Hidden Love Review

Going by the title alone, you can more or less guess what Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住) is all about. Add in the characters and setting, the story outline is already pretty clear. Hence, it is just a matter of whether the overall execution is good enough to make you feel invested in the couple and provide the right feel to the romance. Personally, I’m not a big fan of this genre due to the recycled plots. But neither have I given it up completely. There is always an occasional gem that surfaces every now and then. Is this the one? Find out in my Hidden Love review below.

My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 25
Type: College Romance
Aired: June 2023
Images Credit: Douban Movie

The Cast Of Hidden Love

• Zhao Lu Si as Sang Zhi
• Chen Zhe Yuan as Duan Jia Xu
• Victor Ma Bo Qian as Sang Yan
• Zeng Li as Li Ping
• Qiu Xin Zhi as Sang Rong
• Guan Zi Jing as Li Xun
• Wang Yang as Jiang Si Yun
• Smile Wei as Ning Wei
• Qi Tian Qing as Yu Xin
• Wang Yi Lan as Wang Ruo Lan / Wang Wang
• Lu Dong Xu as Jiang Ming
• Xu Shi Xin as Jiang Ying
• Hu Yu Xuan as Qian Fei
• Zhang Hao Lun as Chen Jun Wen

Main Characters

Sang Zhi

Sang Zhi is a schoolgirl who is witty and good in her studies. She loves drawing and doodling. She has an elder brother and loving parents who are protective of her. Hence, Sang Zhi leads a sheltered and happy life growing up in a well-to-do environment.

Duan Jia Xu

Jia Xu is a university student. He is also Sang Yan’s good friend and dorm mate. Jia Xu is a warm and caring guy despite his tragic background. He is smart and hardworking. Jia Xu is poor and constantly needs to work to earn money while in college.

Supporting Characters

Sang Yan

Sang Yan is Sang Zhi’s older brother. He is also Jia Xu’s good friend and they live in the same dorm at university. Sang Yan is a little hot-headed and likes bickering with his sister. They are constantly arguing over one thing or another. However, Sang Yan loves Sang Zhi is his own way and can be very protective of her in critical situations.

Li Ping & Sang Rong

Li Ping and Sang Rong are Sang Zhi and Sang Yan’s parents. They are a loving couple and have created a warm home for the family. Both of them also tend to be protective of their only daughter.

Li Xun & Jiang Si Yun

Li Xun and Si Yun are Jia Xu’s bosses and mentors in a game development company. Both of them are nice people who are supportive of Jia Xu. They are also a couple.

Ning Wei, Yu Xin & Wang Ruo Lan / Wang Wang

The 3 of them are Sang Zhi’s good friends and dorm mates while in university. Ning Wei is expressive and crazy about love. Yu Xin is tomboyish and prefers playing online games than dating. Wang Wang is the quiet one who doesn’t have much of an opinion but has secret feelings for Jiang Ming.

Jiang Ming

Jiang Ming is a basketball player and a university student in the Sports Faculty. He has feelings for Sang Zhi.

Jiang Ying

Jiang Ying is someone who knows Jia Xu from the past and couldn’t let go of him. She is a desperate young woman who is craving for Jia Xu’s attention.

Qian Fei & Chen Jun Wen

Both of these guys are Jia Xu and Sang Yan’s good friends. The 4 of them are university dorm mates.

Synopsis

Sang Zhi first met Jia Xu when she was 14. He is her elder brother’s good friend and 5 years older than her. Jia Xu left a deep impression on Sang Zhi after he helped her out of a sticky situation at school which would have gotten her punished by her parents. He saw her as a little sister.

2 years later, they met again. Sang Zhi became more curious and interested in Jia Xu. She eventually developed a one-sided crush on him which she needed to hide from everyone. However, Jia Xu still saw her as nothing more than a younger sister.

After his graduation, Jia Xu moved back to his hometown in Yihe to work. Sang Zhi then resolved to study hard to get into the university in Yihe. But when she heard that Jia Xu has gotten himself a girlfriend in Yihe, her life came crashing down.

Hidden Love Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Hidden Love has a happy ending. Sang Zhi graduates and has a great time taking graduation photos with her friends at the beach. Jia Xu surprises her with a marriage proposal afterward with her family and friends as witnesses. She says yes to his proposal.

The last scene shows the couple in her bedroom of her parents’ house. Jia Xu recognizes the milk bottle that Sang Zhi has been keeping. He had once bought her the bottle of milk when she was still in high school. Each time she had a secret or wish concerning Jia Xu, she would write it down on a lucky paper star before folding and putting it into the bottle. A lone star is now left inside. She takes it out and lets him read it. It was her 3rd wish back then. It was to go to Yihe University so that she could see him again since he had moved there. The drama ends with the couple kissing.

When Did Sang Zhi Become An Adult?

Sang Zhi becomes an adult in Episode 8. She is 18 years old and studying digital media in Yihe University. She bumps into Jia Xu again in a KTV centre after going 2 years without contact.

When Did The Couple Start Dating?

Jia Xu starts to see Sang Zhi differently in Episode 11 after a confrontation with Jiang Ying. He is moved by Sang Zhi’s tenderness towards him. In Episode 12, a drunk Sang Zhi tells Jia Xu that she loves someone who doesn’t love her back. However, she refuses to divulge who the person is. This makes Jia Xu unhappy and he feels that no other man can care for her as much as he does. But both of them are also assuming that the other only thinks of them as sibling and nothing more.

In Episode 13, Qian Fei gives Jia Xu the idea that Sang Zhi may have him in mind when she described her ideal man. Hence, Jia Xu starts to feel her out. He knows that Sang Zhi likes him in Episode 14 but pretends otherwise to give her face and room for himself to pursue her. He also makes sure that she knows that he didn’t have a girlfriend in the past as she has been assuming.

Jia Xu asks Sang Zhi if he can woo her in Episode 15. He doesn’t want to be her brother anymore but boyfriend. She replies that he will need to woo her first before she knows if she has any romantic feelings for him although it is clear to both of them that she is interested. They eventually get together for real in Episode 17 when she agrees to be his girlfriend on his birthday. The consummated their relationship in Episode 24 after Jia Xu learns how much he has hurt her in the past.

When Did Their Relationship Get Exposed?

Sang Yan finds out that Sang Zhi and Jia Xu are dating in Episode 20. He is concerned about his sister when she is adamant on staying back in Yihe during the summer break instead of going home for the holidays. So, he flies to Yihe and waits for her near her dorm entrance. When he sees Sang Zhi and Jia Xu together, he finds it hard to accept initially. After throwing a few punches at Jia Xu to let off steam, Sang Yan grudgingly accepts their relationship. He turns supportive of them in Episode 21 after spending a few days with them and observing their interactions. Sang Yan actually feels relieved that his sister has Jia Xu to take care of her.

Sang Zhi’s mother sees the couple together in Episode 23 when she is bringing out the thrash and Jia Xu is walking Sang Zhi home at the same time. Her parents are not too keen on their relationship as Jia Xu has a complicated family background. Her father states his concerns to Jia Xu in a private meeting. As parents, they only want their daughter to have happiness and not to have unnecessary suffering because of her partner.

To show his sincerity and commitment to the relationship, Jia Xu resigns from his job in Yihe and moves back to Sang Zhi’s hometown in Episode 24 to start his own game development company. He wants to get everything ready in anticipation of her moving back after graduation. Hence, Jia Xu manages to convince Sang Zhi’s parents that he is serious about their daughter and can give her happiness in Episode 25.

Is There Any Breakup And Love Triangle?

No, there is no breakup after the couple get together. Sang Zhi is only worried that Jia Xu will reconsider their relationship after her parents stated their objection towards their romance in Episode 23. She doesn’t like it that her parents are prejudiced against Jia Xu because of his background. Thus, Sang Zhi is very clear to them that she is already a grown-up and knows what she wants.

Sang Zhi also reveals her secret to Jia Xu that she has been in love with him since high school. There was no online boyfriend as it was all cooked-up to hide the fact that he was the one that she actually fell in love with. It is supposed to be her secret forever but she wants to assure him that he is a good person and worthy of love all along after her parents objected to their relationship because of his complicated family background.

There is also no love triangle. Jiang Ming is also interested in Sang Zhi and confesses to her in Episode 12. But she rejects him straight away and they remain as friends. As for Jiang Ying, she was just Jia Xu’s ex-classmate in school. Jia Xu only felt responsible for compensating her as his father killed her father in an accident years earlier. He warns Jiang Ying that he will report to the police if she keeps harassing Sang Zhi to stop her from creating further trouble in Episode 21.

Jia Xu’s Past

Jia Xu’s past is told through flashbacks in Episode 11 and 16. His father knocked down Jiang Ying’s father after drinking and fled from the scene. He refused to listen to his son and wife to surrender himself to the police as he didn’t want to go to jail. When Jia Xu started calling the police, his father jumped down from the balcony and ended up in a coma. He remained in that state until he dies in Episode 24.

Due to the guilt of what her husband had done, Jia Xu’s mother made the promise that her son will take care of Jiang Ying. They also needed to pay compensation which caused them to accumulate lots of debts. Jia Xu’s mother subsequently developed stomach cancer which forced Jia Xu to borrow money from Sang Zhi’s parents at one time. But his mother died not long after due to the late treatment.

This is why Jia Xu was always working part-time while studying as he had debts to pay because of his father’s actions. This is also why Jiang Ying was harassing and guilt-tripping Jia Xu to be with her all the time. Her father’s death left her with emotional problems which she couldn’t overcome.

Hidden Love Review – One-Sided Crush Romance

Basically, Hidden Love is about teenage crush carried over to adulthood. Just imagine a 17-year-old schoolgirl having a secret crush on her elder brother’s friend. What would you have as a result? Shyness, awkwardness, stealing glances… you get the drift. So, it has a very teenage feel to it as well as a big brother-little sister vibe to the romance especially at the start. This scenario runs for about 8 episodes until the girl attends university.

That is why some viewers will find this drama offensive because of the supposedly “predatory” nature of the male lead and a sense of grooming being involved. This is compounded by the flashbacks which has a child actress playing the role of the female lead when she is 14-years-old in the story. The guy is 5 years older which makes him 19 then. Whether you will find this acceptable or otherwise really depends on how sensitive you are to this kind of issues. If you think an older guy shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a young teenage girl, then you will automatically feel uncomfortable watching them together.

However, if you don’t think it is necessarily bad to have a college-aged guy befriending a young schoolgirl, then the drama will not stray into grey areas in your eyes. To be fair, there is nothing to indicate that there is anything unsavory going on between the male lead and the girl at the beginning of the drama. It is just whether you read that closeness as a sign of something sinister and that is really something personal to each individual.

It’s One-Sided

The other reason why the grooming argument wouldn’t hold is because the love is very one-sided for the first third of the drama. It is the girl who falls in love with the guy when she is around 16 years old without him doing anything on purpose to encourage it. He doesn’t know that she has feelings for him while she hides it deep within her own heart. He also treats her as his little sister all along. I think the screenwriter has taken enough pains to make this clear to viewers that he didn’t encourage her in any way.

But the controversy starts again when there is not enough time lapse given for the 2 protagonists to move to the next phase in their relationship. Personally, I think the whole problem could have been avoided if they meet again years later when the girl is much older and has experienced a bit more of life. As it is, the couple reconnects merely 2 years later when she is just a first year college student. No doubt, she is now an adult but it is also clear who is the dominant party in the relationship. This is natural as he is older and more matured compared to her who is still a student and has been leading a sheltered life.

On a personal level though I don’t find anything questionable about their relationship from the time she was a kid. I would only question the swiftness in which the guy switches from treating the girl as a little sister to a romantic partner. This part is quicker than I would have liked. I would imagine that there should be more hesitance and inner turmoil because he has been seeing her as a sister from the time he met her as a 14-year-old. This part seems to have been glossed over for expediency sake.

Simple Plot

There is nothing complicated about Hidden Love. It is a simple love story and you are not going to get anything extraordinary from the plot. But sometimes, the simpler the story is, the harder it is to get it right. There is no action like in A Date With The Future to make it more intense and there is also little work related matters to create more drama like in Flight To You.

Instead, the simplicity is akin to You Are My Glory whereby the drama relies more on emotions including sweetness and chemistry to make it shine. And Hidden Love did extremely well in this department. It successfully fleshed out the nervousness and anticipation of a teenager who has a crush on an older boy as well as the pain of hidden love. As a viewer, I can feel the female leads’s heart fluttering moments when she is with the guy and heartbreak when her dreams to be with him are crushed.

In other words, the plot is very simple but well-executed. There is little to distract you from the couple’s relationship development. Toxicity is kept to a bare minimum. The focus is largely on the main couple and how their relationship moves from a brotherly to a romantic nature. 25 episodes seems just right to me for such a simple storyline. Any longer and it would probably be boring.

Acting And Chemistry

This is another factor that makes Hidden Love a pleasure to watch. Zhao Lu Si is getting better over time and her portrayal of Sang Zhi is almost flawless. I say almost because she still appears girlish at times when she is supposed to be an adult in the later part of the drama. There is a subtle difference between the schoolgirl and adult version of Sang Zhi which Zhao Lu Si has incorporated into the character. Thus, you can detect the change in maturity as the character gets older but there are also lapses in some scenes to make you feel that the childishness is still there.

Chen Zhe Yuan is also great as Jia Xu. In fact, I like him better here than in Our Secret and Mr. Bad. He is convincing as an older brother and you can feel his emotions clearly through his eyes. He also has sizzling chemistry going on with Zhao Lu Si which helps to give a greater feel to their onscreen romance. The flirting will feel sugary while the serious talk will be heartfelt. The kisses will also give you butterflies with a strong sense of intimacy.

The other actor not to be left out of the discussion is Victor Ma. He plays Sang Yan and the constant bickering with Zhao Lu Si’s Sang Zhi is a very realistic depiction of a typical brother-sister relationship. Their chemistry is also on fire here as siblings and you won’t get bored watching them despite the senseless bickering.

My Verdict – Just Watch!

In my opinion, Hidden Love is a great drama to spend your time on especially if you are into youth romance. Even if you are not, don’t be hesitant because of the simple plot and the fear that it is another typical youth drama with its immaturity. In Hidden Love, that immaturity is actually the cornerstone to the overall story. It is effectively played up to give viewers a very realistic depiction of a normal growing up phase of a teenager facing her first love for a guy. Because the story is well-told, you will be able to easily relate to the girl’s experience. As a result, the drama then becomes more heartfelt.

Of course, it does have its weaknesses including the lack of depth for the supporting characters. They are merely there to facilitate the couple’s story and nothing more. There is little mention of their lives outside of their interactions with the main leads. Hence, their characters will feel superficial at times. Another weakness is the rather young child actress chosen to play a 14-year-old teenager. She looks younger than that which adds further credence to the grooming idea in the beginning of the drama.

Overall, I would give a score of 8/10 for this Hidden Love review. Get onboard with an open mind. You just have to see it for yourself to determine whether this is offensive or otherwise. But try not to jump to conclusion too early. The drama takes a few episodes to grow on you and for the character to get older. Once you can get over that hump, the drama will get better as it progresses.

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