It was all I ever wanted from a romance plot

I'm not a big fan of C drama or K drama. I have watched only a few of them during my 6years of following TV shows. So, I almost don't know any Korean or Chinese actors/actresses by name. I'm telling this to make it clear I didn't like “Hidden Love” this much because I'm a fangirl of the cast members or whatever (as some people may assume).
I watched this 2 months ago on my 18th birthday completely by accident. I wanted to cheer myself up on this so called “big day”, and it was recommended on some app, so I started watching it with the expectation of a very ordinary romantic series which is fun for one day or two, and will be forgotten the next week with lots of cliché. HOWEVER, I can tell without a doubt it was one my best experience of watching a series or a movie. It was all I ever wanted from a romance plot. This series is literally a proof that a romance can be engaging and lovable without any stupid unnecessary drama which are only in the story to waste time because the writers don’t have any better ideas. It was pure joy for me.
The plot is pretty simple and not new, but the way it is processed, is absolutely a breath of fresh air.
Although including some cliché, the series broke a lot of norms in romance plots and can be called subversive; The story didn’t include a love triangle; It didn’t have an evil character who would destroy the main leads’ relationship; It didn’t have a bad boy ML who is arrogant about other people’s feelings and depressed and half naked all the time. It didn’t break up the main couple over stupid BS which are unrealistic as hell; It didn’t have unnecessary filler plot only to kill time and have more episodes.
We have a teenage girl, SANGZHI, who’s got a crush on his brother’s friend; she makes every excuse to be around this young man. She does some very stupid things like going to another city all by herself with made up excuse to see him, but at the end she is very realistic about the fact that she can’t be with him and keeps all of her feelings to herself for years (such a big burden for a girl at that age) and moves on which shows her growth despite how hard it can be. When she is actually close to her dream, she acts very mature and careful. quite Opposite from some other female leads, she understands that the male lead can’t be at her service 24/7 (referring to episode 16); instead of nagging or breaking up, she asks about his feelings, make sure if he’s ok, and tries to make him happy and secure.
And there’s our male lead, JIAXU (definitely my new fictional crush lol), who has gone through the worst; He was shammed by everyone for his father’s action; He had to watch his mother slowly dying; He was forced to pay debts at a very young age; but this didn’t turn him to an asshole/bad boy. Instead, it made him more responsible. He is very respectful; He cares about people; He loves to help others. When he becomes sure of his feelings about SANGZHI, He doesn’t hesitate to confess his love for her. And we can’t talk about him without mentioning his flirting ability. It is in another level. Never seen a character being this flirty and respectful at the same time. I know it’s a little cringe, but I want to gush over his appearance for hours. I mean just look at him (SANZHI, sister, you had every right to have a crush on him). His physical look really blesses the eye.
And I adored ML’s performance. His eyes are very expressive. He is surely talented, so is SANGZHI’s actress.
SANZHI and JIAXU as a couple, are definitely one of the best in all kinds of medium I have seen. Their chemistry is out of this world, thanks to the main leads’ acting. The way JIAXU’s actor plays with his eyes and looks at SANGZHI is just amazing (made me want to pause the series and just look at his eyes for minutes). The way they position their bodies shows a deep intimacy and very natural affection. These two will give you gallons butterflies every episode.
Everything about this show, from plot simplicity to actors’ performances and chemistries, really made my 2023 summer. I will remember the time I spent watching it as a memorable birthday “gift”. I will definitely come back to it every once in a while.

P.S. sorry for the bad English. It’s not my first language.

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