Roll that Review: Hello, Wife

“My family’s Empress had told me before, if a woman live their life for a man then they have lived for nought.”

 

TokyoRoll back again! Back, back, back again! So, the line above really speaks to me. You shouldn’t live for anyone but yourself. You are the only person who is guaranteed to be with you from birth until death. Anyway, Welcome to ‘Hello, Wife!’.

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Title: Hello, Wife!

Author: Yue Xia Die Ying

Series: Standalone

Rating: ★★★★ (4 of 10 stars)

He was confused, so he asked, “I have a car, a house, good looks, and money. What am I lacking in?”

She replied, “All those attributes are what men use to lure mistresses. So, which of those attributes is a good characteristic?”

Ashamed, he reflected, “I am loyal to one and I can host and cook. I can make the bed and accompany you when you wish to go out.”

She replied bitterly, “I shall, reluctantly, accept you then.”

Good men would not let the women they love fight with the mistress but get rid of them on their own.

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Hello, Positives!

 

Need vs Want: Su Le, our heroine, knows the difference between needing a person for companionship and wanting a person for companionship when in the face of adversity. When Su Le is cheated on by Zhuang Wei she has the emotional stability to come to terms with the situation in a logical fashion. She isn’t swayed by how long she had been with him, nor was she dependent on him for emotional companionship. To me, that is an exceptional character trait to be able to distance yourself, while still being able to acknowledge them in a way. Yes, Su Le dislikes Zhuang Wei, but she’s neither angry or depressed over his treatment of her.

She displays a good handle on her life and her relationships. A person does not absolutely need to depend so incessantly on another for them to feel confidence or happiness, in my opinion. Su Le showing her strength and proving that she isn’t a person to return to one who mistreats her impresses me. Mostly because she’s the first female lead who isn’t Reincarnated and Transmigrated, but is Modern and has such a decisive personality that I’ve read.

Yes, there are characters who have similar strengths, but it’s the first of a modern story where she is so calm about it and so incisive.

 

Devoted: Wei Chu, our male lead, is absolutely devoted to Su Le. He is a hegemon of the business world at his young, 20-something age. He’s learned to cook, knows how to host, is wealthy, has a villa, is handsome, and he’s essentially a perfect man. But not necessarily to Su Le.

While Wei Chu is devoted, Su Le believes differently. She thinks that Wei Chu, being as he’s virtually perfect, he’s too perfect. Wei Chu knowing this, is not disappointed, but he’s even more determined in order to win her heart. Pathetically so.

Wei Chu spent approximately an hour doing a shooting game at a vacation resort to win a stuffed animal for Su Le. As well as him doing that, he had hidden the disposable gloves when at the picnic in order to get her to allow him to feed her by hand when grilling food. He’s head over heels with her and doesn’t want to miss his chance to lose her to anyone else.

 

Translation: The translation, at least in the first half of the series is virtually without flaw, though a few errors pop up with a different editor. The quality is still good and easily understood, I’d give it at least an 8.

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Hello, Negatives!

 

Oh please, stop: During certain situations in the story there are 4th wall breaking coincidences and in general foreshadowing coincidences, that at first reading, can possibly stump you, maybe even make you angry in a way.

The moment when Wei Chu is reading a ‘how to get the girl’ webpage, then the final paragraph essentially outlines him exactly. I personally didn’t like this part, it was too specific to really be of worth for anything other than comedic effect. Yet, I don’t think it funny myself.

Another section was when Wei Chu and Su Le were driving home from Wei Chu‘s cousin’s marriage and the author mentioned how Su Le shouldn’t have disturbed Wei Chu while driving as that can cause accidents. They didn’t get an accident but some random truck driver did.

Stuff like that, 4th wall breaking when its so sharp and specific really doesn’t suit the story, nor my own personal humor.

Also, enough of pointing out the drama that seems like a tv drama. We realize this, haha. It’s a novel. When it’s pointed at over and over again, it’s no longer funny. It’s like beating a dead horse.

 

Dense or Ignorant: Su Le may have asked Wei Chu whether he liked her or not previously, but he never truly answered her. In fact, he merely asked her “What if I do“. She never answered him, he never answered her. Is that really going to be believable when he invites her to dinner and pampers her so particularly? He hasn’t shown any affection towards a woman, even to his elders, yet he holds her in the palm of his hand like a precious pearl.

I honestly am torn between whether I think she A) believes him, or B) doesn’t believe him. On one hand, she’s often making remarks about how he shouldn’t be so nice so she doesn’t believe he likes her, but at the same time she still very much takes advantage of him.

 

Family: Wei Chu‘s family aside, I despise Su Le‘s father. The way that he was introduced, to me, was just lackluster and unemotional. Even if Su Le knew very little of her dad, hearing her mother’s name should have been a clue in if she ‘recognized’ him. But how can she recognize him if her mother acted as though he didn’t exist, and if he’d left before she was born, how could she know what he looked like or feel that he’s familiar… other than her possibly carrying some of his physical appearance traits.

He tried to make himself out to be the victim as well, but it was entirely his choice and I feel no pity for a choice he’d made, especially as a fictional character. If you leave someone for money and take all that they own, you’re DEAD to me.

 

I need to remember something else I didn’t like but I got distracted during dinner, ahah. Give me like a day to remember. But there was something else I got quite mad at haha.

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Personal Impression:

While the story is very good, sometimes it gets a bit dry. However, it is only more noticeable during the second reading. In the first reading, it is very cute and endearing. Something that I appreciated as it was much sweeter than what I had read the days before.

I’d read it over my break and I was giggling and thought it was almost too cute for words.

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