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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Good acting, but could have had a better ending.

I had hoped for a relief from disappointments now and then in the story, but things just kept getting worse. I'm a fan of Wallace Chung, and I would have liked to see more facetime of him in the story. I'm not a fan of weak suffering females. I had hoped for a better outcome for all of the wrongs Gao Hui and Wang Shu Han had done to people. Unfortunately, both escaped being punished and were rewarded. I guess Gao Hui's health condition could be considered a slight suffering, but Wang Shu Hand ended up better off than she was by having her own store that sold quality merchandise. Chen Jin often plays a character with a strong controlling personality, and she is a good fit for this role. I would have liked to see Wang Ze Yuan end up with a girlfriend. Tan Si Ting, Feng Rui, and Feng Le Xuan have a stronger relationship at the end. Less flashbacks would have also been good.

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when a mother, doeth not being a mother make

I want to preface my review by saying, I love Wallace Chung. There's something wholesome and warm about him and I feel this seeps through into his characters. I truly enjoy watching him and it was no different in this drama.

This is an easygoing drama, with a storyline that's not demanding, albeit predictable. I felt it fit this time of the year when we are all going through end of year fatigue, and not looking for a story that requires full attention, or you will miss a core plot device. The characters are easy to read and the episodes of sufficient duration.

The way mothers are portrayed in this drama, really pushed me to write this review.

The male lead's mother comes across as a sweet old lady at first glance, who is only interested in the best of everything for her beloved son, however as the story enfolds, it becomes clear that there are some challenges with control and her way or the highway mentality. You could say this is the dark side of motherhood in that, since birth it has been your responsibility to make decisions that ensure the survival and life of your son and why should that stop now that they are old enough to fall in love? Right, you could say that, but what ever happened to letting your children grow? When does it become okay to say you have done enough teaching and it's time to let go? She is such a boss to everyone in the family, including her own father, that she never learned to let go and we see the results of this.

The female lead is a totally different kettle of fish in her mothering experience. She abandons her son continuously, every chance she has to redeem herself in this boy's life, she chooses to walk away every time. Her excuse? He needs you as his father right now. Another excuse? I need to go find my father. Another excuse? I am a victim of internet rumour mongering right now. Another excuse? Insert here, and here and here. My final straw was when she resolved to move to Tibet!! Insert maniacal laugh here.

I was disappointed to discover that the finale (episode) is hidden behind a paywall considering that you need to belong to a subscription service to enjoy this drama. I felt it was particularly greedy to do this. When I did get the chance to catch the finale, I didn't feel it deserved the extra dollars it demanded of its audience. There was no resolution. No redemption. Everyone just went about with life.

I am going with 7/10 for this for the sweet moments between the leads. I believed their romance, even if few and far between, when they did get together, the chemistry crackled for me. A gentle recommendation. Thanks for reading to this point.

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A decent script but bad acting from Qin Lan, she can't portrayed a mother role.

Second Chance is a modern CDrama about a second chance at love starring Qin Lan and Wallace Chung. The script is good, but the acting is suck, especially from Qin Lan.

She played Tan Si Ting, a renowned ballet dancer who returned home and learned that a son she had given birth to 12 years earlier was alive. She was terrible at portraying a mom who would fight for any cause to win back her son's relationship with her. Sadly, she failed to deliver the character.

Qin Lan is unmarried in real life, and I don't believe she has any children of her own either, so she doesn't know what it is like to play a mom. If it were me, I would go out of my way to fight the controlling mother-in-law and reclaim the rights of her son. The ending was terrible; it looked like a happy ending, but it was abruptly cut off without any honest interaction with her son.

Synopsis: Renowned ballet dancer Tan Si Ting returns home after retirement, hoping to rekindle her romance with her former love, Feng Rui. However, their reunion is complicated by past misunderstandings and the fact that Feng Rui is now a single father. Meanwhile, a long-time secret admirer of Tan Si Ting remains unwavering in his love for her. As Tan Si Ting and Feng Rui struggle with their unresolved feelings, they find themselves caught in a whirlwind of love, heartbreak, and fate.

My Reviews:
1. Acting: 6
2. Script: 7
3. Music/OST: 6
4. Production Quality: 7
5. Cinematography: 7
6. Rewatchable: 6
7. On-Screen Chemistry: 5

Overall Rating: 6.3

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A Journey of Love and Redemption

I have mixed feelings about this drama. While the central themes of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation are commendable, there is a lingering sense of restraint. Despite the underlying strained circumstances, unresolved issues, and deep misunderstandings, the narrative had the potential to be a highly charged drama filled with angst, tension, and simmering emotions ready to boil over at every turn. Yet, everything is subdued and toned down, resulting in a disconnect between the build-up and the actual events, which can leave viewers feeling empty. Although the series does not delve deeply into the emotional turmoil of its characters, it nevertheless manages to capture a beautiful, mature love that has survived the test of time.

This was my first time watching Quin Lan in a drama, and while I found her visually stunning, her acting failed to impress me. Throughout the drama, she seemed to repress heightened emotions, which made me question whether this was a directorial choice or a reflection of how her character, Tan Si Ting, was written. Tan Si Ting appeared highly contradictory, exhibiting traits of a dual personality, unlike the other characters who remained consistent. She is portrayed as a strong, independent, and highly esteemed ballerina with a composed exterior, but her actions often contradict this image, particularly in her avoidance of emotional confrontations. Her initial interactions with Feng Rui after returning home seem aloof, even going so far as to accompany him and his girlfriend to pick out a wedding dress and venue. This raises questions about the realism of her actions, especially if she still harbors feelings for her ex. In professional settings, when handling conflict with colleagues, Tan Si Ting displays strength and determination, yet her soft, whispery, girl-like voice contrasts sharply with her persona. When she discovers that her son, Feng Le Xuan, is alive and learns of the years of deception, the moment that could have showcased raw emotional breakdown is instead handled with subdued tears rather than a full display of turmoil. Quin Lan missed the opportunity to showcase dramatic acting range.

The drama reveals that Tan Si Ting suffered from depression in her youth, and the dramatic reveal of her son's existence should have been a catalyst for turbulent emotions, had the character remained true to her established traits. After reuniting with Feng Rui, Tan Si Ting continually delays telling their son the truth, waiting for an ideal moment, even as she spends time reconnecting with Feng Rui. Her reasoning is a fear that Feng Le Xuan will reject her, despite knowing that he likes her and sees her as a confidant. Feng Le Xuan is depicted as thoughtful and mature, making Tan Si Ting’s delay in revealing the truth seem unnecessary. The eventual reveal, when Feng Le Xuan discovers the truth on his own and asks his father about it, is presented in a casual, offhand manner, lacking any emotional tension. Another puzzling moment occurs when Tan Si Ting cancels a family meal with Feng Rui and their son after being smeared by online rumors, opting to avoid her son. This results in Feng Le Xuan finding out the truth from other kids at school, further diminishing the emotional impact of the revelation.

For me, the two redeeming characters were Feng Rui, played by Wallace Chung, and Feng Le Xuan, portrayed by the exceptionally talented young actor Wang Hao Ze. Wallace Chung’s portrayal of Feng Rui stands out for its calm maturity and devotion as a father. He subtly conveys the emotions of unresolved yearning and bitterness. Though initially frustrated and dismissive toward Tan Si Ting due to past misunderstandings, Feng Rui takes the initiative to confront his suppressed feelings, asking her if she regrets leaving him and their son. This moment paves the way for clarifying misunderstandings between them.
This drama unfolds slowly and requires patience, which I admittedly lacked at the time of watching. The subplots that deviated from the main couple did not capture my interest, leading me to skip those scenes. Nonetheless, the drama remains decent overall, featuring good cinematography, musical scores, and solid acting.

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