Now that I think about it,I wished someone asked Seven or XK when they were promoting about the break up 💔💔.…
Here's what TSY and XK each said from the perspective of their characters JX and HT, respectively:
TSY: JX calmed down and thought about it. This matter was acceptable in the business world but not in the relationship. HT also realized that "it turned out that what I wanted to give you was not what you wanted."
XK: HT and JX's relationship encountered a crisis of trust. XK believes that the two people had different definitions of love at that time, and there was no right or wrong. JX's view of love requires two people to be completely honest with each other, while HT prefers to protect each other with practical actions.
There are right and wrong in business but there is no winning or losing in love. When a 'weed' entrepreneur meets an 'ambitious' investor, career and love come together. The romantic beginning that seems like a fairytale actually contains the epitome of love and struggle of countless young people in this era. The most beautiful form of love is that two people achieve each other in their careers, heal each other in love, climb peaks together, and experience troughs together. They are the most shining and moving stars in each other's eyes.
TSY: Hardwork will eventually made ordinary people shine. The reason why the character JX resonated with TSY at first was that her story was not a 'gold finger' story, but the growth process of ordinary people, from an ordinary girl to a breakthrough. TSY herself also started as a special actor from supporting role to the leading role step by step. Similar experiences allow TSY to find the right starting point in her creation. Although a "small town youth" from a grassroots background is talented, he or she will be drowned if he or she is not careful in a big city full of talents. The valuable thing about JX is that she will not be disciplined by the environment. JX is sober and upright, dares to resist unfairness and refuses PUA. When she encounters sexual harassment in the workplace, someone advised her, "It's just a touch, just bear with it, and it will pass." However, she was not afraid of power, resigned, and started a new company from scratch with her junior.
W: How do you view the process of two people in love going from strangers to close lovers? How did they finally get back together?
TSY: Actually, I was asked in a previous interview, should people who are the same or who complement each other get together? My answer is that personalities can be different, but the three views must be the same. In the story, JX and HT had a disagreement in the career positions. HT acquired JX's company without communication. When this incident broke out, JX calmed down and thought about it. This matter was acceptable in the business world but not in the relationship. HT also realized that "it turned out that what I wanted to give you was not what you wanted." Later, JX adjusted herself and was able to face HT again. In fact, love is like career. It takes experience to grow. Because of being tripped, there will be strength. Because of quarrels and splits, you will know what is consistent with each other. Two people want to become better together. You need to break through this layer of paper and treat each other with sincerity and only then can you have good results. In love, frank communication and mutual trust are very important. There is no comfortable relationship at the beginning, only a relationship that gets better through continuous adjustment.
W: What is the biggest change that JX experienced through love?
TSY: I think it is growth and a change in perspective. I have grown from a little girl to someone who cares about the overall situation. As my career has risen, I have seen many different things and have a lot of thoughts. In fact, JX has been lost many times. For example, what should she do after resigning? I have never invested before, can I do it? Ask friends to borrow money, what if I fail? In the process of thinking, I found my original intention. I suffered setbacks step by step, and finally achieved success. After the rift with HT, I went to Germany for professional training, figured out what kind of entrepreneur I want to be in the future, what kind of partner I needed in love, let go of my emotions, and can face him rationally and objectively again.
W: Share your most memorable lines from the show.
TSY: "Gold will shine, and in this world, no one can block anyone else's light." There is another sentence. JX was working overtime with the team in the office. Han Ting advised her, "you don't have to wait for everyone to suffer together", and JX said, "I just want to setup a different workplace. I have been caught in the rain, so I also want to hold an umbrella for them within my ability." This sentence can fully reflect JX's character.
Xu Kai Love Reveals the True Heart. The character of HT attracted XK at first because of his personality. He has a unique personality charm. He is ambitious, flexible, cautious, and insightful. Although he is decisive and ruthless in the business world, he also has a warm side in his heart. XK believes that HT has a big picture view and is a results-oriented person. He has a relatively stable spiritual core, is rational and reasonable, and he hopes he can also move closer to these advantages. HT has extremely high business and management talents. He was exiled to Germany by the Han family. He founded the German medical base of Dongyang Technology single-handedly, becoming the pride of Chinese in Germany. When his grandfather fell ill, he was called back to Germany but was thrown into the lice-ridden Dongyang Medical of his cousin. HT quietly defeated them one by one and planned to use Dongyang Medical to expand the domestic AI and technology medical business.
HT was the first (CEO) role XK had played, and it was also a new challenge for him. In order to better reflect HT's maturity and stability, XK did some fitness training before filming. He also did his homework in advance. Faced with a large number of AI medical professional terms in the lines, he required himself to present them accurately.
In XK's view, HT is not a "domineering CEO" in the traditional sense. He has his own code of conduct, and his color is "pattern." He appears to be ruthless and hard to figure out, but he is actually soft and delicate inside. He has multiple layers of protective color and in each confrontation with JX, he takes off his armor layer by layer, revealing his true inner side. HT is a three-dimensional and multi-faceted character. XK did not interpret him as just a domineering CEO. For example, HT has lived abroad for many years and what he misses most is a bowl of "wild wontons." Every time, he meets with friends privately, they will go straight to this restaurant. All kinds of details show that HT has this lovely side. Under the wrapping of a suit and leather shoes, he adds a bit of firework (down-to-earth feel), and his performance is vivid and free.
Before meeting JX, HT's business philosophy or values in the business world was "There are only friends and enemies" in the business world. If you are not my friend, then you are my enemy. However, after meeting JX, the two of them influenced and accomplished each other. In the world of "ambitious people", HT was used to controlling everything but when faced with a sincere "weed" like JX, HT's inner was stimulated or inspired to be soft. Because HT himself is not an extremely cold person, his original intention of "Robot Xiaobai" was to make up for the regret of his parent's deaths.
XK explained that the two people with different personalities gradually had a focus, and their careers and emotions began to heat up. As their careers progressed, HT and JX's relationship also encountered a crisis of trust. XK believes that the two people had different definitions of love at that time, and there was no right or wrong. JX's view of love requires two people to be completely honest with each other, while HT prefers to protect each other with practical actions. He is not keen on publicizing it vigorously or making a grand announcement but hides every love in the details of ordinary days. The time part of the quarrel between the two was inevitably affected by career factors. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up in the future and they reconciled. "My love for you can only be explained at the end of my life. When I look back, I will make a final judgement." This is HT's deepest confession to JX. A famous scene in the original novel is that HT was attacked by a bad character with a sharp weapon in order to save JX. This plot is also restored in the TV series version. XK believes that this plot is the exact presentation of HT's character. There is a kind of love that is not vigorous (in other words, not grand nor passionate), and not reflected in every "I love you", but it must be hidden in every detail of ordinary life. Two people met and grew up with each other and go through the test of trivial matters and the tempering of time and still accompanied each other for a lifetime. When they look back, they can make the final conclusion that such a relationship is rare, romantic, and desirable. XK himself also agrees with this kind of way of expressing emotions. He said that there is a song called "Love Reveals the Heart", which has the same meaning as this classic line in "As Beautiful As You." There are different ways to express love. Some people choose earth shattering while others choose a long-lasting love. No matter which way you choose, there is no right or wrong. The most important thing is that both lovers can accept it.
W: What is the biggest change that HT has experienced through love?
XK: I think even after they fell in love, HT is still HT, and JX is still JX. I can only say that in the friction between the two, HT released more tenderness which may be the feeling of the "i" person getting closer to the "e" person. JX also gradually grew up and began to face reality. I think this kind of mutual influence is good, learning from each other's strengths, and making up for each other's weaknesses. HT has also released more tenderness or softness in love. At first, he had his own mature set of ideas about career and love, and he had an absolute desire to control himself. His later changes may be reflected in his external appearance. At the beginning, if he wants to maintain the image of a decisive leader, he had to arm himself very strong. Outsiders even thought he was cruel and unkind, but as he got along with JX, he began to show more of his emotions. The audience may find that there is always a soft corner in his heart which was just hidden in the early stage.
W: How do you view the process of two people in love going from strangers to close lovers? How did they finally get back together?
XK: The process from strangers to close friends is quite magical. It is not only about love but also about making friends. It is a process of mutual trust. It should be very beautiful to recall it many years later. The two people resolve the misunderstanding, accepted each other's values, slowly let of go of their guard, and treated each other completely frank.
W: Please share some of the most memorable lines from the show.
XK: "What I believe in love is something that is formed slowly over the years, day by day, over time." This sentence left a deep impression on me. HT said this after a quarrel over a conflict of values between two people in the play. Everything turned out well. The two people truly reconciled and walked on hand-in-hand.
Xu Kai mentioned that he read very little of the original novel—essentially skimming through a few parts here and there—yet his portrayal of Han Ting has earned him praise such as ‘Xu Kai seemed to have stepped right out of a novel’ and ‘a CEO who tore the book and stepped out.’ Interestingly, the original novel is filled with details of Han Ting that match Xu Kai in real life, except for Han Ting’s ambitions and attitudes. Xu Kai added his own unique touch to the character, making him more relatable.
I sometimes wonder if haters get paid to put in bad comments to bring down a great drama in order to promote another…
There is no right or wrong. It's all subjective about personal tastes. However, I would describe ABAY as an urban fairytale business romance that is wholesome, inspiring, and fun to watch. It features a realistic entrepreneurial high-tech business storyline that serves as the foundation for the romance, intertwining the characters’ professional and personal lives in a compelling way, and is crucial to the development of the romantic plot. I don't see any issues with the plot, pacing, cast, acting, and the directing. If you find the pacing too slow, it’s because the plot follows a timeline of events. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘empty minutes.’ Perhaps you prefer more explicit action, whereas the director style focuses on nuanced scenes and acting.
Since you have watched 350 dramas, can you recall off the top of your head another urban drama that has similar business story as this one because I really like the business side of this story and just wondering if there is another similar drama.
I sometimes wonder if haters get paid to put in bad comments to bring down a great drama in order to promote another…
I have noticed many warnings on the MDL comments page for SOKP regarding the show’s sensitive material. Since ABAY is a pretty wholesome drama in my view, I’m curious about what specific warnings you think are needed for ABAY?
I sometimes wonder if haters get paid to put in bad comments to bring down a great drama in order to promote another…
You torture yourself to watch dramas you hate to write reviews on why you hate them. I hope there aren't too many dramas you hate this much, otherwise, it must be too stressful on you.
ZD is not technical. She started Guangsha with HT's plans. JX went to work for Guangsha and was the chief designer of the robot which is why she was able to fix that problem for Dr. Cloud so fast. I noticed in a scene that she brought HT a proposal to expand technology to remote areas and that was a proposal that JX had asked her colleague to give to management after she resigned, she still cared about her mission. HT recalled what JX said to him at the fishing village, so he knew it was JX's idea. Later in a scene, I see ZD asking HT for Dr. Jiang (if I recall the name) help and he promised it to her. ZD even complained about losing some low-level engineer although a long-time core member but one who makes mistakes. I cant' remember why XingChen would hire her and then she becomes a troublemaker.
Now that I think about it,I wished someone asked Seven or XK when they were promoting about the break up 💔💔.…
HT didn't need to tell JX about Hanhai because when they shook hands, HT promised he'd give JX two years of full autonomy. JX turned down every investor because she wanted full autonomy which only HT would give her. JX initially would only give 15% but finally settled on 33.4% but HT initial offer was 51% (novel). With majority interest, HT will give XingChen access to Donyang's vast resources (manpower, consultants, supply), established networks and other connections, and sales channels but JX turned him down and said I don't need anything else from you, just the funding, because JX is young and inexperienced and overly confident that she can solve the problems herself. HT really just wanted her to focus on engineering. So then in the novel, HT lowers it to 49% and let her do engineering and production only but leave everything else to him, but JX still say no so they settled on 20M and 33.4% same as what Han Yuan had offered which HT knew in advanced. Think of it, if JX gives HT more shares, JX's life would be easier, she would have gotten materials she needed and printer she needed, if it broke down, no problem, and when the product is released, Dongyang already has sales channels, etc. But I can also understand from founder's dream, JX wants control of her startup. Every time JX mentioned her product strategy or positioning and Hanhai, HT told her not to worry about Hanhai. HT allowed her to make her own decisions. JX told her employees since Hanhai is too far ahead they would focus on a niche product where their strength lies. If JX tried to compete head on with Hanhai, then HT would not have interfered either and XingChen would fail because Hanhai is basically run by HT, but JX wanted full autonomy. HT trusted JX judgment and valued her innovation. But HT's internal fight with his cousin, HY, forced his hand and JX or XingChen became a pawn, but he did get XingChen back at a huge financial loss. I think he did that because Guangha's business was never in his long-term strategy anyway, but XingChen products were, so he valued Xingchen more than Guangsha.
Now that I think about it,I wished someone asked Seven or XK when they were promoting about the break up 💔💔.…
The story is about two people expressing love in different ways. A conflict exposes their differences and causes them to explode. There are many references in the drama that JX is an emotional person; however, she's also resilient and she actually moved on rather quickly and forgave Han Ting in her heart. Since she no longer needed him to say I'm sorry to her, she basically didn't blame him - she got over it and able to look at the situation without the emotions, but it doesn't mean she agreed with him in the area of love. She just couldn't get back together with him because she felt their relationship is not balanced and she's afraid of getting hurt again. Han Ting thought he was doing what she wants and giving her what she wants. There were never any bad intentions, only misunderstandings. Their fight they weren't communicating at all, he was communicating in business terms, and she was communicating her personal feelings.
HT has always thought very highly of JX since college. He was impressed by her good judgement to turn down funding from his cousin. He trusted her completely to the point he would not interfere with her operational issues when she couldn't get materials or when the printer broke down, and many more problems she faced. If she could not make the deadline and break the agreement, he would have had to cut her off, and that would actually risk his own career because his cousin was using XingChen's failure to bring him down, so XingChen became a pawn for him. HT only has two years to deliver on his deal with the Board that he would double Dongyang's stock price in two years (or something like that). His entire life mission driven by his parents' death is hanging by the thread due to XingChen. Also, he had a deal with his grandfather that in two years, if JX failed, he'd have to marry whoever his grandfather picks for him. What HT did provide was his experience and he gave her a lot of good advice, signed her up for 6 months MBA program with the right professor in the same industry, gave her startup a discount on office space at Dongyang, and got her well connected, but he never interfered with her startup product, operations, or management or stepped in to solve their product or operational issues nor helped her to develop plans and strategies. Afterall, she was not just someone, she was the brilliant girl he knew from college who worked on the robotic project that they won first place in national contest, and it was that project that was for both of them the beginning of their vision and mission. For HT he was driven to do it for his parents and for JX, she was driven for her compassion to help those in need.
HT was always meaning to discuss the future of XingChen with JX but due to politics, people who want to destroy him, and JX played into their hands, he had to make his move, and she was in the crossfire of his war. He was willing to sacrifice her for Dongyang. But after the breakup, it broke his heart. My take is that HT wanted JX to take XingChen as far as she could on her own, but I doubt XingChen can go IPO, or maybe it can, but I doubt it due to the nature of its business, a merger makes more sense. He never intended to destroy XingChen or squeeze out JX in a merger, not because of personal favors as that would violate HT principle and character, but he always felt XingChen had innovative products and JX has great talent in product innovation. He initially offered JX and SZZ to work for Dongyang, but they wanted to start their own company. But in the end, he had to use XingChen or JX as a pawn to expose his cousin and to save XingChen.
HT does not invest in a company for personal reasons. He avoided investing in XingChen until after JX turned down his cousin, HY. That showed immense good judgment, and he then decided to invest in XingChen. HT’s decision to invest in XingChen, despite its low chance of survival, was a strategic move or preemptive measure to ensure no one else gains control over it. He viewed JX as a capable rival should anyone get hold of XingChen. If Han Yuan invested in another startup, she could also kill XingChen herself. It was better for XingChen to be in his hands than to be destroyed if it fell into someone else’s hands. I don’t think it was out of personal liking for Ji Xing; otherwise, he would have invested in her earlier. The fact that she could still turn down Han Yuan in her most desperate moment showed great judgment and tenacity, traits that impressed him.
Interview: XK himself also agrees (HT) with this way of expressing emotions. He says there is a song called "Love reveals the heart" which has the same meaning as the classic line ABAY. "There are different ways to love. Some people use earth shattering, while others choose long lasting love. No matter which way you choose, there is no right or wrong. The most important thing is the two lovers can accept it".
To put into perspective how great a run ABAY had in July, per Maoyan data: ABAY (40) 1.5B, 7/2 to 7/24, 23 days War of Faith (38) 1.5B, 3/21 to 4/13, 24 days Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty (40) 1.5B, 7/18 to 8/13, 27 days The Double (40) 1.5B, 6/2 to 7/3, 32 days BCE (37) 1.5B, 4/9 to 5/10, 32 days Blossoms in Adversity (40) 1.468B, 4/2/24 to 5/3/24, 32 days
Due to Olympics, it took ABAY a bit longer to reach 2B, from 7/2/24 to 8/10/24, or 39 days. I think the Olympic finals delayed it by at least 3 or 4 days, maybe even an entire week. To put in perspective, War of Faith reached 2B in 37 days, from 3/21 to 4/26. ABAY seems to have slowed considerably since the Olympics aired. I hope it can resume its run although slower pace.
I think LYFS2 and ABAY were always very close during its weekly airing ABAY (40), 1.9B, 7/2 to 8/2, 32 days LYFS2 (23), 1.1B, 7/8 to 8/2, 26 days (it finished airing 2 or 3 days earlier)
The powerhouse of them all are #1Joy of Life S2 and #2The Legend of Shen Li. JOLS2 (36) 1.2B, 5/16 to 5/29, 14 days The Legend of Shen Li (39) 1.2B, 3/18 to 3/30, 13 days The Legend of Shen Li (39) 2B, 3/18 to 4/6, 20 days The Legend of Shen Li (39) 3B, 3/18 to 4/24, 38 days
Another example: AJTL which was super popular took 58 days to get to 1.8B, from 11/28/23 to 1/25/2024, so ABAY arriving at 2B in 39 days is no small feat for a modern drama that had low expectations. https://x.com/liu_yuning08/status/1752557087349977262/photo/1
I like Zeng Di because she adds depth to Han Ting and gives Xu Kai more range. His interactions with Zeng Di are well-acted. His cold demeanor makes the character more interesting to me.
Their love scenes are gentle, sweet, delicate, and deeply touching, making them pleasing to watch. The term I’ve seen in Douban translations is “it’s not greasy,” which perfectly describes their natural and effortless chemistry. They truly seem like they were made for each other.
2 
1 
TSY: JX calmed down and thought about it. This matter was acceptable in the business world but not in the relationship. HT also realized that "it turned out that what I wanted to give you was not what you wanted."
XK: HT and JX's relationship encountered a crisis of trust. XK believes that the two people had different definitions of love at that time, and there was no right or wrong. JX's view of love requires two people to be completely honest with each other, while HT prefers to protect each other with practical actions.
https://www.douban.com/group/topic/309932983/?_i=3626807_x2nO8B,3793368_HSSEDP
There are right and wrong in business but there is no winning or losing in love. When a 'weed' entrepreneur meets an 'ambitious' investor, career and love come together. The romantic beginning that seems like a fairytale actually contains the epitome of love and struggle of countless young people in this era. The most beautiful form of love is that two people achieve each other in their careers, heal each other in love, climb peaks together, and experience troughs together. They are the most shining and moving stars in each other's eyes.
TSY:
Hardwork will eventually made ordinary people shine.
The reason why the character JX resonated with TSY at first was that her story was not a 'gold finger' story, but the growth process of ordinary people, from an ordinary girl to a breakthrough. TSY herself also started as a special actor from supporting role to the leading role step by step. Similar experiences allow TSY to find the right starting point in her creation.
Although a "small town youth" from a grassroots background is talented, he or she will be drowned if he or she is not careful in a big city full of talents. The valuable thing about JX is that she will not be disciplined by the environment. JX is sober and upright, dares to resist unfairness and refuses PUA. When she encounters sexual harassment in the workplace, someone advised her, "It's just a touch, just bear with it, and it will pass." However, she was not afraid of power, resigned, and started a new company from scratch with her junior.
W: How do you view the process of two people in love going from strangers to close lovers? How did they finally get back together?
TSY: Actually, I was asked in a previous interview, should people who are the same or who complement each other get together? My answer is that personalities can be different, but the three views must be the same. In the story, JX and HT had a disagreement in the career positions. HT acquired JX's company without communication. When this incident broke out, JX calmed down and thought about it. This matter was acceptable in the business world but not in the relationship. HT also realized that "it turned out that what I wanted to give you was not what you wanted." Later, JX adjusted herself and was able to face HT again. In fact, love is like career. It takes experience to grow. Because of being tripped, there will be strength. Because of quarrels and splits, you will know what is consistent with each other. Two people want to become better together. You need to break through this layer of paper and treat each other with sincerity and only then can you have good results. In love, frank communication and mutual trust are very important. There is no comfortable relationship at the beginning, only a relationship that gets better through continuous adjustment.
W: What is the biggest change that JX experienced through love?
TSY: I think it is growth and a change in perspective. I have grown from a little girl to someone who cares about the overall situation. As my career has risen, I have seen many different things and have a lot of thoughts. In fact, JX has been lost many times. For example, what should she do after resigning? I have never invested before, can I do it? Ask friends to borrow money, what if I fail? In the process of thinking, I found my original intention. I suffered setbacks step by step, and finally achieved success. After the rift with HT, I went to Germany for professional training, figured out what kind of entrepreneur I want to be in the future, what kind of partner I needed in love, let go of my emotions, and can face him rationally and objectively again.
W: Share your most memorable lines from the show.
TSY: "Gold will shine, and in this world, no one can block anyone else's light."
There is another sentence. JX was working overtime with the team in the office. Han Ting advised her, "you don't have to wait for everyone to suffer together", and JX said, "I just want to setup a different workplace. I have been caught in the rain, so I also want to hold an umbrella for them within my ability." This sentence can fully reflect JX's character.
Xu Kai
Love Reveals the True Heart.
The character of HT attracted XK at first because of his personality. He has a unique personality charm. He is ambitious, flexible, cautious, and insightful. Although he is decisive and ruthless in the business world, he also has a warm side in his heart. XK believes that HT has a big picture view and is a results-oriented person. He has a relatively stable spiritual core, is rational and reasonable, and he hopes he can also move closer to these advantages. HT has extremely high business and management talents. He was exiled to Germany by the Han family. He founded the German medical base of Dongyang Technology single-handedly, becoming the pride of Chinese in Germany. When his grandfather fell ill, he was called back to Germany but was thrown into the lice-ridden Dongyang Medical of his cousin. HT quietly defeated them one by one and planned to use Dongyang Medical to expand the domestic AI and technology medical business.
HT was the first (CEO) role XK had played, and it was also a new challenge for him. In order to better reflect HT's maturity and stability, XK did some fitness training before filming. He also did his homework in advance. Faced with a large number of AI medical professional terms in the lines, he required himself to present them accurately.
In XK's view, HT is not a "domineering CEO" in the traditional sense. He has his own code of conduct, and his color is "pattern." He appears to be ruthless and hard to figure out, but he is actually soft and delicate inside. He has multiple layers of protective color and in each confrontation with JX, he takes off his armor layer by layer, revealing his true inner side. HT is a three-dimensional and multi-faceted character. XK did not interpret him as just a domineering CEO. For example, HT has lived abroad for many years and what he misses most is a bowl of "wild wontons." Every time, he meets with friends privately, they will go straight to this restaurant. All kinds of details show that HT has this lovely side. Under the wrapping of a suit and leather shoes, he adds a bit of firework (down-to-earth feel), and his performance is vivid and free.
Before meeting JX, HT's business philosophy or values in the business world was "There are only friends and enemies" in the business world. If you are not my friend, then you are my enemy. However, after meeting JX, the two of them influenced and accomplished each other. In the world of "ambitious people", HT was used to controlling everything but when faced with a sincere "weed" like JX, HT's inner was stimulated or inspired to be soft. Because HT himself is not an extremely cold person, his original intention of "Robot Xiaobai" was to make up for the regret of his parent's deaths.
XK explained that the two people with different personalities gradually had a focus, and their careers and emotions began to heat up. As their careers progressed, HT and JX's relationship also encountered a crisis of trust. XK believes that the two people had different definitions of love at that time, and there was no right or wrong. JX's view of love requires two people to be completely honest with each other, while HT prefers to protect each other with practical actions. He is not keen on publicizing it vigorously or making a grand announcement but hides every love in the details of ordinary days. The time part of the quarrel between the two was inevitably affected by career factors. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up in the future and they reconciled. "My love for you can only be explained at the end of my life. When I look back, I will make a final judgement." This is HT's deepest confession to JX. A famous scene in the original novel is that HT was attacked by a bad character with a sharp weapon in order to save JX. This plot is also restored in the TV series version. XK believes that this plot is the exact presentation of HT's character. There is a kind of love that is not vigorous (in other words, not grand nor passionate), and not reflected in every "I love you", but it must be hidden in every detail of ordinary life. Two people met and grew up with each other and go through the test of trivial matters and the tempering of time and still accompanied each other for a lifetime. When they look back, they can make the final conclusion that such a relationship is rare, romantic, and desirable. XK himself also agrees with this kind of way of expressing emotions. He said that there is a song called "Love Reveals the Heart", which has the same meaning as this classic line in "As Beautiful As You." There are different ways to express love. Some people choose earth shattering while others choose a long-lasting love. No matter which way you choose, there is no right or wrong. The most important thing is that both lovers can accept it.
W: What is the biggest change that HT has experienced through love?
XK: I think even after they fell in love, HT is still HT, and JX is still JX. I can only say that in the friction between the two, HT released more tenderness which may be the feeling of the "i" person getting closer to the "e" person. JX also gradually grew up and began to face reality. I think this kind of mutual influence is good, learning from each other's strengths, and making up for each other's weaknesses. HT has also released more tenderness or softness in love. At first, he had his own mature set of ideas about career and love, and he had an absolute desire to control himself. His later changes may be reflected in his external appearance. At the beginning, if he wants to maintain the image of a decisive leader, he had to arm himself very strong. Outsiders even thought he was cruel and unkind, but as he got along with JX, he began to show more of his emotions. The audience may find that there is always a soft corner in his heart which was just hidden in the early stage.
W: How do you view the process of two people in love going from strangers to close lovers? How did they finally get back together?
XK: The process from strangers to close friends is quite magical. It is not only about love but also about making friends. It is a process of mutual trust. It should be very beautiful to recall it many years later. The two people resolve the misunderstanding, accepted each other's values, slowly let of go of their guard, and treated each other completely frank.
W: Please share some of the most memorable lines from the show.
XK: "What I believe in love is something that is formed slowly over the years, day by day, over time." This sentence left a deep impression on me. HT said this after a quarrel over a conflict of values between two people in the play. Everything turned out well. The two people truly reconciled and walked on hand-in-hand.
However, I would describe ABAY as an urban fairytale business romance that is wholesome, inspiring, and fun to watch. It features a realistic entrepreneurial high-tech business storyline that serves as the foundation for the romance, intertwining the characters’ professional and personal lives in a compelling way, and is crucial to the development of the romantic plot. I don't see any issues with the plot, pacing, cast, acting, and the directing. If you find the pacing too slow, it’s because the plot follows a timeline of events. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘empty minutes.’ Perhaps you prefer more explicit action, whereas the director style focuses on nuanced scenes and acting.
Since you have watched 350 dramas, can you recall off the top of your head another urban drama that has similar business story as this one because I really like the business side of this story and just wondering if there is another similar drama.
HT has always thought very highly of JX since college. He was impressed by her good judgement to turn down funding from his cousin. He trusted her completely to the point he would not interfere with her operational issues when she couldn't get materials or when the printer broke down, and many more problems she faced. If she could not make the deadline and break the agreement, he would have had to cut her off, and that would actually risk his own career because his cousin was using XingChen's failure to bring him down, so XingChen became a pawn for him. HT only has two years to deliver on his deal with the Board that he would double Dongyang's stock price in two years (or something like that). His entire life mission driven by his parents' death is hanging by the thread due to XingChen. Also, he had a deal with his grandfather that in two years, if JX failed, he'd have to marry whoever his grandfather picks for him. What HT did provide was his experience and he gave her a lot of good advice, signed her up for 6 months MBA program with the right professor in the same industry, gave her startup a discount on office space at Dongyang, and got her well connected, but he never interfered with her startup product, operations, or management or stepped in to solve their product or operational issues nor helped her to develop plans and strategies. Afterall, she was not just someone, she was the brilliant girl he knew from college who worked on the robotic project that they won first place in national contest, and it was that project that was for both of them the beginning of their vision and mission. For HT he was driven to do it for his parents and for JX, she was driven for her compassion to help those in need.
HT was always meaning to discuss the future of XingChen with JX but due to politics, people who want to destroy him, and JX played into their hands, he had to make his move, and she was in the crossfire of his war. He was willing to sacrifice her for Dongyang. But after the breakup, it broke his heart. My take is that HT wanted JX to take XingChen as far as she could on her own, but I doubt XingChen can go IPO, or maybe it can, but I doubt it due to the nature of its business, a merger makes more sense. He never intended to destroy XingChen or squeeze out JX in a merger, not because of personal favors as that would violate HT principle and character, but he always felt XingChen had innovative products and JX has great talent in product innovation. He initially offered JX and SZZ to work for Dongyang, but they wanted to start their own company. But in the end, he had to use XingChen or JX as a pawn to expose his cousin and to save XingChen.
HT does not invest in a company for personal reasons. He avoided investing in XingChen until after JX turned down his cousin, HY. That showed immense good judgment, and he then decided to invest in XingChen. HT’s decision to invest in XingChen, despite its low chance of survival, was a strategic move or preemptive measure to ensure no one else gains control over it. He viewed JX as a capable rival should anyone get hold of XingChen. If Han Yuan invested in another startup, she could also kill XingChen herself. It was better for XingChen to be in his hands than to be destroyed if it fell into someone else’s hands. I don’t think it was out of personal liking for Ji Xing; otherwise, he would have invested in her earlier. The fact that she could still turn down Han Yuan in her most desperate moment showed great judgment and tenacity, traits that impressed him.
This is a good read if you enjoy this drama but it's in Chinese. It shares what TSY thinks of her character and what XK thinks of his character and why the characters appealed to them.
https://www.douban.com/group/topic/309932983/?_i=3626807_x2nO8B
ABAY (40) 1.5B, 7/2 to 7/24, 23 days
War of Faith (38) 1.5B, 3/21 to 4/13, 24 days
Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty (40) 1.5B, 7/18 to 8/13, 27 days
The Double (40) 1.5B, 6/2 to 7/3, 32 days
BCE (37) 1.5B, 4/9 to 5/10, 32 days
Blossoms in Adversity (40) 1.468B, 4/2/24 to 5/3/24, 32 days
Due to Olympics, it took ABAY a bit longer to reach 2B, from 7/2/24 to 8/10/24, or 39 days.
I think the Olympic finals delayed it by at least 3 or 4 days, maybe even an entire week. To put in perspective, War of Faith reached 2B in 37 days, from 3/21 to 4/26. ABAY seems to have slowed considerably since the Olympics aired. I hope it can resume its run although slower pace.
I think LYFS2 and ABAY were always very close during its weekly airing
ABAY (40), 1.9B, 7/2 to 8/2, 32 days
LYFS2 (23), 1.1B, 7/8 to 8/2, 26 days (it finished airing 2 or 3 days earlier)
The powerhouse of them all are #1Joy of Life S2 and #2The Legend of Shen Li.
JOLS2 (36) 1.2B, 5/16 to 5/29, 14 days
The Legend of Shen Li (39) 1.2B, 3/18 to 3/30, 13 days
The Legend of Shen Li (39) 2B, 3/18 to 4/6, 20 days
The Legend of Shen Li (39) 3B, 3/18 to 4/24, 38 days
Another example: AJTL which was super popular took 58 days to get to 1.8B, from 11/28/23 to 1/25/2024, so ABAY arriving at 2B in 39 days is no small feat for a modern drama that had low expectations.
https://x.com/liu_yuning08/status/1752557087349977262/photo/1