Les Belles

A SIMPLE HISTORICAL ROM-COM WITH A MODERN TOUCH

Review of 2025 C-Drama Les Belles

A Beautiful Romance That Starts Strong but Loses Its Way

Les Belles (2025) is a historical romance drama that hooks you in with stunning visuals, a compelling love story, and plenty of tension between the leads. However, as the story progresses, what starts as a charming and intense romance slowly gets weighed down by unnecessary drama—particularly an obsessive second male lead and a war subplot that feels completely out of place.

The Story: From Fiery Encounters to Unexpected Love

The drama follows Luo Lingyu (Lin Yun), a noblewoman whose life is turned upside down when her once-powerful family falls from grace. With nowhere else to go, she travels with her younger sister to Jianye, hoping to seek refuge with distant relatives. However, fate has other plans when she has an unfortunate run-in with Lu Yun (Fang Yilun)—a seemingly cold and arrogant young master who, unbeknownst to her, is part of the very family she’s trying to turn to for help. Their first meeting? A heated argument that ends with her shoving him overboard.

What follows is a classic "enemies-to-lovers" romance filled with sharp banter, undeniable chemistry, and a slow-burning attraction. Lu Yun, initially skeptical of Luo Lingyu’s intentions, gradually finds himself drawn to her resilience and intelligence. Meanwhile, Luo Lingyu, despite her strong will, starts seeing past his arrogant exterior and into the man beneath. Their relationship builds steadily, making for a satisfying and engaging love story—at least for most of the drama.

Where It Falls Apart

While Luo Lingyu and Lu Yun’s love story is the highlight of the drama, Les Belles stumbles in a few areas. One of the biggest frustrations is the obsessive second male lead, who starts off as a likable character but gradually becomes overbearing. What initially seems like sweet admiration turns into a repetitive, exhausting subplot where he refuses to move on, dragging out unnecessary drama between the leads.

And just when it seems like the drama is reaching a natural and satisfying conclusion, it suddenly introduces a war subplot in the final episodes. This shift feels abrupt and disconnected, as if the writers felt the need to add high-stakes conflict but didn’t know how to integrate it smoothly into the story. Instead of focusing on the emotional payoffs that had been carefully built up, the drama diverts attention to war-related tensions that feel unnecessary and rushed.

What Works & What Doesn’t?

✔ Breathtaking Cinematography – The visuals are absolutely stunning, from the intricate costumes to the beautifully crafted set designs. Every scene looks like a painting.

✔ Strong Chemistry Between Leads – Lin Yun and Fang Yilun carry the romance with their performances, making their characters’ relationship feel natural and engaging.

✔ A Well-Built Love Story (At First) – The gradual development between Luo Lingyu and Lu Yun is satisfying, with a good balance of tension, affection, and emotional depth.

❌ The Obsessive Second Male Lead Becomes a Headache – His infatuation with Luo Lingyu starts off as harmless but drags on for far too long, making it frustrating to watch.

❌ The War Subplot Feels Unnecessary – Instead of wrapping up the romance properly, the last few episodes shift into an abrupt and out-of-place war storyline that disrupts the flow.

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To be savored as pure entertainment (very successful) full of handsome guys.

Romantic comedy, historical, fun and light

PLOT: The FL, an orphan, flees a marriage arranged by her uncle and aunt with the ML2 (rich and powerful psycho) and runs into the ML, a noble, orphan, looking for clues about the death of his father, betrayed 10 years earlier. After a difficult start, they end up (FL, little sister and servant) finding refuge in the ML's family, frequented by "beauties" (suitors looking for a husband) and quite a few princes. Every lady is fighting to attract the favors of the ML, but the ML2 has not given up...

+++ Great actors (Alen Fang & Lin Yun as CL, with great chemistry) and a bunch of handsome actors, all magnificent and talented, who develop endearing characters. Even the psycho is very convincing! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
+++ Lively direction, with superb effects and cinematography.
+++ Brotherhood and sisterhood well highlighted. Excellent choreography and fight scenes.
+++ Lively OSTs to accentuate the comedy aspect.

### At times the "comedy" tone is excessive.
### Some sides of the characters (aggressiveness of the FL, bickering, little sister's interventions) can be annoying.
### Some coincidences / clichés are too obvious (ML2 who survives, ML surviving drowning, avalanche, etc.)

=> To be savored as pure entertainment (very successful) full of handsome guys.
*************************************************************
Comédie romantique, historique, fun and light (Parfois un peu "roman Harlequin :)

PLOT: La FL, orpheline, fuit un mariage arrangé par son oncle et sa tante avec le ML2 (riche et puissant psycho) et se heurte au ML, noble, orphelin, en quête d'indices sur la mort de son père, trahi 10 ans + tôt. Après des débuts difficiles, ils finissent (FL, petite sœur et servante) par trouver refuge dans la famille du ML, fréquentée par des "belles" (prétendantes en quête d'1 mari) et pas mal de princes. TT le monde s'affronte pr s'attirer les faveurs du ML, mais le ML2 n'a pas abandonné...

+++ Great actors (Alen Fang & Lin Yun en CL, avec une belle alchimie) et a bunch d'autres acteurs, tous magnifiques et talentueux, qui développent des personnages attachants. Même le psycho est très convaincant ! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
+++ Réalis° vive, avec des effets et une cinématographie superbes.
+++ Brotherhood et sisterhood bien mises en valeur. Chorégraphie et scènes de fight excellentes.
+++ OSTs entrainantes pr accentuer l'aspect comédie.

### Par moments le ton "comédie" est excessif.
### Certains côtés des personnages (agressivité de la FL, bickering, interventions de la petite sœur) peuvent être agaçants.
### Certaines coïncidences / clichés sont trop évidentes (ML2 qui survit, ML survivant à noyade, avalanche, etc.)

=> A savourer comme un pur divertissement (très réussi) plein de beaux gosses.

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Right in the middle

If you're looking for a short sweet story then this is it. You can't expect a masterpiece though. Saw an edit of this drama on tiktok, and I went to see the cast, i was sold after seeing that I already watched the supporting cast aside from the main leads. First episode didn't hook me, but it's a cdrama, some of the best gets better later on, and this one did. Though you actually see how limited the budget is for this drama, especially at the last few episodes, I mean they didn't even have a marriage scene. I like how linear and non complicated the plot was but it became ridiculous at times, especially at the end. There is not a single person who survived being under snow for a whole day, sure I'll let it go, but the male lead was picture perfect after a month. How the heck did snow even exist there were no river or any body of water on that map, regarding the place they were fighting for, there were a lot more but oh well. Anyways, the best thing for this drama was the characters, pretty nice characters I would want IRL and the annoying characters were exiled, dead, or just gone. Is the female lead in a relationship? Because every time they kissed her mouth was stiff as hell. Zhang Yangling kissed much better than the female lead. Still, the chemistry was there, because if not, the ratings of this drama would be worse and I would have dropped this drama in a heart beat. The acting also got better when the drama reached the twentieth episode, as the plot made it possible for heavier acting. Still, it kinda felt off, especially early in the drama. Overall, the writing was below average but it had its redeeming qualities.

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Music, dance and make-up

One of the best romcoms of the year! Every cast delivered their roles perfectly, even little Hua'er (oh, she's just so cute! X3). Everyone has great chemistry; not only the ML and FL but also the bromance and sismance in this drama are attractive.

The main couple = quirky, cunning, and funny, but are serious in what they do.

Prince Hengyang = mature, loyal, and protective of his loved ones (not only towards his family and friends, but also caring towards his fallen soldiers' families). I love how jealous he was of his younger brother because Lu Yun, his childhood & best friend, wouldn't call him by his nickname while the former(Prince Chang Yi) was always mentioned with the nickname 'Aman'.

Secondary couple = CUTE & PRECIOUS

The brotherhood = Heartwarming; unlike in other C-dramas where brothers are always competing with the ML character or act according to their hierarchical structure, here, they resemble actual brothers. Another thing that stole my heart is the bromance between Lu Yun, Lu Xian, Chang Yi, and Heng Yang. You'll be able to witness them in the latter episodes X3.

The sismance = Just like the quartet of MLs mentioned above, the four FLs also make a perfect team. Although there were misunderstandings and headbutts in the earlier episodes (due to LY, the cunning fox Xp), things wrapped up well in the end.

Lastly, the icing on the cake is, the make-up and costumes, dances and songs!!! LingYu's sword dance and the koi dance gave me goosebumps while watching! SHE NAILED IT! I'd say they're the best dances I've ever watched in C-dramas! Not your normal choreography. Not to forget Chen Xiu's drum dance too; it was beautiful and exciting. Princess NanPing's poem/song was so ethereal! I rewatched their scenes (especially, FL's koi dance scene).

Just go watch it and you'll know it's worth it!

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Les Belles - Love in the Midst of Masks

🔹 Would I rewatch? No, but I had a great time watching it!

✨ What happens when saving a stranger on the river ends up tying your fate to someone you least expect?

📖 Overview 🎬
🔹 26 episodes, historical romance comedy
🔹 Adapted from the web novel Zen Di Ta Qian Jiao Bai Mei (怎敌她千娇百媚) by Yi Ren Kui Kui (伊人睽睽)
🔹 Lin Yun portrays Luo Lingyu, a fallen noblewoman striving to survive with her wit and charm.
🔹 Alen Fang portrays Lu Yun, a hidden young master who observes her every misstep.
🔹 Luo Lingyu comes to the rescue of a struggling man but ends up pushing him off a boat to save her reputation. Little does she know, he's actually the third son of the rich Lu family!
🔹Perfect for romantic comedy fans who enjoy clever dialogue and playful plot twists!

✨ How It Felt Watching 💙
🔹 The early episodes are packed with silly humor and fun banter, setting a really upbeat vibe.
🔹 It felt like a breezy cup of tea-sweet, funny, and easy to sip, though not always filling
🔹 The themes of pride, survival, and stubborn romance are evident, although they occasionally become repetitive.


🎭 Cast & Performances
🔹 Lin Yun brought brightness to Lingyu, balancing pride with mischief. However, some felt her performance was superficial.
🔹 Alen Fang brought a delightful blend of playful teasing and gentle restraint to his interactions with Lu Yun. While he had a fun and engaging presence, his role tended to be more about reacting than driving significant change.
🔹 The supporting cast brought some fun and exciting moments!

🎵 OST 🎧
🔹 “Against Heavenly Light (逆天光)” by Ye Xuan Qing
🔹 “Only Wish Only Thought (唯愿唯念)” by Xian Zi
🔹 “Stand Aside (靠边站)” by A YueYue
🔹 “Old Age (白首)” by Chi Yue Han

🎨 Visuals & Production
🔹The sets and garden backdrops in the early episodes provided a refreshing charm.
🔹 The costumes were both stylish and flattering.

🏆 Final Thoughts
🔹 I enjoyed the humor and charm, but the story lost momentum in the middle with easy resolutions. It's fun, but not worth revisiting.
🔹 Would I rewatch? No, but I don't regret the watch either

☕ SpillTheDramaTea's Rating: 7/10 - a plain cup, fine but unremarkable

✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, it began like enjoying a sweet drink, but the flavor didn't stick around for long!

✨ Did you enjoy how the humor kept things light, or were you looking for a bit more depth in the romance?

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I don't like the story much

This is a story about a girl and a boy who faced injustice in their childhood. The girl was separated from her parents, after that a tragedy occured, while the boy’s father was accused of treason.

When they grow up, both of them start investigating what went wrong with their parents. During this journey, they meet multiple times, and the boy believes that fate keeps bringing them together. Over time, he is the first to fall in love with her.

Before she met the boy , her foster parents arrange her marriage with another boy. She gets married but later runs away, leaving behind a note to apologize. However, the boy never forgets her and desperately searches for her.

Overall, if you have nothing else to watch, you can give this drama a try.

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Not so bad, but not that great

Just finished this and would say I mostly enjoyed. It's one of those, didn't LOVE it, but didnt hate it either.
My favorite relationship was between the ML and the Prince Heng Yang - I thought I was gonna hate it cause they started down the love-triangle path - but so not where it ended up. Instead - once of the best ending/breakups with FL and Heng Yang - writers - take note, this is how it should be. And then the bromance with Hang Yang and the ML was just the best! Only regret is that they didnt find a good woman for Heng Yang in the end.
I wanted to like the main couple - all the elements were there - mostly. There was some good chemistry - but the battering/bickering got a bit old after a while - they literally couldn't have a single conversation without it turning into fight. Everything became a game of win or lose - either about admitting something first, getting caught in a scheme or giving in - and this is just about ego and pride (more so for the FL than the ML - I dont think she ever apologized for anything she did wrong). Would also add - while sufficient kissing scenes - FL actress needs to work on her kissing skills - I say this for ALOT of these dramas - this is an interactive action - lips should be moving. At one point she goes to kiss him on the cheek and she doesnt even pucker her lips - it was basically a face plant on his cheek - it's just weird. That being said - the kisses between Prince Shang Yi and Yang Ling were en worse - soooo awkward!
I so wanted to like the FL (and I mostly did) - she was feisty and clever and straightforward (mostly - for some reason she loses this when it comes to the Heng Yang - will get this later). But she was also prideful, narcissistic, never owns her mistakes and kind of mean to the ML when she didnt need to be.
Now - I see debate on the relationship between the FL and Heng Yang here in the comments - was she using him or not. The answer is, most definitely yes. She even says so - it was all about having him protect her from Fan Qing. The problem becomes - as in most of her schemes - she is so myopically focused on her scheme she doesnt see the impact on the people around her and she really doesnt care about how they feel about it - she is just focused on the result and not the process. Hence - she doesnt see the whole problem coming down the pike with Heng Yang that others see from a mile away. Then when the problem does arrive - it was uncharacteristic of her to not just take it head on and she gets all wishy-washy about for a bit. Luckily, she finally does and it is one of the best breakups in a cdrama.
Now once you get past all this first half silliness and everyone is sorted - it was fun to watch them all plot together to take down he bad guys

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Funny Story but annoying FL

The series starts off well and I was locked in. By the time I got to episode 15 I found the female lead to be extremely annoying.

Loved
- The ML he played his role well and gave me plenty of good laughs.
- Her little sister was cute and adorable (loved her bond with big sister)
- The costumes were nice but too similar to background actors (sometimes confusing) had to pay attention to distinguish main actors from background actors.


Dislike
-The prince and woman disguise as a man! Their love story dragged out too long. Also, I don't like stories where men are questioning their sexuality because the female is dressed as a man. So annoying!!!
- Young Mister Fan was obsessed with her for no reason. We didn't get to see why and how he established those feelings and behave in such an obsessive manner.
- Too much back and forth (power struggle) with the Leads! We could have seen more care and consideration that lead to them finding love. It felt like two toxic people having a love hate relationship and not a deep bond.
- The music wasn't compelling enough
- Male lead went from a spy to just hanging around doing nothing but waiting for the FL to give him sign about how she felt and what she wanted.

Overall, the story didn't have a lot of substance. Everything very superficial and plots fell flat.

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Who gives up marriage to a king

Initially I enjoyed the show especially the FL younger sister who can melt butter with her smile. The ML to me was just too much over the top. I had a hard time warming up to him that I wanted the 2nd ML to win. The story fails because it’s totally unbelievable the a commoner who struggled her whole life would give up marriage to a crown prince for a ML who initially made her life miserable.

Marrying a future King would create unbound opportunities for the sister she claims she loves. I’m sorry but not everyone marry’s for love, some marry for a better future. I stop watching this show and I have no regrets moving on to real fantasy with flying warriors with swords. It would be more believable than what I just watched.

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Push and pull

I can't say the series is bad. Because I watched it. There were many parts I didn't like, but since I watched it until the end, I gave points for the effort.
I liked the cast. I liked the shooting. I liked the image. I liked the costumes.
As for what I didn't like; First of all, I didn't like that the story wasn't deep. Maybe the script and the director were lame. I don't know about that, but there was no strong story and no plot based on it. As far as I understand, it's the story of a daughter whose parents died taking shelter with a relative and from there being given to a nobleman in return for money, so to speak, our daughter's objection to this, and since there was no result, she goes to her family homeland, or rather escapes there and obtains the family property. It's a bit complicated, but they try to tell it, but it's very superficial. On top of that, there's the mystery of the country's border struggles with another country and the involvement of the person to whom our daughter was sold in marriage in this struggle. But none of these are told in depth. There are superficial glosses. For example; Our daughter escapes very easily from where she was married off. No subject is mentioned about the family that married her off there for money. It is glossed over. She has nothing to do with it, only her aunt being in that family, her standing out in the family she joined with a huff, her being granted rights not granted to any other family member, her being given a special place. I had previously written this as a separate criticism, but in response to the claim that our daughter performed the best dance in an area where the king was also present, the dance had no characteristics, beauty or aesthetics, the director could not see this, and the actor did not attach importance to this, in other words, he did not work. While the dancer on the other side worked harder and performed a harmonious dance, the lead actor could not give a good image even with shows where he was suspended from a rope and dragged on the ground because his dance had no aesthetics. The director is at fault here. Since you say the dance is very good, you should have prepared the actor for this role. I have nothing against the actor. Because the actor played his game well. But the dance was not for me. Afterwards, the prince's man, who is shown as an enemy country agent, and a minister are caught very easily. It remains superficial. The person who is wanted to marry our daughter, who was thought to be dead but received many stab wounds in the show, escapes from there, and then he escapes, and becomes the minister, even the commander-in-chief of the enemy country by giving gunpowder to it. I found it very exaggerated. Are you making everyone who delivers you a material a minister, a commander-in-chief? Irrelevant. This personality also fights against his own country, gets the title of general. He is an obsessive personality and as a result, he explodes the gunpowder. It harms the leading male and female actors. The male lead is left alone because he died as a result of this gunpowder explosion. I don't know when he is found, and he steps into marriage with our daughter unharmed. It is again very superficial. However, it is not known what happened to the other obsessive lover, the enemy general, in the same explosion. It is not told. It is not shown. At the same time, no clue is given as to how this person is obsessed with this girl. The subject is glossed over. In other words, our series is very superficial, glossed over, and was edited and shot without much attention to the issues or details. That's why it's a snack-sized series that you can watch with great gusto. Because I liked the actors, and there wasn't anyone who showed a very sharp performance from the group of actors. Everyone gave a flat performance. The ones that caught my eye were Charles Lin in the role of the Prince, Jerome Deng in the role of Fan Chen, who was very successful in the obsessive role. I say well done. The man's obsession passed on to me. Li Jia Xin in the role of Chen Xiu. I also appreciated this actor for his hard work. Even though he had a small role and scene. Even though he was in the second or even third role, he worked on his scenes, came prepared, and I liked his dancing. I say well done for working. This girl made her role stand out, which was small. Bravo.
There were a couple of love and affection events in our series. The director gave them as push and pull. The last episode was specifically dedicated to these, so I didn't watch a love story from beginning to end, it was just an image of two lovers who had this kind of push-pull attitude towards each other from beginning to end.

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