Hidden Love

Exceptionally Executed and Performed

Hidden Love is an exceptionally executed and performed contemporary romance. Emotional, humorous, heartwarming, romantic - honestly, it evoked a ton of positive feelings and featured some incredibly swoony moments. Zhao Lusi continues to impress me with her ability to sink into her characters, making her mesmerizing onscreen. Sang Zhi's evolution from shy teenager with a crush to feisty adult willing (and able) to protect the man she loved was done to perfection. Not to be outdone was Chen Zheyuan, who convinced me 100% the amusement Duan Jiaxu felt for his friend's kid sister could transform into the love of his life. The character's progression from friends to lovers felt so genuine, authentic, and earned. I could watch it over again and again (and I intend to soon).

The romance worked so well because the two characters were dynamic individuals. They had their own careers and connections outside of the romance, but those elements never overshadowed the romance. The biggest connection between the two is Sang Yan, the best friend of Duan Jiaxu and brother to Sang Zhi. He brought a wonderful dynamic in his relationship with both of them individually and as a couple. In particular, I loved the sibling rivalry and love between him and Sang Zhi. Their interactions felt so natural that I felt like I was watching two real life siblings on-screen, not actors.

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I can't stop smiling

I really really enjoyed this Drama.

If Dramas that are all about romance are not your cup of tea than this Drama is a pass but if you want to get the giddy feeling of the early stages of love and dating than this one delivers.

The story is based on a novel/ manhua and is very faithful to it right down to the dialogue in a lot of places.

Both actors do a great job. ZLS delivers on the cuteness and charm with a killer smile while CZY is sensual, vulerable and a tease. They perfectly embody the characters and are well cast. Their interactions were very natural and their feelings felt very relatable.

The Main Leads are very loveable and I liked the way they protected and stood up for each other and that even though the FL was younger she always had the MLs back and supported him.

The chemistry between them is on fire. There are so many scenes where I couldn't keep looking because of all the butterflys and giddyness. I almost felt as if I was reliving first love. The kiss scenes are plenty and hot no statue kissing with wide eyes.

The rest of the cast is ok though forgetable exept for the FLs brother who is funny and caring and feels like a real brother other than the ML who is too nice to be a real brother.

The story is slice of live and follows the FLs hidden crush that develops into a romance later on. Storywise there is not much else.

The criticism of romantizising pedophilia is totally unwaranted as the ML never crosses a line towards the FL when she is underage and only falls for her once she is an adult. Their relationship develops slowely and he is very considered and careful with her. The FLs crush on the ML is something almost every woman can understand as older boys have always been particulalry instresting to teenage girls in real life. I found the FLs insecuritys towards the ML very relatable. Also the age gap isn't that big anyways. 5 Years age difference at a certain point is nothing.

Rewatch value: medium since the story is nice but not very meaty. Watch for the romance and Leads chemistry.

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Simple story, wonderful execution

The story is pretty damn basic and simple, like it has nothing. An adolescent girl has a crush on her older brother's friend and never really moves on from it, rather it grows as she grows older and finally she falls head over heels in love with him and accepts her fate, only to get him to love her back in the end.

So why such a high rating and so much love from everyone? A lot of reasons actually.
1.  Simple story, no melodramatic plot, unnecessary angst, bloodshed, death or anything annoying.
2.  This is one of those very realistic stories where people can relate to the main leads. Also which girl didn't have a massive childhood crush, but never really got him and still would love to see what if it worked out? i personally could relate to the character of sang zhi all too well, that is until she got him to love her. So for me, their relationship is like the part that i could never experience with my crush. It made me happy, i swooned and it brought me so much peace and satisfaction.
3. The characters (except jiang ying) were all loveable. Their relationship dynamics was natural. Main characters had development. They were well written and mature.
4. The acting and visuals. Needless to say zhao lusi is a high traffic actress. And in my opinion she outdid herself in this with all her micro expressions. I was truly impressed  by her performance this time particularly. I felt everything she was feeling, her acting was so perfect this time. Her character wasn't a stupid airheaded crybaby who does dumb shit and behaves like a 3 year old. She is a beauty and chen zheyuan looked like he is straight out of a manhua with his visuals. How can someone look that attractive and sweet and charming all at the same time? His character was the perfect high school crush.
5. No unnecessary misunderstandings, plot fillers with too much spotlight on unimportant secondary characters. The story focused on the main characters.
6. The story was fast paced but editing was not choppy. The screenwriter and production team did a marvelous job at the whole process. With a minimalistic visual theme, it screamed elegance. This proves its high budget.

So despite being a simple drama in one of the most common genres of coming of age, it was soothing, relaxing, relatable and light romantic comedy with a happy ending. It definitely is worth rewatching because of these exact qualities. It is perfect in its own beautiful way. It was a very pleasant and easy to watch show and i would recommend this to any romance lover.

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deeply hidden secret of a young heart...

I rarely write reviews about movies and dramas but with this one I just had to!! For the past 6 years I've seen hundreds of different dramas but there was no drama that I wanted to rewatch right after finishing it. This one is the first one!!
There is just something unique about this drama, even though the short synopsis is not really that outstanding, but watching the trailer really encouraged me to start this drama. And I'm so happy I did that!!

The chemistry between the main leads got me so hooked that at some scenes I was literally screaming, laughing and punching the air (imagine that lmao). I really want to see Lusi and Zheyuan together again in a different drama, the chemistry was off the charts not only in the drama but also behind the scenes. The actress that plays little SZ is firstly soo cute but also matches the energy and character of Zhao Lusi so perfectly as if she was the real small version of her. And Sangyan!! - I've never watched any drama with this actor but from the very first episode I fell in love with him, he really played the role of a big brother so well that it made me believe he was really Lusi's real brother. The siblings duo was my favourite after the main leads of course. Also, the friendships with SZ roommates felt so real and they were always supportive of her. And the way SZ understood everything about DJX family situation and dealt with JY - this shows how mature she actually was. And the most important point is that there were actually no big problems between the main leads, they shared every single thing with each other, they relied on each other, they trusted each other, and because of this their relationship was very healthy!! ( which is rare to see in dramas)
It might seem like this is only a comfort and easy drama to watch but it is not, because it shows the reality of the relationships between people (not only love-wise but also friend-wise) we always meet struggles everywhere we go.

And for those who dropped the drama because of their age gap (in the novel the age gap was 7 years, so 5 years is not that much) + I want to remind you all that DJX fell in love with SZ when she was already an adult, so there is no problem with that and no pedophilia???
And for those who dropped the drama just after few minutes or few episodes: the worst decision you made in your life!! Never judge the book by its cover or by a few pages... I recommend you to actually watch more than just two episodes.

And finally the soundtrack!! - the music was so beautiful and so well fitted for this drama, I literally searched for every single song the instant I heard them.

Hidden Love perfectly showcases the beautiful stages of a journey of young people. Adding the amazing performance not only from the main leads but also from other actors - this story can make you sincerely laugh, cry, love, and smile!! I hope everyone who want to find comfort and genuinely feel some emotions will watch this drama <3 And I hope you will love it the same way as I did!! I'm actually so sad to say goodbye to Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu :(( Well done <3

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Love story between a girl & his brother's bestfriend?

I've been exciting for this drama for more than half a year, because of the casts and their acting skills. I think Zhao Lusi acting skills were superb, how she portrayed a teenager who was cheerful, cute & always pampered by her family. The siblings scene was something to always look forqard to. I've been reading a lot that Sang Zhi was lucky to have Jaixo, but I think for me it was oppostite. Jaixo was lucky to find Sang Zhi because she fought for him even if it was an outsider or her brother. She gave him the confidence to believe that he deserved love and that je was a great person. He was so much in guilt for things he didn't even do and he found someone who loved him, wanted to protect him and wanted to help him overcome his past. Jaixo was a green flag and a perfect boyfriend as well. So, overall I would say that I liked and enjoyed this drama.

->By the way, I loved When I fly towarda you more❤️

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Nostalgic ; -)

The storyline is simple yet wistful. It brings back feelings from decades ago -- the ones you want to reminisce about and those memories you want to forget but can't ;) ML & FL have great chemistry, their acting was so natural that I almost felt like I am watching my own teenage years! Not only the memories but the feelings as well. great emotions in portraying their characters. Zhao Lusi and Chen Zhe Yuan are great actors, they made a masterpiece out of a simple plot! not to mention also other actors involved also, they were all great!
This is my first time writing a review out of all the dramas I've watched -- Kdrama, Lakorn, Mexicanovela, and Cdramas.
Looking forward to a season 2 with the same actors in it. Thank you, Rosy and Chen, and all the Hidden Love cast for bringing back good old memories. Thank you mydramalist for allowing us to write reviews ;-) Highly recommended.

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What is meant for you it will become yours

So this is the first ever drama this I have watch without SKIPPING every the story of the SMLs.
This is just an fabulous drama that has an mind-blowing execution by all the Team members.
At first I was a bit reconsidering to watch this drama as I always get my hopes high on such dramas then having utter disappointment.
I know the work of Zhou Lusi but know I am an hard core fan of Chen Zhe Yuan.
They have performed extraordinarily.
So about this drama-
Its a healing drama and not any type of cringe
We can see that all the characters are mature which is the Main thing I love about this drama.
I love how it was draggy and was straight to point.
the main leads are able to pursue their emotion and not making an unnecessary misunderstanding.
I am not going to keep spoilers
YOU SHOULD GIVE THIS DRAMA A SHOT ITS WORTH

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A Girl Crush

If you have ever heard the song, "Girl Crush," you know what I am referring to. Zhao Lu Si reminds us time and time again why she is a fave among directors and producers. She manages to make a viewer like myself, jealous of the love journey she’s experiencing. From her role as a young teen to college, every step is believable. She is the embodiment of young love in this drama.

Between ZLS and Chen Zhi Yuan, I don’t know who to love more in this heartfelt story. Their chemistry is unmatched and it’s the best I have seen in a long time.

Don’t pass this up. You will love everything from the sibling relationship, her awkward facial expressions at a young age to her love that never truly wavers.

This was referred to me by a friend here on Drama List. I can wholeheartedly say this has been the best, involving a romance, in a long time.

Happy Viewing!

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Almost perfect

I would have given 10 if there was a little more intense story, then it could have been better. I mean ML suddenly fell for her out of the blue within an episode after he accidentally kissed her forehead and started flirting suddenly. it would have been nice if there were more romantic encounters before he realized that he actually fell for her and started to develop feeling for a girl whom he considered to be his sister (even attended P&T on behave of her original brother) THAT AWKARDNESS IS MISSING!!! and then try to avoid her but finally give in to his feelings for her...something like that would have been nice. other than that there is romance and the story is pretty good but the anime version of this was on another level so my expectations were high. TBH I didn't like the fact that ML's background story is something that almost all typical C dramas and Kdramas have. it would have been nice if at least he was an orphan and that girl who followed him around was a stalker or something like that instead of a debtor who is behaving like a psycho with no self-respect, that was kind of awkward to watch.

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Both the FL and ML are green flags

Its impossible not to love these two seemingly adorable characters. There is no finding fault. The writes did such a beautiful job and this is one gem worth rewatching. It is like a salve for your heart, especially if you have been traumatized by crappy endings.

The cast was also a treat to watch, all the actors were so visually stunning. The FL's entire family was full of green flags, her brother and her parents. They were so understanding of her and also cherished their daughter so much. A treat for people who understand how precious gentle parenting can be.

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Heart Sizzling Romance that will hit all your feels

This is a 2023 Chinese romantic drama with 25, 45 minute episodes. It is adapted from the web novel entitled “Secretly. Secretly but unable to hide it”.

First I will provide an original synopsis then review

Synopsis

Sang Zhi (Zhao Lu Si) is your typical younger sister who engages in all the standard sibling rivalry but acually looks up to and relies on her older brother a lot. Her older brother, Sang Yan (Victor Ma) brings his best friend, Duan Jia Xu (Chen Zhe Yuan) over a lot to hang out and play video games. The spirited Sang Zhi is immediately drawn to the kind and more tolerant than her big brother, Jian Xu. She asks him to help her with some trouble she is having at school and that sets the stage for a relationship of quasi sibling hood that develops between the two. He becomes like her second brother but the good brother who never torments her. Amd she is like the mischievous amd charming little sister he never had. After all she is five years his junior and a kid still in school while he is in college. As the years go by and their relationship deepens, Sang Zhi is the first to realize the feelings she has are not at all sisterly. As things develop you realize the spark was always there and these two, who have hidden their feelings from long, even from themselves, are unable to force an ending only because of their beginning.

Review

Overall it is one of the best romantic comedy dramas I have ever watched and I am currently at over 270 Asian dramas, mostly romance, watched. There is a reason the majority of reviews are overwhelmingly positive. If you like coming of age, age gap, she falls first but then he falls harder, romances this one is perfect for all of that. If you like a lot of intrigue and plot twists then this may not be as much your ideal. The chemistry between the two leads is so on point it would be easy to understand them dating in real life. Both actors are amazing and you really feel every emotion they go through.
Spoilers*
I read several reviews where people were worried that Zhao Lu Si might be in a role where she suffers as a character, that is how much people like this actress. So for those that worry about that it is not like that. She does have some scenes where she is heart broken but they more than make up for it later. So your favorite actress is not going to be in some Nicholas Sparks like Greek tragedy. It is very heart warming and she plays the role spectacularly as I am sure, if you are a fan, you would expect.
I did not feel like the age gap was large at all. I did wonder how they would transition from their brother/sister like relationship to a romantic one but it actually made sense. It was like he also had hidden feelings for her way earlier than he even admitted to himself. They were very soul mate like so it is not at all hard to envision them gravitating toward each other. Once the brother got over the fact that his best friend was attracted to his little sister it seemed he picked up on just how perfect they were for each other. This was apparent when the brother actually stuck up for them a bit with the parents by going with Jia Xu and nodding his approval in the background.
Personally I identified with the sibling relationship between the brother and sister. My brother is 5 years older than me and our relationship was much like theirs. I did date one of his friends and he dated several of my friends (I called him the friendship killer). The difference was he actually trusted his friends to date me more than someone he didn’t know. He really should not have because his friend was one of the worst people I ever dated and I only dated just that one of his friends. So I could see where it could go either way. Of course I did not date his best friend, the one he trusted acting on his behalf, I dated just a regular one of his friends. It may have been different, and my brother may have felt betrayed more, if it was his best friend. But, because my situation was very similar I could really relate to that sibling relationship and I am sure others would as well. It was a very nice part of the series to explore that relationship.
I did not get the age gap thing being an issue once she was an adult. Five years is not a huge age gap it is within most normal ranges. The girl that played the younger Sang Xi (Zhang Xi Wei) did a fabulous job but did not look 14, she looked much younger. So, it did make the age gap seem a lot larger in their younger years. They did a remarkable job with Zhao Lu Si making her look younger than her actual years by just changing her hairstyle and makeup.
There were no compelling 2nd or 3rd romances and the love triangle was not that persistent. But the romance between the lead characters was so intense none of that was needed. It would have been nice to see the brother with someone and they did drop a hint about something when he knew so much about birthing centers and that never bore out.
I think the second most heart warming and interesting relationship was between the brother and sister. He called her “Little Demon” which was so cute as it reflected that kind of playful rivalry siblings can have for the parent’s affection. She was your typical little sister and he was very much within how most older brothers are. It also reflected what I understand about the shifting view of daughters in China. There were so few females at one point because of the one child policy and favoring boys during those times that daughters actually became precious once the policy opened up. There was a part where she was having a really hard time on her internship and she just wanted her brother. But, it showed he was accepting her relationship and even embracing it when he said you have Jia Xu.
I loved what a warrior to his defense she became when anyone was “bullying” Jia Xu. He had such a hard life because of the horrible incident surrounding his father that I wanted nothing but happiness for him. When the crazy daughter of the man who was hit and killed by Jia Xu’s father threw water at him and she, without hesitation, turned and threw water right back at her I cheered. I also loved that she made it clear to him that she did not all feel the sins of the father were his own. She even was willing to combat her brother when he beat him up. I was a bit angry with her brother for doing that as well and was disappointed when they seemed to lie about him hitting him back. The cut away scene when they showed that he actually did hit him back was a perfect way to wrap that up. I was glad he did not lie to her even to protect her brother.
In other dramas I have been disappointed when the lead would be made to distance themselves because the parents did not approve so I loved that she even took her parents on for him by leaving early when their harsh words drove him away. In really good relationships, the significant other is the first person you can count on being on your side and having your back. The depth of their relationship and connection was apparent in the fact that you could see they were hurt too when the other one was hurt either physically or mentally.
There was a separation, but it made complete sense. He was going back to her hometown to set things up for their future. And neither of them were okay with it but went through it as they knew it was the best in the long run. The scene at the airport where she wanted every last second with him and he indulged her because he actually wanted it too was so cute. I loved that they did not follow the tired trope of I must go away and I am just okay abandoning you in the middle of a deep relationship. And the reason the person is going away is usually inane and you feel like yeah I get you want to do that but why do you insist on doing it now. Or can’t you just do that with the person you love? This wasn’t like that. His going was actually because he knew how important her relationship with her family was to her and there was no reason he couldn’t resettle there as he no longer had a family tying him to his hometown. He also was taking steps to make their financial future more secure. And he wanted to make her parents more comfortable with his ability to provide and take care of her. So all of the reasons he had were good ones.
The proposal scene was just beautiful. I was fully tricked by his surprise as well. It was really sweet and seeing her family there just beaming about it was very heart warming. It was clear that they fully accepted it and that he was now going to be a part of that loving family.

#HiddenLove
#ZhaoLuSi
#VictorMa
#ChenZheYuan

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