I have been watching this modern contemporary Chinese drama, Ode to Joy. I don't know what contemporary means, but that's how all the news describes this drama category.
It's a story about 5 young women who live in Ode to Joy apartment building level 22. Andy is a successful CFO, graduated from USA, beautiful, rich, capable, but antisocial. She's an orphan and spent some of her childhood in an orphanage before being adopted and taken to USA. Her mind is too simple, and growing up in USA doesn't prepare her on how Chinese society works. If a stranger says to her that he's lost his wallet and can't go home, she'd hand out money without thinking. It never came across her mind that he could be a Scammer. She doesn't understand why people do this kind of thing. When she was slandered on the internet, she didn't have a slight care. She didn't think that gossips can bring people down. For her, gossips are just gossips. Her family has a history of mental disease, that's why she planned to live alone forever. She even went as far as preparing her will, earning as much money as possible, and entrusted all of her assets to her best friend, so he can arrange for her treatment if one day she goes crazy.
Xiao Mei is beautiful, poor, loves expensive stuffs, but when someone gives her expensive stuffs, she sniffs it, enjoys the smell and brings it to a pawn shop to exchange for money. She then goes to a counterfeit store, buy the same one and send most of the rest of the money to her selfish useless good for nothing family. Her focus is to marry a rich husband. She cares about her flatmates and acts like a big sister to them.
Qu Xiaoxiao, is someone you either love or hate. She is a hooligan. Well, not exactly, she's a 2nd generation rich girl. She graduated from unknown university in USA where she really didn't study anything and just partied and shopped and being rich. She came back to Shanghai to prevent her half brother getting all inheritance. So she worked hard on her own company to prove to her dad that she's better than her brother. She's a nice girl, loyal and VERY brave to voice out her opinion without any care of what other ppl may think about her. However, she doesn't hesitate to employ dirty tricks sometimes. She's a good person, but in my favourite phrase, very human, as she has many faults and can be angry, explosive and selfish sometimes. But she sets her own limit of good and bad. Even though she thinks Xiao Mei is a gold digger, she still helps her out and stands up for her when she has problems. She also willingly admits her respects of Xiao Mei's good attributes. I love her and out of the 5 women, she is who I want to be.
Qiu Yingying, is the one I want to slap SO.MANY.TIMES when watching this drama. She's a cute girl, don't get me wrong, but man she's so damn stupid and even more stupid when she falls in love. What makes up for it is how good her heart is, she cares for everyone and no matter she agrees or not, she supports her friends wholeheartedly. Yeah, that's the right word to describe her. She does her work wholeheartedly and always goes the extra mile in her job. She goes out to find new clients on her days out, when she was hospitalized she still managed her work online shop (she works for someone), that online shop was actually her idea. When she started working for that cafe, she had 0 idea about coffee. She spent nights trying every single coffee variants to the point of couldn't sleep coz she'd drunk too much. I think you get the idea. That's also her style when she falls in love, to the point of stupidity.
Guan Guan is a typical ordinary girl that people do not notice. Just like me ._. In her own words, she's the girl who guys never take notice of, and the one guys consider to marry only because she has good education, good family background and good wife and mother material. They don't consider her for her. She's hardworking and listens to her parents very much. Can't be helped though, her mum nags so much! She moved to Shanghai because she felt she won't grow up if she stays home. Even after she moved, her mum calls her often and tells her to go home when she's out at night, complains when she doesn't pick up her phone, you know, mum stuffs. Her mum sets her up for blind dates without asking, and just drags her up to the restaurants to meet the guy.
So all of these girls live on the same floor. Xiaoqu and Andy live alone, while Xiaomei, Guanguan and Yingying share an apartment together. They visit each other often, either when they're happy or when they have problems. Each has problems of their own. Since they all have different background, they are very relateable. You might argue they are too different and it's impossible for this situation to happen in life, but hey 1 it's a drama. How many dramas you've seen that are so realistic? There would be something not realistic, if not then it would be too boring and people won't watch. After all we watch dramas to escape from our boring life. 2. I actually can see it happening in real life. Each of them though can seek each other, but in their hearts there are some stuffs they don't like about each other. But since they are friends so they can overlook it when required. Isn't that what we experienced day to day too?
The other day I watched Guanguan talking to Xiaomei. She said, before she found this boyfriend, she was prepared to live single for the rest of her life. She said she has good income, enough to support herself and she can take care of her problems herself, so she can face the world herself, she doesn't really need a man. Xiaomei was surprised listening to her. She's never thought this way. She was always trying hard to find a rich guy to marry. Later on that night, she thought about it, and realised that she is actually capable to live alone too. She has better income than Guanguan and more than capable to handle her own affairs. She even takes care of these girls' issues! She doesn't need a man?!
The difference between the 2 is, Guanguan never attracts guys. While Xiaomei is like a flower who has butterflies keep coming and coming without her even making a move. I guess it's like a habit. She's used to always having guys chasing her, so she can't imagine life without a guy. No, it's more like she's never thought of possibility that she could live without it.
See? Very realistic right?? :D
