How to Tame the Tycoon

starring: CHRISTINE SCHLEHUBER & THOMAS MILLER

An entitled heir to a powerful family is reluctantly paired with his sharp, scholarship- student classmate as a tutor, only to find his privilege challenged and his heart undone- by her wit and integrity. What begins as academic obligation turns into an unlikely romance that follows them into adulthood, where love is tested by class divides, personal ambitions, and the jealousy stirred by rivals who threaten to pull them apart.

REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a gem. A mini masterpiece hiding amongst a lot of the more sexually explicit & repetitive YA being pumped out at the moment

This is about love. Not just yearning or romance. But LOVE.

One of the most powerful aspects of this is how strong Andrea is at the beginning, but then gets worn down by life. Charles sees this and does everything he can to build her up again, and help Andrea rediscover her spark.

That on its own is reason enough to watch, but the whole thing is beautifully done all the way through

Just to clarify we are not in a time warp with a young Meg Ryan and Nick Kamen - instead this features new vertical stars @christineschlehuber and @thomas_miller22

Christine is everything, sassy when taking on the bullies and Charles, heartbreak at betrayal, and then you see the spirit drain out of her as life takes its toll. It's astonishing given we know scenes are not filmed in order how she shows the change in body language. And then joyous moments when Andrea gets her spark back, and she makes Andrea visibly seem older and more mature. Superstar find

And @thomas_miller22 brings a delightful boyish charm to Charles, from stroppy summer camp heir, to nervously planning to confess, to growing into the man who wants to be because of Andrea. Fave moments are the cheeky looks when faking being ill, and the tragic slump over this desk - he is so good

Also shout out to Charles' assistant. You are amazing

@declanrclifford gets to use more of his native accent, this makes me v happy. And has a good old punch up with Charles

@maevequinlan quivers with outrage as Eileen, and ensures she is never a one note villain. You can see where Eileen is coming from even if you don't agree. And she nails the mum voice of 'do what I say right now'. Which makes the fact Charles stands up to her more impressive

And @josiraya does an excellent squeal when Charles finally dumps the wine in her

This is what I always hoped for in Verticals, bringing over the very best of Chinese romances, packed full of beautiful lines, love stories that develop and deepen over years and a couple who stand up for each other

I can't recommend this enough.

💖 Top swoonworthy moment:

This is one of the best love stories you will see in verticals, as you see so many different stages of the relationship, initial attraction, falling in love, misunderstandings, laughing together, caring for each other, chemistry, and growing stronger together. Plus a lot of truly wonderful lines: "This body has been through a world which would have broken yours. Every line, every curve tells a tale of strength" "We share urdens now" Andrea and Charles are there for each other, Charles defends Andrea and builds up her confidence when dented, Andrea is willing to risk all for Charles. This is love, not just a romance.

🦹🏼‍♂️ Top villain award:

You may fear we slip into vertical bullying tropes when Kitty and her minions appear on screen, but Andrea makes short work of them. Don't worry. And the other 'villains' Noah and Eileen are more fully rounded, Noah is misguided and ambitious. Eileen is the pushy vertical mother, but never slips into crass name calling, instead she is more manipulative, the points about every lost vote is more powerful. And both have an arc, where they get to do the right thing in the end.

😂 Comedy gold:

The male lead pretending to be ill is a staple of Chinese Dramas, and is well done here, with Andrea quite rightly bashing Charles with a pillow when she finds out. And there is laughter - these two have fun together. More laugher & happy moments for vertical couples.

🎺 Unsung hero:

Charle's assistant - this man does some serious heavy lifting dealing with a moping Charles, and creating the back story for our leads.

✍🏼 DETAILS

2026

Available on DramaBox