draggy to say the least. The FL certainly did most of the heavy lifting in this relationship. Honestly, the 2OTP’s love line was actually cuter and more engaging. Sad to say that there was barely any skinship with the second CP.

Acting wise, it is a mixed bag. The ML’s sister was given a lot of screen time and she has mental health issues, but her storyline seemed muddled and darts all over the place. Sometimes she is normal while other times she was out of control. I understand that it is symptomatic of certain type of mental illness, but the problem is that the actress portraying that role is not up to the task. Her delivery is either flat or over the top, there is little nuisance to her acting and made her character unrelatable. Yes, she needs help (which was not given) but the script needs help too. On the other hand, the ML was just flat for the bulk of the Show. At first, he was the aloof GM of a luxury hotel so you can say that he is in character, but as time goes by, you can sense that he is really not giving 100%. Maybe because the role is not challenging or maybe he was typecasted, he was just going through the motion. It was workmanlike but hardly inspired. Thankfully, both the FL and the 2ML did a much better job and are more engaging.

The Show is watchable if you don't mind the draggy pace and simplistic story. There are nice moments, but it was just too long and the thin plot cannot sustain it and only served to exposed all the shortcomings of a mediocre show. I didn't drop the Show but I watch a good portion of it at 1.5x speed which is about the right pace for me. Not a rewatch.

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Could had been good...

Do I recommend it? No...

I think like many, there are a lot of parts that were just boring and or bad. I really wanted to like this drama, but overall it was just not as exciting and interesting. It became a drama where I skipped through or had in the background while doing other things. It wasn't a drama that I wanted to focus on nor rewatch.

There had been some who had been frustrated with the character development and ending, and I see why. I personally don't mind as I feel like the writer did it as a stereotypical scenario. Forgiveness is great and I love that it's implemented, but it's just bland. I would have appreciated it more if the philosophy was expressed more.

My fav character was ShuangShuang btw, she's so cute. there were times where the acting was not the best (very forced and fake), but her character overall was the most relatable.

Cute intro, and beautiful production. A very typical style, so I came in with low expectations.

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A good watch for a Lazy week

All in all it's a really good dramas. The leads have good chemistry, the story is quite a good one, nothing spontaneous and no major misunderstandings or angst, it's just romance, life and a little bit of business. The music was pretty catchy, I sang along a few times. Actors were good, no one made me hate their acting. I advise to watch it when you are calm, collected and are in the mood for something light hearted and sweet.

It isn't the most impressionable drama, not one I would re-watch any ways but its a good one, and definitely worth watching

pro's
- no unnecessary misunderstandings.
- no unnecessary dragging, and even the break up was manageable.
- its a genuinely good story
-Very light hearted and the leads have massive chemistry
- goal oriented characters who wanted the best for each other. Very admirable friendships too.
- Everyone in the drama was attractive, this is a bonus
- Though it's forty episodes, its very bearable (note: I said bearable because you will find your self skipping a lot of scenes towards the end). Although I advice not to watch it when you're in a rush. Be in your zone and at your own pace and you'll enjoy it.
- The leads had beautiful; chemistry and understanding, both were very reasonable and responsible even in times of crisis

Cons
- The C drama script writing habit of making everything so perfect that you already know something horrible is about to happen.
- Ning Meng and her husband until episode 39
- The second leads story which was the highlight of the beginning became very draggy in the middle of the drama and only picked up at the end. I skipped almost all their scenes.
- There were some periods when the Male lead seemed like a block of wood. I wasn't getting emotions from him when i wanted to, especially during the break up and his fathers mystery.
-Ning Meng was a bitch, but she did redeem herself.

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A love story against the backdrop of hidden secrets.

Story: This drama could have been an amazing one but too many loose scenes and two characters that both seem lost who keep coasting by till the end with no exact resolution in sight. Don't get me wrong, the story is good but the infusion of a sister who manipulates everything down to suicide yet somehow we are too pity her and understand her is just ridiculous. Her character is one that i dislike the most, she is manipulative,selfish and uses her brother's affection and husband's guilty to get away with anything and everything. Normally i love a good villian but this particular one had me cringing because her character was irritating to watch and i saw no need to understand her given the circumstances. Kudos to the ML and FL and other supporting characters though.

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Here’s my problem with modern C dramas. They’re terribly cliche and C writers have yet to understand how to make a rom-com without the usual rude CEO and skinny female lead. K drama writers on the other hand have such a variety of themes with tight pacing and unconventional plots. The lone exception to this in C dramaland would be the engrossing “Dating in the Kitchen” which I watched right before this one but I suspect that was because the main leads had scorching chemistry and the writers gave their characters depth, qualities that were lacking in My Bargain Queen.

It might also be the lead actors who failed to delve deep into their respective roles because I’ve watched Lin Geng Xin and Wu Jin Yan in other dramas where they gave above average performances. LGX in particular was superb in Princess Agents while WJY was part of the great ensemble for Story of Yanxi Palace. Could it be they’re not suitable for modern dramas because it requires different methods of emoting? Anyway, whatever it is, they flopped big time and I would not recommend this to anyone unless you’re being forced at gun point.

Yes, it’s that bad.

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Start is good but later dragged too much

The story starts off with something good, especially the female lead Xia Qian who's strong headed and runs her own company...
Male lead Sheng Zhening is the General Manager of Evergreen..

Unlike other dramas, luckily the Female Lead does not become male lead's assistant,
Yes she has business with him and his company b tout that's all professional..

Now the 2nd Lead couple's story was common but many can like it, unfortunately it started becoming too boring as days passed by..

Few characters are way too predictable and boring, example, Male lead's sis Ning Meng and her husband..

The story looked Promising in the beginning but later it's too predictable..

Giving a thought whether to continue or just drop the drama here itself

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Entertaining office drama

Overview: Xia Qian (our female lead) runs a small company that negotiates purchases / contracts on behalf of others. She has avoided Evergreen Hotel ever since her fiance dumped her there two years ago, but finds herself unable to turn down a contract to book a wedding there. In the process of negotiating the contract, she encounters the outwardly gruff but inwardly kind-hearted general manager, Sheng Zhe Ning. The two are initially at odds, but over time, begin to fall for each other. What will happen? Add a corporate plot to take over the Evergreen Hotel, Xia Qian's efforts to grow her business, and two secondary couples, and we have enough content to fuel a drama.

Early impressions:
The beginning of the drama is pretty rich with eye-rolling cliches, so much so that I almost dropped the drama (e.g., when in real life has a klutzy slip ever resulted in a kiss??) The re-introduction of the ex was also cringe-inducing. But, once you get through the first few episodes and our characters are established, the show really picks up and now I actively enjoy it. I love that the female lead is actually smart and independent (even after in a relationship), and her chemistry with the male lead is great. The secondary characters are appropriately developed and even the most villainous characters have shades of gray rather than being black and white (e.g., the corporate spy manages to make his character sympathetic, and even my least favorite character, Ning Meng, is more pitiable and self-destructive than over-the-top evil). Not sure if the drama will keep this momentum to the end but for now, I am enjoying it quite a bit.

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