- Title: You Are My Lover Friend
- Also Known As: 舍不得星星, You Are My Love Friend, She Bu De Xing Xing , Wo Na Ni Dang Xiong Di, Ni Que
- Genres: Romance, Youth, Drama
- Director: Zhang Tong
- Cast: Zhang Xin Cheng, Wang Yu Wen
- Episodes: 30
- Date of Release: September 23, 2024
- Original Network: Tencent Video
- Where to Watch: WeTV, Tencent Video, iQiyi, Viki
Dear readers… how are you today? I hope all is well with you. You Are My Lover Friend hooked me as soon as I saw the first episode. I was going to write a review about Love of Nirvana, but it got delayed because of this one. I wondered how I was supposed to write it when my head was full of You Are My Lover Friend 😆. So I continue watched You Are My Lover drama, and wrote this review. So, let’s get started. Happy reading!
You Are My Lover Friend Drama Synopsis
You Are My Lover is a Chinese romance drama with 30 episodes long, release in September 2024. Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan were high school classmates and have been close friends ever since. After graduating from high school, they both passionately pursued their careers.
At present, Tang Yang has become a deputy director at CBBC Bank, while Jiang Shi Yan has become the CEO of Yi Xiu, a large Internet media company. Although it had been years, their friendship was getting stronger and stronger.
However, Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan did not realize that this time their feelings had changed. The pure platonic love they had before slowly turned into romantic love. Should Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan insist on their newfound love at the risk of losing their best friend, or should they bury it deep at the risk of losing their loved one?
You Are My Lover Friend Drama Review
You Are My Lover Friend is a heartwarming drama that deserves my regret. I should have watched it before I watched Love of Nirvana. And here I am… writing a review of You Are My Lover Friend before I review Love of Nirvana. Because this one stirred my heart more than Love of Nirvana.
The premise of You Are My Lover Friend was quite simple. This drama focused more on the blossoming romance between two buddies, Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan. They went through a complicated process of shifting their friendship status to lovers.
There were also work problems to enhance the climax, as well as a second and third couple story to keep us from getting bored. The writer also added jealousy and interrupted kisses to make the story spicier. 😁
The comedy was done right. I laughed, giggled and chortled in many episodes. But in episode 18 I was rolling on the floor. Ever since I ventured into Cdramaland, I started to get bored with the cute drunk scene. You Are My Lover Friend takes the drunk scene to another level of cuteness.
The drunk Tang Yang was sooooo funny. I didn’t expect that showering a plant with beer would make it thrive in one night. And of course I didn’t want to be around Tang Yang when she was drunk and carrying a stack of physics papers. 😂
Tell me, dear readers… if you had to choose between a drama full of attractive actors and a drama with lots of food/cooking/eating scenes. Which one would you choose?
Me first! I would definitely choose the latter. Even though I’m a sucker for gorgeous people, I would definitely choose food over them. The reason was simple. Food was more accessible than Zhang Ling He. 😂
You Are My Lover Friend was so mouthwatering to me. Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan’s friendship revolved around food. Jiang Shi Yan’s family is a seafood vendor. He started his career as a food blogger and worked his way up to become the CEO of a food-based Internet media company.
From the beginning of their friendship, Jiang Shi Yan always showered Tang Yang with food. Whenever he came across good food, the first thing he thought of was her. It was a blessing to have such a generous friend. I really envy her.
However, I must remind you, dear readers. If you decide to watch this drama, You Are My Lover Friend was not good for your diet. I broke my intermittent fasting a few hours early because I watched a scene where Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan are eating with relish at a small kiosk. 😣
Now back to the drama.
You Are My Friend Lover’s main strength is the story and the strong acting of the cast. This drama is an adaptation of a web novel. The author, Hua Zhan Mian, also became the screenwriter for the drama. I loved it when an author also joined the drama as a screenwriter. They would keep the story intact and in sync with the original novel.
Hua Zhan Mian wrote the character’s personality very clearly. The clever dialogues helped me understand the plot and the characters’ feelings. Recently, our director Zhang Tong has been focusing on urban dramas. He was the one behind Victoria Song’s drama Our Interpreter, Luo Yun Xi’s Light Chaser Rescue and Bai Jing Ting’s You Are My Hero, and I thought he did a good job with You Are My Lover Friend.
The openness in the story and dialog of You Are My Lover Friend was something you could only see in urban drama. The historical drama was more complicated because of the different norms in society due to the ancient setting. Most of the characters often hid their true personality, and they also used a more complicated language style.
The pacing of You Are My Lover Friend was good for me. As someone who has watched Cdramas for a long time, I realized that Chinese romance dramas usually have a slow-burning romance. Therefore, people who often watch kdramas or western dramas would find this attribute to be annoying.
In Cdramas, we often have to wait more than 15 episodes for the main characters to get together. You have to wait a little longer for the kisses. And intimate interaction sometimes existed only in your imagination. 😂
So you have to be patient to enjoy You Are My Lover Friend. The snail-paced romance happened because Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan started out as friends. They have to tread carefully because they are afraid that if the other person doesn’t feel the same way as they do, then their precious friendship will be destroyed.
I thought the process was very realistic and natural. Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan have a lot of dialogues with themselves, so the audience can easily understand their inner struggle. So it was easy for us to understand the conflict in their minds.
Besides Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan’s relationship, we also have two other side couples. Feng Wei Ran and Jiang Yan An are a married couple, so their problem is more complex. Having been married for years, Feng Wei Ran began to hide many things from his wife. Jiang Yan An, who felt insecure, needed some ways to express herself.
Meanwhile, it was more entertaining for me to watch the relationship between Cheng Hui and Sheng Ni Na. Cheng Hui is a tech giant who rarely speaks. While Sheng Ni Na is an actress who is often surrounded by people who have different motives towards her.
The relationship between Feng Wei Ran-Jiang Yan An and Cheng Hui-Sheng Ni Na also revolved around food. Feng Wei Ran and Cheng Hui also worked for Yi Xiu. Jiang Yan An ran a restaurant, Leisure House, while Sheng Ni Na was a streamer for Yi Xiu. So food is everywhere throughout the drama, and I still hope to have a successful diet. Dream on girl! 😂
I love how everything in this story is connected. Every character has their own purpose. And because the supporting cast did such a good job, the story flowed smoothly. There was also a twist at the end, but I won’t spoil it for you. However, You Are My Lover Friend also has some flaws.
The end of the climax was abrupt without a proper explanation. It feels like the director was forced to cut some scenes for some reason. Well, I was just speculating about that. But hey… I bet you’ll feel the same way I did.
The visuals of this drama were good. I really enjoyed seeing the detailed sets and lighting. Especially the apartments and Yixiu’s buffet table. I also like how the camera moves smoothly to capture all the atmosphere and emotions on the actors’ faces. The only thing that made me dissatisfied was the thick makeup that looked a bit unnatural.
The acting of our main leads was excellent. I love the strong chemistry between Wang Yu Wen and Zhang Xin Cheng. They were so natural that I felt everything between them was real. The happiness, goofiness, awkwardness and shyness are perfectly portrayed on their faces.
I can’t help but compare Wang Yu Wen’s acting in You Are My Lover Friend and The Love You Give Me. Although she showed strong chemistry in both dramas, I enjoyed her acting more in this drama.
Time flies when you are having fun. I watched all 30 episodes in a short time of three days. Right after I finished the Love of Nirvana drama. And it didn’t feel like 30 episodes. When You Are My Lover Friend was over, all I remember is the sweetness of love that warmed my heart. And, of course, the endless piles of food that kept my stomach growling.
You Are My Lover Friend Drama Character
Tang Yang
The most striking characteristics of Tang Yang (played by Wang Yu Wen) are that she is clever, articulate, brave and straightforward. She is a loyal friend, and this trait has never changed since she was in high school. She loves to study, and after years of hard work, she completed her Ph.D. programme before joining the credit auditing department of Huishang Bank. Tang Yang’s only hobbies are food and figurines.
As a credit auditor, Tang Yang is righteous and has sharp perception and intuition. She was honest and knew how to spot a promising business or an unreliable business owner. Tang Yang keeps her judgement clear by never accepting gifts from clients.
Tang Yang may look kind and sweet. But those close to her knew how protective she was. And when her anger mode was on, Tang Yang was quite scary.
Jiang Shi Yan
Jiang Shi Yan (played by Zhang Xin Cheng) was the CEO of Yixiu Gourmet, a food-based Internet media company. This company did a noble job by promoting food from all over China. Whether the food came from a big company or a small hawker stall, Yixiu would treat them equally.
Yixiu is the result of Jiang Shi Yan’s hard work and love for food. He started from scratch as a small food blogger and worked his way up until Yixiu was big enough to accept millions in funding.
Just like Tang Yang, Jiang Shi Yan is loyal to his friends. He loves them and considers the people close to him as family. Although he was close to Feng Wei Ran and Cheng Hui, everyone knew that the one he cherished the most was Tang Yang.
Since their high school days, Tang Yang had helped him with his grades. Back then, Jiang Shi Yan was too busy helping his mother with her seafood stall, so he didn’t have enough time to study. Jiang Shi Yan’s mother, Mrs. Yi, believed that if Tang Yang didn’t help her son, Jiang Shi Yan would never be able to enter college.
Jiang Shi Yan’s feelings for Tang Yang were deep and strong. He would do anything to help her or ease her worries. One thing I love about Jiang Shi Yan is that he always puts her first. He made it clear to the world that the most important place in his heart was reserved for Tang Yang.
Feng Wei Ran
Feng Wei Ran (played by Guo Yun Qi) is a co-founder of Yixiu Gourmet. Although he studied law in college, Feng Wei Ran worked as the CFO of the company. He also owned a trendy restaurant called Leisure House. Feng Wei Ran was a married man and a father. He was married to Jiang Yan An and had a son named Feng Yuan Qi.
At home, Feng Wei Ran is usually a relaxed person with a cheerful and somewhat childish personality. But when he was in a work mode, he was a serious and determined person.
Jiang Yan An
Jiang Yan An (played by Guan Yue) is the cousin of Jiang Shi Yan. She also attended the same high school as Jiang Shi Yan, Tang Yang and Feng Wei Ran. Jiang Yan An used to study art and become a designer before she quit to become a full-time mother.
After a crisis at home, Jiang Yan An started a new career as a beauty blogger. Jiang Yan An’s personality is almost identical to that of her husband, Feng Wei Ran. They were cheerful, loud and easy-going. The atmosphere always seemed to light up when this couple entered the room.
Cheng Hui
A real foodie. A man with a big appetite. That is how I would describe him. Cheng Hui (played by Wu Jun Ting) rarely speaks, and he always has a cold and nonchalant demeanor. However, he is a sensitive person who knows how to read the atmosphere. He was the first person to know that Tang Yang and Jiang Shi Yan were together. But he never asked or commented about it. He just keeps it to himself.
Cheng Hui liked Sheng Ni Na after some misunderstanding between them. And just like Jiang Shi Yan with Tang Yang, Cheng Hui would go to any lengths to help Sheng Ni Na when she was in trouble.
Sheng Ni Na
Sheng Ni Na (played by Luo Qiu Yun) is a famous actress and streamer for Yixiu. She is a quiet and reserved person.
Sheng Ni Na always has a cold and bored expression on her face. She rarely smiles or talks. It was always her manager who did the talking for her. Behind her exquisite and luxurious status as an actress, Sheng Ni Na is a lonely person who wishes that there is someone out there who understands her.
Zhao Mo
Zhao Mo (played by Wu Hao Chen) is Tang Yang’s senior in college. He worked for Jiujiang Property and became Wei Chang Qiu’s trusted subordinate. His uncle also worked for Huishang Bank.
Zhao Mo always put up a friendly front. In reality, he is a calculating person and is trying to get close to Tang Yang because he has an ulterior motive. Jiang Shi Yan never liked Zhao Mo because he made him jealous.
The Conclusion
You Are My Lover Friend is a heartwarming drama that brought me happiness. The story was easy and simple. No complicated issues or misunderstandings. No crazy jealous third party. You Are My Lover Friend is a funny drama that is perfect for you if you need a drama that could entertain your tired mind.
You could also use it as a daily dose of happiness when your work or studies are too much to handle. But I must remind you that You Are My Lover Friend is bad for those on a strict diet. There were MANY food scenes in it, including cooking or eating. 😁
So, have you decided to watch it? I hope you’ll enjoy this drama as much as I do. Don’t forget to write your opinion about this drama. I always love to hear from you. I also wrote the Ending Explained post for this drama you can read it at You Are My Lover Friend ending explained post. Don’t forget to check it out for a big ending spoiler. I’ll see you in another drama review, dear readers. Bye bye!
