The Early Spring

Flora is the Problem and I Said What I Said!!

I'm sorry, I'm just gonna go into my review without caring or mincing my words, otherwise I don't see how else I can write this review seriously. I'd rather have Jigsaw have me dig in my ass with a razor to find some keys than rewatch this shit.

Now.......I never once thought men could be the prize in a relationship, so color me shocked when I found myself disliking the female lead more and more as the show progressed. Yes, she's good at her job. Yes, she's kind to her friends and colleagues. But when it comes to her as a person in a relationship.....oh brother. I finally understood the phrase "love is blind" because of her. I genuinely do not understand how Luke stands her.

More than the actress's poor acting and portrayal of the character, I think the character herself is just downright stupid. I kept trying to look at this from a different lens because maybe I was biased for some unknown reason. But no matter how much I tried to deflect and justify it, it all boils down to the same thing. I know people are gonna say, "Oh, she's a flawed character." NO. A flawed character is Xu Yan from Love's Ambition. Zheng Shu Yi from Only for Love is flawed. Even Luke is a flawed character with his family drama and overly bluntness. Flora is just dumb! She just constantly projects her bad energy on that man whenever stuff aint going her way!

I really wish they would've had her get some help to deal with her insecurity and severe indecisiveness instead of pushing them back together in the end. These are two people who want different things. The ML/Luke wants a hot, fiery "fling" without the label of a "real relationship"(This didn't last long though it started like that.) IDK, maybe due to his poor relationships with his father? And she/Flora?.....Well, she doesn't know what she wants.

She's a textbook case of what an insecure bird looks like, and I say this with as much gentleness as needed. It's not that she doesn't know HOW to communicate; she makes no effort to do so AT ALL.

I can't even describe their relationship as push and pull because, from the beginning, he clearly stated what he wanted and kept acting accordingly. I thought she also knew what she wanted, with her making it clear that they should be dating in secret, picking the days they would meet up, and even setting the terms of the relationship, only for her to constantly get upset when those exact terms were met.

For instance, she made a mistake and was scolded harshly, just like Luke would scold any other subordinate, and her ass starts crying? LIKE HELLO? And yes, I understand the whole pretext of a superior boyfriend giving leeway to his subordinate girlfriend, but that in itself is wrong, and based on what she said, she didn't want that either. Again, proving my point about her being disgustingly and annoyingly indecisive. If you don't want special treatment, then you can't reasonably expect him to suddenly treat you differently just because you're sleeping together.

Another example is her planning her New Year's holiday around spending time with her "friend" and roommate, knowing it'll fall on the weekend that's reserved for her rendezvous with Luke, and then getting upset over the flowers he "apparently" bought for Zang Yao. Like, I totally get you feeling out of place and "below" him because he's so "talented, handsome, rich, and high and mighty,"(he's not. he's fucking arrogant idiot) but come the fuck on. STAND UP!!!! She behave and sells herself cheap and surprise why that's all others can see....

You're brave enough to tell him he should let you know if he stops liking you or if he has someone else, but you're not brave enough to clearly ask what's going on between him and his friend???? Huh? make it make sense!

She's just completely unfair and hypocritical because when Luke told her that her flatmate liked her, she just blew him off as if it was just jealousy talk. She wouldn't and didn't even think to draw a line with Zhu to make Luke feel better. Instead they became even closer and were even going on dog walks together, but somehow Luke taking a photo with his childhood friend was enough to have her bawling for 40 nights and days. And everybody is blaming him for creating space to make his girlfriend feel threaten and insecure when she quite literally does the same thing; even worst than him. Atleast he very clearly states he's taken and draws a line. She just does whatever. Which I find so Very hypocritical.

Let's speak on their communication now. Due to how bad that shit was, they'll be fighting and going no-contact with each other, and then in the next scene you'll see her giving in to his advances even though she's pretending to refuse them. Like, gurl, again, STAND UP! You're embarrassing us women. Do you want the man or not? Why do you constantly have one foot in and the other one out? why are you being lukewarm then blaming others when you get hurt? You're constantly asking for the emotional security of a committed relationship while also agreeing to the limitations of a situationship, and then becoming upset when those limitations actually affect you. Very nonsense person

I think the ML has problems of his own, and I believe he's toxic to a certain degree. He's not some innocent victim who did everything right either. He's rude, obnoxious, and his bluntness can absolutely be hurtful, but I'm not sure (actually, I am.) he is to blame for how BAD the relationship played out. If we're going to be genuinely unbiased, he was there helping and looking out for her even through all her avoidance and unwarranted outbursts. Still, every issue that arose was out of sheer pettiness and her lack of ability to open her fucking mouth and be vocal about stuff.

I think most of the toxicity we're blaming Luke for stems from her lack of communication. Their conflicts were made worse by her refusal to communicate, but that doesn't mean Luke's behavior was always healthy either especially with how blunt he is.

Let's discuss his bluntness. Let's be clear and fair: I do not agree with his approach or how blunt he is, but in their case, she became attracted to him because he was strict and blunt. So it's extremely redundant to like a trait in someone and then expect them to change that specific trait because you both are now sleeping with each other. It makes absolutely zero sense, ion know....

And this isn't me blaming women for men's actions or going on some misogyny trip. If you rewind to the very beginning, outside of him being TOO blunt and curt with her about leaving her back at his place and the job transfer with Alex, all the other issues thereafter were created and escalated because of her. The flowers, the reprimanding she got for her mistake, the ski trip she got upset over—ALL of it came back to the same pattern: she would make an assumption, refuse to communicate it, and then become upset when reality didn't match what she'd created in her head.

Next is her bawling......The bane of my annoyance is her constantly crying.

WHY ARE YOU CRYING?

Over the consequences of your own actions? You made an assumption and created a scenario in your head that's so far-fetched from reality, but you're crying?

Here's the thing: she does a lot of unscrupulous stuff, and then when Luke confronts her, regardless of how harsh he comes off, she plays the victim.

Imagine putting yourself in a situation where you're assaulted, and your boyfriend only finds out because you sent out an email reporting the ordeal????? ARE WE FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW? I completely understand that her intentions were good and that she did what she did so she could help Kitty. But telling your boyfriend lies about what really went down, with the excuse that he already had a lot on his plate and you were thinking in his best interest, is total bullshit. Give me a break! Firstly, there was no way he wouldn't have found out. Secondly, it would've been better if he found out while on leave and at home. She would've had the chance to control his reaction until her plan fully played out. This is way I honestly keeps saying she's a dumbass!

Another thing: she sees this man every day at work and will most likely be with him over the weekend, and you didn't think to tell him that the business trip you guys will be going on to Shenzhen, you'd be meeting up with your ex-boyfriend? That's one thing, but introducing your man as ONLY your boss and to your ex you call "friend" at that? Like, are we being for real right now? She dolls herself up for a dating app, hangs out and gives a big hugs and smiles to her ex man, doesn't introduce Luke as her boyfriend or even tell the ex he's her boyfriend even in the car yet through all of this he's painted as the one with the issue and he's the asshole....

Outside of her being severely insecure and indecisive, she's also a truly terrible person. I really dislike people who do wrong and then, when confronted or reprimanded, act as if they're somehow always the victim. YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR ASS DID. don't piss me off ho! People like that are wicked. At some point, you have to take responsibility for the situations you keep creating.

By no means am I saying Luke is a saint. He is definitely not. He's rude and obnoxious and speaks without mincing his words, but he's always been a person like that. That's one of the traits in him she liked—the way he wasn't fake or the type to ass-kiss.

The relationship started out as a secret situationship, which I believe developed into something somewhat resembling a real relationship, but throughout the whole thing, Luke has always been true to himself and what he wants. She's the one who constantly goes hot and cold and doesn't know how to communicate at all.

All in all, I the character is poorly written and likely needs therapy to deal with her delusions, people-blaming, birdlike behavior, and inability to communicate properly. She has enough awareness to know when something hurts her, but not enough self-awareness to recognize her own role in the cycle. even up until the end they didn't fix this issue of hers which is why it made no sense for them to be end-game!

I believe Luke did everything a boyfriend needs to do: defending her, protecting her, loving her, and compromising for her. He's not perfect, and there were definitely things he could've handled better, but he definitely did everything he should for her! While she's a bird who wasted 6+ years of that man's life, and I believe he deserved an out and someone better. I hate the most how Luke was always the one who makes up with her. She never apologizes and always plays the victim and cries, turning him into the bad guy.

Then she had some nerve proposing they go public with the relationship and talking about marriage. It was so painfully obvious that she only wanted that because she saw that her friend was getting married. Bird-brain! I mean, just a few hours before that, you introduced your man as your boss in front of your ex-boyfriend no less......AND THEN went on to spend half a day with said ex... Like that was literally the perfect opportunity for you to say he was your man. You've damn near met everybody who's close and dear to him (except his mom) and have been introduced as his girlfriend, yet you couldn't extend the same courtesy in front of your EX?

I know Luke loves her and has always been clear about it, but she is genuinely not an easy or good person to love. I'm an onlooker looking into their relationship, and all I've seen is him constantly compromising to make her happy and comfortable while she just WON'T extend the same courtesy. It's like she expected him to keep bending while she remained exactly the same.

She's all about herself, doing whatever without much thought about her partner. This includes but not limited to how she acts around Zhu, her refusal to claim him when it's important, and her constantly having him as alast priority while wanting to remain his number one. And that's ultimately why I don't think they should've ended up together. It's not simply that she's insecure or that he's emotionally unavailable. It's that their needs, expectations, and communication styles are fundamentally mismatched, and the show never really convinced me that they've grown enough to overcome that. Instead, they just became accustomed to each other.

Read More

Osmanthus Milk

Most people might think of this drama as an intimate one—and it definitely is—but there’s so much more to it than that. What really makes this drama stand out is how it surrounds you with the rawness of a relationship. A real relationship isn’t always about happy moments and romance; it’s also about differences, misunderstandings, conflicts, and learning how to overcome them together.

This drama feels quite different from the average Chinese drama because it shows the real struggles of being with someone who works in the same office, or someone who is completely different from you. It doesn’t make love look perfect or effortless. Instead, it shows the little things that make relationships complicated, messy, and yet so real.

And somehow, that realism is what makes the story so easy to connect with.
I really love the kind of intimacy this show portrays. It’s not just physical—the emotional closeness between the leads feels completely different from what you usually see in dramas. There’s something so natural about the way they connect, as it is not glorified and that’s what makes their relationship so special to me.

What I loved the most, though, was the relationship between the female lead and her friends. I honestly wish they had gotten more screen time because their bond was one of my favourite parts of the drama. It beautifully shows how, when you’re in a strange city, you can find people who slowly become your family—people who embrace you, understand you, and sometimes even stand by you in ways you never expected.

If there’s one drama I’m definitely going to recommend, it’s this one. I genuinely struggled to find anything I didn’t like about it. It’s warm, intimate, realistic, and just feels incredibly easy to connect with. ❤️

Read More

A Lukewarm Mess

To start with, I've read the novel and I liked it. It was angsty in a good way. Here, like a lot of c-drama adaptations, everything seems dull. Like that stage where something is about to boil over but never does. I understand that drama/movie adaptations make necessary changes but this one changed the plot completely, and not in a good way.

In the novel, the FL starts from being a timid, underqualified newbie to a confident young woman who excels professionally and has a substantial personal growth. The relationship between them starts by just being casual sex, with her being young and naive, and him exploiting the fact that she liked him, and later grew to love him. He wanted to keep it a secret. He never gave her security. So, her actions like signing up for the date night to help her friend seems ok, because she assumes, and he lets her, that he had other women. And so the fall-out and break-up also makes sense because he was always vocal about not wanting a real relationship (though he had changed his mind) and she felt neglected and inadequate.

But the drama changed this completely. Here, the ML wants to be open about their relationship while she keeps it a secret. She always treats him like a stranger but I can't empathise with her because here it's her that's toxic. Aside from the dominating nature of the ML, I found him perfectly reasonable, especially when it seems the FL never introduces him as her bf and goes on dates, while privately being lovey-dovey. On top of all this, despite it being over 4 years since they got together, she looks physically repulsed and ducks away every time he comes close. Maybe this is to make her seem innocent but it's just icky and makes him look like he's harassing her. I heard they had an intimacy co-ordinator, but ig that was for nothing.

Reason I dropped: The plot was already a mess. They simply took scenes from the novel but changed the whole narrative, yet still expected the FL to be the innocent victim of the uncaring ML, when it's exactly that they changed. The newbie was supposed to be a competition to her, to make the FL insecure. Then when they visit her at her project, the ML is supposed to deny the FL to present a creative work she worked hard on, and have the newbie grab that opportunity. This causes major angst and a fall-out, which is later amplified when the FL is passed over for a promotion in favor of the newbie due to nepotism. Then, due to the ML's previous actions, the FL wrongfully assumes he also favored the other girl and then she walks out. Now the drama shows a whole different story. In order to show the FL's competence, she's the one that does this whole thing successfully. So, the layout for later conflict is not there. Yet, she somehow makes a comment about him spending time with the newbie. Without any context. The drama feels like it's missing a whole chunk of whatever story it has.

Coming to the leads, Jing Boran is so effortlessly good. He embodies the ML in every way. Otoh, Sun Qian is bland, and painfully so when paired with capable actors. I like Sun Qian. And because she's an acting graduate, I expect a lot from her. But she's not expressive. Just slight widening of eyes, pouting and smiling. Everything seems skin deep. She has a beautiful tall, model-esque structure that's very ill-suited for whatever baby-ish acting she's trying to do here. It simply doesn't seem believable.

So that's it. I'm dropping this. I see that a lot of people like this, so I hope y'all have a pleasant watch.

Read More

The Early Spring

this drama is so captivating, well acted, well written , well directed and the acting is exceptional enough to have me start reading the book. It has a mature story line and is definitely not slow burn drama. I enjoy watching dramas that are centered in the work place and this one outdoes itself in keeping it fresh and new.
I have watched the episodes a few times each already and plan to watch the whole series again once is completed.
This is for amore mature audience and it fulfills my long last with that a work place romantic drama swoons my senses and emotions.
This cold hearted man already knows this time is different.
Excellent !! One of the best thus far after over 9 years of watching C dramas!!
Kudos to the producer, screenwriter , ML, FL, Support actors!!!

Read More

This series give the Road Home vibe, which also stared Jing Bo Ran, but Early Spring is more sexy and hot 🔥🔥🔥. I have watched 11 episodes and it one of those series I think I will tune in everyday, which is a lot for someone like me who's quite busy with work and family.

I had initially thought the plot to be problematic - high and mighty boss seducing a fresh grad, so wrong on so many levels on power dynamics. I thought he was a scumbag. But the plot went on with the female lead requesting him to keep hush on their relationship because she would like to keep her job in the company. She is not that stupid and innocent in this story. It's a story of 2 consenting adults meeting and fallen in love at a wrong time in their life.

It's a story that is believable and perhaps relatable to some.

The series is visually appealing, the casting was well done. I hope the series won't get cheesy and dragy with long problem solving scenes in the advertising agency. That would be a bummer.

Cant wait for the following episodes.

Read More

You'll miss them a minute after episode 24 ends

I really enjoyed The Early Spring. At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after a few episodes I was completely into the story. It’s one of those series that slowly pulls you in, and before you know it, you’re really invested in the characters and what happens to them.

The main characters are definitely one of the best things about the series, although they can also be a little frustrating at times. She can be too obsessed with her career and professional success, to the point where it sometimes feels like her work comes before everything else. I understood her ambition, but there were moments when I wanted her to just relax and enjoy her life a little more.

He is almost the complete opposite. He can be extremely cold, distant and individualistic. At some points, I even wondered if there was something else behind the way he behaved because he seemed to have so much difficulty understanding or expressing emotions. But as the story progresses, it becomes clearer that his personality is largely the result of his enormous success in business. He is so used to being successful, independent and getting what he wants that he can come across as quite arrogant and even a little full of himself.

That contrast between them is actually what makes their relationship interesting. They are both very strong-minded people, but they approach life in completely different ways. Watching them slowly understand each other and change because of their relationship was one of my favourite parts of the series.

I also really liked the script. The conversations generally feel natural, and the story gives the characters enough time to develop instead of rushing everything. Some situations are a bit predictable, but I didn’t really mind because I was still interested in seeing how they would deal with them.

Another thing I loved was the atmosphere. The series looks beautiful, and the music works really well with the story, especially during the more emotional scenes. It has a warm and cosy feeling that makes it very easy to get absorbed in the world of the series.

Of course, it isn’t perfect. Some parts are a little slow, and I think some of the secondary characters could have been developed more. There are also moments when the main characters’ personalities become a little exaggerated. However, I think their flaws also make them more interesting and believable.

Overall, I’d give The Early Spring a 9/10. It has a good story, strong chemistry between the main characters, beautiful visuals and plenty of emotional moments. Even though the two main characters can be frustrating at times, that’s also part of what makes their relationship so interesting. I definitely enjoyed watching their journey and would recommend the series if you like romantic, emotional and character-driven stories.

Read More

Love doesn't ask for perfection

Some dramas entertain you. Others quietly become part of you. The Early Spring was definitely the second one.
From the very first episode, I found myself completely invested in Shang Zhi Tao's journey. Watching her go from an inexperienced graduate, constantly underestimated in one of Beijing's most prestigious advertising agencies, to a woman who slowly found her confidence and proved her worth was incredibly satisfying. She never stopped fighting for herself, even when the people around her made her feel like she didn't belong, and that made it impossible not to root for her. Then there's Luan Nian. He's not an easy character to love. Cold, emotionally distant, demanding... the kind of man who pushes people away before they can get close. Their relationship is anything but perfect. It's built on attraction, admiration, misunderstandings, pride, and years of feelings left unspoken. At times it was frustrating to watch because I just wanted them to be honest with each other, but that's also what made it feel so real. Seeing Luan Nian finally understand what Shang Zhi Tao truly meant to him only after she chose herself and walked away was heartbreaking. Sometimes we realize someone's worth only when we can no longer reach them. What I appreciated most is that the drama never tries to convince us they're perfect people. They both carry emotional baggage, they make mistakes, they hurt each other, and they struggle to communicate. Yet the story never tells us they have to "fix" themselves before they deserve happiness. Instead, it shows two flawed people slowly learning how to understand each other, forgive each other, and become the safe place they had both been searching for. That, to me, was the most beautiful part of the entire drama. Love isn't about finding someone perfect. It's about finding someone who sees every imperfect part of you and chooses to stay. And then there's Jing Boran and Sun Qian... wow. What a pairing. Their chemistry was absolutely incredible. They didn't need dramatic confessions or grand romantic gestures. A glance across the office, a teasing conversation, a moment of silence... they made every interaction feel intimate and meaningful. It's been a long time since I've believed in a couple this much.
The friendships deserve just as much love. I genuinely adored every single member of the group. They weren't simply supporting characters; they had their own dreams, struggles, and personalities, and together they created such a warm, comforting atmosphere. The workplace itself became more than just an office. It became a place where people grew, failed, succeeded, laughed, and found a family in each other.
If I have one complaint, it's that I wanted more. More episodes. More ordinary moments. More time with these characters. I wasn't ready to say goodbye, and I think that's the biggest compliment I can give a drama. It wasn't just a romance. It was a story about growing up, learning to love, chasing your dreams, and finding the people who make every step of the journey worth it.

Read More

A love story about growing up, letting go, and getting a second chance

🌸 Story & pacing

What I loved most about Early Spring is that, unlike so many dramas where an entire relationship somehow happens within three months 😂, this story unfolds over several years. We actually get to see Luke and Flora grow together, change, make mistakes and give each other multiple chances.

Ironically, the synopsis made me expect the break-up much earlier. It says they have been together for six years before separating, yet we only reach that point around episode 21/24. And with “Second Chance” as one of the tags, I initially wondered what was taking so long!

But by the end, I think “Second Chance” makes much more sense. This isn’t really a story about one second chance. It’s about all the little second chances Luke and Flora have throughout their relationship, the problems they repeatedly fail to resolve, and finally the major second chance that comes after they truly break apart.

❤️ Luke & Flora

Their relationship is complicated, and that’s exactly what made it interesting.

Luke can be possessive, jealous and incredibly sharp when he’s angry. He sometimes knows exactly where to hurt Flora with his words. Yet he also respects her boundaries, supports her, and his love language is basically hugs, forehead kisses and being there for her. When they are happy together, they are genuinely adorable.

A line near the end sums up their dynamic surprisingly well: “He was arrogant and she was insecure.” Those two traits explain so much of what went wrong between them.

Their biggest problem is communication. Flora tends to keep her problems to herself, while Luke often makes decisions without explaining everything. Even after years together, they don’t always trust each other enough to share the difficult things.

The harassment storyline and, later, the tragedy involving Flora’s roommate really highlight this. Flora doesn’t tell Luke about some incredibly traumatic events, even though he is her partner. I understood why she was afraid of his reaction, but it also showed just how unhealthy their communication could become.

👩‍💼 Flora’s growth

Flora’s professional journey was one of my favourite parts.

At the beginning, Luke repeatedly tells her that she isn’t suited to the job and should resign. She is insecure about her abilities, especially compared with him, but she refuses to give up.

Over the years, she becomes confident, capable and independent. Other managers even try to recruit her when they leave the company, showing just how far she has come.

The actress also sells this beautifully. Her clothes, make-up, hairstyle and overall presence gradually change as her confidence grows.

And I loved seeing her eventually build her own company after leaving her old life behind. She proves that she can succeed without Luke.

🌱 Luke’s growth

Luke also has a proper character arc.

He eventually realises that some of his behaviour is turning him into the person he doesn’t want to become: his father. That forces him to reflect and change.

The most satisfying part comes after the break-up. He doesn’t immediately get Flora back. He suffers, takes time to reflect, and eventually disappears from her life for around a year or two.

When he returns, Flora has boundaries.

And this time, he respects them.

He initially tries a little too hard to get back into her life, even meeting her parents, but he eventually understands that he can’t simply expect Flora to take him back. His excuse for seeing her again is hilariously simple: he wants to see the dog. 😂

But underneath that excuse, we can see that he genuinely wants to rebuild their relationship properly.

🏠 The found family

The roommates were another lovely part of the drama.

The four of them gradually become a little found family in Beijing, each coming from a different background and dealing with their own struggles.

I especially liked Flora’s friendship with Lumi, her female mentor and superior. Lumi brings a really refreshing energy to the story and supports Flora both professionally and personally.

The roommates’ storylines also give the drama emotional depth, particularly the devastating revelation about the roommate’s depression and suicide. It completely changes the atmosphere and makes Flora’s decision to keep everything from Luke even more painful.

💔 The break-up

And then came episode 21.

After years of smaller conflicts and missed opportunities, everything finally explodes.

The break-up is messy, painful and absolutely heartbreaking. They say things specifically designed to hurt each other:

“I hate this ugly, disgusting, filthy relationship. I’m ending it.”

“I am just a tool for your career.”

“We never loved each other. We don’t trust each other. I wasted six years by your side.”

Ouch. 👀

Flora finally reaches her limit. She breaks up with Luke, resigns, moves back to her parents and even changes her phone number.

For once, she chooses herself.

💍 The ending

The final three episodes were honestly my favourite part.

Luke finally has to confront what he has lost. We see how much he suffers and, more importantly, that he genuinely changes rather than simply promising to change.

Meanwhile, Flora builds a successful life of her own.

When Luke eventually returns, their second chance feels earned because they aren’t simply going back to the relationship they had before. They have both grown, and Flora makes sure that Luke understands her boundaries.

And then they get married, completing something that was part of Flora’s bucket list. 🥹

🎬 Final thoughts

Early Spring isn’t a story about a perfect relationship. It’s about two imperfect people who genuinely love each other but have to learn how to communicate, grow and become better versions of themselves.

There were moments when I genuinely wondered whether Luke was a green flag or a red flag, and honestly, I think the answer is both. 😂

The long timeline is one of the drama’s biggest strengths. Watching Luke and Flora evolve over several years makes their relationship feel much more believable than the usual whirlwind romances.

Beautiful romance, strong character development, career growth, found family, emotional drama and a genuinely satisfying second chance.

And yes, making me wait until episode 21 for the break-up advertised in the synopsis was criminal.

⭐ Definitely one I’ll remember.

Read More