Past love has all the time been a well-liked theme in Chinese language dramas, usually portrayed as candy, bittersweet, and unforgettable. It seems throughout totally different genres, from trendy metropolis romances to historic tales, as a result of it speaks to universally relatable feelings. Generally it captures the innocence of a teenage crush, generally the unhappiness of misplaced alternatives, and generally the quiet pleasure of reconnecting with somebody after years aside. In 2025, the romance drama “The First Frost” continued this custom. Based mostly on Zhu Yi’s novel of the identical identify, the sequence can also be a spin-off of the hit drama “Hidden Love” starring Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan. However this time it focuses on Sang Yan, the caring and witty older brother of Sang Zhi.
What makes the drama stand out is its storytelling model, which strikes backwards and forwards between the previous and current. In highschool, Wen Yi Fan (Zhang Ruo Nan) and Sang Yan (Bai Jing Ting) had emotions for one another, however painful experiences in Yi Fan’s life pressured her to push him away, forsaking unstated phrases and lingering feelings. Years later, destiny reunites them. Yi Fan, now a reporter, and Sang Yan, a bar proprietor, initially act as in the event that they have no idea one another. Nevertheless, when circumstances unexpectedly carry them to stay underneath the identical roof, outdated emotions resurface, forcing them to confront their previous and the feelings they by no means totally let go of.
“The First Frost” is a slow-burn romance, counting on quiet moments, significant glances, and refined gestures moderately than dramatic confessions. Past the love story, the sequence explores heavier themes together with grief, trauma, and the lasting results of emotional wounds. The supporting solid enriches the narrative additional, with Edward Chen and Zhang Miao Yi respectively taking part in loyal buddies Su Hao An and Zhong Si Qiao, and Liu Chu Tian’s Sang Zhi and Wu Yu Heng’s Duan Jiaxu offering connections to the “Hidden Love” world. The sequence has resonated strongly with audiences, making it one in every of 2025’s standout romantic trendy C-dramas.
Impressed by “The First Frost,” listed below are 5 Chinese language dramas that discover past love and second probabilities, displaying the timeless enchantment of reconnecting with somebody who as soon as held your coronary heart.
“You Are My Glory”
Tailored from Gu Man’s broadly cherished internet novel, the story revolves round two highschool classmates whose paths drifted aside after commencement, solely to collide once more years later in probably the most sudden approach: by a well-liked cellular recreation. On the middle of the narrative is Qiao Jing Jing (Dilraba Dilmurat), a celebrated actress whose polished public persona conceals the pressures and scrutiny of her profession. When a viral clip reveals her struggling gameplay within the beloved recreation “Honor of Kings,” she all of the sudden faces skilled setbacks that threaten her endorsements and public picture. In quest of steering, she turns to somebody she as soon as knew intimately, Yu Tu (Yang Yang), her past love from highschool. Again then, Jing Jing had confessed her emotions to Yu Tu, solely to be met with rejection. Years later, Yu Tu has grown right into a devoted aerospace engineer, balancing his ardour for work with heavy obligations. He’s far faraway from the boy she as soon as adored.
Their reunion begins with a little bit of hesitation and awkwardness: Jing Jing seeks teaching to enhance her gaming abilities, and Yu Tu agrees, albeit reluctantly. However as late-night follow periods flip into deeper conversations, their connection regularly rekindles. Jing Jing reveals herself as greater than a glamorous public determine, providing Yu Tu a facet of her he had by no means really seen. On the identical time, Yu Tu’s vulnerabilities emerge, and Jing Jing turns into a gradual supply of assist, serving to him navigate private {and professional} challenges.
The romance unfolds as a sluggish burn, emphasising understanding, shared progress, and quiet intimacy moderately than flashy gestures or impulsive declarations. Each small second, a reassuring phrase, a lingering look, or a considerate gesture, provides emotional depth to their relationship. Yang Yang and Dilraba Dilmurat ship charming performances, capturing the appeal, rigidity, and refined emotional shifts that make their characters’ journey so compelling. Additionally they established themselves as one of the in style on-screen pairings within the C-drama world. At its core, the sequence is much less about grand romantic gestures and extra about discovering somebody who sees your true self and believes in you, even while you doubt your self.
Begin watching “You Are My Glory”:
“Lighter & Princess”
Tailored from Twentine’s novel “The Lighter and the Princess’s Robe,” the story revolves round Zhu Yun (Zhang Jing Yi), the quintessential “good woman”: disciplined, considerate, and cautious to observe each rule. Her world begins to shift when she begins school, encountering Li Xun (Chen Fei Yu), a superb pc science prodigy generally known as a lot for his conceitedness as for his genius. From their very first assembly, the sparks between them aren’t romantic however the clashes of persona. Zhu Yun’s orderly, rule-abiding nature immediately collides with Li Xun’s rebellious, unpredictable temperament.
Destiny, nevertheless, pairs them collectively for a vital programming challenge, and beneath Li Xun’s chilly, aloof exterior, Zhu Yun glimpses a lonely, weak younger man craving for understanding. On the identical time, Li Xun turns into a mirror for Zhu Yun’s personal braveness, pushing her to step out of her consolation zone and embrace defiance. Their connection grows intense; they study, stumble, and evolve collectively— however simply as their bond appears unbreakable, tragedy strikes. A betrayal by somebody Li Xun as soon as trusted shatters all the pieces. Sentenced to jail, Li Xun is left hardened and embittered, whereas Zhu Yun is pressured to step again, torn between grief and her household’s affect.
Years later, future reunites them. Zhu Yun has grown right into a assured, succesful lady, whereas Li Xun emerges from jail modified, scarred, cautious, and pushed by a want for retribution towards those that wronged him. The boy she as soon as knew is now a person tempered by ache, his brilliance shadowed by bitterness. But Zhu Yun refuses to let their love fade into reminiscence. She re-enters his life with willpower, guiding him by the emotional and psychological scars of his previous, reminding him of the particular person he as soon as was, and displaying him the potential of who he can nonetheless grow to be. The second half of the sequence delves into reunion, therapeutic, and the complexities of affection examined by time and struggling.
With its compelling leads and scorching chemistry for the books, “Lighter & Princess” captures the eagerness, heartache, and resilience inherent in first loves and has one of the intriguing storylines. The drama illustrates a narrative of redemption, perseverance, and the bittersweet great thing about a love that refuses to die, even when life appears decided to maintain them aside.
Begin watching “Lighter & Princess”:
“Street House”
Tailored from Mo Bao Fei Bao’s novel “The Street House,” this drama tells the heartfelt story of Gui Xiao (Tan Tune Yun) and Lu Chen (Jing Bo Ran), whose past love took root throughout their highschool years. However life had different plans. Lu Chen selected the demanding path of a particular police officer, which meant leaving his hometown for years of intense coaching and high-stakes responsibility. On the identical time, Gui Xiao’s household circumstances shifted, steering her towards a profession in finance. Slowly, the pressures of maturity and the miles between them chipped away on the bond they as soon as believed may stand up to something.
Years later, destiny reunites them in a quiet border city. Gui Xiao turns to Lu Chen for assist, however their interactions carry the burden of years aside. Lu Chen, now a disciplined and battle-hardened officer, bears the marks of his demanding profession, whereas Gui Xiao, outwardly poised and profitable, has discovered to defend her coronary heart. The drama skillfully interweaves present-day encounters with flashbacks, regularly revealing the circumstances that drove them aside whereas highlighting the enduring energy of their bond. By quiet acts of care, shared vulnerability, and moments of mutual understanding, Gui Xiao and Lu Chen regularly confront the lingering feelings that by no means really light.
Past the romance, the sequence explores broader themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the calls for of responsibility. It portrays two people formed by totally different experiences, pressured aside by time and circumstance, but nonetheless discovering methods to assist one another and rediscover the depth of their connection. Ultimately, Gui Xiao and Lu Chen’s journey turns into greater than a reunion; it’s a poignant “street house,” a second probability at past love the place persistence, empathy, and enduring affection information them again to at least one one other.
“Le Coup De Foudre”
Tailored from Qiao Yi’s beloved novel “I Don’t Like This World, I Solely Like You,” the story facilities on Zhao Qiao Yi (Wu Qian), a cheerful and spirited pupil whose energetic persona usually clashes along with her middling educational efficiency, and Yan Mo (Zhang Yu Jian), the category’s prime achiever — disciplined and good. When the 2 are paired as deskmates in highschool, an unlikely friendship begins to kind. Regardless of their starkly totally different temperaments, a real bond develops, regularly deepening into the primary stirrings of romance. The 2 even make a pact to check overseas collectively after commencement, however a sudden household tragedy forces Qiao Yi to desert the plan, leaving them separated with years of unstated feelings and lingering remorse.
Years later, destiny intervenes within the type of a highschool reunion, bringing Qiao Yi and Yan Mo face-to-face as soon as once more. For Qiao Yi, reminiscences and emotions she thought she had buried resurface, sparking a willpower to pursue the love she by no means had the prospect to precise. But the trail is something however easy. Misunderstandings and assumptions complicate their reunion. What she doesn’t initially see is that beneath Yan Mo’s calm, measured exterior lies a gradual and unwavering devotion. His love, quiet and chronic, has endured all these years, ready patiently for the precise second to be revealed.
“Le Coup de Foudre” stands out not just for its central romance but additionally for the way it entwines love with the rhythms of on a regular basis life. Its non-linear storytelling seamlessly shifts between the innocence of youth and the complexities of maturity. For a lot of viewers, it stays one of the heartfelt portrayals of younger love, timing, and the enduring hope of a second probability.
Begin watching “Le Coup de Foudre”:
“A Love So Lovely”
Tailored from the online novel of the identical identify, the center of the drama is the love story between Chen Xiao Xi (Shen Yue) and Jiang Chen (Hu Yi Tian). Xiao Xi, bubbly and endlessly optimistic, has an unabashed crush on her next-door neighbor. Although she struggles along with her research, her inventive ardour and playful vitality make her stand out. Jiang Chen, in distinction, is the college’s star pupil. He’s good-looking, good, and distant, the type of boy everybody admires however few get near. A lot of the story revolves round Xiao Xi’s many makes an attempt — usually clumsy, generally hilarious — to win him over, all whereas he quietly protects her in methods she doesn’t all the time discover.
Set towards the backdrop of highschool life, the drama captures the on a regular basis struggles of youngsters getting ready for the daunting gaokao exams, navigating insecurities, and determining who they’re. Past love right here is harmless and pure, however it’s additionally fragile, marked by misunderstandings, jealousy, and the inevitable challenges of rising up. The drama doesn’t shrink back from separation.
Xiao Xi and Jiang Chen drift aside at one level, a turning level that forces them to mature and mirror on what they really imply to one another. By the point they reunite as adults, their relationship feels each earned and deeper, carrying the burden of all of the years and experiences that formed them. The performances anchor the story fantastically. Ultimately, the sequence isn’t just a few highschool romance, it’s about rising up, holding on to friendships, and realizing that generally love wants time, distance, and second probabilities to completely bloom.
Begin watching “A Love So Lovely”:
Which of those C-dramas are your favorites? Tell us within the feedback beneath!
mon.y is a loyal connoisseur of Asian dramas and popular culture, with a deep-rooted love for storytelling that spans Okay-dramas, C-dramas, J-dramas, and all the pieces in between. A longtime leisure addict turned passionate author, she brings heartfelt enthusiasm and a sprinkle of sass to each evaluation and deep dive. At the moment watching: “Bon Appetit Your Majesty,” “My Troublesome Star,” “Shin’s Venture,” “Confidence Queen,” “A Hundred Recollections,” and “My Youth.”
Wanting ahead to: “Would You Marry Me?” “Romantics Nameless,” and “Hurricane Household.”
