The year began on a high note when “Love Between Lines,” a Chinese romance drama starring Chen Xing Xu and Lu Yu Xiao, quickly won over audiences. The 2026 drama mixes urban love with suspense, using a clever “story within a story” format. Directed by Mao De Shu (best known for “When I Fly Towards You”), the series moves between two distinct worlds—the polished world of architecture and a gripping Republican-era murder mystery game.
The story follows Hu Xiu (Lu Yu Xiao), who is reeling from heartbreak and professional setbacks. Looking for a fresh start, she signs up for an immersive script-kill game set in the Republic of China era. There, she plays a sharp detective and meets Xiao Zhi Yu (Chen Xing Xu), a calm yet commanding participant portraying a powerful warlord. What begins as strategic gameplay slowly turns into something more meaningful. But their connection doesn’t stay confined to the game. In reality, Hu Xiu discovers that Xiao Zhi Yu is a successful architect. As they begin working side by side, their growing feelings complicate their professional dynamic. At the same time, Zhi Yu is quietly burdened by questions surrounding his father’s mysterious death—a truth he is determined to uncover. Gradually, the boundary between scripted emotions and real love starts to fade.
Chen Xing Xu plays Xiao Zhi Yu with restraint and intensity as a driven architect who built his company, Dynamism, from scratch while hiding his loneliness behind ambition. Lu Yu Xiao brings sincerity and quiet strength to Hu Xiu, portraying a woman rebuilding her confidence and reclaiming her career. With its layered narrative, slow-burn romance, and emotional undercurrent, “Love Between Lines” stands out not just for its love story but for exploring the space between who we role-play and who we truly are. If you loved this C-drama, here are five dramas of Chen Xing Xu that every fan must watch!
“My Page in the 90s”
Airing right after “Love Between Lines,” this 2026 Chinese romantic comedy mixes isekai-style transmigration with warm 1990s nostalgia. The story follows Lin Huan Er (Wang Yu Wen), a successful 2025 live streamer who brands herself as a “feelings coach” despite secretly not believing in love anymore. During a livestream rant where she mocks a cheesy 1999 romance novel called “Bye, Wild Weasel,” something unbelievable happens: she wakes up inside the very book she criticized. Suddenly stuck in the late ’90s, surrounded by pagers, landlines, and old-school workplace dynamics, Huan Er is given one clear rule by a mysterious pager system: she can only return to her real world if the novel’s emotionally distant hero, Gao Hai Ming (Chen Xing Xu), falls in love with her and proposes.
Armed with her 2025 dating “strategies,” Huan Er tries to outsmart the plot. But the story has rules of its own. The system forces her into classic romance-novel tropes, accidental embraces, dramatic rain scenes, and unavoidable proximity. To make things harder, Hai Ming is sharper and far less gullible than she expected. As her carefully planned tactics fall apart, something unexpected happens: her feelings stop being strategic and start becoming real. Blending retro charm with playful comedy, the drama explores the clash between algorithm-driven modern love and old-school sincerity and asks whether honesty is the only thing that truly works when every trick fails.
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“Love on the Turquoise Land”
Based on Wei Yu’s novel “An Owl Rising from the Green Soil,” the series stands out for its cinematic scale and the intense chemistry between its leads. The story draws from a legend set during the Qin Dynasty. In his quest for immortality, Emperor Qin Shi Huang is said to have sent a secret elite army to find an elixir of eternal life. The soldiers vanished but their bloodline survived. In the present day, that buried history resurfaces, setting off a chain of dangerous events.
At the heart of the drama is Nie Jiu Luo (Dilraba Dilmurat), a talented sculptor who seems ordinary at first glance. In truth, she descends from that lost army and is known as a powerful Nanshan Hunter, trained to fight deadly forces. All she wants is a quiet life, but destiny keeps pulling her back into the shadows. Her journey intersects with Yan Tuo (Chen Xing Xu), a wealthy heir who has long pretended to be weak and clueless. Behind that facade, he has been carefully protecting his mother and investigating the people responsible for his family’s ruin. Intelligent and patient, he hides far more than he reveals. Together, Nie Jiu Luo and Yan Tuo uncover the existence of Earth Fiends, terrifying beings living among humans, and the secrets of the mysterious Turquoise Land. This hidden world is tied to ancient power and humanity’s dangerous hunger for immortality. Standing against them is Lin Xi Rou (Zhang Li), a calculating woman with deep ties to both the Yan family and the Earth Fiends.
While a quiet tension simmers between the leads, the heart of the story beats in the shadows of mystery and the macabre. Borrowing the dark, rhythmic pulse of “Tientsin Mystic,” the narrative weaves a web of urban fantasy where the past refuses to stay buried. At its center stands a partnership of equals – two strategic minds navigating an “Eastern Gothic” world where the neon glow of the city fades into the ink-black chill of ancient myth.
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“Our Interpreter”
Eight years ago, Lin Xi (Victoria Song) ended her relationship with Xiao Yi Cheng (Chen Xing Xu) to pursue a demanding career path her mother had always envisioned for her. Choosing discipline over love, she worked relentlessly to become an elite interpreter. In the present day, that sacrifice has paid off, and she is now the youngest Chief Interpreter at Huasheng, known for her precision, calm authority, and global reputation. Meanwhile, Xiao Yi Cheng returns to China after years overseas as the Chief Technology Officer of a leading communications company. His breakthrough project? An advanced AI translation system designed to outperform human interpreters. When their professional worlds collide, their unresolved past resurfaces. What was once heartbreak now becomes rivalry.
The drama builds tension around two opposing forces: human translators who rely on empathy and cultural nuance and AI systems built on speed and data. Xiao Yi Cheng believes Lin Xi chose ambition over him, unaware of the personal pressure and quiet sacrifice behind her decision. As they are forced to collaborate on major corporate goals, resentment slowly softens into respect. Working side by side, they begin to understand each other again and rediscover why they once fell in love. This 2024 Chinese workplace romance mixes ambition, technology, and second chances.
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“My Boss”
The story follows Cheng Yao (Zhang Ruo Nan), a sincere and hardworking law graduate who finally lands a job at the prestigious Junheng Law Firm. To cut down her commute, she moves into a new apartment, only to discover it’s already been rented to someone else. That “someone else” is Qian Heng (Chen Xing Xu), her new boss. Known for his icy demeanor and impossibly high standards, Qian Heng seems determined to test Cheng Yao’s patience both at work and at home. Forced to share an apartment while handling demanding legal cases, their constant clashes slowly give way to understanding. As Cheng Yao grows more confident in the courtroom, Qian Heng begins to see her not just as a junior colleague but as a capable lawyer in her own right. Beneath his strict exterior is someone quietly supportive, even if he doesn’t admit it easily.
Meanwhile, the two struggle to keep their awkward living arrangement a secret from their colleagues. A big reason the show works is the chemistry between Chen Xing Xu and Zhang Ruo Nan. Their contrasting personalities, subtle emotional shifts, and playful bickering make the romance feel natural. The drama also earns points for portraying both leads as competent professionals, adding maturity and mutual respect to their relationship. If you enjoy a classic enemies-to-lovers romance set against a professional backdrop, this C-drama is an easy, comforting pick.
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“Fall In Love”
The drama opens in 1926 as Mu Wan Qing (Zhang Jing Yi) returns from Japan to bury her mother’s ashes. But grief isn’t the only reason she’s back. Determined and quietly sharp, Wan Qing wants answers about her parents’ fractured marriage and the mysterious deaths of her siblings. Her search for truth pulls her into a dangerous web of influence and deception. Enter Tan Xuan Lin (Chen Xing Xu), an ambitious military commander who has just taken control of Shanghai’s army through a coup. Though powerful, his modest background makes his authority fragile in elite circles. To protect their own interests, Wan Qing and Xuan Lin form a calculated alliance.
Complicating matters is Xu Guang Yao (Evan Lin), principled and restrained, whose personal loyalties create emotional tension within the trio. As political stakes rise and betrayals unfold, their individual agendas begin to shift toward a shared goal: safeguarding their country in uncertain times.
Wan Qing and Xuan Lin are equals—intelligent, composed, and always one step ahead. Their relationship thrives on mutual respect and strategy, making their romance feel earned rather than forced. Add to that striking period costumes, sharp military styling, and the glamorous old-Shanghai backdrop, and the series becomes as visually captivating as it is emotionally engaging. Set in the turbulent world of 1920s Republican-era Shanghai, this C-drama blends political intrigue, family secrets, and a slow-burn contract romance into one addictive watch.
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mon.y is a devoted connoisseur of Asian dramas and pop culture, with a deep-rooted love for storytelling that spans K-dramas, C-dramas, J-dramas, and everything in between. A longtime entertainment addict turned passionate writer, she brings heartfelt enthusiasm and a sprinkle of sass to every review and deep dive.
Currently watching: “Our Universe,” “Miss Undercover Hong,” and “In Your Radiant Season.”
Looking forward to: “Love Story In The 1970s” and “The Art of Sarah.”