Plot Synopsis
The drama "I Love You" is a remake of the Korean drama "Spring Night".
It tells the story of Xu Nuo, who unknowingly falls in love with Zhao Jin while being in a relationshipwith her boyfriend. Coincidentally, Zhao Jin happens to be a junior at the same school as Xu Nuo's boyfriend and lives in the upstairs apartment of Xu Nuo's best friend. Despite the various obstacles, Zhao Jin also develops feelings for Xu Nuo.
On the surface, the two of them seem unable to be together: Xu Nuo has a boyfriend, and Zhao Jin is an unmarried father. However, they genuinely like each other, regardless of the circumstances, and they want to be together wholeheartedly. In order to openly be together, they begin a struggle against thepeople around them, eventually achieving their wish.
Xu Nuo has three sisters. The eldest sister's marriage was arranged by theirparents, and she ended upmarrying an abusive man. She has endured domestic violence for a long time without daring to divorce or tell her family. She is a televisionprogram host and worries that a divorce would affect her work. The abusive husband takes advantage of her fear and repeatedly assaults her.
Before meeting Zhao Jin, Xu Nuo's relationshipwith her boyfriend had already reached a lowpoint. The reason was that her boyfriend's family did not approve of her and believed that she was just an ordinary girl from an average family. They thought their son should marry a girl from a similar background. They had been dating for four years, and it was the age to talk about marriage. Both families werepushing for it, and the boyfriend wanted to quickly fulfill the task of getting married. However, Xu Nuo didn't share the same desire.
Knowing that her boyfriend's family didn't approve of her and what kind of life she would have if she married into that family, Xu Nuo didn't want to give away her future just to complete a task. She didn't want to have a life like her eldest sister, whose life was arranged for her. In the midst of this dilemma, she met Zhao Jin. Faced with her boyfriend'spressure and family's insistence on marriage, she chose to follow her heart and be with Zhao Jin.
Episodes Recap
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- 21-24
Episode 1 : Promise and Zhao Jin met at a pet shop.
Episode 2 : Xu Nuo promised to come to Peng Yu'an's house to celebrate Peng Yu'an's mother's birthday.
Episode 3 : Promise's heart was in turmoil.
Episode 4 : Peng Yu'an discovered that Zhao Jin and Xu Nuo were together.
Episode 5 : Shiran discovered Xu Nuo's secret.
Episode 6 : Promise has no intention of getting married.
Episode 7 : "Peng Yu'an broke the ten-year appointment, and Zhao Jin forbids his sister from seeking promises.
Episode 8 : Promise broke up with Peng Yu'an. Zhao Jin went to Promise's house to drink.
Episode 9 : Peng Yu'an suspected that Zhao Jin had an affair with Cong Shan and confirmed that she promised to break up with Peng Yu'an.
Episode 10 : Zhao Jin and Xu Nuo finally opened their hearts, but Peng Yu'an disagreed with Xu Nuo breaking up.
Episode 11 : Peng Yu'an prevented Xu Nuoyan from meeting her father, Cong Shan, at the restaurant.
Episode 12 : Peng Yu'an met with Zhao Jin and promised to explain in person that he doesn't love Peng Yu'an.
Episode 13 : Zhao Jin and Xu Nuo started dating, but Peng Yu'an was unwilling to break up with Xu Nuo.
Episode 14 : Promise's mother is worried about the person Promise entrusted, Cong Shan, who is planning to kick Peng Yu'an out of the game.
Episode 15 : Promise's father continues gambling, and Zhao Jin's ex-wife is entangled in unclear matters.
Episode 16 : Peng Yu An launched a campaign to win back Xu Nuo's heart and deliberately approached Zhao Jin.
Episode 17 : Xu Nuo explained to Peng's father that she doesn't want to get married.
Episode 18 : Peng Yu An gave a ring to Xu Nuo, and Xu Yang proposed to Shi Ran.
Episode 19 : Xu Nuo stayed overnight at Zhao Jin's house, but Peng Yu An was persistent and continued to pursue Xu Nuo.
Episode 20 : Zhao Jin took Xu Nuo out for an outing, while Zhao Qin was admitted to the hospital due to an illness.
Episode 21 : Peng Jia and his son collected information about Zhao Jin. Xu Nuo's mother and Zhao Jin's father met.
Episode 22 : Zhao Jin, while intoxicated, said hurtful words to Xu Nuo. Xu Nuo began to suspect her own feelings for Zhao Jin.
Episode 23 : Zhao Jin and Peng Yu An had a big fight. Xu Nuo's mother finally saw through Peng's true colors.
Episode 24 : Shi Ran and Xu Yang found happiness, while Xu Nuo and Zhao Jin enjoyed a blissful life.
Cast & Role
Xu Yang
(Yin Zhi Xuan)
Xu Nuo
(Sun Yi)
Shi Ran
(Wu You)
Zhao Jin
(Zhang Wan Yi)
Zhao Jin is not perfect. He has his own temper, he can feel insecure and lacking in confidence, and he has his own "gray area" that he doesn't want others to touch.
With his father's alcoholism, his mother leaving, his sister's illness, and his ex-wife's betrayal, Zhao Jin has endured deep wounds.
However, he still chooses to be a gentle person and bravely pursues the right to be loved.
That's where Zhao Jin's charm as a character lies, not just in his "moral ambiguity." Compared to a Zhao Jin who is good at sweet talk and romance, I would rather see a vibrant, three-dimensional Zhao Jin full of life and energy.
I won't comment on the quality of this drama or the actors' performances. I just want to express my thoughts on the main storyline of this drama.
Many viewers say that the plot is very realistic, and indeed, extramarital affairs are something we often hear about in reality.
However, the moral values of the main characters, especially the protagonists, are not suitable for public broadcasting on the screen. It feels like there's a subtle suggestion for the audience to disregard morals.
It's acceptable for a woman to fall in love with a man, but the female lead falls in love with the male lead without breaking up with her boyfriend first. She secretly meets the male lead and engages in ambiguous behavior behind her boyfriend's back, while being seen by friends as true love.
Is this kind of plot really worthy of societal praise?
The male lead is also despicable. Knowing that the female lead has a boyfriend, if you're not brave enough to openly fight for her, then you shouldn't intervene, let alone provoke the female lead's boyfriend.
In reality, if such a situation occurred, the boyfriend would have long beaten up the person involved. There's hardly any man in this world who would tolerate someone having an affair with his woman. Therefore, the behavior of the male lead should not be encouraged, or else there will be more bloodshed in this world.
In conclusion, everyone has their own significant other. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine if your significant other behaved like this before breaking up. Could you accept it? Personally, I couldn't accept my significant other behaving in such a way.
It damages morality and decency! If this kind of plot was just a subplot in a TV drama, it could be seen as a contrast and background. But as the main storyline of a TV drama, it becomes a serious problem.
Just think, if this kind of love, as portrayed in the drama, is accepted and praised, how many instances of infidelity will occur in society in the future?
Speaking honestly, after watching TV dramas for decades, this is the first time I've wanted to punch the main characters because their moral values as characters are seriously flawed. Personally, I believe this kind of love should never be idolized.
Lastly, I also have some doubts about how a main storyline promoting promiscuity was approved by relevant authorities.
In fact, apart from the first time Zhao Jin helped his ex-wife fix the water pipes (because he was caught by his ex-wife while visiting his father and was asked for help, and it's difficult to refuse such a favor from a neighbor), his attitude was avoidance and refusal when his ex-wife called him for help afterwards.
But his ex-wife knew Zhao Jin's vulnerability, knowing that he was also a child abandoned by his mother, so deep down she sympathized with children who grew up without a father. She used this point to seek his help, knowing that he couldn't refuse.
This is also a psychological healing that Zhao Jin needs in his process of growth. The drama is about the mutual healing and growth of the male and female leads. Just because a certain plot or character isn't perfect doesn't mean they won't change and grow later on.
Can we give the male and female leads some time to grow and change?
I really don't understand the plot of this drama. The girl has a boyfriend, but the male lead is determined to be the third party and destroy their relationship. Of course, the audience knows that the girl and her boyfriend have a complicated relationship, but from the male lead's perspective, he falls in love with the female lead at first sight.
He knows she has a boyfriend but has no idea about the state of their relationship. He is solely focused on breaking them up. I truly don't understand the values of the screenwriter and director.
Why would they film such a storyline? Is it to encourage people to destroy other people's families and relationships?
If the male lead genuinely liked the female lead but knew she had a boyfriend, he could have kept his feelings to himself and pursued her after they broke up.
That wouldn't have been so off-putting.
The actors' performances are fine, but I really struggle to understand the plot. (This is my personal opinion, and everyone's views may differ.)
This situation is similar to mine. I had a previous relationship that lasted not for ten years, but just a few months. After we broke up, it took some time to recover.
During that period, I met someone similar to Zhao Jin, who cared for me deeply and loved me. My parents didn't approve of us getting married and insisted that I marry my ex-boyfriend.
We argued about it, and eventually my parents agreed. We got married, I became pregnant, and we had a daughter. When our daughter was ten months old, I became pregnant again and we ended up getting divorced.
The situation was almost identical. However, unfortunately, that man changed and cheated on me. When I found out, he had the audacity to blame me. If he hadn't changed, maybe we would have been happy together.
Within a week of our divorce, his girlfriend got pregnant. They might have been together even before our divorce. He claimed to be out working, but he probably wasn't working at all.
After a month, I still hadn't seen any salary. He said there was no salary. I asked him why he bothered going to work if there was no salary. Don't we know what kind of situation we're in?
How are we going to support the child? I hope Zhao Jin doesn't change.
It's quite moving. My previous relationship lasted for seven years, and I was just like the female lead in the drama, longing to have a home with him. I would often ask when we would get married, and he would say something similar to the second male lead in the drama, saying that he wanted to earn more money through his business before buying a new house, and so on.
Unfortunately, in the end, another girl came into the picture... The difference is that I didn't encounter a male lead like the one in the drama... When you can't have what you desire, and someone else can give it to you unconditionally, it's fake to say that you're not moved.
Therefore, I can really understand the female lead in this drama. There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart!
When it comes to the 30+ girl choosing to marry Zhao Jin, it's truly a puzzling matter.
Zhang Wan Yi's character in the drama is undoubtedly handsome, but behind Zhao Jin lies a series of heart-wrenching real-life problems.
Firstly, the lack of property ownership is a significant drawback, and his education level is only junior high, which is clearly a disadvantage in today's society.
Even more challenging is the fact that he has a physically weak sister, and his ex-wife's son is not his own, making the whole situation even more complicated.
In real life, can we maintain an optimistic attitude towards such circumstances? Zhao Jin's family is not wealthy, and his sister's health condition is worrisome.
Furthermore, facing such a marriage, the issue of having children becomes an insurmountable obstacle.
With a lack of help from the elderly and the female lead's family not being well-off either, managing a laundry shop and raising a child simultaneously is undoubtedly adding insult to injury.
The father is an alcoholic and a self-employed worker with no social security, barely making ends meet.
Zhao Jin borrowed 3000 to deal with the problem, hinting that he is not excessively wealthy.
Under such family conditions, encountering a major illness or other unforeseen emergencies would further worsen their lives.
All of this seems to remind us that real-life marriages are far from the romantic portrayals in TV dramas.
While Zhao Jin's income may be above average, sustaining daily expenses is already a significant pressure.
Although there are various romantic scenes in the drama, in reality, marriages often face more material and practical matters.
Perhaps in the world of love, true love can overcome many obstacles, but in reality, besides the necessities of life, there are unavoidable issues like serious illnesses.
In the plot of the TV drama, we see the efforts Zhao Jin, played by Zhang Wan Yi, puts in for love, but reality is not always so rosy.
Marriage is a choice that requires rationality and responsibility, not just impulsive and emotional pursuit. Zhao Jin's story may be touching on the screen, but in real life, whether we can accept such a marriage is a question that needs careful consideration.
Perhaps everyone has different expectations for love, but when choosing marriage, rational thinking and awareness of reality are crucial.
The fictional plot in TV dramas may bring momentary excitement, but real life requires more courage to face various possible difficulties.
Perhaps we can learn from Zhang Wan Yi's handsomeness and tenacity, but more importantly, we need to learn to maintain rationality in love and marriage because only through rational choices can we go further and more steadfastly.
To be honest, this drama, even though it's a remake of a Korean series, has a distinct Japanese style. It's calm and delicate, yet rich in inner emotions. Nowadays, urban dramas tend to be fast-paced and focus more on conflicts, but I actually like works that emphasize the development of relationships and character portrayals.
I initially decided to watch it because there were so many negative comments online, and I wanted to see how many flaws there were. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be quite enjoyable. The scene where the male lead and second male lead have a martial arts duel was thrilling.
The moments when the male and female leads pretend not to recognize each other but are unconsciously affected by each other's emotions are so captivating. It's filled with a sense of forbidden love!
This is a very realistic drama where every character feels genuine. They have their strengths and also their own share of flaws and petty concerns. But isn't that what makes them real human beings?
There's no need to constantly agonize over the concept of emotional infidelity. After all, love doesn't follow a strict order. Once you're moved, once you love someone, should you still play the role of a saint, waiting selflessly for someone who doesn't love you back?
Moreover, the female lead decisively broke up with the second male lead after clearly expressing her feelings. This is a responsible action towards herself, her loved ones, and her past relationship.
People must follow their hearts and love themselves in order to live a happy life!
Women, they're so fickle and emotional. If they no longer love you, they can quickly move on from their emotions and seamlessly dive into the arms of the next person they like. Even if a 10-year relationship ends for any reason, they should take some time to calm themselves down.
But they just can't stop themselves from living together with their ex-boyfriend. They haven't even taken their belongings yet, and they haven't completely ended things, but they've already confirmed a new relationship with someone else.
It's difficult for them to let go.