Love as a Predatory Affair


Love as a Predatory Affair is a 2016 Hong Kong modern romantic comedy television drama produced by TVB. Starring Kitty Yuen, King Kong Lee, Jason Chan and Samantha Ko as the main leads. It premiered on January 11, 2016, airing every Monday to Friday on Hong Kong's Jade and HD Jade channels during its 8:30-9:30 pm timeslot with a total of 21 episodes.
The drama is an indirect spin-off of Kitty Yuen and King Kong Lee's popular reality food tour variety series Neighborhood Gourmet, which has spanned 3 series to date.

Synopsis

Lo Kai-fong is reliable, intelligent and a great cook, yet her only setback in romance is her shortness. She works as a sales manager at her father's struggling food distribution company, Dou Ling. Due to an employee's illiteracy in English, the company accidentally distributes bitter melons to all of their customers. To resolve the problem and prevent their customers from suing them because of their mistakes Kai-fong goes to each restaurant showing them the many useful ways a bitter melon can be cooked. On her first stop she meets Hung Hsien, a kitchen assistant and her 'dream boy' Pete Lau, who is there to conduct business with the head chef. Her attractive best friend Ko Kwai-fun who calls herself Hestia, also happens to be at the same restaurant on a speed dating function. Hestia finds the guys at her speed dating party unsuitable for her and decides to set her sights on Pete.
Later that day she finds out Pete is another customer that had received the bitter melon order. Pete owns a fast food restaurant chain, and by receiving over 4000 units of wrong ingredients, his company is put in jeopardy. When he asks his uncle, who owns a competing fast food restaurant chain, similar to his for help, he finds out how cut-throat business can be as his uncle tries to price gauge him. However, Kai-fong saves him from humiliation and failure during his food show interview when she comes up with twelve delicious different dishes made with bitter melon. Pete soon finds himself relying on Kai-fong again when none of his chefs can duplicate the taste of the dishes Kai-fong creates.
Kai-fong's new tenant, renting her family's empty apartment is Hung Hsien, a Taiwanese man who has only been in Hong Kong for one month. Kai-fong finds him creepy because of his unattractiveness and for overly idolising her for her cooking skills. Most people misunderstand him for a pervert. Hung Hsien is actually on a secret mission working as a kitchen assistant in Hong Kong's best restaurants to learn their secrets. He is disappointed when he finds out their secret ingredients are canned food and MSG, which Kai-fong helps him uncover. Also, Hung is gifted with the ability to make exact measurements just by eyeing it. Kai-fong, who cooks without recording measurements, depend on Hung Hsien to help her write the bitter melon recipes. After Hung helps Kai-fong succeed, she teaches him cooking.
Hung Hsien sets his sights on the tall and attractive Hestia as a romantic partner. However, Hestia only sees him as a creepy pervert and doesn't find him as a suitable partner. Hestia works alongside her mother as a fishmonger which she hates. Even though their small family business is successful, her shallow thinking is to hook a rich guy in order to escape her fishmonger profession. Not book smart or talented in anything, she spends her money on beauty treatment products and designer clothing to boost her appearance. After encountering Pete she sets her sights on him since he meets her targeted desires, being rich and handsome. However, she isn't the only one who has a crush on him...

Cast

Lo family

  • Pat Poon as Lo Sat
  • Susan Tse as Jeana Lo Dou Ching-lok
  • Kitty Yuen as Lo Kai-fong
  • Brian Tse as Lo Kai-lun
  • Erin Wong as '''Lo Kai-kei'''

Hung family

Ko family

  • Angelina Lo as Choi Lin
  • Samantha Ko as '''Hestia Ko Kwai-fun'''

Lau family

Dou Ling Food distributors

  • Joseph Lee as Ling Yue-kau
  • C-Kwan as Ying Yip-yuen
  • Ronald Law as '''Pau Wan-pan'''

Best Taste Restaurant employees

  • Ngai Wai-man as Sam
  • Tony Yee as Jacky
  • Mandy Lam as Flora
  • Snow Suen as Jessica
  • Stephanie Ho as Kimchi Yeung Kam-chi
  • Ricky Lee as Law Sei
  • Fanny Ip as Nga Ping
  • Apple Chan as Lau Yuk-hing
  • Ice Chow as Lee Kai-kwan
  • Kinlas Chan as Chan Wai-ming
  • Jim Tang as Chow Keung
  • So Lai-ming as Choi Lai-chu
  • Deborah Poon as Lam Sam
  • Sky Chiu as Fok Kam-yuen
  • Lily Liew as Yip Mei-ting
  • Henry Yu as Tau Chau-suk
  • Leo Tsang as Wah
  • Eddie Li as Yau
  • Gary Tam as Shek
  • Wang Wai-tak as Shing
  • Alex Yung as Bean sprout
  • Kelvin Lee as '''B'''

Great Taste Restaurant employees

  • Man Yeung as Ben
  • Helen Shum as Carrie
  • Kitterick Yiu as Lam Wai-ching
  • GoGo Cheung as Chan Ping
  • Clare Chan as Lau Cheng-kwan
  • Andy Lau Tin-lung as Ng Chiu-wing
  • Wong Hong-kiu as Lok Siu-chun
  • George Ng as Kwok Ka-hei
  • Bobo Yeung as Leung Hoi-kwan
  • Aris Li as Chan Hon-shing
  • Kitty Lau as '''Lui Shan-shan'''

Extended cast

  • Paisley Wu as Selina Sa Lin-na
  • Jack Hui as Augustino
  • Cheng Shu-fung as Bau Tuet
  • Mok Wai-man as Uncle Mai
  • MoMo Wu as Female student #1
  • Hebe Chan as Female student #2
  • Wingto Lam as Prostitute
  • Tristan Cheung as Pimp
  • Akai Lee as Director
  • CC Cho as School girl #1
  • Cheung Sze-yan as '''School girl #2'''

Development

  • The costume fitting ceremony was held on May 21, 2015 at 1:00 pm Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One.
  • The blessing ceremony was held on June 16, 2015 at 3:00 pm Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio Twelve.
  • Filming took place from May to August 2015 entirely on location in Hong Kong and TVB studios.