Will Love in Spring

One of the best C dramas that I've watched

This is truly a gem of a drama.
There are few or none of the usual tropes.
I urge you to watch this precious series.
The ML's (Li Xian) job is to take care of the dead before they are buried
The FL (Zhou Li Tong) got into an accident in her high school years and lost part of her leg and because of that, she wants to be a top sales person.
However, both these somewhat negative issues makes the couple meld together in the most lovable way and passionate way.


The best parts:

1) love between the ML and FL is outstanding, passionate and rewarding- any parting between them is just temporary
2) acting is very natural - no unusual sobbing, crying, FL's family sticks together well in spite of some turmoil.
3) ML is perfect for the part - handsome in a manly way (no usual cutesy here)
4) believable script
5) no tired tropes

One prevailing issue:
The ML and FL live far apart - that is a struggle between them until it gets solved.

This is a rewatch for me - definitely.

I would compare its watchability to Hidden Love, Fireworks of my Heart, Amidst a Storm of Love and Road Home all Chinese dramas!

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Zhou Yutong always a good actress we are all impressed by her quality I like Zhou Yutong the most her smile
The first reason to watch this drama is Zhou Yutong the second reason is his long hair.
The last drama I saw her in was Begin Again , nothing but you she looked cute when her hair was short in that drama and now she has grown her hair in the drama now she looks absolutely gorgeous.
I haven't had the chance to watch her other dramas after Begin Again, nothing but you
But now I am very excited to watch the new drama. Let's see what happened to next in this drama.

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The emotional roller-coaster is well worth the ride

This drama is fresh and so different from the masses of cookie cutter C-dramas. This ML character is admirable but cautious and vulnerable (less cliche). The FL is spot on; beautifully broken and magnetic. Both are stubborn, passionate (at times) and overall just feel more real than most in Cdrama-land.

Paced slower than average but never dull. Family, friendships, and romantic love are all touched on beautifully through various characters. The emotional roller-coaster is well worth the ride in this incredible drama. It has a realistic rise of tension from building connections in real time and flashback clues, warm moments of hope, then a misunderstanding, then a recovery, then devastating heartbreak then hope...keeping you wanting more, learning more, feeling more.

I found many moments that mirrored my own experiences. Some memories of regrets, some of love, new friendships, unexpected career choices, facing doubt and disappointment, arguments with my family, dealing with death, self doubt and fear, the feeling of living in autopilot, the paralysis when facing conflicting goals, I could go on.

Romantic pace is almost perfect. I say almost because there are a couple situations where I slightly question if the way it played out was inline with the characters and what they had gone thru. I understood and appreciated the characters and their journeys (speaking about main ones mostly here) but I also hated them when I saw them hold themselves or their relationships back. A second is all it takes for one regretful word, look or action to result in alot of pain.

The cast is spot in. I laughed and cried with these people. I don't do this often. If you're up for it, watch this. Facing death, separation and pain are consistent themes. It hits too hard for a friend of mine but it was perfect for me.

Ps. I found the setting, pace and main characters similar to Li Xians' other drama "Meet yourself". This drama is leaps and bounds better. Almost incomparable other than the overarching items above. I found the other drama dull and predictable. Liu Yi Fei was not interesting and too nice for a person who was also supposed to be dealing with a painful crossroad in her life. The main cp chemistry was also meh. (This one is 🔥.)

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Sensitive exploration of trauma, disability and death

Will Love in Spring got me thinking of a book called Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity by Erving Goffman, which analyzes the situation of people who are unable to conform to standards that society calls normal and as a result are disqualified from full social acceptance.

Zhuang Jie & Chen Maidong are both unfairly stigmatized by disability and death. As a result, they are constantly struggling to deal with the perceptions others have of them. Even though they're attractive, intelligent and respected, the people around them are also frightened, uncomfortable and even disgusted by them: Zhuang Jie because of her amputation and Chen Maidong because he works with dead bodies. As a result, they have come up with very different strategies for managing their stigmatized identities.

Zhuang Jie left her hometown to move to Shanghai where she is surrounded by people who don't know her well. She has created a persona that is loud, outgoing, and extroverted (very different from who she was in high school after her accident). She's successful in her career but still considered damaged goods when it comes to romantic relationships. Her ex-boyfriend's family refused to accept her because of her disability. As a result she fears being physically intimate with a man and at heart she's deeply lonely despite having dozens of acquaintances.

Chen Maidong has chosen to stay in his community and embrace his outsider status. He chose his career because of traumatic experiences when he was abandoned by his parents and lost his best friend to violence. While Chen Maidong is well known and liked in his hometown, people also fear being near him and even refuse to shake his hand for fear it may bring death to themselves or their families. Because he's proud and prickly, he puts on a stoic face to hide his loneliness.

Outwardly Zhuang Jie and Chen Maidong seem like very different people but at heart they are very much alike. They both understand what it's like to be stigmatized and they are both incapable of being honest about their grief and loneliness--except with each other.

Chen Maidong can tell Zhuang Jie about the terrible deaths he's witnessed such as a man who was dismembered and a woman whose body was undiscovered in a hot basement for 2 weeks. And Zhuang Jie can allow Chen Maidong to see her amputation and put on her prosthetic (though it takes some time and a lot of grief before she gets there).

Some people struggled with Chen Maidong calling Zhuang Jie's scar ugly. But he was letting her know that he wouldn't pretend the scar was beautiful but he also wouldn't be disgusted or frightened by it. That he could see and embrace all of her.

I've never seen another drama treat stigma so clearly and honestly as Will Love in Spring. Zhuang Jie and Chen Maidong are both difficult, damaged people who often behave in problematic ways and yet together they find true acceptance. That's what I love about this drama.

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I absolutely loved this drama. Yes, it is emotional, but it carries a warmth that makes your heart flutter and leaves you with a comforting, happy feeling despite all the sadness it explores.
From the very beginning, the drama stands out because of its unique setting. We have a male lead who works as a funeral makeup artist and a female lead who lives with a prosthetic leg. Through them, the drama explores death, grief, healing, and relationships in an incredibly mature and sensitive manner. We see different people dealing with loss and sorrow in their own ways, and every story is presented with remarkable care and humanity.
I was especially impressed by the direction. There are many conversations throughout the drama, and while some viewers may find them slow, they are essential to understanding the characters' psychology, particularly the female lead's. This is not a drama that rushes through emotions; it takes its time. Because of that, it requires patience, but the payoff is absolutely worth it.
I loved how the flashbacks were woven into the story, gradually revealing the history between the leads and making their relationship feel even more meaningful. Even their arguments were handled realistically and maturely.
The chemistry between the leads felt incredibly natural. There were moments when I genuinely wondered whether I was watching a scripted scene or a behind-the-scenes clip. One of my favorite examples is the under-bridge scene, where they casually hug, tease, and joke with each other. It felt so effortless and real.
I am completely in love with the prosthetic-leg storyline, especially the scenes spread across two episodes—before and after the female lead's confession about her amputated leg. The male lead's respect for her privacy, boundaries, and insecurities was portrayed so beautifully that I was left speechless. This drama somehow manages to ache your heart and heal it at the same time. The prosthetic-leg scene remains one of the most memorable moments I have seen in a drama. When the female lead admits how uncomfortable and self-conscious she feels about showing her amputated leg to anyone, and the male lead gently helps dress her prosthetic while saying that this is "like a breeze" compared to the work he does every day, it completely overwhelmed me. I had tears in my eyes. The emotional journey from the moment she broke the statue, to their heated arguments, to her fear and vulnerability during intimacy, and finally to her opening up about her insecurities while he responds with understanding and acceptance, it was simply perfect.
This drama is a beautifully written and directed drama about love, grief, acceptance, and healing. It is not a fast-paced watch, but if you are willing to give it the patience and attention it deserves, it rewards you with one of the most mature, heartfelt, and emotionally resonant romances in recent Chinese dramas.
A must-watch for anyone looking for a realistic and deeply moving love story.❤️🌸

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Selfish FL and a Subservient Feminized ML

The female lead in this show has to be one of the most selfish, overbearing, bipolar women I've ever seen in a show. You can tell this show was written by feminists because she does whatever she wants and treats Chen Maidong like absolute garbage and he keeps forgiving her throughout the show. There is literally no way most men would put up with the bullshit the FL pulls in this show. There are zero reasons ML should have stayed with the FL, it was such a one sided relationship with her making all the big decisions. It took all my willpower to not drop this trash.

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Flawed, irritating at times, but worthwhile

This Drama had a lot of really good points to it. I had been waiting for it for more than a year, after seeing Zhou Yu Tong's great performance in Begin Again, and it did not disappoint. Her performance her as a very realistic character was impressive. As someone with a congenital disability, I enjoyed watching her character's arc from that perspective. It was also great that there was no trace of maudlin sympathy for her or excusing/grlorifying her personality flaws because of a 'she's disabled, let her off' kind of approach.

That lack of maudlin sympathy though was taken to extremes in the many scenes related to death and mourning. The "we're all gonna die, suck it up don't cry" mantra was megaphoned too often for my tastes. Others have accused the writer of doing a sloppy job, and that may be true, but having seen the dead hand (ha!) of SARFT at work for a decade now, my first reaction to such unsubtle preaching is to suspect state-mandate.

The other thing I really, REALLY hated were the constant references to the virtue of being fair-skinned. In a Drama that kept preaching against prejudice, to hear many characters- including the FL - repeatedly spouting THIS prejudice was really irksome

Despite that, there was a lot of very real and relatable human emotion on display. The leads were very flawed and complicated and that was great, as was the delivery of those characters by both leads - they totally nailed it. The show also surprised me with its repeated messages about gender equality - chauvinist misogyny is the norm in moden C Dramas, so this was very refreshing. I was REALLY surprised at what seemed to be a VERY clear "I'm gay" moment for one character. Given the crackdown on BL Dramas either SARFT missed it or they decided to let it pass.

I absolutely LOVED Wan Peng's role as the FL's BFF and the young actor playing her little sister was superb. Given the realistically open ending, the more extreme ending that was teased at the beginning of the final episode would not have been out of place either.

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A Quiet Reflection on Love, Life, and Death

Will Love in Spring is not a drama you can simply put on as background noise. It demands your attention, thoughtfulness, patience, and, most importantly, empathy. This is a drama that can hit surprisingly close to home because it deals with things that every one of us will eventually experience in one way or another: love, grief, illness, disability, loneliness, aging, and ultimately, death.

It is the kind of drama that makes you think about the life you have already lived, the life you still want to live, and eventually, your own mortality.

From the very beginning, the drama stands out because of its unusual setting and characters. Chen Maidong works as a funeral makeup artist, a profession that brings him closer to death than most people ever have to be. Zhuang Jie is a successful medical saleswoman living with a prosthetic leg. Through these two characters, the drama explores life and death from very different perspectives. One is constantly confronted with death through his work, while the other lives every day with the consequences of an accident that permanently changed her life.

And this is where I think the drama is at its strongest: its approach to death.

Death is such a sensitive and uncomfortable subject. Most of us avoid thinking about it until it enters our lives personally, and even then, there is no right way to deal with it. Will Love in Spring understands this very well. It does not try to give grief a simple solution or tell us that everything will eventually be okay. Instead, it shows different people dealing with loss, sorrow, and mortality in their own ways.

There is something particularly heartbreaking about watching the younger generation encounter death for the first time. For a child, losing someone can completely change their understanding of the world. One moment, death is simply an abstract concept, and the next, it becomes something painfully real. I especially loved the scene where Maidong explains death to a young child through quantum physics to help her cope with losing her father. It was such a thoughtful and gentle way of approaching an impossible situation. He could not take her grief away or explain death in a way that would make it hurt less, but he tried to give her something she could hold onto.

The drama also looks at grief through adulthood and old age.

As we grow older, we don't necessarily become better prepared for death. If anything, there is another kind of sadness that comes with aging. The older generation in this drama, particularly those in their sixties and seventies, have already lived through so much. They have watched people come and go, lost friends and family members, and know that as time continues, they may have to say goodbye to even more people they love.

It made me think about how difficult loneliness can become in the later stages of life.

There is something incredibly sad about the possibility of outliving the people who made up your world. Eventually, friends disappear, siblings grow old, partners pass away, and one day you may find yourself waiting for your own death while carrying memories of everyone you have already lost. The drama does not romanticize aging, but it treats these fears with a great deal of humanity.

At the same time, it also reminds us that we don't actually want to live forever. Death is frightening partly because life has meaning to us. We love people, we form connections, we have dreams, and we want more time. Yet endless life without the people we love, without change, and without an ending may be just as frightening in its own way.

This drama constantly reminded me how thin the line between life and death really is. From the moment we are born, we are moving toward death, and no matter how much we think we have prepared ourselves, I don't believe anyone can ever truly be ready for it.

So maybe the only thing we can really do is live while we can.

Really live.

Another aspect I appreciated was how the drama handled illness and disability. There is a tendency in stories to give us an uplifting message that everything will be okay, and while encouragement, love, and courage are important, this drama understands a more difficult truth: sometimes things will never be the same again.

You can tell someone that it is okay and that things will get better. You can give them sympathy, love, support, and courage. But deep down, everyone understands that an illness or disability can permanently change the course of a person's life. Loved ones can support you, but eventually, the person living with that reality has to find their own way to cope with it.

I think Zhuang Jie's character represents this particularly well.

So many people seem to dislike her, and I understand why. She can be frustrating. She pushes Maidong away, contradicts herself, and sometimes hurts him despite clearly caring about him. But I personally found her understandable.

She is strong on the outside but deeply vulnerable underneath. Her disability has affected how she sees herself, how she approaches love, and what she believes she needs to do to feel worthy. Shanghai becomes a kind of safety for her, a place where she can focus on proving herself and building an identity outside of the circumstances that changed her life.

I don't think her biggest fear was simply that Maidong would reject her prosthetic leg. The deeper problem was that she had not fully accepted herself.

That is why I found her journey meaningful. She spent so much time trying to become successful, independent, and secure, as though she had to become a better and more "complete" version of herself before allowing herself to fully love someone. But Maidong's acceptance was never the biggest obstacle. Her own acceptance was.

The incident near the end reinforces one of the drama's biggest ideas: there is no such thing as a perfect plan for life. We can plan our careers, relationships, futures, and dreams as carefully as possible, but life can change in a single moment.

Zhuang Jie was definitely not an endlessly lovable character, but I don't think she was supposed to be. She is proud, insecure, ambitious, hurt, vulnerable, and sometimes selfish. But that is exactly why she feels human. She is not emotionally neat or perfectly developed into an ideal female lead. She is a person carrying years of disappointment and unresolved pain.

And I understood her much more than I expected to.

Maidong, on the other hand, is a quieter character. He isn't overly friendly or outwardly expressive, but I never found him cold. He simply sees the world differently because of what he has experienced and the nature of his profession. Being surrounded by death has given him a broader understanding of life, but that does not mean he is without trauma himself.

Outside of that trauma, he is actually a genuinely cheerful and kind person, especially around those he loves. If anything, he is too kind to the world and not kind enough to himself.

The romance between Maidong and Zhuang Jie is also one of the things that makes the drama feel so mature.

This is not a fluffy romance built around exaggerated tropes and perfect people. Both leads have careers, goals, different ideas about life, and emotional baggage that existed long before they fell in love. Maidong wants a slower and more peaceful life, while Zhuang Jie is ambitious and attached to the possibilities of the city.

They are different people who want different things, and that difference actually matters.

In many ways, they are the perfect example of the right person at the wrong time. Not because one of them is already committed to someone else, but because they meet and fall in love before either of them has fully made peace with themselves.

They are adults, but being an adult does not magically mean you have resolved everything from your past. Sometimes they behave in ways that feel almost childish, and yes, that can be frustrating. But I also understood it. They may be in their thirties, older and wiser than their younger selves, but parts of them are still stuck in old wounds.

Their relationship has its push-and-pull moments, and I won't pretend I loved every part of it. At times, their emotional contradictions and inability to move forward tested my patience. But I appreciated that the drama didn't pretend love automatically heals trauma.

Love can offer comfort, but it cannot fix everything.

In the end, both of them have to find and put together the missing pieces of themselves. They cannot simply rely on each other to become whole.

I also liked that their childhood connection was genuine without being turned into some ridiculous predetermined romance. It wasn't the typical drama connection where one character gave the other candy during a difficult childhood moment and suddenly that becomes the foundation of their eternal love. Their past connection simply adds history and meaning to who they are without taking away from the relationship they build as adults.

The drama's treatment of conversations is another thing I really appreciated. There are many scenes where people simply talk. Some viewers may find these scenes slow, and I can understand that, but for me, they are necessary. This is a character-driven story, and those conversations help us understand the psychology of the characters, especially Zhuang Jie.

The drama does not rush through emotions.

It gives grief time. It gives awkwardness time. It gives relationships time to become complicated. It gives characters time to say the wrong thing, reconsider their choices, and slowly understand themselves.

The flashbacks were also handled well. Instead of dumping the entire history between the leads at once, the drama gradually reveals their past and allows us to understand why their present relationship is so complicated. Their arguments also felt more realistic than the typical dramatic fights where characters scream at each other and refuse to communicate for several episodes.

That said, I don't think this drama is perfect.

The forced kiss scene made me uncomfortable, and while I appreciate that the drama dealt with the consequences rather than completely ignoring what happened, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about the way that storyline was handled.

I also understand the criticism that there is not massive, dramatic character growth. However, I see why the drama approached the characters this way. These are people in their thirties. They have already spent decades becoming who they are. They are not blank slates who suddenly transform into completely different people because they fall in love.

Their growth is quieter.

It is less about changing their personalities and more about learning to understand themselves, accept the things they cannot change, and make different choices despite their old habits. They remain recognizably themselves by the end, and honestly, I think that suits the realism of the drama.

The side characters were another strength.

I really loved Grandma Lin, and the friendship between the two grandmothers was one of the softest and sweetest relationships in the entire drama. Their bond felt so natural and comforting. In a drama that spends so much time thinking about aging and death, their friendship adds another perspective on growing old: the importance of still having someone beside you.

The sibling relationships and friendships also gave the drama more life. Zhuang Jie's younger sister brings energy to the story, while the friendships among the adults feel lived-in and genuine. I also enjoyed the lighter side romances and quirky supporting characters, which help balance the heavier themes.

The setting deserves special mention as well.

This drama is mainly set in an old, small town filled with ordinary, not particularly glamorous buildings. And I think that setting fits the story perfectly. This isn't a drama interested in presenting an idealized, luxurious version of life. It is interested in real people living ordinary lives, dealing with family, work, love, illness, grief, and all the small and large problems that come with being alive.

There are scenes in Shanghai, but this is not a story obsessed with the glamour and excitement of big-city life. The contrast between the town and the city reflects the characters themselves, particularly Zhuang Jie's connection to ambition and independence versus Maidong's preference for a slower life.

Visually, I found both settings beautiful in different ways. The small town has a lived-in quality that makes the story feel grounded, while the cinematography captures its scenery beautifully without making it feel artificially picturesque. The locations genuinely made me want to visit, especially the scenic views shown throughout the drama. Whether the exact town is fictional or not, the place feels alive enough that I wanted to step into its streets and experience it myself.

The cinematography overall is beautiful, with a style that suits the drama's warm, melancholic, and reflective atmosphere. The color grading, locations, and quieter visual moments work particularly well. There were a few editing and dubbing moments that felt slightly choppy to me, and occasionally a background song didn't quite match the scene, but these were minor issues.

The OST, however, is excellent and adds beautifully to the overall atmosphere of the drama.

What I think Will Love in Spring does best is refuse to sugarcoat life.

It talks about dreams and reality, joy and sorrow, the past and the future, pride and humility, love and loneliness, death and renewal. It understands that healing is not always clean or complete. Sometimes you move forward while still carrying pain. Sometimes you forgive without forgetting. Sometimes you love someone and still struggle to let them close.

And sometimes there are no perfect answers.

This is not a drama for everyone. If you are looking for a light, fluffy romantic comedy, this is probably not the right choice. Despite its warm moments, humor, and romance, the overall atmosphere can be quite heavy and angsty. I often found myself unable to fully relax because the drama had made me so aware of how suddenly tragedy can enter an ordinary life.

But if you are willing to be patient with it, to sit through its long conversations, emotionally complicated characters, and quieter moments, I think it offers something genuinely special.

Will Love in Spring is a thoughtful, mature, and beautifully human drama about love, grief, disability, acceptance, aging, and death. More than anything, it is about understanding that life is unpredictable and fragile, and that we will never be completely prepared for everything it brings us.

We cannot prepare perfectly for illness.

We cannot prepare perfectly for loss.

And we certainly cannot prepare perfectly for death.

All we can really do is live the life we have, love the people who are still here, and accept that neither life nor healing will ever follow the plans we carefully make for ourselves.

Like spring, this drama arrives quietly.

It doesn't force itself upon you with huge twists or dramatic declarations. It takes its time. It grows slowly. And before you fully realize it, something about it has stayed with you.

A drama that asks you to think about death, but somehow leaves you wanting to live more thoughtfully.

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A lot of chemistry

is a drama that delves deep into themes of disability and death, tackling heavy subject matter with a focus on the complex relationship between the two main characters. As they navigate their personal struggles, including challenges in their respective careers, the story unfolds with emotional intensity.
What truly struck me was the palpable chemistry between the protagonists, which draws you in from the very beginning. Their dynamic is captivating, and it’s the heart of the narrative that keeps you invested throughout.

However, despite its compelling nature, this isn't a drama I would rewatch. The subject matter is quite heavy, making it emotionally taxing at times. Additionally, the final episodes left me somewhat underwhelmed, not quite living up to the buildup of the earlier parts of the series.

Nonetheless, I do recommend giving it a watch. While it may not be light entertainment, it's a story that challenges and engages, offering a profound exploration of life’s more difficult aspects

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To be human is to be insecure and fragile

That's my take on this drama.

I have always been impressed with Zhou Yu Tong's acting prowess and selection of dramas. So, I know her drama will definitely not be typical.

Here, she is portrayed as toxic (in terms of relationships) but honestly, don't we all?

Humans, by their nature, are complex beings with emotions, vulnerabilities, and insecurities. As the eldest daughter and disabled at that, Zhuang Jie felt an intense sense of responsibility for others, having an inclination toward overachieving, struggling with anxiety, people-pleasing, and establishing boundaries in adult relationships.

Being human also encompasses strength, resilience, and the capacity to overcome challenges. This is what I find sweet because she finds her strength from Chen Mai Dong. A man who is non-judgmental but also won't take any shit. This is exactly what Zhuang Jie needed to complete her growth as a human.

The theme of this drama is death - which makes a lot of viewers uncomfortable, but quoting CMD - "death is unavoidable. It's not the end but rather the completion of a process"

Which I find rather true and it's not dark. It's just real.

So if you want a real drama, intense chemistry, character development, and something that makes you ponder on life, go for it

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Will Love in Spring is a gem among the sea of C-dramas.

The realities a relationship can face is portrayed well in this drama. Past traumas, issues with intimacy, hidden insecurity, forcing a smile but hiding pain and the biggest one, will the sacrifice be worth it. The solution to all problems is understanding and our leads learn this lesson together.
What I love about the drama:
1)The well-woven story and dialogues (much better than the novel)
2) We finally have a male lead who is understanding and has empathy within him.
3) The FL has her dreams and a life outside of all love and knows the value of it.
4) The grandmother and FL's best friend, siblings are the best supporting characters to the FL.
5) The cinematography and the chemistry between the leads.

I hope whoever starts the drama, keeps an open mind to try and see human emotions of the characters. If you want two perfectly rich leads whose aim is to fall in love and live in a un-realistic fairy tale bubble, this drama is not for you.

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