Here We Meet Again Review

Here We Meet Again (三分野) is a Chinese modern romance drama. Just as the title indicates, it is about a couple who meet again years later after losing contact since high school. So, it is nothing groundbreaking in terms of plot here. The entertainment value comes from the interactions of the main couple and the rest of the cast. Whether you would find it enjoyable would depend on a few factors which I will elaborate on my Here We Meet Again review below. Hence, do scroll down for more.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 32
Type: Office Romance
Aired: May 2023
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook

The Cast Of Here We Meet Again

• Janice Wu Qian as Xiang Yuan
• Vin Zhang Bin Bin as Xu Yan Shi
• Huang De Yi as Gao Leng
• Nita Xia Ruo Yan as Chen Shu
• Liu Wei Ting as Lin Qing Qing
• Zhao Heng as Shi Tian You
• Wang Zheng Rui as You Zhi
• Sun Yu Fan as Zhang Jun
• Fu Jia as Li Chi
• Li Yi Xiao as Li Qin
• Zhang Xi Lin as Li Yong Biao
• Miffy Shi Qing Yan as Ying Yin Yin
• Cui Li Ya as Xu Yuan
• Li Li Qun as Situ Ming Tian
• Hou Rui Xiang as Lao Qing / Wang Qing Yi
• Chen Si Yu as Feng Jun
• Hao Ping as Yang Ping Shan
• Li Yuan Yuan as Chen Shan
• Liang Da Wei as Lu Dong

Main Characters

Xiang Yuan

Xiang Yuan is an online gamer with a large following. She is a playful but opinionated young lady with her own outlook in life. She is smart but lacks proper working experience in the real world. Xiang Yuan can be witty with comebacks when faced with bullies and does not take injustice lying down. She comes from a rich family who runs Donghe Group. Her parents died young and her current family members comprise of an older brother and a grandfather.

Xu Yan Shi

Yan Shi heads Team 1 of the Technical Department at Velin which is a car navigational company. He is a real talent in the navigational industry but keeps a low profile. Yan Shi is a good boss to his subordinates but faces constant obstacles from higher-ups due to office politics. He is reserved and doesn’t talk much about his personal life. He has a little brother, Xu Cheng Li, who is still in primary school.

Supporting Characters

Gao Leng

Gao Leng is Yan Shi’s subordinate. He is totally loyal to his boss. Gao Leng is comical at times but can also be impulsive when it comes to his girlfriend whom he dotes on.

Chen Shu

Chen Shu is Gao Leng’s girlfriend. She is also the Head of Sales Department at Velin. She is professional in her work and also a good friend of Yan Shi.

Lin Qing Qing, Shi Tian You, You Zhi & Zhang Jun

The 4 of them are Yan Shi’s subordinates together with Gao Leng. They are good co-workers who get along smoothly in the office.

Li Chi

Li Chi is also Yan Shi’s subordinate and part of the technical team. However, he is a problematic staff with a poor work attitude.

Li Qin

Li Qin is the Deputy General Manager of Velin. She holds the power to approve budgets and constantly clashes with Yan Shi at work. She is a calculative woman who is supporting a certain faction at the headquarters in a power struggle.

Li Yong Biao

Yong Biao is the General Manager of Velin. He is an amiable man who is constantly trying to make everyone get along. He can also be seen as a fence-sitter who doesn’t dare to offend any party.

Ying Yin Yin

Yin Yin is a staff in the Sales Department of Velin. She is a spoiled woman who likes to show off and indulge in gossips. She revels in her connections as she got into Velin because of her uncle’s seniority in the group.

Xu Yuan

Xu Yuan is Xiang Yuan’s best friend from schooldays.

Situ Ming Tian

Situ Ming Tian is the Chairman of Donghe Group which he founded. He is also Xiang Yuan’s grandfather. He has a close relationship with his granddaughter but they share different life philosophies. Xiao Bai is his personal assistant.

Lao Qing / Wang Qing Yi

Lao Qing is Yan Shi’s mate from college days. He runs a computer repair business.

Feng Jun

Feng Jun was Yan Shi and Lao Qing’s dorm mate in college. He has just returned from the US to expand his family’s business in the technology sector.

Yang Ping Shan

Yang Ping Shan is a Vice President of Donghe Group. He is an ambitious man with his own agenda.

Chen Shan

Chen Shan is a senior manager at Donghe Group. She is rumored to have a special relationship with Yan Shi.

Lu Dong

Lu Dong is Xiang Yuan’s neighbor. He is a single dad with a young son. Lu Dong is a rich businessman and one of Velin’s clients.

Synopsis

Xiang Yuan is an online gamer with no interest to date and get married. Due to her grandfather’s constant nagging, she ended up making a bet with him. If she wins the bet, she will have the freedom to do whatever she wants. The bet is she would have to turn around a company called Velin. Xiang Yuan’s grandfather runs Donghe Group and Velin is one of its subsidiaries. Her grandfather also imposed the condition that she must join Velin as a normal staff and not let anyone know of their relationship so that she can’t use her connection to him to get what she wants.

After arriving at the company, Xiang Yuan found out that she will be working alongside Yan Shi who was her crush at school. They had an ambiguous relationship then but broke up when he didn’t want to go to her birthday party as promised. He then left school all of a sudden and they lost contact. Xiang Yuan found it awkward to see Yan Shi again and they slowly rekindled their interest in each other.

However, Xiang Yuan still has her doubts about Yan Shi’s relationship with a senior manager at Donghe Group. Her identity as the company owner’s granddaughter was also well-hidden. At the same time, Yan Shi’s talent was not being recognized which prompted him to consider his future in Velin.

Here We Meet Again Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Here We Meet Again has a happy ending. Xiang Yuan manages to save Donghe Group from bankruptcy at the last minute after a Vice President, Yang Ping Shan, took some shareholders and the core technical personnel from the company to start his own venture. This caused Donghe Group to suffer from capital and technical staff shortage. A friend whom she had helped in the past vouched for her which convinces the bank to lend Donghe Group money to tie them over. Yan Shi and his friends also help Xiang Yuan to overcome the staff shortage. Yang Ping Shan and his mistress, Li Qin, are eventually arrested for embezzlement.

After stabilizing Donghe Group, Yan Shi goes on to attend the interview to join the nation’s Research Institute which has been his lifelong dream. He passes the interview and is involved in the launching of a satellite a few months later. After the successful launch, he proposes to Xiang Yuan on camera during an interview. She says yes. 6 days later, they celebrate the success of the launch with family and friends.

The drama ends with a mischievous little boy creating trouble. He is Yan Shi and Xiang Yuan’s son. The last scene shows the couple and their son walking away together as a happy family.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Yan Shi and Xiang Yuan already have an ambiguous relationship very early on in the drama. They obviously still have feelings for one another after meeting again but it was not explicitly expressed until Episode 11. Yan Shi tells Xiang Yuan that he has fallen for someone he shouldn’t knowing that he would be rejected. Xiang Yuan did reject him because she has her doubts about his relationship with Chen Shan who brought him into Veilin.

However, Yan Shi still continues to pursue Xiang Yuan. He tries his luck again in Episode 14 during a group game of Truth or Dare but unsuccessful. Xiang Yuan’s attitude towards Yan Shi softens after she learns from Gao Leng about Yan Shi’s past. She now knows the reason why he missed her birthday party and left school all of a sudden.

Yan Shi expresses his love for Xiang Yuan again in Episode 17 and asks her to consider accepting him as her boyfriend during a call. She actually says yes but poor signal hinders Yan Shi from hearing her reply. The leads finally get together in Episode 20. Yan Shi gets impulsive after Xiang Yuan is angry with him over his resignation from Velin without informing her earlier. He kisses her and asks her whether she wants to be with him. She says yes.

Is There Any Breakup And Love Triangle?

Xiang Yuan breaks up with Yan Shi for a short while in Episode 30. This is because he insists on helping her at Donghe Group which is facing a crisis. If he does so, he will lose the chance to join the Research Institute. Xiang Yuan doesn’t want to bear the burden of being the person who made Yan Shi forego his dream. She couldn’t bear seeing him sacrifice his dream for her. Hence, she tells Yan Shi that she wants a breakup if he remains in Donghe Group.

They reconcile in Episode 31 after Yan Shi protects Xiang Yuan from Feng Jun’s aggression and humiliation during their ex-teacher’s birthday dinner. Yan Shi also promises Xiang Yuan that he will attend the Research Institute’s interview and will not give up on his dream.

There is no love triangle although there are rumors about Yan Shi and Chen Shan. Chen Shan is merely the person who recruited Yan Shi into Velin. Xiang Yuan’s neighbor and client, Lu Dong, is also interested in her. But she has never given him a chance. She also makes it clear to him that she has a boyfriend in Episode 24.

Why Did Yan Shi And Xiang Yuan Lose Contact?

A flashback in Episode 11 reveals Yan Shi’s background. He comes from a poor family and his father owed creditors money after a failed business venture. As a result, they needed to leave their home at a moment’s notice to avoid the creditors. This forced him to tell Xiang Yuan that he couldn’t make it to her birthday party as promised which angered her. He also left school right after and they lost contact. Xiang Yuan finds out about Yan Shi’s difficult teenage years from Gao Leng in Episode 14.

The couple reconnected by chance through an online game while in college but had no idea about each other’s real identity. They just knew each other by their username. After a while of playing together, Xiang Yuan found herself falling for her online playing partner. She suggested that they date for real to which Yan Shi agreed. However, he became difficult to reach right after and didn’t turn up to meet her when she requested. So, they broke up. Xiang Yuan finds out that Yan Shi was her online boyfriend back then in Episode 18.

While Xiang Yuan only learns about Yan Shi’s online identity in the present, he already knew when she waited for him to show up after requesting for a meeting. Yan Shi caught sight of her while he hid in the background. This is revealed in Episode 20. He didn’t want to meet her because his father had suddenly dropped the responsibility of caring for his baby brother on him. Yan Shi simply had too many commitments then to be able to be in a relationship.

Why Did Yan Shi End Up Working In Velin?

Yan Shi actually had a bright future ahead of him while at university. With his talent, he already got an offer from a top tier company to work for their R&D team. However, his dorm mates including Lao Qing and Feng Jun hacked into Donghe Group’s server for fun and was caught. Feng Jun had used Yan Shi’s computer to do so which was why Yan Shi was implicated. Chen Shan who is working for Donghe Group demanded RMB10 million compensation from them. Yan Shi worked out a deal with Chen Shan that they will improve the company’s security system and just pay RMB2 million as compensation.

Feng Jun was supposed to raise the money while the rest worked on the company’s system. However, Feng Jun didn’t do his part. His father immediately sent him abroad to evade responsibility. Yan Shi sought help from his professor but when the money was raised, his father wanted it for his business. This forced Yan Shi to agree to Chen Shan’s condition to work for Velin in exchange for having the lawsuit terminated against him and his friends. Lao Qing narrates this story to Xiang Yuan in Episode 15 when they bump into Feng Jun again during a tech competition.

Side Couple

Gao Leng and Chen Shu are lovers from the beginning of the drama. They have a disagreement in Episode 10 when he impulsively hits Li Chi for having a photo of Chen Shu. She is angry because his action will cause people to talk about them and her personal affairs will then become the central focus rather than her work. Gao Leng successfully coaxes her back but he gets into another fight with Li Chi when provoked in Episode 12. This time, Chen Shu breaks up with Gao Leng. She is also seen to be close to Lu Dong and Gao Leng sees them together in Episode 17.

Chen Shu tells Xiang Yuan that Gao Leng is too clingy and childish for her in Episode 21. That is why she thinks he is not suitable for a long-term relationship. She also asks Gao Leng to be more matured when he asks her if they still have a chance in Episode 22.

In Episode 28, Chen Shu is angry at Gao Leng again when she sees that he has gotten into another fight. However, she doesn’t know that Gao Leng had tried to hit Lu Dong the night before because he had overheard Lu Dong telling others that he is just fooling around with her. Chen Shu also learns from Lu Dong’s own son later on that the man has many girlfriends. She gets back with Gao Leng in Episode 32 after his co-worker couldn’t stand it anymore and tells her everything that Gao Leng has quietly done for her.

Here We Meet Again Review – High School To Office Romance

Here We Meet Again has a very simple plot. A pair of high school students have developed feelings for each other but the boy suddenly left the school overnight. By the time they meet again, it is years later and they are now colleagues. So, this is a straightforward story of an office romance with occasional flashbacks to give context to their relationship. In between, there will be some office politics to inject some variety into the drama.

I see this as a typical romance with the relationship going back and forth as the female lead blows hot and cold due to certain unresolved issues. It is not like Sweet And Cold whereby the couple is very direct and knows what they want. Here, the issues could be easily resolved if the girl could just ask but you won’t find that happening. She has lingering doubts which drag out the wooing phase and leaves the guy baffled at times. Hence, they have this ambiguous relationship for the most part.

Therefore, if you like watching “not yet there, but soon” kind of romance, this will fit the bill. It doesn’t have the depth of Lighter And Princess without a strong plot to drive it. It also doesn’t have the maturity of Meet Yourself. Instead, Here We Meet Again is more of the teasing kind with a gutsy and witty female lead.

Not Much Angst

With the way the female lead has been packaged, you will get the idea that there will be humor with a light tone to the drama. Hence, there is not much angst whether in the romance or business side of things. The love story is nothing complicated. In fact, some will find it refreshing because there is no love triangle to derail the couple’s relationship. So, if you are tired of jealous third parties in a romance drama, this will be a change from the usual.

The other positive aspect of the drama is the way the flashbacks has been laid out. It is told from both the girl’s and guy’s point of view. Thus, you will have a more comprehensive understanding of why things turn out that way between them. To me, the flashbacks are also just right in terms of frequency and duration. They don’t end up dragging the drama overall.

Is It A Swoon-Worthy Romance?

I would say yes. The guy is good-looking and some of things he does for the girl to pursue her will feel very romantic. The way he asks her to be together is so masculine and that will certainly make women press the playback button. Their repressed feelings for each other finally come bursting forth and the scene will fulfill viewers’ expectations and may even make some blush.

In short, there are quite a few scenes that will make you swoon where this couple is concerned. The skinship is there in an adequate amount for a romance drama. While it is not as steamy as The Forbidden Flower, the passion is obvious in the kissing scenes. The chemistry between the leads play a huge part to make the romance convincing and hence, the whole drama becomes watchable.

Acting And Chemistry

Vin Zhang and Janice Wu require no introduction. Both of them are veterans by now after having acted in so many dramas. The last modern romance drama starring Vin Zhang and Janice Wu that I have watched is A Romance Of The Little Forest and Light Chaser Rescue respectively. In Here We Meet Again, both of them have a solid understanding of the characters to me. Hence, their portrayal of their characters is on point and enjoyable to watch.

Vin Zhang’s Yan Shi is a brainy character who doesn’t have much luck in life and resigned to his fate. So, you can feel his indifference at work initially and I think the actor did well to bring out this side of the character. When Janice Wu’s Xiang Yuan reappears in his life, he seems to get back his spark. Xiang Yuan is a teaser and Janice Wu is splendid in her portrayal to provide the springboard for Vin Zhang to respond in a way that makes it entertaining to watch them interact.

Basically, the 2 leads have some good chemistry going on and together with their experienced acting, their interactions feel very natural. This in turn makes their intimate scenes realistic rather than forced.

My Verdict – Likable Romance

The main weakness of Here We Meet Again is the thin plot. You don’t watch this for a gripping or heart-wrenching story. You watch this for the leads’ interactions and romance. That’s about it. if you start being picky about the details, the story actually leaves a lot of room for debate. For instance, Xiang Yuan has no technical background at all but she can successfully head a team in the technical department. The ending also starts to veer towards state propaganda like in Flight To You and You Are My Glory.

The saving grace is the leads’ chemistry which then gives us a swoon-worthy romance. I guess most romance drama fans would be satisfied as long as the right feel is there. So, in that sense, Here We Meet Again is likable and a satisfying watch. The pacing may be a little slow for some because of the back and forth that is going on in the initial stages of their relationship. Some might also feel bored by the filler scenes towards the last third of the drama. It is not as bad as Road Home in terms of the amount of fillers but I guess not all might like the pacing.

All in all, I would give this Here We Meet Again review a score of 7.5/10. It is really nothing great but it is still a likable romance. The characters are easy to root for and there is some element of growth to make them relatable. And of course, the skinship which is much better than average to compel you to rewatch!