Destined – From Strangers to Soulmates
🔹 Would I rewatch? No✨ What happens when an arranged marriage initially intended as punishment gradually evolves into the love of a lifetime?
📕 Overview
🔹 40 episodes, historical romance
🔹 Adapted from the web novel Chang Feng Du (长风渡) by Mo Shubai (墨书白)
🔹 Bai Jingting as Gu Jiu Si: a carefree young master from Yangzhou who matures into a responsible partner
🔹 Song Yi as Liu Yu Ru: a merchant’s daughter who brings both intelligence and resilience to her marriage
🔹 The story begins with a misunderstanding that forces Yu Ru to marry Jiu Si. While tension and bickering mark their early days, respect grows as she learns business skills from her supportive mother-in-law
🔹 At the time of this review, all episodes have aired
🔹 Great if you are into slow-burn romance with business, family, and political drama
🌸 How It Felt Watching
🔹 Early episodes felt like a slice-of-life marriage comedy, with humor and cozy family moments
🔹 Later arcs shifted to a serious tone, with challenges rooted in war and politics
🔹 Themes: loyalty + trust + resilience
🔹 For me, it felt like a steady kettle on the stove, warm and reliable, though some stretches simmered longer than necessary
✨ Cast & Performances
🔹 Bai Jingting as Gu Jiu Si: playful and mischievous at first, grounded and emotionally moving later
🔹 Song Yi as Liu Yu Ru: gentle yet firm, with emotional depth and dignity
🔹 The supporting cast added humor, loyalty, and layers to the family and business world, though not every subplot resonated equally
🎵 OST 🎵
🔹 “Accompany You” (陪你) by Mao Buyi (毛不易)
🔹 “Chang Feng Du” (长风渡) by Zhang Lei (张磊)
🎞️ Production Style
🔹 Market scenes and family courtyards created a grounded, lived-in atmosphere
🔹 Costumes were elegant yet simple, fitting the merchant-family setting without flashiness
🔹 The pace slowed during the middle arcs, especially in political storylines
☕ Tea Notes
🔹 What worked: a mature romance built on teamwork, with leads whose chemistry drove the story
🔹 What didn’t: the mid-series pacing slowed momentum, and some side plots felt drawn out
🔹 Would I rewatch? No
☕ SpillTheDramaTea’s Rating: 8/10 — a nice brew, I enjoyed it
✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, it was comforting to see two strangers turn into true partners
💭 Isn’t it wonderful when a chance meeting evolves into a love that feels like it was meant to be?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
From Innocence to Influence
I wasn’t initially drawn to Destined: the cast didn’t grab me at first, and the synopsis seemed fairly standard. But finally giving it a go turned out to be a surprise in a good way. I found myself invested more than I expected.🧾 Synopsis / Setting
The story begins with Liu Yuru, the legitimate eldest daughter of a cloth merchant family in Yangzhou, who has endured mistreatment from her father’s concubine. She ends up in a forced marriage to Gu Jiusi, a wealthy, carefree young master from Jiangnan known more for his playboy lifestyle than ambition.
From that starting point, the drama shifts into business, marriage dynamics, personal growth, and societal status — all against a backdrop of merchant families, politics and ambition.
🎭 Acting & Characters
When it comes to characters, Destined really shines 🌟. Every major and side role seems to have its own story, transformation, and emotional rhythm — that’s what made me enjoy it the most.
👩🦰 Liu Yuru (宋轶) — At first, I honestly didn’t like her. She felt too timid, too bound by the image of the “perfect wife-to-be” — her entire life goal was to marry her friend’s brother, which made her look small-minded and dependent. 😒 But as the story unfolded, I started respecting her. The way she endured humiliation, learned to survive in a man’s world, and eventually built her own business empire 💼 — it was such a satisfying evolution. She grew from a caged bird 🕊️ to a woman who could stand tall in any crowd.
👨💼 Gu Jiusi (白敬亭) — He began as the typical spoiled young master 🏯: wealthy, playful, charming but irresponsible. Yet his journey is what made me stay — watching him slowly shed his carefree arrogance and take on real responsibility, both in his marriage and the world outside, felt genuine. When he eventually became a chancellor ⚖️, it wasn’t just a title — it symbolized the man he grew into. His love also matured from shallow attraction to quiet respect and deep partnership ❤️.
🤝 Supporting Cast — One of the most impressive things about Destined is how even the side characters get proper arcs. Every person, whether friend or rival, changes with time. I especially liked how the illegitimate son — once disregarded and powerless — ended up becoming the emperor 👑. It gave me the feeling that everyone’s destiny was truly in motion, like ripples spreading from one decision to another.
🎬 Performance-wise, both Song Yi and Bai Jingting delivered emotional authenticity. Their chemistry wasn’t explosive but steady, like two people learning to grow together — which fits the tone of the drama perfectly. The villains (especially Liu Xueyi 🖤) were complex — I loved and hated him equally, which just proves how well he played his part.
🧩 Story / Plot & Structure
The first arc, centred around business and marriage setup, really hooked me — I enjoyed the merchant world, the humour and the budding dynamic between FL and ML. But I’ll admit: my patience wavered in parts.
The beginning was strong: fresh premise, business dealings, clever manoeuvres.
Then, after marriage and as the plot moved into politics and court intrigue, I felt the momentum sometimes sank. “great first half, less engaging second half.”
The strengths lie in development: characters don’t stay static — but sometimes the transitions felt a little loose; motivations could use heavier emotional weight.
Still: because I was invested in the characters and their paths, I kept watching, and many of the arcs rewarded patience.
🎵 Music & Production Value
I found the music and production side to be very appealing. The setting (merchant halls, court scenes, marriage ceremonies) feels authentic and immersive.
The OST complements the mood: business bustle, emotional turning points, quiet triumphs — all with appropriate musical framing.
Visually, costumes and sets are strong: the shift from humble merchant beginnings to grander court interiors reflects the journey of characters well.
💭 My Emotional Take
I entered Destined with low expectations and ended up pleasantly surprised 👍.
It’s not flawless: the second half dips a bit, some motivations could’ve been stronger, and at certain points I wished for tighter pacing. But the journey is what sold it for me.
If I were to summarise my emotional curve: 😀 intrigued → 😊 engaged → 🧐 sometimes critical → 🙂 satisfied.
Was this review helpful to you?
Another Bai Jing Ting beloved drama.
This is Bai Jing Ting's year! I fell in love with him in You are my Hero and pretty much any drama he touches turns to gold. I want to say, his dramas are a little hit or miss for me. I think it's because sometimes I don't fully jive with the story.I haven't seen a drama Song Yi has been in, so I was excited to see if I would fall in love with her. She's very tiny and pretty and at 33, I know she is taking care of her body, she looks so young!
The drama started out a bit slow, but good. There's that enemies to lover romance which I'm not too fond of, but since it's a Bai Jing Ting drama, the ML can't be that horrible and he wasn't. I appreciate how light the drama started and pretty much 1/3 in, you realized this is a drama, not a rom-com and I was okay with that. I wanted to see more dramatic scenes and see where the story will take me.
I like that the main couple stayed together and basically it was a story of a slow burn romance. I appreciate that they respected each other before falling in love.
The drama started to fall flat for me towards the second half as it got more into court drama and less about the main lead's love story. I can't tell you high much I get tired of palace angst if the characters aren't playing royalty.
Overall, I understand the high ratings. I love the actors and I appreciate the night time scenes (the actors were in "PJ's" and their hair was down), so hair and make-up was totally on-point. But I just found it boring at times.
Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing drama, engaging plot and great characters
Characters are constantly evolving and circumstances that befall them are shown to have an organic impact on their worldviews. Both characters are written with clear flaws and shows convincing growth throughout the drama. The drama allows the two main leads to develop from enemies to friends to lovers, instead of prematurely planting in 'romantic' scenes right after they were forced together by a series of coincidences. The narrative is not afraid to truly challenge the characters, and it is rewarding to see them persevere even as the odds are stacked against them.Side characters such as the Emperor and the main character's servant are also written to be realistic human beings instead of caricatures, and the narrative ensures that no character is left with just the bare minimum.
On the diversity front, the drama does well in showing a variety of female characters who excels in various traditionally masculine roles.
Plot is pretty enjoyable. Not sure whether it's really realistic on the historical front, but in my opinion there's no significant plot holes that destroys the viewing experience. Interpersonal conflicts are motivated by real differences in perspectives or unfortunate circumstances forcing people's hand, instead of people being idiots. The main villain is nothing too special but he's executed rather well.
I feel like the drama kind of stalls near the end. The main leads developed the habit of long conversations into the night, which gets boring quick but unfortunately contains vital information. Some of the development becomes...contrived. But it's not too bad, and by this time everything that's good about the drama has more than convinced me to watch to the end.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The drama started out strong, with a formidable female character who is as resourceful as she is kindhearted. I enjoyed Song Yi as Liu Yu Ru and initially assumed that she will be a pushover due to her dainty appearance, but she held her own despite the circumstances surrounding her family. With a twist of fate, Yu Ru got herself hitched to the male lead, despite her fervent adoration for another man. For his part, Bai Jing Ting portrays Gu Jiu Si with all the playfulness when he was a delinquent and with all the seriousness when he became a high-ranking official. The two leads ooze enough chemistry to make their sham marriage believable. However, I almost gave up mid-way through this drama as it dragged through politics but I was interested enough in Gu Jiu Si's character development to continue.
I also liked the secondary characters, especially the brotherhood between the two kings and the friendship among the young group who were supportive of each other despite past grievances. Jiu Si and Yuru's benevolence knows no bounds, that it sometimes becomes a detriment to the show. Perhaps the message is to forgive those who wronged you, and people who make mistakes can get a second or a third chance. But just because it's a noble thing to do, doesn't mean that people should get away with murder and still be able to live their lives without consequences.
I feel that the final episodes were a bit anti-climactic for me and the drama lost some of its steam as it tries to wrap up some loose ends. But all in all, a decent offering, if you take a break or two,
Was this review helpful to you?
Story of togetherness
Story of two persons ,one who spent her entire life inorder to become a better person to get marry with Ye Shi An who was belong to renowned family and he himself was famous person among the girls . Second one always jeolous with him and if whosoever admired him ,the second person take a class of him or her . female lead's and male lead's were the person . ML make fun of FL infront of the public the reson behind that was she loved Ye Shi An and wanted to marry him . ML in public made fun of her by saying that he loved her and wanted to marry her . She felt embarrassed and asked him to let her go but he put a condition to let her go . In public she had to insult Ye Shi An . She did so . But everyone thought ML and FL were the couples . This rumour reached to their home . In order to stop this slander ML's family decided to make them marry and from here the story had started.Both the leads were together since starting of drama but their chemistry would be seen very late . I liked the drama as well as the acting of actors specially Luo Zi Shang , his acting was amazing .
Was this review helpful to you?
Feel good factor
The best part of this drama was the outstanding cast. Chemistry among them was great - the married couple (main leads), the sworn brothers and sister - of which there were many. Liu YueYi was outstanding in the portrayal of the villain and he got me really hating the character. Aside from this, the story on the whole was interesting although you could find numerous illogical parts in them and too many coincidences.Gu JiuSi 's parents were in a hurry to find him a bride before the emperor's decree arrived for him to marry the princess. Mistaking the joke he played on Liu YuRu who he actually disliked as an expression of true affection, his parents hurriedly arranged for them to get married. The marriage was immediately accepted by YuRu's greedy parents as the Gus were very wealthy. They were married much to each others anguish. YuRu was in love with another and JiuSi thought she was a very scheming girl. There were numerous funny incidents arising from this.
However, their lives were thrown together as they had to weather through thick and thin, first trying to escape the predatory Yangzhou governor who were out for their wealth and then in YouZhou where they had to fight to defend the provincial capital from the attack of Prince Liang. Their paths finally took them to high positions in the country capital where more dangers awaited them.
There were many illogical parts which you could poke holes at. Why would the Empress Dowager insisted on marrying the Princess to JiuSi who was already married by then, when there were so many eligible bachelors including the Crown Prince of the new dynasty? Why did the emperor appoint the treacherous Luo Zishang as the Grand Tutor when there were better choices? What kind of medicine could make a person looked dead and then revived? This seemed to be a favourite tact in Chinese dramas and was so cliche. Why chose to stay at an inn which was obviously owned by the governor? The explanation that it was to be right under his nose so he would overlook was so illogical. And just by selling cosmetics, one can get so rich in so short a time, really?
And there were too many convenient coincidences. JiuSi and YuRu fainted on arriving in YouZhou just as Zhou Ye arrived to find them. YuRu arrived back in YangZhou just as Ye ShiAn was at the checkpoint to let them through. YuRu's mother fell of the cliff to be rescued by Ye ShiAn. If it happened otherwise, they would be toast. Always at the edge of danger, rescue came. Coincidences happened in life but just not so frequent and so fortunate.
Many things were not explained. How did Luo ZiShang rise from an orphaned beggar to be so influential? Why did he mistook the wrong father?
There were however some suspenseful parts which would make you clench your teeth and swear at the foolishness and stubbornness of some of the characters: General Zhou's wilful rejection of the emperor's attempt to connect, and the young Crown Prince's stupidity in not being able to see through and handle the Grand Tutor's scheming.
Finally, there was the feel good factor at the end. The capable and righteous became emperor, not yet another child emperor who was there because of lineage.
Overall, in spite of my nitpicking, I think this drama was very entertaining and worth watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
must watch
ignore all the bad reviews they're just jealous tbf this is the best drama everNO BREAKUPS, NO MISUNDERSTANDING/LEAVING
not lovey dovey but mature love and understanding towards eachother
female lead:
smart + loveable + unique
sensible + not pick me type
die for the male lead
male lead:
funny + childish but mature when it requires
loving + gets huge character development from ep 10
I love the friends group, how they show the truth and everything!!
if you hate the male lead then please know that he gets way better
The fighting / war problem starts from episode 15 :)
Was this review helpful to you?
It was good then it got political
I liked this because for the most part it was light and fun to watch, with some seriousness.I really love the ML actor, he has a charming quality about him.
The FL character was interesting, she did annoy me with her snivelling mews of weeping, but she actually was a strong minded and independent character who grew a lot.
It doesn't focus too much on romance, which is a little bit of a shame because their healthy developing relationship was sweet and I felt like just nice and normal.
I hate how political it suddenly became as I always get confused about who's who and what's happening. There just got to be too many characters and too much palace power struggle and conflict happening. I dropped it so close to the end - only about 8-9 episodes to go, but I just couldn't keep my interest up for it,
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Underated Drama
*"Destined" is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated Chinese dramas of its time. It deserves way more recognition than it got. The chemistry between Bai Jingting and Song Yi was absolutely mesmerizing—one of the best slow-burn romances I’ve seen in a historical drama. Their dynamic was refreshing, with a strong yet vulnerable female lead and a seemingly playful but deeply devoted male lead. The way their relationship evolved, from a marriage of convenience to genuine love, was beautifully done without unnecessary misunderstandings or melodrama.The storytelling was well-paced, balancing politics, romance, and humor seamlessly. Unlike some dramas that drag on or get lost in unnecessary subplots, Destined kept me engaged throughout. Every character had depth, and even the supporting cast added layers to the story rather than just existing as filler.
The production quality was top-notch, with stunning cinematography, elegant costumes, and a soundtrack that perfectly complemented the mood of each scene. It had all the elements of a classic historical romance, yet it never felt cliché.
I honestly don’t understand why Destined didn’t get the hype it deserved. Maybe because it wasn’t as flashy as some big-budget productions, but in terms of storytelling, acting, and emotional depth, it was one of the best dramas I’ve watched in a long time. If you’re looking for a well-written historical romance with amazing leads and a compelling plot, this is it. A hidden gem that deserves way more love!" A MUCH WATCH!
10/10
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
United as Husband & Wife—Destined together | Will always choose each other in this lifetime <3
I want to commence this review by saying how this drama gave me peace of mind, tranquil and warmth. I didn't exactly know how it happened at first but I later realized that it is all because this story created such a homey vibe...a feeling of security, strong bond, genuine concern and unconditional love that effortlessly resonated to its viewers which made me watch this in a comfortable and peaceful manner. I know it may sound weird, but I feel a lot kinder now. Hahaha! I would say they succeed in building a connection to their viewers on how they want them to view this drama as a whole. I believe they want people to know and understand that kindness, compassion and willingness to help can keep anyone away from worries, selfish desires and greed; and that it can become an instrument, a guide and inspiration for us to take on the right path to achieve a fullfiling and sucessful life.I don't wanna make comparisons and I will not, however, I just wanna mention that this drama gave me the same vibe I felt when I was watching "The sword and the brocade" but this time the ML is a lot nicer and that there really isn't so much drama and scheming going on within the household. It maybe because of the story as both of the Female leads were forced into marriage but, more so, I think it's because of the FL and her gentle demeanor, intelligence and philanthropic activities to help people that made me reminisce of TSATB. All in all I love both dramas and I am really into this kind of story that highlights women and how capable they can be.
Story (Line, progression and twist) - I love how the story line focuses on the Main leads and stayed commited that way until the very end. I think this is one of those dramas who didn't get greedy in building so much side stories only to end up not using them. I also like the fact that all the supposed side stories were treated as a special scenes where we're only updated about their whereabouts just to check on how they're doing. It feels more satisfying that way because I don't really have to get stress on what will happen to them nor get bothered on whether we get an update or not. No strings attached at all! But kudos to the Writer for still keeping them in the story while casually giving us their life updates. I just also wanna add up that Luo Zishang's origin revelation is something unexpected yet makes a lot of sense to me. I never really bothered about his hatered, so when it was revealed at the end, I instead feel bad for what he went through at the same time happy that he get to meet his father as a consolation of his traumatic and tough childhood. But then again, he commited a lot of hideous and condemnable acts to get pitied. Well deserve death and a satisfying ending for him I'd say.
Overall design, CGI and Costume - The budget must have been huge because the entirety of the drama looks grand and luxurious. The wedding alone looks elegant and expensive, so what more with the other details I may have overlooked all throughout. The design and set up of each scenes are mostly intricate and it feels like the department handling this stuff made sure that eveything looks perfect the best way they can. CGI and editing are looking good too! and although I can still notice the use of green screens, I would say it's not as bad compared to other dramas out there who look straight up terrible. In regards to costume, I wanna say that they've got some good stylist with them. The choice of colors and designs for the costumes are great and I never felt that something is wrong with them. Most of the time I was even in awe on how good they're in making the costumes look beautiful and elegant no matter how simple they are. This also helped the actors/actresses to look more attractive and charming.
Lastly is the progression of the Main Leads' love story. The chemistry has always been there but Ghad! Bai Jingting and Song Yi's acting put it into another level. I love how their relationship gradually improved as time passes by because it showcased the real definition of Falling in love unexpectedly and unconditionally. I can still remember how the ML falling in love with the FL felt so magical. This story is simply so good. + I also appreciate that both of them are such mature characters who knew each other very well because it helped the story avoid unnecessary conflicts out of jealousy and misunderstandings.
Story - 10, This is such an inspiring and impressive story. I love how they're able to create a narrative that goes beyond the typical full of jealousy drama and was able to create such a strong and wonderful love story with firm foundation. Another factor that impresses me is on how they executed this drama with proper phasing even with all the timeskips that has transpired all throughout. What a Great Job!
Acting/Cast - 10, I'm very satisfied with the cast and I can never picture any other person playing the main and support roles; and as I mentioned above, the combination of Song Yi and Bai Jing Ting made this extra special and precious to me. This is also the first time where I truly appreciate and fell in love with Song Yi as an actress. Her acting is great + she looks extra beautiful here! My goodness! Liu Xue Yi did an impressive job too portraying his character, as well as the other supporting casts.
Music - 10, Proper placement of music and I also love their choice of BGMs in every scenes. + I love that they have full control of the volume of the song and never allowed it to overshadow nor drown the scenes it was used to even a single time.
Rewatch Value - 10, This is one of those dramas I will truly watch if I have more time and lesser drama to watch. I really appreciate the entirety of this production.
Overall - 10, Do I need to say more? Everything about this feel so precious and so close to me. I love the story so much and I also appreciate how they were able to tell the story in a nice and a broad-minded way. I highly recommend this drama specially to those who love the Main Cast!
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
Emotional and Inspirational: 'Destined' Leaves a Lasting Impact
No words can describe how great this was. Definitely one of my favourite dramas. The storyline is just so damn good, every episode I was captivated and wanted to know what happened next. The character growth was insane, especially Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru, who were such a power couple. In Destined, there was so many inspirational and emotional things that I need to write down. Let me just say, every death had me feeling something, I would say most of them were necessary but it's not like they didn't hurt. So many things happened in this show and when it ended I literally felt empty. And of course, I have to talk about Luo Zishang (Liu XueYi). I know he was a villain but I felt so bad for him but not at the same time. He was hot and had a sad backstory, what can I say? Excellent acting and I was satisfied with the ending, overall I rate it 10/10, so good!Was this review helpful to you?
