The Best Thing (爱你) is another romance drama that has been making headlines recently. It was competing against 2 other dramas of the same genre that were released at around the same time by different streaming platforms. The said titles were The First Frost and Filter. Despite the competition, all these dramas have found some level of success and popularity. They each have their own strengths and unique perspectives. I have my own comments on these dramas and The Best Thing review below will give further insights into this particular production.
My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 28
Type: Modern Romance
Aired: February 2025
Images credit: iQIYI Facebook
The Cast Of The Best Thing
- Zhang Ling He as He Su Ye
- Xu Ruo Han as Shen Xi Fan
- Wang You Jun as Lin Yi Shen
- Huang Can Can as Xu Xiang Ya
- Tang Jiu Zhou as Li Jie
- Zhou Yi Ru as Fang Ke Xin
- Caesar Wu Xi Ze as Yan Heng
- Guo Jing Lin as He Sheng / Professor He
- Li Jian Yi as Yu Li Ren / Professor Yu
- Liu Wei Wei as Liu Xiao Ming
- Fang Zi Bin as Shen Jia Ping
Main Characters
He Su Ye
Su Ye is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. He works in the Oncology department in a TCM hospital during the weekdays and treats patients in a clinic during the weekends. Su Ye is a kind and gentle person with a passion in traditional healing methods. He is 30 years old and still single. His mother died when he was young and he has a tense relationship with his father as a result.
Shen Xi Fan
Xi Fan is a Front Office Manager in the city’s hotel resort. She is a sweet and caring woman. She has been in a relationship with her boyfriend for 7 years but they rarely see each other due to his work commitments. Xi Fan suffers from insomnia due to her relationship issues.
Supporting Characters
Lin Yi Shen
Yi Shen is the Marketing and Promotions Manager at the city’s hotel resort. He is also Xi Fan’s senior colleague at work and good friend. Yi Shen is a nice guy but is always bickering with another co-worker, Xiang Ya.
Xu Xiang Ya
Xiang Ya is Xi Fan’s best friend and colleague. She is the F&B Manager at the same hotel resort. Xiang Ya is impulsive and direct.
Li Jie
Li Jie is Su He’s junior. He is an intern at the TCM hospital under Su He’s supervision. He has known Su He since young as their families are old friends. Li Jie has a cheerful and lively personality. His love interest is Fang Ke Xin.
Fang Ke Xin
Ke Xin is Li Jie’s peer. She is also an intern under Su He’s supervision at the TCM hospital. Ke Xin is relatively quiet but has a crush on Su He.
Yan Heng
Yan Heng is Xi Fan’s boyfriend of 7 years. They have known each other since college days. Yan Heng comes from a rich business family. He is based overseas to develop the family’s tech and robotics company. Yan Heng is a busy and impatient man.
He Sheng / Professor He
Professor He is Su Ye’s father. He is a renowned doctor and researcher in the cardiology field. He is a traditional man and strict father who keeps his love for his son hidden. As such, he doesn’t have a good relationship with his son.
Yu Li Ren / Professor Yu
Professor Yu is Su Ye’s maternal grandfather. They share a close bond and the same passion in traditional Chinese medicine. Professor Yu is also a respected TCM doctor and researcher. He is a gentle and warm old man.
Liu Xiao Ming & Shen Jia Ping
Both of them are Xi Fan’s parents. They are loving towards their daughter and their family is a close-knit one. Xi Fan’s father is an English school teacher.
Synopsis
Xi Fan is suffering from insomnia due to the worsening relationship with her long-term boyfriend of 7 years. So, she goes to her neighborhood TCM clinic hoping for a cure and is assigned to be Su Ye’s patient. Su Ye is attracted to Xi Fan at first sight but comes to know that her insomnia is due to her relationship issues. He tries to help her and relieve her suffering which resulted in a growing friendship and attraction.
Subsequently, Xi Fan’s boyfriend breaks up with her through a text message and coldly cuts off contact. Xi Fan tries to move forward and begins to get closer and closer to Su Ye who has always been there for her. She starts to fall for him but suppresses her feelings due to her trauma of her last relationship. Just when Su Ye feels hopeful about their romance, Xi Fan decides to reject him. Would Xi Fan be able to truly heal and put the past behind her to embrace a new relationship with Su Ye?
The Best Thing Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
The Best Thing has a happy ending. Xi Fan returns home after a year of studying abroad. She happily reunites with Su Ye and her family. She also decides to run a cafe business together with Xiang Ya rather than going back to a hotel job.
As Xi Fan and Su Ye experience winter and the first snow of the season together, she suggests that they get married in spring. Su Ye immediately proposes to her there and then. The drama ends with their wedding in spring with family and friends in attendance.
When Did The Leads Start Dating?
Su Ye indirectly confesses to Xi Fan during a gathering in Episode 12. She end up getting drunk and gives in to her feelings by kissing him that night. The following day, she seeks confirmation from Su Ye about his feelings. Su Ye properly confesses to her then. However, Xi Fan turns him down in Episode 13. She gives him the excuse that she has no plans to date as she is going abroad for further studies.
However, Xi Fan feels guilty for her cold rejection of him and couldn’t completely get Su Ye out of her mind. Ke Xin, who also has feelings for Su Ye, reminds Xi Fan not to lead Su Ye on if she has no interest in him. This is because Xi Fan is only hurting Su Ye with her casual attitude. Xi Fan feels bad and miserable after the reminder as she knows she has hurt Su Ye. At the same time, Xiang Ya helps Su Ye to understand what Xi Fan is going through as Xi Fan’s bad ending with her ex has made her fearful of getting hurt again.
So, Su Ye encourages Xi Fan to take her time to put the past behind her. He understands her situation as he has experienced the same break up in the past. However, he hopes she can heal quickly to give him a chance. When Xi Fan’s ex, Yan Heng, shows up to pester her for a reconciliation in Episode 16, she is emotionally distressed by his presence again. But it also makes her realize that her preference has changed and the person she should be with is Su Ye in Episode 18. She confesses to him and they start dating as a couple. They consummated their relationship in Episode 24.
Is There A Love Triangle?
Ke Xin has secret feelings for Su Ye. But when Su Ye catches her meddling in his complicated relationship with Xi Fan in Episode 13, he emphasizes to her that she is only his intern. In Episode 16, Ke Xin decides to switch her field specialty after thinking things through and moves out of Su Ye’s supervision. With an impending transfer to another city, she wishes Su Ye success and happiness in Episode 24.
Yan Heng returns and asks Xi Fan for a reconciliation in Episode 16. She rejects him outright. But he refuses to give up and pesters her to marry him instead in Episode 17. She disagrees with his request. Xi Fan feels that he doesn’t know what she desires while he is only interested to have her cooperation to fit his wants. His pestering causes her to have a mental breakdown and she rushes to Su Ye to seek treatment and protection.
With Xi Fan’s rejection, Yan Heng then tries to get on her parents’ good side in Episode 18. He shows up unannounced at their home which makes Xi Fan angry and agitated. Su Ye consoles her and assures her that she is not to be blamed for everything that has happened in the past. After Xi Fan got together with Su Ye, she tells Yan Heng that Su Ye could give her something that he couldn’t which is bliss. She wishes him happiness when he checks out from her hotel and feels that she has now completely moved on in Episode 19.
Is There A Breakup?
There is no break up after Su Ye and Xi Fan got together. But there is a temporary separation when she left for further studies in Episode 27. It has been her dream to widen her horizons. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer in Episode 25, Xi Fan doesn’t feel like going anymore. Su Ye encourages her to think things through before deciding. Moreover, her mother’s cancer has been caught early and her short treatment has already been completed with a very good prognosis.
However, Xi Fan’s mother wants Xi Fan to follow her dreams and not to be held back by her. She convinces her daughter to go abroad. With the support of her parents and Su Ye, she left the country for a year of studies before returning in Episode 28. During the time she is apart from Su Ye, they keep in contact through letters and calls.
Side Couples
Xiang Ya and Yi Shen have been friends and colleagues for so long that they find it hard to express their feelings for each other. In Episode 9, she is not happy when she overhears him discussing with his mother over the phone about returning home and going on blind dates. She assumes that he doesn’t care enough to tell her about it. They continue to bicker every now and then until Yi Shen confesses his feelings to her during their trip back to their hometown in Episode 16. Xiang Ya eagerly accepts his confession and they get together as a couple.
The Best Thing Review – Sweet But Slow-Moving
Personally, I find The Best Thing to be slow-moving. It is a typical modern romance drama with nothing much going on in terms of plot. The focus is on how the male and female protagonists get to know each other and their constant interactions as romance blossoms. She is suffering from insomnia and needs healing from a broken relationship. Her ex keeps putting her down and blames her for their relationship failure. She finds a healer in the male lead and there begins the frequent back and forth between the 2 of them.
So, the whole drama is about them. If you like watching their interactions and think they are sweet, this is an enjoyable drama. But if you want something more profound that evokes your deepest emotions for a good love story, this is not particularly enriching. Basically, the drama is written in such a way to make it feel romantic as you watch 2 people fall in love. The guy’s subtle pursuit and the girl’s subtle acceptance is very relatable. He doesn’t just bombard her with flowers and ask for a date but uses a legit excuse to connect with her and gradually show his concern.
Perhaps that is partly why the drama sells. It mirrors how a relationship might start and develop in real life. It is the little things that you do over a period of time that slowly brings the other person closer to you. Of course, the 2 main characters are also very likable. This is definitely one of the main selling points that endear viewers to The Best Thing.
Likable Characters
Su Ye and Xi Fan, the 2 protagonists in the drama, are very gentle and warm people. It is very easy to take a liking for them from the get go. Although the girl has relationship issues, her psychological state is much better than the female lead in The First Frost or the male lead in A Beautiful Lie. Leaving behind the burden of depression and mental illness which some romance dramas have tried to explore in the past, the plot in The Best Thing can concentrate on the romance instead. Thus, the character is written to be more “normal” despite her bad relationship experience. As such, she is easier for the viewers to handle and relate to.
As for the male protagonist, he is a kind and friendly doctor with a mild temperament. He doesn’t get angry easily and even if he does, he is dignified about it. I guess they have to portray him as such since he is into traditional Chinese medicine which could supposedly help people to regulate their mind and destress. In short, he is a harmless guy which you can immediately sense from the start.
With the 2 main characters being highly likable, the drama becomes easy and relaxing to watch. You know that they will be rational and mature. Any problems will be quickly handled with tact and communication. The unnecessary theatrics between them will be kept to a minimum. Except for a small part involving the ex, everyone else in the drama is written to be ordinary people who genuinely care about those close to them.
Warm And Romantic
The Best Thing is a light watch with a lot of warmth and enough romantic moments to satisfy your sugar cravings. The screenwriter didn’t try to do too much but relied on the tried and tested formula of a simple romance. But the background that centers on Chinese medicine offers a unique element to a typical love story. Therefore, it feels there is something new to the plot rather than being substantially recycled. It capitalizes on the healing properties of traditional medicinal herbs to bring out the warmth and tenderness of the male lead who is trying to help the female lead to heal.
Basically, the whole relationship development is easy to follow. It doesn’t stress you up too much despite the bumps along the way. Some scenes are embarrassing and awkward while others will make you feel sweet all over. The kissing and intimate scenes in the last quarter are definitely worth waiting for which is a plus for a romance drama.
Apart from romantic love, there are also elements of friendship and familial love to complete the story. The overall mood is generally good-natured and pleasant. While there are toxic moments surrounding an ex, they are limited in scope and kept short. The bulk of the drama is all about the leads which is enjoyable due to their great chemistry.
Leads’ Chemistry
Zhang Ling He and Xu Ruo Han did a decent job playing the protagonists. According to news report, Zhang Ling He actually went to study Chinese medicine for a few months before taking up the role as Su Ye in The Best Thing. Hence, he does look convincing in his role as a TCM doctor in the drama. Zhang Ling He has played varied characters in his acting career from a bewitching man with a dark side in Story Of Kunning Palace to a devoted lover in The Princess Royal. I feel that the simplicity of Su Ye’s character is hardly a challenge for him to depict. So, Su Ye’s gentleness and warmth shine through Zhang Ling He’s acting very clearly.
This gentle character then meshes well with Xu Ruo Han’s portrayal of Xi Fan. Since she burst into the limelight with Perfect And Casual 5 years ago, she has taken on more roles in romance dramas including The Forbidden Flower which really pushes the boundaries on sensuality and intimacy. With that experience, the kissing scenes she has with Zhang Ling He in The Best Thing are beautifully acted out with no awkwardness visible.
The chemistry between them is palpable to me. There are enough sparks that watching them feels romantic rather than bland. This helps me to finish the drama with less complaints.
My Verdict – Watch If You Are Into Romance
While The Best Thing isn’t particularly great, it is one of the better produced romance dramas. 2 good-looking leads help a great deal plus great chemistry between them makes it highly watchable. I think the setting revolving around traditional Chinese medicine and a TCM doctor offers freshness in a romance drama which cliche CEO stories could not. The screenwriter did a wonderful job to merge the romance into the TCM backdrop that the relationship development between the protagonists seems to flow naturally.
However, I do think that the drama moves a little too slowly. You can watch this while doing something else like playing with your phone and you can still follow along. In other words, the drama makes you stay for the sweet and more intense moments, but it can’t really elevate your interest beyond that. It doesn’t evoke any deep emotions in you as it is not a particularly profound love story.
That is not to say that it is a bad drama though. If you just want a more easy-going romance, this will fit the bill quite well. There is nothing too serious and toxic about it, only warmth and tenderness between the protagonists. So, for this review of The Best Thing, I would rate it 7.5/10. Watch it for the leads and the refreshing topic of TCM. You will learn a thing or two about herbal remedies along the way while basking in the warmth of the romance.
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