The drama *Mán Hǎo de Rénshēng* (Good Life) starring Sun Li and Dong Zijian has come to an end. While the series concludes with an open ending, it leaves the audience with a sense of regret and sorrow. It could be said that the finale is filled with nothing but regret. To start with, Hu Manli and Xue Xiao Zhou's story did not end with a romance, as many had hoped. Instead of ending up as lovers, they became colleagues.
Hu Manli quickly moved out after Xue Xiao Zhou confessed his feelings for her and even resigned from Taiying. Moreover, she took up an offer from Mr. Jin and worked on the retirement project he had set up. Hu Manli thrived in this role, eventually earning the prestigious Blue Ocean award. She and Xue Xiao Zhou later became colleagues, with Xue becoming an insurance planner. Their interaction remained polite, with only a handshake, but that was the end of it.
Xue Xiao Zhou, who had once been a strong contender for Taiying's next successor, was disillusioned after seeing Li Qingqing's behavior at a company meeting. Li Qingqing, driven by profit, humiliated Tang Ling by making her wear an inferior t-shirt as a \"motivational\" tactic. Since Tang Ling's performance was clearly inferior to Xue Xiao Zhou’s, he could not agree with Li Qingqing’s methods and quit his job.
After quitting, Xue Xiao Zhou pursued a degree in management. Once he graduated, he returned home and became a colleague of Hu Manli. As for Tang Ling, she would also find it difficult to continue at Taiying, as her reputation was tarnished.
The most shocking development, however, was the divorce of Ding Zhiyuan. His relationship with Qiu Lisu, who had been both a cheater and a professional mistress, ended in divorce. Despite their mutual betrayals, including his affair and her manipulations, their story came to an unexpected and tragic conclusion.
Ding Zhiyuan started to realize Hu Manli's worth after Qiu Lisu and Li Fendou teamed up to scheme against him. As a result, he began to pursue Hu Manli and strayed further from Qiu Lisu. However, Qiu Lisu's pregnancy and constant harassment of Hu Manli pushed Ding Zhiyuan to his breaking point. Her manipulative actions, including forcing Ding Zhiyuan to apologize and her demanding that he pay for her father's hospital bills, led to their ultimate separation after the child was born.
After the divorce, Qiu Lisu's company faced financial ruin due to reckless expansion and mounting debts. In her desperation, she sought help from Ding Zhiyuan and Xue Xiao Zhou, but both refused to assist her. Ultimately, her creditors stormed her home, seizing her belongings, and Qiu Lisu was almost forced into a miscarriage. She did manage to give birth to a daughter but ended up divorced and isolated.
All in all, it's clear why the finale of this drama is so filled with regret. Many characters did not get the endings they deserved. Some were left without justice, while others faced fates that were hard to accept. Hu Manli and Xue Xiao Zhou's inability to end up together was a major disappointment. Despite her professional success as the director of Blue Ocean's retirement project, Hu Manli ended up alone.
Similarly, Xue Xiao Zhou and Ding Zhiyuan, both of whom had romantic feelings for Hu Manli, were unable to be with her. Ding Zhiyuan’s messy past with two failed marriages, multiple affairs, and two children left him a poor option compared to someone like Li Fendou, who was at least sincere and wealthy. Meanwhile, Xue Xiao Zhou was also unlikely to find happiness with Hu Manli, given his strained relationship with her son, Ding Dal, who couldn't accept him as a stepfather. By the end of the show, both were left alone.
As for Ding Zhiyuan and Qiu Lisu, though they faced loneliness in the end, they still somehow emerged as the \"winners\" of the series. Despite Ding Zhiyuan’s two infidelities and Qiu Lisu's actions as a professional mistress, they faced no real punishment. Ding Zhiyuan continued as a well-paid professor and remained a social media influencer, while Qiu Lisu, despite her company’s failure, still had her wealth and could continue to live comfortably. Neither truly paid for their misdeeds, which left a bitter taste.
Lastly, Tang Ling and Chen Fang, who had done everything to undermine Hu Manli, faced little consequence for their actions. Although Tang Ling had been humiliated by wearing the degrading t-shirt, she continued on with her career, exploiting and taking advantage of others as usual. No real punishment came to these characters either.
In the end, this series left many viewers feeling dissatisfied, especially with Hu Manli, who never regained her reputation and was betrayed by Chen Fang, who set her up. Meanwhile, Chen Fang and his wife faced no repercussions for their actions, making the final outcome hard to swallow.
