To Be with You

MUST WATCH!!!!

65 episodes and Im exhausted having binge-watched over a weekend. I was pratically laughing my head off in the first half and then bawling my head off in the second half. I loved the ML very much. He acted his emotional parts so well. He acted so well, I loved him in the first half, then hated him in the second half. I loved the 2nd ML throughout the whole show. So classy and charismatic. You asians have a beautiful style. Mind you, towards the end i sort of looked at him wondering hmmmm his dark side was quite frigtening. The FL lead was very good acting but I felt she didnt have the beauty and mature personality for three handsome men to be falling all over her. Her style of clothing really annoyed me. The men's wardrobe was unbelievbly lacking in where you saw most of the cast wearing the same suits, dresses , tees...etc throughout the series but hey, they are sopposed to be millionaires???

One major frustration I had was when searching for other series these acotrs have been in, there was bugger-all!!! They are new or supporting. Definately need to act in more series/movies.

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This drama made me think that real love maybe exists. This drama made me cry so bad and i really hate the fact that her best friend could do something like that to her. I learn from this drama don't introduce your boyfriend to your best friend. :))
Anyways, i love how Li Wei Wei grew up. I felt bad for Li Dong beacuse he was such a bless for this show and he ended up kinda sad. I would love to see Wan Si Wei in another series. Anyways, i love him.
The story between Lin Meya and Ou Yang was incredible. I hate that they thought they are related for so many episodes, and in ep 64 made up.

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Lakorn storyline with a Chinese taste :)

PLOT: FL, a pastry chef in France, returns to China to be reunited with her boyfriend (they've been together at the orphanage, then in a relationship for 10 years). But he dumps her because he wants to climb the ladder and is dating the daughter of his company's president - FL2. The ML (the President's son, a rebel and fighter) and the SML (his rich friend, a "neighbor" at the FL's father's restaurant) witness the breakup and support the FL during this time. The FL becomes the ML's assistant, despite the machinations of the ML2 and FL2. In the process, ML & FL fall in love, are separated by an unspeakable secret, and try to forget each other (in vain :).

+++ I really like the two leads (especially Sun Shao Long, whom I'd like to see as a main lead more often).
+++ Lots of excellent actors, talented and convincing.

### I understand why this series was recommended by my friend, JulesL: the storyline is almost a lakorn. We get the twin sisters (separated), illegitimate childrens (but who don't know it), the CL who think they're siblings, the crazy Great Villain, the kidnapping, etc.
In short, let's add some drama to the melodrama :(
### 65 episodes is way too many! I really liked the first few episodes, then I did some FF, and finally, I skipped (｡•́︿•̀｡)

=> Watch at your own risk, only if you have a lot of patience!
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Lakorn à la sauce chinoise :)

PLOT/ La FL, pâtissière en France, rentre en Chine pr retrouver son boyfriend (ensemble à l'orphelinat, en relat° depuis 10 ans). Mais celui-ci la largue car il sort avec la fille du Président de sa Cie - FL2 (veut grimper l'échelle). Le ML (fils du Président, rebelle et lutteur) et le SML (son ami riche, "voisin" du restaurant du FL's father, assistent à la rupture et soutiennent la FL pdt cette période. La FL devient l'assistante du ML, malgré les manigances du ML2 et de la FL2. Ils tombent amoureux, sont séparés par un secret indicible, essaient de s'oublier (en vain :).

+++ J'aime bcp les 2 leads (particulièrement Sun Shao Long, que j'aimerai voir comme lead plus svt).
+++ Bcp d'excellents acteurs, talentueux et convaincants.

### Je comprends pourquoi cette série été recommandée par JulesL : la storyline est presque un lakorn. On a droit aux sœurs jumelles (séparées), aux enfants illégitimes (mais qui ne le savent pas), au CL qui se pensent frère & sœur, au Great Villain cinglé, au kidnapping, etc.
Bref, rajoutons du mélo au mélo :(
### 65 épisodes là-dessus, c'est bcp trop ! J'ai bien aimé les 1ers épisodes, puis j'ai fait du FF, et pr finir du zapping (｡•́︿•̀｡)

=> A regarder à vos risques et périls, seulement si vous avez bcp de patience !

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Don't let the 60+ eps put you off

I was very reluctant to start this drama due to the number of episodes, 40 tends to be my maximum attention span. However after seeing clips on YouTube I couldn't resist.
The episodes flew by, lots of characters and drama to keep you interested. There were some shady characters but none of them were nearly as bad as some villians in lots of other dramas I have seen. The rich parents actually loved their children and wanted the best for them. Shows somewhat reality of people blinded by greed and making wrong choices. The SML personality was too perfect, it was a shame it didn't show him with a happy ending, although very subtle hints indicate he probably wouldn't be single for long. I didn't particularly like the actors playing the main leads, their chemistry was lacking a little but they acted well as did all the cast. For a long drama none of the little side plots dragged on for too long which kept it enjoyable to watch and kept the story moving. I would definitely recommend this drama if you have time to spare!

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What happens in this drama?

At first I thought it would be a good drama, one of those that hook you or that sequentially makes you keep watching. It turns out that in this drama, things were changing as it unfolded... the story was being released and becoming extremely boring. I started to feel like giving up and making my droppe official.
The protagonists: I felt that they managed to show us that there was a development of both.
Where are the kisses? - I missed the connection, chemistry and romance of the protagonists.
At first there was gas, but as the episodes went by the drama became confusing and discouraging.
its was a horror show. If you think you know something, you don't know anything!

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Loved it!

I never tire of watching this, but don't enjoy the best friend's role in the last 1/3 of the series. I have a hard time with her character even at the beginning, knowing how she will be later. I often skip several episodes to keep sanity! Overall, I enjoy it so much I would like to add it to my DVD collection with English subtitles, but haven't been able to locate it. Any ideas? Is there an emotion that is not touched in this series? ! I also have a fascination with the architecture of Lin Meia's home and neighborhood. Start to finish, it is complex and well-done.

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Ou·ch ✈️ Just Keep Swinging °7.6° °VG+°

Arranged marriages? A bitter fight for the throne? One that turns otherwise decent people and caring siblings into mortal enemies? This is exactly like a Chinese historical feature. In TBWY, they exchange the word “corporate” for ”palace”.

He's on the run, but it half-looks like a circus performance. In order to evade his pursuers, he's flipping over tables while diners’ repast is undisturbed. He's that smooth. The opening seconds remind me of the 2004 French film District B13 (Banlieue 13) in which the street kids are all amazing acrobats (It's on Prime! Ima watch it again. Hey! We're in Paris, too!) Mei was just setting the cafe's sign out on the sidewalk as part of her opening ritual when Ou pauses for a microsecond to decide his next move. Then he flips right over her. Mei screams and ducks. She didn't have to do either, though. Mei is getting ready to return to China. She misses her bf. She's saying her goodbyes. Ou is headed back, too. Those pursuers? They were sent by his Fughee, chairdad.

TBWY is a 2019 release that is rated 7.7 on MAL. Lin Ji Dong (First Marriage, Hi, 30 Years Old!) is the Screenwriter & Director. It is 1 season consisting of 65 45-minute episodes, which is a bundle. Could it have been shorter? But of course! Unlike so many shows, though, they keep the pace steady and keep marching forward. They don't wander around. I didn't find myself getting annoyed, which is something that seems to be happening more quickly these days. There are so many shows that start to drag due to empty filler and plain silly stuff. None of that happened here. Chinese modern-day dramas aren't for everyone. There's a premium on simplicity & stress relief. They love their melodrama, too. Simple doesn't mean “dumb.” They have a good handle on human nature. Like old black and white movies, watching at first seems foreign (unintended pun) but the only way to assess if it is for you is to dive in. Precursor: China does NOT do realism. If your white sneakers are always 🥛⬜, and you tend to prefer realism, China is not your place. I love fantasy and sci-fi most of all with romance being a close 2nd. I would argue that a good romance IS fantasy, but I digress. Anyone who argues this show and ones like it are too low IQ is really saying that s/he prefers realism. That's hard-wiring. It isn't a matter of right or wrong.

In some ways the cutesy-wootsy dynamic of the 2 leads reminds me of my marriage. I was married to a guy who was always making jokes, always teasing, and always poking fun. I was more focused on goals and accomplishing things. He would pick on me until I laughed or yelled at him to 🛑! At that point, he would start laughing and say: "You're so much fun.” I'm not the fun one! He is! Ou thinks Mei is the fun one, but Ou is the FUN one, and he's always good natured. She's become his favorite plaything. He thinks she's a blast. It's adorable. He's adorable.

Of course, headed back to China from Paris, she's next to him on the plane. She doesn't remember him from the sidewalk, nor the way he made her scream. With all the security detail around him, she figures he's a star. So, she drinks too much champagne and bugs him for a selfie with her, and his autograph. He's had enough of her! It's a shame that he grabs her suitcase instead of his own. He's going to have to see her again.

Sun Shao from Long Bad Daddy is Ou Yang. There's no way this guy isn't naturally happy IRL. Ou's a good natured kid who recognizes a good girl when he sees one. This actor is a great male lead and he makes the show. His father is the chairman, a ruthless businessman who has stepped over the line a few times. His mother is what would have been called a “handsome” woman. That's all I'll say. She isn't happy. She's been drinking heavily. Wan Si Wei (The New Painted Skin) portrays the truly good and lovely “Li” Dong, Ou's bestie. He's darling and delightfully debonair. Chai Bi Yun from Be Your Own Light is Lin Mei Ya, our FL. Mei was a sickly child. She learned to endure pain and hold it in with a bright smile. She was in the hospital bed, but it was she who was cheering up her own father. Now, Mei is bright, sweet, and adorable. She leaps into her boyfriend's arms when he picks her up at the airport. She missed him so much! She's so happy to see him! It's a shame he's been cheating on her.

Mei's father runs an outdoor eatery and he's sweating over a hot stove when she arrives at home. We intermittently go between Mei's reunion and Ou's. He's eating with his father, mother and sister at a table that could fit 20. The food is hot, but the climate is cold. His father's displeased with him for going to Paris and never telling the family. Zhang Qiu Ge (Xi Shi: Beauty of Spring and Autumn, 1911 Revolution, The Glorious Era) plays the Ou dad, Ou Chang Lin. The hairrrr. His hair says it all. Politicians wish they could coif like that. It's ramrod straight in the air and black and white like Cruella Deville. His head is quite large and the hair is doubly large. “Baba Ou” has largeness, but he has no largess. He seems oily and greedy, and he's thoroughly unlikable. Ou’s sister, Rui, always looks miserable, and his mother is detached. Fuhgee starts lecturing Ou about what he needs to do if he ever wants to take over the company. Rui is doing a great job, Ou points out. She should just have it. Sis, fed up, leaves. Mom then drops a comment like cold acid: “You don't want to give the company to her because she's not your real daughter, correct?” 🌬Brrrr. We cut back to Mei who is showing off her new cooking skills. Everyone is smiling and warm. Everyone but Mei's bf “Chen” Zhe (Zhang Tao from Nothing but You, The Old Dreams).

Later that night they discover the bag switch. They sort of get to know e/o by rifling through the suitcases. She watches his MMA fights. He reads her prose. When they finally begin the exchange, she goes to Ou’s company and learns that Chen works there! He never mentioned the new job that she can recall. She seems not to notice how uncomfortable he is with her there. By the end of ep3, Chen has broken up with Mei. WOOSH! He's gone. It's SO SAD. He did it at her father's restaurant. Right across the street, there's Ou, hanging with Li. They see everything, including Mei sobbing in the middle of the road. Ou & Li scoop her up. Li has been watching their interactions all day in near amazement. He seems interested in Mei himself. He's been watching her work the food stall from his family's restaurant across the street for years. Now, he sees the tension between these two.

One of the many trolls in the cave is Li WeiWei, Li's little sister (Shen Tao Ran from Stealing Dragon and Turning Cat). He got all the goodness & she got all the brattiness of the family. She sees Ou as her property (She claims he promised to marry her if she completed her 4 years of study in Japan without bothering anyone. He doesn't recall that). She notices that Ou is too differential to Mei, and he's spending entirely too much time with Mei, so she tortures Mei. Li has to step in and re-educate his spoiled brat of a sister. She keeps pulling deranged stunts and gets herself (and others) into no end of trouble. WeiWei is spoiled. At some point, though, Mei decides that Weiwei is cute and treats her well no matter what she does. It's a working strategy.

Ou is also immature. He doesn't want to work. Fughee is forcing him to. When he sees Mei pour wine on top of a snobby girl who insults her, he asks her to be his secretary. She needs a job and he does love a good fight. Also, he needs a secretary who can stand up to pushy interferers. Immediately, these two are comfortable with e/o. One could have guessed that as Ou's secretary, Mei is kickin’ it! He loves to tease her but he continues to reach out to her and help her. The ugly break-up Mei suffered is also weighing on Ou, who does NOT like Chen. He pieces together Chen’s career path; his stratospheric rise at the company can't be random. The way everything played out, he believes Chen has a rich and powerful female backer. He suspects one of the department managers. He has no idea it's his own sister.

DAYAM! Ou's sister and Chen get U.G.L.Y. - they ain't got no alibi, they UGLY! It's very weirdly typical of people who have done somebody wrong. Feelings of guilt make them angrier at the person they've wronged and they get even uglier, convincing themselves that somehow, this person deserves it. All they're doing is taking out their misplaced anger at themselves on the other person. Rui ends up pausing and changing course, which most people can't do. Chen remains selfish until the end - Chen’s insecurity led to pride which led to greed which led to him turning himself into a gremlin. It's a tale as old as time. As we watch Chen reflect on his life we'll see that he wants alot of things. He was an orphan with nothing. He doesn't want to love like that again. The temptation of marrying into the rich and powerful is too much for him.

In the head-scratcher-and-other-notables department is Ou's hair, which is an uneven disaster. Additionally, Mei's Aunt comes to live with them. The fact that I couldn't reach the screen and choke her out was causing me major stress. Fate? We have a long string of coincidences bringing these two together, but when the show is 2/3 completed everything blows up on our couple. There's shocking revelations and shocking events. It doesn't look good for them. Ou goes on a fact finding mission but leaves Mei in the lurch without a word. This is the worst time of her life, and he's ghosted her! It doesn't entirely make sense, and it's brutal. The car chases, fight scenes, and action in general are quite respectable. Ou's father's dirt brown pinstripe suit may be the ugliest suit I've ever seen. Du Ruo Nan (see spoiler section for more on her) and her friend wear outfits that hurt my eyes, but Siyu's wardrobe is to die for. In ep37 Siyu's ensemble is stunning. She has an asymmetric hemmed off the shoulder white dress with a high slit and star earrings. The outfit set my heart aflutter. {Still ~~> Siyu- SEE YOU! So sorry, but they've been through a near death experience together. They've been forged together by combat. That's an unbreakable bond. You don't have a chance.} The proposal! Oh. My. It's inspiring.

There's some gems tucked away. The potential resolution is rather obvious, but that doesn't detract from the storytelling. The plot is on the intricate side & it feels like a cousin to the amazing Kdrama SKY Castle-9, which is a bit of a heart-stabber. One character goes to Li for advice, wondering if a situation is too hopeless to even try. Li says that the outcome shouldn't be the focus. Enjoy the process; nobody should give up before they try. Nice. “Can an emotion be given to others? Do you know what your kindness means to me? That is cruel. It's even an insult.” One character tries to step out of the way from a potential romantic relationship to make room for another interested party. It was a cruelty to try & give away that person's love. Very nice.



QUOTE🗣

We should be honest with ourselves in front of love.


IMHO〰🖍

📣7.5 📝7 🎭8.3 💓7 🦋6 🎨7.5 🎵/🔊7.5 🔚🤗6 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡5 😅3 😭4.5 😱3 😯2 🤢2 🤔4.5 💤1

Shazams: tried. No results. Spoti doesn't have anything either. There's a couple of very nice songs.


Age 14+ Language: R-rated w/ f💣s - not much.


Re-📺? It isn't impossible

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

🌐💓 -
C🇨🇳:
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8; Everyone Loves Me-7.4,
I Hear You-7.3 ‘19 so cute but with many flaws,
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
Meteor Garden-7.4 ‘18- 70% flowing 30% dragging,
Overlord-8.4 ‘20,
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Wait, My Youth-8.4

K🇰🇷 :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5


Romance junkies only: Accidentally in Love-6.5 ‘18 B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but still fun/strangely relaxing to watch,
Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine but many object to an outrageous stunt the ML pulls,
Boss & Me-7,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
You are my destiny-6.8 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding,
Meteor Garden-7.4 - 70% flowing 30% dragging and BOF is better,
Hidden Love-7.8




⛔Spoilers⛔

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This is more of a venting session than anything else.

Our FL also plays “Du” Ruo Nan. We don't learn about Du right away but hints are dropped early on about her. In the teen episodes we learn that Mei has a twin. Mei was adopted out because of her heart condition. Her mother could not afford to get her treatment. Ms Chai plays two completely different roles in the show. Du is a warrior and her fight scenes are better than Ou's. She has to go up against the tide gangster at one point and that gangster dude is truly scary.

They bring the pain after episode 40. When dad's in the hospital, it makes no sense that none of these wealthy people in Mei's life help out. Ou's leaving for Thailand without a word hurt badly. They claim telling her that she's Ou's half-sister would devastate her, so they leave her alone and penniless to deal with her father in the hospital. It's awful, and it doesn't make sense. Then she's fired. She demands an explanation and he treats her cruelly, supposedly to protect her from being hurt worse. Boo-kan-aw! This is ridiculous. And it HURTS! Sure, he asked Li to take care of her, but it's still too cruel. Siyu is acting like complete trash, but what Ou is doing to Siyu is wrong. He's using her.

Why didn't Pops rat Chen out? What would he cover for him? Chen’s face when the family meets up and Chm Ou says Mei & her sister are his daughters. OH SNAPPITY-SNAP! Irony is a cruel joker.

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