Chinese Drama 2023

Stand Or Fall (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

 

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• Genre: Female-Centric, Modern Romance, Business, Friendship
• Release Date: 18 June 2023
• Origin: China
• Cdrama: 32 Episodes

 

Cast

• Qin Lan as Guan Wen
• Wang Yang as Ding Ning
• Liu Yun as Chen Xuan Xuan
• Shawn Wei as Lin Hao
• Alina Zhang as Jing Zhi Qiu
• Zhang Duo as Wang Li Ren
• Lawrence Wong as He Yi Fei
• Wang Yi Zhe as Da Luo
• Flora Wu as Cen Man
• Long Zheng Xuan as Cathy
• Zhang Duo as Wang Li Ren
• Ji Chen as Peter
• Liu Meng Meng as Lydia
• Li Dong Heng as Xiao Yan Chen
• Lei Mu as Lei Ke Sen
• Jiang Kai as Zheng Dong
• Tong Chen Jie as Mary
• Vincent Cao as Ding Ning [Young]

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Snippets

• 20 September 2022: It is a wrap.
• 13 February 2023: Broadcasting license has been obtained.

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Episodes 1-2

Guan Wen was so good at her job and was about to be promoted but her backer got into trouble.

Meanwhile, Chen Xuan Xuan could not settle for any job because she is way too emotional.  The last job she had was as an intern attorney but instead of working for her client, she sided with the client’s wife which of course made their client furious.  And yet she could not see why he was furious.

The third woman in their group was Jing Zhi Qiu who was to guy who was so busy, they had not had intimate moments for ages.

Episode 3

JIng Zhi Qiu bought a sexy lingerie to tempt her husband.  He was seduced for a while but he got a phone call so he dropped her like a hot potato.

She then started to lose confidence in herself, perhaps she was getting old and not exciting enough anymore being more of a stay-at-home mom.

Chen Xuan Xuan is still very immature but at least she is loyal to her friends.

Meanwhile, Peter told Guan Wen that she was too emotional and also warned her that promotion-wise, she had reached her apex.  She could only ever be an assistant director because she is young and a female.  Their world is still male-dominated.

Guan Wen got so fed up with the discrimination, she resigned which shocked Peter and even Lydia, her nemesis in the firm.

Guan Wen seemed to be bumping to her first love, Ding Ning which was not really happy about.

Episode 4

I am loving this drama.

Anyway, the three ladies are not having a great time at the moment.

Guan Wen suddenly can’t find a job because Lydia and Peter blacklisted her character.

Jing Zhi Qiu found out that her husband has a new young and sexy secretary called Lisa.

Meanwhile, Xuan Xuan’s found her boyfriend’s relative are staying at their apartment and she overheard that they wanted more money.  Xuan Xuan complained to Lin Hao because his relatives still owe them 20,000. Lin Hao said it was his money to lend.

Episode 5 – 6

Jing Zhi Qiu run away from home to camp at Guan Wen’s house but at that moment Guan Wen was leaving her apartment with a packed suitcase running away from her mother who brought in a blind date for Guan Wen.  The blind date actually was quite a nice man and had taken charge of cooking.  He was ok.

Anyway, Xuan Xuan was with Guan Wen at that time. So the three women decided to fly to Nanjing (?) for a short break.

It so happened that Ding Ning was also in Nanjing (?) for a conference.  He got into the wrong villa and was as shocked as Guan Xuan who was about to go skinny dipping on the pool.  Ding Ning saw everything before an irate Guan Xuan pushed him into the pool.  This scene was hilarious.

After the few days, the girls returned home.

Jing Zhi Qiu was confronted by her mother-in-law for gallivanting behind her husband’s back.  She was told that as she was nearing 40, she should make haste of getting pregnant.

Jing Zhi Qiu  said that she had no problem with having a baby but she had not heard that you can do it asexually.  She then said that her husband is always busy at work and when he is home, he is still as busy.  In fact he had a cot made in the study where he also now slept.

Mother-in-law was fuming.  She had the cot bed packed away and told Zhi Qiu to provide her with a granddaughter asap.

Meanwhile, Xuan Xuan told Lin Hao that she might be pregnant as her period is late.  Lin Hao was shocked at first but told her that the should get married.  They should register the marriage the next day.  As soon as they were legally married, Xuan Xuan’s period came.  Lin Hao said that it does not bother him that she was not pregnant.

What bothered him was finding out that Xuan Xuan spent her 1million savings into a new business venture.

Guan Wen had a momentary loss of confidence but she build herself up by saying starting again is no big deal.

Yes, loving this drama.  The three ladies are really gorgeous.

Episodes 7-8

Xuan Xuan’s new husband looked rather shifty.  He went on a family seminar and yet he did not bring Xuan Xuan with him.  And when she met him at the airport, he failed to introduce her as his wife.  She also noticed that he was partial towards one of his young colleagues.  Lin Hao encouraged Xuan Xuan to use her father, Professor Chen, influence so Lin Hao could get ahead faster as a university professor.

Xuan Xuan is suspicious of Lin Hao sometimes but he can easily ease her mind.

Meanwhile, Lisa had declared wire against Jing Zhi Qiu.  Lisa is trying to seduce Wang Liren by dressing sexier and failing to give Jing Zhi Qiu’s message to Wang Liren.

Wang Liren did notice that Jing Zhi Qiu is depressed because she was shopping more than usual.  He told her that he does not mind.  Just shop her worries away. What a guy.

Guan Wen’s fortitude is being tested to the limit with her charge at Wanli/Rennaissance.  But she had more than enough experience and attitude to nip the laziness of the employees.

Currently, she has a love-hate relationship with Ding Ning.

There are so cute,

Episodes 9 -10

Xuan Xuan’s coffee shop business is not doing too well so she is trying to hire a good barista.  She heard from her father that he has a student who is good at making coffee.

So she found out who the student was. It was He Yi Fei, who she hounded until he agreed to help her.

Jing Zhi Qiu so far managed to better Lisa in whatever trick she was making to create a chasm between Jing Zhi Qiu and her husband.

Meanwhile, Guan Wen’s no-hoper brother got himself into trouble.  He stupidly allowed himself to be the only signatory for a loan from a loan shark.

Episodes 11 – 19

As expected, Guan Wen’s brother got into trouble, a deeper trouble and of course, Guan Wen ended up sorting out the problem the brother stupidly created.

Ding Ning could not help but be drawn to the single-minded Guan Wen.  He admires her tenacity and would secretly make it a little easier for her if he could help with her many problematic business transactions.

They were dating in college but separated due to competition and misunderstanding.  They were both vying for the one-place study abroad program.

Ding Ming overheard Guan Wen telling their professor that Ding Ming’s thesis lacks credence and made mistakes.  Ding Ming was so upset and cut off contact with Guan Wen after that.  What he did not hear was Guan Wen telling their professor that although Ding MIng’s thesis was perfect, it has many valid points.  So she was taking herself out of the competition and giving the position to Ding Ming.

Xuan Xuan’s business is becoming more profitable after she hired He Yi Fei who is not only a top barista but good at managing the business as well.  Xuan Xuan, though, felt a bit uneasy with him because he made her feel small and incompetent.  Who she should be worrying about was her husband who had been flirting with another girl.  Because of tiredness, she does not notice or rather ignores the clues that her husband was up to no good.

Jing Zhi Qui and Wang Liren are growing further apart due to a lack of intimacy.  JingZhi Qiu is bored with her life but Liren discouraged her from going back to employment.  He prepared her to stay at home.  However, Jing Zi Qiu felt that her being unemployed fuels their disunity. They both went to consult a therapist separately.

Episodes 20 -21

Jing Zhi Qui found out that Liren has impotence.  But he was too ashamed to talk about it.

Xuan Xuan wanted a baby so she asked Lin Hao to go for a check-up with her but he was too busy bedding a younger woman who he made pregnant.

Episode 22

Awww Guan Wen and Ding Ning are finally dating after they cleared up a misunderstanding dating back to their college day.

Ding Ning was almost crying for the wasted time because of the misunderstanding.

Episodes 23 – 24

Li Ren and Jing Zhi Qui made up and were like honeymooners.

Ding Ning was also ultra affectionate to Guan Wen who would tell him off as she wanted to keep their relationship secret for now with their work colleagues.

Finally, Xuan Xuan learned Lin Hao was cheating when she found out his young mistress hiding in their wardrobe when Xuan Xuan returned home unexpectedly.

He Yi Fei was a great source of support and comfort for Xuan Xuan when he asked her to stay in his apartment as she can’t bear to stay at her house where she can feel her husband and his mistress’s shenanigans.

Episodes 25-32

It has a very satisfying ending.

Lin Hao tried to get some sort of alimony from Xuan Xuan but she had become stronger and told him to bugger off.

Lin Hao went to his mistress who told him that her uncle was actually her lover and the real father of her baby.  So she dumped Lin Hao.

He Yi Fei was attracted to Xuan Xuan so he confessed to her but she turned him down because of their age gap and her inferiority regarding her intelligence.  He Yi Fei said he will wait for her but it turned out he only had to wait for a few days because Xuan Xuan got over her fears and decided to date He Yi Fei.

Jing Zhi Qiu joined a variety show which became so popular, it was only a matter of days before Li Ren found out about it.  Thank goodness, Li Ren is full of love because he was now full of positive vibes having solved his impotence problem by being more chilled.  He became so supportive of Jing Zhi Qiu, he became her number-one fan, being in the audience all the time while she was on the show.

Jing Zhi Qiu realised that she really do not have anything to grump about as her husband adores her and so did her son.  So a few months later she got pregnant.

Meanwhile, Guan Wen and Ding Ning are in love but their relationship is tested when Ding Ning got promoted but he had to lead a group in Singapore for three years.  This meant, they will be in a LDR.

Guan Wen said that Ding Ning must take the position afterall he had been working hard for it for some time.

But on the day of his flight to Singapore, he can’t contact Guan Wen.  When he called her assistant, he was informed that Guan Wen was missing but they found her handbag on the carpark.

Ding Ning immediately ordered his driver to take him to the office where he found Guan Wen on the rooftop having been kidnapped by the hapless Kezen and Peter.

Ding Ning realised that the thought of not having Guan Wen from his life is something he could not bear so he turned down the job in Singapore.  Instead, he will work at his old job and live a happy life with Guan Wen.

The End