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Our Times 启航当风起时 [2021]


Tofu

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This drama really feels like watching a good movie. I caught eps 2 & 3 . I do have a backlog of other dramas , but this one just caught my attention. This isn't a tropey show with the usual clichés. It has a realistic approach in its story telling . I am reminded of the good old Hong Kong movies that I used  to watch  - and ironically Xiao Chuang here is a fan of HK shows too with his idol being Chow Yun Fatt. LOL. Granted these were the 90s in China where HK films dominated and the Chinese film industry has not taken off the way it has now. Interestingly because parts of the episodes are set in different places - Guangzhou and Shanghai (apart from Beijing) , regional accents can be heard. In Guangzhao - people were speaking Cantonese and you can hear  the accents of traders coming from different places . Quite a departure from the usual dramas where dubbing is done to standardize everyone's intonation. So in that regards they are trying to ensure that the drama remains faithful to the times they were in. 

 

Back to eps 2 & 3 , so now XC and PCH with the rest of the team are on a mission to sell Conpo Computers. The success of this will mean that Conpo ( an American company) will give the contract to the university. The Director's ultimate goal really isn't so much to be the biggest distributor of the brand, but they are hoping that a partnership with Conpo would allow them to learn from them and ultimately develop their own brand one day. While that is the big picture, the immediate goal for both XC and PCH was to sell their quota of the computers , or they will both be expelled.

 

XC takes on the market in Shanghai while PCH volunteered himself for the one in Guangzhou. These episodes focused on their adventures in looking for customers in their assigned cities. As expected they run into difficulties including being scammed (PCH) and using an ineffective advertising strategy (XC) . What is clear is that both XC and PCH given their contrasting personalities , approach their mission differently . In PCH's case  he goes door to door trying to convince shop dealers to take up the brand. Given how kind ( and innocent he is ) , he gets easily taken advantaged off. XC - with his flashy personality and out of the box  thinking decides to run an event in a hotel hall  to promote the brand. A believer of working smart instead of working hard , he employs the help of hotel staff and spends money on advertising ( though given the allowance he was given, I believe he has already blown his budget here) . However the tactics that XC is employing seem to be bearing some fruit. You can tell that he is indeed the risk taker here. 

 

These episodes also introduced the respective love lines for our MLs. PCH is paired up with Director's daughter. Their 1st interaction ended up in a misunderstanding where he mistook her as petty thief who had entered the Director's room. The misunderstanding did clear up later but at the moment there is no attraction either way. However , theirs will be a cute romance given their interactions.

 

XC's love interest appeared at the video shop that he loves to hang out in, and it was indeed love at 1st sight. She too is a fan of HK movies. But of course , it was discovered that she was the one who had reported his illegal business in eps 1 as she thought she was being scammed. Anyway long story short, when he was in Shanghai, they met again at another video rental shop. She had been posted to work in SH . So XC spends some time trying to woo her ...but sadly she very quickly introduced him to her boyfriend when she realised XC's intentions. However , I sense she won't remain long with her current BF as he seems quite arrogant and does not give me a good vibe. The actress is very pretty - 1st time seeing her. 

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Mon-Tues: Nothing Uncovered  Wed-Thurs: The Impossible Heir - Fri-Sat:  -  Sat-Sun: Queen of Tears C-drama: - In Blossom, Guess Who I Am

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Work has been busy so I was only able to catch a few minutes of the first episode. I'm really digging the whole old HK movie style they have going on. It's bringing back so much memories. :cry:

 

It's crazy to think that Wu Lei was born in 2000 and he's in a drama set in the 1990s. :lmao2:

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@abs-oluteM I read a few things and it seems like because they filmed it in the wintertime, it was cold. The moment the director yelled "cut", Wu Lei reacted in that way because it was cold. :laugh:

 

I watched up to episode 5 and I have to say, I'm enjoying it more than I originally thought. I really like the brotherhood developing between XC and PQH. I swear, XC can probably convinced me to buy that computer too. I even googled how much it cost in US dollars! Haha! The romance storylines are slowly starting to developed in the sense that both females leads have been introduced. I felt so bad for XC because he finds out that XH has a boyfriend. :cry:

 

Side note, Wu Lei is incredibly charming as XC. :heart:

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12 hours ago, Tofu said:

Side note, Wu Lei is incredibly charming as XC. :heart:

So so good. I like XC because he is just so positive & confident. And I love him for coming to PCH's rescue in Guangzhou. It is not that PCH is not capable , but because he is pretty much the straight and narrow sort he doesn't know that sometimes you need to bend a little & think a bit more of out the box. XC's presence and support helped him secure the balance of the sales. They really are a good team. The strategist is still XC but PCH's tech skills & knowledge are his strengths. I can imagine them becoming a lethal combination when they start their own business.

 

Love love love all the HK movie references. Yes Wu Lei has a lot of swag in this show.

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@40somethingahjumma @OsmanthusTeaI cannot help but recommend this drama. So well edited , no tropes.  Great storytelling. 

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Mon-Tues: Nothing Uncovered  Wed-Thurs: The Impossible Heir - Fri-Sat:  -  Sat-Sun: Queen of Tears C-drama: - In Blossom, Guess Who I Am

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Eps 5

I forget that we're dealing with the CCP here. Correction camps , self - reflection reports. Sigh.  What did Director Tan do that is so wrong? I believe that the university sanctioned their involvement . So I suppose the rival firm just got them into trouble. But I hated that the new director is so mean . He clearly has a personal vendetta against Director Tan and is making life difficult for the team. 

 

Silver lining - some interesting development for PCH's love line - quite funny cause he had cause her some trouble over that River of Babylon tape. But looks like she forgave him quickly when he looked after her in her father's absence. :LaxEat:

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Mon-Tues: Nothing Uncovered  Wed-Thurs: The Impossible Heir - Fri-Sat:  -  Sat-Sun: Queen of Tears C-drama: - In Blossom, Guess Who I Am

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I haven't finished episode 5 yet, but I thought his arrest was interesting twist because I don't know what was so wrong about it either. Was it because they didn't have proper documents to sell the computers? Where I'm at in the drama, that part isn't clear yet because like @abs-oluteM said, the university was ok with it. I'm surprised to hear that they were so quick to find a replacement for Director Tan. 

 

@abs-oluteM That screenshot of yours....hahahaha!! I love them together and I think that's the strength of the drama so far. When they were apart, it felt like something was missing. 

 

Wipe my tears too, Wu Lei! :lmao2:

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@Tofu Don't read further if you're not done with eps 6

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But good news is that Director Tan was released - looks like they couldn't find anything wrong. But before that it was the New Year and PCH didn't have enough funds to buy a ticket home. So his mum came to Beijing instead and XC used the money he got from selling the share certificates to make sure she had a good place to stay and bought lots of food etc.  They invited Tan Yuan who was alone for dinner as well. I believe these 3 will become good friends

Watching the fireworks here

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Anyway Director Tan was released on New Year's Eve. And after new year, the university  officially registered the business. But what annoyed me was that Director Tan ended up being the  Assitant GM  - the other prof had became the General Manager. Actually from what I understand this is a public or state run corporation which is quite different from the private ones. Main shareholder is the government?  I suppose in socialist China especially at that point in time where the government was pushing for economic reforms and trying to encourage innovation etc, many corporations are government linked.  

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Anyhow we also got the backstory to why PCH was so against joining them to be a salesperson. His dad a former teacher had tried reselling coal to make extra $$ for the family . His teacher salary was very low. But it was a crime then and he was punished for it & later died of TB. As a result his mum is very against him doing business. But of course that was in the 1970s and times have changed by the 1990s where setting up businesses was encouraged and seen as something that will help the nation. 

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Mon-Tues: Nothing Uncovered  Wed-Thurs: The Impossible Heir - Fri-Sat:  -  Sat-Sun: Queen of Tears C-drama: - In Blossom, Guess Who I Am

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Eps 7 had some great progress for the love lines @Tofu . Do you find that PCH and TY are like rom com , and XC and XH are like melodrama? :lmao2:

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I love both romances , they have their own charms. 

 

Tan Yuan is going to fall hard for PCH soon. He's saved her many times - the latest bit pretending to be her uncle and showing her the sort of principled person that he is.  I think she's already seeing him in a different light. It will be very cute to see when our nerdy PCH will realise he likes her. I like these two actors too. Very natural in their roles. 

 

I was a bit concerned with Xie Hang - she was so in love with her awful ex whatever his name is that she was willing to take her own life. I figured this is going to be an uphill task for XC. But perhaps because XC is not the sort to give up , he won her over at the end with his persistence. I guess she will move back to Beijing soon.  

 

15 minutes ago, Tofu said:

The dedication to their characters -- Wu Lei even got a bloody nose

Ouch. HMH really hit him hard! :pandawhat:

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Mon-Tues: Nothing Uncovered  Wed-Thurs: The Impossible Heir - Fri-Sat:  -  Sat-Sun: Queen of Tears C-drama: - In Blossom, Guess Who I Am

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I'm on episode 10 now. I'll come back to post my thoughts tomorrow, but in the meantime, the music video for the OST came out today! 

 

@abs-oluteM This drama has the same director and writer as Hikaru no Go. I just realized that today. No wonder I'm enjoying this. I also liked Hikaru no Go. 

 

 

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@Tofu eps 8 was so sweet for XC and XH...gosh so much progress. I was so glad that they managed to meet each other even though it was a short moment. I was kind of worried that XH seems so hung up on her ex. But this why you have got to love XC - his persistence be it romance or work always bring good results.

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But oh dear our cute PCH and TX went two steps back  in this episode. Aww TX looked so pretty all dressed up for the dance and I know PCH worked hard on his steps...too bad he had to cancel last minute to go help XC. Now she's going to be so upset with him. 

Bahahaha how nerds learn to dance!

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Mon-Tues: Nothing Uncovered  Wed-Thurs: The Impossible Heir - Fri-Sat:  -  Sat-Sun: Queen of Tears C-drama: - In Blossom, Guess Who I Am

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I'm all caught up now and I seriously can't get enough of these two. I've watched a good amount of the BTS videos and even parts of their livestream too. :laugh:

 

Xiao Chuang and Xie Hang

I am also glad that Xie Hang moved on from her ex quickly and isn't not hung up on him. He was a jerk and she definitely deserve someone better. Xiao Chuang is willing to do anything for the people he loves so when he finds out that Xie Hang has to pay a really big amount of money (a fee for the training given through the workplace) before she can resign, he does everything he can for her. He even lands himself in jail for a few days because he obtained and sold the stock certificates again! Xiao Chuang, can you stop being so reckless?! 

 

We meet Xie Hang's overbearing parents who wants to control everything she does. They are not happy that she moved back to Beijing and were not thrilled with Xiao Chuang either. Xiao Chuang brought gifts over to their house to convince them that he's actually a good person and is serious about Xie Hang. The dad told Xiao Chuang to take them back after he belittled him. WTH?! How dare you?! :pandarage2:

 

I'm glad that Xie Hang has a backbone and is not afraid to stand up for herself. She tells her parents how it is -- she's 25 and can make her own decision. She doesn't need their approval. Xie Hang goes and land herself a nice job at a foreign company. I love that Xiao Chuang takes this opportunity to brush up on his English so he can converse with her. He does it because he wants her to get use to the environment more quickly and that's his way of helping her. I died laughing at him saying things in English. :laugh:

 

Pei Qing Hua and Tan Yuan

Not much has progress with their relationship. They had a lot of cute moments. Pei Qing Hua is always saving Tan Yuan from something. Haha! He even forego his trip back home because she lied to the students about the company having internship (it was for Xiao Chuang). Pei Qing Hua was not impressed and he's not into lying so he stayed back, recruited interns, and helped teach them. 

 

Tan Yuan is getting ready to study abroad and before, she confess her feelings to Pei Qing Hua. The episode that came out today (14) ends with us not knowing if he went. However, I saw the preview for episode 15-18 and it seems like he didn't go. :PikachuFacePalm:

 

There wasn't too much about the company the last few episodes, it was more focused on moving the romance along. I appreciate that Xiao Chuang is willing to do anything for the people he loves, but it's a bit irresponsible of him to just drop everything too. He is having his teammates lie too much for him (telling Director Tan and Lin about him being somewhere when he's not). Pei Qing Hua has not told his mom yet too. I hope he tells her soon!

 

Here's the preview for episodes 15-18, seems like something went wrong with the company. Xiao Chuang's and Pei Qing Hua's friendship is also going to get tested and I'm NOT for that. Do not do this to me, Our Times! :letalQQ:

 

 

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Episode 15 and 16 Thoughts:

I think Director Tan's comment is setting us up to see Xiao Chuang fall. Now that he's dating, he's less focused on work. He's late to meetings and not working as hard as he did before. There's a possibility that Pei Qing Hua is going to surpass him and I'm worried that's going to affect their relationship. Xiao Chuang is also recklessly spending his money on things -- mainly for Xie Hang. He even purchased a TV for her family! I love how hopelessly in love he is, but Xie Hang is fully capable of taking care of herself (which she's mentioned). 

 

Pei Qing Hua....what to do with you? Why must you go the noble idiocy route?! You can encourage Tan Yuan to study abroad without hurting her feelings like that. When will you recognize that you doing all of those things for her is not because of your "good nature"?!

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The part that got me teary eyed was when Man Huan Sheng kept disregarding his effort as nothing more than their "errand boy" but everyone valued him so much. I loved that everyone kept asking him where his desk was and loved it even more when Director Tan pointed out his desk. I love this family and I'm not looking forward to the upcoming angst at all. :letalQQ:

 

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On 9/21/2021 at 10:10 AM, Tofu said:

I appreciate that Xiao Chuang is willing to do anything for the people he loves, but it's a bit irresponsible of him to just drop everything too. He is having his teammates lie too much for him (telling Director Tan and Lin about him being somewhere when he's not)

I completed up to eps 12 and gosh this  XC! As much as I admire his confidence and risk taking abilities, it can also be his weakness. When he wants something, there's really no stopping him but he ends digging holes that he has to cover later. The good thing is that he has always been willing to own up for his own faults , and is a good friend , so the rest always have his back. I also thought it reckless for Tan Yuan to borrow the ID cards on pretext of running an internship. It is a scam. But fortunately she had PCH to turn this big lie into the truth! LOL. Poor PCH between helping & covering up for his BFF and potential GF, he definitely has his hands full.

 

This drama is also a good reminder that the journey to success is such a long & winding one. While XC was shown as the smart one where business acumen is concerned , I can see that he may be pulled down by his overconfidence and rashness at times. Also his priorities are shifting. While I know that he is truly in love with XH,  I can foresee it to affect his work. His and XH's story also had a number of hurdles,  but his sincerity & persistence made it happen. So it is no surprise she was won over & they are now dating. However XC's arc sometimes feels like a shooting star - starts out with a bang but dies out fast . So I am not surprise , he will see some setbacks as part of his growth.

 

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PCH on the other hand starts off slowly but you can already see in eps 11 that he is growing in confidence . I was impressed that he thought of how to convince the distributors to agree to their commission rates. I laughed when he & Director Tan put up an act to hook the dealers in. And he doesn't even realise how much he likes Tan Yuan . He has covered up twice for her now. 

But sigh.. he doesn't get it yet huh? LOL

 

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And oh my this phone...wahhh our cell phones have come a long way. LOL!  

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Mon-Tues: Nothing Uncovered  Wed-Thurs: The Impossible Heir - Fri-Sat:  -  Sat-Sun: Queen of Tears C-drama: - In Blossom, Guess Who I Am

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18 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

Ooo @Tofu there is change in hairstyle

I think this is a result of his downfall or something that dramatically change his life, right? He starts drinking more in one of the scenes in the music video and maybe some conflict with Pei Qing Hua too?

 

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15 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

The good thing is that he has always been willing to own up for his own faults , and is a good friend , so the rest always have his back.

100% agreed! Even though he's been reckless, he always own up to his mistakes. It's one thing I admire about him. What I don't admire is when he thinks of jailtime so carelessly. Was it really like that back in the days? :thinking:

 

15 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I also thought it reckless for Tan Yuan to borrow the ID cards on pretext of running an internship. It is a scam. But fortunately she had PCH to turn this big lie into the truth! LOL. Poor PCH between helping & covering up for his BFF and potential GF, he definitely has his hands full.

Pei Qing Hua can't ever leave those two alone. They come up with too much ideas and he's left to clean up the mess after. Haha!

 

15 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I was impressed that he thought of how to convince the distributors to agree to their commission rates. I laughed when he & Director Tan put up an act to hook the dealers in.

Same!! I laughed so much watching both of them worry that their bluffing might have failed. :laugh:

 

2 hours ago, IpohBanana said:

I watched 1 min to see what Neo Hou was like, and my reaction was, erh, I like him in costume drama better. I saw him in A Girl Like Me, and though his acting was rather unnatural at times, I enjoyed my eye-candy immensely.

Hahaha! I watched clips of A Girl Like Me and I think he did well! Neo's acting continues to improve the more I see him. There are some scenes in this one where he's a bit unnatural but it doesn't take away from what he's trying to convey so I'm not bothered by it. The drama is set in the 90s so with his 90s style, he's not much of an eye candy. LOL! I think Wu Lei's styling is a bit better, but that's because his character spends all his money. He even bought a mink coat. :lmao2:

 

Episode 17 and 18 Summary/Thoughts

That Jefferson guy is back to cause trouble again. He went to a journalist and told her that Huayan is not truthful about their distributions and incited that they were selling second-hand equipment to companies. The journalist looked into it and went to talk to one of Huayan's partners. He thought that the journalist was looking to buy second-hand computers (she lied about knowing Huayan and wanting to buy something to get information from him) so he was pretty open with her. She wrote an article and it caused problems for Huayan especially since the Conpo representatives were present at the event where all of this came out. 

 

Xiao Chuang and Pei Qing Hua was able to clear up the misunderstanding, but the Conpo reps were not happy. They violated a policy and the Conpo reps are determined to make an example out of Huayan. They asked that one of them be terminated. 

 

Xiao Chuang has the biggest heart and saw it coming so he volunteered to leave. He even told Director Lin and Director Tan that it was his idea and Pei Qing Hua had nothing to do with it. As if that wasn't bad enough, Director Lin made him promise that he won't sell computers for three years! Xiao Chuang promise not to sell computers because he doesn't feel like he can if it's not with Huayan. 

 

Xiao Chuang spend time uplifting his friends, reminding them of how great they are. He also teach Pei Qing Hua the importance of looking presentable and how to relate to people to get them to purchase what he's selling. 

 

The moment Xiao Chuang started teaching Pei Qing Hua about the tie, I just knew he was going to sacrifice himself again. Why must he think so little of himself every. single. time?! This is going to be Xiao Chuang's set-back. I'm glad that it wasn't what I had originally suspected because THIS is more true to who Xiao Chuang is. Gah, I can't imagine what Pei Qing Hua is going to do when he finds out as well as everyone else! :letalQQ:

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Besides the neck tie scene, the other scene I was so sad watching was the basketball game. Xiao Chuang was getting ready to say goodbye so during their basketball game (probably their last game together) instead of shooting the ball, he told everyone he is going to assist. Pei Qing Hua reminded him that he's their best shooter so he has to shoot too. Xiao Chuang tells him, "You can't just leave the shooting to me alone. You guys must improve on your shooting. Do you hear me? What if I'm not here one day? Huayan cannot be a silent bomb." Obviously, he was referring to more than just the basketball game when he said this. In the game, every time the ball was passed to him, he threw it to one of them and encouraged them to shoot. :cry:

 

 

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