Hidden Love

Different from other youth crush dramas

I usually dislike dramas that feature a young girl crushing on an oblivious older guy. But I gave this a try thanks to my fellow reviewers and I really liked it because the FL MAINTAINS HER DIGNITY. She isn't a lovable ditz who endlessly and annoyingly chases a guy who has no interest in her; she admires him quietly and he finds her likeable as well--just too young to consider romantically. Until one day she isn't too young, and then the ride gets even better. The other thing I liked was how the drama kept its focus even after they got together. So many Cdramas veer off into boring storylines about business or family in-fighting after the leads get together, but this one remembers it is a romance and comes up with small hurdles that our leads face by mutually supporting each other. It is sweet and refreshing and packed with some really good acting. A delight to watch.

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The luckiest girl to ever exist LoL

Decided to watch this, trying to mend my broken heart after the trauma that was The White Olive Tree. Lol. Having watched CZY in The Handsome Siblings few years ago, his character and acting there really didn't leave too much impact on me. However,even seeing him in TWOT, boy did that boy grow up to be a fine man! In a mission to mend my cracked heart after TWOT, I felt that HL is just the best choice to do that. lol

Story is fine, nothing too extravagant, probably not done much, but especially possible to happen in real life. I mean, 5 years is not that long a gap, it may be when one of them is 14, but not when one is 22yo. Funny how age works right? Lusi as FL did well enough, I understand she needs to be whiny and childish at first to separate the child Sang Zhi from the grown up Sang Zhi, who deserved to be loved by someone as mature as DJX. And boy, CZY serveddddd as DJX! He was not only handsome, but cool, collected, matured and loving all in one package. DJX definitely is worth swooning for.

Sang Yan's actor played an older brother so well, I envied Sang Zhi sometimes. Having him and DJX by her side, Sang Zhi is really one of the luckiest girl to ever lived, not to mention having such a loving parents with money. \

All in all, this is really a feel good series, worth to watch if you want to destress while swooning over scenes in your bed LoL. And I found another male lead gem to follow!

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Butterflies in your stomach!

I have already watched this drama many times, it just gets under your skin and i will never get enough of it! I definatly will watch this many more times in the future. For me it's the best modern Chinese drama out there, it is really perfect!

The music is fantastic, everytime i hear a song in my playlist on spotify it makes me want to go and watch the series again.
This story really makes your heart flutter all throughout the drama but also gives you some sad and funny moments.

The brother / sister dynamics are so hilarious and sweet. The dynamics in the friendships are great. The cheekiness of Sang Zhi is hilarious.
And Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan are amazing together, their chemistry is amazing.

And i loved the easter eggs at te end of every episode, they were a little extra bonuspeek in their lives.

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Breaking My Silence 2.0 (since its edited way below)

I tried. I really did.

I had randomly, one day started a manhua of the same name and did not finish it. Guess the art was not my style. And then I heard Zhao Lusi( I like her) starring in this drama and thought the production would be impeccable.
It was, but that's it.

I like age gap dramas if executed properly, but this drama did not have the magic.
That breathy baby voice of Lusi's had me in tears by the 2nd episode. It was too...juvenile and shallow. Could not feel the chemistry between the leads and had to push myself to complete the 3rd episode in hopes of it getting better.
It didn't. Now I can't even find the motivation to start the 4th episode, it's that serious for me.
I could not feel any personality from the fl and tried to muddle through the experience.

The only saving grace was the brother. Loved him


Edit: Okay so I completed it, never thought I would but I was too bored. The cast is absolutely fabulous and delivers every scene and every action. The pace of the story completely changes after the 8th episode and the chemistry literally melted my screen. I also changed my ratings especially for the cast (fl and ml are terrific) and the etheral ost.
Even if the story is nothing special, the delivery is out if the world.

Ps: I still absolutely LOVE the brother, the highlight if the whole show.

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I loved a lot of things about this drama but let me get this out of the way, the age gap WAS weird. Personally, I think the show could’ve made things feel a lot less awkward by having them meet when she was 17 rather than when she was in middle school and then later reconnecting. Even though her character is supposed to be around 14, the actress they cast to play this younger version of her looked about 7 years old and seeing her act opposite to the male lead felt extremely uncomfortable to me, especially because they kept flashing back to that time. There were way too many episodes taking place when she was a kid, it felt like maybe three or four would have been plenty. The show also made such a big deal about the age gap that it was hard to forget about it. It could have been the translations or a cultural thing, but at certain points when they were talking about their ages, it didn’t seem to line up with a five year gap. Again, I think this might be a cultural difference, but it was also odd to hear him constantly introduce her as sister. It could have been the translation but when he said “I don’t want to just be your elder brother, I want to be your boyfriend” I almost laughed out loud at how bizarre that sounds, when this is supposed to be a very sweet scene.

All this being said, I actually really did like the romance for the most part. Sang zhi was such an interesting character and was written so differently than a lot of other drama leading ladies. Jiaxu was of course written as the perfect boyfriend and the actor did an amazing job showcasing his charm. While age gap is not my favorite, the show allowed Jiaxu multiple opportunities to see Sangzhi in a different, more mature light that made him realize she had grown up. What was such a great aspect of their relationship is that they were a true partnership. They both were extremely protective of each other, not just him being protective of her. Sangzhi was constantly standing up for her man and Jiaxu’s reaction to that was heartbreaking because it was clear that he’d never had anyone on his side like that before. Sangzhi had a lot of scenes that I think in other dramas it would have the male lead in her role, for example when she wraps the scarf around his neck or when she confronts his harasser. They really highlighted that even though Sangzhi was younger than him, she was willing to go to bat for him just as much as he was for her.

Jiaxu was truly adorable and it was so understandable how Sangzhi had a crush on him for so long - who wouldn’t! The college roommate crew was such a good addition and it would have been great to see more of them. One of the other places that the show really excelled was with the depiction of the sibling relationship. Brother sister relationships are not often done this well; the way the two of them bickered felt so natural and even when they were fighting or didn’t know how to express it, you could tell how much they cared about each other. My only complaint is that there wasn’t enough of the brother, especially in the later portion of the show. I would’ve liked him to have his own storyline and I thought there would have been more shown with the girlfriend.

Sangzhi’s roommates were cute but they didn’t feel like realized characters because none of them really had their own arcs. The one roommate having the crush went nowhere and it felt like a waste for the show to spend time on it. The latter half of the show started to feel like it was dragging and part of that could be because almost every scene was just these two main characters. It could have worked better if the show was either a few episodes shorter or if they spent more time on some of the other characters, especially the brother!

Even with some of the issues, I do still think the show is worth watching. There were a lot of very sweet moments that I can see myself going back to rewatch, not even just with the main couple but also with Sangzhi and her brother. The part of the show when Sangzhi is a child is pretty long, so just be aware of what you’re getting into, but once she gets to college it was a lot more enjoyable.

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Gege Hao Shuai - drama that started a trend on tiktok - amazing romance between 2 normal people

The drama
- is special for c drama cinematics because it is romance between two ordinary people. They don't have super talents, superpowers. They have ordinary jobs. The plot is already unique just by that.
- she fell first, he fell harder
- the famous gege hao shuai scene that started a tiktok trend is in a 2nd episode of this drama
- the kind of love we look for in a drama. The kind of love you look for in your life.

Financially they are not poor nor rich. So they are two "ordinary" people. But I liked the drama because it shown romance between a really good guy, and a really good girl. Two really nice people fall in love, and do their best to navigate life and make it together. There is something so subtly powerful, and healing about that.

ML actor - Oscar worthy performance
FL actor -Zhao Lu Si amazing as always, such a beautiful, vulnerable girl, real, authentic, normal
Brother actor - he elevated the entire plot. He is embodiment of "brother" noun in the world. He makes you feel everything you feel for your brother - you love him he is super cute, he is annoying just as brothers are, so cool, role model you look up to him. Advisor, protector, This actor made FL and ML much more special. Some parts of their characters were able to shine because of brother character.

NOW SPOILERS, read them if ONLY you're not sure weather to watch. If you are sure to watch THEN DON'T READ IT. Enjoy this masterpiece as it goes.
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The scene that is completely worth the watch and rewatch, and is one of the best scenes of c drama universe
- the scene where she tells him she was in love with him since they first met, this is where ML actor did one of the best performances ever. You could tell by his expression he wanted to hug her, protect her, and he felt sorry for not loving her sooner. Because to him she was the most valuable, and she was for first 5 years alone in that love. You could see it in his eyes, on his face as FL spoke. You forget you're watching a drama, it is so real. Amazing performance, and a must watch. After all this is what we look for in a drama. And in life.
- almost every scene where she tells him something important. The focus he listens with.. Men who are reading this, watch and learn . This is what women want. It's that simple. You can come back here to comment it is one of the best scenes ever :) you welcome.
- every interaction of FL and ML with brother, such an amazing guy. Even the way he's annoying is cute.

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Sweet and tender

Hidden Love it’s a beautiful love story about love, overcoming grief, guilt and building a family. The acting is really good and the OST fun. I don’t know where scriptwriter Shen Fei Xian has been for the past 7 years but, God, I am so glad she’s back!

This drama had two MVPs: Sang Yan for opening his home and always being a good friend and brother, and Qian Fei for helping Jian Xu figure out his love life. Where would our leads be without them? Probably still pining for each other.

Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan carry the drama with ease and sizzling chemistry. It was a joy to see their characters fall in love and dealing with everything that came their way as a team with a deep understanding of each other. They made an effort to communicate and this made them stronger and smarter as couple. Wonderful.

If you enjoyed this drama, you might want to check out Love O2O. Shen Fei Xian was also the scriptwriter responsible for that adaptation to the screen and she clearly very talented. And if you have already seen both dramas, then good news: she’s already working on her next project!

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