Craving more Hidden Love? 5 Chinese Dramas that feel like AC for your soul this Dubai summer

No doubt, there was something irreplaceable about Hidden Love. At first, it seemed like a straightforward love story, of a girl harbouring a crush on her older brother's best friend, but it snowballed into something more as the story progresses, a story of mutual healing, comfort and an unusual softness.

For those who started their C-Drama journey with Hidden Love, and are looking for something just as comforting, we have a few suggestions.

Begin Again bursts to life in the dazzling city of Macau, where two chance encounters blossom into life-changing connections. Chen Jia Hui (Zhong Chu Xi), a sophisticated art curator, finds herself swept up in a whirlwind romance with Han Jun Hao (Elvis Han), a race car driver competing in the high-stakes Macau Grand Prix.

At the same time, Mai You Ge (Chen Hao Yu), an ambitious professional, arrives in Macau laser-focused on her career, until she meets Xu Jun Le (Sunny Sun), a charming local with a carefree spirit and encyclopedic knowledge of the city. Begin Again is a warm, feel-good drama that celebrates slow-burn romance, serendipity, and the quiet beauty of everyday moments. There are no high-stakes betrayals or shocking twists—just a soulful journey wrapped in dreamy cinematography, a calming soundtrack, and a story that feels like a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon.

A litle quick gaming romcom, sign us up! Based on Qiao Yao’s hit novel Don’t Fall in Love with Me, this drama adds sass, secrets, and just the right amount of digital chaos to a classic office romance. Fresh out of university, Yue Qian Ling (Zhou Ye) lands a job at HC Game, only to find herself working alongside Gu Xun (Lin Yi), the object of her long-standing, slow-burning crush. But when she finally confesses her feelings, Gu Xun shuts her down with all the warmth of a frozen screen. Ouch.

But plot twist: Gu Xun is already head over heels for someone else, the fierce, gamer known as “Sticky Dough Twist,” who talks tough and plays harder. The kicker? That gamer girl is Yue Qian Ling herself, living her best double life online. While Gu Xun starts falling for her sassy alter ego, completely clueless, Qian Ling watches the chaos unfold with a mix of heartbreak and bemusement.

It’s a cheeky, fast-paced dive into identity, timing, and the unexpected ways love can reboot when you least expect it.

Xiang Yuan (Wu Qian) isn’t just the rich daughter of a powerful conglomerate, she’s the woman sent in to save its sinking Xi’an branch, and she’s not here to play nice. Cool-headed, determined, and under pressure, she’s suddenly face-to-face with Xu Yan Shi (Zhang Bin Bin), the guy who once ghosted her schoolgirl crush.

But Xu Yan Shi’s not the same guarded overachiever he used to be. Struggling with toxic office politics and chasing a nearly impossible dream to become a navigation engineer, he’s got his own war to fight. And yet, sparks fly again, this time with adult baggage, bruised egos, and a whole lot of unfinished business.

With witty banter, simmering tension, and just enough workplace chaos, Here We Meet Again is the kind of romantic comedy that gives you slow-burn satisfaction with a side of career hustle. It’s smart and real.

Okay, hear us out, Reset might not scream 'cosy' at first glance (hello, exploding bus and high-stakes time loop), but if you love a binge-worthy thrill with emotional depth, this one hits just right. It’s the kind of show you stress-watch, but in the best way.

This was one of the highest-rated dramas of 2022, and you can see why. Li Shi Qing (Zhao Jin Mai), an ordinary college student whose life takes a terrifying turn when she finds herself trapped in a relentless time loop triggered by a deadly bus explosion. Each reset brings the same horror—same route, same passengers, same tragic end. In a panic to change her fate, she accidentally pulls fellow passenger Xiao He Yun (Bai Jing Ting, hello First Frost fans!) into the loop with her. Now, the two are stuck reliving the same day over and over, desperately trying to stop the explosion and make it to their destination alive. But changing fate isn’t as simple as altering a few choices, it’s a high-stakes puzzle where every wrong move resets the clock.

If you're craving laugh-out-loud chaos, sharp-tongued banter, and a heroine who rewrites the rules—The Romance of Tiger and Rose is your kind of drama. Chen Xiao Qian (Zhao Lusi) is a rookie screenwriter whose historical romance finally gets greenlit, but her arrogant lead actor Han Ming Xing (Ding Yuxi) won’t stop trashing her script. Just as she’s about to lose it, bam! She wakes up inside her own story.

Now stuck as Third Princess Chen Qian Qian, a disposable side character fated to die in episode three, she’s got one goal: stay alive. But survival means hacking the plot, dodging palace drama, and outsmarting every trope she ever wrote. What she doesn’t see coming? Accidentally becoming the lead—and the object of affection in a very messy love triangle between scheming Prince Han Shuo (yep, played by her on-screen nemesis) and the upright Minister Pei Heng.

Wildly meta, irresistibly funny, and full of romantic chaos, The Romance of Tiger and Rose is the ultimate “author gets trapped in her own plot” fantasy, and this time, the girl writes her own ending.