This review may contain spoilers
Emotionally devastating in the best way—10 is for the ache it left behind..
I didn’t plan to watch this, but after reading the reviews, I gave it a try. And it completely wrecked me.
I know this drama isn’t directly connected to Hidden Love, but still, at the end of 2023, I fell in love with that show. I didn’t think anyone could live up to Victor Ma’s Sang Yan, and I loved the original cast so much that I questioned why they’d even bother changing something that already worked.
Then Bai Jing Ting showed up in episode one… and destroyed every single one of those doubts.
HE is Sang Yan.
He didn’t just play the role—he embodied it. His expressions, emotional control, subtle mannerisms… he gave so much depth that I found myself wondering, “Where do I go to hire a Sang Yan?” I wasn’t a fan before this, but he completely earned my respect.
Zhang Ruo Nan was just as fantastic. Her emotional switches were believable, her presence, and the growth later on. She made every difficult decision feel understandable. I rooted for her even when I didn’t fully agree, because she was able to show she made the best decision "for her" at the time. Her performance was also outstanding throughout.
Now, I still gave this a 10—but I did have one gripe.
I couldn’t connect to the second couple much. Their dynamic didn’t feel as grounded or compelling. But more importantly, Yi Fan’s friend Qiao Qiao really frustrated me, especially in the second half. Her friend's stance was so narrow-minded.
At first, I tried to understand her skepticism. When Yi Fan and Qiao Qiao first met Sang Yan after six years, she didn't know him, and she only had rumors to go on. From that perspective, he did seem cold and distant.
But after they found Yi Fan in Hong Kong? Her attitude was baffling.
This was the same man who’d never stopped searching. The man who tried to understand Yi Fan’s pain, even when she left without warning. The man who carried his heartbreak across cities and years. Qiao Qiao saw that up close. She spent six months with him.
And still she said things like (to Hao An):
“Don’t tell Sang Yan we found her.”
“She left him, and we don’t know what happened, so we should stay out of it.”
“She can find someone better.”
I was genuinely angry on Sang Yan’s behalf. He wasn’t selfish. He didn’t chase her out of ego. He chased her because he loved her enduringly, completely. And yet her friends acted like his pain didn’t matter. It's almost like her friend (actually, both of her friends acted that way) kept holding him responsible for her decision to leave when they admitted that she tended to bottle things up. I don't mean to turn this into a rant, but give the guy a break.
I don’t mean to turn this into a rant. But truly… give the guy a break.
Oh, and also her mom has to be one of the worst moms in Cdrama history for me. It's one thing to mistreat your child or pressure them (with good intentions). It's a completely different ballpark to slowly push them aside, ignore their cries for help, and pretend all is still well. By the end, her mom was just as culpable as Che Xing De in my eyes(if not more), and the gall of her to come look for sympathy. Glad Yi Fan was strong enough to cut her off.
I know this drama isn’t directly connected to Hidden Love, but still, at the end of 2023, I fell in love with that show. I didn’t think anyone could live up to Victor Ma’s Sang Yan, and I loved the original cast so much that I questioned why they’d even bother changing something that already worked.
Then Bai Jing Ting showed up in episode one… and destroyed every single one of those doubts.
HE is Sang Yan.
He didn’t just play the role—he embodied it. His expressions, emotional control, subtle mannerisms… he gave so much depth that I found myself wondering, “Where do I go to hire a Sang Yan?” I wasn’t a fan before this, but he completely earned my respect.
Zhang Ruo Nan was just as fantastic. Her emotional switches were believable, her presence, and the growth later on. She made every difficult decision feel understandable. I rooted for her even when I didn’t fully agree, because she was able to show she made the best decision "for her" at the time. Her performance was also outstanding throughout.
Now, I still gave this a 10—but I did have one gripe.
I couldn’t connect to the second couple much. Their dynamic didn’t feel as grounded or compelling. But more importantly, Yi Fan’s friend Qiao Qiao really frustrated me, especially in the second half. Her friend's stance was so narrow-minded.
At first, I tried to understand her skepticism. When Yi Fan and Qiao Qiao first met Sang Yan after six years, she didn't know him, and she only had rumors to go on. From that perspective, he did seem cold and distant.
But after they found Yi Fan in Hong Kong? Her attitude was baffling.
This was the same man who’d never stopped searching. The man who tried to understand Yi Fan’s pain, even when she left without warning. The man who carried his heartbreak across cities and years. Qiao Qiao saw that up close. She spent six months with him.
And still she said things like (to Hao An):
“Don’t tell Sang Yan we found her.”
“She left him, and we don’t know what happened, so we should stay out of it.”
“She can find someone better.”
I was genuinely angry on Sang Yan’s behalf. He wasn’t selfish. He didn’t chase her out of ego. He chased her because he loved her enduringly, completely. And yet her friends acted like his pain didn’t matter. It's almost like her friend (actually, both of her friends acted that way) kept holding him responsible for her decision to leave when they admitted that she tended to bottle things up. I don't mean to turn this into a rant, but give the guy a break.
I don’t mean to turn this into a rant. But truly… give the guy a break.
Oh, and also her mom has to be one of the worst moms in Cdrama history for me. It's one thing to mistreat your child or pressure them (with good intentions). It's a completely different ballpark to slowly push them aside, ignore their cries for help, and pretend all is still well. By the end, her mom was just as culpable as Che Xing De in my eyes(if not more), and the gall of her to come look for sympathy. Glad Yi Fan was strong enough to cut her off.
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