I Did Not Finish This One
I did not finish this one.
I tried.
I really did.
But somewhere along the way, Love Me Like I Do slowly turned into background noise while I was working on other drama reviews, and eventually I realized I was no longer actually watching it.
That is usually my sign.
If I can start writing an entirely different review while your drama is playing and not feel like I missed anything important…
We have a pacing problem. 😂
And that is frustrating because I actually liked a lot about this drama.
First of All: Why Is Everyone So Pretty?
I need to get this out of the way.
Everyone in this drama is beautiful.
EVERYONE.
The leads?
Beautiful.
The side characters?
Beautiful.
The people standing around the office?
Probably beautiful too.
Apparently the casting requirement was:
Must have a face card.
Nobody was allowed onto that set looking average. 😂
Honestly, sometimes I kept watching just because the entire cast was so pleasant to look at.
That counts for something.
Just not enough to save the pacing.
Tian Tian Was Probably My Favorite Part
I really liked Tian Tian.
She is exactly the type of modern female lead I enjoy because she actually has a personality.
She is short-tempered.
She gets irritated.
She talks back.
She stands up for herself.
And most importantly, she is not immediately blinded by money just because a rich CEO appears in front of her.
THANK YOU.
She wants to become a toy designer, and she actually takes that dream seriously.
Liu Xilai keeps trying to make her his assistant, and she basically keeps going:
Why would I want to do that?
Exactly, girl.
She has an actual career goal.
She does not suddenly abandon her entire life because a handsome rich man tells her to follow him around all day.
I also really liked her styling.
Cute.
Youthful.
Modern.
No grandma clothes.
We love to see it.
And Then We Have Mr. CEO
Liu Xilai is absolutely a CEO cliché.
There is no point pretending otherwise.
Rich CEO?
Check.
Cold personality?
Check.
Jealous?
Check.
Possessive?
Check.
Emotionally awkward?
Check.
Has some bizarre medical condition that somehow only the female lead can help with?
OF COURSE. 😂
We have seen this man before.
Probably 47 times.
But I actually think Liu Yinjun carried the role really well.
The character itself is not groundbreaking, but he made Liu Xilai entertaining enough that I did not mind the cliché as much.
He has good comedic timing, he plays the jealous CEO thing well, and he makes the character likable even when Liu Xilai is behaving like an idiot.
Which happens.
Frequently.
Sir, Just Tell Her Why You Need Her
One of the earliest things that started testing my patience was the whole assistant situation.
Liu Xilai has a severe reaction to blood and apparently the color red.
When he sees red, he can become dizzy or faint.
But for some mysterious reason, when Tian Tian touches or holds onto him, he does not faint.
So naturally, he wants her around him.
Okay.
Makes sense.
What does he do?
Does he simply explain this to her?
Of course not.
Instead:
Liu Xilai: Be my assistant.
Tian Tian: No.
Liu Xilai: Be my assistant.
Tian Tian: WHY?
Liu Xilai: …
Tian Tian: No.
SIR.
JUST TELL HER.
😭
This is exactly the kind of plot-driven communication nonsense that annoys me.
One normal conversation could solve the entire situation.
But if he tells her immediately, there goes the plot.
So instead, we drag it out.
And the funniest part is that Tian Tian has a perfectly reasonable reason for refusing.
She wants to design toys.
She does not want to become some CEO’s personal assistant.
She is basically being asked to change careers without being told why.
I would say no too.
The Hemophobia Situation Took Me Out 😂
Now let us discuss this man's relationship with the color red.
The drama explains that his fear comes from childhood trauma connected to blood.
And yes, blood phobias can actually cause people to become dizzy or faint.
That part is real.
But Liu Xilai apparently does not just react to blood.
He reacts to RED.
Just red.
And red is everywhere.
So naturally, my brain immediately went:
Target logo?
Collapses.
Apple?
Collapses.
Red traffic light?
“TIAN TIAN—”
THUD.
😂😂😂
The drama's explanation is basically that the original blood-related trauma became associated with the color red, so red itself triggers him.
Psychologically, I can understand what they were going for.
But the way the drama presents it is still hilarious.
This poor man should not be running a company.
He should be living inside a beige room.
WHY ARE WE STILL NOT TOGETHER?
And this is ultimately where the drama lost me.
This is only 18 episodes.
The episodes are around 30 minutes long.
This is not a 40-episode historical drama.
This is not a 36-episode slow-burn epic.
EIGHTEEN.
So why did the getting-together stage feel like it lasted approximately 74 years?
There is jealousy.
There are little dating schemes.
There is flirting.
There is more jealousy.
There are misunderstandings.
There is a whole probationary-boyfriend situation.
There are people giving Liu Xilai relationship advice.
There is more circling.
And I am sitting there going:
YOU BOTH LIKE EACH OTHER. PLEASE MOVE.
From the full plot information, they do not officially become boyfriend and girlfriend until around Episode 16.
EPISODE SIXTEEN.
Out of eighteen.
Excuse me?
That means almost the entire drama is spent getting them together.
For me, that is way too long for this format.
I do not need a couple together immediately.
I actually like buildup.
But I also want to enjoy them being a couple.
If your romance finally becomes official when I can practically see the end credits approaching, what are we doing?
This Should Have Been a Short Drama
And that is really my overall problem.
The story itself is not bad.
The actors are likable.
The female lead is great.
The male lead handles the CEO cliché well.
The cast is gorgeous.
There are cute moments.
There is chemistry.
There are genuinely funny scenes.
But they stretched the wrong things.
This story would have worked SO WELL as a tighter short drama.
Cut the repetitive push-and-pull.
Cut some of the unnecessary jealousy games.
Move the relationship forward sooner.
Keep the good banter.
Keep Tian Tian's career storyline.
Keep the ridiculous red-phobia premise because I am sorry, that is entertaining.
Then let us actually enjoy the couple.
Instead, the story kept circling around the relationship until I started losing interest.
Eventually I was barely watching.
And then I stopped.
