“Eight years of true love, nine hours of business war. Will I defeat you, or will we be together?”

“Money, love, or dignity?” is the question underlining the upcoming movie Day of Redemption (早见，晚爱), which opens in theaters on July 19th. The story follows Gu Bin (Vic Chou), a dropout turned first-rate negotiating expert who is not afraid to resort to trickery in order to climb the ranks of society. Favored by Alice (Bai Yu), the arrogant and bossy daughter of a rich businessman, Gu Bin is stunned to discover that his competitor in a business acquisition negotiation is none other than Zhou Ting (Tong Yao), his first love and with whom he was in a relationship for eight years. In the ensuing nine-hour acquisition case, which takes place during a seemingly normal nine-hour workday, both Gu Bin and Zhou Ting must make a choice between work and love.

Much like the American television series 24, in which each episode covers one hour in the life of the protagonist, Day of Redemption draws its suspense from the constant ticking of the clock. The Hollywood influences may be attributed to the fact that several members of the production team studied in America: director Lawrence Ah Mon and executive producer Chen Xun were both students at the University of Southern California, whereas Bai Yu, who is acting in and producing the film, was the first Chinese person to receive a Master’s degree in movie production from the California Institute/College of the Arts (it’s hard to tell which school it was from the Chinese name).

Still remembered for his good looks and gentle demeanor from his Meteor Garden days, Vic uses that to his advantage in Day of Redemption as he plays a fu hei nan (腹黑男). Literally translated as “stomach black man,” the term originated from Japanese comics and is used to describe a guy who looks sincere but is actually harboring evil intent. As someone who is willing to sacrifice anything to further his career, Gu Bin embodies the cold-blooded and worldly existence of the typical fu hei nan. At a recent press conference, Vic joked that he was afraid he would hate himself after watching this movie, since he dislikes people who give up love in order to pursue their career.

Check out the movie’s trailer below, as well as more stills behind the cut:

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5