Logged In for the Cast, Logged Out for Sanity
Fresh out of college, Gu Xun and Qian Ling unexpectedly cross paths again when they land jobs at the same gaming company. Qian Ling is bright, sweet, and has been quietly crushing on Gu Xun for years, so when she finally gathers the courage to confess, his blunt rejection hits hard. What she does not know is that Gu Xun is already smitten with someone else, a sharp-tongued, fearless female gamer known online as Nuo Mi Xiao Ma Hua. The twist? That legendary gamer is actually Qian Ling herself, living her boldest, sassiest life behind a screen. As the lines between the virtual world and real life start to blur, Gu Xun is about to discover that the girl he admires most has been right in front of him all along.
Everyone Loves Me is one of those dramas that hooks you with a cute premise and gaming romance, then slowly tests your patience with character choices that make you want to pause the episode and talk to the screen.
Let’s start with Qian Ling. I genuinely liked her feisty side, especially when she is in her gamer persona, confident, sharp, and unapologetic. Unfortunately, that energy barely exists in her real life at the beginning. Watching her relentlessly pursue Gu Xun after he has repeatedly made his disinterest clear was painful. The secondhand embarrassment was real. The public rejection alone should have been enough for her to draw a hard line and walk away, yet she folds almost instantly. The moment she softens because he is building a dog house in the rain had me going, girl, be serious. Her inability to hold a grudge and how quickly she caves to Gu Xun made her character frustrating despite her otherwise likable traits.
Gu Xun did not help matters. He treats everything far too lightly, especially emotions that deserve more care. He pushes Qian Ling away without explanation, humiliates her with a public rejection, and then seeks forgiveness in a way that feels more whiny than sincere. Instead of owning his mistakes, he skirts around them, hides behind half truths, and continues concealing his identity so he can remain her emotional safe space. When the truth finally comes out, he still pressures her to forgive him instead of putting in real effort. It often felt like he expected grace without earning it.
That said, one thing I appreciated about Gu Xun was his professionalism at work. No matter how messy his personal feelings were, he stayed focused and competent on the job. This grounding quality gave his character some much needed charm and honestly made the drama more watchable. If he had been careless professionally too, the experience would have been unbearable.
In terms of acting, Lin Yi’s performance felt a little flat at times. His expressions rarely shifted, which made emotional moments fall short. Zhou Ye, on the other hand, is very expressive, but her delivery occasionally tipped into cringe territory, especially when she spoke in an overly demure tone or softly called out names. It clashed with the stronger sides of her character and pulled me out of scenes more than once.
The drama also struggles with tone. Episode 18’s “Marry Me” moment was peak cringe, whether intentional or not. It did not land the way it should have and instead felt awkward and overdone. The final conflict was another weak point. Dropping it so late in the story made it feel unnecessary, and the way it was resolved only added to the awkwardness. Even knowing Gu Xun was scheming, the reveal and Qian Ling’s reaction still made me cringe rather than feel satisfied.
Despite all this, the drama is not without its charms. The gaming elements, workplace setting, and flashes of strong chemistry keep it afloat. While the ending could have been handled better, at least every character received closure, which softens the blow.
Overall, Everyone Loves Me is a mixed bag. It has a fun concept and moments of genuine charm, but it is weighed down by frustrating character dynamics, excessive cringe, and conflicts that did not need to exist. If you can tolerate secondhand embarrassment and a female lead who forgives far too easily, you might still find it an entertaining watch.
Everyone Loves Me is one of those dramas that hooks you with a cute premise and gaming romance, then slowly tests your patience with character choices that make you want to pause the episode and talk to the screen.
Let’s start with Qian Ling. I genuinely liked her feisty side, especially when she is in her gamer persona, confident, sharp, and unapologetic. Unfortunately, that energy barely exists in her real life at the beginning. Watching her relentlessly pursue Gu Xun after he has repeatedly made his disinterest clear was painful. The secondhand embarrassment was real. The public rejection alone should have been enough for her to draw a hard line and walk away, yet she folds almost instantly. The moment she softens because he is building a dog house in the rain had me going, girl, be serious. Her inability to hold a grudge and how quickly she caves to Gu Xun made her character frustrating despite her otherwise likable traits.
Gu Xun did not help matters. He treats everything far too lightly, especially emotions that deserve more care. He pushes Qian Ling away without explanation, humiliates her with a public rejection, and then seeks forgiveness in a way that feels more whiny than sincere. Instead of owning his mistakes, he skirts around them, hides behind half truths, and continues concealing his identity so he can remain her emotional safe space. When the truth finally comes out, he still pressures her to forgive him instead of putting in real effort. It often felt like he expected grace without earning it.
That said, one thing I appreciated about Gu Xun was his professionalism at work. No matter how messy his personal feelings were, he stayed focused and competent on the job. This grounding quality gave his character some much needed charm and honestly made the drama more watchable. If he had been careless professionally too, the experience would have been unbearable.
In terms of acting, Lin Yi’s performance felt a little flat at times. His expressions rarely shifted, which made emotional moments fall short. Zhou Ye, on the other hand, is very expressive, but her delivery occasionally tipped into cringe territory, especially when she spoke in an overly demure tone or softly called out names. It clashed with the stronger sides of her character and pulled me out of scenes more than once.
The drama also struggles with tone. Episode 18’s “Marry Me” moment was peak cringe, whether intentional or not. It did not land the way it should have and instead felt awkward and overdone. The final conflict was another weak point. Dropping it so late in the story made it feel unnecessary, and the way it was resolved only added to the awkwardness. Even knowing Gu Xun was scheming, the reveal and Qian Ling’s reaction still made me cringe rather than feel satisfied.
Despite all this, the drama is not without its charms. The gaming elements, workplace setting, and flashes of strong chemistry keep it afloat. While the ending could have been handled better, at least every character received closure, which softens the blow.
Overall, Everyone Loves Me is a mixed bag. It has a fun concept and moments of genuine charm, but it is weighed down by frustrating character dynamics, excessive cringe, and conflicts that did not need to exist. If you can tolerate secondhand embarrassment and a female lead who forgives far too easily, you might still find it an entertaining watch.
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