A con artist meets a chief accountant, and they scam together.
Cast
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| Dai Lu Wa: Xu Yan Zhen |
Tang Shi Yi: Jiang Xin Yu |
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| Lin Bo Rui: Diao Liang Sheng |
Yumiko Cheng: She Bi Yun |
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| Lv Xing Chen: Song Mei Lan |
Ma Yue: Xu Ye |
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| Zhang Cheng Tiao: Qiu Wen Yi |
Zhang Bo Jia: Xue Yin |
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| Wei Wei: Gu Da Kun |
Mini Recaps
Xu Yan Zhen (Dai Lu Wa) is paid by Dumb Dragon Diao Liang Sheng to paint colours onto a black and white photo of Jiang Xin Yu (Tang Si Yi). And that's how our fake artist who specializes in forging crosses paths with the bank's chief accountant.
Jiang Xin Yu: You got one detail wrong. I never wear crimson lipstick.Xu Yan Zhen (to herself): Even after she said that, you still believed you hadn't gotten it wrong. Crimson suited her lips better.
And the danger begins. (According to the narration).
Xu Yan Zhen is captured by "Mama" the commandant of the prison ward, Shi Bi Yun (Yumiko Cheng), and thrown into the water to drown. Jiang Xin Yu saves her. Insert heavy breathing. Insert water dripping. It's wet. It's hard...saving her. Goal: make not doing mouth-to-mouth CPR even sexier than doing mouth-to-mouth CPR. Not that mouth-to-mouth CPR is even sexy.
Xu Yan Zhen draws 虎行雪地梅花五 on Jiang Xin Yu's arm. There's the plum blossom (梅花), but where's the tiger (虎)? Here. You. Or Her.
Learn Chinese with cynlynn.
虎行雪地梅花五 = A tiger walks across the snowy ground, leaving five(-petaled) plum blossoms.It's an image of a tiger's paw print in the snow, looking like five-petaled plum blossoms. And five petals of plum blossoms represents the "Five Blessings" (五福; longevity, wealth, health (or peace), virtue, and a natural death).There's a matching second verse.鶴立霜田竹葉三 = A crane stands in the frosty field, leaving three bamboo leaves.This paints the image of a crane's three-pronged footprint, which resembles a sprig of bamboo leaves. The three bamboo leaves symbolize the "Three Abundances" (三多; an abundance of blessings, longevity, and offspring.)
A tiger walks across the snowy ground, leaving five(-petaled) plum blossoms
There's the plum blossom.
Where's the tiger?
Where is it, indeed.
Jiang Xin Yu's in trouble. Diao Liang Sheng and the boys embezzled a fortune, then framed her for it. The only way out is to swap a priceless painting with Xu Yan Zhen's forgery and recover the money. Unfortunately for Xu Yan Zhen, Jiang Xin Yu's plan includes gaining her trust... and sacrificing her when the time comes. But can she? Look at her falling in love with herself Xu Yan Zhen's painting of her.
Turns out Diao Liang Sheng is no dragon, and just a tiny snake. It's Jiang Xin Yu's boss, Qiu Wen Yi, who let everything happen because he wants Diao Liang Sheng to become his nephew-in-law.
And then Xu Yan Zhen overhears that Jiang Xin Yu plans to sacrifice her. Uhoh.
[Ep3] [Jump to: Top | Cast | Comments]
Why are we hanging out beside the bathtub, ladies? If the goal was just to clean paintbrushes, a sink would've done the job.
Jiang Xin Yu, however, can't go through with her plan. She's fallen in love. She turns around and saves Xu Yan Zhen instead. And says the words that pull Xu Yan Zhen back to her.
Jiang Xin Yu: The thing I look forward to most is watching you turn the world into a painting. I want to see the world through your eyes.
Then Jiang Xin Yu takes her home to wash her hair...looool
This 錯位 ("misplaced" angle) lol
Meanwhile, Diao Liang Sheng's luck finally runs out. He still manages to sabotage Jiang Xin Yu one last time, forcing her to tell Xu Yan Zhen to run first. But then his own partners sell him out, Jiang Xin Yu reports him too, and off he goes to prison.
Then comes the reveal.
Jiang Xin Yu and Xu Yan Zhen had orchestrated the forgery scandal so everyone would believe the real painting had been swapped. They would throw away the "fake," allowing them to secretly keep the genuine masterpiece out of foreign hands. So essentially it's okay to scam Westerners because they don't deserve to buy Chinese paintings.
Except...Xu Yan Zhen had other plans! This con artist pulled the biggest con of the drama.
Everything Jiang Xin Yu thought she had orchestrated was actually orchestrated by Xu Yan Zhen. She let herself be rescued. She earned Jiang Xin Yu'slove trust. She built up their relationship. And in the end, she walked away with the real painting herself.
The tiger was Xu Yan Zhen all along.
Then comes the reveal.
Jiang Xin Yu and Xu Yan Zhen had orchestrated the forgery scandal so everyone would believe the real painting had been swapped. They would throw away the "fake," allowing them to secretly keep the genuine masterpiece out of foreign hands. So essentially it's okay to scam Westerners because they don't deserve to buy Chinese paintings.
Except...Xu Yan Zhen had other plans! This con artist pulled the biggest con of the drama.
Everything Jiang Xin Yu thought she had orchestrated was actually orchestrated by Xu Yan Zhen. She let herself be rescued. She earned Jiang Xin Yu's
The tiger was Xu Yan Zhen all along.
She also leaves behind a painting in Jiang Xin Yu's home.
The crimson lipstick that suits her
Xu Yan Zhen boards a train – bound for France – and absentmindedly practices flipping a coin across her fingers, a little habit she picked up from Jiang Xin Yu. It takes her a few tries before she finally gets it. A tiny reminder that, despite everything, she still took a piece of Jiang Xin Yu with her.
Someone knocks on Jiang Xin Yu's door.
The end. (Maybe stay for some post-credits scenes).
Remarks
[First Impression (Ep1)]
Different. It's a mainstream "GL" Cdrama, which means it can't be too GL, but its format is unusual too. It's only three episodes long and they're presented as Beginning, Middle, and End rather than Ep1, 2, and 3. That structure makes it feel more like a movie than a drama. Experimental, mysterious, and maybe intriguing. Honestly, it's not as intriguing as I hoped, but okay-intriguing enough.
I did not think Dai Lu Wa and Tang Shi Yi looked alike, but when the scenes transition between them, they do have similarities – one bright, and the other mature.
[Cast&Crew]
Who is Tang Shi Yi? She's not an actress, but a professional dancer. She appeared on Sister Who Makes Waves and made a bit of wave in that Season 3 (2022).
Director Wu Hui Hui's most notable previous work was serving as the second director of The Epoch of Miyu.
The trio of screenwriters credited in this drama – Zhang Min, Zhang Fan and Liu Yi Fei – previously worked on Under the Skin. It makes me wonder if they drew inspiration from that drama's almost-GL dynamic in certain cases, along with having a genius artist as the main protagonist.
[Ending]
[A Highlight]
[Review & Rating]
Rating: /5
Recommendations
Preliminary recs are random / a peek at the list. These may be updated if drama is completed
| ML Schemes | ML Schemes | Palace |
|---|---|---|
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