{ "id": "ep9jvyh5ad", "slug": "hidden-love", "title": "Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "label": "Titles Cr to In", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "label": "China · 2021 and later: Titles Cr to In", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021", "label": "China · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "label": "Titles Cr to In", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住) is a 2023 Youku Chinese youth romance drama adapted from Zhu Yi's novel, starring Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan as Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu; it set Youku heat records, scored 6.7 on Douban, streamed globally on Netflix, and spawned a 2026 film adaptation.", "snippet": "Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住) is a 2023 Youku Chinese youth romance drama adapted from Zhu Yi's novel, starring Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan as Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu; it set Youku heat records, scored 6.7 on Douban, streamed globally on Netflix, and spawned a 2026 film adaptation.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "markdown": "# Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住)\n\n**Hidden Love** (偷偷藏不住) is a 2023 Chinese youth romance television series adapted from Zhu Yi's (竹已) novel of the same name, starring [Zhao Lusi](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhao-lusi) as Sang Zhi and [Chen Zheyuan](https://www.edgepedia.org/chen-zheyuan) as Duan Jiaxu. It follows Sang Zhi, who at 13 develops a secret crush on her older brother's college roommate Duan Jiaxu, and years later, after reuniting as an adult, turns her one-sided crush into a mutual romance.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993) • [2](https://www.infzm.com/contents/253214?source=202&source_1=253212)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original run | Premiered June 20, 2023 on Youku; 25 episodes, member finale July 11, 2023[3](https://www.sina.cn/news/article/nimxrnq5861633.html) |\n| Source | Novel of the same name by Zhu Yi, which ranked Top 1 on the Jinjiang romance gold list[2](https://www.infzm.com/contents/253214?source=202&source_1=253212) |\n| Cast | Zhao Lusi (Sang Zhi), Chen Zheyuan (Duan Jiaxu), Ma Boqian; directed by Li Qingrong[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993) • [4](https://www.10100.com/article/53248892) |\n| Pre-broadcast demand | Over 4.927 million Youku reservations before launch; over 200 trending topics on premiere day[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993) |\n| Platform record | Broke Youku's 10,000 heat-value threshold in 30 hours, the fastest for a modern romance drama on the platform[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993) |\n| Ratings | Douban opening score 6.7[5](https://popdaily.com/my/article/306928/amp); IMDb 8.6 globally (8.7 US, 8.9 India)[6](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3842fb98f367a0924acc75ba7a3ab388dacfbe00.pdf) |\n| Overseas reach | Released globally on Netflix; over 6 billion views on TikTok[6](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3842fb98f367a0924acc75ba7a3ab388dacfbe00.pdf) • [7](https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/attachement/202507/10/78700138-7535-4b6f-8968-cfbf7f23dcf9.pdf) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\n#### Episodes 1 to 7: the crush begins\n\nYihe, a small city in southern China, the recent past. Sang Zhi (Zhao Lusi), a middle schooler, is lonely and bullied at school while her parents dote on her older brother Sang Yan (Victor Ma). When Sang Yan brings home his college friend Duan Jiaxu (Chen Zheyuan), Sang Zhi's life gets a new axis. Jiaxu is warm, easygoing, and treats her like a little sister worth talking to, which nobody else does. She begins orbiting him: finding excuses to visit his dorm, playing games online with him under a nickname, hiding the crush behind a flat expression.\n\nJiaxu's own life is heavier than it looks. His father is mentally ill and violent, and Jiaxu works part-time jobs to pay for care while pretending everything is fine. When his father's situation explodes and he has to leave Yihe for another city, Sang Zhi is the one who sees him at his lowest. Their goodbye at the station, where he hands her a milk carton and ruffles her hair, becomes the image she keeps for years.\n\n#### Episodes 7 to 19: the reunion\n\nYears later, Sang Zhi, now a university student, moves to the city where Jiaxu lives and works. She tells herself the childhood crush is over. It is not. She rents an apartment, starts her design degree, and keeps running into Jiaxu, who is now an office worker and still effortlessly kind to her. Sang Yan, protective and loud, has no idea his best friend is his sister's secret, and Sang Zhi smuggles Jiaxu into her life under her brother's nose.\n\nWhen Sang Zhi is 18, Jiaxu realizes he has fallen for the girl he used to babysit. He does not grab. On her 19th birthday he asks permission to pursue her, and the romance begins, this time as equals. Sang Zhi's friends tease, Sang Yan remains oblivious, and Jiaxu's father troubles continue to shadow him. A confession in the snow, staged as Jiaxu walks her home, becomes the second of the show's signature scenes.\n\n#### Episodes 20 to 25: the reveal and the proposal\n\nThe final obstacle is not love but family. Sang Zhi's parents learn that their daughter is dating a man five years her senior, her brother's friend, the boy who knew her when she was fourteen. Jiaxu does the adult thing: he tells Sang Yan first, then visits the parents, explains that his father's situation is settled, and accepts their scrutiny. The parents answer that they care about nothing but their daughter's happiness, and they can see how sincere he is. They give their blessing.\n\nSang Zhi wins first place in a university design competition, and Jiaxu introduces her there as his girlfriend. Then comes a two-year time skip to her graduation. Her friends, in on the plan, take her on a trip to the beach.\n\n**On the beach, Jiaxu kneels and proposes, and tells her his own secret: there was a time when he had secretly liked her too.** The hidden love she carried alone for a decade turns out to have run in both directions, and the story closes the circle it opened: it began when Jiaxu was 19 and Sang Zhi was 14, and he proposes when she turns 22. She says yes.\n\n### Characters\n\nSang Zhi (Zhao Lusi) is the younger sister who grows from a sulky, bullied middle schooler into a design student with a spine. Her crush is conducted entirely in secret, and Zhao Lusi plays the early years with a teenager's deadpan mask over obvious longing.\n\nDuan Jiaxu (Chen Zheyuan) is her brother's best friend, a sunny, hardworking young man hiding a father's mental illness and the money troubles that come with it. He is careful with Sang Zhi, never crossing a line while she is young, and the show's defenders point to this as the reason the romance works.\n\nSang Yan (Victor Ma) is the brother, brash and protective, comic relief and obstacle at once. Casting him drew fan backlash before release; after airing, viewers praised him. Zeng Li and Qiu Xinzhi play the parents.\n\n### Interpretations and controversies\n\nThe age gap is the controversy. In the drama, Sang Zhi is 14 and Jiaxu 19 when they meet, a five-year gap reduced from seven in the novel after censorship review.[16](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20230712-1413223) Chinese screenwriter Zhu Ming attacked the show on Weibo as \"inducing crime,\" calling on parents to keep children away and on the platform to pull it.[16](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20230712-1413223) Fans and reviewers counter that Jiaxu develops no romantic feelings until Sang Zhi is an adult, and that he formally asks to pursue her on her 19th birthday.[17](https://mydramalist.com/729705-hidden-love) • [18](https://cnovelholic.com/drama-review/romance/hidden-love-drama-review/) Some viewers also felt the actors' real-life age gap of only two years made the scripted lines about a five-year difference ring slightly false.[19](https://news.nextapple.com/entertainment/20231223/11FF353C4A14B784F3A10EEA2317D7E3)\n\n### Sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations\n\nThe series adapts Zhu Yi's web novel \"Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide It.\" The same novel universe includes Sang Yan as the hero of \"The First Frost\" (难哄), a related IP whose own adaptation's heat was used to feed interest back into Hidden Love.[20](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7879922982_1d5ae15260190a8b2m.html)\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe series was produced by Wajijiwa (哇唧唧哇) with Youku and Galaxy Cool Entertainment (银河酷娱传媒) as co-presenters, directed by Li Qingrong, whose earlier credits include *Go Go Squid!*, with a screenplay by Ou Sijia.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993) • [4](https://www.10100.com/article/53248892) • [6](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3842fb98f367a0924acc75ba7a3ab388dacfbe00.pdf) Filming was still under way in September 2022, when the production issued a statement on its official Weibo calling on fans to resist unauthorized set photos and paparazzi footage.[8](https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1662350311168117.html)\n\n**Launch performance.** The drama premiered on June 20, 2023 in Youku's romance theater. Before broadcast it had accumulated more than 4.927 million in-platform reservations, and on its first day it topped the [Lighthouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/lighthouse) all-platform buzz, Maoyan real-time heat, and Weibo drama influence charts.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993) Within 30 hours it passed Youku's 10,000 heat-value mark, the fastest any modern romance drama had done so on the platform.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993) The 25-episode run ended with its member finale on July 11, 2023.[3](https://www.sina.cn/news/article/nimxrnq5861633.html)\n\n## Story and reception\n\nThe plot is told largely from Sang Zhi's perspective: a girl who, helped with schoolwork by her brother Sang Yan's friend Duan Jiaxu, quietly falls for him and resolves to work hard enough to attend university in his city, leading to their reunion and eventual mutual love.[6](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3842fb98f367a0924acc75ba7a3ab388dacfbe00.pdf) Reviewers noted the show's deliberate fairy-tale framing, using Sang Zhi's first-person view to heighten the sweetness of small everyday moments.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993)\n\n**Domestic ratings were divided.** On Douban the series opened at 6.7, and some viewers criticized the adaptation for deviating from the novel or the leads' performances.[5](https://popdaily.com/my/article/306928/amp) In the bullet-comment stream, the most frequent reactions were excited exclamations, and early doubts about who the show was for gave way after broadcast to viewers embracing it.[9](https://k.sina.cn/article_1642591402_61e7f4aa019017vcs.html) Chen Zheyuan, whom some novel fans initially thought miscast as the flirtatious Duan Jiaxu, was credited with capturing both the early sibling-like dynamic and the later sweetness, turning the assessment around.[10](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231016-1442752)\n\n## Controversy\n\nThe series drew sustained criticism over its central age-gap premise. *Southern Weekend* argued that the source novel, whose readership skewed young and was mocked as \"elementary school literature,\" depicted an adult man using the guise of an older-brother figure to verbally flirt with an underage girl, a framing critics read as predatory rather than sweet.[2](https://www.infzm.com/contents/253214?source=202&source_1=253212) CCTV's web outlet also criticized sweet-pet dramas, including this one, for plots detached from reality in which everything serves the leads' romance.[10](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231016-1442752) Commentators described the story as testing ethical boundaries, and the negative commentary itself pushed the show's heat higher.[11](https://dzb.whb.cn/imgPath/2023-09-27/110927.pdf) • [10](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231016-1442752)\n\n## International reach\n\nHidden Love became one of the most widely seen Chinese dramas abroad. It was released globally on Netflix and scored 8.6 on IMDb, averaging 8.7 among United States users and 8.9 in India.[6](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3842fb98f367a0924acc75ba7a3ab388dacfbe00.pdf) Its clips accumulated more than 6 billion views on TikTok, and *People's Daily* cited it among Chinese dramas that found large overseas audiences.[7](https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/attachement/202507/10/78700138-7535-4b6f-8968-cfbf7f23dcf9.pdf) In Taiwan it later aired on Chung T'ien Television, where promotion called it a ceiling of pure-love dramas.[12](https://www.ctitv.com.tw/channel39/%E5%81%B7%E5%81%B7%E8%97%8F%E4%B8%8D%E4%BD%8F)\n\n## Franchise and follow-ups\n\nThe novel has a sister work, *The First Frost* (难哄), also by Zhu Yi and centered on Sang Zhi's brother Sang Yan; its 2025 television adaptation prompted viewers to rewatch Hidden Love and drew similar casting and content controversies.[13](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20250225-5927850) A feature film adaptation of Hidden Love, directed by Zhang Yudi and written by Zhao Yue, was scheduled for the summer 2026 season, with the original novel credited with over 50 billion topic reads across the internet.[14](https://www.chinafilmnews.cn/UploadFiles/file/20260107/202601071001047041.pdf) In 2025, Wajijiwa publicly asserted its film and television rights over the property after a dispute with Jinjiang Literature City over an unauthorized micro short-drama adaptation.[15](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%81%B7%E5%81%B7%E8%97%8F%E4%B8%8D%E4%BD%8F/65549607?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n\n## References\n\n1. [《偷偷藏不住》：这个夏天，纯爱届的显眼包出现了, 澎湃新闻·骨朵编辑部 (2023)](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23600993)\n2. [救命，这剧看了想报警, 南方周末 (2023)](https://www.infzm.com/contents/253214?source=202&source_1=253212)\n3. [电视剧《偷偷藏不住》25集早已收官，为何\"要停更\"仍登热搜？, 新浪 (2026)](https://www.sina.cn/news/article/nimxrnq5861633.html)\n4. [〖首播质检〗《偷偷藏不住》优酷宠爱剧场开播, 大数跨境 (2023)](https://www.10100.com/article/53248892)\n5. [2023年7部「热度高，评分意外低」陆剧盘点, PopDaily (2023)](https://popdaily.com/my/article/306928/amp)\n6. [Hidden Love Anniversary Special Issue, Canele News (2024)](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3842fb98f367a0924acc75ba7a3ab388dacfbe00.pdf)\n7. [人民日报副刊 (2025)](https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/attachement/202507/10/78700138-7535-4b6f-8968-cfbf7f23dcf9.pdf)\n8. [赵露思陈哲远主演电视剧《偷偷藏不住》发声明抵制代拍、路透, 新京报 (2022)](https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1662350311168117.html)\n9. [关于《偷偷藏不住》的选角、心动点和争议，我们都问到了, 新浪娱乐 (2023)](https://k.sina.cn/article_1642591402_61e7f4aa019017vcs.html)\n10. [未成年女生暗恋剧爆火 网民忧\"少了边界感\", 联合早报 (2023)](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231016-1442752)\n11. [网络评分一度超越《人世间》, 文汇报 (2023)](https://dzb.whb.cn/imgPath/2023-09-27/110927.pdf)\n12. [偷偷藏不住, 中天電視節目頁](https://www.ctitv.com.tw/channel39/%E5%81%B7%E5%81%B7%E8%97%8F%E4%B8%8D%E4%BD%8F)\n13. [〖娱乐吃瓜〗姐妹作梦幻联动！《难哄》《偷偷藏不住》连争议都雷同？, 联合早报 (2025)](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20250225-5927850)\n14. [青春爱情电影《偷偷藏不住》定档2026年暑期, 中国电影报 (2026)](https://www.chinafilmnews.cn/UploadFiles/file/20260107/202601071001047041.pdf)\n15. [偷偷藏不住（2026年电影）, 百度百科](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%81%B7%E5%81%B7%E8%97%8F%E4%B8%8D%E4%BD%8F/65549607?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n16. [https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20230712-1413223](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20230712-1413223)\n17. [https://mydramalist.com/729705-hidden-love](https://mydramalist.com/729705-hidden-love)\n18. [https://cnovelholic.com/drama-review/romance/hidden-love-drama-review/](https://cnovelholic.com/drama-review/romance/hidden-love-drama-review/)\n19. [https://news.nextapple.com/entertainment/20231223/11FF353C4A14B784F3A10EEA2317D7E3](https://news.nextapple.com/entertainment/20231223/11FF353C4A14B784F3A10EEA2317D7E3)\n20. [https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7879922982_1d5ae15260190a8b2m.html](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7879922982_1d5ae15260190a8b2m.html)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Cr to In*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/hidden-love", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/hidden-love.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/hidden-love. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住)](https://www.edgepedia.org/hidden-love)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/hidden-love](https://www.edgepedia.org/hidden-love). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Hidden Love (偷偷藏不住)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/hidden-love. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Hidden Love is a 2023 Youku Chinese youth romance drama adapted from Zhu Yi's novel, starring Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan as Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu; it set Youku heat records, scored 6.7 on Douban, streamed globally on Netflix, and spawned a 2026 film adaptation." }