Never Gone (2018 TV series)

Never Gone (原来你还在这里; pinyin: Yuán Lái Nǐ Hái Zài Zhè Lǐ) is a 2018 Chinese urban romance television series directed by Lin Yufen (林玉芬), adapted from Xin Yiwu's (辛夷坞) novel of the same name, and starring Yang Zishan and Elvis Han as two lovers separated by personality and social background who meet again in adulthood.^{1 • 2}

Plot

The story begins in high school, where Su Yunjin, a gentle and quiet student, and Cheng Zheng, her opposite in temperament and a brilliant student from a wealthy family, are classmates. Cheng Zheng falls in love with her and pursues her persistently, following her even to a different university, and the two eventually begin dating. Their clashing personalities and the difference in their family circumstances drive them apart after graduation, when Su Yunjin throws herself into work while Cheng Zheng wants a quieter life together.^{1 • 3}

Years later, with Su Yunjin established in a successful career, Cheng Zheng reappears in her life, and the two must decide whether their past love can overcome the differences that once separated them.^{3 • 5}

Cast

Yang Zishan plays Su Yunjin and Elvis Han plays Cheng Zheng; the teenage versions of both characters are played by Li Landi and Hu Xianxu respectively.² The supporting cast includes Toby Lee (Li Chengbin) as Shen Ju'an, Su Yunjin's college senior and ex-boyfriend; Su Qing as Mo Yuhua; Lan Yingying (Lyric Lan) as Zhang Yue, Cheng Zheng's cousin and a company CEO; Tan Jianci as Zhou Ziyi; Wen Xin as Meng Xue; and Archie Kao (Gao Shengyuan) as Xu Zhiheng.^{2 • 6}

Production and broadcast

The series was produced by Cai Yinong with Li Guoli as executive supervisor, written by Jin Guodong (with Xin Yiwu also credited as screenwriter on Chinese reference entries), and made by Shanghai Ruyi Film and Tangren Media (Chinese Entertainment Shanghai), with Ji Xiang Ju Fang also listed among the production companies.^{1 • 4}

It premiered on Youku on 6 November 2018 and ran through 4 December 2018, with new episodes on Tuesdays and Fridays.^{2 • 3} According to Chinese reference entries, plays exceeded 100 million within a day of release.⁷ A second run aired on Shandong Television from 19 February 2019.¹

Spinoff

A 15-episode companion series, Never Gone Spinoff (原来你还在这里少年番外篇), covering the main characters' high school years, began on Youku on 10 November 2018. It stars Li Landi as Su Yunjin, Hu Xianxu as Cheng Zheng, Li Gengxi as Mo Yuhua, Bian Cheng as Zhou Ziyi, and Zhuang Dafei as Meng Xue.²

Reception and availability

At the 3rd Golden Guduo Network Film and TV Festival on 12 January 2019, the series was named one of the year's Top 10 Premium Web Dramas.¹ Ratings differ across aggregators: the Chinese reference entry Kuaidong Baike records an IMDb score of 7.7 as of 2 July 2023,⁷ while JustWatch's US page lists 7.9,⁶ and Rakuten Viki users give it 9.1.⁵ The series remains available with English subtitles on Rakuten Viki and on iQIYI International, which offers it in resolutions up to 4K with Dolby audio.^{8 • 9}

References

1. 原来你还在这里（2018年林玉芬执导的都市爱情剧）, Baidu Baike
2. Never Gone, DramaWiki
3. Never Gone, TVmaze
4. Never Gone – Chinese Drama 2018, CPOP HOME
5. Never Gone, Rakuten Viki
6. Never Gone – watch online, JustWatch (US)
7. 原来你还在这里, 快懂百科
8. Never Gone Season 1 streaming, JustWatch
9. Never Gone (2018), iQIYI wiki

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026

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