| Based On: | Never Gone: So You Are Still Here by Xin Yiwu |
| Country: | China |
| Language: | Mandarin |
| Num Episodes: | 36 |
| Executive Producer: | Karen Tsai |
| Location: | Shanghai, Guangxi, Shaoxing |
| Channel: | Youku, Shandong Television |
| Related: | Never Gone |
Never Gone is a 2018 Chinese streaming television series based on the novel of the same name by Xin Yiwu. It stars Yang Zishan, Elvis Han, Toby Lee, Su Qing, Lan Yingying and Tan Jianci. The series premiered on Youku on November 6, 2018.[1] It later went on national broadcast and aired on Shandong Television from February 19, 2019.
Su Yunjin and Cheng Zheng are classmates in high school. Cheng Zheng is attracted to Su Yunjin, but he doesn't know how to express it well and causes Yunjin to misunderstand his true intentions. However over time, Cheng Zheng's concern for Yunjin touches her heart and Yunjin also starts to develop feelings for Cheng Zheng. However, she knows that their personalities and family background are vastly different, so she purposely avoids Cheng Zheng's advancements.
After getting into different colleges, Cheng Zheng refuses to give up and continues to relentlessly pursue Yunjin. They finally get together but the pressures from life after graduation cause a strain in their relationship. Yunjin throws herself into work while Cheng Zheng is frustrated about her lack of time for him. Misunderstandings pile up and causes the couple to separate. However years later, Cheng Zheng reappears in Su Yunjin's life.
A quiet and introverted girl who suffers from low self-esteem due to her family background. Despite her lack of self-confidence, she remains resolute and firm on her decisions.
A confident and outgoing guy who is intelligent, good in sports and comes from a rich family background. Despite his love for Su Yujin, his brashness and lack of sensitivity plays a part in driving their relationship apart.
Su Yunjin's college senior and ex-boyfriend, later Zhang Yue's husband. A capable man who manages to become the top student and president of the student body through his hard work and determination. However, his poor family background continues to haunt him, driving him to make the decision of using Zhang Yue's feelings for him to rise up the ranks in Heng Kai.
Su Yunjin's high school classmate and best friend. An intelligent and introverted student who later becomes a doctor. She has a one-sided love for Zhou Ziyi, and quietly makes sacrifices for him throughout the years.
Cheng Zheng's cousin. CEO of Hengkai Company. A confident and free-spirited woman. She falls in love with Shen Ju'an and willingly let him make use of her, despite knowing that he does not love her.
Cheng Zheng's high school classmate and best friend. A flirtatious playboy who comes from a rich family, but suffers from lack of familial love. Despite knowing that Mo Yuhua loves him, he is unable to reciprocate her feelings.
Cheng Zheng's childhood friend and high school classmate. She has a one-sided love for Cheng Zheng, and continues to pursue him throughout high school and college. She later falls in love with Song Ming.
Meng Xue's high school classmate. He loved Meng Xue since high school, and was finally able to earn her hand in marriage during their adult days.
A guy who comes from the same village as Su Yunjin. He was arranged to attend a matchmaking session with Su Yunjin, but ends up befriending Mo Yuhua and has a crush on her.
Su Yunjin's boss. He has a strained relationship with his wife, and becomes interested in Su Yunjin and pursues her.
Xu Zhiheng's wife.
The production team took six months to search for child actors to play the younger counterparts of the main characters. Li Landi, Hu Xianxu, Bian Cheng, Li Gengxi and Zhuang Dafei were selected among 1,000 applicants to play young Su Yunjin, Cheng Zheng, Zhou Ziyi, Mo Yuhua and Meng Xue.[11]
The series began filming at Shanghai in September 2017, and wrapped up filming in December 2017.[12] [13]
| Shangdong TV CSM55 ratings[14] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air date | Episode # | Ratings (%) | Audience share (%) | Rank | |
| 2019-02-19 | 1-2 | 0.327 | 1.1 | 8 | |
| 2019-02-20 | 3-4 | 0.376 | 1.31 | 8 | |
| 2019-02-21 | 5-6 | 0.456 | 1.55 | 6 | |
| 2019-02-22 | 7-8 | 0.424 | 1.47 | 8 | |
| 2019-02-23 | 9-10 | 0.424 | 1.41 | 6 | |
| 2019-02-24 | 11-12 | 0.466 | 1.59 | 5 | |
| 2019-02-25 | 13-14 | 0.458 | 1.61 | 5 | |
| 2019-02-26 | 15-16 | 0.448 | 1.57 | 6 | |
| 2019-02-27 | 17-18 | 0.477 | 1.68 | 6 | |
| 2019-02-28 | 19-20 | 0.473 | 1.69 | 6 | |
| 2019-03-01 | 21-22 | 0.519 | 1.79 | 5 | |
| 2019-03-02 | 23-24 | 0.467 | 1.63 | 5 | |
| 2019-03-03 | 25-26 | 0.499 | 1.76 | 5 | |
| 2019-03-04 | 27-28 | 0.434 | 1.56 | 6 | |
| 2019-03-05 | 29-30 | 0.451 | 1.61 | 6 | |
| 2019-03-06 | 31-32 | 0.507 | 1.82 | 6 | |
| 2019-03-07 | 33-34 | 0.504 | 1.8 | 6 | |
| 2019-03-08 | 35-36 | 0.43 | 1.55 | 6 | |
| 2019-03-09 | 37-38 | 0.449 | 1.51 | 5 | |
The drama received positive reviews during its airing. Despite its "cliche" storyline and differences in plot with the novel, the drama was praised for its heartwarming story, as well as the acting skills and character interpretation of the lead actors.[15] [16] [17]
| Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Tencent Video Star Awards | Top 10 Web Drama | Never Gone | [18] | |
| Golden Bud - The Third Network Film And Television Festival | [19] |
A 15-episode spin-off of the drama aired on Youku starting November 10, which centers around the lead character's school life. The drama stars the younger versions of the characters, played by Li Landi, Hu Xianxu, Bian Cheng, Li Gengxi and Zhuang Dafei.