Candice Wu, a 28 year-old Taiwanese, is struggling to make ends meet with her upstart marketing company in Shanghai when a strange proposition comes from a potential client. Zhang Tian Gao, a 30 year-old peasant turned multi-millionaire entrepreneur, is trying to woo Flora, the movie diva from HK. But Flora flat out rejects him because of his lack of sophistication and country manner. So Zhang turns to Candice, who’s been trying to get the marketing account for one of Zhang’s products. Zhang wants Candice to make him over and turn him into a guy Flora would fall in love with. Candice accepts the challenge. She treats Zhang like a product in need of a complete overhaul and formulates a strategy to redesign, re-brand, reposition and re-launch him.

Making Zhang over physically was a snap. Candice then endeavors to instill in Zhang the urban sophistication and gentlemanly behavior necessary to attract Flora. She uses methods from the school of hard knocks for both fun and effectiveness. Besides force feeding Zhang knowledge with one-on-one lectures from college professors and acclimating him to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, Candice also resorts to physical punishment to rid Zhang of all kinds of bad habits, such as smoking and cursing. When Zhang is ready in appearance and in substance, Candice takes him on a wild and conspicuous spending spree that leaves a long trail of rumors and gossips. While Zhang indulges in painting the town with Candice like a perfect couple, little does he know this ostentatious thrust into high society is a secret ploy by Candice to market Zhang. The truth comes soon enough when Hong Kong gossip magazines put the "love birds" on their covers. The sensational coverage centers around Candice by alleging that the former HK socialite, who had a high profile break up with her philandering ex-fiancé just a couple of years ago, now finding a new "sugar daddy" in Shanghai. Candice explains to Zhang, notoriety is the best way to attract snobs like Flora. By using the media’s malicious and false impression of her as a "gold digger," she’s able to create great buzz for Zhang, which is a prerequisite for any "product launch."

It works. Zhang becomes the talk of the town and Flora, not recognizing the new Zhang, throws herself at him. But now Zhang is conflicted because he finds himself in love with Candice, whom he grew very fond of in the course of his makeover. Although Candice also feels a tinkling in her heart she, however, makes clear that this is a professional relationship and that Zhang should treat it as such. But on the night that Flora makes herself available to go to Zhang’s apartment, he reveals the truth to her by reverting back to his own country self. Flora angrily throws him out of his own apartment. An enlightened Zhang wanders aimlessly at the The Bund, the historic and magnificent riverside, and runs into an inebriated Candice, who was out drinking with friends. Zhang takes the opportunity to express his love for her. But he isn’t sure of her answer because a smiling Candice falls asleep during his confession. So the two sleep on the bench and when awakened the next morning by early bird seniors dancing on the esplanade, the two join them like a newly in love couple.