CHINESE DRAMA REVIEW
Only for Love / 以爱为营
Chinese title以爱为营
2023 · 36 Episodes · Full-Length Chinese Drama · Modern / Romance / Business
Bai Lu as Zheng Shuyi · Dylan Wang / Wang Hedi as Shi Yan
Main Couple: Zheng Shuyi × Shi Yan
THE ROMANCE CHECK
Quick Answers
Relationship spoilers below.
- Does Only for Love have a happy ending?
- Yes. Zheng Shuyi and Shi Yan end together and engaged after he proposes and she accepts.
- Do the main couple break up?
- Yes — one actual breakup beginning around Episode 27.
- How long are they separated?
- Roughly Episodes 27–31, with reconciliation around Episodes 31–32.
- Do they get back together before the finale?
- Yes.
- Are they together at the end?
- Yes — Together & Engaged.
- Do they marry?
- No confirmed on-screen marriage in the drama itself. They end engaged.
- Is the ending ambiguous?
- No. It is a clear Happy Ending.
- Does the romance begin before the finale?
- Yes. They become an official couple around Episode 20.
- Is there kissing/skinship?
- Yes. There is kissing, affection and meaningful romantic payoff.
- Rating / Watch Status
- 3/5 exactly · Finished · Full-Length Chinese Drama.
RELATIONSHIP MILESTONES
❤️ Relationship Timeline
Spoilers for all 36 episodes. Approximate milestones retain “around” where exact timing is not definitive.
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Early episodes
Early episodes
Shuyi pursues Shi Yan, initially for the wrong reason.
-
Episodes 1–18
Episodes 1–18
Attraction, flirting, jealousy and growing feelings.
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Around Episode 19
Around Episode 19
Major kiss / romantic breakthrough.
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Around Episode 20
Around Episode 20
Official relationship.
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Around Episode 26
Around Episode 26
Shi Yan discovers the truth behind Shuyi’s original motive.
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Around Episode 27
Around Episode 27
One actual breakup/separation begins.
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Roughly Episodes 27–31
Roughly Episodes 27–31
Relationship rupture and separation.
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Around Episodes 31–32
Around Episodes 31–32
Reconciliation before the finale.
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Episodes 32–35
Episodes 32–35
Stable relationship and romantic payoff.
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Episode 36
Episode 36
Shi Yan proposes; Zheng Shuyi accepts. Happy Ending — Together & Engaged.
Breakup / Separation Status
- Actual breakup: Yes — one.
- Separation: Roughly Episodes 27–31.
- Reconciliation: Around Episodes 31–32, before the finale.
- Final status: Together & Engaged · Happy Ending.
💗 Shen Zhiyi’s Drama Reality Check
Finished · 36 episodes. Spoilers include the breakup, reconciliation and proposal.
- 💕 Romance
- Established before finaleOfficial relationship around Episode 20.
- 🔥 Chemistry
- GoodChemistry is present; pacing is my central complaint.
- 💋 Kissing
- Meaningful romantic payoffMajor kiss around Episode 19; more kissing and affection afterward.
- 🤗 Skinship
- PresentActual relationship content and affection.
- 🌶️ Spiciness / Adult Intimacy
- Mild–ModerateRomantic intimacy; no extreme score claimed.
- 🚩 ML Red Flag
- Moderate / complicatedJealousy and a genuine multi-episode relationship rupture.
- 👑 Female Lead Competence
- Capable, with questionable romantic decisionsA financial reporter whose original revenge motive backfires.
- ⏱️ Romance Timing
- Around Episode 20Romance becomes official before the finale.
- ❤️🔥 Relationship Payoff
- Positive — Together & EngagedThe Episode 36 proposal is accepted.
- 💔 Breakup
- Yes — one actual breakupBegins around Episode 27; this is more than an argument.
- ⏳ Separation / Conflict
- Roughly Episodes 27–31Reconciliation around Episodes 31–32.
- 💍 Final Relationship Status
- Together & EngagedHappy Ending; no confirmed on-screen marriage.
- 📖 Plot
- Dragged / stretchedThe story takes too long to move through its beats.
- 🐾 Animal Harm
- Dog/cat harm: UnverifiedNo reliable dog/cat-harm finding established; not a scene-by-scene animal-safety audit.
About these assessments
My impressions cover what I watched. Later research is labeled on dropped reviews. Kissing, affection and adult intimacy are separate; coercion does not count as romantic spice. Being apart does not automatically mean a breakup.
A PERSONAL VIEWING JOURNAL
My Review
Only for Love is one of those dramas where I kept thinking:
Okay… we could move this along now. 😂
The basic story is cute enough. Zheng Shuyi is a financial reporter who gets involved with businessman Shi Yan after initially approaching him for completely ridiculous reasons connected to getting revenge on her cheating ex.
And somehow we needed 36 episodes for all of this. 😭
😴 The Story Dragged
This was easily my biggest problem with the drama.
It just felt too long.
There were so many stretches where I was waiting for the story to MOVE.
The romance was there.
The chemistry was there.
The leads were attractive.
Things were happening.
But everything took forever. 😂
Sometimes less really is more.
❤️ Zheng Shuyi & Shi Yan
Thankfully, the romance actually develops before the finale.
Their attraction builds throughout the first half of the drama, and they eventually become a real couple instead of making me survive until Episode 36 for one handhold. 😂
Their first major romantic breakthrough and kiss happen around Episode 19, and they become an official couple around Episode 20.
So we DO get actual relationship content.
Unfortunately…
YES. THEY ACTUALLY BREAK UP. 🙄
Shi Yan eventually learns the truth about why Shuyi originally approached him.
She had mistakenly believed he was connected to the woman involved with her cheating ex, so what started as part revenge and part misunderstanding eventually blows up in her face.
Shi Yan feels deceived.
Their relationship falls apart around Episode 27.
And naturally the drama decides we need several episodes of misery afterward. 😭
The breakup/separation lasts roughly through Episodes 27–31 before they finally start repairing the relationship and reconcile around Episodes 31–32.
This is a real breakup/relationship rupture, not just an argument.
😂 Did We Really Need All of That?
This basically sums up my feelings about the entire drama.
There is a perfectly good romance buried in here.
We have:
- attractive leads
- actual chemistry
- kisses
- jealousy
- an official relationship
- a wealthy CEO ML
- romantic payoff
- a happy ending
But it takes SO LONG to get through everything.
I finished it.
I didn't hate it.
But the pacing absolutely dragged this down for me.
💍 Ending
Thankfully, after surviving all 36 episodes, we get a clear Happy Ending. 😂❤️
The finale moves the characters forward in both their careers and relationship.
Shi Yan proposes to Zheng Shuyi.
She accepts. 💍
So there is no ambiguous staring-across-a-field nonsense here.
FINAL MAIN-COUPLE STATUS:
Together & Engaged
ENDING TYPE:
Happy Ending ❤️
🔎 Reality Check: Can a Financial Reporter Date Someone She Covers?
Shuyi is a financial journalist, while Shi Yan is a businessman and source connected to her reporting. Dating an active source or subject creates an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics calls for avoiding conflicts that can compromise independence or credibility. My practical takeaway: once they became romantic, assigning stories about Shi Yan or his company to another reporter would be the cleaner newsroom approach.
Cute for a romance drama. Messy for the newsroom. 😂
U.S. Availability / Where to Watch
Official iQIYI International listing
Official iQIYI International listing confirmed with 36 episodes and advertised English subtitles. U.S. playback was not independently verified. Full English-subtitle coverage and quality, original Mandarin audio, and audio/video quality remain unverified.
Sources / Viewing Scope
Finished all 36 episodes. My reactions are personal; relationship milestones follow my approved notes and official episode summaries.