The Love You Give Me Review

You can’t possibly miss The Love You Give Me (你给我的喜欢) if you are a fan of Once We Get Married. This is a much anticipated drama for fans of this couple. After having watched it, I can’t say that it is a great production but it does have its entertainment value. It is lighthearted fun and has to be seen as such to get enjoyment out of it. Of course, the cuteness overload with a kid thrown in is a watchable factor too. Check out The Love You Give Me review below if you want to know more about this romance drama.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 28
Type: Romance
Aired: April 2023
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook

The Cast Of The Love You Give Me

• Wang Yu Wen as Min Hui
• Wang Zi Qi as Xin Qi
• Cui Yi Xin as Min Quan Quan
• Li Chuan as Zhou Ru Ji
• Ma Xin Rui as Cao Mu
• Chen Xin Hai as Chen Jia Jun
• Li Xing Yao as Yao Zi Zhu
• Kim Jin as Cheng Qi Rang
• Mei Bao Lai as Lin Xi Yue
• Li Wei Long as Hardy
• Han Ming Xi as Ding Yi Feng
• Jill Hsu as Cindy

Main Characters

Min Hui

Min Hui is the R&D Director of Team B in Be Agile Medi Tech. She is smart and capable in her work in developing clinical applications for the healthcare industry. She is a single mother with a young son. Min Hui is not one who is easily bullied. She is resilient and independent.

Xin Qi

Xin Qi is the CEO of Blue Jay Investment. He is known as a savvy investor who knows how to pick winning companies. He is smart and a little arrogant that comes with his position. Xin Qi is born with a heart problem.

Min Quan Quan

Quan Quan is Min Hui’s cute young son. He is very adorable and sensible for his age. He is observant and knows how to make others happy. Quan Quan is fatherless and has a habit of asking men he likes to become his father. He is also born with a heart defect.

Supporting Characters

Zhou Ru Ji

Ru Ji is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Jiaren Hospital and Quan Quan’s attending physician. He is also Min Hui’s neighbor and good friend. Ru Ji has secret feelings for Min Hui and also a close relationship with Quan Quan.

Cao Mu

Cao Mu is the Deputy General Manager of Be Agile. She is also Min Hui’s colleague and best friend. Cao Mu is sophisticated and smart.

Chen Jia Jun

Jia Jun is a swimming coach. He has a crush on Cao Mu and craves her attention. Jia Jun is a sincere young man who was an orphan. He got separated from his elder sister, Su Tian, when they were sent to different orphanages as kids. However, Su Tuan has since died in an accident.

Yao Zi Zhu

Zi Zhu is a ballet dancer and the daughter of a Jiaren Hospital director. She is a cheerful and positive-minded young woman. Zi Zhu is also expressive and direct. She has strong feelings for Ru Ji.

Cheng Qi Rang

Cheng Qi Rang is the General Manager of Guanchao Group which is Be Agile’s competitor. He is married to the heiress of Guanchao Group but their relationship is a cold one. Cheng Qi Rang is an ambitious man but self-centered and evil-minded. He is obsessed over Min Hui.

Lin Xi Yue

Xi Yue is the R&D Director of Guanchao Group and Cheng Qi Rang’s subordinate. She is also his mistress. Xi Yue is ambitious and opportunistic but genuinely loves Cheng Qi Rang.

Hardy

Hardy is Xin Qi’s personal assistant. He is a bespectacled comical man who tries hard to please his boss by trying to guess what the latter really wants.

Ding Yi Feng

Ding Yi Feng is the R&D Director of Team A at Be Agile. He is also Min Hui’s rival at work. Ding Yi Feng is not as capable as Min Hui but a big bully in the office. He is a sleazy pervert who would prey on unsuspecting female colleagues.

Cindy

Cindy is Xin Qi’s adoptive elder sister. She is based in USA and the chairwoman of RG Capital. She has a close relationship with Xin Qi and often fusses over him.

Synopsis

Min Hui is a single mother to a young kid with a heart problem. She broke up with her son’s father, Xin Qi, before she knew she was pregnant. Hence, Xin Qi did not know about the boy’s existence. 5 years later, Xin Qi arrives at the city where Min Hui lives due to work. He heads a capital investment company which is looking at investing in medical technology projects. Min Hui is a R&D Director in the medical technology field and the 2 ex-lovers are destined to meet again.

However, Min Hui and Xin Qi didn’t break up amicably. Xin Qi has an axe to grind with Min Hui and things get complicated for her when she needs his capital investment for her research project. But as they work towards the same goal, their relationship begins to get better and better especially after he finds out that he has a son with her. Will their rekindled romance last given their past misunderstanding which ultimately comes back to haunt them?

The Love You Give Me Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

The Love You Give Me has a happy ending. After getting Cheng Qi Rang and Ding Yi Feng were arrested for sexual harassment, Xin Qi worked hard to gain control of Guanchao Group. This is because Guanchao Group owned Be Agile and he wanted to protect Min Hui’s project in the company. This caused Xin Qi to overexert himself which resulted in a deterioration in his heart condition. He was proposing to Min Hui when he collapsed in Episode 27.

Xin Qi had to go back to the USA for a heart surgery in Episode 28. Before he left, Min Hui wanted them to get married. She asked him if he is willing to marry her. He said yes but refrained from putting the ring on her finger. Instead, Xin Qi promised Min Hui that he will come back healthily to do it soon.

6 months later, Xin Qi returned from the USA to give Min Hui a surprise. They had their wedding ceremony with Quan Quan and their friends in attendance. 2 years later, the couple has another baby son but Quan Quan is clamoring for a sister instead.

When Did Xin Qi Find Out That Quan Quan Is His Son?

Xin Qi found out that Quan Quan is his son in Episode 5. He brought him to the hospital after a minor fall and saw Quan Quan’s birthdate. Xin Qi got the confirmation he wanted when he tricked a panicked Min Hui that Quan Quan needed blood transfusion because of the fall. Min Hui then blurted it out that Quan Quan is related to him.

When Did The Couple Get Together?

Xin Qi insisted on moving into Min Hui’s place after finding out that Quan Quan is his son in Episode 5. He gave the excuse that he wanted to bond with Quan Quan since he had missed out on 4 years of his son’s life. The couple’s relationship gradually got better as Xin Qi helped Min Hui to secure investment for her research project. They were on the verge of getting back together in Episode 13 when a child custody lawsuit document appeared on Xin Qi’s office table. Min Hui saw it and told Xin Qi to move out. She was mad as she thought that he had approached Quan Quan to increase his chances of gaining custody of their son.

Xin Qi decided to waive his custody rights to win back Min Hui in Episode 15 to show his sincerity. He also made public his relationship with Min Hui and Quan Quan during a cocktail party in Episode 16 after Lin Xi Yue tried to embarrass Min Hui about being a single mother. Xin Qi asked Min Hui to give him another chance to which she agreed. But when Jia Jun accused Min Hui of causing Su Tian’s death, a rift burst open again between them in Episode 17.

Min Hui felt that Xin Qi didn’t trust her. Although Min Hui was proven innocent, she felt that Su Tian’s death would always come in between them despite his love confession in Episode 18. This forced Xin Qi to pursue Min Hui shamelessly and even maneuvered himself back into her apartment in Episode 19. They finally got back together in Episode 23 after Min Hui was moved by Xin Qi’s protection of her following her altercation with Cheng Qi Rang.

Why Did They Break Up In The Past?

Xin Qi and Su Tian were in the same orphanage and the best of friends. In fact, she was the only one who cared about him as he was ostracized by others due to his heart problem. When Su Tian had a chance to be adopted and move abroad, she gave it up and Xin Qi got the opportunity instead. So, they were close and promised to meet again in 15 years’ time at a particular location when they have grown up.

However, Su Tian died in an accident while on the way to the town. Min Hui was on the same bus as Su Tian and they had chatted during the trip. Before she died, she told Min Hui to meet Xin Qi on her behalf. Xin Qi thought Min Hui was Su Tian and she had merely changed her name after being adopted although Min Hui denied it. But they fell in love anyway in those few months together. He even proposed to her in the Episode 13 flashback and they slept together in Episode 14. She was prepared to go to the USA with him and accompanied him to do his heart surgery.

In the Episode 15 flashback, Xin Qi found out that Min Hui was not Su Tian when she needed to apply for her passport. He thought that she had deceived him. He refused to listen to her explanation that she had planned to tell him after his surgery as she was afraid that Su Tian’s death would be too much for his heart to take. Xin Qi told Min Hui that he didn’t want to see her again and they broke up.

Is There A Love Triangle?

Ru Ji was also in love with Min Hui for a long time but dared not confess his feelings as he was not confident that she felt the same for him. He tested her reaction by hinting of marriage to gain custody of Quan Quan in Episode 13 as well as the idea of moving from friends to lovers in Episode 18. Min Hui wasn’t keen at his suggestions at all on both occasions. Ru Ji then knew that Min Hui would always regard him as a friend and nothing more even without Xin Qi in the picture.

Zi Zhu encouraged Ru Ji to confess his love to Min Hui but he realized that his feelings had changed by then. Ru Ji did tell Min Hui that he used to love her in Episode 20 to put a closure to a chapter in his life. Min Hui understood and they remained good friends.

What Happened To Su Tian?

The whole story on Su Tian’s death is revealed in Episode 17. Su Tian and Min Hui were on the same bus to a small town. They became friends during the trip and Su Tian told Min Hui a little about her background and her upcoming meeting with Xin Qi. The meeting was arranged 15 years earlier when they parted ways while in an orphanage.

However, they met with an accident and the bus was hanging precariously on the edge of a slope. They were sitting right at the back of the bus. As everyone tried to escape, Su Tian wanted to go back to their seat to retrieve a treasured photo of her and her brother. Min Hui tried to stop her but unsuccessful. A man pulled Min Hui out in the nick of time before the bus fell down the slope with Su Tian in it. She died as a result.

Min Hui & Cheng Qi Rang’s History

Min Hui used to work under Cheng Qi Rang at Guanchao Group 5 years ago. She was a fresh graduate and joined the company at the same time as Xi Yue. Cheng Qi Rang fancied Min Hui and sexually assaulted her in his office one evening. Xi Yue was a witness but stood by Cheng Qi Rang instead which resulted in Min Hui being fired when she lodged a complaint. Min Hui was accused of trying to seduce Cheng Qi Rang to gain a promotion. Min Hui revealed this to Xin Qi in Episode 22 after Cheng Qi Rang tried to force himself on her again.

Cheng Qi Rang was arrested in Episode 27 after Xi Yue decided to go public about what he had done to Min Hui. Xi Yue had the evidence of the incident and both the women went online to tell their story. She did so because Cheng Qi Rang had merely been using her to achieve his aim of being Guanchao Group’s chairman. He had never loved her. After he had gained the position, he wanted Xi Yue out of his life.

Second Couple

The first side couple is Cao Mu and Jia Jun. Theirs is a love at first sight. They tried to get close to each other by deception. Jia Jun pretended that his leg hasn’t healed to get Cao Mu’s attention while she acted like she needed swimming lessons from him when she is already a good swimmer. When Cao Mu’s cover was blown, Jia Jun got drunk and they got intimate in Episode 11. He properly confessed his feelings and asked Cao Mu to be his girlfriend in Episode 13.

Cao Mu broke up with Jia Jun in Episode 18 because she thought he approached her to investigate Min Hui whom he assumed caused his sister’s death. But she knew she had overreacted. The couple reconciled in Episode 20 after he helped her to get rid of an extortionist who claimed that she had knocked him down. Cao Mu found out that Jia Jun was planning to propose to her in Episode 24. But she had no intention to get married and told him so. Jia Jun agreed to follow her lead. By the end of the drama, Cao Mu agreed to get married if Jia Jun got the bridal bouquet thrown by Min Hui. He did catch it.

Third Couple

The second couple is Ru Ji and Zi Zhu. She was deeply in love with Ru Ji but knew that it was one-sided. Nevertheless, she was persistent as she didn’t want to give up without trying. Her cheerfulness and sincerity eventually moved him when she encouraged him to confess to Min Hui. She even helped him to rehearse his lines and this made him realized he has fallen for her in Episode 20. He confessed his feelings to Zi Zhu but she thought he was treating her as a substitute for Min Hui instead due to his incoherent mumblings.

Therefore, he had to pursue Zi Zhu then rather than the other way round. She made it hard for him but he persisted. They finally started dating in Episode 25 after he asked her to be his girlfriend and she agreed.

The Love You Give Me Review – The Boy Stole The Show

If there is one good reason to watch The Love You Give Me even if you don’t particularly like rom-com, that would be the little boy who plays Quan Quan. I see him as the highlight of the drama as he is totally adorable. Even his character is very well-written with his sensibility and wittiness. It is just like Begin Again and Unforgettable Love whereby a kid helps to jack up the dramas’ enjoyment with their cuteness overload.

The other good thing about this rom-com is the way the production team handles the flashback. The story begins 5 years earlier but instead of loading viewers with countless flashbacks to tell the story, it has been put at the end of each episode for the first half of the drama. There would be a short 2 to 3 minutes slot to let viewers know about the couple’s past relationship before the credits roll. To me, this is a much cleaner way to reveal the past and there is also more room to project a more detailed and coherent story.

As for the plot itself, it is nothing extraordinary. In essence, this is about second chance romance just like Road Home. So, if you are a sucker for this trope, The Love You Give Me would be right up your alley. But a word of warning is that it can get a little draggy.

Okay Plot But Dragged Out

My thoughts is The Love You Give Me could have been a little shorter. While you don’t have prolonged boring stretches, it still feels draggy every now and then. The upside is the boredom don’t last long. But the downside is there is still the temptation to fast forward. I think this is mainly caused by the plot execution. The couple’s relationship progress is slow which is still acceptable but the one step forward, two steps back predicament is frustrating. Just when they are getting lovey-dovey again, something will arise to throw a spanner in the works.

If I’m not mistaken, this happened twice in the drama. Hence, the timing of these misunderstandings could have been better planned so that their romance doesn’t go back and forth. With more misunderstandings, the patch up becomes more difficult to manage. Hence, the transition from leave-me-alone to let’s-be-together feels a little abrupt and forced to me.

However, the characters are a pleasure to watch which makes up for the average plot execution. This includes the kid which is mentioned above as well as the smart female protagonist.

Strong Female Character

Min Hui is a smart and independent career woman in the story. She is not the usual bubbly young lady that tends to surface in rom-coms such as Since I Met You and Mr. Bad. Instead, she can be bold and knows how to protect herself or fight back when the situation calls for it. So, she is definitely not a damsel in distress who requires saving which fits the character of modern women. There is also an element of sexual harassment in the drama to bring home the message that it is not acceptable in our current society through her character.

Since Min Hui is not one who is easily cowed, it creates room for the sparks in her interactions with her ex, Xin Qi. It doesn’t feel like senseless bickering between the two of them as their characters complement each other. In fact, Xin Qi can be cute when he is jealous which leaves Min Hui exasperated by his actions. This is what makes the rom-com tick especially with the overflowing chemistry between the leads.

Sizzling Chemistry

We wouldn’t have The Love You Give Me if not because of the success of their earlier drama, Once We Get Married. Their chemistry managed to make the very average Once We Get Married becomes a popular rom-com. So, Wang Yu Wen and Wang Zi Qi are just replicating that in this drama just like the couple in Love Of Replica. Both of them just know how to get the energy flowing in their scenes together.

There are kisses are aplenty once the characters start dating. They are not entirely innocent pecks but neither are they too steamy in the mould of The Forbidden Flower. It is somewhere in between to fire things up romantically as needed as well as to provide the necessary sweetness to the overall drama.

The couple also bonded well with the little boy and it is cute to watch them together. So, apart from the romance, the parent-child chemistry also deserves a compliment.

My Verdict – Cute And Sweet

Despite a little boredom here and there, The Love You Give Me is generally a cute and sweet watch. The chemistry of the leads and the little boy are the main selling points. The enjoyment is in watching their interactions rather than the plot itself. The story is an average one with a cliche past misunderstanding that led to a breakup which creates the opportunity for a second chance romance. So, the plot is nothing to shout about especially with a typical and underdeveloped villainous character. The business side of things is also kept simplified as the romance is the main focus.

This is also a drama that has multiple couples. So, altogether there are 3 couples’ stories to drag it out to 28 episodes. If you like all of them, this rom-com would be highly enjoyable. But if you don’t, this is also where boredom can set in. Personally, I feel 3 couples is one too many. While I don’t get the feeling that they are monopolizing the screen time, one of them just feels forced to me. The chemistry is just not there to make it convincing.

For this The Love You Give Me review, I would rate it 7.5/10. Just treat it as something cute and light. It is also ideal when you are looking for some sugar and fluff. There will be cliches but overall, it is worth watching for the main couple and their little kid. The guy’s jealous expressions is also funny at times and his interaction with his son is cute. Basically, the drama has its weaknesses but many choose to overlook them because the leads’ chemistry and the boy’ cuteness have effectively covered up the inadequacies.

==> The Love You Give Me is available on Amazon Prime (affiliate link)