The Haggler (2021)

Bargaining for Love

My Bargain Queen is an office-romance drama that is set in the beautiful port city of Tianjin, China. The premise is based on two industries that are disparate in nature but not mutually exclusive - the bargaining or negotiation consultative services and the hotel business. There is a significant shift to an online bargaining business model towards the latter episodes.

The plot revolves primarily around the romances of the characters involved in those lines of work as well as the people around them. In addition to the romance with all its associated tropes and the light comedy,, we also have the business aspects, slice-of-life elements as well as some measure of angst and tragic circumstances (in the backstory) as well.

This production which completed principal photography in October 2020 is aired simultaneously on Dragon TV as well as Youku streaming platform, among other regional broadcasters and streamers. The screenplay is adapted from the novel of the same name (我的砍价女王) by The Sleeping Meow (睡懒觉的喵), a nom de plume. The Ritz-Carlton in Tianjin is featured as the site of the fictional Evergreen Hotel while a number of scenes were filmed at The Happy Valley Theme Park. Kenny Lin reunites with Nicky Wu since Scarlet Heart (2011) while Wu Jin Yan and Wang He Run last collaborated on Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures in 2019.

The production quality is well above average for this contemporary setting due to the posh set designs of The Ritz-Carlton. As expected of a rom-com, warmer colours and soft filters are applied generously in the visuals, with which I have no problems. The cinematography is generally adequate but there are some editing issues as well as certain scenes being cut which affect scene transitions but thankfully without impacting on the flow of the story.

The story works well when focusing on the business aspects, with some interestingly written subplots on the business rivalries and workplace machinations. The romance is decently developed, in particular for the main and secondary CPs. The family dynamics, in particular the FL’s mother, appears somewhat overemphasised while the inclusion of the dreaded angst from the third CP detracts from the initial positivity and feel-good vibes. The 40-episode length does give the overall impression of being drawn out for a romantic drama of this nature. Contemporary C-dramas really should consider shortening the production to perhaps 30 episodes or even less.

I went into this drama for Wu Jin Yan whom I’ve been a fan of since Story of Yanxi Palace and Legend of Hao Lan. She performs commendably here as the FL Xia Qian where her mature disposition and her own voice dubbing suits the role perfectly. The consistency of the characterization isn’t without its flaws especially towards the closing stages, which I attribute to the screenplay. Kenny Lin plays the ML Sheng Zhe Ning, who starts off as a cold and stoic hotel CEO that eventually evolves into a warm and somewhat adorable personality. Both Wu Jin Yan and Kenny Lin complement each other very well together with the right maturity levels and convincing chemistry that makes them a compelling OTP.

Nicky Wu and Wang He Run portray the SML Qin He Bo and SFL Fu Shuang Shuang respectively as the second CP of the show. Theirs is the age-gap romance which, to me, comes across as natural and organic in depiction and development. The only issue I have is Nicky Wu’s voice or rather his enunciation which lacks clarity at times. Wang He Run’s character has a significant story arc which contributes to a degree of growth that provides an additional dimension to her portrayal.

The supporting characters of He Zhi Juan and Ning Meng, respectively played by Ma Si Chao and Song Yi Xing are the main issues in the drama for me. On top of the characterization being poorly conceived, being used to create over-dramatic angst in the plot particularly at a very late stage does scream of lazy scriptwriting. The controversy giving rise to the drama isn’t particularly convincing and, to make matters worse, I feel the acting from these two actors is extremely weak. Ma Si Chao does not resemble a medical practitioner that he portrays and every time he speaks, he sounds out of breath like he is hyperventilating. Some portion of the blame has to be placed on the direction for this. Song Yi Xing’s acting isn’t the most riveting either but for all intents and purposes, she does succeed in making Ning Meng the most infuriating character in the drama. In some ways, I suppose these two do match each other as third CP and annoying couple from hell.

The soundtrack for this drama features warm mellow ballads while the BGM is well-suited although somewhat lacking in variation. I do however enjoy the creatively-rendered title sequence and the accompanying opening instrumental theme. Full OST listing as follows:

Warming Slowly 慢慢热 by Wu Jinyan 吴谨言
To the One Who Loved 致爱的人 by Lin Zike 林子珂
Child 小孩 by Chen Xijun 陈希郡

All things considered, My Bargain Queen is not a bad option to choose, especially if you’re a fan of the leads and in the mood for a light workplace romance. However 40 episodes is a commitment and the slight inclusion of melodramatic elements may dampen the mood at certain points. Proceed with caution but, for the most part, I did enjoy the overall storytelling of the drama.

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A simple romance

Overall, the storyline is nothing new. However, I appreciate how the characters were developed and enjoy how once the main characters admit their love for each other that it is not a tug and war of trust like most drama. It is refreshing that each episode they tackle the new crisis/drama together, instead of the usual one person trying to fix every thing without telling the other. It is nice to have an adult, honest and good communication relationship to watch. Sometimes, you just want to enjoy a simple romance with a little drama thrown in with lots of humor added.

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