I am not surprised producers are continuing to milk the cow that is The Interpreters, because it brings in the ratings, and they know that’s where the money comes from. The spin-off is titled The Negotiators 谈判官, and like its predecessor, starts off as a bickering rom-com between two professionals before descending into melodramatic territory in the second half.
Yang Mi (The Interpreters) will play Dou Qiao, a genius negotiator who is the star of the US-China Business Council. Male lead Xie Xiaofei also works as a negotiator, but is actually the sole heir of a wealthy Chinese-American corporation who wants nothing to do with the family business. He vents his frustrations on Dou Qiao, though their bickering relationship soon takes a romantic turn. The couple separates after Dou Qiao discovers the Xie Family had a hand in her parents’ deaths, only to meet several years later as negotiators of rival firms.
Huang Xuan’s reps have stated he will not be participating in the spin-off due to scheduling conflicts, and Huang Zitao (currently seen in variety show Takes A Real Man) is rumoured to take on the lead role. The Negotiator is produced by the same team behind The Interpreters, and has secured a time slot on Hunan TV’s schedule.
How do people not get tired of these regurgitated plots and oh-so-predictable twists? I thought The Interpreter might have been interesting when I saw the trailers but nope it went exactly the way I had dreaded. Yang Mi’s character is so boring and lifeless and Huang Xuan’s was way too overpowering in personality. Let’s not forget the *shocker* at the end of the drama where she got cancer. I only caught snippets every now and then since my mom watched this but if this is any indication of what The Negotiators will be like, I have no doubt it will be worse if not the same as the disaster that is The Interpreter.