Currently Reviewing: Still Shining
Currently Reviewing: Love Story in the 1970's
This articles contains major spoilers from the first 10 episodes!
In the 1970s, Fei Ni, a motivated female worker in a hat factory, wanted to go to college to change her fate with knowledge. Fei Ni's junior high school classmate, Fang Mu Yang (Arthur Chen), became a hero for his bravery because he was injured while saving people. Fei Ni (Sun Qian) took the initiative to take care of him. She wanted to be recommended to go to college for good deeds, but her hope was repeatedly dashed. The pressure of reality came one after another. In order to help her brother solve the problem of the wedding house, Fei Ni proposed to Fang Mu Yang to fake marriage and separate the house. After several twists and turns, the two finally had their own house and became a young couple sleeping on the upper and lower bunks. They faced difficulties together and encouraged each other to pursue their dreams. Although they stumbled, they also fostered a romantic relationship in their ordinary and warm life. (Source: Chinese = Weibo || Translation = kisskh)
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Promotional images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
In April 1975, the Jiangcheng No. 1 Textile Factory held a spirited basketball match against the No. 2 Electromechanical Factory. Fei Ni arrived slightly late, carrying a large ceremonial flag, just as her factory's team was trailing. Unfazed, she led the cheers with infectious energy, shouting slogans of perseverance. Alongside a coworker named Feng Lin, Ms. Xu scrutinized Fei Ni’s latest thought report, accusing her of using overly sophisticated words like "limpidity" to flaunt her education rather than communicating simply with the masses. Despite Fei Ni’s defense that further education would allow her to improve, Ms. Xu dismissed her, citing a need for higher ideological awareness and a less resistive attitude toward criticism.
Dejected, Fei Ni returned home to her small apartment, bringing a portion of braised pork from the factory canteen to her father, Fei Mingde. As she retreated to her room, she reflected in her diary on how she had met every requirement set by leadership, yet remained stuck. Meanwhile, Fang Muyang was traveling back to Jiangcheng on a train after being granted family reunion leave from a forest farm in the Northeast. To pass the time and earn a bit of food, he used his artistic talents to sketch portraits of fellow passengers, exchanging a drawing of a grandmother and grandson for a piece of corn bread. Upon arriving in the city, he fulfilled promises to his fellow workers by delivering local specialties to their families.
Despite being a model worker, Fang Muyang was personally struggling; his parents had been sent away for re-education, and he no longer had a home to return to. When he found that a single room at a guesthouse cost seventy cents, he decided he could not afford it, as he was saving his meager funds for Fei Ni. Years ago, before he was sent to the countryside, Fei Ni had lent him one.
Fang Muyang wandered near Fei Ni’s neighborhood and settled into a parked cart for the night. In the middle of the night, a violent rainstorm struck, causing old buildings to collapse. So, was jolted awake by cries for help and immediately sprang into action. He risked his life to pull neighbors from the rubble, including the Liu family and Feng Lin’s family. While attempting to save another person whose leg was pinned under a fallen tree, Fang Muyang managed to free the victim just as a large stone fell and struck him on the head. He was rushed to the hospital in a deep coma.
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Having read a newspaper article about a woman whose selfless care for a hero earned her a university referral, Fei Ni saw a potential path to her dreams. She stepped forward and volunteered to care for the hero until his recovery, a gesture Ms. Xu highly praised as a display of true proletarian spirit. When Fei Ni arrived at the hospital room, she was shocked to recognize the man in the bed.
He was once been her deskmate in school, but he had been a constant source of bad luck for her, often playing pranks or causing her trouble in class. Her initial instinct was to quit, fearing the misfortune he might bring, but her desire for university was stronger. Looking at the unconscious Fang Muyang, she decided to treat this as a mutual arrangement. She told him that if she took care of him and he helped her become a model worker by waking up, all their past grievances would be settled. With a determined heart, she settled her mind to overcome this hurdle that would requiere much time and patience.
For over a month, she performed the arduous tasks of turning his body, washing him, and shaving his beard, constantly steeling herself to provide the best care possible. Meanwhile, a hidden tension lingered involving Feng Lin and her boyfriend, whom Fang Muyang had saved from a collapsing building. The couple had been together during the storm when the man’s leg was pinned by debris.
Because they were not yet married, they feared that if Fang Muyang ever spoke of that night, their relationship would be exposed as a scandal. Furthermore, Feng Lin’s father looked down on her boyfriend for being a common worker, making their future uncertain. Determined to secure their status, Feng Lin maneuvered to snatch the factory’s single university recommendation spot, viewing Fei Ni as her greatest threat.
Fei Ni discovered his sketchbook filled with vivid drawings of the Great Northern Wilderness, lumber mills, and massive cranes. Tucked carefully inside, she also found two large bills. The discovery reminded her of the money Fang Muyang had owed her since their youth, and she muttering to his still form that they would settle the debt once he regained consciousness. Fei Ni tried everything to stir Fang Muyang’s mind. She borrowed a second-hand radio from her father and played revolutionary operas for him until the batteries died. When music failed, she turned to literature.
She began reading Shakespeare’s sonnets to him, hoping the beauty of the verses would reach him. However, her hopes were dashed when the university recommendation list was finally posted. Fei Ni rushed to see it, only to find Feng Lin’s name where she hoped hers would be. When she confronted Ms. Xu about the announcement, the official explained that the decision had been finalized early at Feng Lin’s suggestion.
That night, a heartbroken Fei Ni sat by Fang Muyang’s bed and wept. She confessed her deep desire to escape a life where every day was foreseeable, admitting she wanted to study and become a writer like Shakespeare. As she begged him to wake up, Fang Muyang’s eyes finally fluttered open. Overwhelmed with joy, Fei Ni heard his first words: a soft question asking why she was crying. However, the celebration was short-lived. A medical exam revealed that while his physical functions were fine, the trauma had caused retrograde amnesia. He had forgotten his past, his parents, and even his own name.
Ms. Xu offered a new promise: if she helped him achieve a full recovery, the factory would recommend her as a city-level model individual, making her university admission a certainty and thus, Fei Ni threw herself into his rehabilitation, feeding him nutritious food and showing him his old sketches and watch to trigger memories. The situation shifted again when his sister, Fang Mujing, arrived. After speaking with Dr. Liang, Mujing realized that her brother lacked the ability to live independently.
She pointed out to Ling Yi that since Fang Muyang had yielded his university quota to her in the past, she should be the one to repay him by caring for him now. However, noting that neither Ling Yi nor Fei Ni could commit to caring for him for years to come, Mujing decided the best course of action was to send him to a rehabilitation center in the countryside. Mujing alredy decided to prepare to process his discharge the following morning.
When Fei Ni questions if she is simply not meant for higher education, Ms. Chen advises that if university is merely a matter of fate, it might not be worth the pursuit. However, Fei Ni reminds her that it was Ms. Chen’s own essays and encouragement that sparked her literary dreams. Moved by her student's spirit, Ms. Chen promises to stand behind her like a steadfast pine tree.
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Late that night, Fei Ni drafts a detailed "Rehabilitation Plan" for Fang Muyang, including daily exercise, reading, and improved nutrition. Realizing that providing meat and fruit will require money, she looks through her savings. She refuses to touch the money intended for her brother, Fei Ting, or the family’s basic living expenses. Ultimately, she decides she must dip into her "University Fund"—money she painstakingly saved over three years to support her parents once she leaves for school.
She presents her rehabilitation plan to Fang Mujing, promising to teach him basic life skills. While others see Fang Mujing as cold-blooded for wanting to send him away, Fei Ni expresses admiration for her rationality, noting that no one should be forced to sacrifice their entire life for another. Recognizing Fei Ni’s sincerity, Fang Mujing agrees to leave him in her care and provides one hundred yuan for his expenses.
Fei Ni begins the difficult process of teaching Fang Muyang how to brush his teeth, do laundry, and mend clothes. She uses the money his sister left to reward his progress with the foods he craves, such as pork cutlets and borscht from the Deda Western Restaurant. Fang Muyang shows a surprising ability to learn, though his emerging memories are entirely focused on food.
However, Fei Ni soon suspects he is tricking her into helping him with tasks he already knows, like trimming his nails. She decides to establish a professional arrangement, creating a price list for her labor: three cents for a shave or nail trim, and ten cents for laundry or sewing buttons. She also reminds him of a debt he owed her back in middle school, when he borrowed five cents and promised to pay her back double.
GIF source here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Fang Muyang signs the agreement, though he still struggles to write his own name. When Fang Muyang ruins a shirt while learning to do laundry, Fei Ni sews him a new one using her father’s old clothes, skillfully patching it to fit his larger frame. To show his appreciation, he uses his new art supplies to draw a masterful portrait of her. When Fei Ni praises the work, he jokingly tries to charge her fifty cents for it, echoing her own business-like logic. Despite the banter, Fei Ni is genuinely touched by the gift.
While Fei Ni wasn’t concerned about their past relationship, she found Ling Yi’s duplicity and sudden change of heart quite odd. Fei Ni later brought Fang Muyang to Kangnan Road, his childhood neighborhood, hoping the familiar environment would help his recovery. Fragments of his past did return; he recalled his grandmother and her kindness. His heroic instincts also remained sharp when he reflexively saved a young boy named Hao Hao from falling out of a tree. Fei Ni was deeply impressed that despite his amnesia, his noble character remained intact.
Deeply moved, Director Xu praised Fei Ni for rehabilitating a hero and promised to recommend her for the university slot. After the meeting, Fei Ni rewarded Fang Muyang with ice cream. They later visited a shop where Fang found a piano. As he played, he regained a vivid memory of his grandmother donating a piano to a school and seeing a young Fei Ni practicing diligently.
Xu explained that Fei Ni’s contribution was more significant and that Wang needed another year of observation. She also warned Feng to be mindful of workplace conduct regarding her relationship. Resentful, Feng decided to prove that Fang Muyang’s recovery was a lie. She staged an encounter where she pretended to be injured, and when Fang failed to recognize her as someone from the factory office, her suspicions were confirmed. She further investigated at the hospital, where Dr. Liang and the nurses indicated Fang was not truly ready for discharge. Armed with a medical report and her own observations, Feng reported Fei Ni’s deception to Director Xu. Consequently, Xu summoned Fei Ni to her office, sternly demanding to know the truth about Fang Muyang’s actual condition.
Fei Ni admitted that while Fang had begun to recall some fragments, he had not fully recovered. When Feng Lin accused them of conspiring to deceive the organization, Fei Ni protected Fang, claiming she was the one who had orchestrated the plan. Deeply disappointed, Xu Hongqi revoked Fei Ni’s college recommendation and ordered her to write a formal self-reflection.
Later, while Fei Ni was mourning her lost academic dreams by the sea, Feng Lin approached her and admitted she had long been resentful of Fei Ni’s perceived intellectual superiority. Feng Lin revealed her true motive: exposing the secret was a way to secure a college spot for her own boyfriend. Devastated, Fei Ni sought comfort from her teacher, who encouraged her by saying that while one path was blocked, no one could seal off her true path in life.
However, Lin Mei eventually confessed the heartbreaking truth: Fei Ting was avoiding his return because he knew that if he came back, Fei Ni would have nowhere to live. This revelation deeply moved Fei Ni, as she recalled the many sacrifices her brother had made for her—from giving her his new pencil case as a child to volunteering for the Great Northern Wilderness so she could take their mother’s job at the factory.
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Despite the awkward start, he walked Fei Ni home and met her mother, who warmly invited him to dinner. Inside, they found Fang Muyang, who had obtained Fei Ni’s address from a nurse because she hadn't visited him in days. The dinner was incredibly tense as Ye Feng recognized Fang as a rival. Meanwhile, neighbors gossiped that Fei Ni was shamelessly trying to "climb the social ladder" by dating the director’s son. Because of this aspect, later on, Xu Hongqi, she initially opposed but eventually agreed on one condition: Fei Ni must formally abandon her dream of attending college. Confident that his own charm outweighed any academic ambition, Ye Feng accepted the condition on Fei Ni’s behalf, certain he could convince her to choose him over university.
After the film, Fang Muyang continued to interfere until a frustrated Ye Feng personally escorted his rival back to the hospital. Once alone with Fei Ni, Ye Feng spoke plainly. He told her that if she valued their relationship, she needed to distance herself from Fang Muyang to avoid gossip. If Fei Ni wanted to marry into their family, she had to give up her dreams of attending university. Fei Ni spent a long time sitting outside her home reflecting on her future. For the sake of her brother, Fei Ting, she was willing to endure any hardship. Deciding it was time to say goodbye to Fang Muyang, she visited the hospital the next morning.
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Fang Muyang was cheerfully sketching a portrait for an elderly patient. Fei Ni took Fang Muyang out for a final day together, treating him to a movie, a steak dinner, and the ice cream he had long craved. At a department store, they both insisted on buying clothes for each other. Upon returning him to the hospital, Fei Ni’s tone became formal. She advised him to apply for housing through the factory’s Educated Youth Office and told him she would no longer be coming to see him, as her task of caring for him was finished.
When a desperate Fang Muyang tried to stall her by claiming he couldn't tie his laces, Fei Ni tearfully asked why he kept pestering her. she admitted she had only cared for him to secure a university recommendation, but since that dream was dead, they no longer owed each other anything. As she rode away, Fang Muyang tried to chase her but tripped because his laces were indeed untied.
He pleaded with her to give him just two or three months to sort out his life. At dawn, he visited an old family friend, Fu Boquan, at an editorial office. Fu Boquan offered him a spot in a two-month editor training course with a substantial subsidy. Fang Muyang gratefully accepted but asked his "Uncle Fu" to keep his recovered memory a secret for now.
Meanwhile, Ling Yi, having discovered Ye Feng was not yet engaged, began frequently visiting the cotton factory to watch him play basketball. Xu Hongqi noticed the beautiful girl in the stands and was highly impressed by her admiration for Ye Feng. Upon learning Ling Yi was a university student with a guaranteed job placement, Xu Hongqi decided she was the ideal match for her son. At the same time, Fang Muyang applied for a dormitory at the Educated Youth Office. Recognizing him as a local hero, the officials there called Xu Hongqi at the factory, hoping she could use her influence to help facilitate his housing request.
While Fei Ni was deeply moved by his generosity, she remained practical, knowing the home ultimately belonged to him. Consequently, she decided to proceed with her planned visit to meet Ye Feng’s mother, Xu Hongqi. Fei Ni took the visit seriously, dressing up and buying fruit, while her parents insisted she also bring high-quality tea and canned goods to ensure the Ye family wouldn't look down on them. However, Xu Hongqi had already planned to humiliate her.
When Fei Ni arrived, she found Ling Yi, a college student Xu Hongqi favored, already seated as an honored guest. Xu Hongqi dismissively treated Fei Ni like a servant, ordering her into the kitchen to clean and cook a fish. She pointedly mentioned that Ling Yi preferred braised fish, forcing Fei Ni to cook for her rival. Although she recognized the intentional slight, Fei Ni maintained her composure.
While the others were distracted by the music, Fei Ni quietly ate the entire fish herself. Once she finished, she stood up, announced she was full, and left—taking her original gifts back with her. Ye Feng caught up with her downstairs, demanding she return and apologize. Fei Ni bluntly told him that his mother clearly preferred Ling Yi as a daughter-in-law. Despite Ye Feng’s insistence that his opinion was the only one that mattered, Fei Ni refused to listen and cycled away. She headed to the hospital to give the gifts to Fang Muyang instead and told him about the disastrous lunch. After this, Xu Hongqi changed her mind. She informed Fang Muyang that the factory had decided to prioritize married couples for the current housing allocation, effectively revoking his unit unless he could produce a marriage certificate by the next day.
Fang Muyang went to the factory to discuss this setback with Fei Ni, only to find Ye Feng harassing her. Ye Feng was pressuring her to apologize to his mother, claiming he had already defied his family for her and even arranged a job for her brother. He grew impatient with her desire for an education, arrogantly stating that women only went to college to find a good husband. When Fang Muyang intervened, Ye Feng threatened that she would lose his help and his mother's permission to attend college. Ignoring the threats, Fei Ni climbed onto the back of Fang Muyang’s bicycle and rode away. As they rode, Fang Muyang explained that he lost the house because he was single.
To solve both of their problems, Fei Ni proposed a radical solution: they should obtain a marriage certificate through a "fake marriage." She explained that if they were legally married, Xu Hongqi would have no excuse to deny him the housing. Fang Muyang immediately agreed to the plan. They decided to split the unit so they would both have a place to live, keeping the arrangement strictly business while promising to support each other's dreams, including Fei Ni's goal of attending college. Knowing her parents would never approve of such a sudden move, they planned to get their letters of introduction and register the marriage in secret the following morning.
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Returning home, she found him already there, having arrived with high-quality gifts, including expensive tea. Fang Muyang had preemptively informed Fei Ni's parents of their intention to marry, a move that left them stunned as they had always expected her to marry Ye Feng. Her parents were immediately hostile; her mother, Wu Baoying, pointed out his lack of a job and a home, while her father was concerned about the potential long-term effects of Fang Muyang’s previous head injury. Fang Muyang remained confident he could win them over, citing his popularity at the hospital and his plans to earn money through comic strips and training courses. Meanwhile, Ye Feng was devastated and begged his mother for help. Xu Hongqi remained firm, criticizing him for lacking Fei Ni’s clarity. She accused him of only being upset because his pride was wounded after Fei Ni chose someone else.
After three hours of solitary consideration, she accepted, knowing his background would provide the political "clearance" she needed to join the research project. Fang Muyang continued his efforts to charm Fei Ni’s father, Mr. Fei. He joined a chess game between Mr. Fei and a neighbor, Old Liu, acting as Mr. Fei’s "apprentice." He showcased his skills by winning a week's worth of watermelons from the neighbor. To further impress his future father-in-law, Fang Muyang presented a handmade chess set carved from red sandalwood, which he had crafted from an old chair he bought from a classmate. He emphasized that his manual skills would ensure he could always provide for Fei Ni.
To solidify his standing in the neighborhood, Fang Muyang created an illustrated martial arts manual for Mr. Fei’s ancestral Tai Chi style. He drew the "72 Forms of Fei-style Tai Chi" and added detailed explanations. This caused a stir among the neighbors, who suddenly viewed Mr. Fei as a grandmaster and began calling him "Teacher Fei." As Mr. Fei began teaching classes in the courtyard, rumors of his impressive new son-in-law spread rapidly.
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
On the day they are meant to register their marriage, Fei Ni’s parents wait at the subdistrict office for an hour before leaving in a rage, assuming Fang Muyang has had a mental relapse. Lin Mei eventually reveals the truth: Fei Ting has returned home and, fearing his sister is making a mistake, kidnapped Fang Muyang. Fei Ni rushes to the woods to find her brother threatening Fang Muyang with a knife. She manages to convince Fei Ting that she is being practical and not merely sacrificing herself. After Fei Ting warns Fang Muyang to treat his sister well, the couple finally heads to the studio. In 1975, they take their first stiff, formal photo and officially obtain their marriage certificate. For their wedding night, Fang Muyang arranges a room at a guesthouse so Fei Ni's parents do not have to vacate their own bed.
A nervous Fei Ni immediately presents a "Marriage Agreement," stipulating that they will be husband and wife in name only and that he must never prevent her from attending university. Fang Muyang signs it readily. He then surprises her by revealing that his memory has actually returned; he only kept it a secret because he feared she would stop caring for him once he was well. He even provides her with a tool for self-defense to prove he respects her boundaries. As they settle in—Fei Ni on the bed and Fang Muyang on the floor—they spend the night dreaming about how they will furnish their future home with desks, a sewing machine, and a double bed that can be split into two. The following day, the couple presents their marriage certificate to Xu Hongqi at the factory to claim their housing.
When Fei Ni points out that a single employee named Feng Lin was given a room, Xu argues that university graduates are a priority. Fearing Fei Ni might lose her job in a heated argument, Fang Muyang pulls her out of the office. Fei Ni is left in despair, feeling that every path to a better life is being blocked.
Fang Muyang comforts her, promising to reclaim what is theirs. That evening, they attend a dinner for her parents' 30th wedding anniversary. Late that night, Fang Muyang leads Fei Ni back to the factory office, carrying their red wedding quilt. He convinces her to stage a "guerrilla" protest by sleeping in Xu Hongqi's office. To make the scene more undeniable, they strip down to their undershirts before falling asleep. The next morning, a horrified Xu Hongqi arrives at work to find the newlyweds occupying her office floor.
Xu Hongqi, refusing to be swayed, ordered her assistant, Feng Lin, to throw their bedding out and called security to have them removed. However, the situation took a sharp turn when Fang Muyang recognized Feng Lin. He realized she was the woman whose home he had entered during a past storm to rescue her partner.
More importantly, he remembered that she had been living with a man without being married—a scandal that would ruin her reputation as a college-educated factory cadre. Using subtle hints about that "dark and stormy night," Fang Muyang pressured her. To keep him quiet, Feng Lin suddenly "volunteered" to give up her own housing unit to the couple, claiming she wanted to uphold the spirit of "hardship first, enjoyment later."
Graphic images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Relieved to have the matter settled, praised Feng Lin’s "high level of awareness." Feng Lin did not leave graciously; she vandalized the walls of the unit with oil paint before handing over the keys. When Fang Muyang and Fei Ni caught her in the act, Fang delivered a final warning: as long as she never troubled Fei Ni again, he would ensure his "memories" of her past stayed forgotten. Terrified, Feng Lin backed down. Rather than being discouraged by the ruined walls, Fang Muyang and Fei Ni bought pigments and painted a vibrant mural of golden rapeseed fields under a bright sun. Fei Ni added a small poem to the wall, and for the first time, the two felt the genuine happiness of having a place to call home. Meanwhile, Fang Mujing and Qu Hua celebrated their wedding.
As they settled into their new unit, Fei Ni insisted on buying secondhand furniture to save money for her dream of attending university. Because hethe room was too small for two separate beds, she insisted on a bunk bed to maintain their agreement of having "no marital reality." Fang Muyang teased her but eventually agreed. They also purchased a large trunk to serve as a dining table and a desk that doubled as a nightstand. At the factory, Fei Ni faced social pressure from her colleague, Liu-jie, to provide wedding candy, which Fei Ni considered a waste of money. She also found herself in a line for "contraceptive supplies" being distributed to married workers. Though embarrassed, she was warned by an older worker that "science is more reliable than luck" when it came to family planning. Later, Fang Muyang found the supplies in her bag, leading to an awkward and playful exchange between the two. Fang Muyang also visited his mentor, Uncle Fu, at the newspaper office to announce his marriage. The rest of the after math remains to be discovered later on.
Promotional images found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
Graphic images and quote found here: moonlightsdream on Tumblr.
"To be honest, I never thought I’d fall for you. It’s not that you’re bad. I’ve known you since Grade 3. Back then, I knew we weren’t the same kind of people. You splurged a lot. To put it nicely, you were carefree and optimistic. But frankly, you were reckless. That being said, it was you who made me understand that no matter how hard life is, when two people share it, it becomes lighter. And you taught me life isn’t only about distant goals. It’s also about the scenery right in front of you." (From episode 17)
(Last images found at kisskh and cryssytr my Tumblr page)
