I May Love You Review

I May Love You (对你不止是喜欢) wasn’t on my list of dramas to watch but the sight of a familiar face made me change my mind. Curiosity got the better of me as it wasn’t too long ago that Miles Wei appeared in another rom-com and playing a CEO as well. So, I was wondering how both dramas will stack up and if he has anything new to offer viewers with such a similar role. I May Love You review below will provide some insights into my thoughts on this rom-com.

My rating: 6.5/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Romance
Aired: November 2023
Images Credit: Douban Movie

The Cast Of I May Love You

• Miles Wei Zhe Ming as Tang Lu
• Huang Ri Ying as Tang Xin
• Yang Shi Ze as Lu Zhi Xing / Director Lu
• Zhang Mu Xi as Tang Ding Ding
• Chen Bo Hao as Huo Chen Dong
• He Yu Hong as You Huan
• Fan Jin Wei as Gao Heng

Main Characters

Tang Lu

Tang Lu is the CEO of Time Pictures which is a film production company owned by his family. He appears as cold and domineering with no experience in love. But he is a capable executive and producer with an ability to pick stories that would become hits. His father is the Chairman of Time Pictures while his mother is very eager for him to date.

Tang Xin

Tang Xin is a screenwriter in Time Pictures. She is a talented writer who is still looking for her big break. Tang Xin has secret feelings for Tang Lu who is her big boss. She is generally a friendly and cheerful person. Xiao Xiao is her friend at work while You Huan is her bestie. Tang Xin also has a set of loving and supportive parents.

Supporting Characters

Lu Zhi Xing / Director Lu

Director Lu is a film director and an old acquiantance of Tang Lu. They don’t really get along but have grudging respect for each other. Director Lu is well-known in the film production field and has a serious work attitude. His good friend and work partner is Feng Cheng who is a veteran screenwriter.

Tang Ding Ding

Ding Ding is Tang Lu’s beloved younger sister. She is a rich girl who spends her time idling away. But Ding Ding is not a spoiled brat but merely someone who has yet to find her life direction. She is a warm person and has a long-term crush on her brother’s friend.

Huo Chen Dong

Huo Chen Dong is Tang Lu’s close friend from young and Deputy CEO of Time Pictures. He is a playboy and Tang Lu’s relationship consultant. He is also close to Ding Ding but sees her as a sister.

You Huan

You Huan is a fashion designer and boutique owner. She is also Tang Xin’s best friend. She is single and an independent woman.

Gao Heng

Gao Heng is Tang Lu’s personal assistant. He is a perceptive young man who knows how to read his boss’ unspoken needs.

Synopsis

Tang Xin is a screenwriter in Time Pictures who fell in love with the CEO, Tang Lu, at first sight. But Tang Lu wanted to pursue one of her best friends instead and Tang Xin ended up “helping” him. Tang Xin knew he wouldn’t succeed because her friend wasn’t interested at all and already has a partner.

After her friend got married, Tang Xin decided to confess her feelings to Tang Lu. By then, Tang Xin has secretly loved Tang Lu for 4 years. But she got rejected straight away. This forced Tang Xin to rethink her priorities and she quit her job at Time Pictures. Her move caused Tang Lu to reconsider his feelings for her. He started to pursue her but she has moved on to another company. Now, it becomes Tang Lu’s turn to be smittened instead of Tang Xin.

I May Love You Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

I May Love You has a happy ending. Tang Lu proposes to Tang Xin in a hot air balloon which she accepts. He also draws up an agreement to give her all his assets to show his sincerity. They consummate their relationship in Episode 24 and the drama ends with their wedding photo shoot.

Ding Ding has become an actress and her first movie is a success. She decides to make her relationship with Director Lu public. As she is still young, Director Lu is willing to wait for her until she is ready to get married. He tells her that he is happy and comfortable with their current status.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

After Tang Xon quit Time Pictures in Episode 6, Tang Lu moves into the apartment opposite hers in Episode 9. He admits to his sister that he likes Tang Xin and is chasing her. He tells Tang Xin the same and wants to take back what he said about them being incompatible when he rejected her earlier. But Tang Xin says that she is not his beck and call and refuses to be with him.

In Episode 12, Tang Lu helps Tang Xin to overcome an accusation of plagiarism while in Episode 15, he saves her from a troublemaker at her friend’s boutique. He discovers that Tang Xin has been secretly in love with him for 4 years in Episode 17 and assures her that he will compensate her for all her unhappiness.

They begin dating in Episode 18 after Tang Lu jumped into the sea to save a crew member which got Tang Xin worried that she may lose him just like that. But Tang Lu makes up for the lack of confession by properly asking Tang Xin to be his girlfriend during a sweet outing in Episode 19.

Is There Any Breakup Or Love Triangle?

There is no breakup after the couple got together in Episode 18. There is also no love triangle although Director Lu seems to be close to Tang Xin at times due to their common goal and shared interest to adapt her written story into a movie.

Second Couple

Director Lu meets Ding Ding by chance in Episode 10 and is immediately attracted by her beauty. He finds her to be the perfect leading lady for his movie project and ropes her in to be the actress. But Ding Ding has always liked Huo Chen Dong. So, she follows what Tang Xin did to Tang Lu and tries to kiss Huo Chen Dong in Episode 16. But Ding Ding couldn’t bring herself to kiss him when she puts her face close to his. This gives her the confirmation that she doesn’t really love him after all but only feels reluctant to let go of the feeling of having liked him for so long.

As her interactions with Director Lu increases with the movie project, she begins to get drawn to him. In Episode 20, Director Lu saves Ding Ding in a mishap during filming and consoles her. But he is afraid to pursue her as she is still young and there is a big age gap between them. He leaves it to her to decide on the nature of their relationship in Episode 23. Ding Ding chooses to be with him and they become a couple.

I May Love You Review – Filler Drama

With only 24 episodes in total, I May Love You is one of those dramas that you watched as fillers while awaiting better titles to be screened. This is a typical cold CEO trope that viewers never seem to be tired off with their recycled plots that are highly overused. From Exploration Method Of Love to Time To Fall In Love 2022, you will find a domineering and cold CEO in them. Of course, some are better produced with a high budget such as Only For Love. However, I May Love You is not in the same league with a limited budget that is apparent in the cast’s costumes and styling.

Basically, this will only resonate with those who truly like this theme of rich and impassive CEOs falling in love with a woman and turning mushy as a result. Don’t set your standards too high and you might just enjoy it. And if you have cravings for romance, then this could also fulfill that need. But if you want more substance to a story like Rising With The Wind and South Wind Knows, then stay far away.

Not A Great Start

I May Love You begins with the girl chasing the guy. In fact, some may find difficulty liking her character because she is supposed to help the guy to pursue her friend but is insincere about it. After all, she secretly likes him and knows that her friend isn’t interested one bit. When he fails in his pursuit, she will rub it in by reminding him of his failure at times.

On top of that, her interest in him will seem like an obsession when his photos are shown lining her bedroom wall. Some might also take offense at her sudden confession and her actions to appear indifferent when it becomes his turn to pursue her. Thus, the start of the drama may not be too enticing.

Fortunately, things will get better as the drama progresses. As you get used to her character, she will become more likable as a result. While the drama may not draw you in when you start watching, it will begin to get sweeter and sweeter after the halfway mark.

Sweet Romance

I guess this is what viewers are looking for in a rom-com and I May Love You succeeds in raising the sugar level to make it at least watchable. So, if you don’t mind a thin plot and just crave for romance, this might do the trick. It is mainly about a guy who rejected a girl’s confession and then has to do the chasing when he falls head over heels for her. Hence, the sweetness comes into the picture when he does all that he needs to do to get the girl.

Once the dating starts, so do the kisses. The frequency and intensity go up a notch and this, again, should delight rom-com fans. The kisses are realistic depictions of a couple deeply in love with each other. Maybe it can’t beat the steaminess of the couple in You Are My Glory or The Forbidden Flower but it is still far better than the fish kisses we tend to see in many romance dramas.

The other positive aspect of I May Love You is the absence of toxic love rivals and disapproving parents. Thus, it is largely an angst-free drama that is easy to follow.

Acting & Chemistry

Personally, I think Miles Wei has taken up enough roles as cold male leads and CEOs in rom-coms. I can already recall a few at the top of my head – Hello, I’m At Your Service, Unforgettable Love, and Perfect And Casual. Although he fits this kind of roles, they are too similar from one drama to the next. In I May Love You, he is convincing as a CEO as usual but there is no opportunity for a breakthrough in terms of acting.

As for Huang Ri Ying, she did fine in her role as Tang Xin as well. It may not be a particularly challenging role but she appears natural as a lover to Miles Wei’s Tang Lu. Both of them got the chemistry going and this helps to enhance the drama’s watchability as a rom-com. It is not an explosive type of chemistry but one that feels easy-going and natural.

My Verdict – Only For Rom-Com Fans

I May Love You is a typical rom-com with a thin plot and many filler scenes like Road Home. Once the leads get together, the remaining episodes are essentially fillers to lengthen the drama. Therefore, it will only be attractive to those who are into rom-coms and don’t mind the unnecessary fillers that come with it. This is besides the cliche plot and cold CEO trope.

The only thing it has going for it is the sweetness of the romance which I guess is what matters for dramas of this genre. Add in a matching couple and the drama will automatically become more attractive to fans. I think this production did manage to give viewers what they hope to see in a rom-com which is why some will find it highly enjoyable despite the low budget and expected flaws.

For this I May Love You review, I would rate it 6.5/10. The story is unoriginal and the drama could have been shorter to me. While we may not expect a great plot for a rom-com, the romance needs to be extra special to make up for it. I think the romance is indeed sweet but not up to a level that makes this a must-watch drama. In short, it is good enough for a typical cold CEO rom-com trope but nothing more than that.