Hidden Love

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) best friend. Despite the initial infatuation, their relationship takes a natural progression as time passes. As the story unfolds, Sang Zhi's feelings for Duan Jiaxu deepen, transcending her initial crush and blossoming into genuine love.

Cast and characters

Main

Zhao Lusi as Sang Zhi

Zhang Xi Wei as young Sang Zhi

Nicknamed "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 University and met Duan Jiaxu again, and they eventually became a couple.

Chen Zheyuan as Duan Jiaxu

Sang Yan's college roommate and Sang Zhi's love interest. His dream was to become a video 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.

Victor Ma as Sang Yan

Sang 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.

People around Sang Zhi

Zeng Li as Li Ping

Sang Zhi and Sang Yan's mother.

Qiu Xinzhi as Sang Rong

Sang Zhi and Sang Yan's father.

Wei Xiao as Ning Wei

Sang Zhi's college roommate. A vlogger with a lively personality. Chen Qiang's girlfriend.

Qi Tianqing as Yu Xin

Sang Zhi's college roommate who is a career oriented girl and has a passion for gaming.

Wang Yilan as Wang Ruolan

Sang Zhi's college roommate. A conservative and not very confident girl who has a crush on Jiang Ming.

Gu Shuqi as Yin Zhenru

Sang Zhi's middle school and high school classmate. Later transferred to another school.

Zhang Jiongmin as Fu Zhengchu

Gao Lin Yu as young Fu Zhenchu

Sang Zhi's middle school and high school classmate. He liked Sang Zhi.

Lu Dongxu as Jiang Ming

A student in the Department of Physical Education who liked Sang Zhi.

Song Peize as Chen Qiang

Jiang Ming's college classmate and Ning Wei's boyfriend.

People around Duan Jiaxu

Li Jia Wei as Xu Ruoshu

Duan Jiaxu's mother.

Wang Wei Hua as Duan Zhi Cheng

Duan Jiaxu's father. He's in a coma after falling from a terrace. He killed Jiang Ying's father in traffic accident after driving drunk.

Guan Zijing as Li Xun

Duan Jiaxu's colleague. Jiang Siyun's husband.

Wang Yang as Jiang Si Yun

Duan Jiaxu's boss. Li Xun's wife. Sang Zhi mistook her for Duan Jiaxu's girlfriend.

Zhang Haolun as Chen Junwen

Duan Jiaxu and Sang Yan's college roommate.

Hu Yuxuan as Qian Fei

Duan Jiaxu's college roommate. He was the first of the four roommates to get married.

Xu Shixin as Jiang Ying

Duan 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

Wang Yi Tian as Xiao Taimei

Chang Hai Bo as Chen Mingxu

Ji Hao as Jia Yang

Guo Zi Xin as Zhang Hui

Zhang Bo as Zhang Sen

Wang Sheng Yun as Wan Zhe

Reception

Critical response

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". 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".

Other media

The novel the series was based on was licensed on English by Seven Seas Entertainment.