It has been quite some time since I watched Zhang Han in a drama which is why I decided to give Sunshine Of My Life (若你安好便是晴天) a try. I was mentally prepared that there will be boring stretches when I noticed that this is a romance drama and it has a total of 45 episodes. After all, many Chinese dramas suffer from this problem whereby stories are dragged out when they could have ended sooner. Anyway, you can read my Sunshine Of My Life review below for my take on this drama and whether it is indeed a bore or otherwise.
My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 45
Type: Romance
Aired: March 2021
Images Credit:Tencent
The Cast Of Sunshine Of My Life
- Hans Zhang Han as Tang Ming Xuan
- Lulu Xu Lu as Mo Fei
- Jerron Wu Di Fei as Mo Fan
- Zhang Tian Ying as Lu Zhu
- Hong Yao as Fang Xiao Yu
- Wang Rui Zi as Xia Xue Ling
- Shi Qing Yan as Bai Xiao Man
- Jiao Na as Shen Jia Xi
- Guo Zi Qian as Mi Duo Duo
- Xu Ge as Cheng Yang
- Wang Xuan as Fang Qian
- Li Xin Zhe as Yang Guang
- Wang Jin Song as Tang Qi Ren / Director Tang
- Wen Zheng Rong as Lu Dan / Mrs. Tang
- Zhang Chen Guang as Fang Wei Guo / Director Fang
- Ma Wei Jiang as Xia Zhen Dong / Director Xia
- Zhang Yi as Zhu Hai Tian
Main Characters
Tang Ming Xuan
Ming Xuan is the General Manager of Ming Yuan Group which is in the fashion design and clothing business. His father is the Chairman and company founder. Ming Xuan is a workaholic and smart businessman. He is calm and rational with a no-nonsense demeanor at work.
Mo Fei
Mo Fei is a talented fashion design student. She has great embroidery skills with a keen interest in traditional embroidery and fabric design. Mo Fei is independent and has a strong desire to learn and excel in her field. She is trusting of others but will know how to stand up for herself when bullied.
Supporting Characters
Mo Fan
Mo Fan is Mo Fei’s younger brother and the two siblings share a close relationship. He is a part-time bar singer and model. Mo Fan has an amiable personality but is clueless when it comes to love.
Lu Zhu
Lu Zhu is Ming Xuan’s younger cousin sister. She was brought up by Ming Xuan’s parents as her own parents had died when she was young. Lu Zhu’s dream is to become a model. She can be willful and prefers a freer lifestyle due to the strictness she has to put up with at home.
Fang Xiao Yu
Xiao Yu is a well-known fashion designer and works as a Fashion Director at an international modeling agency called Cayman. He is popular among the girls and appears as a happy playboy. Xiao Yu and Ming Xuan used to be best friends since young but they now have a strained relationship.
Xia Xue Ling
Xue Ling is the Fashion Director of Ming Yuan and Ming Xuan’s subordinate. They are also childhood friends together with Xiao Yu and Fang Qian. Her father is one of the major shareholders of Ming Yuan. Xue Ling is capable and very hardworking as she wants to help Ming Xuan whom she loves deeply. But she can also be a jealous and spiteful woman.
Bai Xiao Man
Xiao Man is a model at Cayman and also Mo Fei’s ex-classmate at university. She is a conniving woman who is also arrogant. She hates Mo Fei due to past misunderstandings and would often pick a fight with her.
Shen Jia Xi
Jia Xi is Mo Fei’s classmate and fellow fashion design student. They are good friends who would do their assignments together.
Mi Duo Duo
Duo Duo is Mo Fei’s flatmate in Paris and their friendship blossoms while living together. She can be impulsive in her actions especially when they relate to matters concerning her boyfriend.
Cheng Yang
Cheng Yang is a talented new fashion designer working in Paris. He is also Duo Duo’s boyfriend and they have been together for a long time.
Fang Qian
Fang Qian is Xiao Yu’s younger sister who has gone missing 3 years ago. She is a kind and understanding young woman.
Yang Guang
Yang Guang is Ming Xuan’s personal assistant. He is loyal to his boss and they share a unique employer-employee relationship.
Tang Qi Ren / Director Tang
Director Tang is Ming Xuan’s father. He is always supportive of his son and they share a close bond. He is also the Chairman of Ming Yuan Group.
Lu Dan / Mrs. Tang
Mrs. Tang is Ming Xuan’s mother. She is a protective mother who always thinks she knows best when it comes to her son’s love life. She sees Xue Ling as her future daughter-in-law.
Fang Wei Guo / Director Fang
Director Fang is Xiao Yu’s father but they have a strained relationship. Xiao Yu blames him for the death of his mother as Director Fang married another soon after she died. Director Fang is also an investor and business rival to the Tang family.
Xia Zhen Dong / Director Xia
Director Xia is Xue Ling’s father and a major shareholder of Ming Yuan. He is also an old friend of Director Tang although they may not always share the same opinion on business matters. Director Xia is also not happy over Xue Ling’s sacrifices for Ming Xuan as he thinks the latter doesn’t have the same feelings for his daughter.
Zhu Hai Tian
Hai Tian is the General Manager of Hai Yao which is also in the fashion design and clothing business. As such, Hai Yao and Ming Yuan are competitors although the latter is stronger and more well-known. Hai Tian is the majority shareholder of Hai Yao as the company was started by his father. He is a typical businessman but not a particularly brilliant one. His love interest is Xiao Man.
Synopsis
Ming Xuan is in charge of his father’s fashion design and clothing business group, Ming Yuan. The company’s oldest brand, Song Tang, is making a loss and they want to revive it. Song Tang’s clothes line is on the traditional side and Ming Xuan is on the lookout for designers and embroiders who fit the brand’s niche. As a result, he gets to know Mo Fei who is a fashion design student who likes traditional designs and fabrics. She is also an embroidery student under a well-known embroider, Ms. Li.
As Ming Xuan is acquiring Ms. Li’s family embroidery company, he begins to spend more and more time with Mo Fei and falls in love with her. His childhood friend, Xiao Yu, is a famous fashion designer but they are no longer on good terms. When he knows Ming Xuan is showing interest in Mo Fei, he also begins to pursue her to get back at his friend. However, Xiao Yu also gradually falls for Mo Fei.
Just when Ming Xuan and Mo Fei’s relationship shows signs of progress, she has to leave for Paris to further her studies. Xiao Yu also pursues her all the way to Paris by taking a job at his agency’s headquarters. Will Ming Xuan and Mo Fei be able to overcome all the obstacles to be together?
Sunshine Of My Life Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
Sunshine Of My Life has a happy ending with Ming Xuan and Mo Fei’s wedding being the last scene. It ties back to the beginning when Ming Xuan dreams of his childhood meeting with a little girl and the happy playtime that they shared. The little girl was Mo Fei and Ming Xuan has chosen their childhood meeting place as their wedding venue. It is also a surprise for Mo Fei to hear Ming Xuan’s story of their meeting during his wedding speech as she has very vague memory of what happened back then. They met once when she was 5 years old while he was 10 before fate brought them together again 20 years later.
Ming Xuan’s mother also finally accepts Mo Fei after much resistance. There is nothing she can do as Ming Xuan has already proposed to Mo Fei and they have registered their marriage. Ming Xuan and his father slowly ease her into the idea of accepting Mo Fei. Furthermore, Xue Ling has decided earlier not to marry Ming Xuan.
As for her work, Mo Fei has continued to learn more about traditional clothing and fabric designs before launching her own brand and retail shop with Duo Duo. Cheng Yang also proposes to Duo Duo which she accepts.
Ming Xuan And Fang Qian’s Relationship
Fang Qian, Xiao Yu, Xue Ling, and Ming Xuan grew up together as their families know each other. Fang Qian is the youngest among the 4 of them and Ming Xuan is always protective of her. As she grew older, she fell in love with Ming Xuan whose mother also liked her to be his son’s life partner. Hence, Mrs. Tang tried to pair them together and went to the extent of proposing marriage to the Fang family.
But Ming Xuan has always regarded Fang Qian as a younger sister. He rejected the marriage idea which hurt Fang Qian tremendously. She left home without a word and then joined a volunteer organization that brought her to remote places in Africa. So, Fang Qian went missing for 3 years and none of them could find her. This is also why Xiao Yu hates Ming Xuan as he blames the latter for his sister’s disappearance.
When Fang Qian finally shows up again, she is unexpectedly diagnosed with brain tumor. She has not been able to completely erase her feelings for Ming Xuan but she has learned to accept that they are not meant to be. When she finds out that Ming Xuan and Mo Fei are together, she genuinely wishes them well. After her brain surgery, Xiao Yu brings Fang Qian abroad for post-op treatment. She recovers and begins a new life abroad. Her recovery also paves the way for Xiao Yu and Ming Xuan to resume their friendship.
Xue Ling’s Decision
Xue Ling tried her best to use her position to pressure Mo Fei to leave Ming Xuan but unsuccessful. It is also clear that Ming Xuan doesn’t love her that she finally decides not to force a marriage on him. Furthermore, she bumps into an ex-classmate, Yan Xu, who vigorously pursues her despite knowing about her deep feelings for another man. Yan Xu also encourages her to paint again as she was an art student before sacrificing her interest because of Ming Xuan.
After taking a long break from work, Xue Ling decides to quit Ming Yuan for good to pursue her own plans. She is seen with Yan Xu during Ming Xuan and Mo Fei’s wedding.
Did Xiao Yu Confess To Mo Fei?
Yes, he did in Episode 34. Xiao Yu was feeling down due to his sister’s serious illness and Ming Xuan was frequently visiting her in the hospital without letting Mo Fei know. Hence, he was feeling extremely frustrated and feared that Ming Xuan might end up hurting Mo Fei. Xiao Yu forced Mo Fei to go to the hospital with him to see for herself what Ming Xuan is up to although she was unwilling. In the end, he drove into a barrier which scared Mo Fei. Xiao Yu confessed that he did it because he loves her but she rejected him outright.
Towards the end of the drama, Xiao Yu is still unable to let go of his feelings for Mo Fei. They remain friends and he is also at her wedding. He didn’t end up with anybody in the drama. But on the positive side, Xiao Yu did patch up his relationship with his father.
Mo Fan And Lu Zhu
Mo Fan finally confessed to Lu Zhu in Episode 43 after being clueless for most part of the drama. They end up together as a couple. Mo Fan is gaining popularity and has a chance to become an actor. Lu Zhu becomes his manager.
Jia Xi’s And Xiao Man’s Fate
Jia Xi was caught on video talking to Xiao Man over a meal. She related how she stole Cheng Yang’s design sketches for Xiao Man and the evidence caused her to be fired from Ming Yuan. Xiao Man employed her at Hai Yao to ensure she keeps quiet about the matter. But Ming Yuan subsequently sued Hai Yao for stealing their designs. Xiao Man tried to blame it on Jia Xi. Hai Tian has had enough of Xiao Man who had made a mess at the company after allowing her to manage it on his behalf. He broke up with her and asked her to move out of his villa.
After the incident, Jia Xi couldn’t get another job in the industry even after 6 months. Xiao Man seeked refuge from her poor ex-boyfriend who kindly took her in. She got a job after 6 months and moved out of his place. Jia Xi and Xiao Man bump into each other again when they go to quietly observe Mo Fei’s new clothing shop. They realized why Mo Fei has success while they failed. Jia Xi has decided to leave Shanghai. Xiao Man is now in a different industry. Both of them have to start anew all over again.
Sunshine Of My Life Review – A Drag But Addictive
Honestly speaking, it is a bit hard for me to review Sunshine Of My Life because of conflicting emotions after watching the whole drama. For instance, 45 episodes is really a stretch here and the first 8 episodes was very slow-paced for me. I think the story could have been told in 30 episodes. As a result, there are boring parts littered throughout the drama. You would have to be prepared for that if you decide to give this a go. But at the same time, it is kind of addictive because you want to know what will happen next to the main couple and the problems pose by their love rivals.
The good thing though is that you can still follow the story even if you use the fast forward button liberally. Or you can watch it at a faster speed. This would solve the boredom issue and help you complete the whole drama. However, if you like fashion designing and/or traditional Chinese embroidery, Sunshine Of My Life might not be so boring overall. There is quite a lot of information that relates to these topics in this drama. In short, the informational content in some of the scenes may be boring for some but enjoyable for others depending on their interest.
On top of the drag, the romance part also offers no new surprises. In fact, the plot is kind of lame as the drama progresses.
Can’t Run Away From Cliches (Spoilers Alert!)
I guess being a romance drama, it is hard not to have the same old stories of jealous love rivals just like in You Are My Destiny and Blossom In Heart. So, yes, you will have those in Sunshine Of My Life to fill the 45 episodes. It also has a childhood angle to it like in My Little Happiness although to be fair, this line isn’t explored in this drama but merely acts as a sugary topping for the wedding scene in the last episode.
But a big part of the plot also revolves around a seriously ill childhood friend who suddenly returns which forces the male lead to spend time with her. He keeps the information from his girlfriend which is really mind-boggling given that there is no obvious reason to hide it from her. And as you would expect, the female lead gets to know the friend during a hospital stay and they become close. When everything is revealed, this inadvertently leads to an argument between the 2 lovers. Well, that’s drama for you but that is also why I think this kind of plot is lame and nothing new.
If there is one nice surprise for this drama, it is that there is no breakup for the main couple at any time despite the obstacles. I was expecting a breakup or a serious misunderstanding at the very least given that they got together as early as Episode 15. But nope, the couple sail along nicely all the way to the end. There are arguments and fights but they get resolved very quickly as the couple learn to communicate and coax each other throughout. So, there are quite a number of sweet scenes in their normal interactions and after fights.
The Leads’ Chemistry
This is another conflicting one to discuss for me. Personally, I much prefer Zhang Han’s chemistry with Janine Chang in Here To Heart. I think it is hard to beat that pairing. His cooperation with Lulu Xu in Sunshine Of My Life is not without sparks but for some reason, their interactions sometimes have a big boy and little girl feel to me. Maybe it is because of the age gap as he is supposed to be 5 years older than her in the drama. He pats her head and squeezes her cheek often like how you would treat a little girl. Even the couple in Dating In The Kitchen doesn’t have such interactions although the man is much older than the woman.
I guess it depends on your personal preference on what you see as romantic and loving. Some may even find the female lead childish with her pouts. But generally, Zhang Han and Lulu Xu manage to depict a loving couple to me as Ming Xuan and Mo Fei despite the way they have molded the characters’ interactions with each other. You can say that I got used to their relationship dynamics after a while and that helps me to see them as a sweet couple. But if you can’t get past the way he treats her, then this pairing might well be a disappointment to you.
My Verdict – Watch With Fast Forward
As mentioned above, you can watch Sunshine Of My Life with liberal use of the fast forward button. So, I guess there is no harm to recommend giving this a try as you can certainly complete it quickly if you skip the boring parts. You should also watch this if you are a Zhang Han fan as he has perfected this kind of role as a smart and domineering CEO. It would certainly be interesting to watch him in a different role in One Boat, One World.
Whatever it is, Sunshine Of My Life is not a drama that will offer you anything special. You watch it for the romance and if you find the couple sweet, then you will most probably enjoy it. If not, then just drop it as the drama’s focus is on the couple and not much else unlike Something Just Like This or You Complete Me which have more going on in terms of business related matters. And if you like Mo Fei and Ming Xuan in this drama, the bonus is that there are quite a number of cuddles, sweet talks, and kisses to make it worth watching. It is a bit like Love Is Sweet and Go Go Squid 2 whereby the couple’s handling of matters is more mature and the lovers are supportive of each other.
For this Sunshine Of My Life review, I would give it a rating of 7/10. It will have its fans as the romance is an uplifting one without tantrums and prolonged misunderstandings. But it will also have its critics as it is draggy with a cliche plot although the Chinese cultural fashion aspect is something new as the backdrop to the romance. Give it a try if you are a diehard romance drama fan. After all, the fast forward button is always there for you to use!
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