Second Chance Romance

such a disappointment

I swear I want to scream at the screenwriter! UGHHHH... Why is everything so damn downplayed?? The story sets up these HUGE emotional bombs and then delivers them like… a casual Tuesday lunch chat. Le finding out who his mother really is should’ve been a massive turning point — raw, messy, emotional. Instead it gets tossed out in the middle of a meal like someone mentioning they forgot to buy soy sauce. And that’s literally just one example.

I kept watching thinking, “Okay, maybe it’s slow-burning, maybe the payoff is coming.” NOPE. It’s just anticlimax after anticlimax, like the script is actively allergic to drama. How do you ruin your own plot twists?? How do you make every reveal feel like a footnote??

And honestly, Qin Lan’s acting is not helping. At all. She just refuses to go anywhere near heightened emotion. It’s like she’s scared of showing anything stronger than gentle disappointment. It’s the same in every drama of hers I’ve seen — beautiful to look at, elegant, calm… but the moment the character is supposed to explode, break down, do something, she stays on that same soft, neutral wavelength. It kills the momentum.

I’m frustrated because the premise actually had potential, and the setup hinted at something deeper. But nope — everything is toned down, flattened, and delivered like the actors are reading text messages instead of living through trauma. I thought it was going to get better. It didn’t.

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Disappointing

I watched this to see if it would get better. Even paid for express. Nothing got resolved. No one was made accountable. The female lead and male lead allowed themselves to be trampled and used by others throughout the whole show. They deserved each other. Their son deserved a lot better. There was no climax in this show at all. It ended on the same sour note as it started. What a shame. If there was any backbone from either of the 2 leads it may have had some potential. FL spoke in whisper like voice entire program.

This is the only show I’ve ever written a bad review. Don’t waste your time starting it only thinking it will get better. It doesn’t.

What a shame. I actually paid for express to watch the last few episodes hoping it would get better. I fast forwarded the bulk of it.

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Second chance of what exactly?

I started this drama mainly because the trailer seemed so intruguing and also for Wallace chung and Qin Lan who are both mature and good actor/actress.

What seemingly looked like a mature romance about second chance love turned into nonesense because of a poor script, bad development, and bad directing. Even the production wasted so many materials.

The whole story revolved around a very selfish, controlling mother and that's it. Something was missing in this drama all the time. The leads were like robots. Romance showed up after almost 20 episodes of nothing happening, and there was no development. It was as if the writer was having visions and wrote things based on that LOL

For this drama to make sense i had to FF all the episodes after episode 5 ( because till episode 5 the whole drama looked promising but nope). You won't get something out of this drama if you watch it. I didn't drop it because i wanted to see how a hot mess can end.

Overall, don't waste your time. A totally wasted material.

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The story just lay on the floor and refused to get up

I went into the story hoping to see a mama bear that fights fircely for her child, and a man that will stop at nothing to get back the love he lost those years ago. Unfortunately, both lack a spine. They stand in the sidelines of their lives watching it pass by, only reacting to the little highs generated by the villains.

By the end, it's a hard sell to convince me that what happened 12 years ago wasn't perharps, the best for that child. Quite a disappointing story. It's like a melody that has that random beat that suggests an upbeat song, but it fades just as fast as it came up. It's the food that smells so good, but the taste never quite matches.

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Give Wallace Chung and Qin Lan a second chance romance

This is a lovely story that oozes quality. Whether it’s the production, cinematography, direction, i feel it’s well directed and made. From the onset, there’s the blend of art, redemption, and mature emotions, definitely a deep romantic melodrama rather than light hearted fluff. It’s a plot of ex-lovers reuniting, with hidden secrets, misunderstandings, love triangle which isn’t groundbreaking with this type and may seem predictable. However, the writers have managed some twists that combines for mystery, intense conflicts that may not make it so predictable.

The subplots can seem to pivot too much away from the progress of the main couple. FL ballet mentoring, ML wine business, the best friend, finding the dad, etc. Then the love triangle. You’ll have to be patient as that may seem draggy. (saw lots of comments complaining about this). Expect it. Everyone holds different views. Mine? It’s a slice of life drama that is not centralized on romance. On the overall it’s an all around story that captures the nuances of life. I follow slowly and attentively (unless it’s super bad of course). I will admit I have issues with the editing as I feel it’s choppy, not really connecting scenes sometimes so that good scenes tend to fade rather than lingering.

Love triangles are tricky. In romance based dramas, it can be a hit or miss. Both love rivalries in this are strong likable characters. I especially feel the intense sincerity of the 2nd male lead. If they’re written for leads character development and meaningful depth to story it serves its purpose. Some dramas drag it out that it takes away from plot or just annoyances (yeah vertical dramas I’m talking to you..ha). I’m just too much of an empath but seriously, it’s cruel to lead someone on.

I hope that this drama continues to build to satisfying heights because it can definitely be a mature resonant story about love, sacrifice, art and growth. So again, this isn’t lighthearted or fast paced romance, it might feel heavy or slow. Still, it’s a good story.

Hope to be back for after thoughts at end.
COMPLETED *****Final Thoughts 12-10-25
My rating for acting and story will stay the same, if anything, I still believe the story had lots of potential and could have been made better. Cast did what they were given so I don’t need to be too harsh on them.

If you can tell from beginning, I had lots of hope and excitement for this drama. As it became very apparent that it was dwindling in capturing interest, I still held hope that it would pick up and end strong. To be blunt, it was very underwhelming.

Pros:
•Cinematography: love areas shown.
•Though I feel that editing was choppy, the story had some substance.
•Cast were good. The ones that stood out though were the child actor Wang Hao Ze. He was so natural, had lots of lines, he’ll be accomplished in the near future. Lawrence Wong, tho short screen, enjoyed his acting as a brother and friend. Hope to see him lead a good role. Michelle Bai as PeiYan was also great. Of course Wallace Chung and Qin Lan, with the rest of the cast played their parts and regardless of how we felt about the story, they were good in their character and what was given.

Con:
Biggest is the script disconnection. Even in some good moments, it never lasts as the next screen careens to something different so it becomes lost. Nothing really holds meaningful. Pivotal points of the story become lost. Yeah, it’s too bad. Disappointing actually.

It’s not the worst for sure. Please give it a try yourself. Your views might be totally different and it could be enjoyable to you.

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May not be everyone’s cup of tea!?

I enjoyed watching this drama despite its flaws. I would recommend this drama to anyone who doesn’t mind the slow burn type of romance with a touch of misunderstandings here and there but that’s part of life hey. I can’t point out exactly one thing which kept me glued to the show but l did watch it from the beginning to the end without regretting it!😂 Honestly speaking, it’s not the type of story which has an out of this world storyline! DO NOT WATCH IT IF YOU ARE EXPECTING A FRESH BREATH OF DRAMA! There were so many loopholes in the drama so do watch it if you are willing to turn a bling eye to some of them. It’s not the type of drama with many romantic or steamy scenes so don’t expect that.

The leads had such a bittersweet love story which l enjoyed watching. I guess the curiosity of wanting to know when things went south, how and when they would be fixed is a huge factor that led me to keep on watching the drama. Si Ting and Le le moments were so wholesome!🥹 Feng Rui embodied fatherhood so well that l enjoyed all the father-son scenes. The drama may seem dragged but l feel like that’s the beauty of it, they are grown ups with so much to protect and lose so they had to tread carefully regardless of whatever decision they had to make. The funny thing is each time l thought of dropping it there was always something that pulled me back😂🫠

Si Ting took so much time to take action after finding out the truth. Well, to some extent l understand that she was in so much disbelief and fear which may have triggered her to trade carefully in case she lost everything once again. I wasn’t satisfied with her character development in terms of embracing motherhood and directly working on her mental health, to some extent it just felt as if she ran away. The downside of her character was not getting enough chances to showcase her motherhood side. I expected to see more interactions of them as a little family but l will settle for the crumbs they gave us🥹

l would like applaud the uncanny resemblance between the young and old Feng Rui!!! Their maturity and aura truly matched as if it was the same person!🙈The calmness and aura older Feng Rui carried deserves to be applauded. However, if he had stood his ground as a person who had his own life goals, l am sure some of the things wouldn’t have gotten as messy as they did.

I must say, in the history of toxic friends, Wang Shu Han ranks highly!!! Shouldering jealousy, hatred and bitterness for more than a decade is crazy business. I always saw her side eyeing Si Ting and found it suspicious but when the truth came out, l didn’t expect her to have gone that far! How did she even expect herself to succeed in life then while she was being a devil’s advocate full time! 😫 “Si Ting you are the other side of me l could never be!” ohh girl bye

Ohh well , Feng Rui’s mum always had me rolling my eyes 🙄 but don’t let her frustrating actions stop you from giving the drama a chance. That woman just needed someone to put her in her place earlier.🫠 Sadly we could only see the good side of her when she was no longer mentally fit.

I hope l didn’t spoil too much!🙈🥰 l watched this drama while l was in a Cdrama slump, l guess l enjoyed it because it wasn’t too dramatic😂😭l had to vent my anger here for some of the scenes😫😂

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A retired ballerina returns home and found her son is alive and she rekindles her first love.

Plot/Story (8.5/10)
This film drama has an excellent and rich plot and story, which combines romance, drama and mystery. It has nice soundtrack and musical scores accompanying the film, and some nice photography taken during the filming. In addition, the story is diverse, covering about a unique wine industry, contemporary art of ballet, business and investments, natural disasters, and high mountain region of China with spectacular sceneries of the country sites.
The story started with the return of a re-known ballerina (Tan Siting) as she retired from France and intended to teach at home. At the same time, a young winery owner (Feng Rui) also returned home from his trip to France after receiving gold medal on his Cygne winery special brand, These two characters were first lovers, but separated due to circumstances related to disapproval from his mom. His mom separated Siting's young baby at birth and sent her away to France to get rid her from her son. The drama revolved around their slowly getting to know each other again as time progresses. Siting thought initially that Feng Rui was already married and had a son named Lexuan, not knowing that the young boy is her biological son.
The drama also involved with the close friends of Siting - a brother and sister named Wang Zeyuan and Wang Shuhan; with a young piano teacher named Wen Pei Yan who helps Feng Rui's family and liked by Rui's mother and initially groomed to be Rui's wife. Siting has been searching his disappearing dad since before leaving for France, and continues after her return home. Siting's work at the ballet school at home meets with two young ballerinas (Zheng Yufan and the younger Qu Zhen who is originally from the Hongyuan mountain region. The drama also included the daily life of Lexuan at school, dealing with bullies, learning piano lessons from Pei Yan and getting to know ballet teacher Siting.
Once Siting and Feng Rui get together again after the successful trip to find her dad in the Hongyuan area near Tibet, they must face Feng Rui's mom. cancel his wedding with Pei Yan, and try to get Le's acceptance into the new venture together.
My issue with the rich plot is on how present the details and put the drama together for acceptance by the audience. Too much background info slipped into the drama makes the continuation of the film choppy and difficult to understand. The combination of romance with some mystery behind it , while intriguing, may provide some disappointment to some of the audience.

Cast/Characters

Cast (9/10)
Tan Siting was played by Qin Lan, and her main partner Feng Rui by Wallace Chung. Other actors in the film included Michelle Bai as Wen Pei Yan and Wang Hao Ze as little Lexuan. Her best friend Shuhan was played by Wang Zhen Er. her brother Ze Yuan was played by Lawrence Wong. The two young ballerinas were Yufan played by Lai Chu Yu, and the mountain little girl Qu Zhen by Durje Tsering. Feng Rui's domineering mom was played by Chen Jin, and Siting's dad (Tang Juan) was played by Liu Da Wei.
I consider that all of the actors and actresses play their roles very well. Besides of her slim body and her beauty, Qin Lan has a distinct face with line features which like a character in a Japanese anime film suh as the Final Fantasy. She had a unique short hair in this drama, although I found that she appeared also in many different hair style in the past. Her voice is also unique, sometimes almost muffled or came from her nose.

Characters (8/10)
The character for Feng Rui appears to be slow and hesitant in his life. He should have been more decisive when he found that Siting returns home. Siting is also slow in trying to bring the drama to an end for Le, as understandably, she was hesitant and afraid for not being accepted right the way.
I feel sorry for Pei Yan , who appears to be royal to Rui and his family until the end . I think she is also one of the heroine of this drama, after all of the troubles that she went through, with her efforts on the wedding preparations, and her curiosity towards Siting.
On the other hand, I am not very fond of Zeyuan's character in pursuing Siting, as he still chases her even after a hint from Siting herself and advice from her own sister. Shuhan's character is also a surprise at the end of this drama.
The head of the ballet school - Madame Zhuang is an elegant lady, understanding and has been good to Siting in all of the years. In some of the shots, I sometimes mistake her appearance initially from Rui's mom's character (Gao Hui).
The domineering appearances of Gao Hui and her dad (Rui's grandpa) make his dad (Feng Ming) small and unimportant. However, he has a surprise in the story as well.

Music (8/10)
This drama has a number of beautiful songs and nice scores.

Re-watch Value (8/10)
Good rewatch value. The story and dialogs are rich with details and they are worth to re-watch some of the scenes to understand and enjoy the drama in full.

Scenery/Filmography (8.5/10)
Beautiful sceneries of the country sites and the simplicity of living in the Hongyuan county. Nice photography to capture the ballet performances by Siting and/or her students. Nice wedding dresses wore by Pei Yan. Some night dances and country's atmosphere are beautiful. I also noted for night shots of the beautiful city when the filming of Siting and Rui together, or when Pei Yan broke her relationship with Rui at the bridge/terrace facing the City.

Personal comments
- Some of the episodes in the You-tube channels contain a mix of story of this drama with another drama (2022 - Because of Love) who had the same actor Wallace Chung in it. Some of the clips from previous episodes have also been used repetitively added , making it confusing to watch.
- Siting's dresses appear to be quite modest and conservatives. Pei Yan and Shuhan have nice dresses. I could not figure out the poor choice of using the black sock and the black, soldier shoes that Siting wears during the ballet instruction classes. Also, when she was drunk and almost slip on the stairways, her black shoes look so old fashioned and ugly.
- While looking desperately for her dad in the Hongyuan county, young ballerina Qu Zhen's request to deliver throat lozenges to her mom appears to be a key to finding Siting's dad.
- Pei Yan appears to have a good character and accept all of the trouble and her effort to marry Rui.

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Emotional, Mature, Addictive — A Must-Watch!

In my opinion, Second Chance Romance is a mature romantic drama that stirs up emotions and keeps you curious from the very first episode. At first, I thought it would simply revolve around giving a failed relationship a second chance. But it turns out the past they thought they understood isn’t what it seems on the surface. They must confront old wounds and lingering resentment—shadows from their past that could easily crush the happy future they hope for before it even begins.

Plot twists are noticeable yet still surprising—and I love that! The narrative is strong, and even though the story shifts between past and present, it never feels dragging. Instead, it enriches the plot and deepens your curiosity about what truly happened between them. The chemistry between the two leads is also incredibly moving in many scenes. Definitely a must-watch!

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A Sad waste of good actors

I like Wallace Chung and was looking forward to watching this. But not even I episode. It was so boring and lacking in life. I have sworn off yet another potentially enjoyable drama by another controlling Mother Fgure. Asia seems to be awash with Control Freak Parents. Sadly the more money and power they have something more important seems to get lost. Sorry to see China turn out a Power Crazy Heirarchy mimicing the the rich in the West. Also I cannot undersatnd their attachment to the cultures that colonised them for decades. Look at the mess Taiwan ended up being with their sick US Culture and Weapons aimed at their own people.

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