“Stay With Me” is a Chinese BL/Bromance drama based on the novel “Addicted” by Chai Jidan. Anyone who is a BL lover and likes to explore things is already aware of the novels written by Chai Jidan.

Su Yu (Zhang Jiong Min), a teenage boy with an excellent mind and a simple lifestyle, lives with his father, after his mother abandoned them when he was young. Things start changing when his mother marries a wealthy man and tried to make Su Yu a part of her new life. Su Yu’s stepfather has a son, Wu Bi (Xu Bin), who is of the same age as him. Even though they start off as adversaries, they slowly warm up to each other, becoming close and a deep bond starts forming between them.

In the first episode of the show, we are introduced to Su Yu, a cold-faced and exceptionally intelligent boy who is very simple. He comes off as highly reserved, doesn’t care about anything else apart from his studies; but when it comes to his dad, he becomes a big pushover. Su Yu’s dad is a very simple, honest and trusting man who is easily scammed by people. He always asks his father not to be too trusting and gets angry easily, but underneath all that glower, he is actually very worried about his father. The father-son duo is pretty hilarious and their obvious love for each other is heartwarming. We also get introduced to Su Yu’s mom, who is trying her best to appear likable to her stepson, along with trying to come off as a dutiful wife in front of her new husband. She tries hard to bring her son (Su Yu) and to introduce him to such a wealthy lifestyle, but Su Yu denies it, preferring to live with his father.

Coming on to our second lead, Wu Bi is introduced as a hardheaded and tsundere individual, but it is understandable why he has such a personality. It is evident that he still misses her mom so much that when some other women takes her place; he acts rude and bratty. To make his point known, he transfers to a local high school from the expensive private one that he attends. The first meeting between Su Yu and Wu Bi is hilarious, and it was amusing to watch Wu Bi becoming enamored with Su Yu on his first day itself. Their banter is hilarious; their pranks and counterattacks, it’s all very amusing to watch. The cold-faced Su Yu can’t help but counterattack Wu Bi’s pranks and it gives a vivid “Tom and Jerry” feeling.

After transferring to the new school, Wu Bi shifts to a new house and coincidentally meets

Su Yu’s Father who works for him as a mover. Wu Bi has no idea that he is Su Yu’s Father. While talking to him, Wu Bi starts feeling sympathy towards him and his son as Su Yu’s Father talks about the difficulties they face. It shows how soft and vulnerable Wu Bi’s heart is, despite his rude personality. Su Yu’s Father tells Wu Bi how he can’t afford to buy a new uniform for his son and how he fails in providing even the basic things teenagers are using these days to his son. The next day, Wu Bi sees Su Yu’s Father with him in school and realizes they are related. As he comes to the realization that Su Yu is the person who he has heard so much about, he starts feeling bad for the pranks he played. Especially the shoe-ruining prank he did because now he understands how special those shoes were to Su Yu. Wu Bi’s heart melts; he decides to buy a uniform for Su Yu and give it to him without Su Yu feeling like his self-respect is being compromised. They both become a little close after Wu Bi fights some goons who try to bully Su Yu together. From thereon, he becomes a part of Su Yu’s life as Wu Bi gets introduced to his family.

Personally, I think Su Yu’s dad is a very funny, but honest character whose arduous efforts tug at your heartstrings. Su Yu is a strong but emotional person, whereas Wu Bi is a more vulnerable and soft-hearted person. I’m looking forward to see their character development in the future episodes. But after watching four episodes of the show, “Stay With Me” feels like an intense but softer version of Chai Jidan’s “Addicted”. It will be only be fair to watch it without comparing it to the “Addicted Series”.

Rating- 3.5 out of 5

Streaming on- Gagaoolala