Only For Love C Drama Review

Only For Love (以爱为营) is a highly anticipated romance drama for 2023 given the popularity of the 2 leads. And when you pair 2 good-looking people together, the expectations for a sweet romance will naturally rise further. However, this drama is not as inspiring as it seems whether in the romance department or business side of things. I just find it to be a waste of potential as it could have been much better written. My Only For Love review below will have more details on my thoughts on this drama.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 36
Type: Youth Romance
Aired: November 2023
Images Credit: Douban Movie

The Cast Of Only For Love

• Bai Lu as Zheng Shu Yi
• Dylan Wang He Di as Shi Yan
• Miles Wei Zhe Ming as Yu You
• Liu Dong Qin as Guan Ji
• Jiang Pei Yao as Bi Ruo Shan / Shan Shan
• Shen Yu Jie as Qin Shi Yue
• Kou Zhen Hai as Shi Wen Guang
• Nie Yuan as Guan Xiang Cheng
• Zeng Li as Tang Yi / Yi Jie
• An Yue Xi as Xu Yu Ling
• Lu Cheng Jue as Yue Xing Zhou
• Zheng Shu Huan as Qin Le Zhi
• Liu Ming Hao as Chen Sheng
• Daniel Zhou Ke Yu as Yi Yang

Main Characters

Zheng Shu Yi

Shu Yi is a beautiful finance journalist who is very good in her work. She is ambitious, professional, and has specific goals that she wants to achieve. Shu Yi is proactive in securing interviews and doesn’t let setbacks to keep her down. On a personal level, Shu Yi is a warm and friendly person but her talent and beauty also invite a fair share of foes.

Shi Yan

Shi Yan is the CEO of Yunchuang Capital which is a subsidiary under his family company, Mingyu. While he is insightful and has a vision in his work as an investor, he is a very private man who doesn’t like to share his inner thoughts. So, he can be icy towards those who try to invade his personal space. Shi Yan can also be petty and jealous when it comes to love.

Supporting Characters

Yu You

Yu You is a finance and economics professor who is much sought after for his expertise. He has also just been recruited by Guan Capital to be their strategic adviser. Yu You is a gentleman who is courteous and sincere. He also comes from the same city as Shu Yi.

Guan Ji

Guan Ji is Shi Yan’s good friend and business partner. He runs his father’s company, Guan Capital, which is one of Yunchuang’s backers. Guan Ji is a playboy with lots of girls surrounding him.

Bi Ruo Shan / Shan Shan

Shan Shan is Shu Yi’s bestie and they went to school together. She is a reporter for a media company. Shan Shan is a dating expert who seems to have lots of partners as she doesn’t believe in a stable kind of love.

Qin Shi Yue

Shi Yue is Shi Yan’s niece. She has a journalism degree but prefers to loaf around and spend money. Shi Yue is a little fearful of Shi Yan who wants her to be more matured and responsible. She may be a typical rich kid but harmless.

Shi Wen Guang

Shi Wen Guang is Shi Yan’s father and Shi Yue’s maternal grandfather. Mingyu is his company but he has since retired with the company being run by his son-in-law. He is a good man and a supportive father.

Guan Xiang Cheng

Guan Xiang Chen is Guan Ji’s father. He is also close to Shi Yan and often gives him valuable advice. He is the founder of Guan Capital and much respected in the investment industry but keeps a very low profile.

Tang Yi / Yi Jie

Tang Yi is Shu Yi’s superior at work. She is the Deputy Chief Editor and is a good boss who recognizes Shu Yi’s talent and hard work.

Xu Yu Ling

Yu Ling is Shu Yi’s colleague and competitor at work. She is a jealous woman who can’t bear to see Shu Yi being a better journalist than her and will resort to sabotage and tricks to try to get ahead.

Yue Xing Zhou

Xing Zhou is Shu Yi’s ex-boyfriend who is caught cheating. He is an opportunistic man who is not prepared for hard work but sees his new girlfriend as a short cut to a better job as she could supposedly get him a high-paying position at Yunchuang.

Qin Le Zhi

Le Zhi is Xing Zhou’s new girlfriend who is assumed to be Shi Yan’s niece. She works in Yunchuang and has a snobbish attitude.

Chen Sheng

Chen Sheng is Shi Yan’s executive assistant. His job includes handling his boss’ itineraries and appointments.

Yi Yang

Yi Yang is a young entrepreneur who is well-known for his skills in the chip industry. He has just returned from abroad to start a semi-conductor company. Yi Yang is bold and direct. He is a very self-confident young man who openly pursues Shu Yi.

Synopsis

Shi Yan is the CEO of Yunchuang which is a capital investment firm. After 3 years of operation, it is time to raise the firm’s profile and give the public a better understanding of its corporate philosophy. There has been much anticipation in the industry as Shi Yan has kept a low profile and has never given an interview before. Due to her past works, Shu Yi is chosen to be the journalist to interview him.

While they are physically attracted to one another once they laid eyes on each other, their working relationship is not exactly a smooth one. Shi Yan is not a man who is easy to get along and understand due to his lack of communication. This often leaves Shu Yi guessing as to his intentions. As she tries to flirt with him and pursue him with ulterior motives, real feelings begin to develop between them. Problem arises when Shi Yan learns exactly why Shu Yi approached him in the first place and becomes angry at her deception.

Only For Love Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Only For Love has a happy ending. Shi Yan’s investment in a technological company was doing badly previously but he managed to turn it around by successfully mediating a collaboration with its competitor. Shi Yue passes her internship and is offered a permanent position with the finance publication. Shu Yi’s hard work in getting the e-magazine off the ground is seeing results. While the Chief Editor recognizes her talent, she is still denied a promotion as he thinks she is still too young to head the department.

One year later, Shu Yi wins an award for her reporting and gets her promotion. Shi Yan proposes to her which she accepts. Tang Yi gets married to Guan Xiang Cheng and asks Shu Yi to be her bridesmaid. At the wedding banquet, Guan Xiang Cheng suggests that the 3 couples have a group marriage next. While Shi Yan, Guan Ji, and Yu You are eager to get married, the 3 women are evasive towards the subject. The drama ends with Tang Yi preparing to throw her bouquet with the understanding that the person who catches it will be the next one to get married.

The bonus episode features Shi Yan and Shu Yi’s wedding. After all the guests have left, Shi Yan pulls Shu Yi back to the stage and tells her that he has loved her the first time he saw her when she won an award for her work. She didn’t know that he was watching her then. The bonus episode ends with them kissing.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Shi Yan and Shu Yi get together in Episode 19. This is after he found out that she has gone on a matchmaking date with Yu You due to pressure from her mother. That is when Shi Yan decides that he couldn’t wait for Shu Yi to open up to him. He also doesn’t want to care anymore about her intention for approaching him and impulsively kisses her. The couple officially start dating in Episode 20 and Shu Yi moves in to live with Shi Yan in Episode 34.

Is There Any Love Triangle?

Yi Yang is also attracted to Shu Yi. He approaches her to seek an interview in Episode 21 and directly tells her that he likes her a lot. He even states his intention to pursue Shu Yi in front of Shi Yan in Episode 24. However, Shu Yi has no interest in Yi Yang and tells him so numerous times including in Episode 27 when he visits her in her hometown during a festival break. She again says there is no possibility between them in Episode 31 regardless of whether there is Shi Yan or not in her life.

In Episode 34, Shi Yan makes it obvious that he is in bed with Shu Yi when Yi Yang calls her. Subsequently, Shu Yi turns down Yi Yang’s interview request and recommends that the report be taken up by another journalist. He agrees to her suggestion and they remain cordial towards each other.

Is There A Breakup?

There is an ambiguous breakup in Episode 27. This follows an incident in Episode 26 when Le Zhi’s cover as Shi Yan’s niece is blown. Shu Yi and Xing Zhou attended their senior’s wedding. Her ex brought his new girlfriend, Le Zhi, along who defamed Shu Yi during the banquet. When Shi Yan turned up unexpectedly at the wedding, Shu Yi discovered that Le Zhi is not his niece but his driver’s niece. Following that incident, Shi Yan learned that Shu Yi’s real purpose in pursuing him is to get back at Xing Zhou and Le Zhi since she thought Le Zhi is related to him. Shu Yi only found out thereafter that Shi Yan’s real niece is Shi Yue when the latter tried to pair Shu Yi up with her uncle.

Shi Yan refuses to meet Shu Yi due to her deception. He is seething with anger as her effort to placate him fails. He stops all cooperation with her magazine and blocks her contact in Episode 28. In the meantime, Yi Yang keeps pursuing Shu Yi. When Shi Yue sees them together in Episode 31, she messages her uncle. Shi Yan then makes his way to Shu Yi’s place. Coincidentally, Shu Yi is sick and Shi Yan accompanies her to the hospital. They reconcile after Shu Yi tells Shi Yan that they may have started imperfectly but she wants a perfect ending with him as she has fallen for him.

Shi Yue & Yu You

Shi Yue is instantly attracted to Yu You and pursues him ashamedly after meeting him. However, Yu You doesn’t think they are compatible as she is young. He feels that it is just a temporary infatuation on her part. So, he turns down her pursuit in Episode 16 and 18 despite her relentless effort to get close to him.

Shi Yue learns that Shu Yi’s blind date is Yu You in Episode 19. This is because Shu Yi has no romantic feelings for Yu You and hence, brings Shi Yue along for the date. Yu You admits to Shi Yue that he admires Shu Yi although they are only friends for now. But Shi Yue knows Shu Yi has no interest in Yu You and continues to pursue him without much success.

In Episode 28, Shi Yue realizes that she should keep some distance from Yu You to make him think of her instead. Her absence makes Yu You to be the proactive one to contact her in Episode 29. He confesses to her in Episode 30 and they start dating as a couple. This is after Shi Yue rejected a boy’s advances in front of him and he took the opportunity to tell her his own feelings.

Shan Shan & Guan Ji

Shan Shan and Guan Ji are people who are used to freedom and dislike being tied down to one person. But each has feelings for the other which they are not willing to admit and face up to. When Guan Ji wants to spend more time together with Shan Shan, she tells him to think about what he really wants from his relationship with her in Episode 20. She avoids him as much as possible thereafter especially when she often sees him with other girls.

In Episode 24, Guan Ji tells Shan Shan that he truly cares about her but lacks the experience in maintaining a long-term relationship. They agree to give each other time. But in Episode 25, Shan Shan asks Guan Ji to let her go so that both of them could have peace when he confesses his feelings to her. This is because she sees no future in the relationship as the question of what next remains unanswered.

Guan Ji becomes desperate when he thought Shan Shan is going to marry someone else in Episode 27. He explains how his parents’ divorce when he was a kid has affected him but he is now willing to put in the effort to make it work for the both of them. Shan Shan is moved and suggests that they date as a start rather than think of marriage. They become a couple then.

Only For Love Review – Cold CEO Trope

My suspicion is Only For Love will not going to have mass appeal. This is because the cold CEO trope has been played over and over again that it will take something really special to get everyone excited. Unfortunately, Only For Love is not it. If you want a good story, you’d better pick something else to watch. While one may not be expecting a solid story for a cold CEO romance drama, the problem with Only For Love for me is the length. The scriptwriter overplayed it as such a simple story could have been told in far less than 30 episodes.

The blowing hot and cold phase seems to go on and on that the story starts to get stale after a while. The guy’s uncommunicative stance and monosyllable replies lose their freshness as the push and pull dynamics between the leads drag out the story. I suppose that is his trademark personality and it is a way to leave the female lead guessing as to his meaning and intention. As for the female lead, her acting to flirt with him is her way of making him guess her motives in return. So, if you like this kind of little mind games in a romance, then this may resonate with you as it is not the straightforward ‘I love you and I’m chasing you’ kind of romance like in Love Is Panacea.

In short, there is a lot of ambiguity going on before the leads get together in the drama. At times, it does feel flirty and sweet. That is why I could plough through the entire 36 episodes. But there are also moments when you just wish they be honest with each other and move on to the next phase of the relationship.

A Very Average Story

As I have mentioned earlier, you can’t really expect much from this kind of cliche romance when it comes to the plot. But it doesn’t mean they can’t succeed as even low budget ones like Once We Get Married could spawn a sequel. Only For Love tries to put in a bit of business aspect into the plot but this is also where it fails to deliver. You are not going to get anything interesting about the male lead’s business dealings. All you will get is his father’s peers questioning his decision every now and then.

While business matters is not the focus of the story, it still has some connection to the female lead in the form of a third party who pops out of nowhere more than halfway through the drama and starts pursuing her. It should have been better weaved into the story because his appearance and pursuit feel too sudden, and hence, forced.

The one thing I do like about the story though is the anticipation of the truth emerging regarding the identity of the male lead’s niece. That is the critical roadblock in the leads’ romance. Basically, the girl approaches the guy with an ulterior motive that is tied to his “niece” and she fears that the relationship will crumble if the truth is exposed. This part only emerges later on when it hits her that she may be seen as a liar. On the downside, it is precisely because of this deception that her character may seem flawed.

Flawed Female Characters

I think one of the major problems with Only For You is that some of the characters are not well-written. At times, you just have to try to enjoy the romance and forget about the characters’ behavior. I think I managed to do so to a certain extent as I don’t see this as a serious romance like South Wind Knows. If you just take it as a form of escapism, perhaps the drama may end up being more entertaining.

The female lead is smart and confident in her professional life but listens to the wrong advice from her bestie who isn’t exactly the right person to be a relationship guru. Thus, there is a contradiction in the character which is hard to reconcile. Smart at work but dumb in love issues. Her fears are understandable but her procrastination in telling the male lead the truth because of her bestie’s advice is frustrating.

As such, the bestie is no better and her character fails to inspire. She values her freedom and then falls in love with a guy who is just like her. She then avoids him and expects the guy to figure out why. As for the female lead’s intern, she may seem like a spoiled rich kid but I think her character has the most growth. Some may see her as a stalker for the way she pursues her man though. This again may make some viewers feel negatively towards the character.

I guess if you don’t see these weaknesses as a big issue, then the drama will certainly be far more enjoyable. A big part of it really boils down to how much of their flaws bother you on the whole.

Great Chemistry

To me, the chemistry between Bai Lu and Dylan Wang is the main factor that keeps this drama from being utterly mediocre. At least, I enjoyed their interactions. Otherwise, it might indeed be hard to sit through all the 36 episodes. They may lack the sweetness that Bai Lu had with Leo Lu in Love Is Sweet but the relationship dynamics between these 2 pairs is totally different. Love Is Sweet is about overdosing you with sugar and fluff while Only For Love relies more on flirts, teases and play acts to generate a kind of romantic anticipation of more to come.

This kind of interactions is pleasurable to watch if you don’t mind the exaggerations at times. I think Bai Lu and Dylan Wang play off each other rather well in their scenes together. All their actions and reactions look natural and there is no awkwardness as lovers. And with Bai Lu, you can be assured that the kisses will not disappoint. Most of the skinship is reserved for the last quarter of the drama and it is definitely worth the wait if you are tired of fish kisses and mouths that don’t move during kissing scenes in a romance drama just like in My Precious.

My Verdict – Not Everyone’s Cup Of Tea

Only For Love is a romance drama with a cold and overbearing CEO. So, if you a fan of this theme, you will probably like this one as well. But if you are sick and tired of this trope, then I’m afraid there is nothing extra special that might make you change your mind unless, of course, you are a big fan of the leads. In fact, this is a wasted potential to me because a better script could have propelled this drama to another level given the cast. What I’m thinking of is a tighter focus and shorter story rather than letting it drag out unnecessarily.

However, this production is not without its positives. The cast did a good job with what they were given and the chemistry of the 2 leads help to make it more entertaining. So, this balances things out for me somewhat. It is not the best domineering CEO romance drama out there but I could ignore many of the glaring weaknesses by concentrating on the 2 leads interactions rather than the characters’ shortcomings and the standard story.

Hence, for this Only For Love review, I would rate it 7.5/10. It is watchable to me and therefore, I don’t think I can be too harsh over the score. Perhaps the expectations are really high for this drama that it is easier to be disappointed with the imperfections. Just bear in mind that the story is not going to be extraordinary and the characters are flawed. It is just a question of how much you will enjoy the leads’ banter and interactions and whether that is sufficient to cover the inadequacies mentioned. if yes, this can be a superb rom-com. But if no, this can also end up as a massive disappointment especially when you have paired 2 good-looking people together.