Our Secret (2021) 暗格里的秘密
Directed by Zhang Xiaoan, starring Chen Zheyuan and Xu Mengjie.
Watched 26 September - 11 October 2024 — 24 episodes (VIKI PASS)
*I never thought I would be charmed by these Chinese high school dramas but they are so easy to digest and lovable. Of course a great deal depends on the cast and here the leading actors are the main appeal, Chen Zheyuan as Zhou Siyue and Xu Mengjie as Ding Xian. I love them and they have great chemistry. I actually chose this C-drama for Chen Zheyuan. It doesn't make sense but I find this actor attractive. I simply love the way he looks at the female lead Xu Mengjie, his facial expressions, the way he talks, and the deep sound of his voice. He gives me all the heart-fluttering feels. It's funny but when I started watching K-drama (and now C-drama) and was picking dramas to watch, I wasn't tempted to watch anything with a male lead who looks like a boy/kid. Only dramas with mature leads like Hyun Bin, So Ji-sub or Ji Sung appealed to me. I think one of my first dramas with a male lead with boyish looks was Kim Seon-ho in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and I loved him. So now I know I should never judge an actor's appeal just by looking at a photo or still because even though they might look like school kids, when they move and talk they can become quite attractive.
*I love the high school episodes, taking up most of the show's runtime, and love seeing Zhou Siyue and Ding Xian as desk mates. When we follow the leads to university (around episode 15), I didn't like at first how Ding Xian kept pursuing Zhou Siyue, making it clear she went to the same university for him. She also signed up for the scientific research team just to be with him and to go abroad with him. But later on we learn that she was so tenacious and brave in pursuing him because she had read a note in her study book (when they were in high school), written by him saying "I like you, silly!", so she knew he liked her back and she was going to make him admit it.
*Love the scene in episode 23 set at Zhou Siyue's apartment. He is upset for disappointing Ding Xian and she hugs and comforts him, saying she loves him so much.
*I love the final episode with the proposal scene. And the final scene with the adult Ding Xian smiling at her teen version got me teary-eyed.
*Just like in When I Fly Towards You and Hidden Love, I love how our romantic leads are supporting and loving each other, also in their career endeavours. It's so heartwarming.
*I also like the side characters, the friends from high school and Ding Xian's dorm friends.
*Love Ding Xian's relationship with her dad, the teacher, but also her difficult relationship with her mother.
*It's funny how Ding Xian and Zhou Siyue have their clothing matched in colour.
*Lovely OST!
*I saw photos online of Ding Xian and Zhou Siyue in wedding clothes but because this wasn't a scene from the last episode, I wondered whether there was a special episode. And I found it on YouTube and Dailymotion. It was nice to hang out with our lovable cast just a little bit longer and also to see how our 2nd couple took a step closer to their own wedding with Wang Zexuan (as Song Ziqi) proposing to Wang Yilan (as Kong Shadi).
*Will certainly revisit this show!