Destiny

"I want to share all your shining qualities with the world"

Sometimes all it takes is the right person to make us feel comfortable again, to give us courage and allow our true emotions to surface.
"Destiny" is a cute mini drama about the love between an idol and a documentary director. It has a lot of feelings, believable and sweet romance, convincing main characters and only minimal dramatic events.

ML: Chen Xingyan is a flirty idol who wants to achieve his dream of becoming a good actor. He's actually kind-hearted, even if it doesn't seem like it at first. He hides a lot of his true feelings behind his playful behavior. The FL describes him as hardworking, resilient and someone who treats people equally. In the documentary she wants to share all of his shining qualities with the world.

FL: Song Ruan is an intern at a media company and gets the task to film a documentary of ML's everyday life. She just got her heart broken by her awful ex-boyfriend, so she doesn't believe in love right now. She is sweet, gentle and mindful. She is very motivated to emphasize ML's good character in the documentary. She would never lie and make up scandals to get attention.

Couple dynamics: Strangers to lovers. ML loves to tease and flirt with FL right from the start. There's a lot of tension going on. While FL is filming the documentary, she spends a lot of time with ML. They get to know each other better and fall in love. What I liked best was their open communication. They talk to each other about their feelings and worries. They trust each other, so there's no chance of misunderstandings. Their feelings for each other are genuine and they really act like a sweet, loving couple later on.

Kisses: The kiss scenes are very good. From tender and loving moments to more passionate and spicy. The leads' chemistry is undeniable. The way they convey emotions through their kisses feels incredibly authentic.

Supporting characters: FL has a best friend who always supports her with interesting and quirky tips. The two of them live together in a really nice house.

Antagonistic characters: Two other women besides FL are in love with ML, but never become a major problem. I'm amazed at how sensibly ML has dealt with both of them. He is such a gem. Also, there is another actor who is envious and jealous of ML and causes some trouble. Overall though, all these characters hardly get any screen time. The focus is on the main couple, their development and feelings, their worries and challenges. Villains stand no chance. That's what I really enjoyed about this mini drama.

Acting: Wang Xing Wei (ML) and Cheng Jin Ming (FL) did a really good job. The strength of both of them is definitely that they authentically illustrate their feelings through their facial expressions, their looks and their gestures. Their good kiss scenes easily become swoon-worthy moments.

Music: I like all the songs and will keep an eye out for the official releases. They are emotional and calm, as well as a little more exciting and seductive. I want to have them in my playlist.

Duration: 10 minutes per episode, so a total running time of about 4 hours. The pace of the plot and the romance is very good. Nothing feels rushed. There aren't boring moments for me.

Overall: "Destiny" is now one of my favorite Chinese mini dramas. I had a really good time. The main characters' personalities shine through in their dialogue and actions, making them feel like real people. My highlights are the idol theme in general (I just love such plots), the good communication and the interesting facets of the ML.

[finished watching on 2 May 2025]

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