Hello, I'm at Your Service (2023)

Enjoyable light modern office based cdrama with excellent chemistry of leads

I usually always start her dramas because I find her likeable even if the plot is silly. Sometimes I cannot see it through. But this time I did. The ML is very adept at this type of role. So you know what you’re getting.
And it did keep me engaged enough to stay up late to finish the drama. On balance, more pros than cons. So a nice one to watch if you need a break from heavier dramas.
The pros : two attractive actors, both acting with ease, the plot didn’t have too many twists to keep them apart, when they finally came together, it was glorious for a bit. The other cast were also enjoyable to watch, on the whole. Nice OST, some beautiful views, very nice cinematography at times, nice hair styling for FL (often a pet peeve of mine where FL has the worse hair to indicate her earnestness), nice kisses
The cons: Too many people getting away with bad behaviour, the plot twists in last 5 episodes , many cliches

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A cute, romantic and light series, therefore pleasant entertainment!

I really like Miles Wei and I was looking for a light and fairly short series (between 2 more serious or tragic dramas). It did not disappoint me.

PLOT: Meeting, partnership, friendship then love, between 1 FL working in a communication start-up and the ML, CEO of a large group. They will gradually overcome many obstacles together: rather unfair competition from business competitors, betrayal of trusted employees, rivals in love, differences in status, etc.

PROS:
+ Excellent casting for all characters, including secondary ones. They are well developed and very endearing (the solid team of co-workers, the ML's very colorful mother, the FL's parents, the best friend, etc.)
+ Viewers will be happy to see a very cute CL with Miles Wei in the role of the devoted boyfriend. They both develop a good chemistry and there are a lot of intimate moments :)
+ 2ary romances are well developed and not stereotypical (and they don't always end well, like in real life).
+ There is no Great Villain for the sake of being bad. The characters act quite logically, based on their own personalities and interests.
+ The production is lively, without length, and the duration of the drama is well adjusted.
+ The OSTs are very enjoyable.

CONS:
- certain problems which drag on for several episodes are resolved very (VERY) quickly.
- the "all's well that ends well" and the forgiveness towards all those who have betrayed, behaved badly, ... annoys me a little. We often watch this in dramas (with the ultimate repentance of the Great Villains) and, if this puts an end to all the problems mentioned, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT realistic.

=> A pleasant entertainment, short and heartwarming.
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Série cute, romantique et légère, donc un agréable divertissement !

J'aime beaucoup Miles Wei et j'étais à la recherche d'une série légère et assez courte (entre 2 dramas plus sérieux ou tragiques) . Elle ne m'a pas déçue.

PLOT : Rencontre, partenariat, amitié puis amour, entre 1 FL travaillant dans une start-up de communication et le ML, CEO d'un grand groupe. Ils vont peu à peu surmonter ensemble beaucoup d'obstacles : concurrence plutôt déloyale de concurrents, trahison d'employés de confiance, rivaux amoureux, différences de statut, etc.

PROS :
+ Un excellent casting pour tous les personnages, y compris secondaires. Ils sont bien développés et très attachants (la solide Team des co-workers, la mère du ML très haute en couleurs, les parents de la FL, la meilleure amie, etc.)
+ Les spectateurs ont droit à un CL très cute avec Miles Wei dans le rôle du boyfriend dévoué. Ils développent une bonne alchimie et il y a beaucoup de moments intimes :)
+ Les romances 2aires sont bien développées et pas stéréotypées (et elles ne finissent pas toujours bien, comme dans la vraie vie).
+ Il n'y a pas de Great Villain pour le plaisir d'être méchant. Les personnages agissent de façon assez logique, en fonction de leur personnalité et de leurs intérêts.
+ La réalisation est vive, sans longueur, et la durée du drama bien ajustée.
+ Les OST sont très agréables.

CONS:
- certains problèmes qui trainent pendant plusieurs épisodes, sont résolus très (trop) rapidement.
- le "tout est bien qui finit bien" et le pardon envers tous ceux qui ont trahi, mal agi, ... m'agace un peu. On retrouve ça souvent dans les dramas (avec la repentance ultime des Great Villains) et, si cela met une fin à tous les problèmes évoqués, ce n'est ABSOLUMENT PAS réaliste.

=> Un agréable divertissement, court et réconfortant.

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Not bAd

All actor and actors are well merged with the characters
Background score is also matched
All is well But in the story i cannot accept something's
The villain Does not not get proper punishment Dew to this
The story becomes some times slagy and boreing
If they are get proper punishment they will get amazing ending
The story doesn't need 24 ep
------------------------------------------------------------>thanking you<-----------------------------------------------------------------------------///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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a very light drama you should watch

this is the 3rd works of Miles Wei drama that i watched and wht could I say is I like his character here as Lou Yan. Wei could portrays his character as a warm-hearted man toward his lover. this is different from his previous role as a cold lecturer and stiff CEO in Perfect & Casual and Unforgettable Love respectively. though I stil find it pretty fast how Lou Yan fell in love to Dong Dong En.

However the story goes in a very light way. there is no such complicated plot or conflict like in typical romance drama, such as a disagreement of mom-in-law because of the social status gap. or marriage arrangement by the ML parents. in fact I do really love Lou mama who are very supportive toward his son and En En's relationship.

if you felt sick of complicated drama stories, then you can watch this as your remedy.

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Just a little side drama while watching something else!

So let me start by saying that this drama is actually more engaging than I thought it was going to be when I added it to my plan to watch list a year ago. I was also pretty bored during the first few days but luckily stuck it through for the actors and it got better in my opinion. Honestly this drama doesn’t really stand out. It follows the wasted trope of rich boy that comes from poverty and every day common girl who is part of a struggling startup. Like I said in my opinion this is just bland. Not great, not bad, just so so. I think ML has played this trope so much and other times the dramas have been much more engaging. Also the fact that there was an unnecessary female rival in the latter episodes and the ML mom is just constantly pushing the ML with the Rival even though she absolutely loves the FL. Basically watch as something on the side not as your main because in my opinion it is a little boring because of how repeated the plots present are.

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Cute and fluffy

i happened to stumble upon this drama whilst searching for something new to watch as i’m waiting for some on air dramas to update and it’s my first time watching a miles drama and i have to say i was pleasantly surprised! this rom-com is relaxing and nice to watch, i definitely needed something fun after the heaviness of some dramas im watching.

i love the ML and FL’s chemistry and they are so hilarious together. i also like how FL is headstrong and while i do think she can be a bit dramatic at times, her character is still enjoyable and i love xu lu so her being the FL is a bonus! i’m loving the “ML fell first” trope because he at first found FL to be bothersome but now he’s always looking at her with such longing eyes and he wants to protect her. i think it’s so sweet. there are secondary couples as well and their romance is very good, i love their scenes and the comedy they bring to the table. i started this drama without any expectations and it’s really captured my heart. if you’re searching for something cute, stress free, and relaxing then this is the drama for you!

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Stupid FL

are all women so stupid?. Having been abandoned and having an affair, FL is still sad about the memories. from here I can say that no matter how bad you make a mistake women are easy to manipulate and lie to, you just have to make beautiful memories with her then if you make the wrong beautiful memories it will backfire on the woman herself and we men just need to apologize and approach him again then the woman will fall in love again. FL also doesn't have the stance that if you give money then accept the contract, nothing makes me more angry than this making me in a bad mood. I also watched several romance dramas, why are the stories only dedicated to women? like the love triangle of a woman being fought over by a man, isn't there another story like a pair of women and men who are in love as usual?? Romance dramas seem to be only for women.

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Boring storyline

Even the leads cant save this one for me! This drama is extremely boring.. I dont know how people can get though this drama. The storyline doesnt have anything that makes it stand out/ interesting. The second leads get a kiss and more before the main leads even get together... like who is suppose to be the main lead..... I was waiting on the leads romance but its taking forever and a day for them to be together. What happen to Xu lu ? this is the second drama of her recently that I dropped...

I really wanted to like this drama but i cant stand it lol. Watch at your own risk.

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Cinderella/Mary Sue, but watchable business romance to watch Chengdu

This drama, despite its annoying Mary Sue trope, was enjoyable, especially the light-hearted part until it got "serious" between Lou Yuan and Dong DongEn, and the antagonists appeared, first the reluctant "cousin" of the malicious business competitor Su Qi, who is the instrument of the crisis in the four last episodes, and next the jealous "childhood neighbor" who is the cause of much grief. We knew of course, as soon as she appeared, stalking into the company on her high heels, that she was up to no good, so we were concerned as audience about En's naiveté to work with her... The cousin was also a case where En was too trustful, but she couldn't see what we saw of her link to Su Qi, and she did own up to her misdeed when the crisis broke for the 82 company she was a part of.

But that gives a balance to the light hearted part, introducing more serious concerns about how ordinary people still might be targeted by cyberbullying, the dangers it brings and how to react. Interesting also to see that perhaps offices ought to be routinely security checked for spying devices, that many can buy easily and conceal, also in homes! My surprise was that we almost saw no police involvement, except in the field where En was assaulted by club wielding thugs (even then, the mere mention of them and sound of police car alarm was enough to send the thugs packing). There are some very lawfully reprehensible acts in these last episodes, so, shall we see all these rotten turtle eggs get slapped with sentences? To be continued...

About cast and crew, I looked into the Baidu page to check about dubbing, but no voice actor is listed for any in the cast, despite there is a mention of dubbing directors (Li Jiasi, Yu Mengci) ; this could indicate that actors and actresses dubbed themselves, as is more and more the case. A commenter noted an unusual accent for one of the members of 82 company. I rather liked Xu Lu even when she was using the coaxing voice in the beginning.

Where and when was this filmed : Baidu informed that it started shooting on October 20, 2021, and was completed January 5, 2022. I will add that this was in Chengdu, as many stills in the drama show, and the episode 17 stroll in the old quarter there. I had received a small Mid autumn festival greeting in the form of a short video of the drones show celebration there on Sept.29 evening, and I appended a small GIF of it to the songs (OST and Hero song) pinned with links to listen in the Discussion section (above Comments). You will recognize the twin towers that often appear over the crossroad views in the drama. Enjoy!

Now for the review with minor spoilers of the end episodes and my thoughts about what the drama aimed at.

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In my opinion, the end episodes were logical. They show how the need for revenge by calling for the police can sometimes be detrimental to reputation and happiness. So, sometimes, without letting go like in just naive forgiveness, it is indeed better to turn former enemies into allies if not real friends. We knew the "cousin" betrayer had qualms, and now that she had seen the light and regretted, she would be a wholehearted addition to the team, especially after the « test » prepared for her by 82.

Su Qi was a scorpion who lost his stinger, so he couldn’t do damage but indeed help trap the real puppetmaster; Lou Yuan was astute in realizing that the tables could be turned against that shadow figure. Su Qi’s plans to convert through launching a new, cleaner business, was in line with the idea that wrongdoers must, if possible, reform through useful work. It would not have been better if he ended up in prison. He knew his faults and as the scorpion who lost his stinger, would now work as an ordinary dung carrying beetle, useful for gardens, Voluntarily better than fruitless coerced punishment.

The annoying "other woman" leech chose to expatriate: good riddance. In ancient times, that was how some condemned officials were treated : exile to distant countries. She acts like she has other prospects, but we know how much of a liar and a braggart she was. Marry someone else in another country ? How? Online dating? Good luck for her. I think she only said that to piss off her mom, who was appalled at the shamelessness of that offspring. That old biddy had abetted her daughter's schemes, but probably not realized how stupid it was, since in the end, it meant she was punished too through the loss of her old friendship with Lou mom and perhaps even her own subservient position in the company too.

The actress friend of DongEn had already realized that she couldn't go on with her guy : it was reasonable for them to break off early after they knew they were really physically incompatible, even though they liked each other. Mutual agreement divorce can be a solution to keep good opinions about each other when the way ahead is blocked.

The solving of the cyberharassment case contributed to the return of young Han, with his father realizing that the investment could be good for his company and train his son in another way to, in distant future if the old man could stay at the helm long enough, inherit Han group, with 82 as a de facto (but nominally independent) subsidiary. Like Taiwan to China perhaps ?

I was less taken by the endless lovey dovey Cinderella and Mary Sue tropes, and expectation of weddings etc. But the romance was aware of these pitfalls and aimed at adult and reasonable: the gap in social position and earnings was indeed a concern that the two had to find a way to circumvent. I am satisfied that Lou Yuan was true to his pledge to face the difficulties with his chosen soulmate, Miles Wei and Xu Lu were an unlikely pair, but they pulled off their role adequately, if not overwhelmingly oozing with sugar syrup. The renewed proposal was, by the exchange it staged, witnessed by "found family" rather in line with the expected marriage.
The old lady Lou and her laughters provided much light-heartedness, so even if she appeared as a blundering, even though well-meaning, elder past her edge, she added the necessary sauce at times. We could have expected another match with her former sweet love, but the story is enough as it stands. The ending did not feel rushed: it was only logical and fitting the last twists.

So were any wrongdoers dragged to prison? Yes, and it was on the televised news that old Mrs Lou was so happy to watch. A slew of bad citizens got caught : the rotten competitor, and the cyberbullying ringmaster. It solved the defamation case of the Lou's products, while emphasizing the importance that the Chinese now put on food products quality control. Frozen meat can indeed be as toxic as milk laced with melamine, and the authorities are not going to let go of crimes of that sort. That does not mean the other crimes and wrongdoings would not be punished if they were brought clearly to justice attention (several actors and actresses have won cases against their cyberbullies or stalkers). But when the wrongdoers agree to punish themselves and reform, it saves time and resources for authorities, so pragmatically, this is better. Chinese dramas have an explicit agenda to further a public conception of "morality" and set a compass for solving problems through voluntary reform action and-self criticism (not necessarily broadcasting a public apology nor groveling like the mole did, which Lou Yuan rightfully realized was not natural, but could be further attempt at entrapment).

As for personal and sentimental interaction, they mostly stay quite conventional. Couples have to get committed and marry on sound basis of values that can be estimated by price (house, car, salary, jewelry...) and there is indeed an expectation that if the social status is different, the difference in balance should be compensated somehow : either through education, or through successful position in a company or line of work. Cinderella stories are therefore not realistic. This one was teetering between full fairy tale and down to earth depiction. Not totally successful perhaps.

I was more interested in the business parts promised by the title, although the « service angle » was a bit clumsily depicted. Watching it from the point of view of an illustration of what were the underlying values, and the indirect demonstration that individual worth cannot be separated from societal one. It is another concept of civilization that is the backbone of such stories, which are in line with "capitalism with socialist characteristics" : the policy which has helped the country navigate the U turn from poverty to increasing comfort, making it into a global powerhouse, world player in the emergent BRICS. China has over a few decades become a place to build ever higher and ambitious buildings (as we see from the Chengdu cityscapes glimpsed now and then, and the layout of offices and homes; the products placement were less obvious, probably built in pauses on public television) . Building ever higher dreams, not giving up in case of business wars. It was also a topic that was present in the news at the time of filming.

We can see how this illustrates in some way what was on their mind : the reaction of Chinese citizens and Huawei company to the return of Ms Meng to China as a hero in December 2021, after having been slandered and bullied into house arrest in a country she thought was friendly, and the subsequent turn to domestic resources to rebuild Huawei as again a leader in its group, surprising all those who thought that company dead. This is the Hero song's real meaning: it can translate into a lot, and is the symbol of the "Hao Han" in every business domain now, striving for excellence and justice without relying on Court's orders first, but striving also to stay in line with the country's goals.

Hello, I am At Your Service is an Ok business & romance C-drama in my opinion, although many things in the story could be foreseen too easily. So, it is not a masterpiece but, quite watchable. Many spoilers were given in comments, and the clues and previews were probably too revealing to properly keep the suspense elements intact. I watched it disregarding the comments section until I had watched it all, in 3 sittings. The light-hearted first half part was often fun, while the more serious one after the couple formed and problems cropped up, was mixing the expected hope, disappointment, disgust and despair, on the background of the commercial war that had some mildly thrilling twists.

Because of those, I'd rate the drama as for general public over 14, but more for mature audience that isn't looking for just another love story first. Of course, it will appeal to those who like Miles Wei and/or Xu Lu, despite it is not their best drama.

There are a few sweet songs (links in Discussion), and the one Hero song (original by Liu Han for a 1998 drama version of “The Water Margin” epic classic) which got a fun twist in the end episode, in line with the way songs can be used in such setting.

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