Fated Hearts

A War of Love, Loyalty, and Layers

I just finished Fated Hearts, and honestly, I can't stop thinking about how beautifully layered every character was. Each one had a story, a reason, a heartbeat of their own. It's rare to see such depth given not just to the leads, but to every single person on screen - even the antagonists felt convincingly human, shaped by their pain and choices.

And then there's Chen Zheyuan. It was like watching him enter into a new league altogether here. The emotional palette he drew away - subdued reserve one minute, nakedness the next - demonstrates the extent to which he has been developed as an actor. It is like you can literally watch him turn into the character rather than act it. This position has set the tone, not only to him, but also to everyone he surrounds himself.

So much talk and unreasoned criticism has been made online but as a person who had been following his career long enough, I do feel proud. He has demonstrated that he is not a simple pretty face; he has the ability to be emotionally heavy, possesses presence and can still be tender when the scene needs it.

Coming to Liqin, she may be older than him, but that never took away from their chemistry - if anything, it added maturity and intensity. Their connection on screen was nothing short of spellbinding. You could feel it - not forced, not overdone, just a natural pull between two people who belonged to that story.

Even the second leads had their own strong arcs - they weren't just fillers. Their subplots were in fact added to the main story, which made it deeper and more meaningful. Even the antagonists had plausible explanations and the conflicts did not look artificial.

I would like Chen to continue searching such diverse and rich characters as a fan. He has the potential to take on complex, unconventional characters - ones that challenge him and surprise us. No matter what's being said online, Fated Hearts stands as proof of his talent and growth.

Sometimes, you just need one good project to silence the noise - and I believe this one does exactly that.

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My non-spoiler review:

I loved it. Favorite cdrama of the year. Finally a couple that is equal in everything (in mental and physical skills), a couple that avenges and kills.

As I am picky, I can't rate it a 10 bc of some 👎🏼, mostly technicals:

👎🏼 direction: the obsession of this director with the blinding lights and odd camera angles! Light in general, bc even at morning scenes the light looked fake.
👎🏼 filter: on the 4 main characters only it seems. Very jarring to see a scene where one was looking like a marble, without skin texture while the other (like an older actor) had wrinkles and underbags. And it was specially distracting when, for example, LQ was crying prettily but her tears disappear in her blurry face, which leads to...
👎🏼 make-up: I know they all have cakey make-up but it was terrible to see, for example, the younger brother crying and his numerous tears leaving a trace in his white face.
👎🏼 the permanent wind in their hair. I supposed for "aesthetics" but it was distracting.
👎🏼 I did not use the 1.5 speed any moment (as the Director wanted! 😅) but around ep33-34 the excitement diminished a little bit with the Storm Alliance and freaking XJS.
👎🏼 the Emperor of Jiunxi was a psycho and I loved him 😑
👎🏼 super personal one... iQiYI. For the 1st time I subscribed to this channel to binge it. But turns out, for the last 4ep I need to be Premium, not VIP. Meaning, pay more $$??? I had to watch the last 4ep illegally and it LQ 🙄🙄🙄

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A great adaptation, for they strayed from the source material and made it way better.

While being quite plot-driven, FH built up one of the most beautiful relationships I could remember from C-dramas - one based on respect, equality, total trust and understanding that they slowly earned towards each other. No miscommunication, no noble idiocy.

Another remarkable aspect is the use of parallel and juxtaposition to convey the main plot points/themes; which, i might say, were fascinating to identify and connect, such as (but not limited to):
- Revenge, the most obvious one
- Patriarchy/relationship between father and son: Feng, Zhuang and Murong
- Relationship between mother and son: two Empresses and their sons (puppet emperors)
- Romantic relationships: Fu Yixiao Feng Suige vs FYX Xia Jingshi
- Royal sibling relationships: Fengs and Xias
- Between FSG and XJS: similarity in status and, to some extent, rough upbringing; contrast in how they choose to lead their life, their people, and their revenge.
- Kindred spirits or fated hearts: the main leads' relationship
- Blind royalty: following a savior blindly out of gratitude, leading to being used and discarded.

There was no moment that felt out of place, even when a trope was used, it was to serve the plot - to create a parallel, or to bring a plot point "full circle". Additionally, a lot of trivial scenes were actually very deliberate, so as to display a parallel or progress.

FH is not about palace conflicts, but rather about how people are a product of their environment, how we all have our trauma/obsession and the many different ways we act upon it.

Each character’s motivation and actions are justified to some extent by their own experiences. No matter how petty or cruel their motives are, you understand where they are coming from, and feel for it. Because, at the core, it reflects human nature, be it greed, or blind love, or jealousy etc. It might seem over the top, but at the same time, is very real. People have been proven to do more for less.

Nothing is perfect, neither is this show. However, it was as good as it could be. You can tell the team behind Fated Hearts had a vision, an identity that they intended for the show, and they followed it through. Both LQ's and CZY's portrayal really blew me away. It wasn't all perfect, but they sold the characters.

The story, despite its flaws, prompted a lot of discussions which made the entire watching experience much more fulfilling. Having watched many shows, but I have only been this involved in drama discussion twice this year, so this has been a real blast. Definitely among my top favourites of the year, and of this genre.

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I LOVED IT!!!

This drama was so good, Not one boring episode ..
Talking about the leads,
ML looks so gorgeous, half the time I was just staring at him.. CZY’s makeup was spot on.. like the boy is handsome but he looked the best in this drama, like the eye makeup, hair, clothes, aura matched so good esp with his character.. He was really strong, really loved the FL and it showed, no sacrificing drama, nothing. My heart dropped when he was nearly killed and buried.. I loved when he asked her to stay even after knowing he might forget her 👏🏼👏🏼

FL, omg I am so amazed by her acting, her character, everything… she was so strong and that is already a plus one in my book but she was one step ahead, I love when FLs unconditionally love the MLs.. like we see ML doing so much for FL but the energy is not matched many times but here she stood like a shield before ML, that scene where she dug out her buried lover, damn. she literally saved him and was his most valuable asset rather than a liability in every scene.. she never left him… (none of that sacrifice drama 😒)

Also, the plot was also really intriguing, though there were some loose ends, it was overall a great watch, one of the best of 2025.. I wanted to see some more of the HE, but oh well Chinese dramas and their rushed endings 🥲 and the side characters also played their character really well, the princess did a fab job in her role, her character was a bit infuriating but that goes to show how much well she played it

Also the BG music?!! And I am not just talking abt OST here, I am talking abt that music that played in every intense of emotional scene? That was the IT factor for me, it made those scenes so much intense and emotional and just WOW,

Overall, spectacular, a 10/10 drama for me

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This was a massive enemy to lovers drama for me ?❤️

Firstly I saw some of hate reviews when I was watching the drama currently that time so I felt like it will be boring afterward ,but thanks to some good reviews and the love I have for chen zhe yuan keep my spirit to go on watching it was too good drama I was waiting for to watch full the drama to put a review.


This was a good enemy to lovers drama ,so I hooked at first episode and continued endlessly.the story was about the first prince feng suige who rules susha and the general lady fu yixiao from jinxu they were sworn enemys and somehow they will be in same path I don't want to give spoilers .I liked the charact xia jingyan not xia jinshi, he was cruel but still at the end he loved xiyang very much and tried everything to do save her ,I stop the story here.

About the actors ,czy is my all time favourite i watched him from his our secret from cutee potato to hot potato ,he is very hot charming in this ,and his acting was top notch in this ,and about liqin my first drama i watched her was this so I don't know more about her but her acting was really good and she is pretty look a little like bai lu and liyitong ,but their age gap is crazy like 7,8 I think she is older but she looks really young ,and iam looking towards her new drama with Dylan live long and prosper too.

Side characters are all good at acting ,so many betrayel here to feng suige and fu yixiao ,for him his best friend,his father ,most trusted maids and even his sister somehow in the first ,for her some she loved first ,her brother,I have cryed like crazy and hurting my eyes from crying but it's too good and have happy ending and the little second Prince was handsome too.


Overall it's a masterpiece for me 💯❤️🔥

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Fated Hearts Delivers Chaos, Closure, and Chemistry

Fated Hearts did not disappoint. The ending was satisfying — everything came full circle. That final fight scene with Feng Sui Ge and Fu Yi Xiao literally killing their enemies without hesitation was chef’s kiss. This couple is perfection.

Thank you to the writers for never changing who they are and for consistently showing us their true character. All the villains got exactly what they deserved. I’ve loved this drama from the very first episode when it started off completely unhinged — two mortal enemies with no hesitation beating the crap out of each other — to a love so real that now they’re beating the crap out of their enemies together. If that isn’t true love in C-drama, I don’t know what is.

The second plot line with the princess definitely had its frustrating and annoying moments, but by the end, I was sort of rooting for her and the Emperor of Jinxiu. Kudos to the writers for somehow making me emotionally care about their outcome. As the story progressed, and especially by the final tragedy, I found myself low-key wanting them to end up together.

Xia Jing Shi was a piece of shit who finally showed his true face at the end. I loved that Yi Xiao didn’t even hesitate to shoot arrows at him and his delusional self thinking he could still win her back. That was pure satisfaction.

There was real closure for so many characters and their stories. People changed, lives shifted, and those who lost their way faced the consequences. The Feng siblings’ trust and devotion to each other was surprising in the best way — finally, royal siblings who actually love and support each other instead of scheming for the throne. The parents, on the other hand, all failed their children in one way or another.

Fated Hearts surprised everyone by coming out strong and never letting up. It gave us one of the best enemies-to-lovers plots, a mature relationship where the couple communicates and trusts each other fully, and betrayals that made sense for each character — whether petty or painful.

And honestly, Li Qin and Chen Zheyuan’s chemistry is insane. It’s what made Feng Sui Ge and Fu Yi Xiao so believable and magnetic. I really hope they pair up again in another series because their connection was that good.

This drama is a must-watch if you’re looking for action, sizzling chemistry, and fights (and deaths) that are deeply satisfying. It’s a fun, wild, and emotional ride from start to finish — one that reminds you why you fell in love with C-dramas in the first place.

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Best and the Worst

After the disappointment I've experienced with "Female Dudu general", "Wanted Detective", "Prisoner of beauty" and many more hyped dramas, I had my doubts about "Fated Hearts" as well.
It started strong , the dynamic between female & male leads was great but then it just died when they fall for each other.
In the final episodes I didn't care about the main leads and fast forwarded their scenes. It was too predictable and boring. The only reason I didn't drop this was because of the Princess of Susha who married the prince of Zhennan, then slept with Emperor for intel. It didn't make sense but was forcing me to watch what would happen. :)
Good things
* Cast of many gorgeous and some good actors.
* Nice costumes and not everything felt like green screen studio set.
* Princess of Susha,Prince of Zhennan and Emperor of Jinxiu stole the show as support characters.
Bad Things
*Main plot was too predicable.
* Many side plots were left undeveloped (for example Murong Yao).
* Beware the annoying fake crying kids in the first episodes. It was 40 mins "shifu" Shifu".
* Some scenes looked very cringy because actors were posing for cameras instead acting.

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Its a rage bait I guess?

I had high hopes for this and I hate myself for it. The story lost focus from episode 27 onward when all characters started to do stupid stuff and tropey scenes got piled up. From episode 30 I watched on 2x speed only so I can see these lunatics come to their sticky ends.

So what went right ? The first half did. We had interesting characters. A female general who looked and behaved like one. Yi xiao is hard headed but she loves and protects with all her might.
A capable crown prince who is not interested in being an emperor and dreams of a normal life with honesty and clarity. Sui ge is both respected and feared by everyone and he harbors deep resentment towards people who have wronged his mother
These two go from enemies to allies to friends to lovers. Their relationship is mature that leaves no space for tropey misunderstandings.
A mistreated prince, Jing shi, who lives out of sheer spite. All he does is to prove he deserves to be breathing. He's both tender and menacing.
Throw in a love fool princess, a mad king, a masked antagonist and a few scheming politicians and everything seems fine.
There are themes of loyalty, betrayals, obsession and love with a sprinkle of political intrigue. Its well paced with decent production.

What went wrong? Writer cant stop torturing the male lead. Sui ge spends his entire time getting betrayed by everyone minus Yi xiao and barely escaping death. His senile sadistic father spent all his life isolating his son in hopes of manipulating him to be more ambitious. ( his method doesn't make a lick of sense but we digress) All while his own ambition turned multiple people into his sworn enemy who now point the sword to Sui ge trying to seize the throne. There are 6 antagonist in this story and they all trying for revenge of some sort. All of the were walking on my nerves with their crazy shenanigans. we didn't need so many of them . The story just turned nonsensical and it dragged on and on dragging Yi xia too where she was just there to save Sui ge life yet again.
second leads story was also a mess. I stuck to the end for these two specifically but none of them really got what they deserved. Just lame.
None of the characters had a satisfying ending. Couldn't even celebrate the evils dying before main leads fell back to another problem. The ones who got the crown didn't even deserve to have it ( no one cares about the people I guess) and main leads get their peace but do they really?

Now lets talk about production. All actors are well casted and while the main leads are embodying their roles, the chemistry is none existent. The skin smoothing effect was both excessive and inconsistent. It has great costumes and styling but the lightening was horrendous It reminded me of " story of kunning palace" from same director. actually many scenes reminded me of that drama (derogatory)

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A fantastic drama that hooked me from start to finish.

Fated Hearts is an absolute standout among 2025 Chinese dramas. The story moves fast, keeps me on my toes and never feels boring. The production is gorgeous, stunning sets, beautiful costumes and fight scenes that are seriously cool.
The ML and FL totally nailed their roles, strong, smart and so relatable.
Their chemistry is perfect and the enemy to lover storyline actually feels real not rushed. The supporting cast is also amazing and adds so much depth to the story.
The plot itself is fantastic, full of palace politics, clever twists and the perfect mix of tension and emotional moments. I especially loved the bond between the Feng siblings which is so pure and heartwarming.
Despite being sooooo good, I do have a few tiny complaints but honestly, they didn’t bother me that much. The BGM is sometimes too loud, the ML’s makeup is a bit heavy, thankfully he’s super handsome, otherwise it might look weird. A few camera angles especially during the kiss scenes felt off. With such beautiful actors, a better angle could have made it even more stunning.
All in all, this is hands down the best drama I’ve watched this year.
I overlooked all the minor flaws and just enjoyed the show until the very end. I’ll definitely rewatch it sometime soon, I feel like I didn’t catch all the details the first time because I kept getting distracted by how handsome the ML is… and also that manly voice lol.

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Binge-worthy ,addicting storyline with great chemistry between leads.

I finished this drama 10 days ago and only now I finished making this review. *Sigh* This year, I find it hard to make a review for drama that I finished watching...just feeling too lazy and unbothered... But as I already made a draft for this one, I might as well finish it. So here is my complete review.

📌 Plot : 9/10. I finished the whole 38 episodes within 8 days. If only I did not got busy with real life in the middle of my watching, I think I can finish this within 4-5 days. The storyline was that addicting, thrilling & binge-worthy to me. I hardly used my ff/ speed button while watching it.

📌 Acting,character : 9/10. All cast down from main leads to the supporting leads did an excellent job in potraying their roles. This was my first drama of Chen Zhe Yuan and his acting as Killer God of Susha, Feng Sui Ge was impressive. So good looking with his regal attires too . I liked that his character was consistently ruthless to his enemies & focus in his mission throughout the story. Li Qin's acting as Fu Yi Xiao was perfect too. I've always like her acting since Thousand Years For You. Watching Fu Yi Xiao in her element, as a great archer of Jinxiu was so satisfying. Strong, fierce female lead combined with strong,fierce male lead are my favourite elements in a drama and this drama excelled in that department. I liked that every character here from protagonists to antagonists were complex and have depth in their persona.The villains were not just a 2 dimensional characters who were acting evil just because they're the villain in the story. Their motive looked convincing and hearfelt to me. [SPOILER ALERT] Murong Yao, Prime Minister Zhuang, Xia Jing Shi ,Xia Jing Yan all have convincing,strong motive for their action. Here I was happy that I correctly guess who was behind the mask earlier on. Emperor Peng reminding me of the king in The Red Sleeve (K-Drama) who was also ruthless to his heir because he believe that to be ruthless = to be strong. Princess Xiyang really annoyed me in early episodes till the middle half of the story but after she went to Jinxiu , the moment she realized that she could never win Xia Jing Shi's heart , I liked her character development from that point on. Same as Xia Jing Yan he was a total psychotic but after he met Xiyang, his fascination with her attitude slowly change him to be ... less psychotic lol . Towards the end, can't believe that I shipped these two together with their toxic relationship lol. Poor Xiyang for having to endure these two psychotic sibling around her. [ END OF SPOILER]

📌 Chemistry & romance : 10/10.

What this drama has in this department:-

✅️ Enemies to Lovers
✅️ From I want to hurt you to death to I love you to death
✅️ Great chemistry between leads
✅️ Sexual tension
✅️ ML fall in love first
✅️ You touch her ,you die
✅️ Fast paced romance . By episode 17 , we got the confession 🙈

📌 OST, Cinematography,Costume: 10/10. 🤌🤌🤌 I have no complaints. OSTs here are too damn good .My favourite song among all is Surging Waves by Lars Huang.

Overall, to me Fated Hearts is one of the best chinese drama of 2025. It is the second drama that I rated 9 this year after The Prisoner of Beauty. Definitely recommended to all fans of historical romance chinese drama out there ✌️.

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When fate meets a face-smoothing app

It’s a beautiful production that sometimes forgets beauty isn’t the same as soul.
The story has bite — duty, revenge, loyalty — and the leads deliver those themes with enough restraint to keep it believable. Li Qin, especially, carries her scenes with a balance of pride and ache that suits her role perfectly.

But the over-polished visuals create a distance: every emotion feels half-frozen behind a filter. It’s like watching intensity through frosted glass — you see the shape, not the heat. The same attention that went into the lighting and costumes could’ve gone into letting the performances breathe a little more.

Still, when Fated Hearts hits its rhythm, it’s immersive. The politics add depth, the romance unfolds naturally, and the cinematography — when it stops trying to be ethereal — is genuinely striking. The second half loses some oomph and character development barely exists, but if you’re all about the visuals, you can look past it.

Overall, an entertaining watch if you enjoy stylized storytelling with enemies turned lovers dynamics Just be ready to occasionally wish someone would turn the beauty filter down two notches.

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