Hidden Love

Love! Love! Love!

This is my first time writing a review!! OH MY GODDD🤌🏻😩❤️ This drama have my whole heart. The best CDRAMA I've watched till date!! If anybody are willing to watch it, just go for it without any second thought. You will never regret watching this.
Actually I became fan of CHEN ZHEYUAN after watching Our Secret. His Screen Presence and Acting are just amazing. 💗 Andddd, after watching this... He took my whole heart away with him 😭 How handsome that guy is!! 🤌🏻
The Chemistry between lead pairs is too beautiful to watch 😍 The best lead pair as far. You will never ever get bored by them at any point.
The story is well engaging... Everything is taken perfectly!!❣️
I don't have any favourite female lead till now... But from now, ZHOU LUSI will be the one 🤌🏻💗
Why only 25 episodes for such a beautiful story!!! I really miss them already 🥺
The ML and FL charecters were too good!! Not including any spoilers... People who have not watched it yet, Go for it!!

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Well deserved ratings

This review is going to be a long one.

"Hidden Love" is one of those dramas that really deserve all the attention, popularity and love. Ever since the beginning of the drama, I knew it would be good just by looking at our two main actors - Lusi and Zhe Yuan. Everybody probably already know they are good at acting and it seems repetitive of me to always rave about their skills but they are so on point in this drama, I am blown away everytime I watch them.

Before this drama, I watched "Our Secret" (multiple times) and was really impressed with Zhe Yuan from there. It's quite rare to see actors who can portray such good expressions through their eyes. It's as though you could feel whatever he was feeling at that moment by just looking at his eyes. There are so many scenes I really, really love from Zhe Yuan in this drama.

1. When Jia Xu was sitting outside of Sang Zhi's house, starring into the sky. I immediately felt how burdened he was, lonely and just sad. He wasn't crying, his face was calm, but his eyes - you can feel how tired he was, trying to shoulder everything that is happening around him.

2. When Jia Xu opened the red packet Sang Zhi slipped in his pocket. This is another moment where he was feeling extremely tired and lonely, unwilling to go back to his hometown to face the gazillion problems waiting for him. When he opened the red packet and read this simple message from Sang Zhi, through his eyes, you can really feel how touched he was. The warmth that one simple message brought to him.

As for Lusi, it's no secret that she is a very happy-go-lucky kind of girl. Perhaps, even in real life, she seems like a person who would bring joy to the people around her. With dramas like this, I can imagine it'll be very difficult to portray this cute, innocent girl, without coming out as annoying. I've seen so many dramas where the female lead would always act cute and innocent but resulted in being cringy, annoying and (honestly) stupid. Lusi really has that capability to make you really like her without making you feel like she's forcing to be cute. Her character in this drama is someone who I really like, too. Protective, strong, well-loved and understanding. There are too many scenes from the drama I love with Sang Zhi in them but I guess my favourites are these:

1. When she confronted Sang Yan for hitting Jia Xu. She was unafraid to stand up for herself and for the people she love. The moment when she was trying so hard not to cry while telling Sang Yan that she wanted to cut contact with him was so impactful.

2. When she was in high school and cried the moment she saw her brother at the airport after thinking that Jia Xu had a girlfriend. Honestly, if you look at the scene, it's really not something we would cry about because she was just a kid who misunderstood her crush having another girlfriend. You can't even call that a "break up". But when she cried, it was so sad, you couldn't help but cry along with her.

On the topic of Sang Yan, I think I'll miss the siblings relationship more than Jia Xu - Sang Zhi relationship. The way Sang Zhi and Sang Yan interacted with each other are honestly so, so, so real and relatable. This is one of the best sibling-relationship I've ever watched in the drama land. They would fight like cats and dogs, most of the time they are incapable of speaking politely to each other, they complain to their parents about each other all the time, but when one of them is in trouble, the other person will always be there to support.

If I am to nitpick on one thing that I think probably is a bit off in my opinion, is when Sang Zhi and Jia Xu got together. It's really just a preference thing. After seeing how well Jia Xu treated Sang Zhi as a brother during the beginning of the drama, it's difficult to accept how he could switch from brother mode to I-love-you-only mode so quickly. I understand, Sang Zhi has obviously grown up and was treating him differently. It probably makes more sense to me if Jia Xu didn't treat Sang Zhi that well at the beginning. Instead of Sang Zhi's "second brother", if he was more like Sang Yan's friend, it'll probably be easier to accept how Jia Xu could change his feelings like that. I love the beginning parts more than the later episodes, to be honest. Probably also cause it reminds me of when I was a child and had a crush on my brother's friend, the whole concept seemed very relatable to me.

The OSTs. Oh gosh, the OSTs! They are so good. I feel like everytime when I was immersed in the drama and cried was 60% cause of the cast's acting, but 40% cause of the music accompaniment. My ultimate favourite song from the drama is Forever Star. When this song plays in the drama, I get the goosebumps, especially during the scene when Jia Xu opened Sang Zhi's red packet in the airport.

100% recommend this drama. It's really not the typical high school drama that is probably 70% cringe and 30% real story. This one has so many depth and layers to it that it really hits differently.

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How To Be There For Someone And Let Them Be There For You!

There is one thing more powerful, captivating, and endearing than one person being there for someone else. It’s when two people are able to be there for each other. This is the hallmark—the foundation—of any true relationship. Relationships are not about what you get out of them, but what you put into them. And any true companion will never ask you to be anything other than who you are. In fact, they won’t encourage you to be anything else.

I doubt there is a person alive who cannot remember their first love. The series does a masterful job of demonstrating the awkwardness as well as the intrigue of first love. It’s new. It’s scary. And it’s also so encompassing that a person can scarcely believe that it’s happening. At the start of the series, Sang Zhi is a young middle school student who quickly finds herself enamored by her brother’s friend, Duan Jia Xu. Despite the fact that he’s five years her senior, it doesn’t matter. As we well know, love defies logic and rationale. Most would quickly define Sang Zhi’s feelings as a crush and nothing more. However, over time, a single seed can grow and blossom, and it soon becomes obvious that this is not a crush.

Sang Zhi isn’t merely captivated by Duan Jia Xu’s looks. She marvels at how well and respectfully he treats her, always being thoughtful, attentive, and willing to help, no matter the situation. Initially Duan Jia Xu sees Sang Zhi as a sister and nothing more. After all, with such an age gap, it’s hard to imagine him seeing her in any other way. But, as people grow older, that gap narrows. It just takes some time; time enough for him to begin seeing her in a new light. Or as Sang Zhi wisely states, “I had to catch up to him.”

Duan Jia Xu is a gentle, hardworking young man who suddenly finds a massive responsibility thrust upon his young shoulders. His father, in a drunken state, is involved in a hit-and-run fatality. Rather than face the consequences of his actions, his father hurls himself off the balcony of their home. However, he doesn’t die, but is in a vegetative state. Bills pile up. Duan Jia Xu’s mother’s body is wracked with cancer. And works multiple jobs to try and pay off the debt that he owes to the family who was affected by the tragedy. In short, he’s forced to grow up very quickly. Despite having Sang Yan’s friendship (Sang Zhi’s hilarious older brother!), Duan Jia Xu feels very much alone. One can’t help but figure that, even at a young age, Sang Zhi gave him a reason to not feel this way. And by the final episode, we are proven right. She is the bright star in his life and always has been.

Sang Zhi is a young, spoiled, and often immature young girl. Her defense mechanism of “playing mind games” with Duan Jia Xu leads her into needless and silly predicaments, such as making up the idea that she has an online boyfriend, hoping to make him jealous. Of course, it backfires, and she often reacts terribly, leading her to jump to conclusions. However, make no mistake. Sang Zhi is a very strong woman who proves to Duan Jia Xu that she is more than capable and fit to be by his side during the most trying of times. In short, she’s exactly the kind of partner any sane man would want. Someone who’s there for you during the lightest and darkest of times. She never hesitates or wavers in her convictions. She is steadfast and acts very much like an anchor. Even when her parents initially disapprove of their dating, it doesn’t sway her. Nothing does.

For the most part, the relationship between Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu is done very well, even when she is given very poor advice from her roommates—most of whom have no clue how to be in a relationship. Sang Zhi often contradicts herself; wanting to be pursued and then reacts immaturely when Duan Jia Xu doesn’t do something or pursues her in a way that she doesn’t understand. She is fortunate enough that Duan Jia Xu’s own love for her is as strong as hers is for him, and he won’t be turned away so easily either. However, there are a few awkward and even puzzling moments after they start their relationship, how often Sang Zhi recoils as attempts of kisses or hugs or even holding hands. This was done a bit too frequently, in my opinion. It reminded me of Sang Zhi’s funny attempt at the high jump in high school when she kept awkwardly stepping forward, then back, and then ran toward the bar only to crash into it. Once she finally gets over her girlish reactions and aversions, things finally begin to settle into a space of normalcy.

This is my first foray into Chinese dramas, and I wasn’t disappointed. Through the first 21 episodes or so, I had this series at an “8” or so. The last few vaulted it to a “10.” Lu Si Zhao got to me when she reacted to her brother after he’d hit Duan Jia Xu. Her tearful reaction of feeling betrayed by someone who was supposed to be on her side, hits full force. The series only got better from there. The airport scene when she follows him back and finally reveals her “secrets” to Duan Jia Xu and letting him know that she will never leave him is incredibly powerful as was their scene together at his mother’s grave. However, the “proposal scene” was done so effectively, that I’ll wager that not many saw that coming. I’m not a fan of having a crowd for a marriage proposal, but seeing all of their loved ones standing around the heart of flowers, and Duan Jia Xu’s heartfelt proposal culminated everything that the series was about.

The chemistry between Lu Si Zhao and Chen Zhe Yuan is undeniable and unmistakable as they make sure that the viewer takes in every single raw feeling and emotion that occurs between them. "Our Beloved Summer" is my all-time favorite romance between young couples. This one is right up there with that one.

So many romantic dramas and movies often leave the viewer actually wondering if a “happy ending” is feasible or if reality will simply prove to be too much and the “happy couple” will eventually dissolve into an ambivalent one. Not this couple! I have no doubt that Duan Jia Xu and Sang Zhi will have a happy and largely fulfilling life together. Why? Because they’ve both realized at a tender young age, the most important thing to do for someone you love is to be there for them and to also let them be who they are. If you’ve lost faith in romance, this series just might help you find it again.

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best cdrama i've seen

MUST WATCH. HAPPY ENDING!!!!
I'd give it ♾️¹⁰ stars out of 5 if it were available.
Duan Jiaxu, is thus far, the best character ever created. He surpasses Adam Carlsen and Jonathan Smith Turner. And that is something coming from me. Chen Zheyuan played his character beautifully. I can't imagine anybody doing it better than him. His chemistry with Zhao Lusi is so perfect. They are the best couple ever. No fictional character has made my heart beat so fast, so often. The screenplay, the direction, the attention to the little detail, everything is done so perfectly, with so much finesse. Whenever I watch any drama, or movie or read a book, there are always some scenes or narratives, or some character developments, or some things that I have wanted to change and do it my way, but damn, there was not one scene, not one single thing that I wanted to change in this whole drama. I loved it so much. It was better than even Doctors kdrama, even the love hypothesis is not quite as good as this. Wow! Just wow!

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Lovely

There are spoilers interspersed throughout my review, because some of them were things I liked, some I didn't.

LOVED:
1) Zhao Lu Si as Sang Zhi. She is so beautiful and bubbly, I felt she was perfectly cast for this. Finally, a show in which they didn't put her in a lot of oversized outfits.
2) Chen Zhe Yuan as Duan Jia Xu. I've not seen him in anything before and I loved him in this. First, he's gorgeous. Second, the character was a warm and caring person.
3) Romance chemistry - just wow! The ML said things that most women would love to hear from their man. The way he looks at her, sigh. Good kisses.
4) Story - knowing someone for a long time and developing a relationship. For the most part, this was handled well.
5) Victor Ma as Sang Yan. He was a terrific character. The dynamic between him and his sister, and him and his friends was such fun to watch.
6) SPOILER: It seems like most romances have a secondary female that used to be a girlfriend that comes back after years and wants to pick up where they left off. She thinks she's entitled to him because she wants him. FINALLY, this show portrays the female the way I feel about the secondary women in other dramas. She's a stalker and not-just-a-little unhinged. And I love how the FL told the stalker's friend to go with her to get some counseling! END SPOILER.
7) Ending - I cried.
8) The voices weren't too terrible and the roommates weren't stupid and irritating.
9) The focus was on the romance of the main couple. Not a lot of wasted time.
10) She met him when she was in middle school. The way they handled her crush, her youth, and how he felt about her was handled well. This could have been kind of creepy if he liked her too soon. And the progression of how his feelings changed made sense.
11) The brother's reaction to finding out his friend was dating his sister.
12) The fact that the ML didn't drink alcohol.
13) I know it's not realistic, but I love when the people haven't had relationships before. When he came out and said he'd never dated...he got me!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: (SPOILERS THROUGHOUT)
1) Sang Zhi acted in a very immature fashion when she was younger. I get that she was young, but when a girl has a crush on a guy, especially an older guy, she does everything she can to demonstrate how mature she is.
2) She's had a crush on him for literally years. She grows up, he confesses his feelings, and she says she needs to think about whether she likes him. I wanted to smack her upside the head. I felt so bad for him, but thank goodness he was patient. I think he knew, even if she didn't say anything. I was mad for a couple of episodes.
3) Her friends saying she needed to "test" him, and her doing it. Game playing in a relationship isn't a good thing, and it, again, made her look really immature.
4) Her making herself cry (when she was younger) to get her way. Once she grew up, I felt that she was still trying to manipulate people.
5) Them saying they would be there for each other, but then keeping things from the other because they didn't want to bother/overwhelm them.
6) One of the last episodes, he's alone in the living room drinking. She comes out and asks him about it, and he never opens up about what the problem is. AND, I really had a problem with the fact that the first time they were intimate he was drunk.
7) Parents, especially, complaining about the age difference. It was five years, people!

Kudos to the writers for not making this a long and drawn out story. My fast forward button got a good rest while I was watching this. It's low angst, light, fluffy, cute, and all the other things when you don't want something heavy. It's one of those shows that I put off, thinking it couldn't possibly be that good, and then I was disappointed when it was over. I will definitely be re-watching it at some point in time.

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ONE OF THE MOST REWATCHED DRAMA IN MY LIFE till now(DON'T MIND THE HATERS )

Everything about this drama is perfect except it should have been 30 episodes long

this is adapted from my fav comfort novel which I have re read numerous time

the drama made some changes which I am not mad about as things which work In novel areas doesn’t mean will work in dramas

Zhao lusi and Chen zheyuan NAILED IT!

like do you understand the plot the dilogues the scenes are what I have read already about bazillion times but still I rewatched this drama for 5 times
do you realize just how insane the chemistry of the actors and the characters need to be to make someone like me who never rewatches any drama to make me watch it this many times

I am so glad Secretly Secretly But Unable To Hide it came alive as Hidden Love
it's been almost a month but I am still unable to move on from it
It's like HL casted a spell on me😭

I am surprised how some people were quick to come in conclusion about HL with 3-4 epis like why is the need of drama to be of more than 10 epis when people like them are ready to conclude what a drama is going to be about without watching the entire drama but their conclusion was opposit of what the drama or character were about so you could easily say a hate campaign on HL is going on
Don't mind the haters apparently they are fans of rival actress of Zhao Lusi so they are here to complain about the drama so that the ratings will drop
People here who think this drama is controversial must have never seen a couple with age gap
Both the characters had an age gap of 5 years but really is that the problem? He never forced her to accept his intentions towards her, he respected her,They both helped each other during difficult times of each other,He loved her dearly , and over all had A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP
People here be complaining about one thing that they met early🙄 but so what The male lead never had any romance feelings for FL and treated her like a sister of a friend and when ever male lead met FL he informed her brother about it or it was always in the presence of her family
So i don't understand what was in this drama for haters to judge it mindlessly
Like there are so many couples with an age gap just because you don't prefer someone older than you as your partner then that doesn't give you the right to mark couple with an age gap into your p category that's just being hella partial and disrespectful
I am pretty sure people here complaining about the age gap must be bunch of kids who see their friends being in relationship with their age group people
If i want i can argue with all these haters with facts but them i would be giving them more attention and waste my time

DON'T MIND THE HATERS THE DRAMA IS A BOP!

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Slow burn, simple, charming

This was a no frill romance, yet perfectly executed.
So charming, simple, pure and just transports you into a world of warmth and everlasting love.
Perfect prescription for a rainy day, feel good moment.

The ML and FL are excellent with sizzling chemistry and intimacy is heart fluttering.
The brother is excellent. Never once drops his relationship with the sister.
That little girl who comes in the first few episodes is absolutely cute. There is so much mischief in her eyes and she pulls off the perfect brat scene well.

My only gripe with most c- dramas is the use of the squeaky baby voice....why why why is that so popular when it is irritating to most global viewers?

And the other irritating part are the tiny skirts and shorts that the girls have to wear.
Do the regional local girls actually wear such tiny skirts and shorts that almost reveal their groin areas?
If they do then I guess it's fair for cdramas to portray them otherwise it's sexist and actually turning-off.

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Perfectly Sweet, and perfectly performed

This was the second Zhao Lu Si drama I've watched. The first I had enjoyed, Dating in the Kitchen, but this one I simply LOVED. It definitely didn't hurt that, to quote Zoolander, she is a really, really, really ridiculously good-looking (especially her stunning smile), but what what stunned me in this Drama was her acting. She was so very, very good at her job, which was to make it look like she wasn't acting. She nailed it.

Another major reason why I gave this 10 was because there was none of the toxic misogyny of recent contemporary and youth C Dramas. No ice cold tsundere ML who knows everything and is freakishly good at everything and bullies or gaslights (or both), the FL into worshipping him. The dialogue given to both leads was refreshingly real, and Chen Zhe Yuan's Jia Xu was a likeable lead. His character got better and better as the Drama went on, leading up to oh so sweet ending, and Chen delivered a fine performance. Zhao's Sang Zhi got the best lines though, her sweet but firm self-conviction was great to see and the exchange with the very troubled Jiang Ying was outstandnig.

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Had me grinning like a fool for 25 eps!

"where ever you go...tripping on my soul" my favorit line from OST.

There was just no way he was not gonna fall in love with her..my favorite thing was the anticipation they built up for the veiwers..waiting for him to notice her as a woman..and not a kid. Waiting for him to start going crazy for her little by little...so worth it.

What am amazingly sweet drama. Zao Lu Si..beautiful lady with so much talent in her craft. My first drama with the male lead..he is amazing too..great chemistry..like seriously!!! The story is well written, her relationship with her brother, so natural.

Absolutely worth every minute of time.

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