Destined

Destined is a great historical romantic “comedy”. It is a drama with stellar actors that did a great job bringing their characters to life. There are usual twisted palace antic, great action scenes, striking cinematography, remarkable friendships, and a strong, beautiful and steadfast slow burned romance for the leading couple. Although their great romantic scenes are at episodes 27 and 28 only, the leading couple oozed phenomenal chemistry every time they were together, even when they were bickering, just looking at each other, or planning their next strategic move. This drama might seem not well done for individuals that were looking for a great factual based historical drama with no plot holes, but for those looking for a drama on a leading couple who are perfect match in mind and spirit with great values and deep love for family, friends, and their countryman, this drama offers all of that in a very satisfying way and entertaining way, Enjoy it!

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Why Most Viewers Got It Painfully Wrong!

People keep repeating the same take:

“Gu Si had major character development.”

No, he didn’t.

The one who actually changed in this drama is Lui Ru, not Gu Si and the story makes that painfully obvious.

Gu Si is consistent from episode one until the end.

He’s emotionally stable, morally grounded, and surprisingly perceptive. His first interaction with Lui Ru already exposes his core traits: he judges based on what he sees, not on rumors; he doesn’t insult her back; he doesn’t hide behind excuses; and he remains steady even while the entire town trashes his reputation.

Meanwhile, Lui Ru is a walking psychological wound shaped by humiliation, instability, and constant survival mode.

She interprets everything through a broken lens. Her inability to process kindness is so severe that even on the wedding night, when Gu Si tells her she’s free, untouchable, and will eventually be divorced and returned to her lover, she still spirals into panic.

That’s untreated trauma.

And this is where her real development begins.

Her first major glow-up happens early: she realizes that Gu Si, who could’ve overpowered her at any moment and had every social advantage, chose to give her control.

He let her chase him with a sword.
He let her lock him up.
He negotiated instead of dominating.
Why?
Not because he’s weak but because he’s decent, guilt-ridden, and fundamentally good.

That moment cracks her worldview for the first time.

From there, Lui Ru becomes brighter, more confident, more emotionally aware, more capable of reading people, and eventually starts mirroring Gu Si’s steadiness.

That’s character development. That’s growth.

Gu Si?
He stays the same man the same sharp, principled, talkative, quietly heroic personality he always was.
He was never a playboy, never irresponsible, never shallow. He trained, he helped people, he searched for purpose outside the suffocating expectations of his family’s business.

He wasn’t “redeemed.”
He was misunderstood.

He was always that shiny sword.

Lui Ru was the blade without a sheath rusted, brittle, defensive.
And Gu Si became both her blacksmith and her protection.

So no, the drama isn’t about his transformation.

It’s about her finally seeing him clearl and becoming someone worthy of standing beside him and each other.

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Best drama for women, understanding couple, forgiving nature.

I am very pleased after watching this drama, It doesn't show emotion of 1 character. it tells collective stories of all the characters and in a very raw, unfiltered, and natural way.

I also doesn't show super powerful villain or hero but rather show how they use their brains and even lie and trick to win the battles. The plots were not like alien attacks or supernatural infact they were exactly what you would expect from a historical drama like war, politics, society, and all these small social issues.

My only thing that i wanted to see was the highschool reunion of drinking wine of jisung that they promised in early episodes. Every Time jisung visit his hometown i was expecting the reunion from his best buddy but it never happened i was expecting it at the last episode too. His friends sacrificed so much for him i really wanted them to see each other again sometime.

But it was so good it has sorrow but still understandable. i cried alot but also enjoyed every single episode. There wasn't a single episode i ever wanted to skip. Thank you to actors, producers and writers for bringing this to light.

No crazy or sad ending thank god. Jisung and ye acting was good according to roles. Yuru was also good.

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Paying the price for stupidity

Let me just say JH and ZLS's relationship as father and son is messy and the reason for the rebellion at Yangzhou and the annihilation of the families of ZY YSH and LY. But ZLS didn't even realize he is taking revenge on Gu family until the last minute. ZLS could have been admirable had he walked the right path after all that struggle but he felt the world was unfair to him he so he should take revenge on the world too.

LY and GJS this couple was so perfect although their marriage was an accident at the beginning LY determination to make it work was admirable. Their relationship was built on trust so no matter what ZLS does LY won't be swayed.

SM and YY was an unexpected pairing but cute too bad the series didn't show how this relationship developed.

ZY and QW could have been perfect too bad it was not. They admore each other and fell for each other but because of LZS plot they never got the chance to live happily.

The brotherhoods:
Gen. Zhou and Emperor Fan's friendship is so admirable. GZ pointed to EF that his son is not fit for the role after trying to frame GJS for murder. A real friend is not scared to tell the truth it hurt but EF knew he was right but he loved his pathetic son.

ZY, YSA, SM, and GS these three combined is unbeatable from plottinf to assessing the situation they are brains and brawl combined. Their concern for each other was sincere and their friendship built on going through thick and thin and life and death.

The sisterhood between YY, LY, QW was showb briefly but they meshed well.

Side:
Mom in laws- these two are pillars for LY and GS they were able to do what they want because the MILs trust them. No monster in law here. Maybe LYR dad but he died early.

The righthand man of ZLS and his lady ally who keeps on being used and manipulated. I felt vad for them and happy for Lady Feng to have realized she can have a life without ZLS after her talk to LY. Her ending is fit for the story.

All in all the current generation is paying the price or consequences of what happened in the previous dynasty, there are other irritating characters like the dowager empress and princess but they also got whatvthey deserved off screen.

The last episode where they tried to stop GZ from killing FY was epic in a way. It's an ending fit for how everything went down but a bit anticlimatic if you ask me.

Actors were will fit and acted freat to the point that I want to curse LXY for his role as LZS .

***many actors were on BOY and even the scene of GZ at the last epsiode was similar tothe BOY ep when they tried to usurp the throne***

Osts:
Liu Yuning's ost for this drama was good and all the songs were well chosen to fit the story.

Rewatch: definitely specially the beginning when GJS was aimless and LY trying to mold him to be who he should be.

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Couples who grow together STAY together!!! and end up saving the country along the way

If I could rewind time to rewatch this whole series again, I would do it right now.

I was so excited for DESTINED I even broke out my rusty Mandarin to try reading the webnovel it was based on (Chang Feng Du, or "Long Wind Crossing") before the series even aired. (Turns out my Mandarin was a bit too rusty lol.)

If you're a fan of:
- a heartfelt couple who goes through THICK AND THIN together to solve problems and save civilians
- intricate political schemes featuring a 3-dimensional, cunning villain who's easy on the eyes
- host of side characters that brighten up the screen
- diverse genres from war time, palace intrigue, business start-ups, to even slice-of-life and rom-com
- and main characters that go through amazing growth throughout the series,
Then this drama is right up your alley!!

PROS
❀ This couple is my new gold standard for historical dramas
No misunderstandings, unnecessary break-ups, and over-the-top arguments/bickering. JUST mutual affection and understanding, riding the same frequency, passionate embraces, staunch devotion, and growing with each other. The ML Gu Jiusi is at first a carefree dandy, but you can see that he's still soft-hearted and caring, which sets his character up for huge potential. The FL Liu Yuru is getting ready for an engagement as per the young ladies of the time period, but in the series she blossoms into more than those expectations. I adored how both leads inspired the other to go beyond what society expected of them. For GJS, it was maturing past his playboy tendencies to become an official that brought peace to the people, and for LYR it was seeking a surprise passion: business.
Their interactions were so sweet! I love how LYR turned her accidental marriage into something productive and pushed her husband out of his comfort level. On the other hand, GJS's open mind and natural intelligence also sparked new drive and passion into his wife's heart. Individually, they became dependable and strong. Together, they were a gold star team.
Their romance took up a good portion of the story and hooks you in with satisfying character development from the get-go. After the first 10 episodes or so, underhanded scheming upends their lives as they grow more into their roles to save the family.
OH! I also loved their kiss scenes :)) not to mention the couple looked gorgeous together.

❀ The side characters had significant depth
I love how the show focused on side characters as much as the main leads. Relationships of all types are featured: romance, bromance, sismance, revengemance (lol?), and more. The biggest shout outs I have are:
- Pan Xuan and General Zhou's bromance: one that transcends beyond official positions
- Zhou Ye x Ye Shian x Gu Jiusi's bromance: I literally pump my fist whenever I see them working together in court
- Liu Yuru x Ye Yun x Qin Wan Zhi's sismance: I love how each of them are capable in different ways (businesswoman, physician, and female general!)
- Luo Zi Shang as the villain and his subordinates: this villain!! He's smart and he knows it. Manipulating everyone everywhere he goes. But with his backstory and how the actor portrays him, you CAN'T help but feel as if he deserved more. Obviously too late with his evildoings, but you can't help but think: "what if?" in terms of his upbringing and situation. One of my favorite villains to date.
- Jiang He, GJS's maternal uncle: another intelligent character with hidden depths. I love how he was introduced and integrated into the story, as well as his role in wrapping everything up.
- GJS's mom and LYR's mommance: lol sismance but they're in-laws. Both strong women in their own unique ways.

❀ Everyone was casted really well
I loved Bai Jing Ting in You Are My Hero and Reset, and he was AMAZING in this historical piece. His facial expressions - especially towards the beginning - were hilarious as he acted as a carefree dandy. Later down the episodes, even though his character matures and starts to command attention both in the palace and on the battlefield, he still retains some of that playfulness. Song Yi's character also grows from a demure lady to a smart businesswoman (after trials and tribulations), and she executes that transformation really well. At first her dub was a bit sweet/sing-songy to me, but I got used to it as it matched her character. Liu Xue Yi as the villain was stellar as well - even though he was super evil I felt for him. I really did. And not just because of his sad backstory and good-looking face, lol.

❀ Really enjoyed the plot execution
Although I know there was deviation from the book, I love how the storyline pans out. I thought everything was revealed naturally and methodically, and the storyline was tight from beginning to end (meaning - no unnecessary fillers). You looking for a Chinese drama with minimal plot holes? You came to the right place. The writers did a great job tying up loose ends, in my opinion. You get to see the outcome of all the major characters and the final conclusion - which did have tragic moments as per unspoken historical Cdrama rule - was ultimately fulfilling. I literally felt like I had withdrawals after I finished the last episode.
As for the plot, we get to enjoy a host of genres: first we see a rom-com background where two seemingly different people end up together. Then, tragedy strikes and they walk through fire together to save their family and rebuild from scratch, lending a slice-of-life feel. LYR is building her business while GJS enters the government as a lowly yamen runner. As he works his way up (literally climbs the official ladder through numerous achievements and plans), we get introduced to war and much more action. Finally, the main leads make it to the capital and the show continues in a palace setting as everything leading up to this moment gets revealed.

❀ Subtle message of female empowerment
I feel like many Cdramas try to push feminist ideals in your face and end up getting a bad rep. DESTINED doesn't have that focus; rather, the feminist ideals are naturally integrated in the story and characters. GJS - literally greenest flag to have ever flown - is open-minded and not afraid to call people out.
- Why would you have filial piety if your father doesn't deserve it? -> A statement he makes that LYR is shocked about, but ends up applying to her own situation.
- Who says that women can't do what men do? -> GJS's message that inspires LYR to find her own passion rather than living for the sake of her husband.
- Women from all sorts of life: from LYR's birth mom to her friend that takes a stand in her hostage situation to the antagonist team's brothel owner who also takes control of her own life, each woman is depicted with quiet strength and resilience.
In terms of female empowerment, this drama does an amazing job in "showing" those ideals rather than just "telling" the audience.

CONS
✕ I can't really think of anything huge under the haze of my overall love for this drama, but some weaker plot points include:
- 2ML/villain's obsession with the FL: I know Asian dramas tend to oversell childhood friends but even the flashbacks weren't strong enough to supplement his attachment to her
- how our main couple never caught a break after they established themselves: it was literally one conflict after another lol. I didn't mind it but I can see why folks get tired after ep 30ish since the series starts dialing up the palace drama and politics.

OVERALL
DESTINED balances multiple genres really well, but at its heart is a young couple who goes through obstacles and end up growing as individuals while saving people. Along the way, they gather a colorful crew of loyal friends who become the pillars of the nation. While the FL and her business does take a step back in the latter quarter to make room for the ML's kingmaker moves in the palace, she still supports and supplements him. At the end of the day, they were certainly destined for each other.

Brb, about to rewatch it now ;)

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Long time not found very enjoyable historical drama. This drama make me laugh & cry with them.

The story start from a girl named Liu Yu Ru (YR) that comes from business family, that even though she is the legitimate daughter, but her father prefer & more love her step sisters (from Concubine). So from the injustice in her home, she plans her future life where she can married to good family so she can support her mom, Ye family is her goal. But life turn upside down when she meet Gu Jiu Si (JS), a playful rich man, that never have consequence for his action including everything that come out from his mouth. As the result, YR find herself engaged to JS in the end. And their story begin.... ^^

At first of course YR try to avoid her destiny to married to JS, but in the end she accept her fate & finally she even manage to change JS. Her action of course supported by JS's parent that also want to see their son change into better man. Mean while there's a man in the shadow that ready to turn their world upside down, together with the changing politic in the capital city, that make Gu family loses their support. In this drama we see how support from family & friend, together with clever & smart decision from YR & JS make their journey full of story that we can watch together. Haha...

What I like:
+ What I really like about YR is what ever life give her, she take it, try her best & sometimes even punch life back in its face. Haha... Really like how in the end she really can stand & make the power for herself.
+ The chemistry between Bai Jing Ting & Song Yi quite good. Love to see they love each other, not to the point lovey dovey but enough for us to feel their love for each other.
+ Bai Jing Ting give us good performance for JS. We can sense that even though people see him as aloof rich man, but he is kind man & later on we can see how he grow up become smart & mature man.
+ All the friendship JS, Ye Shi An, Zhou Ye & Shen Ming is one solid friend, they willing to do their best to support their friend. We also have Fan Xuan & Zhou Gao Lang, (the emperor & his right hand man) even though in the end they kinda grow apart, but that also one lifetime friendship.
+ How love never make people stupid here. Like even though Luo Zi Shang (ZS) love YR, but he never stop or even pause his plan even for the sake of YR herself.
+ We can see the strong woman here. Like YR & Ye Yun (YY). How YY herself also turn herself around after what Wang Shan Quan did to her.

Now the minus:
- They never really give the deep background of our villain, ZS, Never at least until the last episode we finally understand why he did it & where the grudge come from. And that just one stupid misunderstanding in the end,
- The obsession of Fan Yu to become emperor never really explained. His swift in the character is the one that make my eyebrow raised the most. I know this not a story about him, so we don't get too much explanation about him. maybe if the episode longer we gonna get some explanation about this. But I mean how a boy that at one time really trust, adore JS & I can say a good kind hearted boy can change to become jealous, sentiment and all the obsession about the throne itself. Maybe the explanation lays in the last interaction between him & his father, where we can see how hurt he is that his father is more trust JS than him as his son.

Overall this really one good drama that I enjoy very much...

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Strong female lead, strong morals, strong couple

I went into this drama with very few expectations and really enjoyed it. The character growth was great and I thought the main couple had great chemistry. They were just believable as a couple and I think that's what sold the show the most for me. They were really sweet and dedicated to each other!

The music was pretty good except for one or two tracks that had distracting electric guitar which totally took me out of the scene (I mean, this is ancient China, which has zero electric guitars), but overall the OST was well-done and supported the scenes.

I also enjoyed some of the supporting characters and was interested enough in following their stories.

I agree with one of the other reviewers here in that I loved how morals and doing the best thing for others was more important than just following blood lineage. It was discussed a lot in the show from various points of view, and I appreciated it. It felt very progressive and it was refreshing to see.

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good start, good drama, but story is very unoriginal

Destined (2023) - 8,5/10 -cdrama

historical cdrama witth quite nice and :unusual: start of :forced marriage: and hate/love relationship.
Still in middle and end drama it goes to old thousand times used :fight for throne and court intrigues:

main leads personality changes in course of the story to better. As for chemistry between all pairs. Its good but its lacks something.

plot - ML is notorious son of provincial wealthiest family[Gu family]. FL is is only legitimate daughter of former merchant, sadly her father dotes on concubine and she lives in :hell: together with her mother. FL tries to marry into famous scholar family of city to run from oppression, but unluckily she crosses way with ML and pisses him off. ML in his prankish retaliation publicly confessed his love for her and destroyed her :honor: that way + closed her chance to marry into scholar family. Sadly for ML his parents heard of it and made him marry her, partly too cause Emperor tried to force marriage between ML and princess in attempt to :steal: their family wealth that way.

genre - romance, historical, wuxia

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An unexpected treasure

I love when I stumble upon a hidden gem completely by accident.

I had mentally shelved this drama for a while-mildly intrigued by the premise, assuming it would be a lighthearted watch, but it wasn’t something I was eagerly anticipating this year. I actually started Moonlight Mystique first, but it just didn’t click for me, so I dropped it. Then I picked this up, thinking it would be a calm costume rom-com, and it did start out that way… before becoming so much more.

Before Destined, I wasn’t very familiar with Song Yi’s work, but she absolutely won me over as Yan Nan Xing in Follow Your Heart alongside Luo Yun Xi as Jiang Xin Bai. I’d previously tried First Frost with Bai Jingting but dropped it because I couldn’t connect with the FL. On the other hand, I adored New Life Begins, he played such a charming character as the 6th Prince Yin Zheng, and Tian Xi Wei was adorable as Li Wei. So, I went into this with modest expectations based on those mixed experiences.

But after finishing Destined, this couple completely stole my heart.

The ML begins as somewhat immature, unwilling to shoulder responsibility and dreaming only of wandering the world with his sword. The FL, meanwhile, practically takes it upon herself to help her (not-so-willing) husband grow into a responsible, educated future official. Their dynamic is warm, gradual, and incredibly rewarding.

This drama is wonderfully character-driven, with every character written with intention and depth. The pacing is tight and consistent, divided into distinct, meaningful arcs. I found myself smiling, laughing, crying, and even stressing out right along with the story. I have to give so much credit to the scriptwriters-there are no pointless misunderstandings between the leads. Once they become close, they trust each other wholeheartedly, even before fully realizing their feelings.

The actors made their relationship so heartfelt that even the happiest moments brought me to tears just from the way they spoke to each other. Their quiet defenses of one another, the scenes where one supported the other without their knowledge, and their tender heart-to-heart moments, every bit of it was moving.

As for the ending? I loved it. I really appreciate that it wasn’t open-ended. We got closure, joy, and happy outcomes for all the supporting characters. It’s absolutely a drama I would rewatch.

So let this be your sign, if you haven’t seen it yet, add it to your list and start watching! It’s worth every moment.

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Destined for each other!!

Destined is an intense emotional family drama which focuses on the couple Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru and how they fight with the situations that arise in their life,withstand all the difficulties,go through life and death situations,but still stand strong with each other.
It is my second drama of Bai Jingting after Reset,so as expected ,his acting skills were on point,From being a spoilt scion to a responsible person who protects thereafter,his transformation was nice.Also,i like the way he always supports his wife and her decisions throughout their journey.
Liu Yuru,though accidentally and unwillingly tied the knot with Gu Jiusi,has always been one responsible,loyal,caring and loving wife and daughter in law.Song Yi's performance was also on point.
Liu Xue Yi as Luo Zishang,though is cruel,has his own reasons to become like that.He is the much needed villain an the actor was also good.
All the cast were good in their roles.
The story was directed in an engaging manner right from the first episode itself.There were comic,emotional,tensive,patriotic moments in the drama.
I would highly recommend to watch it .You will not be disappointed.

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It's Refreshing. Very Recommended

The characters' growths *chef kiss* It's very refreshing to me, that when I watched this drama the role reversal of how the woman becomes the provider and head of the family. I mean, sure, the ML was amazing too with his principles and his actions prove that. Again so refreshing when her in-laws were good and kind people.

Their love story was slow burn and I enjoyed that. Their mutual respect for each other gradually turned into love. Still, I love that moment when I screamed at the screen, now give me the first kiss scene and then it happened few sec later.

I love how this drama showed their up and down and every phase/stage of their lives. I cannot stop watching from one episode to next. I also love that we got to watch their friends stories. Feel sad for Zhou Ye though.

I wonder why they decided to keep both ML and FL looking so young when it had been like 10 years probably since they both married and they went through a lot of things.

Good casting because I can't help but think Zhou Ye really looks like his father the great Commander. The way I was shocked when I saw the ML former fiancée to be, that princess face, lmao her face looks so modern iykwim. The lips filler lmao.

Can't believe they made me cried over the villain. Well

-301123

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