Only for Love

'm a huge fan of Dylan Wang and i think I can never go wrong when I pick one of his dramas to watch.

He's absolutely perfect in the role of the stoic up-tight even at time obnoxious CEO. A role that fits him like a glove, especially when he has that constipated odious look on his face, that I love so much.

He is a young CEO that want to get away from under his father's shadow.

She's a young financial journalist that wants to be the therte is.

Ofcorse we have the professional conflicts, the love rival that wants what he can't have, the jealous shrew that wants to ruin the girl that gets the job done, the misunderstandings, the medling parents even a few very stamy kisses.

This drama is so bad that is good?

Let me explain.

Even though sometimes you get a sense of what the writers are trying to do and the direction they tried to take, the script makes absolutely no sense. You spend the whole series speculating the intention of the characters or if there's any real plot at all because nothing really happens for most of the drama.

The series is at least 15 episodes too long and the secondary plot of technology is the most boring thing I have tried to watch in my life, I literally disconnected the whole time.

But then you watch Dylan Wang and Bai Lu together and magic happens in front of you and somehow you forget everything else about the show. You find yourself smiling, trying to guess what the hell is going to happen with this couple, admiring their electrifying chemistry and wondering when their next kiss will be and for how long... Their characters suck? YES, there are a hot mes, (again the script is terrible) But they are really good together, and specially Bai Lu's performance is spectacular.

I have watched all Dylan Wang's dramas and I know he can act better than here (Unchained Love, The Rational Love or Love Between Fairy and Devil as an example) so I blame the stiffness and coldness of his character. ( last few episodes his acting is completely different than the beginning)

Secondary couples were also great to watch as well and in general as a group of friends. It was very enjoyable, great chemistry overall. Special mention to the character development of the couple of the niece Qin Shi Yue and the Teacher Yu You ( played by Shen Yu Jie and Wei Zhe Ming) that arc was actually great to watch.

Would I recommend this series? No if you are looking for something of quality with a good script and great characters. But if you are looking for a bit of a trash tv with an amazing chemistry to spend a cozy night at home this is the one for you.

By the way, soundtrack is actually great and it surprised me! Great music.

Plot Summary: Zheng Shu Yi (Bai Lu) is a pretty, brilliant and hard-working 25-year-old reporter who hopes to write the front-page article of the Financial Vision magazine for at least the 9th time. And her ticket to scoring the latest cover article is to land an interview with the CEO of a venture capital company, 27-year-old Shi Yan (Dylan Wang), who, as it happens, has taken an interest in her, insisting the magazine send her to interview him.

Before that happens, her boyfriend dumps her for a girl surnamed Qin whose uncle owns impressive cars with impressive plate numbers. Having found out that Shi Yan has a niece with a surname of Qin and that he owns a roll royce with an an imposing plate number, Shu Yi concludes that her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend is the niece of Shi Yan.

Armed with a desire to use her rejection as fuel to succeed in her career as well as with her dream of upgrading the online version of Financial Vision magazine, Shu Yi pursues Shi Yan to get him to agree to a series of interviews for the online magazine. That is, as she makes herself believe. But might she be harboring some other reason for pursuing the handsome aloof bachelor?

For some mysterious reason of his own that will be revealed later, the cold CEO, who would have spurned such advances from any other girl, humored Shu Yi. Frequently thrown in each other's company due to the interviews as well as their jobs, they develop a deeper bond that propels them into a rocky journey of growth necessary to bring about a lasting and happy relationship where honesty and effective communication prevail.

Review: This drama is character-driven thus requires a good understanding of the characters to be thoroughly appreciated. Skipping scenes would jar one's ability to be drawn into the characters and understanding them. In addition, skipping scenes could make one miss the campy spoofing feel throughout the drama, such as Shu Yi's pursuit of Shi Yan, the blind-leading-the-blind attempts of Shu Yi's cocksure but clueless best friend to give her advice, Shi Yan's seeming ability to hear Shu Yi's thoughts which could be a device to show they are on the same wavelengths, the phone conversations that everyone in the room can hear, the phone interruptions, the over-the-top riding clothes and many more. Those who recognize the campy humor in these situations would laugh. Those who don't would grumble.

Therefore, if you skip scenes or don't pay attention to the story, don't blame the writer or director if you can't find, much less understand, the plot.

This drama does not describe characters by having somebody directly point out that, say, Shu Yi is brilliant or that Shi Yan is a visionary. The drama SHOWS the audience, another reason skipping scenes is a no-no.

Shu Yi is not the conventional sensible-can-do-no-wrong cdrama female lead. She is smart, kind, friendly, playful, a good sweet daughter, hard-working, cannot be bribed and stays cool when a conniving work rival plays dirty tricks against her. But having been pampered by her parents, she is spoiled, self-centered and not above using people to attain her goals. Most of all, the drama shows her tendency to lie, causing her to do things contrary to what she feels and to make excuses to avoid facing up to the consequences of inappropriate actions.

It is intentional that Shu Yi sometimes throws ethics to the wind. Those who think smart people never do stupid things have unrealistic expectations of people. A lot of intelligent people make unwise decisions. Shu Yi's ethical lapses are part and parcel of the story which is unique to one particular reporter who does some things she should not do. So, complaints about degrading her profession are terribly misplaced. It is highly improbable that the drama would make viewers think reporters do this sort of thing all the time. In fact, that's why this story is told - it deals with a unique character.

I understand why Bai Lu bravely took on this role. Shu Yi would have been a challenge to portray because not doing her right could have made her obnoxious. I was amused at her flaws, scrapes and outrageousness, indicating Bai Lu portrayed her well.

Shi Yan is another complex character. The viewers' first impression of him is his stoic demeanor which is the amalgamation of his reserved and taciturn nature plus his upbringing and grooming to take over a company that would have made him resolute about appearing proper and older than his age at all times. The business scenes show how intelligent, competent and forward-thinking he is by letting us see how he handles meetings with business associates and how he chooses business partners. For example. He concurs with a startup's philosophy to put quality of technology ahead of production. These scenes also show the challenges he faces from senior executives who undermine his capability to lead the company due to his youth and inexperience. To delineate his sincerity in helping startups, the drama shows us that through thick and thin, he stands by a struggling chip producer he has been helping to establish. He gets personally involved in the chip industry and time and again defends his company's stand to finance the startup.

The business scenes also show how compatible the leads are in terms of interests and values. They are both hard-working. Shi Yan's passion to give back to society by helping startups is matched by Shu Yi's passion to make a contribution to society by creating an online version of her company's magazine that would allow more people access to information about finance. They both agree in doing the right things such as when Shi Yan, with Shu Yi's support, refuses to work with a corrupt battery manufacturer.

As he gets to know Shu Yi better, Shi Yan unlocks other parts of his personality - his thoughtfulness and dependability, his gentle and caring nature, his jealousy and his vulnerability that he only shows in her presence. Reserved by nature, Shi Yan's love is shown through his actions - making sure Shu Yi has eaten or has a ride home, even cooking for her. He is a natural nurturer, the best person who can help a spoilt girl in her journey to maturity.

This drama also shows how lack of communication can exacerbate couple issues. This is another hurdle the leads must face and overcome. Those who are intently watching would actually welcome a rift between the leads to knock some sense into Shu Yi. She has a lot of growing up to do and Shi Yan is prepared to take that journey with her as long as she wants to. All he wants is to love her, if she wants that love. What hurts him, more than the thought that she used him, is the thought that she loves another man. He is heartbroken as he muses, "what you wanted was never me". Though it devastates him, he loves her too much to force her to be with him while she is unsure of her feelings. So he lets her go and gives her space and time to sort her feelings out.

One of the things I admire about this drama is how subtle it showed Shu Yi's growth. She was self-centered before she met Shi Yan. She treated her ex-boyfriend like a driver, choosing to do an interview rather than celebrate his birthday with him. When he broke up with her, it was her pride more than her heart that was hurt. Shi Yan's unselfishness must have rubbed off on her. When she received her bonus, the first thing she thought of was to buy her parents gifts. When Shi Yan blocked her, she did not try to make excuses for what she did as what a spoiled child would have done. She felt guilty and remorseful thus felt resigned to losing him. She remembers Shi Yan's loving care and was ready to talk to him in person. When she saw him with another girl, she most probably took that as punishment for what she did and accepted the heartbreak. When news of Shi Yan's shareholders broke out, she first thought of Shi Yan's feelings instead of the effect the news would have on her online magazine. When she finally broke down, she did not care that her fierce work rival was there to witness her anguish. She did not whine or complain about her heartache but got sick due most probably to intense mental and psychological pain.

But the starkest manifestation of Shu Yi's growth was that, when her relationship with Shi Yan stabilized, she stopped lying.

Finally, to complete this multi-dimensional characterization of Shu Yi and Shi Yan, one needs a good idea of the world they're living in. Their friends, families, work, hobbies and other activities provide that additional dimension to their world.

Both male and female leads have played their character the best.

Its the little nuisances that fill the details of characters. Dylan wang as Shi Yan is not a big sharer, actor plays the character well through his eyes and movement of his fingers to express emotions.

Where on other hand, shuyi is inexperienced in behavior for relationship, and keeps us engaged at times frustrated with her nuisances.

The story takes leaps n bounds jump in emotional development and character development of the leads relationship after they patch up.

So patience is the key, but the end of story is completely satisfying. Especially the extra episode of their wedding!!!

A lot of ppl said this storyline is a mess and too slow but if we compare this types of story with reality, it is suit the best with reality bc I never seen anyone develop their love with each other so fast ( example, in the most of Cdrama The fl and ml is just too fast so it doesnt feel real). So base on my opinion their love development is just like us in real life, moreover i can feel the chemistry from fl&ml, also the love is mature. Even though the quality of some scene of this drama is not good enough for me but i still enjoying it. Bonus for pretty female lead and hot handsome male lead and the supporting actors is fun to watch.