Why Women Love (不会恋爱的我们) is a welcome change for me after watching 2 heavy dramas in a row. This one is a really light and flirty romance drama. I don’t think anyone would have thought this would be a hit given that the male lead has a limited number of starring roles to date. But somehow, it still managed to make many viewers swoon and crave for more from the leads. Why is that so? Well, my thoughts on this Chinese drama is detailed in my Why Women Love review below.
My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Romance
Aired: February 2022
Images Credit: Youku Twitter
The Cast Of Why Women Love
- Gina Jin Chen as Zhao Jiang Yue
- Wang Zi Yi as Gu Jia Xin
- Simona Wang Shuang as Qian Jing Jing
- Liang Da Wei as Xu Ning Yuan / Mr. Xu
- Yakisa as Li Yan Ran
- Zheng Miao as Zheng Duo Xi
- He Ze Yuan as Qi Heng / Qi Xiao Hu
- Nadia Chan Chung Ling as Ms. Jin
Main Characters
Zhao Jiang Yue
Jiang Yue is 30 years old. She is the General Manager of Link Technology and project leader of the company’s new dating app called Love Note. She is a workaholic and an over-achiever. Jiang Yue is a very independent and confident woman but a noob when it comes to dating and falling in love. She is direct and doesn’t see the need to play down her achievements and strengths in order to attract a man.
Gu Jia Xin
Jia Xin is a young man who has just returned from abroad. He is into motorbike racing with a rebellious streak. His mother is the owner of Link Technology. Jia Xin is a ladies’ man and is very sociable. Hence, he claims to be an expert in dating.
Supporting Characters
Qian Jing Jing
Jing Jing is Jiang Yue’s best friend as well as a popular relationship blogger. She gives dating and love advice and is the ambassador for the Love Note dating app. Jing Jing is married to Zhang Hao and projects a happy marriage to the public.
Xu Ning Yuan / Mr. Xu
Mr. Xu is a CEO of a company and Jiang Yue’s ex-boss. He is a successful and matured man but tends to be reserved when it comes to his feelings. Jiang Yue has feelings for him when they were working together and still thinks of him. Mr. Xu is deemed to be an ideal man for Jiang Yue.
Li Yan Ran
Yan Ran is Jia Xin’s childhood friend. She has been interested in him since they were young and clings to him all the time. Her aim is to make him her boyfriend but he only sees her as a friend and sister.
Zheng Duo Xi
Duo Xi is Jiang Yue’s niece as well subordinate at Link Technology. She is single and likes fangirling. She is a cheerful young lady.
Qi Heng / Qi Xiao Hu
Qi Heng is an IT guy and Jia Xin’s university mate. He is a simple and shy guy who has a long-term crush on Duo Xi. They used to be classmates back in school.
Ms. Jin
Ms. Jin is Jia Xin’s mother and the Chairperson of Link Technology. Jiang Yue reports to her. Ms. Jin is a successful and outstanding businesswoman. Her husband died when Jia Xin was still very young and she built up the business herself to what it is today. She often clashes with Jia Xin over his refusal to work in the company and his passion for racing.
Synopsis
Jia Xin is passionate about motorbike racing but is forced to return from abroad to work in his mother’s company. This is because his best friend is in a coma following a racing accident and Jia Xin made a deal with his rich mother to work in Link Technology for 3 months in exchange for getting the best treatment for his friend. His mother expects him to inherit the business one day and sends him to work as an assistant to Jiang Yue who is the General Manager of Link Technology.
Jiang Yue is a no-nonsense lady boss with much achievements under her belt. She is 30 and 8 years older than Jia Xin. Due to her workaholic and independent nature, she finds it hard to fall in love. But when she launches a dating app for Link Technology, her single status becomes an issue. Hence, she makes a promise that she will find a partner within 3 months to prove her company’s matchmaking effectiveness.
However, Jiang Yue learns that finding a man to date is not as easy as it seems. As Jia Xin needs Jiang Yue’s nod of approval to get out of Link Technology to return to racing, he makes a deal with her to teach her how to attract a man and fall in love in return for his freedom. But he then finds himself falling for his boss instead as he starts to get jealous of her potential suitor.
Why Women Love Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
Why Women Love has a happy ending as expected. Jiang Yue supported Jia Xin’s racing ambition and encouraged him to take up training abroad for 6 months. So, there was a separation between the lovers before a time jump of 6 months bring viewers to the last few scenes. It is an internet award presentation event and Love Note is chosen as the app of the year. When Jiang Yue goes on stage to receive the trophy, she also tells everyone that she is ready for marriage and asks Jia Xin whether he is willing to marry her. He says yes.
The couple’s story ends with Jiang Yue surprising Jia Xin with her new motorcycle riding license. It is her turn to be at the front while he sits at the back as they ride together through the traffic. The drama ends with the advice that sincerity is the path to love. You will also know how to love when you have found the right person.
When Did Jia Xin And Jiang Yue Start Dating?
Jia Xin began to feel a tinge of jealousy towards Mr. Xu who was also after Jiang Yue around Episode 8. He confessed his feelings for her in Episode 12 in a very sweet way. Jiang Yue was moved but held back as she wasn’t sure of her own feelings and needed time to consider.
They had a misunderstanding when Jiang Yue did a relationship compatibility checklist for both Mr. Xu and Jia Xin in Episode 14 Jia Xin accidentally saw that his score was lower than his love rival and was hurt. But they eventually apologized to each other and settled their differences.
Jiang Yue started to take stock of her own feelings when she was forced to go on indefinite leave in Episode 18 as she had to take responsibility for Jing Jing’s negative publicity which affected the viability of Love Note. Jia Xin took leave with her and kept her company. She finally confessed to him in Episode 19 after a scary helicopter ride. She has fallen for him much earlier but was afraid that they have no future together. They became a couple and slept together during their vacation in the same episode.
Jia Xin thought Jiang Yue was pregnant and proposed to her in Episode 23. But the pregnancy test strip was actually Jing Jing’s and not hers. Nevertheless, Jia Xin still wanted to marry Jiang Yue before he leaves for training abroad. However, she turned him down as she felt it was too fast and she wasn’t ready. Jia Xin told her that he will wait for her until she is ready in Episode 24. So, she finally indicated her readiness and proposed to him just before the drama ends.
Is There A Love Triangle?
Jiang Yue used to have a crush on Mr. Xu who is her ex-boss. When they met again after he returned from abroad, she was still excited to see him. Mr. Xu was an ideal partner for Jiang Yue. He also had feelings for her and confessed in Episode 11. Hence, Mr. Xu asked her to consider being with him then.
When he confronted her again about her feelings in Episode 16, she rejected him and they remained as friends. Mr. Xu is a matured and sensible man and he knew he couldn’t give her what she wanted.
As for Yan Ran, she has been clinging on to Jia Xin ever since they were kids. She had confessed to him multiple times but he had never taken her seriously and rejected her each time. He did so again in Episode 12 and 16. She finally grew up and learned to let go of her love for Jia Xin in Episode 20. Yin Ran had wanted to quit her job after Jia Xin and Jiang Yue got together but was persuaded to stay on. She was happy that Jiang Yue saw her as a capable employee.
Anna made an appearance in Episode 20. It was thought that Anna is Jia Xin’s ex-girlfriend and it made Jiang Yue jealous. However, they only pretended to be a couple at one point because someone was harassing Anna. She appeared because she wanted to acquire Love Note. It was merely business between them and they are good friends. Anna also gave Jia Xin the evidence on the mole lurking in Link Technology.
Side Couples
There are 2 side couples in the drama. The first one is Jing Jing and Zhang Hao. Jing Jing found out that her husband was cheating on her in Episode 4 and they got a divorce. Due to her persona as the Queen of Relationship, they made a deal to keep the divorce private. However, her marriage status was leaked to the public in Episode 16.
When Jing Jing tried to confront Zhang Hao about it, then only she realized that the cheating was faked to force a divorce on her. This is because his company was going bankrupt and he didn’t want his debt problems to affect Jing Jing. Hence. they reconciled in Episode 17. Jing Jing was shown as heavily pregnant in Episode 24.
The second side couple is Duo Xi and Qi Heng. Both of them were hiding their feelings for each other until Jia Xin prodded Qi Heng to confess. He did so in Episode 9. She accepted and they remained loving throughout the drama. Duo Xi was supportive of Qi Heng although her parents didn’t really like his poor background. This made him love Duo Xi even more. They were doing long distance for a while when Duo Xi encouraged Qi Heng to take up a posting in Shenzhen in Episode 18. She joined him thereafter and asked him to propose to her in Episode 24. He did and she said yes.
As for Mr. Xu and Yan Ran, they are not a couple yet by the end of the drama but the signs are promising to the viewer. Mr. Xu decided to leave for work abroad and Yan Ran quit her job to join him on a holiday in Episode 24. They are seen sitting together during the award presentation event 6 months later.
Why Women Love Review – Flirty And Sweet!
Why Women Love is a really typical Chinese romance drama in essence. But I also know that for many romance drama fans, the storyline is secondary. It doesn’t matter if there are cliches or recycled plots. It is also not a dealbreaker if there are no big names and superb acting. As long as the story and characters have no major annoyances and the chemistry between the leads is on fire, then you will have a potential hit among viewers. I think this is where Why Women Love fits in.
When I started writing this review after completing the drama, the one word that kept popping in my mind is flirty. Yes, this is a very easy to watch title with no angst to stress you out. There is not even much to the plot to begin with. Instead, the focus is on the interactions of the main couple and this is where it is done really well by taking full advantage of the leads’ sizzling chemistry. So, viewers will be treated to gazes, touches, close proximity, and other instances to make you sense that flirting is in progress especially in the first half of the drama.
Hence, watching Why Women Love is about going along with the flirtations and sweetness. You get on to experience the fluff and sugary feel and that is about it rather than to appreciate the plot itself.
Nothing Much To The Plot
This is not a drama that relies on a story to drive it like City Of Streamer and The Lion’s Secret. In fact, it has a very simple and thin plot that basically has the male lead as an assistant to the female lead because his mother says so. He thought he could get out of his mother’s company by teaching his lady boss how to love so that she can get a boyfriend and fulfill her KPI. Of course, it is predictable that he will fall in love with her instead.
Thus, without a solid story to sell, you will have to rely on the leads’ chemistry and sweetness to pull you through the finish line. If you like the couple and think they look gorgeous together, then Why Women Love will be a very watchable romance drama. But if you cannot feel anything special about them, then this would become a very mediocre production instead. Personally, I think they do look very compatible on screen despite their age difference.
In the drama itself, the girl is portrayed as 8 years older than the guy. While the age gap did make her think twice about the viability of an older woman and younger man romance, the issue is not made to be the focus of the story unlike Find Yourself. There is no deep exploration of the problems and societal pressure associated with such a relationship. The drama remains a light one throughout the 24 episodes.
Leads’ Chemistry Is The Main Attraction
I think Gina Jin and Wang Zi Yi is definitely one of the more attractive couples when it comes to age gap romance dramas. I guess that is largely because the girl is pretty and the guy is cute. Hence, their appearances give us the right visuals for a pair of lovers. In fact, you don’t really notice that big age gap which is far more obvious for the couple in My Fated Boy.
Although Wang Zi Yi’s acting skills are still substandard given his inexperience, I don’t think most of the viewers mind at all. Somehow, the blazing chemistry managed to hide a lot of weaknesses in the drama. Wang Zi Yi’s job is to look cute, handsome, sweet, and romantic rather than displaying perfect acting and emotions for all the scenes. So, in a way, he is the right choice for the role of Jia Xin.
Therefore, if you are into more seasoned acting that moves your deepest emotions, you should be watching dramas like Because Of Love. Why Women Love is merely a feel good tale for a heavy dose of romance and escapism. It is not for you to appreciate the finer details of a drama but simply to enjoy the leads’ interactions and swoon over them. The couple managed to do this successfully to draw viewers in as they look very natural and comfortable with each other in their scenes.
My Verdict – Give It A Chance!
There is really nothing much that I can say about Why Women Love as it isn’t meant to be a masterpiece. It won’t impress in terms of acting, plot, cinematography, or even dialogue. This doesn’t have the standard and status of You Are My Glory which also relies on the leads’ chemistry as one of its main selling points. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a chance either. At the very basic, Why Women Love managed to give what viewers want in a romance drama – a beautiful couple, sizzling chemistry, obvious flirting, and sweetness.
I think you should have a pretty good idea if this couple is your cup of tea within the first 2 to 3 episodes. If you can’t feel anything extraordinary, then just drop it because there is nothing to the plot that will make it worth your while. But if you think they are great together, then their interactions will get more interesting as the story moves along. You don’t get a lot of kisses despite their great chemistry as the couple only got together pretty late in the drama. But there are plenty of flirtations and love undertones to give you that romantic vibes.
For this Why Women Love review, I would give it a score of 7/10. This is a breezy watch with no toxic love rivals despite a clingy second female lead. She could be annoying for some but I think the annoyance is largely overshadowed by the sweetness of the main couple. Basically, this is a typical Chinese rom-com but with a matching pair of lovers and their oozing chemistry to make up for any shortfalls.
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