I at first thought this was about pure investment, but it's so much more than meets the eye.

This show is so incredible, and I really do wish it was more accessible to a wider audience. I was one of the few fortunate enough to have enough background in Chinese to understand and experience this incredible story and pretty much binged this within a couple weeks time. The plot is so gripping and takes you through the highs and lows of the investment world, makes you care about (or get irritated by) every single character that gets introduced, and makes you laugh and cry and experience a whole whirlwind of emotions consistently throughout the watching experience. What's wilder is that I'm not even someone who's usually interested in office dramas, much less investment! This is truly a drama like no other. It is a drama about not running away and instead confronting personal weakness first and foremost.

- STORY -
"It may seem like the world is against you, but it's up to you to change yourself."
That's the main theme that I at least have taken away from this show, and while it's rather commonly depicted, it was shown (not told) brilliantly here without being shoved down my throat. Through every leg of the journey, through every troubling scenario that Group 4 had to encounter, and for every depiction of toxic workplace culture, there are insights to be gained via how characters interact with each other and choose to handle situations that are thrown at them. There is not always a clear cut answer for what is the correct path forward. This show instead chooses to present the realistic struggles and collateral damage caused by manipulative schemes with painful brutality alongside incredibly strong bonds and friendships that form through adversity, and I appreciated every moment of it. What's even better is that, to my knowledge, I don't think any plot threads were left untied - almost everything had an explanation. This story is honestly so strong that I am inclined to seek out the original Korean source material (or the kdrama at least) to perhaps compare and contrast the different depictions.

- ACTING/CHARACTERS -
I first encountered Bai Jing Ting in Ping Pong Hero and subsequently went on to watch him in You Are My Hero as well as Octogenarians and the 90's. This particular role of his as Sun Yi Qiu is, in my opinion, arguably one of his best roles he's done out of the series I have listed. Sun Yi Qiu is an incredibly subtle role, lacking in confidence due to his weak resume and constantly feeling like he doesn't fit in. He at first feels like he must fight alone, but eventually realizes that this corporate battlefield is filled with comrades and it's with them that he starts to understand his own value. Bai Jing Ting portrays this growth in character brilliantly with nuance and I have high hopes for his future as a multifaceted actor.

Mark Chao plays the troubled, prideful, but incredibly righteous team lead of Team 4, Wu Ke Zhi. This role is honestly so layered and tricky and I can only applaud this man's efforts in portraying this fascinating character that is at once a family man with a tender soul but also someone with incredibly high standards and blunt words. He may be harsh, but he honestly cares more than most, and it's beautiful to see his relationships with his team members (particularly Sun Yi Qiu and Lin Yu Ming) grow.

I'd also like to shout out some other notable performances.
Bridgette Qiao as Lan Qian Yi portrays the struggles of a female in a male-dominant work environment with strength and poise, and gains acceptance through her solid efforts and smarts. She is no damsel-in-distress and is arguably a career woman more capable than many men that surround her, and I admire her for that.
Pang Han Chen as Gao Si Cong is an intelligent man with high educational standing who learns humility and compromise through many twists and turns. He is a great reminder for those who are highly qualified to never look down on the seemingly mundane details, because simple mistakes can add up.
Wei Da Xun as Hao Shuai provides incredible comic relief, but also manages to have a reasonable character arc of his own that lets him stand up for himself against someone taking advantage of him.
Zhang Zi Xian as Lin Yu Ming shows such a heartwarming and memorable character who always puts friends first, and honestly, I'd love to be his friend in real life as well.

This doesn't even go into detail about all the other side characters and antagonists, but this section is already long as is. Just know that this drama would not be anywhere near this level of quality without such a brilliant cast, and I wouldn't trade them with anyone else if given the choice.

- MUSIC -
This is arguably the weakest part. The music was just not very memorable to me, but at least served to adequately support the rest of the content.

- CONCLUSION-
Through this show, I have learned that we make investments in so many things throughout our lives. We invest our time and money in friendships, family, work, and recreation, but an investment we really cannot neglect is the investment in ourselves. I know this is cheesy, but I'd like to pose this drama's major question to you. What is your selling point? And for what do you live for? Ponder upon these like the characters in this drama, and maybe, just maybe, you too will gain insight into yourself as well.

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