This review may contain spoilers
Definitely one of the best short chinese drama i've ever watched. Love the acting of liu xiao xu and yang shuyu. The chemistry between them is chef kiss. Love the story, how they approaching each other, slowly falling in love and being passionately in love. The cinematography is the best, pretty and beautiful. The story, cinematography, acting, everything is perfect. Hope there will be another drama with this kind of story. This is the third drama with this kind of story that i watched. 44:15 really love the part when he read bedtime story for her, his voice, the way he caresses her hair, the kiss, i'm so in love with them. Really love this story, every scene feels romantic, warm, homey and being loved Was this review helpful to you?
A perfect 10. Hit the play button!
I never thought I’d ever write a review for a vertical drama but here I am.A feel good, sweet, cute, non toxic, green tea and misunderstandings free show. This was honestly perfection to me. I cried, I giggled and I laughed out loud so many times watching this. Honestly I don’t even know how to review this, I just want y’all to not hesitate to watch.
In my whole year plus of watching vertical dramas, I have never come across one with such great quality; story wise, acting and directing. I think the casting was perfect, especially the ML.
if you’re looking for steamy, this might not be for you. But if you’re looking for a well developed romantic drama, go ahead.
Finally, I wanna applaud the sound team, the song choices were amazing! And the little Easter egg (the rain scene) at the end, wasn’t expecting that haha.
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Not bad but too stretched
İt started off great, and somehow in the middle lost it's charm.İt's a basic arranged marriage (marry first them fall in love) romance, the most common guilty pleasure genre I believe, and they did a good job with it.
But it is full of cliché, too stretched despite being short drama and utterly unrealistic.
I know it's weird to call a drama "unrealistic", a vertical drama nonetheless, but still it was filled of things that was completely weird.
The whole parent thing was unnecessary, if you want to show bad relationship with strict parent it would be weird to show a whole 10 mins of a child scolding his "strict parent" 😂
Also the ML is probably ET, because in my whole life I've never seen such a sensitive and kind guy, who is that selfless and loving towards someone he barely knows, ever!! They don't exist!! The guy cries and shows his vulnerable side openly and does housework and cooking too, if he isn't an ET then he is probably a Unicorn or something ~
Story generally isn't good but I can't really say This is a flaw, I'm probably just too old for the "handsome prince ML on a white horse who'd come and save Cinderella-like FL" though I'm still too young to be this cynical 😂😂
All I'm saying is, this was a good one, and the good acting made it better, except for some scenes the FL was terrible but overall well acted VD.
I would recommend it if you are a teen or a hopeless romantic, or simply love fairytale love stories.
İt's just, not for me~~
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A Masterclass in Short Drama Quality
Wow where do I begin? What a beautiful slice of life drama! It's beautifully realistic, at times poignant and bittersweet, at other times steadfast and fluffy. Overall, love was the main theme—love in multiple forms. Sisterly, friendship, maternal, familial, and most of all, the steady, sacrificial love of a soulmate who understands you innately.I adored the story. Although it was quiet and simple, it didn't ever become boring. The conflicts felt real and not thrown in for the sake of drama. The familial difficulties were real, relatable, and pulled at my heartstrings. I believe anyone who has ever felt misunderstood by their family or felt the pull of a dream that wasn't supported would be able to relate. On the other hand, I loved how it was portrayed and eventually how it ended. Not everything has to be dramatic, not everything has to be black or white. Sometimes it requires give and take, other times it requires facing truths you don't want to. It gives people hope that someday, the other person may understand, or at least accept what you wish to say or do.
As for the acting, it was absolutely beautiful, especially the Male Lead. Liu Xiao Xu impressed me with his acting. I love that he didn't overact, but every move felt impactful. Even his vulnerability was wonderfully soft and true to his character as Yu Wen Zhou. His tears were real, his gaze full of quiet affection, his gestures subtle but poignant, and his heart simple yet steadfast.
The Female Lead also impressed me. Her actions were not overly childish like many short dramas and even high budget dramas tend to do. She was playful, but knew when to be serious, yet you could also tell when she was around family that her upbringing forced a level of maturity into her that came as a result of needing to constantly prove herself.
The side characters as well were all wonderful. The FL's sister, the ML's best friend, and all their family on both sides were absolutely wonderful. They fit the aesthetic of the story beautifully.
Lastly but certainly not least, I must applaud the production. The director and production crew clearly knew what they were doing, and the cinematography reflected that. For a low budget drama, it felt more expensive than many high budget ones I've seen. Although the sets were simple, the camera work made each setting feel like it was meant to be that way, that anything extra would ruin it.
My favorite part was how quiet the drama was. There were no loud music clips that didn't fit the story. If anything, I didn't hear any music. Although the end clearly had music that was cut off, it didn't feel annoying because the entire drama had already been intentionally quiet.
All in all, 10/10! It's a wonderful comfort drama that I might rewatch on a rainy or quiet day. I loved every moment!
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Cute and great binge watch drama
This is the first short that I’ve seen and I found it to be the perfect antidote to a much heavier standard format drama (with an angst ridden plot line).The characters were believable and fell in love slowly and naturally and the ending was perfect.
My only complaint was that the director didn’t change the actors’ costumes so one minute the sister is at a party wearing this incredible white trouser suit and the next day she’s shopping with the FL in the same outfit. Similar situation with the FL and ML too - there’s one blouse that she wears that you’re going to see way too often and a suit he practically lives in at one point. That said, there’s nothing else that I could really criticise about this drama.
The acting was great - the male lead went from sensible and focused one moment to super cute (with a genuine swoon worthy crooked grin) or dominant in a heartbeat and the FL morphed from a shy young adult into a confident woman through the course of the plot line.
Would I watch it again? Absolutely
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A Refreshingly Mature Take on Love, Choices, and Respect
CEO’s Arranged Bride (2025) stands out as one of the best produced vertical dramas in recent years. The visuals are stunningthe color palette, camera work, and overall aesthetic feel cinematic rather than “short-drama quality.” Combined with strong performances from both leads, the drama immediately pulls you in with its polished, heartfelt storytelling.What makes this drama truly refreshing is its realism. There’s no overbearing CEO, no melodramatic kidnapping tropes, and no foolishly written female lead. Instead, it focuses on the everyday struggles we all face, the difficulty of making choices, confronting our fears, and learning to grow as individuals and partners.
One of the strongest themes in the drama is respect. Respect for personal boundaries, respect for love, and respect for family. The male lead’s interactions with the heroine’s parents show emotional maturity and empathy; even during tense moments, he maintains sincerity and courtesy. It highlights a beautiful truth—love doesn’t require aggression to prove loyalty, and protecting someone does not mean disrespecting the people they care about.
In the end, CEO’s Arranged Bride becomes more than just a romance, it is a thoughtful, grounded story about relationships built on communication, courage, and mutual respect. With its excellent production quality and heartfelt message.
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Worths every minutes to watch
Woaa, I've just fineshed this drama and to be honest I hardly find the words...My biggest impacts in the show:
Beautiful, amazing smiles, not the dumb once but those you would like to touch and burn into you retina.
Expressive power of the silence and dephts of the moments
Narratives about how the ML+FL feel and what they experience together
How they change each others and how free they became by each others
It is not an ordinary show we got used to in this movie category. There is not cliche, exagerating or invading your senses.
BUT this story, script, dialogues and the main characters' performance and chemistry strike so deeply into the show that it could be even put this movie among one of the most famous classical love storyes. If you want to watch a healing drama, it must see. Without spoiler: it is not a funny romantic comedy but a delicate, masterful portrayal of how liberating love can be by a strong, persistent man feels deeply in love.
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Love is the earthly fire of vegetables and the cosmic romance of flowers.
This drama is full of concise, lovely sayings. It was a delight to watch for me. The main couple worked together to overcome life's problems and emotionally supported each other in meaningful ways. I am so glad that vertical dramas are gaining such quality!They met when he was a PhD student. Their love is touching and grows deeply. The hugs and kisses are heartwarming. The ending is blissful instead of cutting abruptly.
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Marriage in its truest form
This is a beautiful ode to love in its sacred and enduring form. It's a wonderfuly crafted story and tastefully shot and directed. We are invited to witness how marriage found its footing between Sheng sheng and Mr Yu.It showed babysteps from two people who respects each other but also keeping at respectful distance.. slowly but surely got closer. Mf Yu led by example. Thoughtful, supportive, encouraging and always emotionaly available. It allows Sheng sheng to be herself and also pursue her interest.
Supportive, understating vs strict, demanding parents were also a forefront of the story.
Many a times I forgot Im watching a short vertical drama. It felt like a film, a tasteful one with great cinematography. I'm amaze by the quality we cab now find in vertical dramas
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