Hidden Love (TV series) explained

Alt Name:Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide It
Native Name:
Child:yes
Hide:no
Header:none
S:偷偷藏不住
Genre:
  • Romance
  • Youth
Screenplay:Shen Fei Xian (沈飞弦)
Director:Lee Ching Jung
Starring:
Opentheme:只想把你偷偷藏好 (Just Want To Secretly Hide You)
Country:China
Language:Mandarin
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:25
Runtime:45 minutes
Location:Xiamen, China
Company:Youku

Hidden Love is a 2023 Chinese television drama starring Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan. It is based on the Chinese novel Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide It by Zhu Yi. The series aired on Youku from June 20 until July 6, 2023 and on Netflix, starting from June 29, 2023.[1] [2] [3] Hidden Love achieved popularity both domestically and overseas, receiving praise for its storyline and chemistry between the lead characters.

Synopsis

The series revolves around the life of Sang Zhi (Zhao Lusi), a young girl who develops a crush on Duan Jiaxu (Chen Zheyuan), who happens to be her older brother Sang Yan's (Victor Ma) bestfriend.[4] Despite the initial infatuation, their relationship takes a natural progression as time passes.[5] As the story unfolds, Sang Zhi's feelings for Duan Jiaxu deepen, transcending her initial crush and blossoming into genuine love.[6] [7]

Cast

Main cast

!Actor!Role!Introduction
Zhao Lusi (young: Zhang Xi Wei)Sang ZhiNicknamed "Zhizhi". Sang Yan's younger sister and Duan Jiaxu's love interest. She likes drawing and eating crispy duck with taro paste. When she was in 8th grade, she mistook Duan Jiaxu for her brother for a moment. She then asked Duan Jiaxu to pose as her brother to go to see the teacher instead of her parents. The difference in age between the two is 5 years. Later, when Sang Zhi was in high school, she gradually fell in love with Duan Jiaxu. She misunderstood that Duan Jiaxu had a girlfriend, so she tried hard to forget him. She later went to Yihe for university and met Duan Jiaxu again, and they eventually became a couple.[8]
Chen ZheyuanDuan JiaxuSang Yan's college roommate and Sang Zhi's love interest. His dream was to become a game designer. Because of his father's hospitalization, he started working part-time to earn money when he was a university student in Nanwu, Sang Yan and Sang Zhi's hometown. When Sang Zhi was in high school, he tutored her in physics. After graduating, he returned to Yihe to work and lost contact with Sang Zhi. Two years later, he reunited with Sang Zhi in Yihe, where she was attending university. As he grew closer to Sang Zhi, he slowly developed feelings for Sang Zhi.[9]
Sang YanSang Zhi's elder brother, with a sharp tongue and a tofu heart. He and Duan Jiaxu were college roommates and are close friends. He is supportive of Sang Zhi, though the two bicker often. He is five years older than Sang Zhi.[10]

People around Sang Zhi

!Actor!Role!Introduction
Zeng LiLi PingSang Zhi and Sang Yan's mother.
Qiu XinzhiSang RongSang Zhi and Sang Yan's father.
Wei XiaoNing WeiSang Zhi's college roommate. A vlogger with a lively personality. Chen Qiang's girlfriend.
Qi TianqingYu XinSang Zhi's college roommate. A career oriented girl with gaming passion.
Wang YilanWang RuolanSang Zhi's college roommate. A conservative and not very confident girl who has a crush on Jiang Ming.
Gu ShuqiYin ZhenruSang Zhi's middle school and high school classmate. Later transferred to another school.
Zhang Jiongmin (young: Gao Lin Yu)Fu ZhengchuSang Zhi's middle school and high school classmate. He liked Sang Zhi.
Lu DongxuJiang MingA student in the Department of Physical Education. He liked Sang Zhi.
Song PeizeChen QiangJiang Ming's college classmate. Ning Wei's boyfriend.
Xu ShiyueShi XiaoyuJiang Ying's friend. Sang Zhi's boss in internship company who mistook her for robbing Jiang Ying's boyfriend and disliked her everywhere.

People around Duan Jiaxu

!Actor!Role!Introduction
Li Jia WeiXu RuoshuDuan Jiaxu's mother.
Wang Wei HuaDuan Zhi ChengDuan Jiaxu's father. He's in coma after falling from terrace. He killed Jiang Ying's father in traffic accident after driving drunk.
Guan ZijingLi XunDuan Jiaxu's colleague. Jiang Siyun's husband.
Wang YangJiang Si YunDuan Jiaxu's boss.Li Xun's wife. Sang Zhi mistook her for Duan Jiaxu's girlfriend.
Zhang Haolun Chen JunwenDuan Jiaxu and Sang Yan's college roommate.
Hu YuxuanQian FeiDuan Jiaxu's college roommate. He was the first of the four roommates to get married.
Xu ShixinJiang YingDuan Jiaxu's high school classmate, whose father was killed in a traffic accident caused by Duan Jiaxu's father. She has an obsession with Duan Jiaxu. Over the years, she has troubled Duan Jiaxu persistently and was later warned and persuaded to stop bothering him. At one point, she even slandered Sang Zhi, falsely claiming she stole Duan Jiaxu from her

Others

Reception

Ayushi Agrawal of Pinkvilla wrote "the shows vibrant storyline, along with the well-crafted characters, undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the show's success, and it successfully delivered a romance narrative celebrated for its simplicity and relatability, gracefully navigating the age gap without causing discomfort".[11] India Today stated"netizens are hooked on the mushy Chinese drama with positive reviews", adding: "It is on the trending list of shows in several countries and it seems certain that after the popularity of K-dramas, Chinese dramas are all set to become the next big thing".[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 趙露思《偷偷藏不住》10大亮點!霸氣護愛陳哲遠、跪地哭戲讓人心疼,劇情高度還原人氣小說 . ELLE . 2 August 2023 . zh-TW . 27 June 2023 . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182029/https://www.elle.com/tw/entertainment/drama/g44293438/crush/ . live .
  2. 《偷偷藏不住》6大看點!趙露思暗戀陳哲遠7年,「乖戾少女vs鄰家暖男」校園純愛修成正果 . Harper's BAZAAR . 2 August 2023 . zh-TW . 19 June 2023 . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182028/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/tw/culture/drama/g44252030/hidden-love/ . live .
  3. Web site: 《偷偷藏不住》赵露思暗恋独白预告 超甜嗓音让网友直呼融化 . 就酱YOUNG . 2 August 2023 . 7 May 2023 . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182029/https://www.jiuzyoung.com/entertain/watch/chinese-drama-tou-tou-cang-bu-zhu-trailer/ . live .
  4. Web site: 《偷偷藏不住》熱度破歷史紀錄!趙露思純愛戰神治癒陳哲遠,獲封暗戀BE教科書 . Marie Claire 美麗佳人 . 2 August 2023 . zh-TW . 26 June 2023 . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182029/https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/73320 . live .
  5. Web site: 《偷偷藏不住》分集劇情!陳哲遠海邊求婚「一個人一輩子」,趙露思「他圓滿了我青澀的初戀」 . Marie Claire 美麗佳人 . 2 August 2023 . zh-TW . 27 July 2023 . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182029/https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/73397 . live .
  6. Web site: Sinopsis Hidden Love, Drama China yang Akan Tayang di Netflix . IDN Times . 2 August 2023 . id . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182028/https://www.idntimes.com/hype/entertainment/hayuni-paulain/sinopsis-hidden-love . live .
  7. Web site: Hidden Love Twitter review: Netizens are hooked to this mushy Chinese drama . The Times of India . 2 August 2023 . 22 July 2023 . 11 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230811053927/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/korean/hidden-love-twitter-review-netizens-are-hooked-to-this-mushy-chinese-drama/articleshow/102033010.cms?from=mdr . live .
  8. Web site: Why Chinese drama 'Hidden Love' should be on your binge-watch list this season . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182028/https://www.indiatoday.in/binge-watch/story/why-chinese-drama-hidden-love-should-be-on-your-binge-watch-list-this-season-2405778-2023-07-13 . 2 August 2023 . 2 August 2023 . India Today . 13 July 2023 . en.
  9. Web site: 14 July 2023 . 新一代男神!甜寵劇《偷偷藏不住》陳哲遠男團出道靠臉就紅、不健身維持少年感,超精壯身材照曝光! . 2 August 2023 . ELLE . zh-TW . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802182028/https://www.elle.com/tw/beauty/health/g44533965/chen-zhe-yuan-workouts-2023/ . live .
  10. Web site: 馬伯騫《偷偷藏不住》與趙露思演兄妹爆紅 他「差點拒演」內幕曝光 -- 上報 / 流行 . www.upmedia.mg . 6 August 2023 . 6 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230806045314/https://www.upmedia.mg/news_info.php?Type=196&SerialNo=177417 . live .
  11. Web site: Agrawal . Ayushi . September 5, 2023 . Zhao Lusi-Chen Zeyuan's Hidden Love vs Zhang Miaoyi-Zhou Yiran's When I Fly Towards You: Top 2023 C-dramas . December 2, 2023 . Pinkvilla.
  12. Web site: July 22, 2023 . Hidden Love Twitter review: Netizens are hooked to this mushy Chinese drama . December 2, 2023 . India Today.