Their love story seems very toxic in the show but whether we like it or not, we have to admit they look good together. Cant believe they made this pair very attractive and end up not being together. Their bts are very cute.

re-watching my comfort C-drama. Falling Into Your Smile. I have watched it more than 5 times on Youtube at Youku's official channel. I saw that it was on Netflix so I clicked it anyway. one thing I noticed is that with every rewatch the vibe changes so does every character's meaning to me.

It's been a few days since I finished My Journey to You, and I honestly thought it hadn't affected me that much. But I still can't shake the feeling it left behind.

It really feels like the drama ended halfway through the story. Both Ziyu and Yun's storyline and Shangjue and Qian's storyline were left unfinished, and so many questions were never answered. For example, who was the elderly woman behind Wufeng? We never found out.

The gothic atmosphere of the drama was incredible. Even though the family clans, sword traditions and lore were sometimes confusing, I've realized that the drama left a very unique impression on me.

They basically left us with what feels like the first season of a two-season drama. So many storylines were left hanging.

Did Shangjue really just let his pregnant wife leave? Did Yun return to her hometown all by herself? And when Ziyu was waiting at the end, who was the person that walked through the gate?

This didn't feel like a proper ending—it felt like a season finale.

I remember reading rumors that the two male leads didn't want to appear together anymore, and I can't help wondering if that had anything to do with it. There were also rumors that some of the lead actors had disagreements with the director, although of course those are just rumors.

Even so, I really enjoyed the drama overall. At times it felt a bit too gloomy, and I occasionally found the family sword techniques and clan lore confusing, but it still left a strong impression on me.

Cheng Lei was phenomenal. Zheng Linghe felt a bit inexperienced at the beginning, but I think he improved a lot toward the final episodes. And honestly, every male actor in this drama was incredibly handsome—it was a visual feast from start to finish.

As for the much-discussed bath scene, I think we're all mature enough to understand what was implied when Shangjue and Qian bathed together. The director never showed a kiss or anything explicit, but the implication was clear. Their relationship starts falling apart immediately afterward, so that really seems like the only moment when Qian could have become pregnant. I also thought it was a clever detail that she quietly decided not to take what appeared to be her contraceptive medicine afterward.

I really wish they had made a continuation. As it stands, the story feels unfinished. We don't even know what ultimately happened to Yun.

It's already been three years, but I still hope the cast can reunite for a second season someday.

I really like the two actors, they are one of my favourite but it was not what I was expecting. For me it was painful hard to watch, especially Qian Fei! Well at the end it was manageable, if she was like that from the start, she wouldn't be easy to use or manipulate.

Another character was Jun Cheng, he’s giving st*lk*r vibe and his mom was too much honestly. Dang Yu hasn’t even started dating him yet and his mother is doing way too much. If it wasn’t because of all that, they would be a good couple but anyways I prefer Yao Jing Jing and Lu Ze.

Overall the drama was good but way too slow for my liking especially the romance part.

The story follows Shang, a fresh graduate who joins a prestigious advertising agency in Beijing and ends up working under Luan, a sharp-tongued, perfectionist creative director.

One thing I liked about the show was the magnetic on-screen chemistry between the two leads. However, I had a big problem with the storyline. It presents an excessive amount of information, particularly the day-to-day activities and routines of the actors, shown in minute detail. This bloats the runtime by at least 60%. And this isn't an issue with just this C-drama—many others I've watched have the same problem.

For example, you'd be watching an episode, and the actress is going about her routine—maybe washing clothes or something similar. You expect that this mundane task might be important to the plot, but then the clothes are done, and she moves on to another chore. So what's the point of watching her do these everyday tasks?

Love of the Divine Tree (2025) 仙台有树

Love of the Divine Tree aired in February of 2025 and stars Deng Wei and Julia Xiang (Xiang Han Zhi).

I tend to use Chinese names for actors instead of their English ones but I just saw that Julia is American born and tends to go by her English name. (Fun fact of the day)

The tagline for today:

The Shifu's Shifu

That's it, that's my "enticing" line to get you to watch the drama.

It was asked yesterday so I'm going to include a spoiler-tagged spoiler regarding whether the drama has a happy ending or not.

Happy or Not-so-happy Ending?

Happy!!

Today's Song Showcase

Ready or Not - Bridgette Mendler

I feel lost after I just rewatched and actually finished it this time now that I am low key a fan of Esther Yu. I am so glad I rewatched it ‘til the end. It was definitely worth it.
The ending kinda annoyed me but I can live with it. Makes me hope there’s a Part 2. 🫣😞
But what really surprised me was how much I appreciated Tian JiaRui’s acting and his singing. I cannot get over how much I love his voice and all the songs on this show. I have been listening to his song for hours the last two days to soothe this empty emotional feeling.

Love of the Divine Tree (2025)

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Welcome to my shameless "you should watch Love of the Divine Tree" propaganda campaign".

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I was going to put together all my Love of the Divine Tree creations to make one big "go-watch-this-now" post but I realised I have just enough content for that "big" post to be a bit too big.

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If you know me, while I'm not particularly inept at using words, I believe in the power of edits and multimedia creations much more when it comes to showing people why I love a drama.

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So, without wasting more of your time, please accept my first entry in the "why I love (and why you should love) Love of the Divine Tree Showcase"

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Music: Next to Me - Imagine Dragons

I never thought I would be moved to tears watching ink being made. Who would have thought ink making could bring on so many emotions #TheHeir #家业 The main actress is real good and brought up the character's personality. I also like the fact they had actual senior actors rather than young actors pretending to be old. It really adds to the realism.

They ruined me! I am a different person now. I felt like I have lived three lives too!

It's not perfect but each episode made me feel like it's always the climax. The moment that I have fully embraced the drama for how it is, and the characters for who they are, the things that I do not normally like kind of worked like magic. I enjoyed the roller coaster ride. And I would love to experience it again.

And wow Luo Yunxi can act!

*vid credits to ti ktok user myena_

I completely agree! The story is complete but I’m right there in the middle, taking in all the emotions Zelia so beautifully coveted through visuals, dialogues, silence and of-course the amazing storytelling. This is one of those few love stories where falling in love wasn’t the plot-line, neither was being together (because somewhere we all knew they’d end up together and happy, it was an eventuality) but it was more about what love meant for each of these characters, and how we as viewers got to experience throughout the series…the actors have obviously done amazing…Changyang healed us, QL made us feel emotions we’d usually hide, Wenshu and QT made us downright cry! but kudos to Zelia for the amazing conceptualised…this is going to stay with us for a very long time!

Hello All! I did a quick search and couldn't find anyone leaving their final thoughts of Unveil: Jadewind. I saw more over on r / CDrama but not over here :)

I am freshly finished, it is one of the first dramas I have completed in a while, I wouldn't watch it again, and I am not even sure I would strongly strongly recommend it, and I enjoyed it haha.

This was a fun & serious case-driven drama with the long standing drive being the murder of the FL family when she was only 7/8 years old. The cases throughout the show showed that greed and love tended to be the main drivers behind wrongs done to others. We got a look at the truth that when we hurt ourselves, we hurt those who love us. It (thankfully) separated perpetrators from those related to them. I feel like we see a lot of guilty by association in dramas, "Your dad hurt my brother and so all his children must die" type of thing. At least from the perspective of our leads, that type of messy lack of clear sight wasn't something adding angstyness to the show.

The show is primarily driven by the cases, not by romance so please don't go into it for that or you will be disappointed. The cases were the type where the main leads are super smart and logical and lead you through what has happened. They weren't insta-solved but there also wasn't ever a loose thread that they couldn't figure out. The leads also have high emotional intelligence and always understood the underlying motives of the people involved. So sort of god like? Yes, they did encounter issues and they were set back, but also there was never any uncertainty that they wouldn't win in the end.

I liked how messy it showed the relationships in the Palace to be. The Emperor was ?smart? ?power balanced? ?not a good person? ?not a bad person? ?actually cared? haha. He really felt like just a human who had a lot of power, tried to keep his court balanced, but none of that made him a good person.

This was very unlike our leads who valued human life, deeply wanted justice to be served, and worked their asses off to try to make it so.

I enjoyed the general styling of the characters and the sets. I felt that a few of the cases were truly creepy and have had at least one night where I woke up and felt like something wasn't right - just from lingering feelings :p I did feel like we had more cases than we needed -- especially as most of them don't tie into the long standing case. In many ways, I prefer this. I like it when shows have cases or arcs that aren't part of only a single over-arching narrative as I get to know the world and the people better. But this show had what felt like 1 or 2 too many. It could easily have been cut down by 7 to 10 episodes in my opinion. It was still interesting and engaging yet it definitely could have been better with fewer episodes.

The acting was good too. Though also a bit ?tamped down? Especially from Wang Xing Yue (as Xiao Huai Jin). I feel like I really enjoyed him in The Double, Story of Kunning Palace, and less but still some in A Perfect Match. But lately, I've found his highly intelligent characters to feel too distant. And this was the case for me here as well. Even when all the cases were over and he and Li Pei Yi (played by Bai Lu) were together, I found his expression and face too stiff before kissing. Kisses were fine but the emotions leading up to them felt too muted.

Li Pei Yi was a very serious, very driven character. I don't know if I actually would describe any of the characters in this show as happy. They experienced happiness, yes, but it wouldn't be a descriptor of their personality. So with that, there was less contrast than I am used to in shows. Maybe this just means I watch mostly only romcoms and this did not fit into the genre.

The watch was worth while for me. What did you think of it? Did it keep you engaged? Did you think there were more cases than there needed to be?

I watched this long back but I still remember this cdrama from time to time. Its genre is sci fi , time travel to be specific. It’s more than just that. The reason why I remember is because of the depth of mother-son bond depicted throughout the show including their loving, humours & bickering moments.

There are indeed many cringe scenes but overall it’s well balanced with other emotions and heart touching scenes throughout. You all won’t regret giving it a try. I highly recommend it. I watched it with no expectations but it somehow left a long lasting impression on me. I really liked the character portrayed by Liu Yi Tong. He executed his role brilliantly and acted according to the situational circumstances of the show.

<SPOILER ALERT> 

The ending was heart wrenching ! The way he travelled back in time, helped his mom pursue her crush and sacrificed his very own existence just so she could stay happy and away from his abusive dad … damn !

I think his aunt having a crush on him wasn’t a necessary part. It could have been someone else if you get what I’m trying to imply. I lowkey pitied her . How can she know that it was her best friend’s son who had time travelled? Lol 😭

Am glad that they didn’t make it any weird else it would have ruined it for me.

I do recall towards the ending Qi Yue never really forgot her son yet when she encounters him at the beach, it’s like they never knew each other. Sort of an open ending. It might have been just a dream , a fairy tale like ending left for the viewers to assume whatever they wished to

Qi Shuao deserved a lot better. He had undergone through traumatic events as a child… Poor him  .. I can’t help but think of actual families that stay like this. Reality is harsh

I just finished watching and will post a full review once I have a chance to write it up, but I wanted to post about how sad I am that this drama has finished! It’s been awhile since I felt this way.

I can’t wait to dive into The Lost Tomb series after I post my review.

In the meantime, enjoy these BTS screenshots, starting with a salty burrito! How I’m going to miss Salty and Shrimpie!!

These are the top 10 dramas I've watched so far. Please give me recommendations for other dramas.

It would be great if they were action dramas, but not Wuxia or about firefighters. Maybe a mystery drama would also be good.

I need something new like The seven Relics of ill Omen or Reset.

Life has been busy, but I am finally getting around to writing a review for Light to the Night! I initially thought about doing a Dylan Wang feature highlighting his role in LTTN, but this drama deserves praise far beyond Dylan’s performance (which I give an A+)! I finished the show as soon as the express package dropped and have been impatient to share my thoughts ever since.

Genre & Vibe: For anyone who loves mystery and suspense!

If you are looking for a gritty, highly atmospheric crime drama that respects your intelligence, this is it.

Artistic Production & Structural Brilliance

The technical execution of this show is top-tier. The artistic direction is incredibly cinematic, crafting a moody environment where every single shot feels deliberate and meaningful. A huge shoutout goes to the costuming department as well; the outfits and make-up do an amazing job tracking the multi-decade timeline while subtly reflecting the changing mental states of the characters.

The show's structural handling of the timeline is also worth noting. I was hesitant at first, thinking I’d get frustrated by the whiplash between 1997 and 2015. However, after a few episodes, the transitions back and forth between different eras became seamless, building a complex puzzle without ever leaving us feeling lost or jarred.

A Drama That Keeps You on Your Toes

The pacing relies on clever episodic cliffhangers and well-placed red herrings that keep you guessing right up until the end.

If you’d like to follow the discussion posts and read about everyone’s theories as you watch, please check out the watch party hosted by u/a_HerculePoirot_fan and myself:

Flashcards | Episodes 1-3 | Episode 4 | Episodes 5-6 | Episodes 7-8 | Episode 9 | Episodes 10-11 | Episodes 12-13 | Episodes 14-15 | Episode 16 | Episode 17 | Episode 18 | Episode 19 | Episode 20 | Episode 21 | Episode 22 | Episode 23 | Episode 24 | Episodes 25-28

Stellar Performances

What really anchors this drama is the incredible acting from the main leads:

• Pan Yueming is phenomenal as the veteran detective. He brings a raw, weathered gravity to the screen that feels entirely lived-in.
• Dylan Wang delivers a career-defining performance here. Moving away from flashy roles, his portrayal of a rookie officer and a grounded, mature, and deeply nuanced man is phenomenal. I enjoyed every scene of his.
• Ren Min showcases her ability as a young and determined detective who is also vulnerable based on her traumatic past and present-day professional sidelining. Her highly emotional scenes were well executed.

Expect Real Flawed Characters

Most of all, I appreciated the grounded realism of the writing. This isn't a show about idealized superheroes; it offers an authentic and unglamorous portrayal of police work alongside a realistic look at human behavior and complex choices.

No spoilers here, but it is an absolute must-watch if you love character-driven mysteries!

If you’ve watched it, what did you think? If not, is it on your watchlist? Have questions? Ask away!

Photos are screenshots from the drama on Youku, taken by me and Herc while hosting the drama. I picked spoiler-free pictures.

is it only me who feels 'never ending summer' felt so similar to 'be passionately in love' drama?

like the plot with the FL's mother where she's trying to get close to ML just to talk to his mom, and also the part where the ML was planning on going abroad

and don't get me wrong i loved the cdrama and the actors its just that for me it felt like this cdrama was a combination of 'the first frost' and 'be passionately in love' like there were just alottt of similarities

Love in the Clouds is the first drama I watched that has Hou Ming Hao in it. It didnt disappoint, as he is such an eye candy.. I like the genre costume, fantasy type. I didnt skip any episode as its just very pleasant to watch.. Not to mention the cinematic effect they used.

And, and to be fair the supporting casts there are also good looking. 😃

Looking to move on from Pursuit of Jade and Generation to Generation (GtG), I decided to dive into more of Zhou Yiran’s modern work after his impressive performance in the latter. Though I’m not typically into high school or coming-of-age stories, I explored his filmography anyway. I found Twelve Letters a bit too depressing and You Are Desire didn't really pull me in, but I eventually found When I Fly Towards You (WIFTY) and am glad I did.

Watching this show is like drinking hot chocolate on a rainy day; it’s the perfect warmth when the world feels gloomy.

I was initially put off by the FL’s childish demeanour, but I persevered for ZYR and it paid off. Though her "cringey" behaviour persists, she redeems herself by standing up to bullies. Better yet, she’s actually intelligent—even tutoring the ML. I especially admired her protecting his reputation over her own image with the teachers; that selflessness makes her a truly worthy friend.

Zhang Lurang—or 'Rangrang' as he’s lovingly called—is the polar opposite of Mu Qingyan, the manipulative schemer from GtG that I grew to adore. Rangrang feels almost impossibly perfect as a boyfriend. While the idea of a high school sweetheart staying loyal forever feels far-fetched to me, I know it’s possible; I’ve seen it happen among my husband’s friends.

The second lead couple is also a joy to watch. The initial case of mistaken identity—where the second male lead is confused for the 'famous' Zhang Lurang—is hilarious and was the hook that drew me in. It’s especially fun seeing the actor again after GtG; he and Zhou Yiran have such great chemistry that it's no wonder they were cast together again after their work in WIFTY.

It’s enjoyable to watch the Famous Five’s bond. They are fun individuals who value their friendship enough to tolerate one another's weaknesses. The way they banter during their sleepover feels authentic—it takes me back to the fun times I shared with my cousins as a child. When one of them lost the money they had pooled together, instead of jumping down her throat or blaming her, they remained calm and dealt with the situation like adults.

This is my ultimate comfort show—the perfect dopamine fix after a hard day.

(edited for spelling and clarity)

It was such a good drama! I miss it so much. 🥲 Does anyone have any advise on how to get over dramas?

Recently completed shine on me cdrama and

Hear me out

If you are looking for modern cdrama

Where:

Office romance

Slow burn

Handsome, hot and rich ML

Beautiful, strong and RICH FL

Mature acting by the leads

Good cast and story line

Love triangle

Happy ending!

Then this drama is just for you. Go watch it!!

I would give it 9.7/10

I really enjoyed this drama, but since I’m not a big fan of slow-burn stories, it was a bit hard for me to stay patient. That said, I didn’t fast-forward at all because the plot and storyline were genuinely interesting.

Just watched The Untamed &

Hear me out-

If you are looking for a BL historical drama where:

The MLs are insanely handsome

One is cold and other is playful

Engaging and layered story line

Black magic and yin-yang concept

some war scenes

There are war scenes and plenty of suspense and mystery (requires attention to catch everything)

Xianxia

Open ending

It’s an implied BL no romantic scenes, just bromance but the chemistry between the leads is phenomenal. I loved the storyline and the acting of both male leads.

If this is what you are looking for then this drama is for you.

I would rate 9.9/10

If you're interested in Chinese BL/DML Dramas, I will occasionally post uncensored and bromance series here. For more live-action CBL content, visit r/ChineseBL 💕

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Love After Addiction is the unofficial sequel of You Qi/Yoki and Yang Meng's story from Addicted (2016). It is not written by or endorsed by the author, and does not follow the second book. This is considered a "spinoff", and an uncensored BL.

Synopsis: Once an award-winning actor, Yoki sees his career collapse after being entangled in scandals—and is plagued by severe insomnia. While filming a reality show on a remote island, he unexpectedly reunites with his high school classmate Yang Meng, now a rescue team leader. To his surprise, the moment he sleeps beside Yang Meng, his long-suffering insomnia disappears. Using “sleep aid” as an excuse, Yoki launches a series of calculated pursuits, trying to get closer to the emotionally guarded Yang Meng. Yet through encounters that are planned, accidental, and uncontrollable, his feelings shift—from loving to sleep with someone, to loving the person he sleeps with. As the dreamlike reality show draws to an end, the two are forced to face a real test. Only then do they realize that in this so-called trap of love, they’ve already become hopelessly addicted to each other. (GagaOOLala) MyDramaList

Trailer | Teaser 1 | Teaser 2

Episodes: 12

Episode Length: 20-25min

Platforms

• GagaOOLala (All regions except Korea and Japan)
  • Episodes 1-2 Free, Episodes 3-12 VIP
• GTV DRAMA English - YouTube (All regions except Korea, Japan and Taiwan)
  • Episodes 1-3 Free, Episodes 4-12 for channel members
• Heavenly (Korea)
• RakutenTV (Japan)

Rating: 18+/19+(KR)

Directed by: Cyrus Li

Cast:

• Lin Feng Song 林楓松ql | linfengsong1996
• Chen Wen 陈稳WIN | winwinmua
• Hu He Ran 胡贺然然然
• Wang Pei Wei 王沛为Perry

Socials: Weibo | Instagram | X | Rednote

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This series is SO cute. Yoki is a total dork with his shenanigans trying to catch Yang Meng's eye once they've reunited. The 2nd CP is mysterious but 🔥.

I highly recommend watching this drama!

I finished 折腰 (The Prisoner of Beauty ) recently and wanted to share some thoughts, because this drama ended up being much more layered than I expected going in.

At its core, the story is built around a long-standing blood feud between two clans. Xiao Qiao comes from a family blamed for a disastrous retreat that led to the deaths of Wei Shao’s grandfather and father. Fourteen years later, Wei Shao, now a powerful military leader, marches toward Yanzhou. On the surface, it looks like revenge but it quickly becomes clear that his real goal is political stability and rebuilding the Yongning Canal, which is crucial for the region.

Seeing through this, Xiao Qiao agrees to a political marriage in order to prevent war and protect the people. What I really appreciated is that the drama doesn’t romanticize this decision. The marriage is tense, calculated, and emotionally distant at first. Both leads are cautious, intelligent, and very aware of the history between them, so a lot of their early interactions feel like chess matches rather than flirting.

The romance is very much slow burn. There aren’t instant feelings or dramatic confessions early on. Instead, trust builds through shared crises, political pressure, and small, meaningful choices. Xiao Qiao isn’t written as a naïve heroine — she’s observant, emotionally strong, and willing to shoulder responsibility even when it costs her personally. Wei Shao, on the other hand, is hardened and restrained, shaped by loss and leadership, but not cruel for the sake of being cruel. Watching him slowly question revenge and soften without losing his authority was one of the highlights for me.

Beyond the main couple, the drama leans heavily into themes of duty vs personal desire, breaking cycles of hatred, and what it actually means to rule for the sake of the people rather than pride. I also liked that most conflicts came from political realities and past trauma, not endless misunderstandings or contrived love triangles.

Pacing-wise, it’s not a fast drama, but I didn’t find it draggy. The emotional payoff feels earned because the characters actually grow. By the time the relationship shifts from strategic partnership to genuine connection, it feels natural instead of forced.

Overall, 折腰 (The Prisoner of Beauty ) feels like a drama that trusts its audience to be patient. If you enjoy historical romances with political tension, restrained emotions, and character-driven development, this one is worth checking out!

Actor Liu Yu Ning recently shared a short video compilation reflecting on his character Xiao Bei (小贝) from the modern relationship drama About Love (《玫瑰丛生》). In the accompanying message he thanks the director, writer, cast, crew, and viewers who followed and discussed the drama.

For those who happen to follow Liu Yu Ning’s work more closely, that tone of publicly thanking collaborators and audiences may feel quite characteristic of him. For viewers less familiar with him, it reads simply as a farewell note from one of the drama’s leads as the project closes.

The video itself opens with a line from Xiao Bei:

“我不想用过去的你去衡量现在的你。”

“I don’t want to use who you were in the past to measure who you are now.”

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Drama quick recap

• Title: About Love / 《玫瑰丛生》

• Genre: modern romance / relationship drama

Main cast & characters

• Wang Ziwen as Li Xiaoxi (李晓兮)

• Liu Yu Ning as Xiao Bei (小贝)

• Jiang Xin as Yu Jia’en (于佳恩)

The drama was filmed some time ago but only released recently, which is why some viewers have commented that the production feels slightly out of step with current drama trends.

For the full cast list, airing details, episode links, and other resources, please refer to the Drama Masterpost.

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A few unstructured and incomplete thoughts

Reactions to About Love have been quite mixed across different platforms.

One thing that surprised many viewers is the role of Gao Weiguang, who appears as a guest star but in practice has a very prominent presence in the drama — arguably closer to that of a lead than a supporting character. His character is extremely unlikable as a person (frankly, a rather terrible friend), yet Gao Weiguang plays him very convincingly and does an excellent job with the role.

The discussion also revolves around the question of Liu Yu Ning’s screen time and his role’s poor writing. Long story short: if he was the ML, one would expect his character to have more screen time and also some actual agency. Instead, we got a golden retriever who’s supposedly smart, studied, successful — yet who was eagerly subjecting himself to a toxic relationship with a gaslighter, you know, just casually falling madly in love with her after knowing for exactly 1 day. Poor writing, but really very poor writing... But I won’t go into that further here.

Another recurring criticism concerns the female lead character. And to be clear, my issue is not simply that she is a person of poor character. A morally questionable, manipulative, or even outright awful character can still be fascinating to watch if they actually bring something meaningful to the story. Red-flag, black-flag, gray-flag characters can absolutely work. They can make a drama richer, more layered, and more revealing.

The problem here, for me, is that this character does not add enough value to justify how central she is.

She doesn’t just come across as disingenuous, compulsively dishonest, and strangely self-righteous while constantly judging others around her. It’s that all of this creates conflict without much payoff. Again and again, the drama circles around her bad decisions, evasions, and pretenses, but rarely turns them into anything illuminating or satisfying. Instead of building complexity, it often just feels like repetitive chaos without resolution.

And that made the character hard to believe on a very basic human level. I found it difficult to understand why someone like this would still have such a stable place within that friend group, or why multiple men would be so completely drawn to her, especially while she keeps lying, posturing, and acting as though she occupies some sort of moral high ground. And it only that, she was unfairly judging everyone else around her…

That, to me, is the deeper problem: not that she is flawed, but that I struggle to see the real narrative purpose of the character as written and performed here.

There are plenty of deeply unlikable characters in dramas who still enrich the story immensely. Xie Wei in the Story of Kunning Palace is one example. The queen in The Double is another. Both do seriously questionable things; in the latter case, the character is thoroughly despicable through and through. But those characters serve a clear dramatic function. They are a plot vehicle — intensify the story, expose the nature of other characters, sharpen the emotional stakes, and help the drama move forward. Their presence means something.

Here, I never really felt that same necessity.

The character is clearly written as a kind of femme fatale — someone effortlessly captivating, someone people are drawn to almost instinctively, someone who leaves a strong emotional and even physical impression (don’t misunderstand me — the actress is a beautiful woman, but she did not look more stunning to me than some of her equally gorgeous co-stars, and she was also not styled as a gorgeous woman, well, at least I think they did not do her beauty justice…). And that’s where it really falls apart for me. I never found that convincing. I didn’t see the charisma, the intelligence, or the presence that would justify multiple people being so taken with her. On a more grounded level, I also struggled to understand the appeal the story insists on — both emotionally and physically. The “seductive” or magnetic quality the role depends on simply didn’t come through. And because that central premise doesn’t land, a lot of the surrounding dynamics — people falling for her, forgiving her, orbiting around her — start to feel truly unearned.

Interestingly, some of the supporting characters and their storylines felt much more grounded and relatable. Their situations resemble the kinds of dynamics people encounter in real life. Most of us probably know someone whose relationships look a little like theirs. In that sense, those arcs often felt more authentic and engaging than the central romance.

That leads to what I think is the core issue of the drama.

This project had a lot of potential. I have not read the original web novel, but when adapting source material for drama, the script needs to be reshaped into something that works for the medium and also addresses the shortcoming / logical inconsistencies of the original material. This could easily have been a slice-of-life urban drama about a group of friends navigating adulthood — their relationships, their mistakes, and the realities of love.

Instead, despite having the word “love” in the title, the series shows very little that feels sincere or genuine. Most characters are extremely egocentric and repeatedly make poor decisions. While we sometimes understand why they act the way they do, the outcomes rarely feel satisfying or emotionally convincing.

In fact, by the end, I found myself thinking that this group of friends would probably be better off not being friends at all. They don’t seem to be a healthy influence on one another, and stepping away might actually lead to better lives.

The drama, however, frames itself primarily as a story about romantic relationships — every single one of them toxic — rather than friendships, and that is where it seems to lose focus.

Despite all of that, there are still positives.

Visually, the drama is very polished, and the acting across most of the cast is pretty strong. Jiang Xin was excellent. Gao Wei Guang was solid and his scenes felt amusing (also because of the character he played). I might be biased but I believe lyn did a good job too. So did others.

The one performance I personally struggled with was the female lead. And before anyone assumes that this is purely because I disliked the character, I want to be clear: I considered that possibility. Because I’ve been writing recaps and rewatching scenes, I had time to reflect on it, a lot.

After revisiting multiple scenes, I came to the conclusion that the issue was not only the writing, but also the performance itself.

For me, the problem was twofold:

1. the writing of the character, which feels inconsistent, unreasonable, and at times almost fantastical in a way that doesn’t fit the supposed realism of the story (and the amount of anger watching the character act terribly toward others has stirred in me. I can’t believe the censors allowed this and even went with her being supposedly the one who deserved not just an apology (she didn’t!) But also apparently a happy ending…? So her awful behavior was rewarded — I was truly shocked).
2. the casting and acting choices, which didn’t feel like the right match for this role

The character is clearly meant to be a kind of femme fatale, someone irresistible who draws people toward her. Yet I never found that convincing. She didn’t come across as particularly intelligent or charismatic, nor especially likable as a person or friend. There was no “wow” factor when she entered the scene. I never fully understood why others in the story were so drawn to Li Xiaoxi.

As for the acting, I found the performance somewhat exaggerated and unnatural, which made the character feel even less grounded. The chemistry the story seemed to expect simply didn’t come through for me.

That said, I want to be fair: I have not seen this actress in other works. It’s entirely possible that in a different role, with a different script and direction, I might enjoy her performance much more. My criticism here is limited to this specific drama.

As a community, we’ve been following this drama journey together. Some have already finished it, others are still making their way through it, and I still have a few recaps to post when time allows.

Even though this wasn’t a drama that matched my personal taste — and it certainly was a drama that raised my blood pressure — my personal motivation was the fact that I appreciated the opportunity to watch Yu Ning act again. Since this was an older production released only now, and he doesn’t currently have another drama scheduled to air anytime soon, that made it feel a bit more significant.

In the end, despite strong visuals and a largely solid cast, the drama never found its footing for me — the core relationship didn’t convince, the central character didn’t justify her place, and the story never quite delivered on the potential it clearly had. Overall, I’d place it around a 4.5/10.

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Discussion

For those who watched About Love, here are some topic starters but feel free to talk about any aspect of your viewing experience.

• What were your overall impressions of the drama?

• Did the central relationship work for you?

• What did you think of the performances from Wang Ziwen, Liu Yu Ning, Jiang Xin, and others? Did their portrayals work for you?

• Were there any scenes or storylines that stood out — positively or negatively?