REVIEW: Boss and Me
Are you looking for a Chinese drama to watch? Boss and Me is a cute feel-good romantic comedy-drama series that just might be what you are looking for.
| Title | Boss and Me |
| Male Lead | Han Zhang as Feng Teng |
| Female Lead | Zhao Liying as Xue Shanshan |
| Writer | Good Story Workshop |
| Episodes | 33 Episodes | 45 Minutes per Episode |
| Release | July 8 to 22 July 2014 |
| Genre | Romantic Comedy |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Country of Origin | China |
Storyline
Boss and Me is a Chinese Romantic Comedy based on the novel, Shan Shan Comes to Eat written by Gu Man. The series is about male lead Feng Teng played by Hans Zhang and female lead Xue Shanshan played by Zhao Liying. Feng Teng is the CEO of a conglomerate while Shanshan is a newly hired employee working in the accounting department.
Shanshan and Feng Teng’s sister, Feng Yue, share the same rare blood type. It has been customary in their family’s company to hire people with the same blood type just in case there is a need for blood transfusion, they will be able to find somebody who will donate willingly asap.
Meeting in an Unusual Situation
When Feng Yue was giving birth to her firstborn, she needed a blood transfusion so the company called on Shanshan to donate blood. After the incident, Feng Yue wanted to repay Shanshan’s kindness with generosity. She insisted on sending lunch every day to Shanshan as a way to thank her.
The company was instantly ripe with gossip about Feng Teng and Shanshan. People were making up rumors about them making her extremely uncomfortable. To escape being the focus of unwanted attention, Shanshan goes up to eat lunch on the rooftop of the office every day. The area was off-limits to staff but she wanted to enjoy her lunch quietly away from prying eyes.
Unbeknownst to her, the top floor is the office of the CEO. Behind the one-way glass facade, Feng Teng gets to watch her every day that she goes up to eat. His curiosity is piqued and he begins to look forward to watching her joy in the simplest things. Feng Teng begins to admire her from behind the wall barrier without her knowledge.
Shanshan the Simple and Kindhearted Female Lead
The female lead, Shanshan is your typical simple girl from the province. She is the only child of parents who dotes on her. After she graduated, they had high hopes of her achieving great things with her career when she went to Shanghai after being accepted in an assistant position at a large conglomerate company. Shanshan goes to the city and lives with her best friend while still getting used to her new life in the big city.
The female lead, Shanshan is your typical simple girl from the province. She is the only child of parents who dotes on her. After she graduated, they had high hopes of her achieving great things with her career when she went to Shanghai after being accepted in an assistant position at a large conglomerate company. She goes to the city and lives with her best friend while still getting used to her new life in the big city.
Shanshan is a likable girl with a bubbly personality and a hearty appetite. She had no idea at first that she got hired because of her special trait but as she learns more about her new company owner’s family, she begins to suspect that the main reason she got hired was not because of her abilities alone. Though she realizes this, she decides to make the most out of the situation. She is thankful for the opportunity that went her way and is determined to not let her family down and become successful.
Feng Teng the Cold Hearted CEO
Feng Teng is the young and handsome CEO of a conglomerate company. His family has been rich for centuries. He only has his older sister, Feng Yue, as family. Both their parents died leaving them with their grandfather to take care of them until his death. Feng Teng became the president and CEO at the young age of twenty-seven and has since grown the family corporation exponentially after he took over.
He could be very blunt and doesn’t show his feelings to anyone. For some reason, Shanshan’s simplicity intrigued him. He learned to lip read so he can do so when he is watching Shanshan talk out loud during lunch breaks at the rooftop of their company building. He bullies Shanshan into doing things for him in the guise of their boos-employee relationship. Feng Teng is having a hard time admitting his growing feelings for a subordinate but he keeps on pursuing it anyway.
The Childhood friend who is Hiding Her Feelings
Feng Yue and Feng Teng grew up closely with Yuan Lishu. She is almost like a sister to them. She is a successful businesswoman and has been dubbed as one of the most beautiful in their social circle. Lishu has the habit of disappearing whenever Feng Teng gets into a relationship and suddenly comes back when the relationship ends.
She has maintained a very close friendship with the siblings at same time hiding her feelings. Together with Zheng Qi who is another close friend, they try to break Shanshan and Feng Teng’s newly developing relationship for their own selfish gains.
Becoming Equals
When the leads have gotten together and then as the story progresses, the differences in their background and social status came to play. It was a refreshing take for the female lead to take on the challenge of being on equal footing with the man she fell in love with. Shanshan did not just accept what was and simply fell into the tapestry of Feng Teng’s wife. She persevered with her own goals and dreams so she can be on the same level. As she evolves into her own personal achievements, her honesty and childlike simplicity have played a big role in what she has yet to become.
Thoughts and Observations About Boss and Me
Boss and Me is a feel-good romantic comedy series with lots of cute moments and great chemistry from the lead actors. The storyline is as cliche as it gets. It is the typical rich guy simple girl drama that will try to rope you into a story that is very much laced with Asian biases. The male lead low-key bullies the girl. The girl is supposed to be smart in some ways but is very dense when it comes to other things.
There is a best friend who is in love with one of the leads. And another best friend who secretly has feelings for the other friend who is in love with the lead. The mega-rich falling for the simple girl narrative. The brother in law who turns out to be from a regular family too. The cousin’s boyfriend only wants to use connections and is actually an ass. The parents died in an accident and left behind their kids who became very rich orphans overnight. The protective grandfather who will do anything to protect his dear granddaughter to the point of hiring staff with the same rare blood type for emergency purposes.
The drama was peppered all throughout with all these stereotypes that make it cheesy. What saves the story for me is the undeniable chemistry between the leads. Shanshan understood that in society, there are expectations for different social classes. Her quest for success to be on equal footing with the man she fell in love with is admirable. It makes for a very good aspirational angle that endears her character to the audience.
Binge Star Rating – 8.5 Stars
I loved the drama though it is an absolute cliche from beginning to end. But watching it makes you feel warm and entertained without overly playing out unrealistic dramatic scenes. The chemistry between the leads is the biggest plus. It is a solid 8.5 stars for me even with all its flaws and imperfections. The writer tied up issues in a satisfactory manner.
Re-watch Value
I could definitely re-watch this drama a few times. Although there might be dragging scenes and storylines that I would skip over, there is still a lot that is enjoyable to binge.
Where to Watch
Watch all thirty-three episodes of Boss and Me on WeTv or YouTube with complete English subtitles. What do you think about the series? Did you like it too? Drop your comments in the comments section below. I’d love to know your views, please let me know what you think!
Watch Boss and Me
Looking for more dramas to watch? Check out What to Watch Next for your next bingeing session!
DISCLAIMER: The images used are not my own. They are from promotional materials released by their production company: Shanghai Croton Culture Media Co., Ltd. These images may be subject to copyright. No copyright infringement intended. This blog is for entertainment purposes only.
