Best Choice Ever Review

I thought Best Choice Ever (承欢记) is a pure romance drama before I started watching. But the first few episodes itself will set the tone of the story and you can then feel that this is more than just romance. The start is engaging but this is a 37-episode drama after all despite the popularity of the leads, namely Xu Kai and Yang Zi. What story can they tell with so many episodes and will boredom set in after a while? There is more information in my Best Choice Ever review below if you are unsure of what to expect.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 37
Type: Romance
Aired: April 2024
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook

The Cast Of Best Choice Ever

• Yang Zi as Mai Cheng Huan
• Xu Kai as Yao Zhi Ming
• Gala Zhang Yao as Mai Cheng Zao
• Niu Jun Feng as Xin Jia Liang
• Xu Ling Yue as Mao Yong Xin
• He Sai Fei as Liu Wan Yu
• Yao An Lian as Mai Lai Tian
• Wu Yan Shu as Chen Shu Zhen / Grandma Mai
• Xu Ya Jun as Xin Zhi Shan
• Deng Ying as Chen De Jing
• Smile Hu Dan Dan as Xin Jia Li
• Guo Yun Qi as He Dong
• Yu Zhi Hui as Xue Li
• Feng Xi Yao as Wu You
• Wang Zi Wei as Zhu Bao Qiao
• Gong Bei Bi as Zhang Pei Sheng

Main Characters

Mai Cheng Huan

Cheng Huan is an office worker in the Sales and Marketing Department of a high class hotel. She is hardworking, responsible, and honest. Cheng Huan is a pragmatic woman who prefers to work and be independent rather than rely on a man. Thus, her work is an important part of her life. She is approaching 30 years old and has been dating for 3 years. She comes from a close-knit working class family.

Yao Zhi Ming

Zhi Ming is the new Operations Director and Cheng Huan’s new boss at the hotel. He is a smart and cunning man and a result-oriented type of boss. Zhi Ming is ambitious and has his own plans. He has a pessimistic view of people and doesn’t trust others easily.

Supporting Characters

Mai Cheng Zao

Cheng Zao is Cheng Huan’s younger brother. He is a law graduate fresh out of college who is looking for a job. He has a close relationship with his sister and is protective of her. Cheng Zao is a caring and optimistic young man who has a crush on an older woman who is close to his family.

Xin Jia Liang

Jia Liang is Cheng Huan’s boyfriend of 3 years. He is a rich second generation but pretends to be poor. He is not an ambitious guy and has a laid back attitude. But he loves Cheng Huan and will do his best to make her happy.

Mao Yong Xin / Mao Mao

Mao Mao is close to Cheng Huan’s family from young. She spent a lot of time at their place as her own parents had no time for her. So, Cheng Huan’s mother became her godmother. Mao Mao is a divorcee with a kid who is being brought up by her ex-husband. She is an independent and experienced woman who still believes in love but not marriage. She is a jewelry designer.

Liu Wan Yu

Wan Yu is Cheng Huan and Cheng Zao’s mother. She is an old-fashioned and frugal housewife who prefers her daughter to marry someone who could give her material comforts and security. Hence, she doesn’t have a good impression towards Jia Liang whom she thinks has no potential. But at the same time, she is also worried over Cheng Huan’s unmarried status. Wan Yu is a loving but overly anxious mother.

Mai Lai Tian

Mai Lai Tian is Cheng Huan and Cheng Zao’s father. He works as a driver to Zhang Pei Sheng before the latter reassigns him to be Zhi Ming’s driver. He is a good man who only wants his children to be happy and is a down-to-earth kind of person. Mai Lai Tian tends to do what his wife says to placate and make her happy.

Chen Shu Zhen / Grandma Mai

Grandma Mai is Zhi Ming’s paternal grandmother. She re-married in her mid-life to Cheng Huan’s grandfather. Thus, she is not close to Mai Lai Tian but is fond of Cheng Huan. Grandma Mai has checked herself into a nursing home but is still a sharp and fit old lady with much wisdom.

Xin Zhi Shan

Xin Zhi Shan is Jia Liang’s father. He runs De Shan Furnishing which is a multi-million dollar company and a supplier of the hotel Cheng Huan is working in. He is a sly and corruptible type of businessman.

Chen De Jing & Xin Jia Li

Chen De Jing and Jia Li is Jia Liang’s mother and elder sister respectively. They see themselves as upper class people who think Cheng Huan is not fit to marry into the family.

He Dong

He Dong is Zhi Ming’s personal assistant. An amiable type pf guy, he is easy to get along with and knows when to zip up when talking to his boss.

Xue Li & Wu You

Xue Li is Cheng Huan’s friend and colleague. She is on Cheng Huan’s side while Wu You is Cheng Huan’s rival at work who will resort to underhanded tactics to get ahead. They all report directly to Manager Zhu who is the head of the Sales and Marketing Department.

Zhu Bao Qiao

Zhu Bao Qiao is Xin Zhi Shan’s secretary and mistress. She is also Cheng Huan’s ex-college mate. Zhu Bao Qiao is an ambitious woman who wants to climb the social ladder and cling to Xin Zhi Shan. She is someone who will resort to dirty tactics to achieve her aims.

Zhang Pei Sheng

Zhang Pei Sheng is Zhi Ming’s colleague and partner at the hotel. She is a director with an aim to kick out the existing president of the hotel and assume his position. She is an ambitious and cold woman with a ruthless streak. Zhang Pei Sheng is a single mother with a rebellious college-age daughter, Zhang Zi Yu.

Synopsis

Cheng Huan comes from a working class family and has been working diligently at a hotel for a number of years. She is 29 years old and facing pressure from her mother to get married. Her boyfriend is a rich man’s son but pretends to be poor and has been deceiving her for 3 years about his wealthy background. When she finds out about his deception, problems arise due to the vast difference in their social status and family values. Circumstances force Cheng Huan to undergo a painful lesson of being looked down upon and the reality that her boyfriend lacks the mettle to handle problems when they arise.

At the same time, Cheng Huan has a new boss at work called Zhi Ming who is planning to expose kickbacks in the hotel and gaining inheritance rights to an old hotel owned by his grandmother. One of the companies that is paying the kickbacks happens to belong to Cheng Huan’s boyfriend’s family. Hence, she becomes a pawn in Zhi Ming’s plan which further drives a wedge between her and her boyfriend. Zhi Ming can be ruthless and believes that people are generally selfish and cannot be trusted due to his harsh childhood.

Faced with the breakdown of her relationship and unhappiness at work, Cheng Huan has to restart her life at a different division. Through Zhi Ming’s grandmother, Cheng Huan and Zhi Ming slowly develop trust between them. Shrewdly, she uses her own way to make them grow into better people with inheritance of the hotel being central to her idea.

Best Choice Ever Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Best Choice Ever has a happy ending. This is after Cheng Huan’s mother had a health scare when she learns that she has a lung tumor in Episode 34. Fearing that she will be a burden to her family and will die soon, she goes back to her parents’ old empty house in her hometown in Episode 35. She leaves a letter to her family that she is sick and wants to be left alone for some peace and quiet.

Cheng Huan and her family together with Zhi Ming and Mao Mao frantically look for her mother. They locate her in her hometown and try their best to convince her to return to Shanghai for treatment. She refuses until Cheng Huan comes up with the idea to let her mother experience the joy of performing opera on stage in Episode 37. Cheng Huan’s mother was a talented opera singer when she was a young girl but her dream was cut short by lack of family support due to poverty. Cheng Huan wants to give her mother the motivation and reason to go on living so that the latter would willingly see a doctor for treatment. Her mother finally agrees to return to Shanghai with them thereafter.

One year later, Cheng Huan’s mother fully recovers after surgery and treatment. The whole family returns to her hometown. Zhi Ming’s employer and Cheng Huan’s Xing’an Li Hotel are partnering up to open a hotel there. It is a happy occasion as the family gathers for a dinner celebration. Cheng Zao and Mao Mao are already married. They are now asking Cheng Huan and Zhi Ming to tie the knot. Zhi Ming says he is ready anytime.

How Is Zhi Ming & Cheng Huan Related?

Zhi MIng and Cheng Huan are not related by blood but family association. Cheng Huan finds out that Zhi Ming is Grandma Mai’s grandson in Episode 7 after her mother mistaken him for being a swindler who is out to cheat the old lady’s money. Grandma Mai divorced Zhi Ming’s grandfather after he had another woman. Zhi Ming was then taken abroad by his grandfather and father.

Grandma Mai remarried late in life to Cheng Huan’s grandfather. So, Cheng Huan’s father, Mai Lai Tian, and Grandma Mai have no formal relationship. He was already an adult with his own family then. They largely maintained separate lives throughout and are distant but respectful of each other. However, Grandma Mai has a special fondness for Cheng Huan.

Grandma Mai dies from heart failure due to old age in Episode 19. In her will, she left Xing’an Li Hotel to Cheng Huan and her house to Zhi Ming. Zhi Ming is disappointed as he had come back with an aim to get control of the hotel for his employer so that he can gain a promotion at the headquarters. But he accepts his grandmother’s decision very quickly and helps Cheng Huan with the hotel as that is what she had wanted.

Grandma Mai had left Zhi Ming the house as she wanted him to have a home and warmth in his life. She willed the hotel to Cheng Huan to make her realize that while being independent is important, she should also learn that she can rely on others to help her at times.

Zhi Ming’s Past

Zhi Ming relates to Cheng Huan his past in Episode 19 when they are grieving over Grandma Mai’s death. When Zhi Ming was around 7 to 8 years old, his family’s business went bankrupt. His father ran away from the creditors while leaving him and his mother behind. Lenders were always coming to them to demand repayment that his mother had to take him from one boyfriend’s place to another to escape.

Grandma Mai came over at a critical time to help them with the debts. However, she told Zhi Ming’s mother that the latter shouldn’t complain but to resolve the problem and be self-reliant. Grandma Mai supported Zhi Ming’s studies but he used to blame her for not bringing up his father properly and watching his family fell into ruins. However, he has realized that he wouldn’t have persevered and achieved much without her guidance.

Zhi Ming’s father is released from prison and returns to see him in Episode 30. He wants to make amends but Zhi Ming finds it hard to forgive him for being a gambler and squandering the family’s wealth back then. While his father agrees to cooperate with Zhang Pei Sheng to wrest back control of Xing’an Li initially in Episode 31, he changes his mind and helps Cheng Huan to overcome the problem he has created in Episode 33. He subsequently dies after being knocked down by a car in his haste to go back to see Zhi Ming whom he mistakenly thought would blame him for the problem he created for Cheng Huan.

Zhi Ming is devastated with his father’s sudden death. Cheng Huan and her parents console and support him to get back to normal self in Episode 34.

When Did Cheng Huan Break Up With Jia Liang?

Problems first arise in Episode 6 when Cheng Huan’s parents meet Jia Liang’s mother and sister to discuss their wedding details. A shouting match ensues when Jia Liang’s sister blatantly looks down on Cheng Huan’s family. The problems become worse when Jia Liang’s family company needs Cheng Huan’s connections to ensure a favorable outcome for a tender that she is handling for Zhi Ming. His father tries to get on her good side by buying her a marital home in Episode 9. At the same time, his mother and sister want Cheng Huan to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. Cheng Huan gets mad and doesn’t agree that they should mix business interests and marriage. She is already thinking that they should let go of each other if their families cannot accept and tolerate one another.

When Jia Liang’s family company lost the bid in the tender, Jia Liang’s father accuses Cheng Huan of betrayal. She is also framed for leaking insider information to a rival company. Throughout the upheaval, Jia Liang chooses to hide from Cheng Huan. Cheng Huan’s mother becomes anxious over their relationship and visits Jia Liang’s mother for a resolution but ends up being humiliated again. This forces Cheng Huan to be firm and she breaks up with Jia Liang once and for all in Episode 11. She tells him that she is too tired to have anything to do with him anymore and that their families are too different in status and values.

Jia Liang asks Cheng Huan for a reconciliation in Episode 14 but gets rejected. She publicly announces that they have broken up in Episode 16 after her mother secretly arranged an engagement banquet for her together with Jia Liang’s sister.

What Happened To Jia Liang’s Family?

Jia Liang’s father and Zhu Bao Qiao are lovers. She claims that she is pregnant in Episode 14 and wants him to divorce his wife and marry her. Jia Liang’s father refuses and suffers a stroke after the discussion. Cheng Huan takes the risk to sign the surgery consent form after being at the scene. Jia Liang’s father’s life is saved and he becomes thankful of Cheng Huan.

Fearing that their father would give his assets to Zhu Bao Qiao, Jia Liang’s sister, Jia Li, thinks a marriage between Jia Liang and Cheng Huan is now a good way to ensure their father will leave his assets to them. So, Jia Li persuades Cheng Huan’s mother to agree to an engagement banquet by offering her an apartment unit. Cheng Huan is tricked into going to the venue but she ends up announcing to all the attendees that she has broken up with Jia Liang in Episode 16. Jia Liang’s father becomes angry at Jia Li for the trickery and suffers another stroke.

Zhu Bao Qiao ends up going back to her hometown in Episode 17. Her pregnancy is fake and she ends up with nothing as Jia Liang’s father has become paralyzed from the stroke. News from the grapevine indicate that Jia Li and her husband are divorcing while Jia Liang has lost hope and is idling at home. The family business is now being managed by Jia Liang’s mother.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Cheng Huan transfers out of Zhi Ming’s supervision to the group’s serviced apartments management division in Episode 10. This is after she felt made used of in his quest to kick out the existing president of the hotel for his own career progression. The transfer appears as a demotion but Zhi Ming secretly wants her to gain experience and connections in her new division. He also moves into the serviced apartment to get closer to her.

Their relationship becomes less acrid after they went on a trip together with Grandma Mai in Episode 12. She learns that he has had a tough childhood from Grandma Mai. Zhi Ming expands his story further in Episode 13 whereby his childhood is one of abandonment.

In Episode 21, Zhi Ming asks Cheng Huan to give him a chance to help her to overcome a malicious attack on Xiang’an Li Hotel. After successfully overcoming the problem, he confesses to her but follows up with the statement that he is kidding when she seems shocked and remains quiet. He moves into the house that Grandma Mai had left for him but which is currently being occupied by Cheng Huan’s parents in Episode 22 with the intention to pursue her.

Zhi Ming confesses to Cheng Huan again in Episode 26. He asks her to be his girlfriend. She kisses him in response to denote her agreement and they start dating then.

Is There Any Love Triangle & Breakup?

No, there is no love triangle in Cheng Huan and Zhi Ming’s relationship. While Zhang Pei Sheng’s daughter, Zi Yu, seems to show an interest in Zhi Ming when she turns up in Episode 25, he treats her like a younger sister. They have a sibling-like relationship from their time together in Switzerland. Zi Yu is merely curious about Zhi Ming’s love interest and checks Cheng Huan out in Episode 26. She goes to work at Xing’an Li Hotel in Episode 27 and ends up developing a good relationship with Cheng Huan.

Zi Yu decides to leave to go back to her studies in Switzerland and bring her mother along in Episode 34. This is after Zhang Pei Sheng’s reputation has been soiled with her involvement in bribing Zhi Ming’s father to acquire Xing’an Li Hotel. Although Zi Yu doesn’t think her relationship with Zhang Pei Sheng would improve, the latter is her mother after all. Cheng Huan is sad to see her go but respects her decision.

There is no breakup between Cheng Huan and Zhi Ming after they got together in Episode 26.

Mother-Daughter Relationship

Cheng Huan has had enough of her mother’s controlling behavior when she is tricked to attend an engagement banquet which her mother had secretly arranged. Her mother slaps her after some harsh words were exchanged over her refusal to get engaged to Jia Liang. As a result, Cheng Huan moves out of the family home in Episode 16. She reconciles with her mother in Episode 24 after the latter hits a drunken man who is harassing her. She moves back in with her family then.

Cheng Huan quarrels with her mother again in Episode 28 when the latter turns up at her workplace and intrudes on her staff meeting. She decides not to evade the issues with her mother anymore and pour out her feelings after the quarrel. Cheng Huan feels pressured by her mother’s expectations and doesn’t know how to communicate with her to make her understand. She also fears that their conversation will result in another slap as the previous one broke her heart. Her mother also voices out her motivations and promises to be a better parent from then on.

Side Couple

When Mao Mao’s ex-husband harasses her in Episode 20, Cheng Zao is protective of her. He confesses that he has liked her for a long time. However, she is non-committal and seems to reject him. This prompts him to apologize to Mao Mao for being too impulsive in Episode 21 as he doesn’t want their relationship to turn awkward.

Cheng Zao helps Mao Mao to get inspiration for her jewelry design with a frolic in the rain in Episode 23. She is moved and kisses him. They become a couple on the quiet as Mao Mao is afraid that his family wouldn’t accept her since she is older than him and a divorcee with a kid. But Cheng Huan already saw the signs early on and tells them so in Episode 27 when she announces to them her own relationship with Zhi Ming.

In Episode 28, Mao Mao decides to fight for full custody of her son. Hence, she gives Cheng Zao the option to leave her as he is still young while she already has a kid to take care of. Cheng Zao is firm with Mao Mao that he will always choose her no matter what in Episode 29. He will also help her to gain custody of her son which they managed to do in Episode 35. His mother also finds out about their relationship when she sees them holding hands after returning home earlier than planned from a holiday trip. She didn’t raise any objections and is quietly contented that Cheng Zao has found someone as she thought she wouldn’t have long to live anymore then.

Best Choice Ever Review – Family Rather Than Romance Drama

Best Choice Ever is going to be a disappointment for some viewers. There are 2 main reasons for this. Firstly, this is not a romance drama. So, if you jump onboard because you want to see many romantic and sweet scenes of the leads, you are going to get frustrated by the lack of them. The focus is on family here or more specifically, mother-daughter relationship. In fact, the female lead’s mother may seem to have more screen time than the male lead at times. She takes centre stage and is the plot driver while the romance is reduced to a subplot in the drama.

Secondly, there are a few toxic characters that will make your blood boil as you watch. And when I say toxic, it is the really annoying kind. When the story begins, the female lead is already dating a guy whose family members are obnoxiously snobbish. They will disgust you every time they appear on screen. To make matters worse, the female lead’s mother is another toxic character that you will wish she has less screen time. If you have watched South Wind Knows and Fireworks Of My Heart, you may be familiar with such characters. She is shown to care too much for her daughter that her actions become highly questionable.

Therefore, this is not an easy drama to digest although the story is pretty simple. It is also not going to resonate with a global audience especially Western viewers who may not understand Chinese family values and traditions.

A Message Of Filial Piety & Family Ties

Personally, Best Choice Ever is a great family drama to me provided you can stomach the female lead’s mother and relate to her point of view. If you can, then this would be a warm and touching story. But if you can’t, the whole drama will go down the drain. It will be a boring and annoying watch that is slow-moving and heavy with conversations and melodrama.

The mother is a very traditional woman with old-fashion parenting values. The family is poor and her husband is only a driver. Hence, she doesn’t want her daughter to walk down the same path that she did. In her mind, her daughter must marry up the social ladder so that she can break out of the cycle of having to slog daily and living in an old tiny flat. Basically, this is a I’m-your-mother-and-you-must-listen-to-me kind of character. But she does love her daughter deeply, albeit too much, that she becomes over-anxious about her daughter’s future. Hence, there is strong contradiction in her character and your acceptance of her will depend on which side of her that jumps out to you more.

In Western societies, few would tolerate such a toxic mother. But in traditional Chinese families, this is where being filial comes in. A child will try their best not to go against their parents’ wishes especially if they love their child and have good intentions although the method used may be wrong. Therefore, the female lead will always forgive her mother and return home in the drama because abandoning one’s parents is contrary to Chinese traditional family values. That is why not everyone will find this drama relatable due to differences in cultural practices.

Redemption Arc (Spoilers Alert!)

This is another area that could leave viewers feeling dissatisfied. As the female lead’s mother is a toxic character, you would expect her to show a clear change for the better towards the end. She shows signs of that after a long way but that traction is lost with the way the story is written in the last 2 episodes. This is when she goes back to her stubborn self and way of thinking that what she is doing is for the good of the family without considering their feelings. You can view it as being both selfish and selfless. But it is definitely not what her family would want her to do.

Thus, the redemption arc for her character is wishy-washy. Some might not even be able to feel that she has learned her lesson at all after 37 episodes. To me, it could have been better written to show that she is now truly a better and more understanding mother. It is not an awful ending by any means but it is just that the message of redemption is not clearly fleshed out. It may be written in the dialogues between the characters but real action to show that she is now a better mother is missing.

Perhaps another episode to show a new her could have been included for a more complete ending. Furthermore, the drama would then have enough time to accommodate a wedding scene for the leads to round off the story. As it is, there is no such treat for the viewers which is a pity.

Acting & Chemistry

To me, both Xu Kai and Yang Zi did a marvelous job as Zhi Ming and Cheng Huan respectively. Xu Kai could express the sincerity that Zhi Ming has for Cheng Huan and his new family very well. I think his eyes convey that emotion clearly and together with the dialogue, it hit all the right notes. As for Yang Zi, her emotional scenes as a daughter could touch your heart. There is no over-acting and exaggeration. The tears flow at the right time in a dignified way that is consistent with the character’s personality.

I also like the chemistry between them. I think Xu Kai shares better romantic vibes with Yang Zi here than with Esther Yu in Sword And Fairy or Yang Mi in She And Her Perfect Husband. Anyway, Yang Zi tends to have pretty good chemistry with her co-stars and that includes with Xiao Zhan in The Oath Of Love. In Best Choice Ever, Xu Kai and Yang Zi move from the boss-subordinate to bickering to lovers phase very naturally. It is just comfortable watching them together as their relationship progresses in the drama.

As for the toxic characters, they obviously did their part well. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to rile us up so much in their respective role. Special mention goes to the protagonists’ grandmother. She is such an adorable and wise old lady and the actress who played the role brought out these traits in the character very convincingly.

My Verdict – Give It A Try

Best Choice Ever is not going to resonate with everybody. It is either you can accept the female protagonist’s mother or you can’t. So, that sole factor alone will make or break the drama for you. After all, she is a central rather than periphery figure in the story. She will be there from start to finish. Therefore, if you can’t tolerate her, this will be a pain to watch. I guess you just have to check out a few episodes to see for yourself how well this character resonates with you or otherwise. This also includes the family dynamics whereby the female lead’s father is a henpeck husband.

On the flip side, this is a heartwarming family drama if you can understand the motivations of the toxic mother and why she is that way. Her love for her children is obvious and she is always worried that they are not eating well and taking good care of themselves. It is a very typical expression of a mother’s love in a Chinese family. The female lead also has a very warm relationship with her father who is more understanding and her brother who is always supportive of her. Together with her close relationship with her grandmother and romance with the male lead, the drama is not all negativity but also has its charm.

For this Best Choice Ever review, I would rate it 7.5/10. It would have gotten an 8 for me if the ending is better written. But I like it because the characters are not written to be perfect which is refreshing in a way. Being Asian also makes it easier for me to understand them. Lastly, be aware that the mother-daughter relationship is the meat of the story rather than the romance.