Time to Fall in Love (2022)

Your Typical Romance Drama

If you are finding a cute drama to watch, WATCH THIS!!!

I have been finding cute dramas to watch and I'm glad I gave this a try! No doubt a drama from Luo Zheng again. Although it's another drama with twin sisters, but I love it though!

SPOILERSS:
The sister is very annoying, glad she only appears at the end lol. There wasn't much scene for the father, maybe 2 scenes? He's annoying too, but the female lead didn't give a shit to her father. Nan Gong and Boya, both equally annoying too 😂 especially Nan Gong,...

ANYWAY, hmmm i dont think there's any draggy scenes, i personally enjoy the whole series alot! After finishing every episode, i just kept wanting to watch more, hence i was able to watch pretty fast. Xin Yi is very very cuteee, i love her acting though, hoping that there's more main roles for her. Although some parts of her acting was abit awkward but overall it was fine. Some parts were frustrating, like when she wants to reveal the truth to Xicheng but it always get cut off, well that's typical drama right...

Moving on to the second couple, they were so cute too, i love their bickering. Their scenes was really funny😂

If you like romance, cute, office, rich, ep 1/2 start living together, contract, watch this. Just watch. Go give it a try.

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Still enjoyable despite the typical cliches/tropes

When I watch a drama or movie, I’m looking for pure romance. That’s why I loved ‘Be My Princess’. It was one of the most romantic C-dramas I’ve ever watched. That being said, I’m not a big fan of all the cliches/tropes – try using your imaginations, screenwriters! There are other scenes you can create that’s romantic that don’t involve umbrellas, accidental kisses, clumsy FLs who need caught all the time, blisters on heels, MLs cooking and cuts on fingers, ok? Oh, and let's not forget that one of the leads have to come down with a mysterious fever that's miraculously gone the next morning. Nevertheless, there were some really sweet, romantic moments in this drama that are worth watching. They did a good job creating a romantic mood in the scenes that should be romantic, and the MC actually shared some decent kisses, especially in episode 17. Despite the fact that this drama is loaded with cliches/tropes and some real nutcase love rivals, it’s worth watching. I don’t think it deserves some of the bad reviews it got on this site. I’ve seen much, much worse.

Ok, let’s start with ML. He’s gorgeous, especially when shot from the side where his hair falls on his forehead. Although he starts off a bit cold, it’s clear he’s a softie on the inside and actually a little too soft, especially when it comes to dealing with psycho chick. Don’t get me wrong – he shows her no affection and states clearly (finally) that he never liked her – but he shouldn’t have allowed her to remain in the company (since she only joined to stalk him), and honestly, he needed to get a restraining order. His scolding of FL in episode 12 nearly had me dropping this drama. He basically takes psycho’s side and tells FL she acted inappropriately in the workplace. While I agree that FL stupidly placed herself under this nut job’s dominion by joining her department, she acted no more inappropriately than psycho chick who took credit for FL’s design ideas. That scolding really burnt me up, and I was as pissed off as FL. I also think he went a little too bat crap crazy over his ‘obsession’. FL was right – he needed to deal with it and seek help. She approached the subject calmly and sympathetically, but he totally overreacted, causing her, and pretty much everyone else, to overreact during ‘the typhoon’ scene. Finally, I did not feel sorry for him when he learned that FL was filling in for her sister for the following reasons: 1) he started this whole thing by wanting to deceive grandma. If FL owes him an apology, he owes grandma one; 2) he was pretty stupid not to realize the girl in the garage wasn’t the girl who met him and signed the contract. Their attire alone should have been his first clue, ok?; and 3) he’s pissed off because FL didn’t trust him enough to tell him, but the reason she didn’t tell you was because she was afraid you’d react just like you’re reacting now, buddy. So, I don’t blame her from keeping it from you. Overall, he was one of the better MLs, but I didn't love him so he didn’t make it into my ML Hall of Fame.

FL – I congratulate the costume designer for controlling themselves and dressing her like an ordinary girl. She wore small earrings and flat shoes and for the most part her attire was tasteful. However, I think the neckline on the dress she wore to the auction could have been more mature. She looked like a child next to the other women at the auction. Her reactions could be childish, and she got upset easily and jumped to conclusions a few times. However, I did like how she stood up to psycho chick’s taunts, and even if ML felt it inappropriate, I liked how she ‘marked’ him as her property right in front of psycho chick. You go, girl! That being said, I wish she’d just told ML her big secret instead of moping around. Just rip the Band-Aid off, girl, since no matter how or when you do it, he’s going to be upset because we need a plot device to cause separation and angst in the final episodes.

Now for the love rivals – these two (Nanfong Liuli & Fu Boya) were certified crazies. Nanfong was absolutely, 100% delusional, and even after ML told her that he never liked her, she still wouldn’t give it up. This woman needed to be in a psych ward instead of loose on the streets of China, ok? And Fu Boya needed to be in a psych ward next to her because he knew she was mental yet he deliberately submarined FL/ML’s relationship so crazy girl could be happy. What a really pathetic couple these two were. By the end of their usefulness as drama devices, I just wanted them off my screen. I don’t know why in C-dramas these types of characters are pampered by family, friends and even the leads instead of being placed under psychological care. I mean I’ve watched dramas were ML even goes as far as agreeing to marry a crazy because the family puts pressure on him. No, mom and dad, your daughter needs psychological care instead of getting her way once again. The reason she’s a psycho is because you’ve spoiled her rotten. Don’t keep doing it or she’ll never become a well-adjusted member of society. I also find it ridiculous how in a lot of these C-dramas, the crazy miraculously becomes sane, and we’re all good. Happened in this one too. Suddenly, crazy girl is no longer crazy and actually apologizing to FL. What?! And just a word of advice to the actress playing Nanfong - eat some food, girl!!!

To be honest, after these two crazies, I had no patience for the bitchy sister so I skipped through the last 5-6 episodes. I did like how ML was totally repulsed by evil sis and gave her verbal slap downs at every opportunity. I did feel sympathy for him during this period since FL's response to his desire to send sis packing was totally illogical.

Oddly enough, I liked the second couple. I usually don’t in C-dramas, but I liked An’an and Situ and their romance. I found them cute and not overly annoying like most besties. I do think they overreacted when FL wandered off during the rain storm (maybe she just wanted to be alone? You think?), but overall, I found them amusing, and I think the screenwriter/director managed to find the right balance between them and the MC. The nice thing about the 2nd couple? They rarely have psycho chicks or SMLs clinging to them so the only thing annoying about them is...well, their personalities.

Finally, grandma, of course, wins the award for being the most likeable. She reminded me of Maurice Chevalier with ‘I’d Rather Be Rich’ where he fakes an illness to get his granddaughter married. I love it when Asian parents assist the romance instead of trying to destroy and hinder it. It adds humor and likeability to the character(s).

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Ok in the beginning, cheesy and cliche in the middle, but hey a happy ending

4/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Chinese romantic comedy drama with 24, 30-47 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Su Yan xi (Lu Xin Yi) is living a challenging life as a beauty influencer as her mother is gravely ill and the medical bills exceed her earnings. Chance or perhaps fate causes her to cross paths with Gu Xi Cheng (Luo Zheng) , a wealthy president of a company, on several occasions. Gu Xicheng is looking for a fake girlfriend to make his grandmother happy by allowing her to think that he is pursuing a relationship. When a misunderstanding leads Yanxi to interview, Gu Xicheng decides she is the best fake girlfriend candidate even though she refuses when she finds out the real purpose of the interview. After she leaves, Gu Xicheng runs a background check and accidently recieves the information on Yanxi’s identical twin sister who has gained some celebrity. Yanxi’s sister is also in need of money for an urgent surgery that is to be performed in the USA. So she signs a relationship contract with Gu Xicheng then coerces her sister to play her so she can go to the US. When real feelings develop between the fake couple things get complicated. Can Xicheng forgive the deception? Is there a way forward for a couple that started on such deceptive terms?

Review

I read other reviews before watching this and a lot said it was cliché but that alone was not enough to deter me as one person’s cliché can be another person’s tried and true. A cliche here and there I can handle but this was like the cliche dump truck spilled over turning it into a B grade soap opera. It is reasonably good in the beginning, cheesy and ridiculous in the middle, and has a happy ending. It also has so many flash backs of their developing relationship that they could have cut it by multiple episodes. I would not watch it again. But it might be worth watching it, with low expectations for the content, if you are a fan of any of the actors. The grandmother is a cute enough character to watch it for.

Spoilers*

Some reviewers criticize this for having a male lead that exhibits “toxic masculinity“. With the train wreck that was the plot, I am like THAT is what you focused on? I wholeheartedly disagree with him having toxic masculinity as a woman that likes men that act like men and not little soy boys who ask permission to sneeze. The female lead is not a push over, she exerts herself and her opinion when appropriate. Well she does in the beginning but then goes through this change to wimpy uncertainty but it had nothing to do with the male lead.

Grandma Gu (Zhao Shu Zhen) drugging the chicken soup to make the couple amarous and quicker to produce offspring is one of the most comedic elements I have experienced in the over 300 dramas I have watched so far. Grandma’s chicken soup then becomes an inside joke among the couple. I love the grandmother and have seen her play the grandmother role in other series. In this one she is caring, genuinely wants her grandson’s happiness but is just a wee bit mischievious.

It did have a happy ending if you can survive all the over dramatized scenes, cheesy lines, and some draggy parts.

How did they overdo tropes you say? Well they had the push someone out of the way and then fatally get hit by a car trope not once but twice Thy had first one toxic female after lead guy in the beginning, then later another one. But wait. There is more. There was the hidden identity trope, the contract relationship trope, the con man parent trope, the obsessed ex trope, the Cinderella trope, the I like you but you never wanted me but people think that means you have to accept me trope, the parachute at the company trope, the I’ve never done this thing before but I am suddenly better at it than everybody trope, the it is raining so I might die trope, the sexy kiss in the rain trope, the umbrella trope, the someone got me drunk and took risqué pictures trope, the looked like I was cheating trope, the I was a capable person and a little sassy but now I met you and am helpless trope, the I am going to pledge my unfaltering love but the minute there is adversity it falters trope, the childhood friend trope, tge separated twin trope, the evil twin trope, the almost kiss trope, the hidden box of secrets but then you find it and I freak out trope, the scheming at work to make a lead look bad trope, the stealing your work trope, the sick parent need money for hospital bills trope, the kidnapping trope, the blackmail trope, the confession while dying trope, the parents ditched me for the grandparents to raise trope, the plastic surgery trope, the got sick “don’t leave“ trope, the I am going to leave you to make myself worthy trope and more. A few tropes here and there are okay, they become tropes often because the viewers like them but this many tropes sometimes repeated and even layered was too much.

Then there were things that just did not make sense. Like why it was such a big deal she was not her sister. I understood he did not like that she lied to him but, had she told him early on, he was just looking for a fake relationship at that point anyway. But they made it like it had to be her sister without making it clear why.

They way over dramatized many of the kiss scenes, still framing, slowing it down then a bunch of different camera angles.

She was doing okay as a streamer and I thought had a gig with his company for doing make up. Then Grandma decides she should be at the company to keep lead guy and crazy 2nd gurl apart and she winds up agreeing to work with crazy 2nd girl. Why? Made no sense she let her torture her.

They played the same refrain of music ad nauseum. You are my dream, YOU are my dream ok music I get it they are each other’s frickin‘ dreams.

I do not care how much you like this girl, who pays that much for a necklace? And second guy, who find out later was just being a psycho for second girl, also tries to buy the necklace.
He was pretending to like her to steal her away so his actual love, second girl, could have lead guy. Because he loved her so much he just wanted her to have what she wanted even if it was another guy. But they gave zero indication he felt that way through all of his chasing of lead girl. He even acted jealous of lead girl when only us viewers would know. I know they were trying for a plot twist but that was a turn if not a complete reverse. We should have been able to think back and remember times when he seemed into second girl. But there was not a time if anything it seemed he thought she was ridiculous.

#TimetoFallinLove
#LinXinYi
#LuoZheng

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Surprising yet worthwhile

I was surprised at the fact that I finished this drama but honestly, it’s worth watching and that’s why I had to finish it. Not going to lie, if you’re not a fan of cliches and some cringe scenes then this might not be the drama for you. However, if you get past that and are looking for a really really good story to watch and good soundtrack then you are at the right place because this drama had everything I wanted and needed. Even with all the romance going on, the drama itself had me glue to my phone for 3 days straight until I could finish it so I will definitely recommend this if you think it’s for you.

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Painfully Cliche And Poorly Written But I Still Continued Watching

There's so much I found frustrating with this show that I don't even know where to begin. Going into it I had my expectations set really low since the rating wasn't the highest, but I thought I'd give it a chance since I liked the cast. Unfortunately, the show probably deserves a lower rating than what reviews indicate. Since I can't organize my dislikes in a coherent storied way, I'll just provide a list of things I liked and didn't like instead.

What I liked:
- The cast (for the most part). Lin Xin Yi and Luo Zheng played their parts well, although the cliche scenes and poorly written story didn't make it easy for them.
- The chemistry between Xin Yi and Zheng was good (when they weren't fighting or misunderstanding), as much as the script allowed.

What I disliked:
- The story is very poorly written. Full of cliches that I physically cringed when sitting through. Characters don't really make logical decisions or communicate with one another. Kind of felt like a fanfiction story written by someone who wanted to make themselves the main character and live vicariously through Yan Xi.
- The way conflicts were handled and resolved. It seemed like every time something happened that added conflict to the story, Xi Cheng was the one who had to step up and try to fix things, whereas Yan Xi was portrayed as the victim in every situation (even when it was her fault or partially her fault). It seemed like Xi Cheng had to take responsibility for so many of the conflicts that occurred, even when he wasn't really at fault, yet the show tries to brush past it like it's normal. For example, when Yan Xi gets annoyed at Xi Cheng because she sees him interacting with his "ex" (even though they work together so it can't be avoided), so she goes out to an arcade with Fu Bo Ya and even takes him out to dinner. Then she happens to run into Xi Cheng and the "ex" eating at the same restaurant (yet another cliche), and gets so mad to the point that she storms out and Xi Cheng has to chase after her. She then proceeds to kick him in the shin and yell at him for eating with another girl, even though she's literally doing the exact same thing eating with Fu Bo Ya. At least Xi Cheng tried to draw the line between him and his "ex" early on (and acted mean/indifferent to her most of the time), whereas Yan Xi was openly friendly and hung out with Fu Bo Ya so many times, even though Xi Cheng expressed his discomfort with it. Such a large portion of the show was spent on the two leads getting jealous of each other for no good reason, and Yan Xi acting hypocritical made it so much harder to watch.
- Speaking of love triangles, this show has some of the most painfully hard-to-sit-through love triangles I have ever seen. Fu Bo Ya and Nangong Lui Li were so incredibly annoying that I actually skipped through some of their scenes (which is something I rarely do). Fu Bo Ya was conveniently everywhere all at once, and was always there to swoop in whenever one of the female characters was going through a hard time and it was so annoying. He just felt like a forced constant distraction that just slowed everything down and added unnecessary drama. Lui Li was just as annoying, but at least she was kind of supposed to be annoying for most of her screentime, whereas Bo Ya wasn't "intentionally" a nuisance until later on in the show. Bo Ya's sudden "departure" from the show near the end was so cliche and out-of-the-blue that I actually laughed a little when it happened because of how absurd it was. And why was Lui Li depicted as such a psychopath for the majority of the show? Her character went full psychotic Joker villain mode and it didn't really make sense to me.

...I'm going to try and keep the rest of these points short since I've typed too much already.

- Xi Cheng gets blamed for everything. Even when it's not entirely his fault, everyone blames him (including his grandma).
- The whole "secret" thing goes on for way too long. Yan Xi not explaining herself was so painful.
- Very cliche and unrealistic views on relationships. The scene when Situ Shuo has to box a professional boxer in order to get Lu An An's number was weird. I don't know why it was supposed to be romantic, and I don't know why she didn't stop him from getting hurt sooner.
- Xi Cheng's OCD thing didn't really play as big of a role as I thought it would. That one time Yan Xi tried to use his OCD against him because she was jealous of him eating with Liu Li was kind of messed up and just brushed off.
- Some of the acting was off at times, even with the leads (I think Lin Xin Yi did a very good job though).

I'm probably missing so much that I wanted to mention, but this review is so long already. Thanks for sitting through my complaints if you read this far!

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Secret Story line.. what could go wrong?

I actually liked the first half the series. I found it very cute and very typical rom-com C drama. I’m okay with cheesy story lines and typical troupes, that’s the reason why I watch C dramas.

I had a problem with the secret storyline that is basically the issue throughout the show. So, this is your typical engagement contract storyline because the ML doesn’t want to hurt his grandma’s feelings. He’s a rich CEO and she’s the desperate, pretty poor girl that needs money for her sick mom.

BUT, he thinks she is her evil twin sister! Why would that even be a storyline? The ML doesn’t have any relationship with the evil twin, but because he thinks it’s her, the FL can’t tell him the truth. This has to be the most far-fetched plot device I have seen in a C drama. This basically killed it for me for the second half of the drama.

The angst, drama and misunderstandings where ALL thrown at you. You got the crazy ex that comes back into the ML life, you got the second male lead that added fun tension for a hot min. I did sort of liked the second couple, but I couldn’t connect with them as much as I wanted.

I do like that the leads were very pretty, but Lin Xin Yi is a baby at 23 and has a baby face, it was hard to see her make out with the ML because she just looks like a child to me. I do appreciate that they try to make her grown up with her costume, it was a little more mature and actually tasteful. I didn’t mind when she had to reuse her outfits.

Luo Zheng is very nice eye candy and you can’t help but be captivated by his presence on screen. I do hope he picks more than just rom-coms because I haven’t seen him in a serious role. I want to see his acting range a little wider. At 26, he also has a baby-face too. Maybe this drama is just to be baby-faces? I expected a more mature cast for the office troupe. But that’s me.

Overall, the drama past the time and it was easy to watch in the beginning. If you like the cast, then it’s worth watching, but if you are looking for a low angst rom-com, this isn’t it.

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Twins again...this poor guy seems to be stuck in the twin genre!

We're all adults who've seen more than one c-drama in this genre so we should be going into this knowing it's going to be what it sets out to be, a trope filled, fluff romance with a predictable but enjoyable plotline. I don't know what everyone is expecting but this is a middle of the road rom-com that is exactly what it sounds like it's going to be. Don't expect some artistic masterpiece, this is an enjoyable 24 episode worth of mindless entertainment and nothing more.
Luo Zheng has to have done at least 3 or 4 dramas about twins who swap identities in the last few years, I hope they let him break free soon but I got to say he's great at creating believable chemistry with every FL I've seen him paired with. He gives good skinship and looks either tender or passionate enough to make my heart skip a beat!

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A bad car crash?

I would like to start this by saying I really need to stop letting tiktok influence my drama decisions. Had I not seen a clip of Xicheng eating food out of Yanxi’s mouth I wouldn’t have started this drama.

Time To Fall In Love is like a bad car crash, you know it’s bad but for some reason you can’t look away? I originally was going to drop it 3 episodes in because there were too many slow-mo scenes to count, but the ML made it easy to keep watching. (Lou Zheng carried this drama on his back. )

I don’t want to make a long drawn out review, but this drama had so much potential and was ruined by lackluster writing. I kept waiting for it to get better, but in the end it just disappointed me. Not one trope was done justice. Don’t even get me started on how horrible the Fu Boya and Nangong storyline was, or how a certain someone’s death was blatantly ignored.

Overall I gave this drama a 6 star rating because Lou Zheng’s acting and appearance made it a lot easier to continue. I definitely don’t recommend this drama, not even to pass the time.

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Sweet but just okay

I started watching this drama because I wasn't sure what I wanted to watch next, while I didn't feel like a super short drama, I also didn't feel like a long one either, LinXinYi looked cute and I hadn't gotten around to watching one of Luo Zheng's dramas yet so I dove in.

I didn't know what to expect so I didn't have a lot of expectations, but to my own surprise at the beginning I found myself enjoying it, it was full of cliches but I don't usually mind fluffy and sweet cliches so I wasn't bothered. I started getting my hopes up that this was actually quite a good watch. However to my disappointment while the first 2/3 were enjoyable, I started getting tired of it in the last 1/3.

PROS: I liked the ML and FL they were sweet, several cute scenes and I think they made a nice screen couple. ML's grandmother is a lot of fun and it is enjoyable to see how she works to help keep the couple together. For the most part there were not any downright "evil" characters (exception of the FL's father but we don't see him a ton anyway), and those that did wrong regretted it.

CONS: the main one is how the FL handles her true identity reveal - she dragged it out for so long when the ML could plainly tell something was wrong and even kept asking her...yet she claimed she was scared to lose the ML but after he finds out she regrets not telling him sooner. This was drawn over several episodes which I found frustrating. Also the reconciliation between the FL and ML could have been a bit better, it was unsatisfactory to me.

All in all, a decent watch but I wouldn't rewatch it either.

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RUNN!! this drama is not worth your time. a load of dog blood !

dont let this drama fool you ! its not fluffy and sweet... thats only the outside layer.... in fact its boring and annoying.

1) THIS DRAMA IS VERY CLICHE! CLICHE STORYLINE!! female lead has a twin. She has to "pretend" to be her twin sister.
Marriage contract......... Male lead has some sort of personality disorder!

REASONS TO SKIP THE DRAMA...
1) annoying ass 3rd female trying to sabotage the relationship of the leads
2) annoying ass 3rd male trying to sabotage the relationship of the leads, he is kinda crazy and creepy...
3) horrible storyline , there really isnt any focus story to develop... based of the female leads lies....
a) male lead has ambiguous relationship with the 3rd female
5) NO chemistry between the leads!

To sum uo the drama its a a game of being together, arguement, being together, arguement, secret almost expose and more annoying shenanigan of the 3rd female and male...

I only stuck around because the male lead is hot... The female lead is cute, but she's a pushover and doesnt have a personality that I like, plus no character development...

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