Sweet And Cold Review

I didn’t plan to watch Sweet And Cold (甜小姐与冷先生) but was waiting for the completion of another drama before I begin. Hence, this seems like a good in-between drama to pass my time since it has an experienced cast with a story that should be fairly easy to follow. I didn’t have too high an expectation for this since there isn’t much hype surrounding this title. In actual fact, I would be happy as long as it is not too boring overall. So, how did it fare? Did it spring any nice surprise to make it worth recommending to others? Check out my Sweet And Cold review below to find out.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 31
Type: Business, Romance
Aired: May 2023
Images Credit: Youku Official Facebook

The Cast Of Sweet And Cold

• Wang Zi Wen as Meng Hao Tian
• Jin Han as Leng Si Ming
• Jill Hsu as Jiang Lei Lei
• Gao Zi Feng as Lao Luo
• Liu Chao as Yuan Wen Bin
• Tian Lei Xi as Shen Chun Yi
• Zheng Miao as Leng Nuan
• Ma Hao as Li Chen Yang
• Liu Mu as Li Dong Hai
• He Yong Sheng as Chairman Yuan
• Zhu Wei Ling as Bai Xin
• Zhang Han as Hao Tian’s mother
• Wang Lu as Zhou Yu
• Gong Zheng Nan as Xiao Rui
• Liu Zhe Er as Qi Lang
• Ji Tian Yu as Maggie

Main Characters

Meng Hao Tian

Hao Tian is the owner of a small content creation company called PI Video. She is a very focused and business-minded woman. She also has debts to repay and will take on various side jobs to earn extra income. Hao Tian is confident and sassy.

Leng Si Ming

Si Ming is the Chief Technology Officer of a mobile phone company called Lingzhi. He is a very smart man with a high level of self-confidence. He doesn’t play office politics as he is someone who believes in his own ability. Si Ming comes from a rich family but doesn’t have a good relationship with his father who runs a real estate business.

Supporting Characters

Jiang Lei Lei

Lei Lei is Hao Tian’s best friend from schooldays. She runs a flower shop and is married with a young son named Xiao Tuan. She is a contented and happily married woman with a businessman husband who provides well for her. Hence, Lei Lei is simple-minded and trusting.

Lao Luo

Lao Luo is Lei Lei’s husband. He is a businessman who is always traveling. But he appears as a loving and indulgent husband who likes to pamper his wife. He is also a loving father.

Yuan Wen Bin

Wen Bin is the CEO of Yingzhi and Si Ming’s direct superior. His father is the Chairman of the board of directors. Wen Bin is an ambitious man who wants to prove to others that he has the capability to lead the company. He also has a controlling behavior which easily makes him feel stressed. Wen Bin is also Hao Tian’s ex.

Shen Chun Yi

Chun Yi is Wen Bin’s fiancee. She is a jealous and insecure woman who is totally in love with Wen Bin.

Leng Nuan

Leng Nuan is Si Ming’s younger sister. She is a tertiary student who has decided to return from abroad to stay with Si Ming. Leng Nuan is mischievous and playful.

Li Chen Yang

Chen Yang is a university student. He is also Wen Bin’s nephew while Si Ming is his father’s good friend. Chen Yang is a good and responsible kid.

Li Dong Hai

Dong Hai is Chen Yang’s father. He is also Si Ming’s good friend and colleague at Lingzhi. His wife is Wen Bin’s first cousin. Dong Hai is a non-confrontational person who knows his place in the organizational hierarchy.

Chairman Yuan

Chairman Yuan is Wen Bin’s father. He is the Chairman of Lingzhi’s board of directors. He is not involved in the day-to-day running of the company but will still have a say in the major decisions. Chairman Yuan also has a noodle shop and likes to spend his time there.

Bai Xin

Bai Xin is an artist and an art tutor. She has a young daughter but a non-existent husband.

Hao Tian’s Mother

Hao Tian’s mother is a liberal woman who likes flirting with different men. She is divorced from Hao Tian’s father and likes living the good life. She often disagrees with her daughter and asks her for money but quietly cares a lot about her.

Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu is the owner of a large advertising and media company. Lingzhi is one of his biggest clients. Zhou Yu is business-minded and opportunistic.

Xiao Rui

Xiao Rui is the owner of an advertising company and Zhou Yu’s business associate. He is married to Fang Hui but is a cheater. He is a revengeful and hateful man who will resort to foul means to bring down a rival. Xiao Rui sees Hao Tian as a foe both professionally and personally.

Qi Lang

Qi Lang is a part-time deliveryman. He is a serious-looking and aloof guy but honest.

Maggie

Maggie is the Executive Director of Hengtian Investment. Her father is a rich tycoon and an old friend of Si Ming’s father. Maggie is a very direct woman.

Synopsis

Hao Tian is a businesswoman with her own content creation company, PI Video. It is a small outfit and she is struggling under a mountain of debt inherited from her father. Thus, Hao Tian often takes up side jobs to earn extra income including being a professional bridesmaid. She meets Si Ming when he turns up at a friend’s wedding and she is the hired bridesmaid. He immediately becomes attracted to her beauty, intelligence, and straightforward personality.

Si Ming is the new Chief Technology Officer of Lingzhi which is a popular mobile phone company. When Si Ming pushes Lingzhi to change its promotional campaign and brand ambassador, it gives the opportunity for Hao Tian to try to secure the business. Si Ming also has the chance to pursue Hao Tian along the way. But as office politics and business rivalry heat up, will the couple be able to overcome all obstacles and succeed in both their personal and professional lives?

Sweet And Cold Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Sweet And Cold has a happy ending. After a separation of 6 months, both Si Ming and Hao Tian still love each other. Si Ming has turned down Maggie’s offer to further invest in his company in return for a chance to be together. He is very clear that he only has Hao Tian in his heart.

Since Maggie has failed to capture Si Ming’s heart, she finally gives up. She meets up with Hao Tian to let her know about Si Ming’s feelings as she doesn’t want him to be unhappy. According to Maggie, Si Ming has also been fighting with his father not to interfere in his love life and the latter has finally agreed.

After the meeting, Hao Tian bumps into Si Ming who shelters her from the rain with his umbrella. The last scene shows both of them leaving together to indicate that they are reconciling.

When Did The Couple Get Together?

Si Ming asks Hao Tian to be his girlfriend as early as Episode 5 but she ignores his question then. He confesses his feelings in Episode 6 and tells her that he was attracted to her the moment he saw her as the bridesmaid at his friend’s wedding. In Episode 9, they have a bet between them and she agrees to be his girlfriend if he loses. But she ends up winning the bet. Although he can’t ask her about that anymore, she flips it around and asks him to be her boyfriend instead. They begin dating then.

Is There Any Breakup And Love Triangle?

After a heart-to-heart talk with her mother, Hao Tian decides to go back with Si Ming to meet his parents in Episode 29. She has always been wary of marriage due to her parents unhappy experience which left her with emotional baggage. But her mother advises her not to let the man go if she has found the right one. Unfortunately, Si Ming’s father makes it clear that he only regards Maggie as his daughter-in-law when she goes back with Si Ming to meet him.

This leads to a breakup in Episode 30. Although Si Ming wants to marry Hao Tian and has even bought the ring, she rejects his proposal. She couldn’t see a future with him since she is not the type of wife that his family wants. Hence, she asks for a breakup instead.

Maggie also starts to fall for Si Ming after breaking up with her boyfriend in Episode 24. She admits so to Hao Tian in Episode 27 but the latter is confident about Si Ming’s feelings for her. But Maggie confesses to Si Ming anyway and gets rejected as expected. She decides to leave the city temporarily then but reappears at Si Ming’s parents’ house when he brings Hao Tian home to meet them.

During the 6 months after Si Ming’s breakup with Hao Tian, Maggie is still unable to capture his heart that she subsequently decides to let go. She then calls up Hao Tian for a chat to let her know about Si Ming’s true feelings.

Lei Lei And Lao Luo

Lao Luo is actually a cheater and scammer. It is revealed that he has another family in Episode 8. His mistress is Bai Xin who is also a victim of his cheating. Lao Luo tells her that he is divorced and is only with Lei Lei because of their son in Episode 9. His secret is exposed in Episode 11 when Lei Lei asks Bai Xin for a reference for his son’s school application since Bai Xin is his art tutor. Lei Lei finally divorces Lao Luo is Episode 14 after Hao Tian’s investigation shows that he has been laundering money and using Lei Lei as signatory.

Lau Luo continues with his cheating after the divorce and entices Wen Bin to invest in a fake project in Episode 29. Lei Lei convinces her ex to surrender to the police in Episode 30 for their son’s sake. She reminds him that what he does will only bring heartache to their son and the latter will have to bear his sins.

Lei Lei And Qi Lang

After divorcing Lao Luo, Lei Lei meets Qi Lang by chance while delivering flowers for a client in Episode 16. Qi Lang subsequently falls in love with Lei Lei and confesses his feelings to her in Episode 27. But she is uncomfortable with the relationship as she doesn’t have the courage to face up to her own feelings for him. Hence, she wants him to leave her alone.

But Lei Lei couldn’t ignore her feelings for Qi Lang after all. Her son gives her the confidence she needs when he states his approval of Qi Lang as her companion in Episode 29. Lei Lei and Qi Lang get together as a couple after she explains her fears due to her past bitter experience with her ex and her worries. Qi Lang assures her not to be afraid and kisses her. He proposes to her in Episode 31 and she says yes.

Chun Yi And Wen Bin

Chun Yi has an insecurity problem due to her deep love for Wen Bin. She also seems to think that Wen Bin is still hung up over Hao Tian who is his ex-girlfriend. He tells her that he is not ready to get married yet due to work problems in Episode 10. After Wen Bin finds out that Chun Yi has been seeing a psychologist, he asks for a breakup. Not only he is not in the right mind to be in a relationship, he also doesn’t want her to lose herself because of him. The more she cares about him, the more stressed he feels. However, Chun Yi is not prepared to leave Wen Bin.

Chun Yi’s mental problem also stems from her miscarriage which is revealed in Episode 14. She is angry because Wen Bin left her to see Hao Tian on the day she lost her baby. She blames both of them but learns from Lei Lei that it was Wen Bin who couldn’t get over Hao Tian in Episode 21. On the day she miscarried, Wen Bin went to see Hao Tian on his own initiative. This pushes Chun Yi to finally break up with Wen Bin in Episode 22.

Chun Yi learns that she is pregnant again with Wen Bin’s baby in Episode 26. Wen Bin’s father suspends him from his position as CEO of Lingzhi in Episode 27 due to his recklessness in using up the company’s funds for projects just to compete with Si Ming. After losing his life direction, he looks for Chun Yi in Episode 29 and they reconcile in Episode 30. She also convinces him to get psychological help after a quarrel with his father which stems from his hunger for his father’s recognition of his ability.

Leng Nuan And Chen Yang

Leng Nuan tells others that Chen Yang is her boyfriend in Episode 14 to help him deter overzealous admirers. He is disappointed a week later when she says she is doing so just to help him out with his problem. At the same time, she thinks that he is not keen on her with his passive attitude. After a disagreement, Chen Yang finally asks Leng Nuan to be his girlfriend in Episode 17. Si Ming learns that his sister and Chen Yang are dating in Episode 25 after bumping into them at the lift entrance.

Sweet And Cold Review – Not So Sweet After All

Perhaps I should go through what is refreshing about Sweet And Cold first before moving on to the not so flattering aspects of this production. The romance in this drama is very direct. There is no time-wasting falling in love stage nor the he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not conundrum which is typical of the romance genre. In Sweet And Cold, the guy is immediately attracted to the girl when he meets her in the first episode. He blatantly pursues her for a few episodes while she is very direct with him with no shyness involved.

Hence, the couple will get together very early in the story unlike most romance dramas that tend to drag out the different phases of the relationship. You will witness this in The Love You Give Me whereby the couple’s relationship keeps going back and forth and Nothing But You which sees the protagonists getting together very late in the drama. In Sweet And Cold, the ambiguity is kept to a minimum. The couple is matured and straightforward. Hence, you won’t get the usual frustrations of seeing a couple being shy, uncertain, acting silly, or simply bicker non-stop.

In that sense, the change of tempo and style of getting together is refreshing. So, the first third of the drama is pretty interesting. The problem is it starts to get boring after the chasing and confessing are done with. The focus then shifts to the side couples and business side of things which aren’t too engrossing to watch as a viewer.

Multiple Couples

Sweet And Cold features multiple couples in its plot but sad to say, they fail to inspire. The Chun Yi and Wen Bin romance has 2 people with some sort of mental issues which makes them unsuitable to be in a relationship. Theirs is a complicated story which is not well-explained and developed. Thus, this couple will give you the feeling that they don’t know what they are doing. As such, you won’t be bothered to root for them.

The second couple involving a married pair has a predictable ending. Then when another romance crops up, there is absolutely zero chemistry to make you believe they could be a pair of lovers. It is hard to watch them together because the lovers’ vibe is just not there.

The last couple is a young one featuring 2 college students. There is nothing exciting about their romance either and they don’t take up much screen time to make any impact anyway.

In short, I doubt viewers will find any of the side couples worth watching. They may be necessary for the plot but the execution is poorly done that it is hard to feel connected to their story.

Business Focused

Apart from romance, Sweet And Cold is also very much focused on the business aspects like My Bargain Queen and Master Of My Own. Both the protagonists have their own career and businesses to handle. They will also encounter all sorts of challenges along the way that threaten their company’s survival and/or progress. So, the romance of the main couple will take a backseat at times. In fact, there is really nothing much going on in their relationship for a substantial part of the drama once they start dating.

The couple is 2 matured people who don’t quarrel much which is good. But it lacks the fluff that you get in Love Is Sweet and Hi Venus. You can say that this is more ordinary and a better reflection of reality without the overhype sweetness but I’m not sure if romance drama fans would like it better. I guess if you prefer watching more than just romance, this would offer a good balance with the business side of things being incorporated into the plot.

However, don’t expect to have a lot of intrigues in the business dealings either. The plot is pretty simple overall without all the complex schemings and countermoves. This is not a strictly business drama after all unlike The Ideal City and Wild Bloom. Basically, you will just find the female protagonist working her hardest and relying on her determination and resourcefulness to solve obstacles put in her way rather than plotting any elaborate schemes to succeed.

Acting And Chemistry

To me, both the leads did okay in their roles. Wang Zi Wen plays the cool and strong Hao Tian and she gives the character a very independent feel about her. You can sense the confidence of the character through the acting. Hao Tian can be very direct and if not handled properly, she may not end up being a likable character to the viewers. Hence, I think Wang Zi Wen did well to bring out the character’s likable traits to cover the flaws.

Jin Han is also fine as Si Ming with his calm portrayal of the character. Si Ming is cocky at times with his intellect but the actor depicts it in such a way that implies self-confidence rather than make viewers feel that he is a snob.

The chemistry of Wang Zi Wen and Jin Han is there to make this drama watchable but it is also pretty obvious that the woman is the more matured one from their appearance. It does fit the story as Hao Tian is supposed to be slightly older than Si Ming although viewers are not told exactly how big is their age gap. In real life, there is a 7-year difference between them. But they do manage to get the sparks going especially in the beginning of the story when they are supposed to flirt.

My Verdict – Could Be Better

Personally, Sweet And Cold could be much better with an improved plot execution. The business part is a little boring and the side couples stories are uninspiring. The ending is rushed with a largely uneventful romance turning dramatic only towards the end. This leaves it with barely any time to give viewers a more satisfying ending. If they have swapped out the boring parts in the middle with more meaningful scenes of the main couple dealing with their relationship issues head on, that would have given viewers a more solid conclusion.

The drama starts off strongly with a flirty feel of the couple but the excitement fizzles out after about 10 episodes. It couldn’t sustain the momentum especially when the focus starts changing to the supporting characters which are not too likable and the business aspect which is not too interesting either. I think the leads’ good chemistry should have been maximized by focusing more on their romance rather than subplots that are hardly engaging.

For this Sweet And Cold review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10. It has many weaknesses but it is still watchable due to the strong and cool female character. It is quite enjoyable watching her confidence and direct manner of communication. I guess I completed this drama largely because of the character rather than the plot. Watch if you are into career-minded and tough female character with a lot of common sense. The romance itself is not that sweet and fluffy but the chemistry should be enough to help you get through the drama.