Secret Lover (2025)

Toxic Friendship

I can not handle how much I dislike Tuo. He is so manipulative and toxic to Junxi. I get that he has had a mad crush on Junxi for their entire friendship and that he treats his 'friend' poorly because Tuo is worried about his own feelings, but he really doesn't give a crap about Junxi's feelings. It could just be because the show is rushed and there isn't a lot of talking going on before they move on to a new scene. Examples how Tuo doesn't truly care about Junxi. He basically SA Junxi in the movie theater bathroom. He non con touched and kissed him afterwards. When Junxi asked him to give him time to adjust to the idea of becoming boyfriends instead of just friends and to not kiss or touch him without his permission, this dude IGNORES his existence for days and treats him like a stranger or an enemy. Junxi is so confused about his own feelings and the fear of losing a friend he's had since he was a child that he acts like he's in the wrong instead of Tuo. And when confronted Tuo says he could never hate him and then gets mad at Junxi when another student tries to non con kiss him, and as punishment pressures him into having sex.
I opted out of the rest of the series after that. I don't get the whole 'I have a crush on my friend, so I'm going to punish that friend, treat them like crap, gaslight them into thinking they have to either date / sleep with me or our friendship is over' bs. Protecting your heart, definitely, but not by tearing the other person down to make you feel better or throwing tantrums to get what you want from them.

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The first 3.5 episodes of this were just a compilation of sexual assault. There was absolutely nothing romantic, sweet, entertaining, or redeeming about them. After that, while it doesn’t become unproblematic, it becomes a whole lot more tolerable and less horrifying. I’d rate this a 7 if it wasn’t for all the sexual assault.

The main issue is just that there’s zero consent whatsoever. A Tuo does whatever he wants whenever he wants, and doesn’t even pause if Jun Xi doesn’t like it or says “no”. And the only reason that it gets better after 3.5 episodes is not because A Tuo starts respecting consent - it’s because Jun Xi starts consenting.

In the first sexual assault scene, they go to a movie and A Tuo essentially feels up Jun Xi while pretending he’s just picking up fallen popcorn. Jun Xi looks shocked, displays zero welcoming body language, and asks what he’s doing, but it doesn’t stop A Tuo. Jun Xi gets aroused and goes to the bathroom, and A Tuo follows him and asks if they should help each other out. But he doesn’t give Jun Xi the opportunity to answer. He repeatedly kisses Jun Xi and reaches into his pants while Jun Xi pushes him away and tells him to hold on multiple times, all while displaying extremely uncomfortable body language. Jun Xi eventually gives in after probably the 3rd time A Tuo reaches into his pants after being told no.

In the second sexual assault scene, they’re playing the lead roles in a play, and A Tuo kisses Jun Xi for real even though they had agreed upon a fake kiss. He acts like he did nothing wrong and gaslights Jun Xi, saying he should be happy because it got a good audience reaction and would lure more club members. When Jun Xi says that he should have asked first, he doubles down and says that Jun Xi is the one that kissed him this time, even though that only happened because A Tuo pulled him in. And then A Tuo backs Jun Xi into the wall and noncon kisses him again, after confessing his feelings, until Jun Xi pushes him away.

There’s also a scene where Jun Xi is lying in bed with sunburn, and A Tuo pins him down and physically restrains him while Jun Xi is protesting, saying no, and clearly thinks he’s about to be sexually assaulted again. I don’t care that he was just trying to help with the sunburn. No means no, physically or verbally. Silence means no. Discomfort means no. Nothing except an explicit yes means yes, and that extends beyond just sexual activities.

After A Tuo confesses his feelings and starts giving Jun Xi the silent treatment when he doesn’t respond positively, Jun Xi tries to talk to A Tuo. He says he’s confused about his feelings, but A Tuo takes that as permission to pin Jun Xi against the wall and noncon kisses him again. He insists that Jun Xi likes him the way that he likes Jun Xi. Jun Xi repeatedly tells A Tuo to let him go, but A Tuo refuses, doubling down that Jun Xi likes him, until Jun Xi forcibly pushes him away. And after that, Jun Xi mentally excuses A Tuo’s behavior, thinking that he shouldn’t have pushed him and that he only acted that way because he likes Jun Xi.

When they get together, A Tuo chases Jun Xi down on the street, grabs his wrist and refuses to let go despite repeated verbal and physical protests, drags him all the way home, steals Jun Xi’s keys, lets himself in, and then refuses to leave when asked to. He noncon hugs Jun Xi from behind, and when Jun Xi is uncomfortable and makes an excuse to leave, he noncon kisses him again. This kiss eventually turns consensual and from here on, A Tuo takes it to mean they’re together.

Except Jun Xi was never given the time to process what he was feeling, even after communicating that he was confused. And not one physical interaction between them has been consensual. Jun Xi constantly looks uncomfortable. It’s like he was just pushed into this and not given any real opportunity to say no. Even at school the next day, he tries to stay with his friend instead of walking home with A Tuo but A Tuo pulls him away by the wrist once again. When they’re hanging out and A Tuo kisses him, Jun Xi immediately makes an excuse to leave.

Jun Xi tells A Tuo that it’s annoying that he gets jealous over everything and that they got together too fast and he needs time to adjust. A Tuo responds by once again trying to kiss him, and Jun Xi stops him, telling him to not just kiss him whenever he wants until he’s adjusted. A Tuo says that he likes Jun Xi and therefore wants to kiss him, and somehow it turns into a game of rock paper scissors where Jun Xi wins, saying no touching or kissing unless he says it’s okay. I’m sorry, but why are they arguing about whether Jun Xi has the right to consent before A Tuo just does whatever he wants? He had to win a game of rock paper scissors to get A Tuo to agree to wait for his consent? And the worst part is, A Tuo says he’ll agree, but only for a month, and in exchange Jun Xi has to do something that he wants him to do. Like why is this a negotiation?

And while A Tuo semi-follows the consent rule, he does it in a manipulative, punitory way. He acts cold and distant, and when Jun Xi himself initiates contact, he ends it and says he’s just adhering to the rules. The rules weren’t no physical intimacy, they were no nonconsensual physical intimacy, but apparently A Tuo doesn’t know the difference. And then, he says that according to their agreement, Jun Xi has to do something A Tuo wants him to do, and proceeds to noncon kiss him AGAIN. Jun Xi pushes him away and says to wait, but he continues anyways. And then it turns consensual and they have sex (consensually). So all that negotiation about consent and waiting until Jun Xi was ready was for absolutely nothing because A Tuo just ignored and manipulated his way out of it.

There’s also dubcon scene in the shower after they initially have sex. A Tuo tries to initiate a second round and Jun Xi verbally protests, saying “wait” and “hold on” and complains about still being sore. He’s verbally protesting but is smiling and does reciprocate physically.

A Tuo is also just extremely manipulative. He will lie about his intentions to try to get Jun Xi to do or feel what he wants. For example, feeling him up while pretending he was just picking up popcorn. Or telling him he’d help him confess to a girl while instead intending to get close to him and convince Jun Xi to like him instead. And he gaslights Jun Xi as well, telling him that their sexual encounter at the movies was just him helping and that close friends often do that. And telling him that he didn’t initiate the kiss during the play and that Jun Xi should be thankful for attracting club members. He also dated every single girl that ever showed an interest in Jun Xi himself so that Jun Xi wouldn’t end up dating them. (Jun Xi is barely even upset about this, and seems to take it as a compliment, which is a whole different issue.) And when Jun Xi says he only wants touching and kissing if he consents first, A Tuo responds in a punitory way by acting cold and distant and by ending any physical contact that Jun Xi initiates.

There’s also a number of boundary violation issues. A Tuo repeatedly invades Jun Xi’s personal space, getting in his face, backing him up, and touching him after being told not to. There are a number of scenes where he grabs Jun Xi’s wrist and refuses to let go, either trying to prevent him from leaving or dragging him along. He’s the type of caring that’s really just controlling, because it removes Jun Xi’s personal agency and right to make his own choices. He’s domineering, controlling, and pushy, and will persist and manipulate until he gets the outcome he wants, regardless of what other people want.

He’s also extremely jealous, to the point of being controlling. He explicitly says that Jun Xi is not allowed to be close to girls. He grabs him by the wrist and drags him away when he talks to a girl that’s just asking for notes. He doesn’t even let him take back a sweatshirt that he loaned to a girl because she likes him. Meanwhile, he’s secretly hanging out with his ex (as part of a job to make money to buy a surprise present for Jun Xi), and letting her hang onto his arm. A Tuo would blow a gasket if Jun Xi was hanging out with an ex, if he was doing it behind A Tuo’s back, and if he was allowing her to touch him. But Jun Xi doesn’t even mind the ex tagging along with their friend group. The only time he gets jealous is of A Tuo’s boss, and even then, he doesn’t intervene in anyway. He doesn’t tell off the boss, drag A Tuo away, or tell him he’s not allowed to talk to his boss or that he needs to quit his job. The double standard is not at all acknowledged. A Tuo literally gets jealous of Jun Xi’s 5 year old nephew, saying he’s not allowed to kiss him, and was jealous of Jun Xi’s brother as a kid since Jun Xi liked him more at the time.

There were a few things that I liked, though, towards the end of the series. I liked the general relationship story line, with moving in together, exchanging couple rings, choosing each other even at the risk of family disapproval, and coming out. I liked that at the end, they were working on building a life together, working towards saving for wedding rings and building their childhood dream home. And I liked that A Tuo eventually acknowledged his insecurity issues, with his jealousy problems, breaking up with Jun Xi so he wouldn’t break up with him first, dating girls so they wouldn’t date Jun Xi, and pressuring Jun Xi into a relationship. But he never acknowledged his sexual assault / ignoring consent problem, and I think that was the most glaring issue that needed to be addressed.

I also liked that A Tuo said he would be okay with being either top or bottom. Of course, it’s a BL and stereotypes dictate that the big domineering one must be the top and the smaller reluctant one must be the bottom, even though your appearance and behavior have nothing to do with your sexual preferences…so A Tuo ends up being the top and Jun Xi ends up being the bottom. But I appreciated that A Tuo was open to options and didn’t just demand or presume that he would be the top. (This would have been a great opportunity to showcase a versatile couple, and/or to challenge behavior / appearance stereotypes, but I digress.) I also liked that when Jun Xi eventually reciprocated, he was an active participant and initiated. When they first have sex, he kind of just lies there even though it was actually consensual for once. But as the show goes on, he’s a much more active participant and begins to initiate himself. By the end, the affection was completely mutual.

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When chemistry meets electricity

That opening scene jump started the whole series. It grabbed me and got me excited until the end. I truly enjoy the focus on both ML, including the child actors.

This s a RomCom at a higher level. Most BL series tend to add too many distractions with your typical highs and lows. Secret Lover is truly about deep friendship, it’s light-hearted and if you want a feel good show, this is highly recommended.

The chemistry of the MLnis just electric. I mean, every stare, every touch and every kiss can be felt. It’s like bein fb in the room with them. You just froze and kept asking yourself did that really happen. I wouldn’t be surprise if they’re dating for real because they might as well, they’re perfect for each other. And our young Junxi and Atuo were perfectly casted for their roles, as little actors their performances were incredible. Even the sexier scenes were beautifully crafted, enough to get you excited for both of them. The kiss, oh those kisses that came naturally. This is not a BL story, this is love and friendship.

And that music. I had to download the OST so I can listen while walking and driving, and imagine the two of them together.

Like Revenged Love, I will kiss them both and yet I am glad to have two beautiful RomCom series I can enjoy rewatching for years.

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Didn’t like it that much and probably only finished because they’re cute to look at (and I hope they really are together). First half is better than the second but it is still boring most of the times and amateurishly executed overall. I think the positive is that they (Chance as Tuo and Wang Jyun-hao as Jun-xi) have cute and sensual moments and they work, that there is a lesbian couple present in the narrative (even though they have unfortunately almost no screen time and zero actual romance) and that our protagonists were already quite smitten with each other as little queer kids. Family plot ends in a queer-friendly way but, in my view, not in a very satisfying one because the conclusion’s too facile and anti-dramatic. I actually prefer what precedes it: the brother’s tough love confronting Jun-xi with the reality of the closet is a more dramatically robust allyship and it is what ends up empowering him to actually come out. Julie Yuan as You-mei is a charming comic relief and Lin Chia-wei’s Wen-sen as romantic conflict leads nowhere: it is there and at the same time never makes itself present in the narrative. Tuo’s main issue ends up being overly internal and psychological (“we need to break up because your life will be easier without me”), which is an insufferable cliché in BL regardless of the country. But his possessiveness is quite comical. And spicy. Very hot.

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One of the Best Sensual Romances in Recent Times!!

Someone commented on our Twitter/X post that “We have another Sorn & Jun on our hands” and I laughed out loud because it is so true!!

This show starts with a punch, the pilot episode begins with the main leads kissing each other passionately (*ahem* in a restroom). You are left with questions like “What? How? Why? Who are these two? Where is the character introduction?”. And thus begins this story. Starring Chance & Wang Jyun Hao in lead roles, the story focuses on childhood friends, Han Tuo & Lu Jun Xi. They are actually a trio with Lin Xiao Yang (Lin Yen Tzu). They became friends when ten years ago, Han Tuo moved to their neighborhood. Shy and reserved, Han Tuo didn’t speak much because his mother had abandoned him. That was until Jun Xi gatecrashed into his life, and they became close friends. In the current scenario, Han Tuo grows to become the college heartthrob, moving through relationships at a fastening speed while poor Jun Xi finds it difficult to even confess his feelings to his childhood crush, Xiao Yang (or, so he assumes).

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2025/07/24/secret-lover-first-impressions-ep-1-2/

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well that was…. something.

When i first started to watch this series i was actually very excited because i saw it all over my fyp. I was actually very into it in the beginning of the first episode because the trope is the classic best friends to lovers and its actually one of my favorites. But after a short while disappointment came through because the progression into the story is least to say terrible. Everything happened so fast and it got to the unreasonable level of toxic pretty quickly. While i was there waiting for some wholesome comforting storyline the progression felt like a literal slap across my face. I do not know if it gets better after they are done with the toxic no communication phase but even if they do, i just cannot watch through series like this. And about the actors i think they have chemistry but this progression of the storyline made my first impression of them not so good. I still think they have pretty good chemistry though so i would love to see them in another series.

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