A light rom-com following three endearing ladies. This is a sincere one. Nothing fluffy or over-the-top.
Notable Actors/Actresses
Tong Yao: Cheng Lu
Pan Yue Ming: Wei Shu
Chen Shu: Tian Lei
Yuan Wen Kang: Xu Hai Feng
Xu Fang Yi: Ding Shi Ya
Li Shen: Zhou Chen Yu
Chinese Title
谁说我结不了婚
[Ep2] Cheng Lu is 34 but she still carries the innocence of an 18 year old. She's a screenwriter. She prides herself on the award she had won ten years ago. Upon chance, she meets Wei Shu. A researcher. His thesis requires him to interview women over 30 who can't get aren't married. Initially she flat out rejects to be his specimen but she agrees because he seems to have a knack for dating. I can't believe she's taking this guy seriously. I really liked their interview segment here though. She can't make up her mind on what she values in men and that drives him almost crazy. She wants help to win over her crush from university, Li Wei Hao and so Wei Shu teaches her the ways of push and pull. What I got from that is if the man starts a conversation don't continue that one, start a new one; if he asks you a question, don't answer it, ask it back instead. Someone tell me if that works.
[Ep3] The operation to win Li Wei Hao over fails. Wei Shu thought it was supposed to be a date between the two of them, not knowing there would be two other participants: Tian Lei and Liu Feng (another university alumni who Tian Lei is trying to discuss a contract with who is also making countless moves on Cheng Lu despite being married). We also learn that Li Wei Hao had always thought Cheng Lu had a crush on Liu Feng. Ah so he liked her too.
Tian Lei is an ambitious lawyer. She's also in her thirties but she has no romantic dream. She's trying to sign a contract deal with Liu Feng and will use any means to win him over. With a hint from her peer, Xu Hai Feng, Tian Lei realizes the key person to talk to isn't the alumni himself but his wife. Using Cheng Lu's phone she invites him to a hotel. He takes the bait but when he arrives, it's his wife there. Contract done.
Cheng Lu has hit an all time low in her career and family. She's fired because she can't accept that her company is using her name as an award winning scriptwriter when the work isn't hers. Her mom is also remarrying and leaving the country. She's all alone. It's Wei Shu who comforts her. He tells her to choose her favourite trophy. They're at a place that makes and engraves trophies. She thinks he's mocking her. He isn't. He recognizes her effort and buys her a trophy. He awards her with the "It's Hard but Will Still Endure Until Death" award. She smiles.
[Ep5] Cheng Lu strikes a deal with Wei Shu. She will go to an eight minute blind date event in place of one scheduled interview (for his research). It's not long until she's kicked out of the event. She stresses that she walked out herself. Wei Shu is listening to her convincing story but at the end he realizes she already lost half the battle with her attire. She thinks she dresses fine because that was an expensive suit. He shakes his head and takes her shopping. He's personally giving her a makeover. He gives her a pair of heels. She retaliates that her sneakers are her last pride. Next scene: she's in the heels. When her new style impresses her potential contractor, she smiles (probably giving an inner thank-you to Wen Shu).
Tian Lei finds herself being tailed. She calls Cheng Lu but she refuses to pick up. Cheng Lu has found out that Tian Lei had used her name to invite Liu Feng to a hotel. She's still brewing in anger but Ding Shi Ya rushes over to her place to tell Cheng Lu that Tian Lei's in trouble.
[Ep6] I thought Tian Lei was done for (or at least injured) but it turns out the three girls are planning to fight the man back despite being fearful themselves. These three girls took down a repeat offender who usually targets single women.
[Ep7] The misunderstanding is resolved. Li Wei Hao and Cheng Lu know they both liked each other in university. However, before anything starts between them, Wei Shu asks Cheng Lu to attend his ex-wife's marriage with him. The bride (the ex-wife) asks Cheng Lu to take care of her ex-husband. This wedding gives an opportunity for Cheng Lu to learn more about Wei Shu and allows him to overcome his lingering feelings for his ex-wife.
The next day, Li Wen Jie is scaling up his pursuit for Cheng Lu. He’s planned a proposal. It’s so funny how picky he is with the people he hired to help his proposal. All that rehearsal is wasted because he's immediately rejected before he got to propose. Still, Li Wen Jie doesn’t get it and pursues her all the same.
Tian Lei is making a huge sacrifice to win a case. She’s torturing her stomach. The client she needs to convince is a restaurant owner so she and Xu Hai Feng have been visiting the restaurant hoping to get on the owner’s good side. It’s futile. However she won’t give up after sacrificing her stomach like that. Xu Hai Feng is throwing a laughing fit at her as he watches her walk back and forth holding her poor stomach. She blames him for ordering so much food. Xu Hai Feng is the reason why I’m not skipping over Tian Lei scenes.
Zhou Chen Yu hasn’t given up on his pursuit of Ding Shi Ya. This time he’s bribing her friend, Lucy. This friend is a smart one. She’ll only answer one question per item. He runs out of things to give her so he tells her to open this app and she can choose anything from there. This is one of the rare times I like how the drama inserts its product placement. I applaud you, show.
Wei Shu is struggling to walk home a drunk Cheng Lu. He complains that she’s heavy. She retaliates that he said her weight was just perfect. He doesn’t remember that. She continues her drunk talk that she dieted for three days just to dress prettily to meet him. She suddenly confesses to him. Wei Shu doesn’t know how to respond her. However, it’s not Wei Shu she’s confessing to. It’s Li Wei Hao. She’s too drunk. Unable to find her door key, he drags her back to sleep in his room. It’s an awkward morning for her and she quickly leaves his hotel room. Li Wen Jie sees this.
I’m really enjoying this drama. It’s casual and has me laughing here and there purely from the dialogue.
[Ep12] Oblivious to Cheng Lu, she is slowly falling in love with Wei Shu. At work she’ll unconsciously repeat Wei Shu’s words. He’s changed her mindset without her realizing it. At lunch she visits him during his class and asks him for advice on Li Wen Jie. They have another date tonight but she doesn’t know what to do. Just refuse the guy 🙄. Wei Shu advises her to just see him and think positively. If she’s going to breakup at least give it a clean break. However the date takes on an unexpected turn. Li Wen Jie brings his mother to the date. Such a turnoff. This man is a huge no. The sweet Cheng Lu entertains them despite being asked about her family, health, career, and marriage (when she still hasn’t accepted dating him). After the dinner he tells her he’ll forgive her. Cheng Lu has no idea what she did wrong. He tells her he saw her walk out of Wei Shu’s hotel room in the morning but he’s willing to put that behind him and trust her. Cheng Lu still hasn’t refused the guy yet. !!!
Oblivious to Ding Shi Ya, her six-year crush, Lin Zhong Xin married. She locks herself up in the washroom and sinks her body into the tub while fully clothed. Tian Lei yells at her without polishing her words at all. It’s ruthless but honest. Ding Shi Ya wasted her youth waiting for a man who wouldn’t love her and now he’s even married without her knowing. How could you not invite or at least inform a friend of six years who you’ve constantly kept in contact with that you’re married? He knows she likes him and he’s keeping her as his backup. Cheng Lu separates the sisters and gives Cheng Lu gives Ding Shi Ya a tight embrace. :(. Tian Lei keeps calling Ding Shi Ya her sister but then why do they have different surnames? At least that means Zhou Chen Yu has a chance. By the way he’s still bribing Lucy with product placement stuff, heh.
There’s nothing oblivious for Tian Lei. She’s got a clear mind and settles the case. Xu Hai Feng asks her how she did it. She gives out a bunch of logical explanations but he knows there’s more to it. He’s right. She offered her client’s son a huge discount on her lawyer fee. For her pride’s sake she wasn’t willing to admit it but now that it’s out in the open she complains to Xu Hai Feng how could their rich client be such a Scrooge. Haha. With the case a success, she’s promoted to the top floor of the building.
[Ep13] Wei Da Shi is Cheng Lu’s saviour. He gives her the perfect advice to win someone’s favour. The most important part of it is sincerity. As they’re taking a walk, I don’t know if our psychologist realizes but the distance between their shoulders is zero. He asks how the class reunion went (with Li Wei Hao). Surprisingly, she felt okay. As for her other pursuer, Li Wen Jie, she’s decided to break it off. When they meet the next day he brings a ring and asks Xu You Dao to take a picture for them. The picture that XYD ends up taking is Cheng Lu closing the ring box, ha. She’s rejecting him. What’s funny about this scene is XHD doesn’t stop taking pictures. When Li Wen Jie takes back his phone XYD uses his own phone to record the entire rejection. Li Wen Jie doesn’t understand why he’s being rejected. This guy makes me speechless with how he lists out why it’s wrong of her to reject him and then say he’s sincere about marrying her. What part of this is sincere? Cheng Lu won’t follow his beat anymore and coldly gives him a dose of reality. She finally realizes why she hasn’t married. It’s not that it’s not important, it’s too important. She can’t waste it on just anyone.
I don’t know why Ding Shi Ya is doing what she’s doing but I feel bad for her. It’s Lin Zhong Xin’s wife’s birthday and she goes out of her way to reserve a restaurant and buy a cake. However, it’s also her own birthday. Fortunately, there’s Zhou Chen Yu to yell at her for her stupidity and celebrate her birthday with her.
[Ep14] Ding Shi Ya and Zhou Chen Yu are stuck in traffic, it’s so bad they haven’t moved for what seemed like hours. There’s enough time for him to get out of his car and buy instant noodles for her. It’s a Chinese birthday tradition to have noodles. He forgot his wallet and by the time he’s retrieved it another man has bought his instant noodle. It’s the store’s last one. He’s determined to buy the noodles for Ding Shi Ya and even fights for it. The result is him being injured without winning the instant noodles back. Ding Shi Ya reprimands him for fighting but she is touched. He did manage to buy a tiny mooncake. He flicks his lighter for her to make a wish. She complies but she tells him she didn’t make a wish. She just closed her eyes and counted to three, lol. Thus he takes her wish instead. She wants to know his wish but he won’t tell her. He urges her to eat the “cake” and she feels pressured. He tells her it’s because the cake had actually expired at 12am. Ha. Ding Shi Ya‘s laugh is so genuine it makes me wonder whether Zhou Chen Yu is making a ton of ad-libs. My intuition tells me his is.
It’s Cheng Lu’s turn to mind Wei Shu’s business. She gets herself quite involved. Wei Shu’s grade of zero is the indirect cause of his research student’s suicide. Wei Shu won’t reveal the rationale behind the mark though. Cheng Lu tails him and tails him and tails him.
[Ep15] Wei Shu thought he got rid of Cheng Lu at the door but she memorized his door combo. She enters his condo like it’s hers. Wei Shu is bewildered. Cheng Lu sincerely wants to help him but he draws a line between them that she’s only his research participant. Cheng Lu is upset at his remarks but since she already dipped her feet in his problems she continues to help the student. She convinces the student to admit that he forged his research results.
Tian Lei has quite the poor upbringing. She grew up with Xu Hai Feng and was always envious of him for having new school material every year, sleeping in class but still getting perfect scores, going abroad to study and having money for the tuition. She always had to work extra hard for everything. Even now. To win back a client she goes to any lengths whether it’s hijacking a car or running 3km distance in her heels. I like how Xu Hai Feng knows she used underhanded methods without even being at the scene.
[Ep16] Tian Lei is worried for her mom. Xu Hai Feng helps her find out her mom’s whereabouts through his parents. Through Xu Hai Feng, Tian Lei discovers that her mom blocked her on WeChat. Haha. Mom is in Shanghai for a minor plastic surgery and didn’t want anyone to know. Ha. She nags her daughter to get married so Tian Lei lies she and Xu Hai Feng are dating. Xu Hai Feng doesn’t know he’s being used by her and still somehow plays the perfect boyfriend role. We also learn that Tian Lei’s father remarried.
Cheng Lu and Wei Shu make up after both their respective friends convince them to apologize. Wei Shu personally cooks for her. He tells her he’s about to publish a book on his research topic. She thinks he owes her a huge thank you. He agrees so he tells her he’s going to make a large print of her face and tell everyone she’s the 34 year old who can’t get married. That deserves a slap from her. Their tiny brawl is interrupted by Li Wei Hao. He casually joins them for food until his girlfriend, uh ex-girlfriend, uh soon to be girlfriend interrupts. It seems like he really minds having his Russian (ex)girlfriend (Sophia) and Cheng Lu at the same table. When they leave, Cheng Lu tells Wei Shu she’s envious of their happiness. Therefore she’s not jealous.
Ding Shi Ya is lost and her phone dies. The only number she remembers is Lin Zhong Xin’s. He picks her up but it’s too late so they stay at a hotel together that only has one vacant room left. They play a game of truth and with a bit of alcohol, Ding Shi Ya courageously asks him if he ever had feelings for her. He admits it. She slowly moves in to kiss him but he stops her. He’s about to leave but she asks him one last question: did he ever love her. He doesn’t answer and asks her back if it’s really that important. To him love isn’t important. His career takes priority. My opinion of him improved. I’m glad he rejected DSY’s advances. The guy just values career over women.
[Ep17] So many nuances I love about this episode that digs into the personalities of our leads. This episode is a Tian Lei and Cheng Lu one. It starts first with a highlight of their friendship. Cheng Lu sends the food delivery guy to Tian Lei’s condo first to tempt her to have midnight snack with her. Tian Lei has an extremely small appetite and hates being too full. Cheng Lu is practically murdering her. Tian Lei doesn't like being too full because she used to be fat.
Tian Lei puppy-eyes Xu Hai Feng. She silently hovers around him until Xu Hai Feng is shook to his core. She needs his help. She’s attending her father's birthday dinner and needs a fake boyfriend. Xu Hai Feng is happy to do her the favour. She rehearsed him and even buys, uh, rents a suit for him. The man doesn’t need rehearsing though. He's a born actor. Ahem. He “ad-libs” that he truly admires her. Although she bullied him when they were younger, all the cons he saw in her are now her attributes. I also love how they sneak in tiny secret conversations here and there when they pick food for each other or drop stuff. The dinner doesn’t end on a happy note when dad makes an anti feminist comment that doesn’t bode well with Tian Lei. She also can’t return the suit anymore, lol.
Cheng Lu has a few encounters with men this episode. First, Xiao Ha, the man who has a crush on Cheng Lu compliments her cute selfie that she accidentally sent him. Then she meets Wei Da Shi doing a cool street performance with his guitar. I love it when dramas make uncool guys look cool. Wei Shu shares an interesting insight he had of Sophia to her. She has an extremely high IQ in romance and assertively attacks Li Wei Hao with it making it hard for him to escape her grasps. Cheng Lu sees none of that in Sophia.
Cheng Lu attends a party that her boss recommended her to. She’s invited by a man to join his table to socialize with his friends and now I finally understand why she had two close friends only. I’m not saying a person needs a ton of friends but it just suddenly makes so much sense why her social circle is so small. Cheng Lu has zero, no, a negative sense of social awareness. No wonder she couldn’t refuse Li Wen Jie, haha. She doesn’t know when to accept compliments and when her words are offensive. Her honest opinions aren’t well accepted but she’ll have no idea and continues her long winded explanations. I love her.
It’s late but after the party Cheng Lu still drops by Xu You Dao’s restaurant. By chance Wei Shu is there. ;It’s not chance. Xu You Dao busted him that he’s waiting for Cheng Lu but Wei Shu denied it. Cheng Lu tells him how popular she was at the party but Wei Da Shi casually picks out all the fishy parts of her story. She sheepishly confesses to lying. ;Lol. She wants advice but Wei Da Shi is being stingy. They end up fighting and he pulls her hair, literally yanks her hair. Xu You Dao stares at them in bewilderment, haha. Cheng Lu packs her bag and decides to leave but Wei Shu calls her back. He tells Xu You Dao to bring him a chalkboard. Wei Da Shi is going to teach her. Aww. I also love how he knew exactly how Cheng Lu failed at the party without physically being there.
[Ep18] Xu You Dao was voluntold to help Cheng Lu train but he wasn’t warned of the potential bodily harm he would be subjected to. She hits his chest, slaps his face, and had his hair forcibly yanked off. I’m certain Wei Shu is still training her to seduce men, not kill them. His tactics that she learned are actually quite effective but the men she’s attracting are married fellows according to Xiao Ha. He flees with her and together they ride a double decker bus. In an unexpected way, Cheng Lu did succeed in seducing a man.
Wei Shu is at the restaurant and accidentally puts salt in his coffee. Xu You Dao teases his buddy for sending the girl he likes away to seduce other men. Wei Shu is in denial.
After work, Xiao Ha brings Cheng Lu to the club. They’re both drunk and end up kissing. Same time elsewhere Wei Shu cuts his finger. He’s feeling ominous. The next morning Cheng Lu receives a text from Xiao Hao and it starts off with calling her “Sweetie”
Zhou Chen Yu’s mom is checking on his businesses including Ding Shi Ya’s beauty parlour. Lucky for him, she’s in the green and is earning money - the only profitable business of Zhou Chen Yu’s for the past five years. Hearing the (unexpected) good news, his chest puffs out with confidence, lol. He celebrates with her at dinner and he tells her that he’s raised in a single family. He’s never seen his dad. He’s also never told anyone about his family. He asks if she can share a secret too and so she tells him about her humiliating crush on Lin Zhong Xin.
Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng have an athletic competition for a work event. Although XHF won, he’s not one bit happy because of Tian Lei’s physical intimacy with another man just to win a race. He leans in super close and grudgingly asks her whether she has any principles or she would just allow any man to touch her hip like that. Tian Lei tells him that her hip is hers and she can do whatever she wants with it. True. Unable to understand why he’s throwing a fit at her, she walks off.
Tian Lei’s golden lines: Ding Shi Ya had told Cheng Lu that a younger boyfriend is someone worth showing off. Tian Lei retorts, “Show off that he can live longer than you?” xD
[Ep19] In a drinking game Xu Hai Feng lets Tian Lei win on purpose. He’s giving her a ton of signals but she’s not picking up any. Meanwhile he’s giving a lot of wrong signals to her subordinate who has a growing crush on him.
Zhou Chen Yu gifts the limited edition item that Dong Shi Ya wanted. It’s those capsulated toys you win from a machine. He had to line up with young children in order to try his luck to win it. In the end a boy won it. The boy would only exchange it for a Barbie set that’s $3999 RMB. When Zhou Chen Yu questions his taste, he wittingly answers that he wants the Barbie set for the very same reason Zhou Chen Yu wants the capsulated toy. Ha. They both want to pressure the girl they like. Thus Zhou Chen Yu exchanges a $3999 item with a $100RMB one. It was all worth it though because Ding Shi Ya asks him for a date to a concert to thank him for the thoughtful present.
Cheng Lu gives a pair of concert tickets to Wei Shu. He agreed to go thinking she was asking him to go with her but she’s telling him to go with Xu You Dao because she’s too busy with work. Wei Shu is disappointed. There’s more disappointment for him this episode. He teaches her to win the love of Xiao Ha. Xiao Ha didn’t want to commit but with Wei Shu’s advice (to break up with the boy at the peak of their relationship) Xiao Ha is tempted to want her more. He’s now officially her boyfriend and she invites him to the concert.
The three girls are super excited to attend their favourite celebrity’s concert. Cheng Lu introduces her younger boyfriend. Tian Lei introduces her fake boyfriend, Xu Hai Feng. Lol. Ding Shi Ya doesn’t need to introduce because Zhou Chen Yu introduces himself as her official boyfriend. Ha. She denies it though.
After the concert the girls have dinner at Xu You Dao’s restaurant with their young, fake, and real boyfriends. Wei Shu is also there in the kitchen. He hates the sight of Xiao Ha. Xiao Ha also doesn’t seem to like being there. He’s on his phone the entire time. Wei Shu is finally feeling the full force of jealousy when he sees XH sweetly wipe Cheng Lu’s lips. His jealousy transforms to action as he adds a ton of spice to XH’s food. After seeing Xiao Ha choke on the spice, Xu You Dao gives Wei Shu a double thumbs up. It’s pretty obvious that Cheng Lu to Xiao Ha is just a fling. He likes flirting with her and that’s it. I really hope she doesn’t take it too seriously.
Tian Lei golden lines: Ding Shi Ya was sharing how touched she was when Zhou Chen Yu gave her the present. She commented how it’s not because he’s rich she’s starting to like him and that it’s okay if he’s not rich. Tian Lei sharply refutes her, “Answer that question again when he’s not rich and see if you still like him.” So real, lol. She also made a comment about a chinese idiom about trees: you don’t want to hang your all on one tree (when there’s a whole forest) but that doesn’t mean you should hang a bit on every tree (i.e. try everything). She had used it to refer to the girls dating younger boyfriends. It’s not necessary to try dating all types of men. There's so many witty comments that I wish I can write it all down but it's just not fun that way.
Tian Lei needs Xu Hai Feng to be her fake boyfriend again for her mother this time. Mom has contacted Xu Hai Feng’s parents and updated them their children were dating shocking the both of them. However, what petrified them the most was her mother’s insistence on their marriage. Tian Lei was forced to agree, which panicked Xu Hai Feng. He kept looking at his schedule pretending he was busy. They’re at Xu You Dao’s restaurant and he overhears their entire conversation with Wei Shu. These two have nothing to do. Xu You Dao makes a funny comment that normal people look at the calendar for auspicious dates but these busy people look at their schedules in order to find a day to marry. Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng had me laughing so much here. Off topic: I like Xu Hai Feng in glasses.
Cheng Lu is too busy that she has neglected her friends and Wei Shu to play video games with her young young boyfriend. She poured so much time and passion in him, turns out he might be cheating on her. Things aren’t looking so pretty for her next episode especially when Wei Shu has a young girl interested in him.
[Ep21] Cheng Lu’s boyfriend isn’t cheating (to my dismay). He invites her to his house party with his friends. She doesn’t fit in at all. She thinks she’s having fun but all his friends are complaining about her behind her back. Cheng Lu really shouldn’t have been there, she should have been at Wei Shu’s band performance. He had invited her. He even delayed the performance to wait for her. Then she suddenly appears and Wei Shu is all smiles. Except it’s not her. He thought Judy (the girl who likes him) was Cheng Lu. I support Cheng Lu but Judy is quite spunky herself. Very likable.
[Ep22] The script-writing team is having a little conflict and Cheng Lu is giving a lecture to her subordinate at the restaurant. It’s interesting seeing script-writing at work here. If there’s so much proofreading, I wonder why some scripts turn out the way they do. Wei Shu overhears her charismatic moment. He happens to be in the kitchen stealing alcohol. He promised to share a sip with Cheng Lu if she keeps this a secret from Xu You Dao. Cheng Lu promises and steals the whole baron. Ha.
Girls' moment: Cheng Lu calls Tian Lei “Tian Ma Ma”. Tian Lei is cool about it and jeers them that no nickname will bother her. Thus Ding Shi Ya calls her “Tian Ma”. It’s the same meaning but sounds much older. Tian Lei immediately finds it offensive. xD A friend like Tian Lei is amazing. Someone you can offend and look up to.
Wei Shu and Judy were having dinner when Cheng Lu and Xiao Ha joined. Wei Shu and Cheng Lu immediately banter as if their partners weren't there at all. Xu You Dao is serving food and notes that this group looks like a complicated mess, haha. I love his comments. Cheng Lu pours soup for everyone but Wei Shu. Thus Wei Shu does it himself but he notices that she didn’t pour for herself so he gives her his bowl. Aww. At least Wei Shu knows how to care for her unlike Xiao Ha who’s waiting to be served and is always on his phone. This is a huge signal that everyone on the table picks up except the oblivious Cheng Lu. Judy is officially rejected when Wei Shu indirectly admits he’s in love with Cheng Lu.
[Ep23] Tian Lei had dressed seductively to entertain her clients. Xu Hai Feng doesn’t like it one bit. After a night of too much drinking, Tian Lei uses her sex appeal to tease a very un-amused Xu Hai Feng. He asserts that he doesn’t like sexy but it’s more like he doesn’t like her using her sex appeals for anyone other than him. Seeing him unmoved at her touches, Tian Lei spins her chair away from him but he spins her back with an assertive kiss. He backs off first but Tian Lei leans in to him for more before realizing what she has done. In the taxi, she’s kicking herself for it. At work she’s bothered by his intimacy but she coldly rejects all his advances.
Wei Shu casually joins in Cheng Lu and Ding Shi Ya’s lunch. He serves them a free dish but takes it right back when Cheng Lu admits that she’s considering marriage in her relationship. Ugh.
Cheng Lu’s golden comment: "At our age now, a relationship without motive is a waste of our makeup."
Ding Shi Ya and Zhou Chen Yu makes me smile. I realize Zhou Chen Yu and Xiao Ha are quite similar. Young, immature, and irresponsible. However, Zhou Chen Yu is portrayed as more sincere in his feelings towards Ding Shi Ya which makes him a gazillion times more endearing.
Xu Hai Feng is blamed by Kevin for losing a case when it’s Kevin who accepted the bribery to lose the case. Tian Lei helps him find proof to oust Kevin (she’s even slapped by him). Xu Hai Feng asks why she’s helping him, she tells him, “I don’t like people bullying you other than me.” Her friends also question her relationship between Xu Hai Feng. She finally admits that her relationship will have to wait until she is partners at her firm (meaning she's accepting of him but business comes first).
[Ep29] Cheng Lu learns from Cherry quite a few shocking news. Firstly Cherry doesn’t have any friends. That’s not the shocking part, she doesn’t have any friends to talk about her cheating on her husband. From Cherry, Cheng Lu also learns that it was Tian Lei who gave Cherry the opportunity to steal her boyfriend in university.
Tian Lei actually has another job: she's a detective. She's investigating Xu Hai Feng's ex and how she's scamming him of his money. Tian Lei confronts the ex and tells her off. Xu Hai Feng demands who gave her the right to mind his business. I feel like he wanted to hear a specific answer but he didn't get the one he wanted. Tian Lei stammers that it's because they're childhood friends.
[Ep34] Zhou Chen Yu cries this episode because no one believes he can be independent, not even Ding Shi Ya. By the end of the episode, she comes around and gives her entire savings to help him. If it wasn’t because it’s Zhou Chen Yu I would condemn this move. But it’s so Ding Shi Ya giving utmost trust to the man she loves. She is also improving herself. She plans to quit work and get an MBA.
[Ep35] It’s Cheng Lu’s birthday. Li Wei Hao confesses. Wei Shu sees the two and misunderstands. He doesn’t know she hasn’t accepted and is already having the loser face on. She wants to talk to Wei Shu about it but he doesn’t want to hear it. He’s also given a chance to take his research abroad. 
[Ep38] If not sure then too insecure. If too sure then too secure.
Ding Shi Ya thinks Zhou Chen Yu is planning to propose and hypes up herself and her girlfriends. Cheng Lu and Tian Lei stake out at the table next to hers ready to capture the moment. Ding Shi Ya has her perfect eyebrows on ready to receive the proposal. She’s destroying the cake he gave her thinking the ring is inside. It’s not. He then tells her he has a surprise for her. To her dismay, it’s not the one she wanted. It’s good news about his business.
Cheng Lu does the unthinkable. She publicly confesses to him at his book signing event. She uses a microphone to ask the last question. She tells him how she fell in love with a friend who had always helped her. Her question to him is if she were to tell her friend this will he accept her. He doesn’t know how to respond to her. He’s also dragged away to the next event and ends up leaving her there alone and unanswered. 
[First Impression (Ep1-6)] I was planning to skip this one just because the synopsis seems to target a certain population that doesn't quite fit me. I'm glad I didn't. Despite the focus of this drama being on 30+ year old women, the way the drama executes itself is young and cheerful. The dialogues are witty. This is a typical romance drama its just the characters aren't your typical young and beautiful actors and actresses. The main romance starts off with a researcher looking for the perfect candidate to complete his thesis and in the process romances this candidate who cannot marry – does not marry – does not marry not because she cannot marry. My favourite is Cheng Lu. She's pure. She has an innocent haughtiness aura to her. She takes pride upon herself even when nothing is going her way. She's like stuck in time, a fossil even, when everyone around her is changing.
[Review] Beautiful drama. I’m surprised China created such a heartfelt drama that didn’t rely on being overly dramatic or overly fluffy or overly hilarious. It’s a feel good romcom that although focuses on women in their thirties it didn’t feel like age mattered. It just so happens our three main leads are in their thirties and their love life start blossoming then. It really feels like these three girls were always living and the drama just happened to have captured this snippet of their life for the audience to watch. That’s how natural everyone felt.
谁说我结不了婚
Who Said I Can't Get Married
Mini Recaps
[Ep3] The operation to win Li Wei Hao over fails. Wei Shu thought it was supposed to be a date between the two of them, not knowing there would be two other participants: Tian Lei and Liu Feng (another university alumni who Tian Lei is trying to discuss a contract with who is also making countless moves on Cheng Lu despite being married). We also learn that Li Wei Hao had always thought Cheng Lu had a crush on Liu Feng. Ah so he liked her too.
Tian Lei is an ambitious lawyer. She's also in her thirties but she has no romantic dream. She's trying to sign a contract deal with Liu Feng and will use any means to win him over. With a hint from her peer, Xu Hai Feng, Tian Lei realizes the key person to talk to isn't the alumni himself but his wife. Using Cheng Lu's phone she invites him to a hotel. He takes the bait but when he arrives, it's his wife there. Contract done.
Cheng Lu has hit an all time low in her career and family. She's fired because she can't accept that her company is using her name as an award winning scriptwriter when the work isn't hers. Her mom is also remarrying and leaving the country. She's all alone. It's Wei Shu who comforts her. He tells her to choose her favourite trophy. They're at a place that makes and engraves trophies. She thinks he's mocking her. He isn't. He recognizes her effort and buys her a trophy. He awards her with the "It's Hard but Will Still Endure Until Death" award. She smiles.
[Ep4] Ding Shi Ya rounds out the last of our three main girls. She's the bubbly one. She runs a beauty parlour that her "boyfriend" owns. I don't find it fair that she's 34. She looks much younger than the other two. One random morning, she's driving to work but a random drunk man gets in her car thinking she's his designated driver. He pukes all over her car and uses a microphone like his phone. He's Zhou Chen Yu. After waking up he finds himself without a phone or money. He's got quite the comedic beat. She reasonably demands compensation. He brings her to the KTV he owns. Despite being rich, his bank account is empty. He asks his employee to send money to him so as to not look like a poor bum in front of the girl he just fell in love with.
Cheng Lu has picked up her spirits and starts writing again. However, the writing god just won't let her have peace. Her next door neighbour asks if she can take care of her infant while she sends her other child to the hospital. Cheng Lu takes on the challenge along with her two best friends. These three women have no idea what to do. I didn't think this scene would be this funny. It's somehow ironic. Luckily Ding Shi Ya knows how to prepare milk. When it comes to changing diaper, none of the girls know how. Cheng Lu thinks she knows because it's just like changing her dog's. Tian Lei questions if that can be compared. Cheng Lu quickly replies, of course. Hahaha. Our lawyer, Tian Lei is just in charge of fanning herself with a fan that says "I'm not listening".
[Ep5] Cheng Lu strikes a deal with Wei Shu. She will go to an eight minute blind date event in place of one scheduled interview (for his research). It's not long until she's kicked out of the event. She stresses that she walked out herself. Wei Shu is listening to her convincing story but at the end he realizes she already lost half the battle with her attire. She thinks she dresses fine because that was an expensive suit. He shakes his head and takes her shopping. He's personally giving her a makeover. He gives her a pair of heels. She retaliates that her sneakers are her last pride. Next scene: she's in the heels. When her new style impresses her potential contractor, she smiles (probably giving an inner thank-you to Wen Shu).
Tian Lei finds herself being tailed. She calls Cheng Lu but she refuses to pick up. Cheng Lu has found out that Tian Lei had used her name to invite Liu Feng to a hotel. She's still brewing in anger but Ding Shi Ya rushes over to her place to tell Cheng Lu that Tian Lei's in trouble.
[Ep6] I thought Tian Lei was done for (or at least injured) but it turns out the three girls are planning to fight the man back despite being fearful themselves. These three girls took down a repeat offender who usually targets single women.
Wei Shu takes her bouldering. Wei Shu tells her this is an assignment and she is to try the newbie paths to meet men, and not to flaunt her athleticism. She ends up stepping on a man's hand continuously. He was about to tell her off but he recognizes her as Cheng Lu the scriptwriter and asks for her number instead. Wei Shu and Cheng Lu thinks it's a success but the man only wanted her connections to meet Dilraba. Ha. Wei Shu has a laughing fit.
Wei Shu is sick. Cheng Lu visits him and cooks for him but she uses cold water to boil noodle. How is this girl living on her own? It's the sick Wei Shu who ends up cooking for her.
[Ep7] The misunderstanding is resolved. Li Wei Hao and Cheng Lu know they both liked each other in university. However, before anything starts between them, Wei Shu asks Cheng Lu to attend his ex-wife's marriage with him. The bride (the ex-wife) asks Cheng Lu to take care of her ex-husband. This wedding gives an opportunity for Cheng Lu to learn more about Wei Shu and allows him to overcome his lingering feelings for his ex-wife.
After Zhou Chen Yu had saved Ding Shi Ya in the previous episode from a molester, he also helps her find a new venue for her beauty parlour. He brings his men to help her celebrate their opening. It's a firework show with their mouths. That firework show had me laughing out loud.
[Ep8] Zhou Chen Yu is going to great lengths to win Ding Shi Ya over. He'll even sign up for a waxing session so she can spend time with him. I think she really waxed him, xD.
Wei Shu hosted a very interesting experiment. He invited an equal amount of men and women. Each have a random number on their back that they don't know. Their purpose is to create the highest sum with the opposite sex. Cheng Lu doesn't know she's "100" (the highest number). While she's walking around finding the highest number in the opposite sex, she's missed out on countless pursuers. One of them was a "91" but she refused him. When time is running out she finds a random male to partner up with. His number is merely a "30". Wow. This really resonates for Cheng Lu and many women (I would assume). For me as well. As we're trying to look for the perfect partner, time is dwindling down. Romance and marriage isn't something you can wait out on. You have to take action otherwise there's no second chance. Lesson learnt. It Wei Shu's way of telling her to be courageous with her love. There's no time to be hesitant.
[Ep9] Cheng Lu takes Wei Shu's advice and confesses to Li Wei Hao. However, he doesn't accept her. Even when she runs after him in the rain to confess again, he rejects her. Why? He likes her though...
Cheng Lu is quickly over that emotional bump. She's turned her focus on work. After a bet she made with Wei Shu falls in her favour, Wei Shu is now her (free) script consultant. Despite brushing romance aside, an unexpected romance has found a way to her. Li Wen Jie calls her back (he's the man who asked for Dilraba during bouldering) for a dinner. However, everything he does is rubbing her in the wrong way: coupons, dirty restaurant, marriage talks. Personally I don't think those are that bad but He doesn't have an ounce of social awareness.
Zhou Chen Yu doesn't fail to make me laugh. He draws a hilarious koala face on a finicky client. Instead of getting mad, Ding Shi Ya laughs with him (after the client leaves that is).
[Ep10] Cheng Lu has a secret admirer at work. It's Xiao Ha. He's a younger cute fellow. Meanwhile her other pursuer, Li Wen Jie, is increasingly terrible each second he's on screen. He has the audacity to call her his girlfriend in front of her boss when she hasn't even accepted him. The man is practically pestering her that she has no choice but to call Wei Shu for help.
Zhou Chen Yu invites Ding Shi Ya to a romantic candlelight dinner. He hires a violinist to create a beautiful mood. However, she picks up a call and excuses herself. Zhou Chen Yu signals his violinist to follow her whereeever she goes. LOL. I didn't know a violinist could be ordered like that. She refuses his advances especially now that her lover Lin Zhong Xin is back. However, it doesn't seem like LZX cares about her at all.
[Ep11] Wei Shu saves Cheng Lu from Li Wen Jie who wanted a date with her. The two who end up going on the date is Wei Shu and Cheng Lu. They race each other on bikes they rented. Wei Shu, who values fairness, cheats and grabs a head start on her. Cheng Lu calls back Wei Shu to help her with her skirt that’s snagged in her bike wheel. Before he helps her he makes sure that it’s his win, heh. He makes her choose between her skirt or getting out. She chooses the skirt but he’s already ripped it. To make the skirt even, he transforms her long skirt to a raggedy short one, haha. She’s embarrassed so he takes off his jacket for her to cover up. She notices that Wei Shu, the man who cared so much about sun protection and wouldn't take it off in the boiling heat, had taken it off for her. I just want to take a moment here to explain how huge this is. I can’t imagine my mom who hates the sun would do that for me when she would do just about anything else for me, hahaha.
At night, Li Wen Jie asks Cheng Lu out for dinner. On their way there he knocks over a man who then spills his eels all over the floor. Li Wen Jie jumps in fear, hides behind Cheng Lu and pushes her towards the pool of eels. Cheng Lu is astounded. What a difference to Wei Shu. When the two are back from their dinner, Li Wen Jie attempts to kiss her but Wei Shu has been staking out at the hotel door waiting for Cheng Lu to come back. He quickly rushes out to stop them and drag Cheng Lu inside his room to discuss “work”. She consults to “Wei Da Shi” (Wei Master). He hates that title. He pleads her to call him anything but that because “masters” have no scientific knowledge and he’s a scientist. This isn’t the first time he’s complained about this but she insists on calling him that.
At night, Li Wen Jie asks Cheng Lu out for dinner. On their way there he knocks over a man who then spills his eels all over the floor. Li Wen Jie jumps in fear, hides behind Cheng Lu and pushes her towards the pool of eels. Cheng Lu is astounded. What a difference to Wei Shu. When the two are back from their dinner, Li Wen Jie attempts to kiss her but Wei Shu has been staking out at the hotel door waiting for Cheng Lu to come back. He quickly rushes out to stop them and drag Cheng Lu inside his room to discuss “work”. She consults to “Wei Da Shi” (Wei Master). He hates that title. He pleads her to call him anything but that because “masters” have no scientific knowledge and he’s a scientist. This isn’t the first time he’s complained about this but she insists on calling him that.
The next day, Li Wen Jie is scaling up his pursuit for Cheng Lu. He’s planned a proposal. It’s so funny how picky he is with the people he hired to help his proposal. All that rehearsal is wasted because he's immediately rejected before he got to propose. Still, Li Wen Jie doesn’t get it and pursues her all the same.
Tian Lei is making a huge sacrifice to win a case. She’s torturing her stomach. The client she needs to convince is a restaurant owner so she and Xu Hai Feng have been visiting the restaurant hoping to get on the owner’s good side. It’s futile. However she won’t give up after sacrificing her stomach like that. Xu Hai Feng is throwing a laughing fit at her as he watches her walk back and forth holding her poor stomach. She blames him for ordering so much food. Xu Hai Feng is the reason why I’m not skipping over Tian Lei scenes.
Zhou Chen Yu hasn’t given up on his pursuit of Ding Shi Ya. This time he’s bribing her friend, Lucy. This friend is a smart one. She’ll only answer one question per item. He runs out of things to give her so he tells her to open this app and she can choose anything from there. This is one of the rare times I like how the drama inserts its product placement. I applaud you, show.
Wei Shu is struggling to walk home a drunk Cheng Lu. He complains that she’s heavy. She retaliates that he said her weight was just perfect. He doesn’t remember that. She continues her drunk talk that she dieted for three days just to dress prettily to meet him. She suddenly confesses to him. Wei Shu doesn’t know how to respond her. However, it’s not Wei Shu she’s confessing to. It’s Li Wei Hao. She’s too drunk. Unable to find her door key, he drags her back to sleep in his room. It’s an awkward morning for her and she quickly leaves his hotel room. Li Wen Jie sees this.
I’m really enjoying this drama. It’s casual and has me laughing here and there purely from the dialogue.
[Ep12] Oblivious to Cheng Lu, she is slowly falling in love with Wei Shu. At work she’ll unconsciously repeat Wei Shu’s words. He’s changed her mindset without her realizing it. At lunch she visits him during his class and asks him for advice on Li Wen Jie. They have another date tonight but she doesn’t know what to do. Just refuse the guy 🙄. Wei Shu advises her to just see him and think positively. If she’s going to breakup at least give it a clean break. However the date takes on an unexpected turn. Li Wen Jie brings his mother to the date. Such a turnoff. This man is a huge no. The sweet Cheng Lu entertains them despite being asked about her family, health, career, and marriage (when she still hasn’t accepted dating him). After the dinner he tells her he’ll forgive her. Cheng Lu has no idea what she did wrong. He tells her he saw her walk out of Wei Shu’s hotel room in the morning but he’s willing to put that behind him and trust her. Cheng Lu still hasn’t refused the guy yet. !!!
Oblivious to Ding Shi Ya, her six-year crush, Lin Zhong Xin married. She locks herself up in the washroom and sinks her body into the tub while fully clothed. Tian Lei yells at her without polishing her words at all. It’s ruthless but honest. Ding Shi Ya wasted her youth waiting for a man who wouldn’t love her and now he’s even married without her knowing. How could you not invite or at least inform a friend of six years who you’ve constantly kept in contact with that you’re married? He knows she likes him and he’s keeping her as his backup. Cheng Lu separates the sisters and gives Cheng Lu gives Ding Shi Ya a tight embrace. :(. Tian Lei keeps calling Ding Shi Ya her sister but then why do they have different surnames? At least that means Zhou Chen Yu has a chance. By the way he’s still bribing Lucy with product placement stuff, heh.
There’s nothing oblivious for Tian Lei. She’s got a clear mind and settles the case. Xu Hai Feng asks her how she did it. She gives out a bunch of logical explanations but he knows there’s more to it. He’s right. She offered her client’s son a huge discount on her lawyer fee. For her pride’s sake she wasn’t willing to admit it but now that it’s out in the open she complains to Xu Hai Feng how could their rich client be such a Scrooge. Haha. With the case a success, she’s promoted to the top floor of the building.
[Ep13] Wei Da Shi is Cheng Lu’s saviour. He gives her the perfect advice to win someone’s favour. The most important part of it is sincerity. As they’re taking a walk, I don’t know if our psychologist realizes but the distance between their shoulders is zero. He asks how the class reunion went (with Li Wei Hao). Surprisingly, she felt okay. As for her other pursuer, Li Wen Jie, she’s decided to break it off. When they meet the next day he brings a ring and asks Xu You Dao to take a picture for them. The picture that XYD ends up taking is Cheng Lu closing the ring box, ha. She’s rejecting him. What’s funny about this scene is XHD doesn’t stop taking pictures. When Li Wen Jie takes back his phone XYD uses his own phone to record the entire rejection. Li Wen Jie doesn’t understand why he’s being rejected. This guy makes me speechless with how he lists out why it’s wrong of her to reject him and then say he’s sincere about marrying her. What part of this is sincere? Cheng Lu won’t follow his beat anymore and coldly gives him a dose of reality. She finally realizes why she hasn’t married. It’s not that it’s not important, it’s too important. She can’t waste it on just anyone.
I don’t know why Ding Shi Ya is doing what she’s doing but I feel bad for her. It’s Lin Zhong Xin’s wife’s birthday and she goes out of her way to reserve a restaurant and buy a cake. However, it’s also her own birthday. Fortunately, there’s Zhou Chen Yu to yell at her for her stupidity and celebrate her birthday with her.
[Ep14] Ding Shi Ya and Zhou Chen Yu are stuck in traffic, it’s so bad they haven’t moved for what seemed like hours. There’s enough time for him to get out of his car and buy instant noodles for her. It’s a Chinese birthday tradition to have noodles. He forgot his wallet and by the time he’s retrieved it another man has bought his instant noodle. It’s the store’s last one. He’s determined to buy the noodles for Ding Shi Ya and even fights for it. The result is him being injured without winning the instant noodles back. Ding Shi Ya reprimands him for fighting but she is touched. He did manage to buy a tiny mooncake. He flicks his lighter for her to make a wish. She complies but she tells him she didn’t make a wish. She just closed her eyes and counted to three, lol. Thus he takes her wish instead. She wants to know his wish but he won’t tell her. He urges her to eat the “cake” and she feels pressured. He tells her it’s because the cake had actually expired at 12am. Ha. Ding Shi Ya‘s laugh is so genuine it makes me wonder whether Zhou Chen Yu is making a ton of ad-libs. My intuition tells me his is.
It’s Cheng Lu’s turn to mind Wei Shu’s business. She gets herself quite involved. Wei Shu’s grade of zero is the indirect cause of his research student’s suicide. Wei Shu won’t reveal the rationale behind the mark though. Cheng Lu tails him and tails him and tails him.
[Ep15] Wei Shu thought he got rid of Cheng Lu at the door but she memorized his door combo. She enters his condo like it’s hers. Wei Shu is bewildered. Cheng Lu sincerely wants to help him but he draws a line between them that she’s only his research participant. Cheng Lu is upset at his remarks but since she already dipped her feet in his problems she continues to help the student. She convinces the student to admit that he forged his research results.
Tian Lei has quite the poor upbringing. She grew up with Xu Hai Feng and was always envious of him for having new school material every year, sleeping in class but still getting perfect scores, going abroad to study and having money for the tuition. She always had to work extra hard for everything. Even now. To win back a client she goes to any lengths whether it’s hijacking a car or running 3km distance in her heels. I like how Xu Hai Feng knows she used underhanded methods without even being at the scene.
[Ep16] Tian Lei is worried for her mom. Xu Hai Feng helps her find out her mom’s whereabouts through his parents. Through Xu Hai Feng, Tian Lei discovers that her mom blocked her on WeChat. Haha. Mom is in Shanghai for a minor plastic surgery and didn’t want anyone to know. Ha. She nags her daughter to get married so Tian Lei lies she and Xu Hai Feng are dating. Xu Hai Feng doesn’t know he’s being used by her and still somehow plays the perfect boyfriend role. We also learn that Tian Lei’s father remarried.
Cheng Lu and Wei Shu make up after both their respective friends convince them to apologize. Wei Shu personally cooks for her. He tells her he’s about to publish a book on his research topic. She thinks he owes her a huge thank you. He agrees so he tells her he’s going to make a large print of her face and tell everyone she’s the 34 year old who can’t get married. That deserves a slap from her. Their tiny brawl is interrupted by Li Wei Hao. He casually joins them for food until his girlfriend, uh ex-girlfriend, uh soon to be girlfriend interrupts. It seems like he really minds having his Russian (ex)girlfriend (Sophia) and Cheng Lu at the same table. When they leave, Cheng Lu tells Wei Shu she’s envious of their happiness. Therefore she’s not jealous.
Ding Shi Ya is lost and her phone dies. The only number she remembers is Lin Zhong Xin’s. He picks her up but it’s too late so they stay at a hotel together that only has one vacant room left. They play a game of truth and with a bit of alcohol, Ding Shi Ya courageously asks him if he ever had feelings for her. He admits it. She slowly moves in to kiss him but he stops her. He’s about to leave but she asks him one last question: did he ever love her. He doesn’t answer and asks her back if it’s really that important. To him love isn’t important. His career takes priority. My opinion of him improved. I’m glad he rejected DSY’s advances. The guy just values career over women.
Tian Lei puppy-eyes Xu Hai Feng. She silently hovers around him until Xu Hai Feng is shook to his core. She needs his help. She’s attending her father's birthday dinner and needs a fake boyfriend. Xu Hai Feng is happy to do her the favour. She rehearsed him and even buys, uh, rents a suit for him. The man doesn’t need rehearsing though. He's a born actor. Ahem. He “ad-libs” that he truly admires her. Although she bullied him when they were younger, all the cons he saw in her are now her attributes. I also love how they sneak in tiny secret conversations here and there when they pick food for each other or drop stuff. The dinner doesn’t end on a happy note when dad makes an anti feminist comment that doesn’t bode well with Tian Lei. She also can’t return the suit anymore, lol.
Cheng Lu has a few encounters with men this episode. First, Xiao Ha, the man who has a crush on Cheng Lu compliments her cute selfie that she accidentally sent him. Then she meets Wei Da Shi doing a cool street performance with his guitar. I love it when dramas make uncool guys look cool. Wei Shu shares an interesting insight he had of Sophia to her. She has an extremely high IQ in romance and assertively attacks Li Wei Hao with it making it hard for him to escape her grasps. Cheng Lu sees none of that in Sophia.
Cheng Lu attends a party that her boss recommended her to. She’s invited by a man to join his table to socialize with his friends and now I finally understand why she had two close friends only. I’m not saying a person needs a ton of friends but it just suddenly makes so much sense why her social circle is so small. Cheng Lu has zero, no, a negative sense of social awareness. No wonder she couldn’t refuse Li Wen Jie, haha. She doesn’t know when to accept compliments and when her words are offensive. Her honest opinions aren’t well accepted but she’ll have no idea and continues her long winded explanations. I love her.
It’s late but after the party Cheng Lu still drops by Xu You Dao’s restaurant. By chance Wei Shu is there. ;It’s not chance. Xu You Dao busted him that he’s waiting for Cheng Lu but Wei Shu denied it. Cheng Lu tells him how popular she was at the party but Wei Da Shi casually picks out all the fishy parts of her story. She sheepishly confesses to lying. ;Lol. She wants advice but Wei Da Shi is being stingy. They end up fighting and he pulls her hair, literally yanks her hair. Xu You Dao stares at them in bewilderment, haha. Cheng Lu packs her bag and decides to leave but Wei Shu calls her back. He tells Xu You Dao to bring him a chalkboard. Wei Da Shi is going to teach her. Aww. I also love how he knew exactly how Cheng Lu failed at the party without physically being there.
[Ep18] Xu You Dao was voluntold to help Cheng Lu train but he wasn’t warned of the potential bodily harm he would be subjected to. She hits his chest, slaps his face, and had his hair forcibly yanked off. I’m certain Wei Shu is still training her to seduce men, not kill them. His tactics that she learned are actually quite effective but the men she’s attracting are married fellows according to Xiao Ha. He flees with her and together they ride a double decker bus. In an unexpected way, Cheng Lu did succeed in seducing a man.
Wei Shu is at the restaurant and accidentally puts salt in his coffee. Xu You Dao teases his buddy for sending the girl he likes away to seduce other men. Wei Shu is in denial.
After work, Xiao Ha brings Cheng Lu to the club. They’re both drunk and end up kissing. Same time elsewhere Wei Shu cuts his finger. He’s feeling ominous. The next morning Cheng Lu receives a text from Xiao Hao and it starts off with calling her “Sweetie”
Zhou Chen Yu’s mom is checking on his businesses including Ding Shi Ya’s beauty parlour. Lucky for him, she’s in the green and is earning money - the only profitable business of Zhou Chen Yu’s for the past five years. Hearing the (unexpected) good news, his chest puffs out with confidence, lol. He celebrates with her at dinner and he tells her that he’s raised in a single family. He’s never seen his dad. He’s also never told anyone about his family. He asks if she can share a secret too and so she tells him about her humiliating crush on Lin Zhong Xin.
Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng have an athletic competition for a work event. Although XHF won, he’s not one bit happy because of Tian Lei’s physical intimacy with another man just to win a race. He leans in super close and grudgingly asks her whether she has any principles or she would just allow any man to touch her hip like that. Tian Lei tells him that her hip is hers and she can do whatever she wants with it. True. Unable to understand why he’s throwing a fit at her, she walks off.
Tian Lei’s golden lines: Ding Shi Ya had told Cheng Lu that a younger boyfriend is someone worth showing off. Tian Lei retorts, “Show off that he can live longer than you?” xD
[Ep19] In a drinking game Xu Hai Feng lets Tian Lei win on purpose. He’s giving her a ton of signals but she’s not picking up any. Meanwhile he’s giving a lot of wrong signals to her subordinate who has a growing crush on him.
Zhou Chen Yu gifts the limited edition item that Dong Shi Ya wanted. It’s those capsulated toys you win from a machine. He had to line up with young children in order to try his luck to win it. In the end a boy won it. The boy would only exchange it for a Barbie set that’s $3999 RMB. When Zhou Chen Yu questions his taste, he wittingly answers that he wants the Barbie set for the very same reason Zhou Chen Yu wants the capsulated toy. Ha. They both want to pressure the girl they like. Thus Zhou Chen Yu exchanges a $3999 item with a $100RMB one. It was all worth it though because Ding Shi Ya asks him for a date to a concert to thank him for the thoughtful present.
Cheng Lu gives a pair of concert tickets to Wei Shu. He agreed to go thinking she was asking him to go with her but she’s telling him to go with Xu You Dao because she’s too busy with work. Wei Shu is disappointed. There’s more disappointment for him this episode. He teaches her to win the love of Xiao Ha. Xiao Ha didn’t want to commit but with Wei Shu’s advice (to break up with the boy at the peak of their relationship) Xiao Ha is tempted to want her more. He’s now officially her boyfriend and she invites him to the concert.
The three girls are super excited to attend their favourite celebrity’s concert. Cheng Lu introduces her younger boyfriend. Tian Lei introduces her fake boyfriend, Xu Hai Feng. Lol. Ding Shi Ya doesn’t need to introduce because Zhou Chen Yu introduces himself as her official boyfriend. Ha. She denies it though.
After the concert the girls have dinner at Xu You Dao’s restaurant with their young, fake, and real boyfriends. Wei Shu is also there in the kitchen. He hates the sight of Xiao Ha. Xiao Ha also doesn’t seem to like being there. He’s on his phone the entire time. Wei Shu is finally feeling the full force of jealousy when he sees XH sweetly wipe Cheng Lu’s lips. His jealousy transforms to action as he adds a ton of spice to XH’s food. After seeing Xiao Ha choke on the spice, Xu You Dao gives Wei Shu a double thumbs up. It’s pretty obvious that Cheng Lu to Xiao Ha is just a fling. He likes flirting with her and that’s it. I really hope she doesn’t take it too seriously.
Tian Lei golden lines: Ding Shi Ya was sharing how touched she was when Zhou Chen Yu gave her the present. She commented how it’s not because he’s rich she’s starting to like him and that it’s okay if he’s not rich. Tian Lei sharply refutes her, “Answer that question again when he’s not rich and see if you still like him.” So real, lol. She also made a comment about a chinese idiom about trees: you don’t want to hang your all on one tree (when there’s a whole forest) but that doesn’t mean you should hang a bit on every tree (i.e. try everything). She had used it to refer to the girls dating younger boyfriends. It’s not necessary to try dating all types of men. There's so many witty comments that I wish I can write it all down but it's just not fun that way.
[Ep20] Zhou Chen Yu is trying to appease an angry (not yet) girlfriend. He was playing on his phone while she was unpacking new supplies the entire day, walking up and down the stairs. That’s pretty inconsiderate. The worst part of it was he applauded how amazing she was at moving everything by herself. She shared this with her friends and the girls automatically connected his personality with Tian Lei’s. Cheng Lu then asked her if she would be mad at Tian Lei for it. She wouldn’t. I think the girls concluded it wasn’t a big deal then. Now that’s feminism. Zhou Chen Yu drove a long way to find her. Instead of giving her flowers, he gives her a durian. The stench of it was so strong (which means he doesn't like it) he taped it to the top of his car. LOL. Ding Shi Ya immediately forgives him.
Tian Lei needs Xu Hai Feng to be her fake boyfriend again for her mother this time. Mom has contacted Xu Hai Feng’s parents and updated them their children were dating shocking the both of them. However, what petrified them the most was her mother’s insistence on their marriage. Tian Lei was forced to agree, which panicked Xu Hai Feng. He kept looking at his schedule pretending he was busy. They’re at Xu You Dao’s restaurant and he overhears their entire conversation with Wei Shu. These two have nothing to do. Xu You Dao makes a funny comment that normal people look at the calendar for auspicious dates but these busy people look at their schedules in order to find a day to marry. Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng had me laughing so much here. Off topic: I like Xu Hai Feng in glasses.
Cheng Lu is too busy that she has neglected her friends and Wei Shu to play video games with her young young boyfriend. She poured so much time and passion in him, turns out he might be cheating on her. Things aren’t looking so pretty for her next episode especially when Wei Shu has a young girl interested in him.
[Ep21] Cheng Lu’s boyfriend isn’t cheating (to my dismay). He invites her to his house party with his friends. She doesn’t fit in at all. She thinks she’s having fun but all his friends are complaining about her behind her back. Cheng Lu really shouldn’t have been there, she should have been at Wei Shu’s band performance. He had invited her. He even delayed the performance to wait for her. Then she suddenly appears and Wei Shu is all smiles. Except it’s not her. He thought Judy (the girl who likes him) was Cheng Lu. I support Cheng Lu but Judy is quite spunky herself. Very likable.
Ding Shi Ya is accused by Lin Zhong Xin’s wife of stealing her necklace which simultaneously exposes her crush on her husband during their company dinner. It’s humiliating. Zhou Chen Yu is angry for her but lectures her as well for letting others humiliate her. She’s angry too. He walks off on her and calls it quits. Not long after he's regretting it and is running after her car. He wants to apologize but it’s Ding Shi Ya who apologizes first. When he apologizes too, he's cut short because she reached out to kiss him. They’re official. Ding Shi Ya is quite cute when she said she wanted to date him. She has that innocence to her.
[Ep22] The script-writing team is having a little conflict and Cheng Lu is giving a lecture to her subordinate at the restaurant. It’s interesting seeing script-writing at work here. If there’s so much proofreading, I wonder why some scripts turn out the way they do. Wei Shu overhears her charismatic moment. He happens to be in the kitchen stealing alcohol. He promised to share a sip with Cheng Lu if she keeps this a secret from Xu You Dao. Cheng Lu promises and steals the whole baron. Ha.
Wei Shu and Judy were having dinner when Cheng Lu and Xiao Ha joined. Wei Shu and Cheng Lu immediately banter as if their partners weren't there at all. Xu You Dao is serving food and notes that this group looks like a complicated mess, haha. I love his comments. Cheng Lu pours soup for everyone but Wei Shu. Thus Wei Shu does it himself but he notices that she didn’t pour for herself so he gives her his bowl. Aww. At least Wei Shu knows how to care for her unlike Xiao Ha who’s waiting to be served and is always on his phone. This is a huge signal that everyone on the table picks up except the oblivious Cheng Lu. Judy is officially rejected when Wei Shu indirectly admits he’s in love with Cheng Lu.
Wei Shu casually joins in Cheng Lu and Ding Shi Ya’s lunch. He serves them a free dish but takes it right back when Cheng Lu admits that she’s considering marriage in her relationship. Ugh.
Cheng Lu’s golden comment: "At our age now, a relationship without motive is a waste of our makeup."
[Ep24] Wei Shu teaches Cheng Lu how to make Xiao Ha initiate the proposal. I'm taking notes. It's not super deep knowledge but I like the part about the present. Even if I don't like the present, I should appreciate the meaning behind it. It works. It actually works. However, the stimulation behind Xiao Ha's desire to marry is so he can get away from his annoying parents. Just what does Cheng Lu see in Xiao Ha? It's s obvious how incompatible they are. Xiao Ha isn’t helpful in Cheng Lu's career at all. It’s Wei Shu who helps her with script-writing. Even Xiao Ha recognizes the space between them is impenetrable. Perhaps it’s because of this he’s distancing himself or perhaps he was always like this; he lies to Cheng Lu about skipping work to hang out with his friends.
Ding Shi Ya and Zhou Chen Yu makes me smile. I realize Zhou Chen Yu and Xiao Ha are quite similar. Young, immature, and irresponsible. However, Zhou Chen Yu is portrayed as more sincere in his feelings towards Ding Shi Ya which makes him a gazillion times more endearing.
[Ep25] Cheng Lu turns to Wei Shu for advice. He tells her retreating is attacking. Basically don’t ask and pretend it didn’t happen. Thus, she puts his lying aside and invites him to live at her place. They’re going to cohabitate.
Xu Hai Feng is blamed by Kevin for losing a case when it’s Kevin who accepted the bribery to lose the case. Tian Lei helps him find proof to oust Kevin (she’s even slapped by him). Xu Hai Feng asks why she’s helping him, she tells him, “I don’t like people bullying you other than me.” Her friends also question her relationship between Xu Hai Feng. She finally admits that her relationship will have to wait until she is partners at her firm (meaning she's accepting of him but business comes first).
[Ep26] Cohabitation falls through. Xiao Ha cannot commit and breaks up with her. Finally! I am so happy for Cheng Lu, heh. He’s honest about everything and tells her that once he was able to win her, he lost interest. He even quits his job. The very next day Wei Shu deduces that Cheng Lu broke up because she had taken 10x more steps than normal (they linked their step counter). Smart. Not even her friends know it yet. She notices he’s happy about her breakup but she's oblivious to the reason. He takes her out, makes a cake with her, and replaces all her happy memories of Xiao Ha with new ones. By the end of the episode it feels like her breakup never happened as she's bombarded with work as well.
[Ep27] Cheng Lu points out that Tian Lei’s unwillingness to accept Xu Hai Feng is because she’s afraid of ending if she started dating him. She doesn’t want to lose him. This is also the episode we get to Tian Lei jealous of Xu Hai Feng being nice to another lady.
Girl moments: Tian Lei is upset when Ding Shi Ya is looking for condos. She says she’ll care for Ding Shi Ya forever. Tian Lei meant every word of it. Ding Shi Ya cries — fake cries; she is touched though. Cheng Lu gives Tian Ma Ma puppy eyes, “Me too.” Tian Lei tells her, “Scat”. I’m going to get addicted to her “滚”.
There’s a scene of Cheng Lu licking a yogurt cap. I do that too and then there are people like Tian Lei who stares at me like that too. Why waste good yogurt?
Wei Shu is teaching his university class when Cheng Lu keeps calling him. That photo he has of her on his phone :D. His students tease him for being love when they see how distracted he is with every call she makes. Xu You Dao also continuously teases him about Cheng Lu. He has had enough of their flirting (Wei Shu had trained Cheng Lu so well at speaking, he's no longer a match for her). Xu You Dao casually calls Cheng Lu “Lu Lu” and Wei Shu stops him from that immediately.
[Ep28] Cheng Lu and Wei Shu are on a business trip. Cheng Lu complains about the oily food so Wei Shu uses tinfoil and a fan (?) to create an impromptu stove to fry out the oil much to Xu You Dao’s amusement who vouches that this contraption can cook stuff.
They’re back in Shanghai. Cheng Lu is having dinner with her friends at the restaurant and Wei Shu is personally cooking for them. He makes soups for them and only Cheng Lu’s is different. It’s because duck isn’t good for her when she has poor digestion. Cheng Lu is oblivious to this obvious signal but thankfully her friends see through it immediately. It honestly can't get anymore obvious. Xu You Dao wins the best against Wei Shu that Cheng Lu wouldn’t understand.
Tian Lei’s golden lines: They just met up with a frienemy, Cherry. Ding Shi Ya asks why they hate her. Tian Lei replies, “It’s not that I hate her, it’s just she makes peoples hate her.” Cheng Lu asks if she’s okay having dinner with Cherry. Tian Lei assures them, “I can close my eyes and roll my eyes.” Dinner hasn’t even begun and Ding Shi Ya fully understands how suffocating Cherry is. She shared a story of when she was upset her husband would gift her a cruise ship. This was unasked for and within two minutes of pep talk.
After an unbearable time with Cherry, the three girls escape to Xu You Dao’s restaurant. Li Wei Hao is there with Sophia. Cheng Lu happens to overhear Sophia’s phone call and it seems like she’s emotionally cheating on Li Wei Hao with an ex who won't let her go. Cheng Lu confronts her and warns her to treat Li Wei Hao well. When Wei Shu sees the upset look of Cheng Lu, he asks her if she’s okay. Cheng Lu retaliates that there’s nothing sad written on her face. Wei Shu teases her and tells her to come close, “Let me write it for you.”
Ding Shi Ya has a little problem with Zhou Chen Yu’s mother. Mom thinks she’s a gold digger and confronts her of it.
They’re back in Shanghai. Cheng Lu is having dinner with her friends at the restaurant and Wei Shu is personally cooking for them. He makes soups for them and only Cheng Lu’s is different. It’s because duck isn’t good for her when she has poor digestion. Cheng Lu is oblivious to this obvious signal but thankfully her friends see through it immediately. It honestly can't get anymore obvious. Xu You Dao wins the best against Wei Shu that Cheng Lu wouldn’t understand.
Tian Lei’s golden lines: They just met up with a frienemy, Cherry. Ding Shi Ya asks why they hate her. Tian Lei replies, “It’s not that I hate her, it’s just she makes peoples hate her.” Cheng Lu asks if she’s okay having dinner with Cherry. Tian Lei assures them, “I can close my eyes and roll my eyes.” Dinner hasn’t even begun and Ding Shi Ya fully understands how suffocating Cherry is. She shared a story of when she was upset her husband would gift her a cruise ship. This was unasked for and within two minutes of pep talk.
After an unbearable time with Cherry, the three girls escape to Xu You Dao’s restaurant. Li Wei Hao is there with Sophia. Cheng Lu happens to overhear Sophia’s phone call and it seems like she’s emotionally cheating on Li Wei Hao with an ex who won't let her go. Cheng Lu confronts her and warns her to treat Li Wei Hao well. When Wei Shu sees the upset look of Cheng Lu, he asks her if she’s okay. Cheng Lu retaliates that there’s nothing sad written on her face. Wei Shu teases her and tells her to come close, “Let me write it for you.”
Ding Shi Ya has a little problem with Zhou Chen Yu’s mother. Mom thinks she’s a gold digger and confronts her of it.
Cheng Lu confronts Tian Lei who isn’t apologetic. She created the opportunity but it was those two who took it. Her ex was also a jerk anyways. Cheng Lu doesn’t like Tian Lei controlling her life like that. Tian Lei’s anger boils as she reveals she’s never been mad at Cheng Lu for things she has done. Cheng Lu retaliates she hasn’t done anything. Tian Lei confronts her that she used her (secrets, thoughts, stories) to make her into a villain in her script. Cheng Lu remains silent. She’s guilty.
The girls make up when Cheng Lu’s dog is missing. Cheng Lu fist fights a man to steal her dog back. After the girls find the dog, Tian Lei confesses to Cheng Lu how trashy her ex was and that she had tried to drop hints but Cheng Lu was too oblivious to them. When Tian Lei saw the ex and Cherry flirting, she merely created an opportunity for them to meet. Cheng Lu forgives Tian Lei and apologizes that she never meant to turn her into a villain, it was the team’s idea. Tian Lei is cool about it. Cheng Lu adds one more comment: she's forever impressed with her ability to turn the bad into the good.
After an argument with Zhou Chen Yu, Ding Shi Ya seems to be thinking of Lin Zhong Xin again.
Tian Lei is going out of her way to dress nice (in very cold weather) to show up at Xu Hai Feng’s ex-girlfriend’s concert. The ex declares she wants Xu Hai Feng back.
[Ep30] Short updates: I’m happy that Xu You Dao seems to have a love line. It’s with Cheng Lu’s writer assistant, Tian Tian. Zhou Chen Yu chose Ding Shi Ya over his mom and wealth. He’s opening up his own business.
Cheng Lu and Wei Shu’s romance finally takes a step forward as she notices his proximity. He's helping her with her script at his university's library.
[Ep31] Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng are trying to catch a client before he leaves the underground parking but there's no signal. They borrow a pair of walkie-talkie so they can split up and look for their client. It's successful but the relationship between the pair are still stale from their last argument. He walks off on her and this time it feels like he's seriously angry with her. Emotionally upset, Tian Lei speaks into the walkie-talkie telling him "I should have controlled myself but I couldn't. Additionally, - pauses - I find that I just want to mind your business. I have become the woman I hate the most. For my emotions, for a man, I have lost my balance in life, in work. You won. You won, okay? That's why now I really hate you. - pause - But I still want to see you. If I don't see you, I'll be quite annoyed. You are already in my heart. I'm already used to you by my side." There's only silence on the other end.
Tian Lei slides down on the floor and that's when Xu Hai Feng walks up to her. He reaches a hand out to her but she doesn't take it. She stands up on her own demanding for his reply. His reply is a kiss. Xu Hai Feng was taking off his glasses preparing to kiss her. When he has them on vs. off it reminds me of Clark Kent, hahaha. Too far-fetched? But the way he became so cool after taking them off was pretty swoon-y.
They've been dating for a month. They have to keep it a secret from work though. Xu Hai Feng also has another hidden occupation: he's a ninja. The way he crawled into her car and his quick reaction to avoid her intern made me laugh. The two's romantic dinner turns disastrous as they end up hospitalized because of food poison. Xu Hai Feng is a chicken when it comes to needles.
[Ep32] Xu You Dao is going all out for Tian Tian. Wei Shu misunderstands and thus giving us a cute bickering scene where these two think they’re fighting over the same girl.
Cheng Lu wakes up one morning and finds herself blind. It’s from her long sustained fever and jumping in the water to be an actress’s double only worsened her inflammation. Wei Shu happens to call her and learns she’s blind. He piggybacks her to the hospital. Luckily the blindness is temporary. Thus for the next few days he cares for her (cooking for her, setting her toothpaste on her toothbrush, walking her, etc). He asks her if she needs to contact her mother or Tian Lei. Cheng Lu refuses because she doesn’t want them to worry. Wei Shu speaks calmly without missing a beat, “Okay, seems like I’m the only unlucky one.“ :D. I like how he stares at her sweetly while she’s blind. She’s got no idea he’s showering her with loving gazes.
[Ep33] Tian Lei leaves Cheng Lu in Wei Shu’s hands and tells him to be more confident because if Cheng Lu didn’t trust him, she wouldn’t have asked him for help and no one else. However, now that Li Wei Hao is single (Sophia left him), he’s reaching out to Cheng Lu again. Wei Shu sees the text he sent her but he keeps it a secret from Cheng Lu.
Wei Shu takes Cheng Lu our for a walk and she describes the perfect man for her: one who has seen her at her worst and her best. That’s Wei Shu. I can’t imagine not showering in front of someone, especially someone I love, for more than two days and this girl went five (?) days without one. He's also the one who comforted her at the lowest point in her career when he gave her the trophy.
[Ep34] Zhou Chen Yu cries this episode because no one believes he can be independent, not even Ding Shi Ya. By the end of the episode, she comes around and gives her entire savings to help him. If it wasn’t because it’s Zhou Chen Yu I would condemn this move. But it’s so Ding Shi Ya giving utmost trust to the man she loves. She is also improving herself. She plans to quit work and get an MBA.
I smell trouble for Xu Hai Feng. There’s three suspects that could have stolen top secret information from him: Kevin, Tian Lei, and the secretary girl. I think it’s the secretary girl. Kevin’s backstory was too sad for him to turn evil in a split second. His wife needs surgery and he doesn’t have the money. Every family member is telling him to divorce her but he loves her. That’s why he accepted the bribery.
Cheng Lu’s sunglasses make her look like a mafia boss especially with Wei Shu being her right hand man listening to her every command. Wei Shu has to leave the night and Cheng Lu is fretting. He gives her a cane just in case and she complains that he promised to be her cane. This guy does so much for her: feeds her, cooks for her, slices fruits for her, etc. If I wait until I’m 34, will I meet a Wei Shu?
Cheng Lu’s vision is back but she hides it from Wei Shu. She asks him if sleeping beauty woke up to see Prince Charming first then who would she see first. Answer: Wei Shu. Wei Shu doesn’t know the answer to this pointless question. That whole morning she orders him around until he’s fed up and throws a rag at her (deservingly) that's when he finds out she regained her vision.
[Ep36] Xu Hai Feng is terminated from all his projects without proof that it was him who leaked the information. All his work is transferred to Tian Lei. He's not officially fired but he quits anyways.
Ding Shi Ya is helping her boss, Lin Zhong Xin, save his company. He compliments her that she’s grown up. She tells him that she now understands love (she's over Lin Zhong Xin). She also tells him she’s quitting to study so that she can be Zhou Chen Yu's equal. Zhou Chen Yu misunderstands her meeting with Lin Zhong Xin and is giving Ding Shi Ya a hard time because of his jealousy. By the way his mom is finally accepting of his career
Wei Shu is advancing his career abroad. More like, he’s avoiding Cheng Lu and avoiding heartbreak. Cheng Lu is having dates with Li Wei Hao. She tells Li Wei Hao that the him she knows is the one from twelve years ago. She doesn’t know anything about the him now. She had wanted to date him a year ago but a year has gone by and things have changed. However, Li Wei Hao is relentless in his pursuit for her. Except there’s one big problem: he’s allergic to dogs. I wish the show didn’t give him this allergy. I want her to choose between Wei Shu and Li Wei Hao on equal footing and not choose the other because of a dog allergy.
An odd discovery I made: Xu You Dao makes himself involved in every character's problems. He was there between Xu Hai Feng and Kevin's meetup, between Ding Shi Ya and Zhou Chen Yu's fight, and of course between Cheng Lu and Wei Shu. Not a single couple is happy this episode except him and Tian Tian, ha.
Cheng Lu has gotten rid of a Li Wen Jie and got herself back a Li Wei Hao. He invites her for dinner with his family (sister) who’s talking about marriage when she’s not even dating him. Li Wei Hao wants her to go to ShenZhen with him because he has to leave for three years if that’s not going to work then he wants to marry her before he leaves. The guys around her are always pushing her around. Meanwhile Wei Shu is either sulking by himself or convincing Cheng Lu to get together with Li Wei Hao. Does he not see how happy she was to see him arrive at the last day of her drama shooting? Does she not see how irritated she was when he kept talking about marrying Li Wei Hao? Does he not see how disappointed she was that he was going abroad? Is he really an expert in love like he claims to be?
Tian Lei finds the culprit who leaked the information. It’s Anna, her legal aid. Her boyfriend, the one who flirted with her at the sushi restaurant not long after she was rejected by Xu Hai Feng, set her up for it. In fact this boyfriend of hers approached her with the very motive to steal information. Tian Lei convinces Anna to expose him to give Xu Hai Feng his innocence. Tian Lei also assumes responsibility because the information leaked from her side. The boss learns the truth and comments how Xu Hai Feng is just as selfless as she is. Earlier in the day, they had a meeting where Xu Hai Feng took all the blame so that Tian Lei can continue working in the office. I’d say Xu Hai Feng is the true selfless one. Tian Lei is just telling the truth, taking the responsibility that she should have
[Ep39] If there’s a title for today’s episode it’s “Rejection” but they're happy ones.
Wei Shu Lines: He's explaining to Cheng Lu about why men can't get married. If they're unsure of their girlfriend, they're not secure enough to marry them. If they're too sure of their girlfriend, then they're too secure and wouldn't feel the need to marry. So what should girlfriends do?
Zhou Chen Yu returns Ding Shi Ya's investment in him. To her that means rejection, an end to their relationship. However as she leaves, she hears on the radio that his car was in an accident. She runs to the scene thinking he’s dead. He’s just injured but it reminds her of her late parents. They also died in a car accident. She recalls to Zhou Chen Yu that during her hard time it was Lin Zhong Xin, a complete stranger who had paid for all the bills (hospital and funeral). He also gave her a job when she was fired from hers. She’s helping him now because she owes him that much. Zhou Chen Yu finally understands their ties. These two are back together again.
Tian Lei rejects her firm’s partnership offer. Instead she applies for an interview at Xu Hai Feng’s new firm. She wants 20% of his share but settled for 10% after some bargaining. Quitting to work with Xu Hai Feng was the best decision she made this entire drama.
Cheng Lu rejects Li Wei Hao. He asks her if she would choose him again if there weren’t all those missed chances. She tells him, “I don’t think love is a choice. It just happens”. When she arrives at the restaurant she learns Wei Shu has already left. Not even a farewell for her. Three months have gone by and Wei Shu is still not back. Cheng Lu has been at the restaurant everyday since then. She’s practically Xu You Dao’s employee. He tells her a happy news: Wei Shu is coming back. She pretends to be nonchalant about it.
[Ep40] My title for this episode: Initiation. Very befitting of an ending.
Ding Shi Ya is utterly exasperated to know this dinner wasn’t a proposal. The night isn’t wasted though. With Tian Lei’s expert advice, Ding Shi Ya plans an impromptu proposal. He’s utterly ecstatic and accepts. Aw. The next day the girls are shoe shopping. They find her the perfect Cinderella heels. Our frugal Ding Shi Ya thinks it’s too expensive but her girl friends have it covered. They’re each buying her one heel to make up a pair. Ding Shi Ya also wins her mother-in-law’s approval. How can a mother not like DSY anyways. She’s like the epitome of a perfect daughter, she just didn’t have a mother to be filial to :(
Tian Lei’s golden advices don’t stop at Ding Shi Ya. She tells Cheng Lu that love isn’t luck. It is an ability. Ding Shi Ya took initiative to make hers happen. Tian Lei’s “ability” in love is weak. Regardless, she still confessed. She convinces Cheng Lu to take action. As the girls were shopping they come across a bookstore and sees Wei Shu’s new book: "I Choose to Not Marry." It’s the line that Cheng Lu loves saying. Without any hesitation, she enters the store to buy his book.
After Cheng Lu finishes the book she has decided to confess. She calls him. She runs to his place. She tries his lock combo. She runs to the restaurant. However, he’s nowhere to be found. Tian Lei, our Cupid, figures out he’s at his book signing event.
The three girls dash away to the event before it ends. Tian Lei is pulled over for a standard safety check. She quickly orders the girls to walk the rest of their way there. It’s still a bit of a far walk so Ding Shi Ya begs a passerby for his bike. Cheng Lu is now off on her own to find love. I hope I wasn’t the only one who teared up here because of their beautiful friendship. Each of the girls tried so hard to help Cheng Lu.
Cheng Lu then pulls a very Cheng Lu move. She’s not giving up and wants to express her love once more. She’s running around the event hall but he’s also running around looking for her. They miss each other. She wanders alone to the trophy store he had taken her to and he shows up there too. Their words to each other aren’t romantic at her. They’re both calling each other stupid. Wei Shu backs down first, “If we’re both stupid then do you want to stupidly spend the rest of our lives together?” He walks in and a kiss is bound to happen. However there’s too many people and bikes passing by that he wants to change locations. Cheng Lu grabs him back and initiates the kiss instead.
It’s the marriage. Tian Lei fixes Ding Shi Ya's makeup. Ding Shi Ya complains and Tian Lei tells her this will be the last time she'll be nagging her. Aw. Tian Lei looks at her lovingly and tells her if Zhou Chen Yu ever bullies her, don't tell her. It's because she knows Ding Shi Ya will forgive him and Tian Lei won't be able to stand that. Ding Shi Ya cries happy tears. Tian Lei is teary too.
Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng are the maid of honour and best man respectively. Miraculously, Tian Lei sobs. Xu Hai Feng practically proposes at the altar as they’re waiting for the bride and groom to walk down the aisle. Xu Hai Feng sent her a kiss with his fingers and Tian Lei caught it with her fingers lol. It’s a wrap for the wedding when Zhou Chen Yu kisses Ding Shi Ya under her veil.
Fast forward into the future: Ding Shi Ya is pregnant; Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng are busy with work but still loving; Cheng Lu and Wei Shu are peacefully, happily (and stupidly) living together.
Remarks
[First Impression (Ep1-6)] I was planning to skip this one just because the synopsis seems to target a certain population that doesn't quite fit me. I'm glad I didn't. Despite the focus of this drama being on 30+ year old women, the way the drama executes itself is young and cheerful. The dialogues are witty. This is a typical romance drama its just the characters aren't your typical young and beautiful actors and actresses. The main romance starts off with a researcher looking for the perfect candidate to complete his thesis and in the process romances this candidate who cannot marry – does not marry – does not marry not because she cannot marry. My favourite is Cheng Lu. She's pure. She has an innocent haughtiness aura to her. She takes pride upon herself even when nothing is going her way. She's like stuck in time, a fossil even, when everyone around her is changing.
I think it's been rare in Cdramaland to have a sincere contemporary romance drama where characters try to be normal and believable. I definitely find this to be a breath of fresh air.
[Actors/Actresses] I've seen Chen Shu (Tian Lei) in Perfect Partner and I was impressed with her there but I was bothered by her love line. Here she's acting ten years younger than her current age again and it’s hard to digest. It's my first time watching Tong Yao take lead and I like her already. She naturally brings innocence to Cheng Lu. [Ending Update] I love everyone. I take back my Tian Lei comments. She's so cool. There's no weak actor here. None. Zero.
[OST] The soundtrack not only matched the drama well, it actually enhanced the drama for me. It's just so beautiful to listen to. My favourite is "我是爱过你" (I Had Loved You) by "刘惜君". A song that had made me cry quite a bit was "谢谢我" (Thank Me) by 过又嘉. Other ones I love too: "朋友多好" (So Good to Have Friends) by 董又霖 and "也许我们"(Maybe Us) by 吴宇恒.
[OST] The soundtrack not only matched the drama well, it actually enhanced the drama for me. It's just so beautiful to listen to. My favourite is "我是爱过你" (I Had Loved You) by "刘惜君". A song that had made me cry quite a bit was "谢谢我" (Thank Me) by 过又嘉. Other ones I love too: "朋友多好" (So Good to Have Friends) by 董又霖 and "也许我们"(Maybe Us) by 吴宇恒.
[Review] Beautiful drama. I’m surprised China created such a heartfelt drama that didn’t rely on being overly dramatic or overly fluffy or overly hilarious. It’s a feel good romcom that although focuses on women in their thirties it didn’t feel like age mattered. It just so happens our three main leads are in their thirties and their love life start blossoming then. It really feels like these three girls were always living and the drama just happened to have captured this snippet of their life for the audience to watch. That’s how natural everyone felt.
This is one of the most balanced drama where I immensely enjoyed all three pairs (plus Xu You Dao's last minute loveline). My favourite is Cheng Lu and Wei Shu. I always have a soft spot for couples like them: the logical vs. the emotionally driven one. Ding Shi Ya and Zhou Chen Yu were the cute couple but they went through a fair share of emotional turmoil during their relationship that did make my love for them waver just slightly. I find the progression of their relationship to be the most realistic (from the honeymoon phase to the arguments). Tian Lei and Xu Hai Feng is the couple I find the least realistic. I just don't think a Xu Hai Feng exists. He’s too perfect and cute. Despite that they were a couple that I grew to really adore.
It was a tight battle between Xu Hai Feng and Wei Shu for who my favourite male character is. I still can't decide. As for the girls, it's even harder. I love Cheng Lu for her personality. I love Tian Lei for her sharp witty comments. I love Ding Shi Ya for her innocence and sincerity. As much as I like watching the romances, I love it when these three girls gather without the guys. When it's just the girls that's when Tian Lei shines the most, especially near the end where she's the saviour for everyone's relationships.
Tian Lei has the most golden lines. The actress, Chen Shu, must have loved her role because every line of hers is sharp and on point. Of course a lot of credit goes to her for delivering her lines with so much sass. It's not just her that gets to say the hits lines though. Cheng Lu has a few sentimental ones. The one (out of the many) that resonated with me was in Episode 39 where Cheng Lu is explaining that love isn't a choice we make. It's a reaction. Marriage is a reaction as well. We doesn’t choose to love or to marry, it just happens. At least in the ideal world.
[Verdict] Beautifully refreshing and romantic drama that's smart and witty. It would be a huge plus if you know a bit of Cantonese/Mandarin if you were to watch this.
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