Fateful Love Review

I jumped into Fateful Love (流光引) simply because I have not watched Zhang Han for a long time. His last few dramas were not the best and I actually dropped One Boat, One World halfway through. It was just awful sitting through it. But I wanted a bit of variety rather than watching the same few faces for the past few months. So, I gave the actor’s latest drama a go. I have to say that the drama is not too bad overall although it has not been garnering as much attention as productions with more popular casts. My review of Fateful Love will have more on this below.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Historical Romance
Aired: August 2024
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook

The Cast Of Fateful Love

• Bambi Zhu Xu Dan as Han Zi Qing
• Zhang Han as Jun Bei Yue / 4th Prince
• Li Yu Xuan as Jun Bei Chen
• Jin Hui as King of Tianque
• Yao Chi as Xuanyuan Li Ge
• Guo Zi Qian as Han Xi Er
• Chang Dan Dan as Hong Yi
• Sunny as Shi Liang
• Hai Ling as Chu Fei Yan
• Ryan Ren as Baili Wei Sheng
• Wang Hao Xiang as Situ Hao Nan
• Wang Zi Fei as Situ Xin Er
• Lu Yu Jie as Lu Jun
• Luo Shi Qi as Nangong Qian Qian
• Liu Xiao Hu as King of Nanzhao
• Ai Ran as Consort Qin

Main Characters

Han Zi Qing

Zi Qing is the daughter of Chancellor Han who is a senior minister and advisor to the King of Tianque. But she has a lower status as her late mother was a concubine and musician. However, Zi Qing is smart with a strong martial arts background. She is also a courageous woman and a risk-taker.

Jun Bei Yue / 4th Prince

Bei Yue is the 4th Prince of Tianque. He is a very capable and respected military commander. This invites jealousy and fear which makes him an enemy to those who want power. His mother died when he was young and he has learned to survive on his own. Bei Yue is assisted by Ying Zi and Dr. Gu.

Supporting Characters

Jun Bei Chen

Bei Chen is the 2nd Prince of Tianque. His mother is the Queen. He is not as strong and capable as Bei Yue but wants to inherit the throne. Bei Chen is a vengeful and ruthless prince who is willing to collude with enemies to achieve his aim. He is married to his cousin, Ouyang Jing Qin. His maternal uncle is a general.

King of Tianque

The King of Tianque is a selfish and guarded man who is wary of his sons’ intentions. He is not a very smart ruler who is easily influenced by his Queen. The King seems to favor Bei Yue on the surface as he needs to rely on him to protect the state but is always looking for ways to curtail his influence. His personal attendant is Eunuch Yin.

Xuanyuan Li Ge

Li Ge is a guqin master. He plays mesmerizing music and is renowned for his musical talents. Zi Qing’s mother was his master. He has a mysterious background with his own agenda. Li Ge also has a younger sister, Xuanyuan Zhao Xi. Nanny Qin is his personal aide.

Han Xi Er

Xi Er is Zi Qing’s stepsister. She is a big bully together with her mother who is Chancellor Han’s official wife. Xi Er is a petty and jealous woman who is always scheming against Zi Qing. She has ambition to become Bei Yue’s consort.

Hong Yi

Hong Yi is Bei Yue’s housekeeper. She is loyal to her master and has her own idea of the type of woman that could match up to Bei Yue.

Shi Liang

Shi Liang was a beggar who was taken in by Zi Qing to be her personal maid. Thus, Shi Liang is devoted to serving Zi Qing together with her bunch of beggar friends that include Gu Xi.

Chu Fei Yan

Fei Yan is the Princess of Xiling who is aiming to marry Bei Yue. She has eyes for him and hence, is antagonistic towards Zi Qing. Her brother is Chu Tian Ge (Prince Xiang) who is the arrogant Crown Prince of Xiling. Xiling’s aim is to get Tianque to allow their army to pass through Tianque in the war against Dongling.

Baili Wei Sheng

Wei Sheng is a bounty hunter from Nanzhao together with his disciple sister, Xiao Sheng. They make a comedic pair in their effort to capture Zi Qing.

Situ Hao Nan & Situ Xin Er

Hao Nan is Bei Yue’s best friend. He comes from a noble family. Xin Er is his younger sister who has a crush towards Bei Yue. She is a spoilt and temperamental young lady.

Lu Jun

Lu Jun is Bei Yue’s master. He is the head of the Lu family which is known to be the leader among martial arts practitioners on Liuxian Island. He has 2 daughters with the eldest one, Su Ying, being married to Jiang Chen.

Nangong Qian Qian

Qian Qian is a Princess of Tieyan. She is besotted with Hao Nan and is always chasing after him whenever they meet.

King of Nanzhao

King of Nanzhao is a ruler who is wary of Isolated Islanders and wants them exterminated if any remaining members are found. He is into beautiful women with talent in playing the guqin and the arts. The King of assisted by his Imperial Advisor.

Consort Qin

Consort Qin is the King of Nanzhao’s wife. However, she is in love with Li Ge. Consort Qin is related to the Queen of Tianque and is Bei Chen’s aunt.

Synopsis

A young woman has been commissioned to lead an expedition deep into a jungle to hunt for a biological resource. A fall into a pit leads her to a dagger which pulls her back into an ancient setting. When she wakes up, she has become Zi Qing who is the daughter of Chancellor Han with his late concubine. Zi Qing’s aim now is to return to her modern world and views her current world as nothing but a dream. But she gets entangled with Bei Yue who is the 4th Prince of Tianque who takes an interest in her origin when she seems immune to poisons.

Thus, Bei Yue purposely chooses Zi Qing to be his consort. At the same time, Zi Qing notices that Bei Yue is carrying the same dagger that she saw in the pit. She assumes that the dagger would be the key to bring her back to the modern world. Therefore, she agrees to be his consort. Together they unravel the secret behind her origin which is tied to a mysterious isolated island and its inhabitants who had reportedly disappeared after becoming killer puppets. Along the way, the couple also have to fight off his stepbrother who is eyeing the throne and neighboring enemies who want the border lands belonging to Tianque while slowly falling in love with each other.

Fateful Love Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Fateful Love has a happy ending. The Imperial Advisor to the King of Nanzhao obtained the transformation spell to turn humans into puppet soldiers through the Soul Devouring Pearl. He kills Consort Qin when she questions him over his rebellious attitude in Episode 39. The Imperial Advisor also turns the King of Nanzhao into a puppet to attack Tianque in Episode 40. The King is killed by Bei Yue during the war.

However, the strength of the Imperial Advisor with the Soul Devouring Pearl is unmatchable. Zi Qing already learned from her mother earlier that her heart blood is the key to destroy the pearl. Hence, she sacrifices herself and pierces her heart with her dagger. The pearl is destroyed and the Imperial Advisor is killed along with it.

With her death, Zi Qing wakes up from her dream and finds herself lying on a bed inside a tent. The dagger is beside her. She is told that someone had rescued her from the cave pit. She chases after the rescuer and finds that he looks exactly like Bei Yue. Zi Qing runs forward to hug him but he seems to think that she has mistaken him for someone else. When she asks him if the dagger is his, he simply tells her that it belongs to her.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Zi Qing feels regretful after mistakenly stabbing Bei Yue in Episode 13 when she finds out that he was the one who poisoned her and caused her to lose her reputation. But she then learns from his subordinates that Bei Yue has been feeling guilty and doing his best to protect her all along due to her ties to the Isolated Island. In Episode 17, she makes arrangement to visit him while he is undergoing treatment for his injury. Zi Qing is genuinely worried about him but claims that she only regards him as a friend. However, he confesses that he has long thought of her as his consort. He is also willing to wait until she is ready to see herself as his wife.

In Episode 25, Zi Qing’s face is scarred and the totem mark exposed due to Fei Yan’s torture while in captivity. Bei Yue doesn’t mind at all and still loves her unconditionally. He tells her this in Episode 27 and wants her to know that she will always be his consort . Bei Yue’s mother suggests that they get married in Episode 31 and this leads Bei Yue to bring up the subject with Zi Qing. After an initial hesitation, Zi Qing agrees to marry Bei Yue and they have their wedding ceremony to officially become husband and wife. There is no breakup between them after they have got together.

Is There Any Love Triangle?

There is no love triangle but other parties are also interested in the leads.

Fei Yan

Fei Yan is intent on marrying Bei Yue but gets sidelined by him when he makes it clear that his choice of a bride is Zi Qing. Hence, she remains jealous and vengeful towards Zi Qing throughout the story. Her own bitterness leads her to a miscalculation which results in her having to marry the King of Nanzhao as a concubine in Episode 22. Fei Yan is killed by Bei Yue’s guard after she tried to stop Bei Yue from saving Zi Qing from a quicksand in Episode 27.

Li Ge

Li Ge is also deeply in love with Zi Qing. He is always on the lookout for her safety and risks his life to save her from drowning in Episode 25. He also offers his skin to be used to cover up Zi Qing’s exposed totem mark on her face despite being ill in Episode 26. Li Ge is destined to have a short life but when he is cured by Chief Meng of the Dream Tribe, he feels that he can now love Zi Qing and get close to her in Episode 29. So, he plans to launch a war against Bei Yue to get Zi Qing and restore Dongling in Episode 32.

Zi Qing isn’t impressed by what Li Ge has done and attacks him together with Bei Yue in Episode 37. Li Ge is saved by Madam Wan who wants to make use of him to neutralize the poison in her body. In the end, he is severely injured when he tries to repel Madam Wan. Wei Sheng finds him and brings him back to be treated. But Li Ge uses all his remaining energy to play the last Lishang tune when he finds out that Zi Qing has fallen unconscious. This last tune will also be able to lead her home. Li Ge dies after playing the last tune in Episode 40.

Shi Liang

Shi Liang starts to become unhappy as she develops feelings for Bei Yue in Episode 29. Bei Yue’s mother finds out about her feelings in Episode 30 and manipulates her with the promise of helping her to be with Bei Yue in Episode 31. She is caught by Bei Yue while carrying out Madam Wan’s orders in Episode 33 and is detained. Shi Liang is unrepentant and wishes to die in Episode 34. Bei Yue grants it but Zi Qing quietly asks Gu Xi to leave Shi Liang a chance to escape from death before she is tied and pushed into the water.

Zi Qing’s Origin

Bei Yue suspects Zi Qing is from the Isolated Isolated Island when she tells him that she is not from Longyuan Continent in Episode 9. Zi Qing herself hears from Li Ge about her poison immunity and connection to the island in Episode 10. She then dreams of her mother, Mu Ci, and gets the confirmation of her origin when she discovers the island’s emblem tattoo hidden beneath a layer of skin on her face.

In Episode 18, the elders of Qinse Valley informs Zi Qing that her mother was found drifting at sea and they saved her. Mu Ci then stayed at the valley to repay her gratitude but suddenly disappeared without a word one day. They suspect that someone may be hunting for her. The dagger was also her mother’s belonging.

Zi Qing meets her mother in an illusion in Episode 39 with Li Ge’s guqin tune to lead her. Mu Ci was the island’s Saintess. The Lishang music score is sacred to the islanders but she destroyed part of it and scattered the clues that could put the whole volume together when she was being hunted. She also forged the dagger by stealing the golden scales from the Nanzhao palace. Mu Ci tells Zi Qing that Lishang could wake up the puppets. She also informs her how to destroy the Soul Devouring Pearl that could be used to transform humans into puppets. Mu Ci then fades away as Zi Qing awakens.

Bei Yue’s Mother

Bei Yue’s mother, Madam Wan, appears and reunites with Bei Yue in Episode 30. She is from the Dream Tribe and her father is Chief Meng. Madam Wan claims that she left the tribe after her father reprimanded her. She then got noticed by the King of Tianque and married him. When she received news that her tribe was in trouble, she left Bei Yue behind and escaped from the palace. However, the news was a fabrication and she was kidnapped by an evil party who wanted to make use of her skill for nefarious deeds. She refused and was imprisoned for 20 years before escaping recently.

When Madam Wan learns that Zi Qing was Mu Ci’s daughter in Episode 32, she begins planning to get her killed. However, Xiao Sheng notices that Madam Wan had wanted to kill Zi Qing during a commotion with the Silver Merfolks. Her deed is exposed in Episode 33 and she is detained by Chief Meng who will bring her back to the tribe to be imprisoned in Episode 34.

The truth is Madam Wan was expelled from the tribe in the past because she was practicing a forbidden transformation technique and the Isolated Islanders were her victims. That was why she was after Mu Ci who died under her pursuit. Madam Wan claims that she was poisoned by the King of Nanzhou who wanted to make use of her skill and was forced to obey him to get the antidote. She married Bei Yue’s father to escape from Nanzhao’s forces but had to go back to them for the antidote when she failed to develop one herself. She was imprisoned but they released her recently to do their bidding again.

Her Fate

Madam Wan escapes from her detention after Chief Meng is killed by the Imperial Advisor of Nanzhao in Episode 36 to get his hands on the Soul Devouring Pearl. She is unrepentant and wants to keep her cultivated skills which she will lose if she can’t neutralize the poison in her body. As such, Madam Wan saves Li Ge when he is defeated by Bei Yue and Zi Qing for his role in attacking Tieyan and Xiling in Episode 38. Her intention is to absorb Li Ge’s special essence which acts as an antidote to the poison.

However, Li Ge rather die than let Madam Wan absorb his essence. So, he repels her with such a force that both of them are flung apart. Madam Wan dies as a result from the impact.

What Happens To Bei Chen?

Bei Chen is killed by Fei Yan in Episode 24. He has unmasked Zi Qing’s identity as an Isolated Islander together with his mother in a collusion with Consort Qin. Bei Chen is transporting Zi Qing to Consort Qin in Nanzhao when he is intercepted by Fei Yan who wants Zi Qing to fulfill her own lust for revenge. After Bei Chen’s death, his mother commits suicide in desperation. The King of Tianque’s health also deteriorates as a result.

Wei Sheng’s Background

Wei Sheng was found when he was a baby and brought up by a healer of the Medicine Tribe of Nanzhao who became his master. He is from the Golden Merfolk Tribe whose clansmen had been exterminated presumably by the Isolated Islanders. This is revealed in Episode 20 when Wei Sheng returns to see his master. The Golden Merfolk is the noblest in Nanzhao and Li Ge knows Wei Sheng’s origin when the latter saves him from drowning in Episode 25. Bei Yue and Zi Qing learn about his identity in Episode 29 after he fainted due to his injuries.

Chief Meng frees Wei Sheng’s mother, the Lady of Golden Merfolk Tribe, from a hidden barrier in Episode 34. The Lady reveals that it was He Lian, the leader of the Silver Merfolk, who killed the Golden Merfolk members. He Lian’s husband sneaked into the backyard of the King of Nanzhao’s palace during a banquet to steal things when he stumbled upon the Islander puppets and accidentally released them from captivity. During the massacre, Wei Sheng’s father found that the Golden Merfolk’s scale could be used to kill the puppets. However, they will eventually die after their scale is plucked out to be the weapon.

He Lian was arrested by the King of Nanzhao. To secure her own release, she made a deal with him to kill all the Golden Merfolk members and remove their scales to forge a dagger that could kill the puppets. Wei Sheng’s mother managed to escape and gave birth to him before being captured and imprisoned by He Lian. She met Mu Ci during her escape who told her that the islanders were victims of transformation.

Second Couple

Qian Qian and Hao Nan have a history and have met in the past. She is always chasing after him when she appears in Episode 20. However, Hao Nan feels overwhelmed by her attention and is always trying to evade her. But when Qian Qian informs him that her father is going to marry her off in a political alliance in Episode 21, Hao Nan begins to feel unhappy although he insists that he has no power to stop it and is in no position to marry her.

Qian Qian’s betrothal to the Crown Prince of Xiling, Chu Tian Ge, is announced in Episode 25. Hao Nan seems unable to let her go. Bei Yue arranges for him to meet Qian Qian in private in Episode 26. They confess to each other and decide to run away together when chased by Chu Tian Ge. Subsequently, Chu Tian Ge is forced to annul his engagement with Qian Qian in a deal with Bei Yue in order to protect himself. Otherwise, his involvement in Zi Qing’s capture will be exposed. In Episode 30, Hao Nan will send Qian Qian back to Tieyan and they will be getting married.

Both Hao Nan and Qian Qian are captured after Xiling defeated Tieyan in a war in Episode 36. Qian Qian sees Li Ge killing Hao Nan in Episode 37 but Li Ge reveals that it is only an illusion in Episode 39. The couple reunites in Episode 40.

Fateful Love Review – Good Story With Some Annoyances

Overall, Fateful Love should have gotten a bit more attention with its story rather than losing out to some idol dramas in terms of popularity. Unfortunately, that is how it is in the entertainment world. More famous idols will attract more eyeballs and Fateful Love just doesn’t have that star power to get higher viewership. However, I feel that the story and its execution is actually comparable with some higher budget dramas. In a nutshell, the story is about a time travel female who wants to get back to her modern world but gets sucked into the need to unearth the truth behind the accusation that her clansmen are ghostly puppets and killers.

The story is laid out in an easy to understand manner despite the number of characters and states involved. This could have easily become messy like Dashing Youth with its numerous characters and detours but Fateful Love is able to keep the plot moving at an even pace throughout. The sequence of events is logically rolled out as the protagonists try to join the dots to solve the mystery of the past.

This is not to say that the drama doesn’t have any boring moments. It does get monotonous at times as certain things keep happening to the leads. This is where you might get annoyed and frustrated with the story. It puts a damper on the momentum and intensity that the story quits being riveting after a while. This is the main weakness as far as I’m concerned with Fateful Love.

Damsel In Distress Pattern

There is a pattern of the female lead getting into trouble and needing to be saved in the plot. Sometimes, she is saved by the second male lead as the male lead keeps being a step behind. There is once or twice whereby she shouldn’t have fallen into the antagonist’s trap if she is less impulsive and a little more cautious. As a result, this may end up annoying viewers.

However, this weakness in the story is mitigated by the fact that the female lead is a marked person who is being hunted for her origin. Hence, she ends up being a damsel in distress a few times as the villains are after her for a few reasons. Furthermore, she is not a desperate weakling but a kick-ass person who is direct and not afraid to offend others.

Due to these mitigating factors, the damsel in distress repetitions did not become a dealbreaker to me. At most, they are a minor peeve which I can overlook to continue watching to the end. I suppose if you are less forgiving in this aspect, then Fateful Love may not be as enjoyable. The other potential pitfall is a few annoying characters in the drama that might really get on your nerves.

Annoying Characters

The second male lead in Fateful Love isn’t going to endear himself to many. He is not despicable to the extent that there are no redeeming qualities but his character is not that well-written. He has a one-sided love towards the female lead and it is hard to be sympathetic towards him when he has a shallow idea that defeating the male lead will get him the girl. Hence, it is plausible that you might just skip his scenes and get on with the story.

Then, there are other characters in the drama that will annoy you as well with their jealousies. People just seem to fall for the leads and create problems for them when they can’t get the person they desire. The male lead has 3 admirers although one of them has very limited presence. Pettiness, jealousy, and revenge sum up these admirers. The good thing is they don’t monopolize the story and this helps to keep annoyances low. Otherwise, it will be a jealousy fest in a fight for the male lead.

The other aspect of the drama that you might not like is the ending. It isn’t horrible but it has a predictable cop-out that is common in this type of story to get pass Chinese censorship. This is evident from Story Of Kunning Palace to The Romance Of Tiger And Rose. Well, if you have been watching C dramas for some time, you would know what I mean. Nevertheless, the ending is acceptable to me given the circumstances but just don’t expect a refreshing surprise.

Acting & Chemistry

As mentioned earlier, I have not watched any of Zhang Han’s dramas for quite some time. He has also attracted negative publicity in recent years and with his age, it may not be easy for him to regain his high popularity seen in the past. I first got to know him through Here To Heart and caught him again in Sunshine Of My Life. Being a veteran, it is hard to fault his acting in Fateful Love. For a start, he has the right height and build to play a commanding prince general in the drama. He is regal with a touch of arrogance that befits the character to me. I wouldn’t say his acting is superb but his experience ensures the character gets reasonably well-portrayed.

Bambi Zhu is about 7 years younger than Zhang Han but the chemistry between them is good enough to get the romance going. I remember her from her role in Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre 2019 and I saw her again recently in Burning Flames. I think she balanced out the character well with an attitude and body language that is consistent with her being a modern woman trapped in an ancient setting. Together with Zhang Han, the couple vibes are there but I don’t think it is explosive to the extent that it automatically makes the drama sell.

My Verdict – An Okay Drama

Despite some weaknesses, I feel that Fateful Love is not too bad overall. The story moves along and the mystery of the past provides enough additives to make you stay interested. It is not the most brilliant plot with some annoying aspects to it that might turn some viewers off as mentioned above. But I’m willing to look past them because the story doesn’t get bogged down by these annoyances to me. Things keep happening and that is good enough for me to continue watching although there is the feeling that some subplots are unnecessary at times.

Having said that, the drama is short on intensity and excitement to make you really engrossed because the storyline keeps putting the female lead in danger and then getting rescued. So, it may get tiring in that sense. I do think perhaps a shorter drama with a more focused script would be more engaging than its current form of a long drawn out saga with numerous side characters.

For this Fateful Love review, I would rate it 7.5/10. It is entertaining up to a certain point before the weaknesses in the plot become obvious as the story lengthens. However, it is still a decent production overall with its adventurous mystery. The main couple is also enticing enough with good romantic development and chemistry. Hence, this should be worth the time if you are their fan. Watch if you like an assertive female lead and don’t mind a time travel opening and ending. But drop this if all you want is a feel good romance because the hunt for the female lead and schemings by love rivals are the story’s main drivers.