Tag: Crossroad Bistro (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

Crossroad Bistro (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

KDrama, JDrama, TwDrama, ThDrama, FDrama, CDrama, HKDrama

Chinese Drama 2021

Crossroad Bistro (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

Bei Zhe Nan Yuan poster

  • Genre: Female-Centric, Food Business, Romance, Urban Life
  • Release Date: 11 July 2021
  • Origin: China
  • Cdrama:  30 Episodes

Cast

Quick Precis

Five urban female friends pooled their resources together to open a restaurant called Bei Zhe Nan Yuan where they mature and eventually found love.

Wow, this drama has an amazing cast.  I am sold.

I am currently loving these female-centric dramas.

Episode 1

Xiaoyu lives in Norway with her fiance, Peng Pai.  She was trying on wedding dresses when her friend asked her if she had told her family that she was getting married.

Xiaoyu said that she hadn’t because her relationship with them had truly broken down when she got together with Peng Pai.  They accused her of being a homewrecker because Peng Pai had a wife and a daughter.

The only one she told about the wedding was her sister, Bao Xue who was coming to the wedding if she can get her visa sorted.

Anyway, before the wedding, Peng Pai collapsed and had to be hospitalised and operated on for brain tumor.

Luckily he survived the ordeal but their relationship did not because Xiaoyu found an e-mail to Peng Pai from his lawyer concerning his marital status.

He was not divorced yet despite being separated from his wife for seven years and having a relationship with her for five years.

She also found out that in his will 90 percent of his property would go to his daughter and the remaining ten percent would go to his wife which means that she would get not a cent if he dies.

When he got back from the hospital, she was fuming and he noticed it.  He said that his wife did not want to divorce because of their daughter so he pushed it back at the back of his mind.

Xiaoyu felt terrible because her parents were right, she was a homewrecker.

Peng Pai gave her time to think while he goes on a business trip.

Xiaoyu packed up and gone back home to grandma and Bao Xue in China.

She was welcomed warmly but her grandma told her that she could stay at her beautiful modern house but only for a few days/weeks because she was used to living alone.

Xiaoyu stayed in bed for most of the time but Bao Xue kept egging their grandma to throw Xiaoyu out so she does not get used to being idle at home.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Shan Shan was in a supermarket when someone called her.  The woman was Si Meng, the crying girl on the turbulent flight to Lhasa years back.  Apparently Shan Shan was so calm throughout the flight that she was able to pacify Si Meng.

The two started chatting about life.

Si Meng is married and living in a beautiful apartment with her husband and children.  She likes writing/blogging.

Shan Shan was a businesswoman, divorced with a child who is now 12 years old.

Episode 2

This parenthood.

Bao Xue and Xiaoyu are cousins.

Bao Xue one day asked why grandma had not spoken to Xiaoyu’s father after they were discussing the idle Xiaoyu who was behaving like a princess.

Grandma said an apple does not fall from the tree.

Xiaoyu seemed to have inherited her father’s self-centeredness.

When grandpa was alive, Xiaoyu’s father used to come around to ask for money.  He wanted his parents to buy him a bigger house from the money they got for the demolition of their old house.  Grandma said no.  She was very firm that she and husband had sent their children all the way to university and got a good education. They had done their bit.

Then her son came to them once again when he wanted to send Xiaoyu to study in Norway.  Grandma once again told him that it was his responsibility.  They had done their duty.

Then ten years ago, during the wake of grandpa, he wanted his mother to mortgage her house so he could use the money to set up his business.

When she said no, her son told her that she was a useless mother.  Some parents would bend over backwards to help their children.

His mother told him that he had never starved and he went to a good university and got a good education.  Their duty was finished.  And if he disagrees then find another parent.

Her son had more things to say so they ended saying hurtful things to one another had now had not spoken for ten years.

Meanwhile, another character was introduced in this drama.  She is Feng Xi, another friend of Shan Shan.

Feng Xi came to Beijing to be with her boyfriend who was studying for his PhD.

I am loving this drama.  There are so many truths in it.

Episode 3

Peng Pai was missing Xiaoyu.  He asked her friend for her contacts because Xiaoyu had changed her number and blocked him on Wechat.

Xiaoyu had gotten herself a job as a dining companion to movie/drama producer, Mr Chai.

The first dinner was successful because they were able to sign up an important actor.  Xiaoyu had gotten a 1 percent from the deal.

Si Meng wanted to get a babysitter so she could concentrate on her writing.  Her husband was not supportive because he had told her previously that she will look after the house and children while he makes the money.

Episode 4

Bao Xu was doing a bit-part in the film with a veteran actor.  Whoa, if you had made it as an actor you really do not bother with memorising the lines.  Just recite 1,2,3,4,5.6.7 and then 8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1 or some other words.  It will be dubbed later.

Meanwhile, Shan Shan was shocked to learn that a good friend had taken his life due to his massive debts.  This friend actually owed her quite a lot of money as well but she had decided to write it off from the word go.  She was grateful to the friend for helping her start her business.

Anyway, she told the wife of the friend that she will help her sell the store.

Shan Shan bought it herself and asked Si Meng is she wanted to be the planning manager of the company.

Simeng said that she would like to be the planning manager but not as an employee. She wanted to be a shareholder and invest 300K

Xiaoyu was confronted by Grandma.  Grandma had been looking at the things at Xioyu’s room and found all the branded and expensive things she has.]

Grandma asked her where she got the money.

Xiaoyu said that she has a job.

Grandma gave her an ultimatum, quit her job or move out.

Xiaoyu asked Grandma what she has against her job.

Grandma said that Xiaoyu was bringing disgrace to the family by being an escort.

She denied being an escort but Grandma was determined for her to leave her job.

Xiaoyu left Grandma’s house and moved in with Bao Xu instead.

Episode 5

Shan Shan’s ex-father-in-law had an accident and ended up in hospital.  As Shan Shan’s ex-husband was away, Shan Shan was called.

She sorted the hospital confinement and her ex-in-laws were greatful.  She has a fairly amicable relationship with them as they look after her son who is now twelve years old.

When her ex-husband finally arrived, he told her to tell his parents that they were sending their son abroad to study.

Shan Shan said that he must tell them because it was his idea.

Shan Shan was a little disappointed that she was not close with her son.

Meanwhile, Feng Xi told her long-time boyfriend.Li Xiang, that she was investing in a restaurant with Shan Shan.

Li Xiang was not happy about it.  In fact, he told her that she should not be friends with Shan Shan .

But Feng Xi told him that she was investing and working with Shan Shan.

Shan Shan and Feng Xi started on their restaurant business and asked Bao Xue to be a part of it.

Meanwhile, Bao Xue arranged for Xiaoyu and Liu Liang Zhou to go on a date.

Liu Liang Zhou fell in love with Xiaoyu at first sight which rather amused Xiaoyu.

Episode 6

Xiaoyu asked Liangzhou to introduced himself to her.  Apparently, she was there to case him out for Bao Xue.

Liangzhou laughed it off and said that he does not see Bao Xue as a woman but as a young brother.

Instead, he said he would like to celebrate their next birthday as they seemed to share the same date of birth.

Feng Xi started to nag Li Xiang about getting married but he was fobbing her off with the promise that they will as soon as he gets his PhD.  So she was making sure that he does not take full advantage of just living together with her.

She still sends him back to his dorm not wanting him to spend a full night with her.

Bao Xue conned Xiaoyu of her 345,000 RMb by investing it in the restaurant for Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu was so annoyed by gave in the end and met the other girls and they started organising the Crossroad Bistro.

They went out to a hotpot dinner together.

Shan Shan immediately told Feng Xi that her ten years relationship with Li Xiang was no longer the romantic one but she had become his nanny.  He knows it and she would too if she accept it.

Episode 7

I am really loving this drama.  It is something that you could binge into for a quiet lazy weekend.

Shan Shan was the major investor and had been arranging the designer but it was proving hopeless.

Then Xiaoyu introduced high-fangled designers who showed them a space-age design.

Xiaoyu tends to accommodate the designer but Shan Shan being a savvy businesswoman said that they want something different.

Episode 8

Feng Xi had been tasked to convince Zhao He Nan to be Crossroad Bistro’s chef but he declined over and over.

Meanwhile, Li Xiang had told Feng Xi that he had good news.  He was being sent to Germany which means when he comes back, he will be an instant professor with lots of money.

He told Feng Xi his plans for everyone but she had to ask what about her?

Meanwhile, Si Meng’s short stories had been bought by an agency that would like to make a drama of them.

She was paid 200,000, which her husband said they should use to pay off more of the mortgage.

Pei Fang had been asking for Xiaoyu’s contact address.

Zhao He Nan finally agreed to being the chef to Bistro but with the condition that he has total control of the kitchern.

Episode 9

It was new year’s eve.

Grandma found herself a new boyfriend, a retired doctor.

Bao Xu met Yu Song Yan in a restaurant near where she was shooting and shared dumplings with him.  What she does not know yet was that  Yu Songyan was the one who designed Crossroad Bistro.

Xiaoyu was on a dinner date with Liang Zhou, who told her that she was way prettier than any of the actresses he had ever met.

Shan Shan spent the night with her father and his musician friends and they played beautiful evocation music.

Meanwhile, Feng Xi prepared ingredients, lots of it, to video call Li Xiang to teach him how to cook but all he did was to tell her to leave him alone as he needed a rest not cooking on his precious spare time.

Episode 10

They had a successful opening day.

Bao Xu finally found out that Yu Songyan was the bistro’s designer.  Then when she found out that he was mountain climbing, she realised that she had fallen in love with him.

Peng Pai had come to the bistro to see Xiaoyu who was celebrating her 30th birthday with Liangzhou as she promised she would.

Episode 11

Peng Pai went to see Xiaoyu at the bistro the next day but she was not there.  Instead, he talked with Shan Shan who told him to leave Xiaoyu alone.  He had deceived Xiaoyu long enough, for 5 years.

Peng Pai felt shame but he said he will not give up on Xiaoyu.

Liangzhou told Xiaoyu to use him as fodder.  He will act as her boyfriend for a lifetime if she wanted to.

Bao Xu and Yu Songyan are getting on like a house on fire.  He even went to Beijing to watch her in her play.

He then brought her to his house, which is beautiful.  But despite their great chemistry, he told her that love is not permanent and one would wake up from it.

Someone who is refusing to wake was Feng Xi.  Her LDR with Li Xiang was making her redundant and lonely as he had no time to speak with her and the texts he sends her were all about not having time for her as he was busy at work.

Episode 12

Bao Xue and Yu Songyan continue to get to know each other and they seemed to click although Bao Xue is slightly nervous about Songyan’s fondness for extreme sport.

This episode seemed to be the initiating scene where Du Shi Jun gets into trouble with Su Meng.

Wei Lan, an intern in his accounting firm was trying to get what she wanted after Shi Jun said she could not stay in his firm as she was not suitable to work in an accounting firm where precision is needed otherwise one will land in jail.

Wei Lan however was determined to stay and because Shi Jun was not changing his mind, Wei Lan stained Shi Jun with her lipsticks.

Episode 13

Su Feng found the lipstick stain but her husband just brushed it off.

Meanwhile, poor Feng Xi was dumped over the phone by Li Xiang who said that he had outgrown her.

She was stressing him rather than giving him comfort.

Feng Xi got so very upset she was all over the place.  She did a major mistake.

She froze the empurau fish rather than just refrigerating it.

The fish was rare and was to be a piece de resistance for a VIP customer who had just done a deal with his client.

Zhou Henan was so annoyed with Feng Xi and even called her stupid.

Feng Xi just apologised because she knew she was stupid.

Then Shan Shan was annoyed with her as well when she mentioned Li Xiang.  Shan Shan told her it was always Li Xiang, this Li Xiang that.

Then it was really Xiaoyu who really went to town in telling Feng Xi off.  She said that they were all friends but Crossroad Bistro is business and Feng Xi endangered the business with Mr. Chai being a well-paying VIP member.

But it all went well, better in the end with Henan saving the day with his Chrysanthemum Tofu soup.

In the end, Henan apologised a little bit to Feng Xi for blowing off but he said he hoped that she will not do a repeat performance of what she did because he would leave.

Episode 14

Wei Lan was a vengeful witch.

She took advantage of the drunk Du Shi Jun who was checked in a hotel to sleep. Wei Lan took off her top and did a selfie with her and the half-naked sleeping Shi Jun.

When Du Shi Jun got home at the early hours of the morning, he found Si Meng waiting for him with the shirt with lipstick stain.

He immediately confessed that it would be the vengeful intern who did it.

He then told Si Meng that the intern wanted to stay in the company but he was dead against it.

Si Meng finally believed him but she said another incident like this and she would divorce him without any question asks.

He agreed because he said his heart was always been hers since the day they got together.

Xiaoyu and Feng Pai had their heart to heart where he showed her that he was finally divorced and that he made a will that if anything happens to him all his monies and properties will be equally divided between Xiaoyu and his daughter starting the day Xiaoyu marries him.

Episode 15

Shan Shan was disappointed with Xiaoyu’s getting back with Feng Pai.  She told Xiaoyu that it was entirely up to her to be with Feng Pai but she had words with Feng Pai before which can’t be unsaid so Xiaoyu had to make sure that Feng Pai never set foot at Crossroad Bistro again.

Xiaoyu went to tell her new status to Liangshou who said that she realised that she does not trust life with him when he bought that video camera.

She admitted to him that she was happier with him than with Feng Pai but she was already 30 years old and she needed stability.

Liangshou said that what is 30, that was nothing.  She doesn’t have to settle for just anyone.

Xiaoyu moved back in with Feng Pai.  But she was supposed to reconcile with him because he had the money to keep her comfortable.  But Feng Pai is actually gorgeous and intelligent.

Bao Xue started matchmaking Liangshou with Feng Xi. They were both not interested.

Her breakup seemed to have made Feng Xi rather aggressive that she uses her mouth before thinking.

She argued with a customer who gave the bistro a bad review.

And then the police came to asked if they had a fire exit and that the stair should have a ramp, Feng Xi argued with the police and said they were bullying her.

Thank goodness, Henan was there to save her and the bistro yet again.