You Are Desire Review

You Are Desire (白日梦我) is my second Zhou Yi Ran drama in a row. This is another youth drama but with a lot more adult matters thrown into the leads’ life. Hence, this is not a sweet and fluffy kind of campus romance and youth story. It is more serious than that which may be realistic for some but boring for others. Nevertheless, this is also a drama with wasted potential. I will tell you why in the You Are My Desire review below. Basically, they messed it up after a relatively good start.

My rating: 6.5/10
Episodes: 30
Type: Youth Romance
Aired: August 2023
Images Credit: Baidu

The Cast Of You Are My Desire

• Sabrina Zhuang Da Fei as Lin Yu Jing
• Zhou Yi Ran as Shen Juan
• Wang Chuan as He Song Nan
• Bian Tian Yang as Wang Yi Yang
• Chen He Yi as Fu Ming Xiu
• Fan Shi Ran as Gu Xia
• Liao Yin Yue as Xu Ru Yi
• Edward Zhang Xiao Chen as Luo Qing He
• Jin Chao as Nie Xing He
• Zeng Li as Lin Zhi
• Yu Jin Wei as Meng Wei Guo

Main Characters

Lin Yu Jing

Yu Jing is one of the top students in school. She is smart and cool as well as resourceful. She doesn’t open up easily to others and has a stubborn streak. Yu Jing is no pushover but suffers under an authoritarian mother and a father who couldn’t care less about her. Her parents are divorced and live in different cities.

Shen Juan

Shen Juan has a reputation of a school bully. He is a year behind at school due to being suspended for beating up someone. He is brainy but has no interest in his studies and would rather spend time running his uncle’s silver ornaments shop. Shen Juan has a typical bad boy image but is actually a guy with a lot on his shoulders.

Supporting Characters

He Song Nan

He Song Nan is Shen Juan’s best friend together with Wang Yi Yang. While they are schoolmates, he is one year their senior. His family runs a farm for tourists. He Song Nan is a courteous and friendly guy. He is calm and matured.

Wang Yi Yang

Wang Yi Yang is one of Shen Juan’s best friends and classmates. They have known each other since young. Wang Yi Yang is the playful type who isn’t particularly keen on studying. He can be hotheaded and opinionated.

Fu Ming Xiu

Fu Ming Xiu is Yu Jing’s step brother. He is a lawyer and appears as cold and unfriendly. In reality, he just takes a longer time to warm up to others as he is a very rational man.

Gu Xia

Gu Xia is Yu Jing’s classmate. She appears as a domineering and arrogant girl who would pick on people weaker than her. She also likes to show off to give the impression that she has rich parents who dote on her.

Xu Ru Yi

Ru Yi is Yu Jing’s classmate and friend. She is a timid girl who comes from the countryside. She fears to speak up for herself and would rather submit passively to those more domineering than her.

Luo Qing He

Qing He is Shen Juan’s maternal uncle. He raised Shen Juan since the latter was 8 years old. He was a talented silver ornament designer and maker and ran his business from an old rented shop.

Nie Xing He

Nie Xing He is Qing He’s apprentice. He has an evil mind with an axe to grind with Shen Juan.

Lin Zhi

Lin Zhi is Yu Jing’s mother. She is a tiger mom who demands obedience from her daughter. She is a busy businesswoman and is divorced from Yu Jing’s father. Lin Zhi has a strong and iron-hearted personality.

Meng Wei Guo

Meng Wei Guo is Yu Jing’s father. He and Yu Jing’s mother are divorced and he has since remarried and live in another city. His current wife has an adult son, Fu Ming Xiu, from her previous marriage. Meng Wei Guo is a struggling writer who doesn’t seem to care much about his daughter.

Synopsis

Yu Jing’s parents are divorced. She has been living with her mother in Huaicheng all along. However, she was tricked to visit her father in another city one day before she was told that she has to stay with him and his new family on a permanent basis. Left with no choice, Yu Jing has to learn to adapt to her new environment both at home and at school. She doesn’t get along with her father who seems more concerned about not antagonizing his new family than her welfare. She also feels abandoned by her mother.

In her new school, Yu Jing gets to know Shen Juan who has a reputation of a bad boy and school bully. Shen Juan has his own troubles and unhappiness as he has to shoulder the burden of keeping his uncle’s silver ornaments business running. Both of them begin to get closer and closer as they learn each other’s sufferings and heal one another.

However, just as Yu Jing starts to enjoy her new life and new found friends in the city, her mother wants her to return to Huaicheng. She wants to stay especially for Shen Juan, but is forced to leave.

You Are Desire Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

You Are Desire has an inconclusive ending. Basically, issues confronting most of the characters are left unresolved. Yu Jing and Shen Juan graduate from university after 4 years. Shen Juan has been getting good results in shooting competitions and has been accepted to train with the provincial team. He has also moved into their dorm.

Yu Jing has been offered a good job but it would require her to move back to her home city in Huaicheng. However, she couldn’t bear to part with Shen Juan and has been putting off the decision whether to accept the offer. She also seems to be reluctant to discuss the matter with him. On the other hand, Shen Juan learns about Yu Jing’s predicament from her senior. He is waiting for her to bring up the subject but she fails to do so. While they are still together at the end as they take their graduation photos, viewers are not told what is Yu Jing’s decision and how it will affect her relationship with Shen Juan.

Ru Yi and He Song Nan are still a couple. However, Ru Yi is facing pressure at work as an intern which she didn’t share with He Song Nan who is also struggling in his job. Her parents want her to go back home rather than leading a hard life in the city. She cries after the call with her mother.

Wang Yi Yang couldn’t get enough points to graduate and is forced to stay back a year. But he is thinking of quitting his studies although his live streaming venture has also failed to take off after a disagreement with his working partner. Again, we are not told what are his future plans at the end of the drama.

When Did The Leads Start Dating?

Yu Jing and Shen Juan start dating in Episode 14 after reuniting at university. In Episode 13, she already told him in a drunken ramble that she really missed him while they were apart. Yu Jing asks Shen Juan whether he needs a girlfriend during a date in Episode 14. He knows what she means and confesses instead. They share a kiss after the confession and become a couple.

Is There Any Breakup & Love Triangle?

No, there is no breakup between Yu Jing and Shen Juan after they got together. There is only a 1.5 years of separation while they were in high school before they officially started dating. Yu Jing is forced by her mother to leave Pucheng and returns to her home city in Episode 11. Her mother also takes away her phone that she couldn’t contact Shen Juan.

Shen Juan sees Yu Jing’s parting note to him in Episode 12. She writes that she is looking forward to their reunion as they have an agreement to enter the same university in Pucheng. They meet again at the university in Episode 13.

There is also no love triangle to cause problems in their relationship throughout the drama.

Why Did Yu Jing’s Mother Abandon Her?

Yu Jing’s mother left her with her ex-husband because her company was in trouble. So, she thought it was for Yu Jing’s own good for her to live with her father. She returns in Episode 9 after she managed to get new investors to stabilize the company. She insists that Yu Jing returns to Huaicheng with her in Episode 10. Yu Jing bides her time and returns to enter university in Pucheng against her mother’s wishes in Episode 13.

When her mother finds out about her relationship with Shen Juan, she demands Yu Jing to study abroad in Episode 20. Yu Jing refuses. They quarrel over it again in Episode 21 when her mother learns about Shen Juan’s background. When her mother requires surgery due to a health issue, she uses it to pressure Yu Jing to break up with Shen Juan again in Episode 22. Yu Jing pretends to agree in order to coax her to do the surgery but her mother sees through the pretense a short while later.

Yu Jing’s mother finally changes her mind after talking to Shen Juan. He tells her about his past experience with his uncle and how much Yu Jing loves her. So, it pains him to see Yu Jing suffering and hopes she would do the surgery to save her daughter much heartache.

After the surgery and recovery in Episode 25, Yu Jing’s mother realizes that her daughter has grown up and it is time for her to let go and allow Yu Jing to chart her own path in life. She also approves of Shen Juan as she finds him different from her ex-husband. Her worry then is that Yu Jing will make the same mistake she did when she was young by marrying the wrong man.

What Happened To Shen Juan’s Uncle?

Shen Juan reveals his story to Yu Jing in Episode 17 when Nie Xing He accuses him of causing his uncle’s death. When Shen Juan was 8 years old, his parents went to Africa to work. So, he was sent to live with his uncle, Luo Qing He. Nie Xing He was a kid in the neighborhood. He didn’t have a mother while his father ran away due to debts owed. Qing He took him in and trained him to be his apprentice.

Shen Juan had once promised his uncle to inherit his business and fulfill his dream to make it an everlasting brandname. But as Shen Juan grew older, his talent as a shooter and love for the sport took him away from his uncle and his business. When Qing He didn’t turn up for his national qualifications championship, he got angry. To make up for it, his uncle rushed to see Shen Juan compete in the final round. But he met with an accident on the way to the stadium and ended up in a coma.

Later, Shen Juan discovered that Nie Xing He had deleted his messages to his uncle to invite him to the competition earlier. That is why Shen Juan hit Nie Xing He who was also provoking him to do so. As a result, he got suspended from school and is known as a bully. He also gave up shooting and kept his uncle’s shop running after the accident.

Shen Juan closes the shop and decides to rejoin the shooting team in Episode 18 after finding his uncle’s final gift to him and a recording that expressed his full support for him to pursue his dreams.

Nie Xing He’s Jealousy

Nie Xing He has always been jealous of Shen Juan because he felt that Qing He valued Shen Juan more. In Episode 27, he has the evidence that his teacher’s designs are original when there is a competing copyrights claim. This is because Qing He’s designs came earlier and there is a buyer to prove it. Nie Xing He remembers it clearly because he arranged for the delivery to coincide with Shen Juan’s competition date and destroyed the invitation tickets. Hence, Qing He missed seeing Shen Juan competing in the earlier rounds.

When Qing He found out what Nie Xing He had done, he didn’t get angry with him but bought him his favorite cake instead on the way back. So, blaming Shen Juan and instigating Shen Juan to beat him up is Nie Xing He’s way of assuaging his own guilt. Despite what Nie Xing He has done, Shen Juan still transfers the business and his uncle’s works to him. This is because Shen Juan notices his uncle’s wish in his records. He shows Nie Xing He what his uncle had wanted. So, Qing He’s love for Nie Xing He was never less than his love for Shen Juan. He just wanted them to pursue their own dreams and not be burdened by the need to carry on his business.

In Episode 28, Nie Xing He decides to leave the city and travel along the same route that Qing He has taken. He wants to have better appreciation for his craft and upgrade his skill. He vows to return to reopen the shop because that is not only his teacher’s dream but also his own dream. Before he left, he passes a message to Shen Juan through Yu Jing that he has not forgotten Qing He’s teachings.

Side Couples

Gu Xia who is a law student becomes an intern at a law firm and is put under Fu Ming Xiu’s supervision in Episode 15. They find each other annoying at first until Episode 19 when he helps her to handle a senior who is pressuring her to change his reimbursement claims. Gu Xia finds Fu Ming Xiu cute then. She corners him to get him to help her with her thesis in Episode 23 and begins to like him more and more. Yu Jing also helps Gu Xia by setting up a hiking date for her with Fu Ming Xiu in Episode 25. Gu Xia confesses to him during the hike in Episode 26 which takes him by surprise.

Being a highly rational man, Fu Ming Xiu comes up with a feasibility study to prove to Gu Xia why they are not fit for each other. Basically, he rejects her but tells her why in Episode 28. This is because his father died very suddenly when he was in school. So, he developed an aversion for things that he couldn’t control and out of the ordinary like love. Gu Xia is drunk then and replies that she couldn’t be waiting until she is old to prove that he is the only man she loves. She also kisses him on impulse.

Fu Ming Xiu has to admit to himself that he likes Gu Xia. He confesses to her the next morning and they get together as a couple.

He Song Nan has always been interested in Ru Yi as well but has taken things slowly with her. They become a couple in Episode 20 after he asked him if she is willing to take care of a plant together with him. She says yes.

You Are Desire Review – Good Start Before Turning Mediocre

You Are Desire actually reminds me of The Princess And The Werewolf. They belong to different genres but my complain is the same – both have a great start but somehow, the screenwriters messed them up along the way that they turn mediocre when they reached the halfway mark. One big factor that went right for You Are Desire is the emotional aspect in the first half of the drama. The hardships faced by the protagonists while they are still so young will make you ache for them. While the first dozen episodes revolves around school, the harsh realities of life the leads have to face means this is more than just a cute schoolgirl romance.

Hence, this has a totally different vibe compared to When I Fly Towards You although they both have elements of a high school and campus romance. You Are Desire is a heavier drama with much more angst. The story has a strong adult feel despite the youthfulness of the characters. So, the school life phase may not be as boring to those who prefer more maturity in a youth drama.

Basically, the male lead is a bad boy because of circumstances beyond his control. The female lead appears with scars of her own. Her presence heals him and inspires him to be better. If this sounds familiar, the bad boy start can also be found in Forever Love and Lighter And Princess. The leads then fall in love with each other which is expected but this is also where You Are Desire starts to lose its romantic momentum.

A Romance That Fizzles Out

I think the problem with this drama is it tries to cram too many subplots into the overall story. Hence, it only feels like a romance drama in the first half. Once the leads get together, the romance starts to take a backseat to other issues that range from the guy’s sport training and competition to the copyright claims against his uncle’s ornaments designs. Yes, there are still dating scenes and hugs here and there but that’s about it for their romance. It has become lackluster in the second half because the subplots take up most of the screen time.

While their relationship is a positive and supportive one, whatever sweetness there is doesn’t seem to give you butterflies anymore once the protagonists become lovers. The title You Are Desire may give you ideas of a passionate and intense romance but this is far from it with little skinship or emotional depth in the second half of the drama. This is no The Forbidden Flower or Road Home to make you feel hot all over. I understand that this is a youth drama after all and the kisses will be very limited and reduced to pecks. But the romance really lost its shine after a great start which is a pity. To top it off, the ending is one big letdown by itself.

An Ending With No Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

I don’t know what the screenwriter is trying to achieve here with a very wide open ending. It is as if the story gets cut off without a conclusion. My guess is they are trying to send the message that life goes on after university with decisions to make and different paths to follow. So, there is no happily ever after for the main couple and other characters. This is because we are not told what choices they make going forward. They graduated and the drama ends there. It is neither happy nor sad; just inconclusive because there are unresolved issues confronting 2 of the couples and a friend.

While there is a dose of realism in the ending, it is also frustrating to watch a drama and be left hanging. I really don’t think viewers will be happy with how it ended. To me, they should have just kept it simple. It is a romance drama after all and there is no need to throw in problems in the last episode and leave it to the viewers’ imagination about the outcome. There is not even a clue to give us an idea how the ending should be.

Fortunately, the leads’ acting and chemistry help the drama to garner some points. Otherwise, this would have been a total flop.

Acting & Chemistry

This is not the first time that Zhou Yi Ran has played the role of a student. So, you can expect him to portray Shen Juan rather convincingly. Compared to When I Fly Towards You whereby he played an introvert and a model student, his character is a little different in You Are Desire. He is a bad boy this time but also with a lot of unhappiness within. That pain shows on his face and body language and kudos to the actor for bringing out that emotion to enable viewers to feel for him.

Zhuang Da Fei is also good as Yu Jing. She is more than just a pretty face as she managed to give the character a tough personality but with a vulnerability written in her expression in emotional scenes. I have not watched any of her dramas before this but I think she has made an impression on me with this role.

Taken together, both leads have pretty good chemistry between them. They nailed the touching scenes and are convincing in their portrayal as would be lovers in the earlier part of the drama. It is just too bad that they are let down by a poor script in the second half of the story that put a damper on their romance.

My Verdict – There Are Better Dramas Out There

If you are a big fan of youth romances, there is certainly plenty of better written stories out there. I just feel that You Are Desire could have been shortened and given the romance greater focus. Stories like this need not be overly complicated and ladened with unnecessary issues. Hidden Love is a case in point. It has such a simple plot but the focus is clear. They just need to make sure they get the emotional aspects right to move viewers. But You Are Desire seems to want to include as many things as possible that the overall story becomes a mix of everything.

While all these subplots are related to the main story, they could have been simplified or taken out altogether. As it is, the romance becomes diluted while the subplots do not have a strong foundation or depth to make them engrossing in the second half of the drama. I think it is made worse by a strong romance flavor in the first 10 to 12 episodes. This raises a viewer’s anticipation of more romance only to be left disappointed by a bland version of it in the subsequent half.

So, for this You Are My Desire review, I will only give it a score of 6.5/10. It is okay if you don’t mind a strong start but a weak romance in the middle and a disappointing ending. Perhaps the leads and their great chemistry together with how they heal each other will make it somewhat enjoyable and encourage you to stay till the end. Thus, it is not totally unwatchable in that sense. But just don’t expect this to be a desirable romance in any way despite how well they laid out the protagonists’ story in the beginning.