Everyone Loves Me (别对我动心) is a rom-com starring Lin Yi and Zhou Ye. Hence, it is bound to attract many young viewers with its youthful romance theme. I chose to watch it as it is relatively short at 24 episodes and easy to breeze through. I’m not ready yet for Angels Fall Sometimes which is also another Lin Yi drama which is on the emotionally heavy side. So, this one seems like a better idea for now since I wanted something light. My Everyone Loves Me review is below for my views on this rom-com.
My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Romance
Aired: March 2024
Images Credit: Douban Movie
The Cast Of Everyone Loves Me
- Lin Yi as Gu Xun / Xiao Cao
- Zhou Ye as Yue Qian Ling / Nuo Mi Xiao Ma Hua
- Melody Tang Meng Jia as Chen Xin Yi
- Jiang Yi Ming as Jiang Jun Nan
- Zhan Yu as Su Zheng
- Hong Yao as Jiang Yi Shi
- Wang Xiao Yun Zi as Yin Xue
- Zhang Song as Yin Jun
- Liang Zhi Gang as Wei Han
- Guan Zi Jing as Luo Tuo
- He Feng Tian as Tang Xin
Main Characters
Gu Xun / Xiao Cao
Gu Xun is a graduating student and a talented gaming developer. He is also an online gamer who goes by the username Xiao Cao which literally means Campus Hunk. Gu Xun can be curt towards females who approach him as he has little interest in them. But he likes his online gaming partner due to her personality.
Yue Qian Ling / Nuo Mi Xiao Ma Hua
Qian Ling is an arts student who is about to graduate. She works as an intern at a gaming development company called HC Game as a concept artist. Qian Ling’s specialty is in designing gaming characters. She is pretty but has a brash and direct personality. Nuo Mi Xiao Ma Hua is her online gaming username.
Supporting Characters
Chen Xin Yi
Xin Yi is Jun Nan’s secretary. She is a very timid young woman who lacks self-confidence. She also has a fear of speaking up in front of others. But Xin Yi is very strong physically and is a karate expert.
Jiang Jun Nan
Jun Nan is Gu Xun’s dorm mate and best friend. He is also into gaming development and a gamer. He is Gu Xun’s Executive Producer in their gaming development project at HC Game. Jun Nan is more amiable and friendly compared to Gu Xun.
Su Zheng
Su Zheng is a artist planner under Project Department 1 in HC Game. He is Qian Ling’s colleague. Su Zheng reports to Jiang Yi Shi.
Jiang Yi Shi
Jiang Yi Shi is the Manager of Project Department 1 in HC Game. He is Gu Xun’s rival in the company as they compete for resources and success for their respective project.
Yin Xue
Yin Xue is Qian Ling’s dorm mate and best friend. She is Qian Ling’s go-to person when she needs to talk about her experiences with Gu Xun.
Yin Jun
Yin Jun a a team leader in HC Game’s Project Department 1. He is also Qian Ling’s immediate superior. Yin Jun is a narcissistic man and his behavior often annoys Qian Ling.
Wei Han
Wei Han is HC Game’s Project Department 1 lead designer. He reports to Jiang Yi Shi but has a passion for more challenging game development projects.
Luo Tuo
Luo Tuo is a member a gaming clique that also comprises of Gu Xun and Jun Nan. He used to be Gu Xun’s neighbor when they were younger.
Tang Xin
Tang Xin is Qian Ling’s childhood friend back in their hometown. He is interested in her and has the approval of her parents.
Synopsis
Gu Xun and Qian Ling are online gaming partners but they have never met each other in real life. Nevertheless, he takes a liking for her as she is brash and straightforward which is very different from typical girls. Unbeknownst to them, they are actually studying in the same university. In fact, Qian Ling has a serious crush on Gu Xun and she is doing everything she can to get his affection. This includes pretending to be demure and girlish as she thought this is what guys like in a girl.
As they are graduating, Qian Ling summons up her courage to confess her feelings to Gu Xun. However, she gets rejected in a rather cold manner. As a result, Qian Ling decides to move on and feels annoyed with Gu Xun for his coldness. She also doesn’t need to pretend anymore and revert to being herself. Later, Gu Xun finds out that the online gaming partner he is interested in, is in fact, Qian Ling. It now becomes his turn to pursue her in return.
Everyone Loves Me Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
Everyone Loves Me has a happy ending. Gu Xun brings in a new investor to prevent HC Game from being acquired and with it his gaming development project. The new investor is his late father’s old friend and business partner. A a result, Gu Xun could continue to pursue his dream of developing the country’s first Triple-A game.
One year later, the game has achieved a milestone with millions of players. HC Game has a celebration party to mark the achievement with Gu Xun being the star. The drama ends with Gu Xun and Qian Ling quietly savoring the moment together in his office after all the hard work and challenges that they had to overcome for the project to succeed.
When Did The Leads Get Together?
Qian Ling confesses to Gu Xun on their graduation day at the end of Episode 6 and gets rejected in Episode 7. She decides to draw a line between them and is angry with him as a result. After he found out that she is indeed the girl he has been playing online games with, he starts to pursue her in return. He asks Qian Ling to join his department when he needs an artist in Episode 9. But when Qian Ling finds out that he is Xiao Cao in Episode 12, she becomes angry at his deception.
Gu Xun apologizes and tries his best to get back her affections. He also goes all out to please her mother and helps her to deal with a stalker in Episode 14. He pretends to be her boyfriend in Episode 15 when her childhood friend shows up for a visit. Gu Xun plans to confess his feelings in Episode 18 but Su Zheng beats him to it. Thus, he decides not to do it on the same night and postpones his confession.
Gu Xun and Qian Ling get together in Episode 19 after she went looking for him in his hometown. She was worried about him as his game development project has been accused of plagiarism and he was uncontactable. Gu Xun confesses his love for Qian Ling then and they start dating. He goes to meet Qian Ling’s parents in Episode 24 and gets her father’s approval after a series of test.
Is There Any Break Up And Love Triangle?
There is a brief breakup in Episode 23 when Qian Ling feels a need to rethink her relationship with Gu Xun after he declared his intention to join a rival company which is on the verge of acquiring HC Game in Episode 22. They had quarreled over it as Qian Ling disagrees with Gu Xun’s move. But she quickly realizes that Gu Xun is only putting on an act to stall the acquisition and hence, they patch up their differences.
Apart from Gu Xun. there are also other guys who are also interested in Qian Ling. Tang Xin is one of them but she pretends to have a boyfriend to make him give up in Episode 10. When Tang Xin visits her in Episode 15, Gu Xun plays the role of her boyfriend to make him give up.
However, Gu Xun’s greater love rival is Su Zheng who is Qian Ling’s colleague. They are both fighting for her affections and Gu Xun pre-empts Su Zheng from confessing to Qian Ling in Episode 15. But Su Zheng didn’t give up. He confesses to her in Episode 18 but gets rejected. They agree to remain as friends.
When Did They Know Each Other’s Identity?
Gu Xun learns that Qian Ling is his online gaming partner in Episode 7 after she vented her disappointment and anger that she has been rejected by a guy named Gu Xun while playing a game together. He tries to explain to her that he is Xiao Cao, her regular online gaming partner, in Episode 8 but she misunderstands him instead. This is because Xiao Cao means campus hunk and she thinks he is rubbing it in by telling her that he is a campus hunk which annoys her further.
Thus, Gu Xun delays telling Qian Ling about his identity until she finds out in Episode 12. Qian Ling has been drinking and messaged Xiao Cao about it but the person who turns up is Gu Xun as he is worried about her safety. Hence, his identity as Xiao Cao is exposed.
Second Couple
Xin Yi gradually becomes attracted to Jun Nan but is disappointed when he falls for Feng Ru Ru instead in Episode 14. She is miserable when Jun Nan and Feng Ru Ru become a couple in Episode 15. But Feng Ru Ru breaks up with Jun Nan in Episode 18 as he seems to be constantly busy with work. Xin Yi comforts him after his heartbreak. Jun Nan also begins to notice that Xin Yi is more confident and happier than she used to be.
In Episode 21, Xin Yi let slip that she has feelings for Jun Nan which makes him feel awkward and uncertain. But Jun Nan realizes that he likes Xin Yi too after talking to Gu Xun and Qian Ling and thinking things over. However, when Jun Nan decides to follow Gu Xun to join a rival company, Xin Yi quits as his secretary and transfers to another department in Episode 23.
After it has been established that joining a rival company was a ruse to stall the acquisition of HC Game, Jun Nan asks Xin Yi to consider coming back as his secretary as well as having him as a boyfriend in Episode 24. She gives him 3 months to prove himself. Fast forward a year later, they are already a couple.
Everyone Loves Me Review – For The Younger Crowd
Everyone Loves Me doesn’t have the making of a great drama to me. The story is simple and it is not utterly sweet and romantic like Amidst A Snowstorm Of Love. Hence, I don’t have the craving for more from the leads. Yes, there are some funny moments as it is a rom-com after all. It is also a stress-free drama with hardly any angst. So, it is good if you want something that is easy to watch and uncomplicated.
With 24 episodes in total, the time investment is also not that high to make this, perhaps, just worth a shot. The simplicity of the story enables you to skip scenes here and there too to further lower your time cost. That is if the drama starts to feel monotonous to you after a while and you just want to quickly get to the end. I certainly felt that way halfway through the drama. Maybe the romance is just too youthful for me or the way it all begins fails to suck me into the story.
Girl Chases Boy Romance
Everyone Loves Me starts off as a girl chases boy romance like A Date With The Future and The Forbidden Flower. She simply develops a huge crush on him and tries her best to gain his attention. This takes up about 6 episodes whereby she pretends to be girlish in front of him although that is not who she is. So, you will feel her embarrassment at times. Her act is silly, funny, and embarrassing but the problem is I got tired of it pretty quickly. That kind of youthful pretense just couldn’t hold my interest for too long.
Then, the role is reversed when the boy starts chasing the girl instead. So, my interest picks up again with the change in direction. However, again, the interest wanes after a short while as this stage drags on and on. By the time the couple actually got together, it is already pretty late in the drama.
As for the setting, I’m not familiar with the business of game development. But I do wonder how realistic it is for a gaming company to hire a fresh graduate to head a business unit and give it the huge capital needed for his project no matter how talented he may be. It is not a big issue in such a rom-com but if you are looking for a good story and setting, then this is merely a very average production.
Unnecessary Subplots
I think it is good that the producers have kept this short at 24 episodes. There is really nothing much to tell in terms of story. So, I guess subplots have to be brought in to give it a little bit of drama and fill up the required number of episodes. These subplots are simple and short but aren’t exactly fulfilling to watch such as the one involving the guy’s mother. So, you will be wondering why they even bother including them into the story except to lengthen the drama.
As for the business side of things, it is hardly touched upon until you reach the last 2 to 3 episodes. It is a very condensed version of some business maneuvers towards the end that seems to have been stitched together to give viewers some form of climax before the curtain comes down. To me, it doesn’t add much enjoyment to the story. On the contrary, it feels forced with the unnecessary drama as it is obvious where it is all heading eventually.
Moreover, the last episode is mainly filler scenes. It is no longer cute anymore to me by then. I just want it to end and move on to the next drama. Perhaps if they have taken out the unnecessary subplots and filler scenes to give the second couple more screen time, it might work out to be better. As it is, there is not much time allocated to the second couple for their story to develop.
Acting & Chemistry
I know Lin Yi has many fans ever since he starred in Put Your Head On My Shoulder. His acting is okay to me so far and I have also watched his other dramas such as Memory Of Encaustic Tile and Love Scenery. He has played so many college student roles and this one in Everyone Loves Me is just another to add to his resume. It is a very typical young guy character in a rom-com and Lin Yi did what is expected with his good looks and tall frame.
I kind of like watching Zhou Ye in this rom-com despite the not so engrossing story. Seeing her switch between playing pretend with her personality and being herself has an element of fun in it. To me, she makes the character lively without overdoing it to the point of being unnatural.
However, the chemistry between Lin Yi and Zhou Ye is only so-so in my opinion. It is there but they don’t sizzle as a couple onscreen unlike what we could see in more popular romance dramas such as Hidden Love and Lighter And Princess. Furthermore, there is not much to expect in terms of kisses. There are a few but nothing that will make you really glued to the screen and feel hot all over.
My Verdict – Just Okay!
If you are a big fan of either Lin Yi or Zhou Ye, then I suppose Everyone Loves Me will be an enjoyable watch. Otherwise, this is just an average rom-com especially if you are not particularly keen on youth romances. This is a kind production that you watch when you want something light and easy. There will always be times when you don’t mind the quality of the plot but just want some light romance to unwind. This will fit the bill for those times as it is somewhat enjoyable without the need to put much attention and effort into understanding the story.
Personally, it is just okay as a rom-com to me as I have seen better and worse. There are fun moments but also draggy parts especially towards the end. If you enjoy a bickering couple, this might well be your cup of tea. But I think the main problem is the magic isn’t there for the romance. It didn’t quite reach the level needed to give viewers enough romantic vibes. I can’t say that the couple isn’t sweet but the spark seems to be missing as well.
Overall, I will give this Everyone Loves Me review a score of 7/10. This is a very ordinary plot with nothing new to offer in terms of story. The lead-up to the ending is weak and it is not as romantic as some would have hoped. But it is a lighthearted rom-com that doesn’t require brains to watch. Add in the good visuals of both the leads and some funny scenes with bickering thrown in, you will still get some entertainment value out of it.
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