Why did First Frost change the male lead and rewrite his character from Hidden Love?

It doesn’t really matter whether you watch First Frost or Hidden Love first, even though they’re said to be part of the same universe. Honestly, it makes little difference, because each deserves to be enjoyed as its own story, despite a few tantalizing connections here and there, mostly in the form of shared names. Yes, Sang Yan, Sang Zhi’s brother, is the lead in First Frost, but it’s not just his personality that’s different — the actor changed too.

Victor Ma’s playful, goofy older brother gives way to Bai Jingting’s wounded, deeply earnest Sang Yan. The contrast is striking: in Hidden Love, Sang Yan embodies the typical elder sibling energy,  teasing his younger sister while being fiercely protective. In First Frost, however, he is brooding, broken, and filled with such soulful yearning that he outshines many romantic heroes.

In truth, First Frost and Hidden Love may share the same universe and timeline, with First Frost serving more as a prequel or an emotional, spiritual follow-up. Hidden Love, which released in 2023, follows the story of Sang Yan’s sister, Sang Zhi and her relationship with her brother’s close friend Duan Jiaxu.

One Reddit thread has firmly explained the reason for the differences, "Hidden Love (2023) is a drama that starts and finishes with Sang Zhi's POV for most of the show. She is the protagonist, and we see 90% of the plot from her eyes, how she sees people, how she feels about people, so everything is from her perspective. She has a love interest, whom she is extremely fond of, and sees as the light in her life. Chen Zheyuan (Duan Jiaxu) is her love interest."

The post goes to read, that when it comes to Sang Yan from Hidden Love, played by Victor Ma, about all we learn and know about him is that he's her big brother. "Keep in mind, we're seeing it from her perspective. Victor Ma was hired to play Sang Zhi's brother but not the actual character himself who has his own life, problems, and his personality when he's Sang Yan himself."

Coming to First Frost, on which the novel is based, Sang Yan is a different person completely, owing to his love and heartbreak for Wen Yifan.

So if you’re hunting for easter eggs, you might come up empty — except for the shared names and the scene of Sang Yan rushing home because he heard about his sister’s ‘new boyfriend.’ You see more of a bitter Sang Yan during his college years, spending time in his room, while his sister does his best to cheer him up.

As Reddit has come to conclude: It's all about perspectives. And that's how you should watch the shows. "I love these different perspectives as well. You can say that Sang Zhi views his big brother as goofy but for Yifan, she views Sang Yan as broody," another added.

For those curious about the recast, Victor Ma had earlier explained as quoted by Mashable, “After filming a romantic drama, I realized that I'm really not good at acting in romantic dramas because I'm very slow at reacting. I can act domineering, but I'm not suitable to act out sweet scenes. Because I'm incapable of feeling that sense of rhythm. There's just something to it that I'm unable to grasp and so I'm forever slow to react.”

He added, “When there's a sweet scene, I realize I'm unable to grasp it... I'm capable of acting as the elder brother like I did in Hidden Love, but many times I imagined if I were to act as the romantic (version of Sang Yan), I wouldn't be able to.”

Ultimately, both First Frost and Hidden Love offer distinct yet complementary perspectives on Sang Yan’s world. Whether you start with one or the other, each series stands on its own emotional ground, inviting viewers to explore the complexities of love, family, and healing from different angles. So, rather than seeing the changes as a disconnect, think of them as different facets of the same story—each adding depth and dimension to a character worth understanding from multiple sides.