Please Be My Family Review

I watched Please Be My Family (请成为我的家人) on a whim after checking out what is on offer on Mango TV. I rarely watch this channel’s dramas due to the poor quality subtitles but decided to give it a go anyway. Personally, this really isn’t my cup of tea but I will try to list both its good and bad. I understand many people seem to find this enjoyable and there are indeed some redeeming qualities. If you are keen to know more, check out my Please Be My Family review below.

My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 30 (30 minutes per episode)
Type: Contract Marriage
Aired: May 2023
Images Credit: Douban Movie

The Cast Of Please Be My Family

• Jade Zheng Qiu Hong as Qi Si Le
• Xie Bin Bin as Song Hao Yu
• Zhang Yan Bo as Song Xing Chen / Chen Chen
• Huang Bo Si as Qi Zi Xuan / Xuan Xuan
• Ryan Zhu Yuan Bing as Hao Jun
• Sheng Hui Zi as Li Xin
• Jin Chong as Qin Tian
• Yang Xue Er as Tong Luo Qi
• Jie Bing as Song En Mao / Grandpa Song
• Song En Mao as Liu Xiang Lan
• Wang Bo Qing as Qi Da Hai
• Mi Mi as Jin Xi Chen

Main Characters

Qi Si Le

Si Le is an account manager with an advertising firm. She is also a single mother with a 5-year-old daughter who is awaiting surgery. Si Le is hardworking and has a positive attitude despite her life problems.

Song Hao Yu

Hao Yu is the CEO of Maolin Mall which is an upmarket shopping mall. His family is a major shareholder of the company. Hao Yu is not a communicative person and tends to hide his innermost feelings. He is a single father to a 5-year-old boy.

Supporting Characters

Song Xing Chen / Chen Chen

Chen Chen is Hao Yu’s son. He is a cute little boy who is very astute and warm. He knows how to say the right things to make a person happy.

Qi Zi Xuan / Xuan Xuan

Xuan Xuan is Si Le’s daughter. She is an adorable and a sensible little girl. Xuan Xuan has a brain tumor and is scheduled to undergo surgery when she is a year older.

Hao Jun

Hao Jun is Hao Yu’s best friend. He is also a fellow shareholder of Maolin Mall but prefers to fool around rather than work. However, he is a nice man at heart who is attracted to Li Xin.

Li Xin

Li Xin is a kindergarten teacher. She is also Si Le’s best friend and Xuan Xuan’s godmother. Li Xin is gentle with kids but can be fierce and upfront to those she dislikes.

Qin Tian

Qin Tian is a brand executive for jewelers with much clout in the industry. He has just came back from abroad and is headhunted by Hao Yu to join Maolin Mall.

Tong Luo Qi

Luo Qi is the owner of a jewelry business called Fanyi and has a shop in Maolin Mall. She has been carrying a torch for Hao Yu for a number of years. Luo Qi is a bitchy and sophisticated woman.

Song En Mao / Grandpa Song

Grandpa Song is Hao Yu’s grandfather and Chen Chen’s great-grandfather. He is a kind and sincere old man who also has a tumor in his brain.

Liu Xiang Lan & Qi Da Hai

Both of them are Si Le’s parents. They are very traditional parents especially Si Le’s father. They live in the countryside and lead a simple life. Si Le doesn’t get along well with her father due to their different opinions.

Jin Xi Chen

Xi Chen is a female snooker player and well-known champion. She is also Hao Yu’s ex-girlfriend.

Synopsis

Si Le is a struggling single mother who is saving money to enable her daughter, Xuan Xuan, to undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor. A chance meeting with Hao Yu makes him suspect that Si Le are somehow connected to his family through Xuan Xuan because of the brooch that she is wearing. As Si Le happens to be the account manager in charge of getting an advertising contract from Hao Yu’s company, it gives him the opportunity to get close to her and investigate Xuan Xuan’s background.

Hao Yu then proposes to Si Le and she decides to marry him thinking that he genuinely cares about her and her daughter. But Si Le learns later that Hao Yu is only interested in a fake relationship with her to supposedly please his sick grandfather. As time passes, Hao Yu begins to develop real feelings for Si Le. Their marriage moves from a fake to a real one. However, trouble looms when Hao Yu’s real intention of marrying Si Le is exposed.

Please Be My Family Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Please Be My Family has a happy ending. Hao Yu asks Si Le for a reconciliation after the truth about what happened to her sister has been revealed. Hao Yu’s family is not to be blamed for her death. Si Le is also pregnant with Hao Yu’s child by then and Luo Qi is prepared to be the baby’s godmother. Hao Yu also gives Si Le a surprise proposal at the end of the drama to make up for the fake relationship they had earlier.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Hao Yu is the one who first brought up the subject of marriage with Si Le but she finds it incredulous since they hardly know each other. But when he helps her with Xuan Xuan’s medical bills and seems to love Xuan Xuan unconditionally, it moves Si Le to propose to him instead in Episode 5. The couple registers their marriage in Episode 6. After the marriage, Si Le learns that she has misread Hao Yu’s intention. He only wants a fake marriage which Si Le assumes is to make his sick grandfather feel better.

Si Le and Hao Yu have their wedding ceremony in her hometown as per her parents’ request in Episode 9. But she is disappointed again when she overhears Hao Yu telling his friend that the wedding is just an act in Episode 10. Si Le fails to realize that Hao Yu actually cares about her. She confesses her feelings to him while drunk in Episode 14 and then falls asleep without hearing his reply. In Episode 15, Hao Yu finally gathers up the courage to tell Si Le that he loves her. They become a real couple then.

Is There Any Breakup?

Si Le wants a divorce from Hao Yu in Episode 25. She leaves him and brings Xuan Xuan to return to her hometown in Episode 26. This is because she finds out from Qin Tian that Hao Yu had planned to marry her to gain custody of Xuan Xuan. That was his original intention but he just happened to fall in love with her thereafter. Hence, Si Le feels that what Hao Yu did to her is very cruel. He pleads with her not to divorce him in Episode 27. He also apologizes and speaks of his regret for what he has done.

Love Triangle

As for love triangle, Hao Yu’s ex, Xi Chen, shows up in Episode 16. Si Le thought Xi Chen is Chen Chen’s mother initially but learns from Luo Qi that is not the case in Episode 18. Xi Chen broke up with Hao Yu just before their wedding to go abroad for training. She wanted to succeed in her own career as a snooker player because she wants to feel that she is his equal. She doesn’t want others to think that she is leeching onto him although she has known him for a long time and was there for him when his parents died. Xi Chen had given up the chance to train abroad then and hence, had sacrificed for him too.

However, Hao Yu is happily married to Si Le and has no intention to go back to the past. When Xi Chen has an anxiety relapse due to Hao Yu’s rejection, he feels obligated to help her which causes a short misunderstanding with Si Le in Episode 22. Hao Yu explains Xi Chen’s condition to Si Le to patch things up. In Episode 23, Hao Yu makes it clear to Xi Chen that she needs to move on and their relationship is all in the past where he is concerned. Xi Chen gets over it and strikes up a friendship with Si Le before leaving abroad for treatment.

Luo Qi has also liked Hao Yu for a long time. When Si Le appears in his life, she is a source of annoyance to Luo Qi. However, things change when Xi Chen returns from abroad and tries to get back with Hao Yu. Siding with Si Le since they now have a common enemy in Xi Chen, both the women end up being besties instead.

The Kids’ Biological Parents

Chen Chen and Xuan Xuan are actually twins. Their biological parents are Hao Yu’s twin brother, Hao Chen, and Si Le’s elder sister, Si Tian. Hao Yu tells Si Le about Chen Chen’s paternity in Episode 19 but stops short of mentioning Chen Chen and Xuan Xuan’s relationship. Si Le reciprocates and also informs Hao Yu that Xuan Xuan was her sister’s daughter.

What Happened To Si Le’s Sister?

In Episode 25, Qin Tian tells Si Le that Si Tian and Hao Chen were lovers. But Grandpa Song was against their relationship and broke them up. This eventually led to an accident that took away Si Tian’s and Hao Chen’s lives while they were abroad.

However, Hao Yu explains to Si Le in Episode 27 that his grandfather couldn’t have objected to his brother’s relationship because Hao Chen seldom contacted them after he went abroad. So, his grandfather wouldn’t have known that Hao Chen was in a relationship. In order to learn more about what happened, Si Le questions her parents about it. She learns then that Si Tian was actually adopted from the welfare home. Not long after Si Le was born, her father got injured and couldn’t work. The family was in debt and couldn’t afford to raise 2 kids. So, they sent Si Tian back to the welfare home.

After some time, they took Si Tian back but she was a changed person. Si Tian also got to know a boy from the welfare home and it turns out that the boy is Qin Tian. Qin Tian actually has a mental disorder as he was abused by his stepmom as a kid. Qin Tian and Si Tian became close to each other and went abroad together when they grew up. Si Tian then ended up with Hao Chen which made Qin Tian miserable.

In Episode 29, Si Le and Hao Yu finally learns the truth from his grandfather. Si Tian was dating Hao Chen for his money. She was threatening Grandpa Song for money after she fell pregnant. The accident happened because Hao Chen found out that Si Tian was using him to get money and they were quarreling in the car.

Side Couple

Hao Jun becomes attracted to Li Xin after meeting her. But Li Xin still couldn’t move on from her previous relationship. Her ex abandoned her on the day they were supposed to register their marriage. This is after Li Xin had gone against her own family who was not agreeable to their relationship. Hao Jun learns this from Si Le in Episode 12. This is why Li Xin keeps rejecting Hao Jun and would pick a fight with him for no apparent reason.

In order to help Li Xin to move on, Hao Jun looks for her ex in Episode 19. He wants her ex to explain to Li Xin personally why he left her without notice. Her ex abandoned her because he decided to choose his career as a singer over her. He doesn’t want to meet up with her because he is ashamed of his own action. Hao Jun’s effort pays off and Li Xin gets together with him.

Hao Jun surprises Li Xin with a proposal in Episode 22. She gets cold feet after her previous experience and rejects Hao Jun’s proposal. Hao Jun is disappointed and asks for a breakup as he feels she doesn’t love him. Li Xin regrets disappointing Hao Jun and tries to get him back but fails. Her ex also finally has the courage to apologize to her personally to give her closure. Li Xin finds that it no longer matters as she doesn’t have any feelings towards him anymore. She reconciles with Hao Jun in Episode 24 and confesses that she loves him. They register their marriage in Episode 30.

Please Be My Family Review – Poor Scriptwriting

I see Please Be My Family as a drama with glaring gaps in the story. This is because certain major questions are not answered. This leaves the viewers wondering what happened in the past. It is akin to having missing pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. While the whole story is still understandable without these pieces, it is still an annoyance as such issues could have been easily fixed. For instance, we do not have the full story on why the kids end up with different families.

Similarly, the antagonist’s story is also poorly written. We are given an idea of his motivations but we are being shortchanged on what is the truth. Again, we can only guess why he thought the male lead’s family are bad people. Is he driven by jealousy, paranoia, or being fed the wrong information? There is no clear answer to that and it is up to you to put two and two together.

To me, the whole drama wasted a pretty promising plot. They have a good story going for them but messed it up with a poor script and execution. This also contributes to the impression that this is a low budget drama.

Poor Styling

Normally, I don’t pay much attention to the cast’s apparels when I’m watching a drama. But for Please Be My Family, the leads’ costumes don’t seem to match their social status. The female lead is dressed in a very simple manner while the male lead’s suits fail to impress. I guess it’s understandable when the money is just not there to invest in better-looking clothes. Once We Get Married also suffers from the same problem before its success spawns the sequel which obviously has a bigger budget.

On the flip side, the wardrobe really doesn’t matter as much as long as the story is good enough to get you hooked. I would say the plot is interesting enough to make you want to watch till the end and the kids will ensure you do so with their cuteness overload.

Adorable Kids

Compared to Begin Again and The Love You Give Me, Please Be My Family has not one, but two adorable little kids in the story. Frankly speaking, I find this drama tolerable because of them. Their acting may not always be on point, but they have the capability to melt your heart in an instant. So, if you are a sucker for cute kids, do give this a go. The boy and the girl will keep your entertained.

The way they deliver their lines will also make you shed a tear at times. There is one scene whereby the female lead’s action will be traumatic for the kids especially the boy, and this will break your heart. Overall, their presence simply lifted the drama up a notch and provided value to viewers.

Acting And Chemistry

This is my first time watching Xie Bin Bin and I don’t think I’m a fan. His acting is still a work-in-progress to me. Apart from one emotional scene that stands out, I can’t say that he is suitable for the role. Perhaps it is not so much his acting but the casting is wrong to begin with. Not only he looks younger than the female lead to me (which he is in real life), he also appears too young to be a CEO of a shopping mall and a father. In short, he just doesn’t fit the character and his acting fails to make it more convincing for me.

Jade Zheng is better suited for the role in the drama. I think her acting is also better and sometimes, she seems to overshadow her co-star. When they interact on screen, his response to their exchanges appears bland at times. The chemistry between them is just not there as far as I’m concerned. Jade Zheng’s chemistry was better with Kido Gao in Dine With Love and I can’t feel that same intensity in her cooperation with Xie Bin Bin.

Having said that though, you might see things differently especially if you are into couples with a big height difference such as the one in My Little Happiness. If you can sense the chemistry between the leads, then you should be able to enjoy this better than me. After all, this is a romance drama and a sizzling chemistry can really make a difference to its enjoyability.

My Verdict – Both Good And Bad

Please Be My Family is just an average romance drama that could have been better if only they have worked on the scriptwriting a little more. The plot is actually quite interesting but certain things are just carelessly forgotten or glossed over which results in a not so convincing story overall. So, it does leave you with the feeling how some things could have happened. On top of that, there is predictability as the drama moves along. For instance, you can already guess the kids’ relationship very early on. It also doesn’t take much brain cells to figure out their origin as more are revealed over time.

Basically, the drama uses the gradual reveal tactic to make you stick around. While you can guess what happened, you will end up watching further to get the confirmation. It does get boring in the middle with the cliche ex trope and an uninspiring side couple’s story which takes up quite a bit of screen time. While there is a twist at the end, it ends up being rather anti-climatic and forced.

However, there are also good points that are worth mentioning which makes me give this Please Be My Family review a score of 7/10. Otherwise, I would have rated this lower. To me, the kids basically save this drama and they are a pleasure to watch. The love rival turns bestie is also a refreshing change from the usual. Finally, the short 30 minutes per episode makes this a breeze to sit through. I’m not a fan of this onscreen couple and I can’t sense any chemistry between them. However, this is subjective and if you like them, then this drama might give you a more romantic vibe.