My Little Happiness

As I contemplated how freezing cold it was going to be to exercise out in the shed today, I was also wondering what to watch next. I did a few more episodes of Mad for Each Other the other day and, while I think it's a show that I will likely finish and keep on with, I just wasn't totally in the mood for it. Maybe because I just finished Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? -- which was great, but all slice of life and not romantic at all -- and MfEO is maybe going to wind up romantic but is really more comedy of errors. AND I'm starting up a Chinese culture course on Coursera and re-starting the Chinese language one (as I need to immerse myself a bit for both the anthology short story and the MG my agent wants me to write). So...I thought I'd try a Chinese drama.

Admittedly, I haven't had a huge amount of luck with them. The pacing is different, the acting often doesn't feel as good. But My Little Happiness has two of the actors from Put Your Head on My Shoulder, which I really enjoyed even if the pacing was a bit slow. Somewhat weirdly, it's the same female lead Fei Xing (playing Cong Rong), but this time she's matched up with the second (and very annoying) male lead from the show. I'd actually put off trying it for a while as I really didn't care for Tang Xiao Tian when he was Fu Pei. But now he's playing Wen Shao Qing and it's been a while. So here I am.

So, Cong Rong's mom wants her to study abroad but she's determined to work in law (but doesn't have a degree in it? there's something here that's confusing, but okay) and sneaks back to China from Australia to intern at a law firm. A sort-of chance encounter with Wen Shao Qing at the airport (he's her cousin's boss (?) and was supposed to pick her up but everything got sidetracked when an old man collapses in front of them) and then other chance meetings (this show is totally going to hit everyone over the head that they are destined to be together, I think...) make things look like they might be all rosy...but then Rong is assigned to work at the hospital helping to mediate legal issues, etc. And he's the first doctor she has to deal with and is...less than friendly.

But (O, Fate, Thee Wicked Thing) it turns out he's hung up on a childhood friend -- who is, of course, her -- who moved away when they were young. And weirdly before he told her his name?? Not entirely sure how they were good enough friends that they're both bawling in the flashback as she's leaving but she doesn't know his name?? 

So I had that horrible feeling that the show was going to be him being all horrible and then finally (somewhere around the midpoint) realising that she was the friend he's been looking for. And was seriously re-considering my life choices BUT then he actually figures out it's her at the end of the first episode. And hugs her, much to her confusion, since he's been pretty much a standoffish jerk so far. Which gives me hope. I was looking for something not super angsty.

Much like PyHomS before, it looks like there are sort-of cohabitation hijinks (a summary seems to indicate he's also going to be both her landlord and next door neighbour) to come. And the standoffish serious guy with the soft heart. And a girl conflicted over career choices. Is this the same writer?? Just hoping it doesn't take as long to get somewhere as that show did.

I have to say that I'm relieved that at least Tian's character this time feels a lot different. She's still adorable. I have hope for this one. It's (gulp) about twice the number of episodes I thought it was going to be though -- 28! They are just 40-45 minutes each though, but still. I was anticipating 16 or so.

Edit: Ah! Am up through episode 6 now. I really am enjoying this one. It's just delightful. It does feel like things are moving along at a faster clip than PyHomS, likely because Qing has no qualms about his feelings once he figures out she's his childhood friend. He is in it to win it and even when she resists, he just smiles. I don't mean that in a creepy way. It sounds creepy when you say it like that, but it's not been creepy. 

Anyway, she still doesn't know about their past connection BUT she asks at the end of the episode if he likes her and he straight up says he does. No dithering. Also another similarity with their other show, but at a much earlier stage.

As an aside, I am still waiting for the day where either the female or male lead in a childhood friend's romance says, basically, "You haven't seen me since we were 8. You have no idea who I am now. What gives?"

There's obviously going to be some angst (it is an Asian drama, after all). I imagine some will be centred on the other Dr. lady who obviously has a thing for her colleague. And, like many Chinese shows, the opening credit sequence basically gives away the majority of the plot, so I see that there's some other dude who will be a stumbling block as well (but I very much doubt a significant one). And sooner or later, Rong's mum is going to figure out she's not in Australia anymore.

I am also enjoying the secondary lead characters stories/relationship. Their situations mirror each other, so even though they are very different, they are finding shared strength. Plus, they're both funny. 

Edit: Oh, they got me, darn them. When they started the next episode and he went right from confessing to kissing, I was, like, dammit, someone's dreaming. Because it was way too early in the arc for these type of shows for the kissing. And, yep, that was the case. So there's been no actual confession yet but, by god, he's certainly dropping as many hints as humanely possible. And it's not that she's stupid, so I'm not really entirely sure why she's like, uhhhhh, hmmmmm, what's going on? 

And they did finally bring up her missing her old friend "Fatty" -- is it realistic that that's what she called him??

Edit: Am actually up through episode 11 now, as I've watched a few while not exercising, as I'm enjoying it enough to want the extra (but it's so darn cold in the shed, that I haven't been staying out there any longer than one episode at a time). 

He's finally come clean that he's "Fatty" and she's sort-of but not quite accepted the idea of a relationship, though she obviously likes him (and liked Fatty). There's been a standoff with the mom, who caught her out when visiting the hospital, though mum was quite glad to meet the lovely new handsome doctor friend her daughter has...and they have introduced the rival love interest -- he's the law firm boss and, okay, I'll give it to them that it's not totally out of left field as explained. She first met him when she was back in Australia and so impressed him with her devotion to studying law even when she was majoring in something else that he has given her advice and looked on with pride as she managed to pass the bar (or whatever they call it in China) and also helped get her the internship. Of course, he also looks like a complete baby (they're ALL so young!!) and is a tall, handsome skinny dude. Basically, the lawyer version of Wen Shao Qing. 

But, you know, the path to love is never easy and all that. 

Edit: Yeah, so. I took some time off the elliptical after I sprained my ankle. It's been, like, a month now but it's still slightly dodgy, but I am doing a few days a week. I'm up to episode 20 and, okay, the show is good, but very much like the last one I watched with these actors, SO DAMN SLOW. I mean, it's pretty low angst...at the moment, our main couple is having a bit of a spat because he's jealous but it's not a serious one because he actually realises he's jealous and she realises she's over-reacting to his jealousy but also that he might have a bit of a point; even though *she* didn't do anything, her boss might possibly be crossing a line (and, yeah, he totally is, though in a very lowkey, not on purpose way--I'd say it's obvious he likes her and he didn't know she had a boyfriend...though, dude, you're her boss, so you shouldn't go there anyway). 

All that goes to say that, er, I kinda just want to binge the rest because I want to finish it but I'm not enthused and it's not encouraging me to go exercise. Ha. Anyway, the secondary couple is also finally making some progress as well.

Edit: powered through and did the last two episodes today while on the elliptical. Which means I need to pick out a new show now. Er... Anyway, it was good. It was very sweet. It was VERY low angst. They tried to hint at love triangle complications and things but none of it had any teeth at all. The leads never had eyes for anyone else, not even a twinge. The last episode was basically like fan fiction -- big wedding, brief preview of successful after-the-story and Dr. Wen got his two kids. 

You know, I often complain that I'm looking for something low angst and happy, especially when the world is a shit show (as it is right now). And I did appreciate that in this though...at the same time...it could have used a tiny bit more of some kind of conflict/drama. It was very...vanilla. And I say that realising that we all mean "boring, plain vanilla" these days when we say that, but historically (and even today), vanilla is actually a pretty expensive, not that easy to get spice. So take that as you will.