#character: duan jiaxu

[heymeowmao]

难哄 | The First Frost E11 ° I'll stop interrupting you now.

[zhoufeis]

physically attacked and mentally tortured but his only concern is if she is alright

偷偷藏不住 HIDDEN LOVE 1.11 | China, 2023.

[softchaoticmuse]

Forever a fictional man’s girl

[academyofbrokenhearts]

If they really needed one or two filler episodes, they could have just showed us Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu hanging out with Sang Yan and Wen Yifan like in the extra chapters instead of that entire Hong Kong nonsense.

[tinyevilgremlin]

the similarities between duan jiaxu and seo woojin— both had their lives ruined bc of their fathers' actions, were forced to pay off said fathers' debts and spent pretty much all their life working non-stop and alone, all while juggling studies with those responsibilities. and both of them grew up to be kind people (woojin was a lil grumpy at the beginning, tho can you really blame him(even that grumpiness melted away after doldam happened)) who will always put others before themselves.

they're also super precious and have so much love to give even though they didn't receive any growing up. like... just. how can you not love them (⁠ノ⁠T⁠＿⁠T⁠)⁠ノ⁠ ⁠＾⁠┻⁠━⁠┻

[filthy-mudeoki]

Duan Jiaxu and the 🦊

Hidden love - 2023

[dramashutup]

That's a wrap!!

Is it perfect? No. But will I rewatch? Yes. I think this became one of my 2025 comfort show!

Well actually I haven't managed to watch properly the last 4 eps, but I've gleaned thru earlier and I think they're pretty faithful to the novel now. I was at work lol

The final phrase WYF said is just....so.....that hit the spot. She wanted it and she got it alright 🥺❤️🫂

I was actually waiting for this drama because I read the manhua a while ago then watched Hidden Love so yh, it is sort of special to me in that... I was looking forward to it

Not to talk shit abt the manhua but most of the time I couldn't really get into it since the artstyle was just really pretty and the artist probably doesn't like to draw more of the characters being emotive or ugly faces but then the drama really hit me with the real sadness that is Wen Yifan's life :"")

Wen Yifan is very close to my heart and yh i don't agree that Sang Yan is a green flag (partly because i just don't like the phrase) It is very nice and sweet to see a man so obsessed and in love with someone who deserves all the love and affection. Very fictional. But nice. Bit deranged, yeah xD

I don't think it's fair to throw out the whole thing after enjoying it and analyzing for weeks. That's a lot of my energy and serotonin used up, man xD. I'll both love it and hate some directorial decisions in it and I'll Ignore them big time lmao

(much like FoF which I loved but it's different for FoF because as much as I love it, I cannot rewatch it ever, lol)

That's 8/10 from me!

(i also feel kinda bad for the actors of Duan Jiaxu and Sang Zhi who don't get as much love, even Netflix used Chen Zheyuan and Zhao Lusi scenes in their tt for hidden love!First Frost tiktok 😅 justice for them)

[a-wholelotta-love]

Been binging on Hidden love, a Chinese drama lately and it's actually soo cute that my brain is malfunctioning. For my first Cdrama, I believe it's a good start. This was a friend's suggestion and it's living upto the expectations as of now.

I was actually a little irked by how young the kid Sang Zhi looks though. Like her younger self is a 14 year old teen but the girl looks no older than 8 in my eyes and i would have maybe dropped the show on the very first episode if not for Duan Jiaxu's angelic face and smile. But sticking with the show has been worth it coz it keeps getting cuter.

Duan Jiaxu is at this point a neon green flag and he somehow keeps on getting greener every episode. I really don't know how that is possible. I am half way through and that boy is just too nice a person till now. And the kind of nice where you know that the person has a good heart, like they are not doing it to show anything or make someone like them. They are just warm. No wonder Shang Zhi fell so hard because it's kinda impossible to not fall for him.

Angelic, indeed.

Sang Zhi is a sweetheart as well and her first heart break felt so personal even though you could understand the situation. She really conveys how it feels to have that first crush. I can't wait for these two to finally get together now and be the absolute perfect couple that they would be.

I have another favourite as of now, in the form of Mr Sang Yan. I believe he is the most accurate and wholesome representation of an older brother that i have seen lately. A complete goofball who will tease his sister to death but will hold her while she cries and tell her that he has her back at all times. The literal best, I am not even kidding. I am truly blown by how real his character feels and how much of an impact he has made with the screen time that he has. He is again someone who is just genuinely nice, and it's clear in the way that he treats his family and his friends.

Some really good representation of men, to be honest. And a really good representation of how puppy love feels. That first crush, the first time someone makes your heart feel all warm. It's painfully sweet and i am truly in for the ride.

**Sharing something other than totnt and my baby boy Rangie for the first time here. Feels weird. But well, I binge a lot and slowly, this is just going to be my space to talk about all my fandom loves.**

[caelinx]

: Hidden Love :

More information : Hidden Love

Where to watch : Netflix

My rating : 8.5/10 ⭐

I accidentally stumbled upon a Twitter discussion about C-dramas, and everyone was raving about Hidden Love. When I found out it was written by the same author as When I Fly Towards You, I didn’t think twice—I had to watch it.

The moment I saw Sang Zhi’s story, I thought, yep, this is exactly how I imagined crushing on a senior would be. But in reality? I graduated without my senior even knowing I existed. LOL.

Hidden Love tells the story of Sang Zhi, a girl who secretly hides feelings for Duan Jiaxu, her brother’s friend who often visits their house. But circumstances pull them apart, and barely keep in touch—until fate brings them back together when Sang Zhi enters university. What starts as a childhood crush gradually blossoms into something deeper, making their journey both heartwarming and captivating.

At first, I wasn’t completely hooked. The plot felt slow and pretty ordinary—understandable since there wasn’t a major conflict to keep me on edge. I even dropped it and switched to another drama. But then, as often happens, I gave it another shot, and by episode seven, I was completely drawn in.

In the early episodes, one of the things I really liked was how well the drama captured Sang Zhi’s secret crush on Duan Jiaxu. It felt so relatable—who hasn’t had a silent crush at some point? Watching her navigate those awkward yet heart-fluttering moments was both nostalgic and endearing. And I have to give a huge shout-out to Zhao Lusi. She truly brought Sang Zhi to life, portraying her shyness, nervousness, and quiet admiration in such a natural way. She was the perfect choice for this role.

Now, let’s talk about Duan Jiaxu, played by the incredibly talented Chen Zhe Yuan. At first, I didn’t really get why so many people were obsessed with him. But once I reached the university arc, everything clicked. He’s the definition of a green flag—kind, considerate, and, let’s be honest, ridiculously handsome. And once he realized his feelings for Sang Zhi? He completely dropped the whole gentle older brother act and started going all in.

Every teasing remark, every lingering stare, every chance to be close to her—it was game over. Meanwhile, Sang Zhi, who was used to keeping her feelings hidden, found herself completely overwhelmed by his sudden boldness. Watching their dynamic shift was easily one of the most exciting parts of the drama.

But Hidden Love isn’t just about romance. One of the things I really love about this drama is the sibling dynamic between Sang Zhi and her older brother, Sang Yan. Their scenes perfectly capture the classic love-hate sibling relationship. They bicker constantly, but at the end of the day, Sang Yan genuinely cares for his little sister. He acts annoyed, but when it really matters, he’s always there for her. Victor Ma, who plays Sang Yan, absolutely nailed this role. Watching them made me wonder what it would be like to have an older brother of my own.

The cinematography was alright—nothing groundbreaking, but it did its job well. However, the OST was a different story. While not every track stood out, there was one that instantly became my favorite. It perfectly captured the emotions between Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu, making certain moments feel even more special. Every time I hear it, I’m right back in their world.

As for the ending… I guess it was fine. Sweet, heartwarming—just like the rest of the drama. But somehow, I felt like there could’ve been more. Maybe I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters.

Final thoughts? Hidden Love is the kind of drama that sneaks up on you. It may start slow, but once it grips you, it doesn’t let go. It’s not just about romance but also about family, friendship, and growing up. Watching this drama felt like revisiting those innocent, heart-fluttering moments of first love. If you’ve ever had a silent crush, this drama will hit right in the feels.

"Our story began when he was 22 years old. I once buried my feelings towards him worried that someone else might found out. I worked hard tp become a better person to match his pace. And when I finally caught him, that's when I knew that I wasn't the only one running. He was running towards me too. In these five whole years, I healed his trauma. He gave me my bittersweet first love a happy ending. Our story began when he was 22 years old. And it came to end when I was 22 years old." - Sang Zhi

[yourpeskyfriend]

tff re-watch, ep 14 (can't let go | of my feelings for you)

spoilerssss.

prologue. back in nanwu university. sang yan meets his dorm-mates (sang yan, for all his broodiness, still found himself a good set of friends to get him through his pain. i think it's nice that all of them are still tight after so many years. they even co-own overtime together! how special is that for sang yan? in contrast to wen yi fan's college experience. her pain didn't allow her to gain any kind of connection from her time in yihe).

also. goodness. i get it zhi zhi. duan jiaxu is sooooo handsome. 😳

presently. it's day 186 of living together (already?!!). wen yi fan wakes up in sang yan's bed (only now?!).

GUYS, THEY'RE CUDDLED TOGETHER. 🫨 (as if it's the most natural thing in the world. if the reasons for wen yi fan climbing onto his bed weren't so incredibly sad).

sang yan pulling wen yi fan back when she attempts to flee!!!! he even nuzzles her hair. 😍

sang yan: why are you here? wen yi fan, in panic mode, replies: you're only dreaming (i mean, what kind of excuse could she make up this time? hihi).

sang yan makes sure he's there as wen yi fan is leaving for work. so he can confront her about why she's so thirsty for him lol.

"honestly, im a little scared. i have no idea how far you'd go. what if one day i wake up and realize, you've ruthlessly stolen my innocence?" lol. how does he come up with these things?

our second leads get a lot of screen time in this episode (which... honestly, i didn't mind). we learn that su haoan’s mom, dad and older brother perished in a car accident, and he's blamed himself for this all these years (hmm. that's TWO too many people in sang yan's life with tragic back stories).

and also!! a (late) shoutout to qiao qiao! she's such a solid character. just inherently kind and good, and a light to everyone around her. her family life isn't the easiest -- she lives in a crowded house with so many of her relatives, and her parents, now getting older, still hard at work everyday to keep the whole family afloat. despite these hardships, they lean on each other in such a loving way. it's very sweet (and again! such a contrast to wen yi fan's messy family situation)

back to wen yi fan. she's staying late in the office, stressing over how to deal with the aftermath of her morning canoodle with sang yan. 😏😏

sang yan texts wen yi fan "when will you be back?" he's mighty disappointed that she's not coming home early. but all this endless teasing.. what's the point, again? (he wants her so bad (so badddd), but he's put it upon her to make the first move. BUT! i also kind of get it, he's playing a hugeeee gamble here, he's betting his heart. he's had it broken by the very same person before... but wheww. he's really, really making it so hard for her).

to avoid going back home to sang yan, wen yi fan chooses to go shopping with spikey. nooo wen yi fannnn!!

another text from sang yan: "wen yi fan, one must take responsibility for their actions." so pesky!

spikey feels that he's got some deep understanding of wen yi fan and sang yan's relationship, and lectures wen yi fan about love and revenge?? 🙄

wen yi fan, u gotta straighten this lil boy out! soo. she tells him (me rephrasing -> what matters in love is sincerity, not experience... love is wanting to bring joy to another person, without expecting anything in return).

she knows this, because she's experienced this love before (as a matter of fact, she still has this love now, in the form of a needy man waiting for her to come home. lol).

sang yan. is. drunk.

also. half-naked.

wen yi fan, we're all hyperventilating with you. 🤒🤒🤒

PUT YOUR GODDAMN SHIRT ON, MAN (thankfully/unthankfully, he does. you choose hihi).

drunk sang yan's teasing is turned up by 1000% -- "you've already kissed me and touched me, does it matter whether im wearing clothes now?"

them going around their dining table while arguing (i realllyyyy want to know if this was written in the script? or did the actors adlib this? coz it feels so unperformed (like many of BJT and ZRN's scenes together), like the camera just happened to be there to capture this incredibly real love unfold. ugh. this friggin' show.)

wen yi fan, conceding: "tell me what you want then, ill do my best to cooperate."

and sang yan, speaking his heart: "until you find a real solution to this, could you keep your distance from other men? let them stay away. don't spend time with them while making me your little pushover who lets you get handsy whenever you feel like it."

but wen yi fan gets an out: "shall i take a pity on you then?" then walks off to her room.

ah! so that's how wen yi fan gets those glorious, effortless waves on her hair - blowdrying!! (it cant be that simple, her hair is too good!!).

she realizes that sang yan is the only person she doesn't mind getting in her face space (the way she's never flinched when he got near her, that time when he poked her cheek, when he patted her hair). she's only ever felt safe (warm, cherished) with him. 🥺

as cyn-lynn points out... sang yan is wen yi fan's only exception, call back to episode 13 (me from now on: singing only exception by paramore when i re-re-re-watch these last two episodes. it's so fitting!!)

"do i still have feelings for him?" wen yi fan, gurlllllll. 🤔

epilogue. wen yi fan finally sees the night lights and foam thingies sang yan installed. she's almost crying again, but it's happy tears (it's the same as when they were in high school - the way he makes her feel by the big and little things he does).

me again echoing cyn-lynn... at this moment, wen yi fan is realizing that her thoughts on love (#15 above) is made real by and in sang yan. huhu, the way he does things for her, and asks for nothing in return.

tonight, sang yan even sleeps on the couch just in case wen yi fan needed his bed again 🥺🥺

soo! another plotless episode... but it's really big on feelings... just one of those that ever-so-slowly builds us up to when our two leads finally get their acts together (spoiler, that's not until episode 18!)

[heymeowmao]

难哄 | The First Frost E11 ° What an... interesting meal. How interesting can a meal be?

[zhoufeis]

Sang Zhi, check and see how many messages I wrote to you [in those past two years]. You did not reply even once.

偷偷藏不住 HIDDEN LOVE China. 2023.

[sarah-yyy]

hey. hey have u noticed. in the first frost. sang yan’s college roommate and best friend is named duan jiaxu. and his sister is sang zhi who they call zhizhi. and zhizhi mentions going to study in yihe, coincidentally, where the main character of hidden love, sang zhi starts dating the college roommate, duan jiaxu, of her brother, sang yan. like they recast bc obviously ppl aren’t gonna reprise main roles as cameos. but there’s even a wedding! (around a year and a third into the first frost and episode thirteen, after the two years in which duan jiaxu and zhizhi are separated, even though the names are the same idk if the timelines match up? but the name of yang yan’s and duan jiaxu’s roomate is the same in both shows) both novels are based around novels by the same author (zhu yi) i feel like that one meme of the crazy guy in front of the conspiracy board from always sunny even though im on episode even though this didn’t occur to me until episode 21 and i haven’t watched episode 22 yet to confirm abt the wedding thing

hahahahaha you're not wrong bb, these shows are in the same verse!!

[mmslooney007]

The (short-ish) Review No One Needed Or Asked For ™ - Hidden Love

More Relationship Propaganda

Character-wise

Sang Zhi is one of my favorite female leads of all time. She is the embodiment of a little sister when it comes to an older brother-- annoying to him. As a little sister, you go girl; it's our birthright. She's smart, adorable, strong-willed, caring, and kind. And Zhao Lusi, sis, you dropped this 👑. She really bodied this role.

Enter our ML Duan Jiaxu. A tinge of sad boy, but not broody. Smooth. You know the saying, "two idiots in love,"? He was the idiot (affectionate).

Plot-wise

This was my first time with the "brother's best friend" trope, and of course, they served the age gap. It was 5 years between the two. But anyway, she sees him for the first time when she's 14, thinks he's pretty, he does her a favor, and nothing for the next 3 years. She gets close to him when she's 17, only for him to move away. She then meets him again 2 years later and they start to fall in mutual love (despite her trying to put away her feelings their past 2 years of silence).

I thought it was done pretty well. He wasn't gross about it, and you got to see how mature she can be when she's outside of the context of her home. It's China's relationship propaganda, so no stupid love triangles, enough warmth to keep us through the winter, and chemistry that makes you say, "right in front of my salad?"

Takeaway

Get yourself a brother with a man of a best friend. Because Duan Jiaxu, the man that you are.

My Rating

10/10 for the Relationship Propaganda

Ngl... I wish it was like a bit longer. To explore the long distance dynamic. And for the feels.

[kdramacrybaby]

Hidden Love (2023)

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Youth

Synopsis: As a young girl, Sang Zhi falls in love with her older brother’s best friend Duan JiaXu. Oblivious to her feelings, he treats her as nothing more than a sister, and eventually, Sang Zhi realizes she has to give up on her feelings after getting hurt too many times. Years later, Sang Zhi now a legal adult, the two meet again, and old feelings start to resurface for Sang Zhi, who desperately tries (and fails) to push them back. This time, though, she might not be the only one catching feelings.  

Episode info: 25 episodes / Runtime around 45 minutes

Lead cast: Zhao Lu Si (Sang Zhi), Chen Zhe Yuan (Duan JiaXu), Victor Ma (Sang Yan)

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix for Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

(I watched this while on my exercise bike, so that’s why there’s no drama rant for this drama (but I would have been absolutely freaking out if there was one)).

The first thing I want to address is the age gap between the characters, something I was very wary about when first starting out the drama - I think using a younger actress in the first few episodes while still using the same male lead made it a lot worse than it actually was too - but it still took a little convincing to root for this couple. Which is also why I didn’t really take the drama that seriously at first, it was just something Netflix had recommended and a drama that could be sort of cute to watch while I got some exercise.

I want to refer to this post by teaandsojupod, because I think they really made a great point. Yes there is an age difference that might make some people raise an eyebrow, but that is the point and the drama is well aware of this fact. It is addressed multiple times throughout the drama - both the lead characters have their own thoughts and worries about the age gap, and they discuss this with their friends and family. Nothing is done without thought and care, and they both take their time to reflect on their feelings for the other before making a move.

What I love the most about their relationship, is how they always take the time to communicate their thoughts and feelings to the other, so there is no room for misunderstandings. They never hide their worries from each other - and even if they try to because they don’t want to worry the other, they know each other so well that they notice immediately and support each other through it. They protect each other in their own way and I love to see it. This is everything I want to see in a healthy romance and more. And the actors have amazing chemistry.

Other than the fantastic romance, I want to list a couple of points that only made the drama even better:

The sibling energy between Sang Zhi and her big brother is everything

The friendships in this drama are everything 

The actors are all phenomenal 

The writing / story is actually good and feels natural

I really did not expect to like this drama as much as I did, but it just made me smile so much, and I even ended up binging the last couple of episodes off the bike because I couldn’t wait to see how it ended.   

This is a drama that I will definitely be comparing future romance dramas to in terms of how much I like the couple. We don’t need every male lead to be a rich prince on a white horse, sometimes they can be just a normal dude with normal real-life struggles.

Yes, there are some things they maybe gloss over a little bit (some b-plot with Sang Zhi’s friends, how the whole thing with Jiaxu’s past got resolved, Sang-zhi’s parents), but I really don’t think it takes away that much from the central story.

Highly recommended watch! 

[asterdust]

binging hidden love.... what sort of crack did they put in here likeeee it's so addicting. the chemistry, the acting, the osts. no draggy scenes. just pure fluff and well-written characters. (except for duan jiaxu he's unreal he will never be real he doesn't exist.) THE LAST TIME I GOT SO HOOKED OVER A HET DRAMA WAS LIKE SIX MONTHS AGO AND THAT'S NETFLIX'S FIRST LOVE.............