A sensitive portrayal of a girl’s first crush that turns into a full-blown romance during her college years. This gem of a drama focuses on Sang Zhi, brought alive by Zhao Lu Si’s amazing performance, and how she comes to terms with her feelings for her older brother’s best friend. Male lead Chen Zhe Yuan is a great foil as the straightforward perfect boyfriend to the more emotionally complicated character of Sang Zhi.

Aside from a couple minor over-the-top plot lines at the end, this is a supremely well-written drama – especially when it comes to the roles of the main couple and Sang Zhi’s interactions with her brother. They probably felt so real because they were partially improvised by the actors (see interview with Victor Ma, who played Sang Zhi’s brother). The relationship with her brother shows us a completely different side of Sang Zhi – while she cares about him, she can be mean and obnoxious to him, a real brat. This darker side makes the character much more realistic and relatable – and very easy to identify with. She is a great role model: She knows exactly what she wants and she fights for it – defying her insecurities, social expectations (age gap) and interferences by other people, even family members.

This is a sweet, feel-good comfort drama – heartfelt, with top-notch chemistry, no love triangles, no noble idiocy and low on conflict. A beautiful depiction of the innocence and insecurity of first love that will put a smile on your face.

Youku. China. Written by Shen Fei Xian. Based on a novel by Zhu Yi.