Only for Love

Nearly Perfect Series about a Very Un-Perfect Couple

This will take a while. There’s a lot to unpack here.

I admit that this is a very polarizing series. And it’s really a shame, as this series has so much going for it: A fantastic cast, great OST & Background music, clever photography and a strong novel to base the screenplay on. But I guess it’s understandable, given how unusual this series is and that it requires the viewer to appreciate it from a different perspective. I find this kind of ironic, as the one constant here on MDL is how members are quick to criticize rom-com’s for being ‘tropey’ or meme-like or, the ultimate insult: a cliché. So along comes this series, closely adapted from the novel, which is anything but a cliché. Sometimes you can’t win though, and sure enough a lot of the negative comments here revolve around how ‘weird’ the leads are and all the familiar plot elements the viewers are expecting…. don’t happen. This series is the typical “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation.

I’ll take a step back here, now that I’ve mentioned the novel. If you get a chance, and you want to understand this series better, read it – it’s readily available on-line. The series borrows HEAVILY from the book and entire scenes are completely lifted from it. The book omits all the corporate stuff and much of the Three Musketeers angle. It focuses on our leads and especially her. FWIW, I feel that Bai Lu did an excellent job of putting a human face to ShuYi: in the book, she is not that likeable of a character. And the same can be said for Dylan, who actually makes him an even worse character because we can see how bad a person he sometimes is. So, essentially she made her better, and he made him worse: both because they both humanized the book’s characters.

Anyways, back to the series. Instead of the idealized and beat-to-death “Cinderella Rescued by the Rich Guy” story, with at least one nearly-perfect “green-flag” character, we get Zheng ShuYi and ShiYan, both of whom are very realistically flawed people.

On one hand, we have the young, intelligent, beautiful and award-winning journalist, a ‘career-girl’ who is totally focused on her professional life, to the point of only having one friend outside of work. At 25, she resists efforts by her parents to socialize with other men, as she feels she’s not ready for a committed relationship. Recently dumped by her boyfriend (I doubt there was that much going on there, given her dedication to her craft) she’s not ready for dealing with ANY man in the near future. And she has a deep character flaw: her inability to tell the truth in settings either mundane or important, no matter who she’s talking to: her parents, co-workers, boyfriend, etc. Despite being self-confident in her professional life, she is extremely insecure, so she keeps much of her personal life secret from everyone she knows. I’ve known women like ShuYi, they ARE real and no one bases rom-coms on them. And yes, they are VERY difficult to have a relationship with.

On the other hand, we have the equally intelligent young CEO, who broke away from his father’s company to make his own mark on the world. He is as insecure as she is; but with him, it comes in the manner of being self-centered and very introverted. This behavior, especially manifested in his lack of communicative skills, has hindered him in both his personal and professional growth. His reputation suffers because of it, as common wisdom says he deserted his father’s firm when it was going thru hard times, when in fact, he made sure his brother-in-law was competent enough to run that company before he left. He too is self-confident in his professional life; too much so, as this comes back to bite him as his lack of communication skills can’t back up his actions, which alienates the public, his investors, and the elders on his board who are gradually losing confidence in him. He too is coming off a relationship (with an actress) that fizzled out because he was unable to keep up with her needs on a personal level – his personality simply can’t handle such things. And he has a dark side: We will see how intensely jealous he is and he also has a cruel streak. He even acknowledges this near the end of the series to the main female antagonist when he warns her in Ep 32 that he is “not a very good person”. Shi Yan is anything but the typical ‘green-flag’ young, rich CEO boyfriend. He is a force to be reckoned with and must be treated with extreme caution.

So, we have a romantic comedy bringing together two very different, flawed, realistic people. Who have neither time nor interest for romance in their lives. Both of whom are consumed with furthering their careers and have little to no life outside of work. This has brought them success in that aspect of their lives and emptiness otherwise.

And because they are realistic people, they make mistakes in dealing with each other; LOTS of mistakes, the worst of which are committed by her. In fact, their relationship begins for the wrong reason: her desire for revenge on her ex-boyfriend by dating and marrying the man she thought was the uncle of his new girlfriend (all this based on a confused premise on her part). While the TV series soft-plays this aspect leading up to the breakup, it is more dominant in the novel. The fact that she is continually dishonest as to why she was attracted to him creates doubt in his mind and mounting guilt for her. This eventually dooms their relationship, much as she feared.

Another common criticism of this series is that it’s a ‘slow-burn’ but I argue that it needs to be – it’s about 2 people who accidentally fell in love despite their differences and inability to be open with each other as True Love requires. (In fact, “Accidental Love” was supposed to be the series title [as the book was named] and not the more generic “Only for Love”). Although he falls for her first, he correctly mistrusts her because of her inability to be honest, and she is so full of doubts about everything that she can’t open herself to him, even though she knows she should.

So we see two people who probably shouldn’t have anything to do with each other, becoming attracted to each other and trying to form a relationship with a lot of bumps along the way, thanks to their insecurity, mistrust, and inability to effectively communicate with each other. They make mistakes, stupid decisions, and listen to bad advice. Their love affair sometimes resembles ‘blind-man’s-bluff’ as they feel out each other and their mutual feelings. And this is why this series is so special and different. Because this is how life is and how people in the real world behave and try to find a mate to love and live with. It’s devoid of all the fantasy-people that populate most rom-coms who gloss thru life and go from meeting to marriage in 16 episodes. Our leads need time to tell their story.

Whether or not they should have been together is up to the viewer – there’s no right answer here. More to the point is the question of if they deserve a “happy ending” to their story. And I’ll be honest, I do love a ‘happy ever after’ ending in my rom-coms. But those stories and characters are not like this one. We’re constantly told that communication is the key to the leads in any love story, and that is certainly NOT the case here. Frankly, I don’t think they deserve a Happy Ending. They’ve done nothing to deserve it and both are too immature or just-plain screwed up to make a functional relationship that would last. Given how much richer the series is vs. the book, I would have written the series differently and made their breakup in Episode 27 long-term. They would have parted ways and lived their own lives, although he would still carry a torch for her and keep tabs on her career, despite knowing he shouldn’t. I would time skip and move 15 years into the future, on the eve of her 40th birthday. We see them now, somewhat older and presumably wiser too. While in the intervening years she would go on to marry and eventually divorce Jackson Yi, she would be left with nothing to show for their marriage. While her career would continue to flourish and she advances up the ladder at Financial Weekly, her personal life would wind up as empty as it was after she broke up with ShiYan 15 years prior. He would concentrate on growing Yuanchang, until his Brother-in-Law retires and he then merges Yuanchang back into his Dad’s company and becomes the CEO of Mingu Bank. His personal life would be non-existent, much to the distress of his family.

That evening, at a Shi Family dinner, his niece, who still works at FW and maintains contact with ShuYi (and suspects her Uncle’s continued feelings for her former mentor) mentions that ShuYi’s birthday is the following day. She tells him they are having a big party at the office and wouldn’t it be nice if he sent flowers and a card wishing her the best? “Hmmph” he replies and we see the wheels turning in his head as his niece looks on. And that’s where Part 2 of the series would take off. Would they be able to reconcile after all these years? Can she overcome her insecurity and be able to open her heart to him and love him fearlessly? Can he forgive and forget and try to reset everything while becoming a more patient and less-jealous boyfriend? That’s where the story should go, I think. Can they really learn from their mistakes, or are they doomed to repeat them again?

Well, given the reaction so far to this series, that would probably be down-voted too. As I said at the beginning of this review, “sometimes you just can’t win”.

And FWIW, I’m not saying this series is perfect. The editing leaves a lot to be desired and a lot of material was left on the cutting-room floor. Obvious scenes are missing, and they had to create a 15 minute special epilog to cover the wedding. Instead, they should have recovered the lost footage, and just gone for a 37-episode series with their wedding at the end. It’s the only negative thing I have to say about this show.

Thanks for reading.

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bullet point notes app thought dump

- everyone’s face cards saved this from being dropped
- niece and professor (who looks like Chinese Vernon from seventeen) ate I understand age gap hype now
- third act conflict was too long
- every side pairing was she’s Barbie and he’s just Ken. outstanding work.
- what’s the age gap between shi yan and his sister for her to have a 22 year old daughter while he’s 27
- fourth act reunion freaky stuff needed more episodes
- #BRINGBACKBITING
- second FL my avoidant attachment sister in arms
TLDR: was very mid,, tuned in after seeing a clip on tiktok of wang hedi throwing her phone across the room

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Let me save you the trouble of watching this drama the way I wish someone had saved me.

This show runs 36 episodes. Thirty-one of those episodes exist purely to test your patience. The last five? Actually decent. Was it worth the journey? Absolutely not.

Let's start with the foundation this drama was built on *miscommunication and misunderstandings*, stacked on top of each other like a Jenga tower nobody ever wanted to play. These two leads could not communicate their way out of a paper bag. A simple conversation would have cut this show to 10 episodes. But no. WE SUFFER.

Then there's the FL. Something felt off about her from the beginning and I couldn't place it... until much later when it's revealed she had ulterior motives for approaching the ML. Looking back? The signs were there. A woman aggressively pursuing a man with that kind of unhinged energy doesn't just happen for love. It happens because she wants something.

And the best friend. Oh, the best friend. If bad advice were a profession, she'd be a CEO. Every terrible decision this FL made had her best friend's fingerprints all over it.

For the main lead, I gotta say he deserved better. Frankly, he deserved a different drama entirely.

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"Chasing Dreams and Chasing Love---->Only for Love"

"Only for Love" is this rad drama that's airing right now, and it's flipping the script on the typical romance story. Instead of the usual girl-getting-pursued-by-a-guy scenario, this show's got our girl Shu Yi going after the super handsome, but oh-so-stiff Shi Yan. And let me tell you, Shu Yi is all sorts of adorable with her funny faces and cute antics that had me in stitches. I was laughing so hard that my family thought I'd lost it, wondering what on earth I was watching.

But what's really cool about Shu Yi is that she doesn't waste her time moping over some jerk who did her wrong. Nope, she's got big dreams and isn't afraid to go after them, even if it means chasing after a guy. When she straight-up asked Shi Yan, "Can I pursue you?" I almost choked on my water – that's some serious girl power right there! She's become like a role model for girls who are out there chasing their dreams.

"Only for Love" isn't just another mushy-gushy romance drama. It's all about showing how hardworking and ambitious women can be. Shu Yi is all about her career, and it's super inspiring to see her go after her goals with such determination.

The soundtrack in this show is lit – the music fits each scene perfectly. The funny moments with Shu Yi and Shi Yan are made even funnier with the background tunes. It's on point.

Now, let's talk about Bailu and her character, Shu Yi. She's got some intense staring going on, and it's a little cringe, to be honest. But it's also cute in a weird way. She's got these inner monologues that are totally over-the-top and immature, and I can't help but smile at them.

So far, the chemistry between Shu Yi and Shi Yan isn't full-blown romantic, but we're all waiting for that moment when he does something super cute or makes a grand declaration of love. Right now, there's no clear villain in the story, which is kinda different, but it seems like this show is all about being cute and romantic.

Overall, "Only for Love" is a breath of fresh air in the romance drama scene. It's got relatable characters, a strong message about pursuing dreams, and a killer soundtrack. Sure, it's got some quirks, but that's what makes it stand out. We're all just waiting to see how Shu Yi and Shi Yan's romance unfolds and if it'll get even more adorable in the future.So, don't miss out on this unique and charming drama that's got all the ingredients to win your heart.

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Fabulous Drama, Great Actors, Fabulous Chemistry

This is a really fun Drama with wonderful actors with great chemistry. So many people here leaving nasty negative reviews that say more about themselves than the Drama. If you don't like it fine but shut your mouth and don't spoil things for others with your nastiness. What you are leaving is not a Review but a testimony to your own misery and inability to enjoy what is a fine Drama. You don't ike it ? Poor you. They didn't satify your high expectations.? Tragedy! You didn't like it Boo Hoo. Write your own scripts if you don't like this one. What No talent or creativity? just good at Complaining. I love this drama Sad for you that it upsets you so much . Suck it up.

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I tried. I tried really hard!! I stayed with this drama for the leads but I finally had to admit defeat. A drama with more internal dialogue than actual communication and even then, I didn’t understand the push and pull. ML as a CEO just wasn’t convincing enough… even with his glasses. He was socially awkward, borderline Asperger, and just off. He liked FL yet refused to do the simple things for her like give her a ride. He acted like such a jerk cuz he liked her? Umm… you’re a 30 year old CEO. FL… so smart, so resourceful as a reporter… yet she didn’t find out all the facts before making decisions in her relationship. I assumed it would be second nature to think inquisitively and see all perspectives as a journalist.

And the music. The build up … that flopped more times than not with FL running away or the phone ringing. Drama has a serious case of FOMO. Voice mail is built in for a reason. You are important but it’s okay to not answer and check your voicemail once in a while!

Oh well…may their next drama be better than this one!

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A little flat in the beginning just skip to episode 9

First episode started with a bang # heatbreak, it flow nicely didn't have to force to watch it, it looks promising 😀 I cant wait to see what's to come.

Second episode is boring found myself more on my phone than watching it, maybe it was because I came straight from a 40 episode fairly tale drama. IDK.

However for the sake on Dylan and Bai Lu I'll watch it.

Am on episode 7, nothing spectacular is happening so far, no chemistry between the male & female lead.
and the story line is flat.

I think for these two amazing actor and actress this drama was not fitting.

I will give it until episode 11 if I dont see magic unfortunately 😕 I may have to drop it.
its making me sad writing this, I was counting down the days for its release.😔
But I can't hide the truth its boring. 😴 😪 😕 😒

What's CHANGE. (Update)
FROM episode 9, it gets better, a few jokes, a bit more chemistry between the ml & fl and the other actors are starting to get into there characters, and a few story line is coming alive.
I'll update as it gets better or worse.

Getting there!! Update.
Ok so its getting a little captivating, you know that drug feeling when your watching a drama and you got a little busy so you had to stop watching, but you can't wait to get back into it, its on your mind all day!! Yes" Only for love," is getting to that mental dopamine stage.
And Episode 14 is straight out of, fifty shades of grey, jealously inspired scene.

You might read alot of reviews that said its boring, you will notice 95% of them that said its boring didn't make it pass episode 10 lol 😆 🤣 almost including me.

And the other percentage of reviewers will tell you. Have patience and watch on! I will tell you, I encourage you to watch on.
But if your a little impatient just skip the entire 10 first episodes lol trust me you won't miss much... 😆
Ok back to the drama I go, cause I do it " Only for love, "
😆
Ciao.

Ok am now at episode 27, from 24 to 27 was rather boring, with scenes that didn't make much impact, and the story line got drawn out. Heavy sigh 😕 I am still going with it tho, I have hopes it will get better. The music choice is also boring 😴 😕 😒
King The Land is a similar drama much more captivating.
Well just finished episode 28 that also lack emotional connection so safe to same it was boring. 😴 will still watch because all a fan of Dylan and Bai Lui. I think maybe Dylan & Bai Lui is big of star for this drama. 🤔 However we shall tug away with them until the end.

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Missed opportunity for a great drama

Like most people are saying, I watched this for the pairing of Dylan Wang and Bailu. While they make a visually pleasing pair, I just didn't love this story. I also felt like the weak writing, directing and overall plot put a damper on both of these actor's abilities. We know both of them are capable of better because we've seen it many times before. They could've done a lot better with this drama in my opinion. Shiyan is a robot. The fact that a smart, strong, confident journalist like Shuyi would actually fall for a character like him just doesn't resonate with me. I get it that she was pretending to like him in the beginning for personal gains but he was so completely rude, cold and lifeless in their interactions. Even when he started to do little sweet things for her, it wasn't charming because he wouldn't talk or explain himself at all. Dylan has a great smile. I don't think we saw more than a smirk this whole drama. Also, her antics were cringey and it took forever for them to get together, just to break up soon after and drag that out too. All of the characters they brought in to create jealousy were not entertaining and annoying. Her ex bf seemed unnecessary and a waste of screen time. But the romantic scenes were passionate and well done, better than some other dramas people are saying, but not enough to save the whole show unfortunately. There were 2 side CPs, her best friend w Shiyan's best friend and Shiyan's niece w Shiyan's other friend/love rival for Shuyi/professor. Shuyi's best friend is emotionally damaged and thinks she is clever with men but she's not and it takes her the whole show to admit she loves the guy. The niece relentlessly pursues the professor, like stalker creepy and eventually gives him stockholm syndrome and he falls in love. Didn't care for these couples either although they were all stunningly gorgeous. That seems to be a theme of this show. Let's watch visually appealing people get together and say and do dumb things. The side story with the technology stuff was pretty cool and well done. I don't understand all of it but it seems like they put more effort into developing the career/business aspects of the story than the actual romance. They really took the lemons they had and squeezed them down the drain with this drama instead of making lemonade.

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Hit or Miss, You Decide

I think I’m in the minority when I say this but I really didn’t care much for this drama (don’t hate me!) And this review is in NO WAY meant to throw shade on any of the cast or others involved in the making - I’m not denying their talents. After reading a review by a viewer who’s fluent in Chinese & familiar with the culture, I think it chalks up to an unfortunate case of there being so much lost in translation for those of us who rely on the subtitles to provide the correct context for the scenes. (And I know translating is hard work so I’m by no means shaming those involved with that!) That reviewer mentioned how the ML was actually really humorous (which definitely didn’t translate through for me) & there being this whole thing around when he would & wouldn’t wear his glasses (which wasn’t at all explained). Anyways - I’m just trying to say that me not enjoying this drama doesn’t mean it’s bad, I think it’s simply that I wasn’t given enough context of the little things to help me understand the story better.

That being said, I will still give some of my thoughts for anyone who’s interested in reading them. 😉

I was excited for this drama as I like both of the Lead actors ( Bai Lu & Dylan Wang). I really tried to stick it out, but I finally gave up at ep.18. Then I completely skipped eps.19-30 & jumped back in at the last few. I really hate doing that but I was just so annoyed with the storyline. I think it had so much unmet potential by adding all the unnecessary drama of the additional love interests, the multiple POV’s, & the workplace drama for both Leads. It all added up to more drama than I like to watch. I also really didn’t like that the FL started pursuing the ML out of a selfish desire for revenge on her ex. That doesn’t say very nice things about her, that she would use him like that. Yes, I know she was acting out of high emotions after catching her boyfriend cheating on her. Yes, I understand that this happens in the real world too. BUT I would’ve preferred she stopped being ruled by her emotions & selfishness much sooner rather than prolonging her game with the ML’s emotions. And I get that he was aware she had a hidden motive behind her sudden interest in him, but it still sucked that while he was developing feelings for her, he also knew he couldn’t 100% trust her because of her schemes/lies. And because of that, he would fluctuate between hot & cold with her. Then, when she knew her feelings for him had turned real & that she genuinely liked him, she chose not to confess ‘cause she knew he’d be mad (& rightfully so!). So she just kept lying, which doesn’t at all scream “I love you” to me. I understand not wanting to lose him, but girl - fess up so y’all can either build something REAL or you can let each other go to find something healthier. Nothing built upon lies can stand the test of time…

Also, side note - he deserved a heartfelt apology. Like, a true & sincere apology from her but, to the best of my knowledge, she never said she was sorry for how she approached him with bad intentions. I think she only ever apologized for work-related things, but never for how she intended to use him for revenge. Just because he forgave her without her having to say the words doesn’t mean she didn’t need to say them or that he didn’t deserve to hear them.

So with all of that there was a lot of push & pull drama which I’m not a fan of. I thought both Leads acted really childishly for adults who were presented as mature & excellent in their respective careers. Their professional & personal personas didn’t mesh for me. Their actions didn’t match their ages (but, again, maybe it’s ‘cause too much stuff got lost in translation.)

Now, having said all that, I DID enjoy it once they finally got together. They stopped being so annoying & became a solid couple with really great, melt-your-screen chemistry. 🫠 (WHYYY couldn’t we have more of that & less of the icky drama?!?) I liked how they cared for each other, the scenes where they protected/defended the other, & the ways they unashamedly loved one another. If they just could’ve been like that for more of the show, I would’ve rated this so much higher!! I even go back & rewatch the eps. after they’re a couple because of how cute they are together.

So I really don’t know whether to recommend this drama to you or not. I’ll simply leave it up to you & advise you go in knowing there’s missing context if you rely on subtitles like me. 🙃

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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.14 💋
- Together : ep.? 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp : ep.? 💔
- BackTogether : ep33? ❤️‍🩹

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Pretty to Look At, Hard to Feel ??

After having this drama on my watchlist for years, I was genuinely excited to finally start Only for Love. Unfortunately, it ended up being one of those dramas that I finished more out of commitment than excitement.

🐌 A Drama That Takes Forever to Get Going

My biggest issue with this drama is its pacing.

It takes an incredibly long time to find its footing, and even when things finally start moving, the progress feels minimal. The rhythm improves slightly during the last 4–5 episodes, but by then, there are only a handful of episodes left.

This was one of the rare dramas where I gradually increased the playback speed:

➡️ Normal speed
➡️ 1.25x
➡️ 1.5x
➡️ The last ten episodes at 2x speed

And honestly? I never felt like I was missing much.

💔 A Romance That Never Fully Convinced Me

The biggest disappointment was the main romance.

The leads are attractive, the production is polished, and yet I never truly bought into their relationship. Even after 36 episodes, I’m not entirely sure why these two fell so deeply in love with each other.

The chemistry isn’t bad, but compared to many other romance dramas, it feels surprisingly weak. There are cute moments, kisses, and relationship milestones, but the emotional connection never felt as strong as the script wanted me to believe.

At one point, the couple even spends several episodes apart after the male lead discovers the heroine’s original motives for approaching him. Instead of adding emotional depth, it mostly felt like another delay in a story that was already moving too slowly.

📱 Please Stop Answering Every Phone Call

One thing that became increasingly frustrating was the number of interruptions.

Every important conversation seems destined to be interrupted by a phone call, a message, or an urgent work matter. It happens so often that it becomes predictable.

Even in real life, people don’t get interrupted this much… and more importantly, they don’t answer every single call immediately. 😅

After a while, it felt less like natural storytelling and more like a convenient way to postpone character development.

🎬 When the Reels Are Better Than the Drama

I usually don’t mind being spoiled by reels—in fact, it often motivates me to keep watching. But in this case, it felt like I had already experienced most of the emotional highlights, which made the rest of the drama feel like filler rather than build-up.

The viral clips promised a passionate and memorable romance.

The full drama rarely delivered on that promise.

💼 The Heroine Deserves Praise

One of the strongest aspects of the drama is definitely the female lead.

She’s a capable journalist, ambitious, intelligent, and genuinely good at her job. I appreciated that she had her own goals and career progression outside of the romance.

I also liked the time skips near the end ⏳. We get to see her professional growth over several months and then over a year, which helps make the story feel more complete.

🥰 Side Couples

The secondary couple never really worked for me. Their constant “we don’t want commitment but we’re jealous anyway” dynamic quickly became repetitive, and I found myself skipping some of their scenes.

Meanwhile, the tertiary couple was absolutely adorable and often more enjoyable to watch than the main romance. 💕

🎭 Dylan Wang After Love Between Fairy and Devil

I can’t help comparing this role to Dylan Wang’s performance in Love Between Fairy and Devil.

After such a memorable performance there, this character felt far less interesting. Part of that is probably the writing, but I never felt the same emotional intensity or charisma here.

🎯 Final Thoughts

The ending is happy 😊

The couples are together, there are hints of future marriages, and everyone seems to be moving forward in life. There’s nothing wrong with the conclusion itself.

The problem is that the journey to get there simply wasn’t engaging enough.

By the end, I wasn’t watching because I was desperate to know what happened next. I was watching because I had already invested enough time that stopping felt pointless.

⭐ Verdict: I think there are far better dramas competing for your time.

Would I recommend it? ❌ No.

Did I regret finishing it? 🤷‍♀️ Not really.

Would I watch it again? 🚫 Absolutely not.

🏷️ Tags: #SlowBurnWithoutTheBurn #CEOromance #CareerWoman #WeakChemistry #TooManyPhoneCall

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