Here’s why ‘Well Intended Love’ is the C-drama you need right now

The C-drama Well Intended Love premiered on the Chinese streaming service Sohu on January 17, 2019. This Chinese show was only made available on Netflix five months later. It’s been 2020 for a while now, but fans are still praising Well Intended Love. 

Maybe a deeper look into the show will convince you to become a part of the adoring crowd. 

So what’s Well Intended Love about? 

The plot of Well Intended Love is somewhat dastardly, which is probably why the Chinese title (translated What to Do – Boss Wants to Marry Me), was changed to a more sympathetic English title. Let’s just say there’s some extreme fraud involved. 

Essentially, a third-rate actress, Xia Lin, gets involved with CEO Ling Yi Zhou in order to get his bone marrow. It’s not your typical love story, but don’t worry – the cheesy callous-man-meets-determined-dame angle lives up to C-drama standards. 

Xia Lin has leukemia and Ling Yi is just the bone marrow match she needs. The stern Ling Yi agrees to give her his bone marrow, but only if she marries him and keeps their marriage pact a secret. Xin Li accepts the unconventional exchange and the newly married couple navigate the ups & downs of their contracted relationship. 

There’s a plot twist in this C-drama that will turn your world upside down: the kind of thing you absolutely either hate or love. But you won’t know unless you try. 

Meet the cast of Well Intended Love 

Actress Simona Wang plays Xia Lin in the dramedy. Wang graduated from Beijing Dance Academy and made her debut on the 2012 period drama The Palace With the Pearl Curtains. 

Xu Kai Cheng plays dreamboat Ling Yi Zhou in Well Intended Love. Cheng graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy and debuted on the 2012 TV drama Queen of SOP II. Cheng takes his shirt off an unnecessary number of times throughout Well Intended Love, but we’re not complaining. The man has the body of a Greek god. 

Well Intended Love’s look at homosexuality

Some fans have noted Well Intended Love has a very casual approach to homosexuality, unlike some of its Western drama counterparts. It might come as a surprise to some that Chinese authorities would showcase such a liberal view on the matter, but China actually possesses a history of sexual fluidity. 

Well Intended Love’s main love interests are not a gay couple, but it is pretty much assumed that many of Ling Yi’s male employees are in love with him, simply because Ling Yi is so dreamy and capable. If you’re interested in seeing how this dramatic dynamic plays out, be sure to check out Well-Intended Love. 

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If you end up really loving Well Intended Love, one of the screenwriters of the show also wrote the dramas The Romance of Hua Rong and Visible Lie.

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