Everyone Wants To Meet You Review

Everyone Wants To Meet You (谁都渴望遇见你) would be a drama to look forward to if you are a Zhang Zhe Han fan. Obviously, he has garnered a lot of admirers after Legend Of Yun Xi. The actor aside, this romance drama is also partly filmed in France to add to the allure. But does it have a great plot to go with these positive factors? Everyone Wants To Meet You review below will look at the cast, characters, storyline, and finally my overall verdict for this mainland production.

My rating: 6.5/10
Episodes: 36
Type: Romance
Aired: February 2020
Images Credit: iQIYI

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The Main Cast Of Everyone Wants To Meet You

Zhang Zhe Han as Zhang Min / Zhang Chi

Zhang Min is the General Manager of Sihai Group, a luxury hotel chain. He is capable and hardworking but has a cold personality. Zhang Min has a complicated family background but has to suffer in silence due to his circumstances. His love interest is Luo Xi.

Zhang Ruo Nan as Luo Xi

Luo Xi is an orphan but has 2 men whom she regards as brothers. They grew up together in an orphanage which they have now transformed into You’an Hostel and their home. She is studying botany in France while working for Grandfather Wu at his chateau to look after the plants there. Luo Xi has a warm and kind heart.

Riley Wang Yi Lun as Tao Lun

Tao Lun is an astronomy graduate. He is also an orphan but was soon adopted by a family who then moved to the US. He knew Luo Xi in his short time at the orphanage before they reconnected years later. Tao Lun only has vague memories of his childhood prior to his admission to the orphanage. He is patient and good-mannered. He also has feelings for Luo Xi for the longest time.

Supporting Cast

Anna Hollen as Liu Wen Na

Wen Na comes from a rich family. She is a spoiled child who only cares about what she wants. Although she has a non-likable personality, the very same immaturity is also what makes her vulnerable to hurt and disappointment.

Li Nan Xing as Chairman Zhang / Zhang Jing Zhong

Chairman Zhang is the head of Sihai Group and Zhang Min’s father. He is very business-minded and even sees his son’s marriage as a business deal. He loves his wife but has a poor relationship with Zhang Min.

Zhang Yan as Wu Tian Hua

Tian Hua is Chairman Zhang’s wife and Zhang Min’s adopted mother. She comes from a rich family and Sihai Group is inherited from her late father. Tian Hua still pines for her lost son even after 20 years. But she has a loving relationship with Zhang Min and treats him like her own son.

Zhao Qi as Wu Tian Wei

Tian Wei is Tian Hua’s younger brother. He was out of favour with his late father for embezzling money from the company to pay off his gambling debts. He was sent abroad as a result and has just recently returned to take up the position of Human Resource Director at Sihai Group. Tian Wei appears soft spoken and harmless but is sly and manipulative.

Tu Ling as Shen Xiu Zhi

Xiu Zhi is Zhang Min’s biological mother and an old friend of Tian Hua. She is revengeful and wants her son to be given his dues as the heir of Sihai Group.

Cao Ran Ran as Zhou Wu

Zhou Wu is Luo Xi’s eldest brother. They are not related by blood but knew each other from their orphanage days. Zhou Wu is divorced with a kid and a great cook. He runs You’an Hostel and has a crush on Yang Lin.

Essay Wang Xiao Kun as Zhou Mo

Zhou Mo is Zhou Wu’s younger brother. Luo Xi also regards him as her elder brother. He is quiet and shy but has great singing talent. Zhou Mo is also interested in Yang Lin.

Peng Bo as Yang Lin

Yang Lin is Luo Xi’s ex-classmate. She ends up living in You’an Hostel after being evicted by her landlord. Both Zhou Wu and Zhou Mo are always fighting for her attention.

Lin Ruo Xi as Xiao Man Tou

Man Tou is Zhou Wu’s daughter. She is observant and smart for a little girl.

Wang Ya Nan as Director Liu / Liu Zhi Gang

Director Liu is Wen Na’s father and an old friend of Chairman Zhang. He is the owner of BK Group and also a shareholder of Sihai Group. Both of their companies have a lot of business dealings and he will often use the threat of withdrawing support to pressure Zhang Min to be with Wen Na.

Liu Zhe Er as Secretary Xiao / Xiao Zheng Nan

Secretary Xiao is Zhang Min’s personal assistant. He is loyal and willingly does his boss’ bidding. They share a unique bond that goes beyond a typical boss-employee relationship.

Synopsis

Zhang Min is sent to France to settle the inheritance of his late grandfather’s chateau and its onward sale to a ready buyer. He meets Luo Xi who was employed by Grandfather Wu to take care of the plants at the chateau especially a dying tree planted together with his grandson. The old man’s will causes them to become entangled with each other as Zhang Min is forced to convince Luo Xi to give up ownership to her part of the estate.

Their entanglement does not end there when Luo Xi ends up working at Zhang Min’s hotel. Their relationship is complicated by Zhang Min’s engagement to Wen Na as part of a business deal. Lurking in the background is Tao Lun who has always have deep feelings for Luo Xi. Zhang Min’s own identity makes the whole issue even more sensitive as there are personal and business interests to protect.

Will Zhang Min and Luo Xi end up together? Or will Tao Lun get the girl instead? Who is Zhang Min exactly?

Everyone Wants To Meet You Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

In the final scenes of Everyone Wants To Meet You, Zhang Min and Luo Xi are back at the chateau in France where they first met. They are now managing the winery and enjoying life together. The last scene of the drama is of them kissing for a sweet and happy ending.

Zhang Min has willingly given up his position at Sihai Group back to Tao Lun who is the real heir of the Wu family. He is finally free from being forced to be someone he is not for over 20 years. Zhang Min also reconciles with his father whom he has always had a poor relationship with.

Zhang Min And Tao Lun’s Background

Chairman Zhang and Xiu Zhi are Zhang Min’s biological parents. Chairman Zhang abandoned Xiu Zhi who was pregnant with Zhang Min to marry the rich Tian Hua. Tao Lun is Chairman Zhang and Tian Hua’s son. Xiu Zhi had never gotten over the abandonment and had a tough life bringing up Zhang Min. So, she abducted Tao Lun and left him at a park. But she regretted her actions and turned around to get him back. However, Tao Lun was nowhere to be found.

Chairman Zhang and Tian Hua adopted Zhang Min to take over Tao Lun’s identity. However, Tian Hua is not aware that Zhang Min is her husband’s biological son. He hid it from her all along. When Tao Lun is confirmed to be his son, Chairman Zhang explains to him that Zhang Min was made to assume Tao Lun’s identity because his grandfather was in ill health at that time. They didn’t want to worsen his condition. Tian Hua was also in poor health following Tao Lun’s disappearance. But from the story, it is pretty clear that Zhang Min was taken in as Tao Lun to inherit Sihai Group. Otherwise, the estate would have gone to Tian Wei. That is why Zhang Min has always seen his father as cold and greedy.

When Xiu Zhi gave Zhang Min to Chairman Zhang, she was promised that her son would be Sihai Group’s successor. She wanted the best for Zhang Min. So, for over 20 years, Zhang Min has to live the life of his half brother to fulfill the wishes of his mother and the manipulation of his father. His mother eventually dies of poor health and mental instability.

Someone Wanted Tao Lun Dead

While Xiu Zhi was the one who abducted Tao Lun initially, the one who wanted him dead was Tian Wei. He took him away after Xiu Zhi left him at the park and tried to kill him. But Tao Lun didn’t die. He was saved and ended up at an orphanage before he was adopted and moved to the US. As his head was hurt, he suffers from memory loss and couldn’t remember much about things that happen before his abduction.

Tian Wei wanted Tao Lun dead because that will pave the way for him to inherit his father’s estate. He had fallen out of favour with his father because he was caught embezzling company’s funds. So, his father had appointed Tian Hua’s husband to take over Sihai Group instead on the understanding that the company will eventually go to Tao Lun. So, it is to Tian Wei’s interest to make Tao Lun disappear to get back his share of the estate.

Tao Lun’s Pain

Tao Lun is angry with Zhang Min for taking away everything that belongs to him including Luo Xi. He thought Zhang Min’s mother was the one who caused him to end up in an orphanage and made his mother to fall into a coma. He builds up a lot of hatred within himself that even when Xiu Zhi died, it didn’t take away his desire for revenge.

Tao Lun only stops hating Zhang Min when he remembers that Tian Wei is the one who wanted to kill him. Zhang Min also helps him to chase after Tian Wei which results in Zhang Min being knocked down by a car. Fortunately, Zhang Min is not seriously injured. Tian Wei admits his guilt and apologizes for causing all the pain. Tian Hua is still in her slumber state. She fell unconscious when she found out that Zhang Min is her husband’s biological son. Chairman Zhang is regretful that his doing has caused his beloved wife to fall into a coma and refuses to wake up.

After Zhang Min’s accident while chasing after Tian Wei, Tao Lun tells Luo Xi that they will always be the best of friends.Tao Lun reconciles with Wen Na and realizes her importance in his life. He tells Wen Na that he will fly to the South Pole to join her there for her holiday.

For a full recap of this drama, you can check out the Everyone Wants To Meet You episode summary that I have written up.

Everyone Wants To Meet You Review – Rushed Ending Spoils It

This romance drama starts off pretty well with sceneries of France and our main couple having an instant dislike of each other when they first meet. However, there are some draggy parts as the drama progresses that don’t contribute to the main story. I feel that it would have been better if these are omitted and the drama could then be shortened for even better pacing. For instance, I still don’t see any reason for Zhou Mo’s character except to add some comedic element to the drama. Unfortunately, the comedy falls flat and his scenes are all skippable.

Ironically, while they drag out some parts, the ending is rushed. The last episode sees the bad guy makes a 180-degree turn to suddenly become repentant. There is no meaningful story development to the behaviour transformation. There is no further exploration of the complex relationship between Zhang Min and Tao Lun either. The logical conclusion is that they will reconcile their differences but this is not shown to the viewers. Furthermore, the change in Tao Lun’s character is sudden – from good to bad and back to good again. For the most part of the story, Tao Lun is an unselfish, rational, and easy-going guy. Hence, his character change doesn’t seem to suit his personality when it is done in such a rush manner.

What Makes It watchable

Everyone Wants To Meet You is not a pure romance drama like Please Love Me or Love The Way You Are. Amidst the romance is the business and family aspects to give viewers a certain level of angst that you find in dramas such as Blossom In Heart. Zhang Min’s identity and why he needs to be somebody else are slowly peeled back as the story unfolds. This creates a degree of anticipation as viewers would want to know the background that leads to his current situation and strained relationship with his father. It is akin to Go Go Squid! whereby your curiosity is aroused as to why the main character behaves in a certain way.

The chemistry of the main couple also helps to carry the story through. Zhang Min is not the most likable of characters but when he and Luo Xi are together, they have the onscreen chemistry to make it feel right. I think Zhang Zhe Han is able to successfully portray the 2 sides of Zhang Min’s character – cold and emotionless without Luo Xi while vulnerable and tender with her around. It is satisfying to watch how he reacts to her and gathers the courage to change because of her.

My Verdict – You Won’t Like It If…

Everyone Wants To Meet You is hardly likely to make it to the must-watch list for most people unless you are a Zhang Zhe Han or Riley Wang fan. In fact, you won’t like it if you hate predictable plots and despicable characters. What I mean by a predictable plot here is that you can already guess who is the bad guy as well as Tao Lun’s biological parents early on in the drama. It is just a matter of how everything is going to be revealed.

Furthermore, there are quite a few unlikeable characters in this drama. I think some people might even find it hard to relate to Zhang Min because he is always longing after one woman and pursuing her but preparing to be engaged to another. His parents messed up their son’s life for their own selfish interests. Wen Na is clingy when it has already been made clear she should let go. Even Tao Lun who is supposed to be a good man turns out to be a jealous and bitter person. Normally, there would only be one or two hateful characters in a drama. But for this one, you could end up not liking or relating to many of the main and supporting characters!

A Neutral Watch

So, for this Everyone Wants To Meet You review, I can only give it a 6.5/10 rating. It is a neutral watch to me with nothing too compelling to stir an interest to rewatch even the more interesting scenes. I don’t like the rushed ending and the sudden change of behaviour in some characters which doesn’t seem to fit with the personalities that have been slowly build up from the beginning. It feels forced to fit the plot and ending. The potential for this drama to be better than average is there at the beginning. Unfortunately, they just blew it along the way.

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