Starring: Zhao Lusi, Chen Zheyuan, Victor Ma
Hidden Love is a story that starts out as an innocent childhood crush and grows into something more.
Sang Zhi (Zhao Lusi) develops a crush on Duan Jiaxu, her brother’s classmate and gaming friend, who also becomes her tutor. As she grows up, her feelings become stronger. When Jiaxu returns to his hometown of Yihe, they lose touch until Sang Zhi enrolls at the university there. Their paths cross again by chance. Sang Zhi’s feelings are stronger than ever—despite trying so hard to get over him—and Jiaxu realizes that maybe his best friend’s sister has grown from a little girl to a young woman.
Hidden Love will have you smiling from ear to ear and perhaps even screaming into your pillow with the sweet scenes. Watching Duan Jiaxu and Sang Zhi navigate their feelings for each other makes this an C-Drama one of the most endearing ones you’ll ever see.
Note: Hidden Love is the first series to be released that’s part of a shared universe, including The First Frost and When I Meet the Moon. While all the series feature some cross-over characters, they are in no way connected and can be watched as stand-alones.
Want to know what The First Frost is all about and why you should watch it? Read here:
1. You’re looking for a sweet, coming-of-age C-Drama.
Hidden Love follows Sang Zhi’s story from when she is a very young girl through her ups and downs of high school life until she gets into university. You get to see what it’s like to fall in love for the first time and all the heartache and secret yearning that come with it.
Sang Zhi’s admiration for Duan Jiaxu starts as a little childhood crush because of how kind and accommodating he is to her, in contrast to her brother, Sang Yan (Victor Ma), with whom she often quarrels. While Jiaxu teases her from time to time, he never crosses the line, always remaining a respectful distance. He does his best to take care of Sang Zhi every time their paths cross, especially as he considers her like a younger sister, too (at first, at least).
When Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu’s paths cross again after several years of silence, Sang Zhi tries to convince herself that she no longer has feelings for Jiaxu-ge (older brother), as she fondly calls him. But his constant regard for her, the way he pays attention to the little details, has her heart fluttering once more. At times, she tries to hint that they could be something more, but her fantasies get shut down when Jiaxu refers to her as his little sister or points out their age difference.
2. You’re looking for a green-flag male lead.
At first, Jiaxu is oblivious to how much Sang Zhi likes him. He has a lot on his plate, with his studies and part-time work to earn for his family. When he realizes how she feels about him and some of the pieces of the past start to make sense to him, he realizes that he, too, is falling in love with her. He remains a gentleman, prioritizing her safety and best interests.
Bit by bit, as we dive deeper into Hidden Love, we also start to learn more about him. We learn more about his family, about the tragedy that “incident” that he does not want to speak about. We see him working hard at the gaming company, spending many nights in the office between snatches of sleep and going out to see Sang Zhi.
When someone from the past tries to reenter his life and mess up his slowly growing relationship with Sang Zhi, he responds with kindness—much to Sang Zhi’s frustration. When Sang Yan finds out about the relationship between his best buddy and his baby sister and responds in the way that sometimes older brothers only know how to respond, by beating up their friend and being all protective of his sister, Duan Jiaxu accepts it and does not retaliate.
When Sang Zhi’s parents question his family background, explaining that they only want the best for their daughter, who has grown up in such a comfortable lifestyle, Jiaxu understands and accepts this, going out of his way to prove to her parents that he will do everything he can to make sure that Sang Zhi will be happy and well-provided for.
Special Note: Duan Jiaxu does not make a move on Sang Zhi while she is a minor. It’s only when she is much older and a constant presence in his life that he sees her as more than the sister of his friend. Slowly, hesitantly, he falls in love with her, despite trying hard to keep his feelings from growing.
3. You’re looking for a Chinese drama with great family dynamics.
Sang Yan and Sang Zhi in Hidden Love are your typical brother and sister with a love-hate relationship. Sparks fly every time they interact with one another. At times, Sang Zhi asks Sang Yan to cover for her at school so her parents don’t find out what she’s been up to (naughty kid things). Apparently, Sang Yan has done that more than once.
But while they are constantly at each other’s throats, they are also fiercely protective of each other. When Sang Yan hears of his sister falling in love with someone she met online (a story Sang Zhi made up to hide the fact that it’s Duan Jiaxu she’s liked along), he becomes concerned. When he hears a rumor that Sang Zhi has a boyfriend, he flies to Yihe out of concern.
Sang Yan and Sang Zhi’s relationship with their parents is wonderful to watch, too. They appear to be a close-knit family with a lot of regard for each other. Hidden Love often gives us glimpses of them celebrating Chinese New Year, birthdays, and other celebrations together.
Note: Victor Ma doesn’t reprise the lead role of Sang Yan in The First Frost. Bai Jingting plays Sang Yan instead.
4. You’re looking for a sweet romance.
Hidden Love features one of the sweetest romance stories in modern Chinese dramas. It’s endearing to watch Sang Zhi’s blossoming love for Duan Jiaxu. And the moment he realizes that he’s the one she’s liked all along will have you kicking your feet with glee.
Knowing that Sang Zhi already likes him does not make Duan Jiaxu let down his guard. Rather, it serves as a motivation to prove himself worthy of his love. He courts her, taking her on special dates, treating her like a queen. And he works even harder to take care of her, prove to her family that he can provide for her, and give her the things she needs—everything to make her happy.
