Chinese Vertical Doramas

The male lead becomes the female lead's new boss, no children

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I really enjoyed Yuan Zhong Qian Ren Huan Ying Lai Dao Dui Kang Lu. It has become one of my favorite vertical dramas. The two lead actors have amazing chemistry, and the actress, in particular, is one of my favorite actresses. She gives such a captivating performance and makes every scene enjoyable to watch. The acting is intentionally a little exaggerated, which reminded me of classic Italian films from the last century. It gives the drama a unique charm and makes the emotional moments even more entertaining instead of feeling unrealistic. The story keeps a good pace, the characters are engaging, and, best of all, it has a happy ending. If you enjoy Chinese vertical dramas with strong performances, romance, and satisfying conclusions, I would definitely recommend this one.

Welcome to the Revenge Lane, Ex! MDL
前夫，欢迎来到复仇赛道
Бывший — мой враг Doramy Club

Actors:
Female Lead: Liu Xi Yu (刘夕语)
Male Lead: Cao Tian Kai (曹天恺)

Female lead is engaged to the male lead's nephew/friend.

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Deadly Night Flame is one of those dramas that does the best it can with the budget it has. The story is actually pretty good and has enough twists to keep things moving, while the lead actors deliver solid performances for this level of production. You can tell everyone involved genuinely tried. The production budget was clearly limited, with inexpensive costumes and few wardrobe choices, but the effort behind the drama still comes through. The decent acting and engaging plot make up for many of the production shortcomings. It won't become one of my favorites or earn a spot on my rewatch list, but it's an easy, enjoyable watch. It's bland as the morning porridge.

Deadly Night Flame MDL
致命夜焰 BAIDU
Роковое ночное пламя Doramy Club

Actors:
Female Lead: He Shi (何适)
Male Lead: Wang Xuan (王轩)

The female lead sets out to seduce her stepsister's fiancé to take revenge on her stepmother and stepsister while reclaiming her late mother's relics

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"Long Coveted" is a decent vertical drama with a happy ending. The lead actors both did a good job. I especially like the actress Meng Na—she is always enjoyable to watch—and Chen Si also delivered a solid performance. The production quality is better than average for a vertical drama, with good cinematography, attractive costumes, and an overall polished look. The story itself follows a familiar formula for vertical dramas, which wasn't a problem, but the execution let it down. The dialogue felt flat, the pacing lacked excitement, and even scenes that should have been intense—like the kidnapping—came across as surprisingly dull. Even the happy ending, while satisfying on paper, failed to leave much of an emotional impact. Not to rewatch.

Long Coveted MDL
漫长觊觎 BAIDU
Долгое желание Doramy Club

Actors:
Female Lead: Meng Na (孟娜)
Male Lead: Chen Si (沉思)

Adopted into a wealthy family, the female lead mistakes her dependence on her adoptive brother for love, but after returning from abroad, she finds true romance with the male lead.

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Tai Zi Ye Ta Guo Fen Ye is a solid vertical drama with good production values, attractive costumes, and decent locations. The story follows a familiar formula, but it is executed well enough to stay engaging. The cast is one of the drama's strengths—the lead actors delivered good performances, and I was especially impressed by the supporting cast. The romance was enjoyable without relying on excessive angst or endless misunderstandings, making it an easy watch. While the drama never quite reaches that "wow" factor that makes it unforgettable, it remains consistently entertaining from start to finish. I probably wouldn't rewatch it, but it's definitely worth watching if you're looking for a well-made, enjoyable vertical drama with a happy ending.

Tai Zi Ye Ta Guo Fen Ye MDL
他过分野 BAIDU
Он слишком дикий Doramy Club

Actors:
Female Lead: Deng Ling Shu (邓灵枢)
Male Lead: Zeng Hui (曾辉)

Pregnant after a one-night stand, the female lead marries the male lead, and the couple faces some trials.

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"Unexpected Crazy Barking" was an okay watch with good production values, attractive costumes, and decent locations. The male lead delivered a solid performance, while the female lead was less impressive. The familiar transmigration and one-night-stand story was entertaining enough, though nothing particularly stood out. The male lead fit the typical Chinese drama archetype—forceful and executive — which would be a major red flag in real life but is common for the genre. Overall, it was a decent watch with a happy ending.

Unexpected Crazy Barking MDL
薄少别装了，夫人跑路了

Actors:
Female Lead: Liu Zhuo Qing (柳卓青)
Male Lead: Zhao Zhen Dong (赵振栋)

Female leads try to escape their marriages or relationships with their male partners.

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'Sisters' Heist' has very good reviews, but I'm one of the people who didn't like it. I actually expected to enjoy it, which made the disappointment even bigger. The cast did a decent job with what they were given. It was the first time I saw Wang Hao Zhen show a wider range of emotions instead of spending the entire drama looking like a beaten dog. The plot itself was logical, but I simply didn't enjoy it. I didn't like the misunderstandings, I didn't connect with the story, and the production clearly didn't have a big budget, even if it wasn't exactly cheap-looking. As for the ending, I honestly wanted the girls to escape the novel and return to their real lives. To me, that would have been the only truly happy ending. I disliked this drama so much that I had to watch it in two sittings.

Sisters' Heist MDL
方夏 BAIDU
Ограбление сестер Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Wang Ge Ge (王格格), Cui Yi Liang(崔一梁)
Male Lead: Wang Hao Zhen (王皓祯), Wu Zhu Xi (吴竹熙)

Married for years, a couple divorces before reuniting after their misunderstandings are resolved.

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'Mr. Huo Was Abandoned After Divorce' had an interesting story, but almost everything else fell flat. The budget was clearly very low, with cheap-looking costumes and terrible makeup—the clumpy eyelashes were so distracting that they often stole my attention from the scenes. The locations were decent, but most of the drama consisted of conversations with little action until the final episodes. The acting was the biggest disappointment. The male lead looked fine, despite what appeared to be a lot of Botox, but he couldn't convincingly portray anger or menace. The female lead's performance was even weaker, making the acting overall a disaster. Ironically, the story itself was packed with twists and had plenty of potential, but the poor execution held it back. Definitely not a drama I'd ever rewatch.

Mr. Huo Was Abandoned after Divorce MDL
霍总，太太她不要你了
Мистер Хо остался один после развода Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Qin Tian Ai (秦天爱)
Male Lead: Zou Ke Jun (邹柯俊)

Released from a psychiatric hospital after passing his evaluation, a psychopath hunts down his fiancée's killers to exact revenge.

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'The Dark Side of the Sun' is one of the darkest vertical dramas I've watched, and it's surprisingly well done. The budget isn't particularly high, but the production makes the most of it, and the actors give excellent performances. Don't expect a romance—this is more like a battle between two psychopaths, one cold and calculating, the other aggressive and ruthless. The story is wild, with a constant dark, menacing atmosphere that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. I especially loved the ending. It's not exactly a happy ending, but it's the right ending, and it fits the story perfectly. If you're in the mood for something intense, unsettling, and very different from the usual romance-heavy vertical dramas, 'The Dark Side of the Sun' is an easy recommendation.

The Dark Side of the Sun MDL
太阳的背面 BAIDU
Обратная сторона солнца Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Zhai Yi Ying (翟一莹)
Male Lead: Shen Hao Nan (申浩男)

A god or goddess descends into the lead's body.

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'Little Lucky Star' is one of those dramas that never takes itself too seriously, and that's exactly why it's fun. There are kidnappings and supposedly tense moments, but with a goddess around, you know everyone will be just fine, so even the "danger" ends up being funny. The budget is average, but the production makes good use of it, and both leads deliver solid performances for this level of drama. Best of all, it actually made me laugh several times, which is surprisingly rare for vertical dramas. I wouldn't rewatch it, but if you're looking for something light, fluffy, and guaranteed to lift your mood, this is an easy recommendation.

Little Lucky Star MDL
被读心后我成了全家的小福星 BAIDU
Маленькая счастливая звёздочка Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Yang Shu Yu (杨殊予)
Male Lead: Zhong Zheng (钟正)

After being murdered by her family, the female lead discovers that one man truly loved and mourned her; when she is reborn, she takes revenge on her killers and chooses a new life with him.

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Tear Night is another take on a very popular rebirth story, but it's one of the better ones. It doesn't try to reinvent the plot—it just does it well. The budget is decent, with nice locations and costumes, and both leads are likable enough to keep you invested from start to finish. Nothing here is groundbreaking, but everything is done competently, making it an easy and entertaining watch. It's also one of the few vertical dramas I'd actually consider rewatching, which says a lot. If you enjoy this trope, Tear Night is a solid pick.

Love & Revenge MDL
撕夜 BAIDU
Разрывая ночь Doramy Club

Actors:
Female Lead: Yuan Yu Han (袁雨涵)
Male Lead: Yao Guan Yu (姚冠宇)

'Night Sinking Starlight' is a good drama. It's clearly a low-budget production, but it makes the most of what it has. The story isn't original, and there have been many adaptations with a similar premise, but this version still works. What stood out the most was the male lead. He remained a true psychopath throughout the story—paranoid, controlling, obsessive, and genuinely unsettling at times. He never really changed, yet he treated the female lead as well as someone like him possibly could. The acting was solid overall. I liked both leads, but the male lead was especially impressive and played his role extremely well. Overall, it's an enjoyable drama with good rewatch potential.

Night Sinking Starlight MDL
夜沉星光
Утопая в звездной ночи Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Wang Qian (王倩)
Male Lead: Zhang Li Ren (张力壬)

From my point of view, this drama was disappointing. The only actress I really enjoyed was Meng Na, although I'll admit I'm biased because I like her in almost everything she does. The plot itself had potential, but the writing and execution were terrible. The biggest problem was that the female lead spent most of the first half of the drama with the second male lead—her ex and enemy—while the second half focused on corporate problems instead of the romance. Her interactions with the male lead were so limited that they felt like an afterthought, as if the writers suddenly remembered they had a male lead and had to include him. Because of that, there was almost no chemistry between the leads. It's definitely not a rewatch, and despite an interesting premise, the poor writing ruined the entire drama for me.

Prefer to Your Highness Princess MDL
就偏爱王牌千金 BAIDU
Предпочитаю Вашему высочеству принцессу Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Meng Na (孟娜)
Male Lead: Zhang Ji Jun (张集骏)

This Republican-era adaptation of the reborn heroine story is a solid watch. The costumes are beautiful, the historical atmosphere is well done, and the production looks good overall, although I found the cinematography a little too dark at times—the visuals could have been brighter. The story closely follows the original plot without unnecessary changes, which I appreciated. The cast is good, even if the actors aren't top A-list stars, and they deliver convincing performances. Overall, it's an enjoyable and very watchable drama, especially for viewers who prefer Republican-era settings over modern ones.

Zhuo Mu MDL
拙慕
Искренняя привязанность Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Wang Zi Jia (王子甲)
Male Lead: Xu Yue (徐越)

'Gu Shao's Beloved Treasure' is simply bad. Sometimes a low-budget drama can still be entertaining because the story is interesting or the actors give it their all, but that isn't the case here. Everything feels off—the writing is bizarre, the acting is awkward, and nothing really comes together. The male lead spends half the drama crying, then suddenly stops as if nothing happened. The female lead is supposed to be strong, but she never feels convincing, and even the ending is strange. My personal rating for this is a "mushroom drama"—as if the writers, directors, producers, and actors were all drinking 'magic mushroom' tea while making it, because nothing about it follows normal logic. Definitely not worth watching.

Gu Shao's Beloved Treasure MDL
顾少的心尖宠 BAIDU
Любимое сокровище Гу Шао Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Zhang Zi Han (张紫菡)
Male Lead: Xiao Tai (孝太)

Sisters switch their grooms after rebith.

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'Vengeance Reborn' is a fairly standard rebirth drama where two sisters get a second chance at life and switch their grooms. The most memorable part of the drama was actually the female lead, who was very pretty and pleasant to watch. Unfortunately, the second couple ended up stealing the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. They spent most of the drama following the main couple around, creating one pointless conflict after another, and quickly became more memorable than the leads simply because they were so annoying. The production is decent, with average costumes, locations, and overall quality—nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible either. It's a perfectly watchable rebirth drama, but not one I'd ever want to rewatch.

Vengeance Reborn MDL
她任性，他难哄 BAIDU

Actors:
Female Lead: Xue Zi Qi (薛子祺)
Male Lead: Zhang Yun Tao (张韫韬)

A woman survives a murder plot by her former best friend, undergoes plastic surgery, and returns under a new identity to take revenge on the friend who stole her life and married her former boyfriend.

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The only good thing about 'She Who Came from Hell' is that it's short—around 44 episodes. Everything else was disappointing. The main actress was cute, and the second female lead was decent, but that's about all the praise I can give. The writing was weak, the execution was poor, and the performances were mostly forgettable. Strangely, I can't even point to one specific flaw that ruined it; the entire drama just left a terrible aftertaste. The biggest disappointment was the heroine herself. Instead of carrying out her revenge, she spent most of her time relying on all kind of men to solve her problems, making her feel completely ineffective. Overall, it's not worth revisiting. Forget it like a bad dream.

She Who Came from Hell MDL
她从地狱中走来 BAIDU
Она, пришедшая из ада Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Bai Xin Yi (白昕怡)
Male Lead: Zhu Yi Wei (朱一未)

Male lead is forced to sign a lifelong service contract with the powerful family responsible for his own family's murder. As he plots to bring them down, he manipulates the heir's fiancée as part of his plan, only to develop genuine feelings for her.

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The Dark Light is a well-made vertical drama with a good story, solid pacing, and a noticeably better-than-average budget. The costumes, production quality, and performances from both the main and supporting cast are all strong. While it doesn't have any huge "wow" moments, it has plenty of oomph, balancing suspense, action, and romance to keep things entertaining from start to finish. Definitely worth watching.

Dark Light MDL
暗光 BAIDU
Мой водитель — мой бывший Doramy Club

Actors:
Female Lead: Wu Chun Yi (吴纯一)
Male Lead: Wang Yi Lei (王译磊)

When the male lead's first love returns, she decides to divorce him.

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'The Maze of Love and Lies' is a decent watch, though not one that left a lasting impression. The highlight of the drama is definitely the female lead. She isn't portrayed as an unstoppable heroine, but as someone intelligent, adaptable, and determined to make the best decisions for herself. The actress does an excellent job bringing that character to life. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the male lead, who is rather forgettable and never really stands out. The production is solid, with nothing particularly good or bad to complain about. The ending wasn't to my taste, as it felt like the story took a safer direction than it should have. Overall, it's an enjoyable enough drama, but not one I'd deliberately rewatch. If I ever watch it again, it'll probably be because I clicked on it by accident.

The Maze of Love and Lies CPOPHOME
陆总，你又被太太算计了 BAIDU

Actors:
Female Lead: Dong Yueyu (董玥妤)
Male Lead: Sun Yixun (孙艺荀)

Refusing to touch his wife, he orders her to get pregnant by another man. The female lead meets the male lead and becomes pregnant with his child.

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'Beyond the Flame' is one of those dramas that's perfectly watchable but leaves almost no lasting impression. The story is paced well and follows a logical progression, making it easy to watch from beginning to end. The main leads are decent-looking actors whose performances fall somewhere between B and C tier, and while they do a solid job, nothing really stands out. The ending is satisfactory, though not particularly memorable. Overall, everything about this drama is simply... okay. It isn't boring, but it's so bland that it's hard to remember much about it only a few hours after finishing. Worth watching if you're looking for an easy, uncomplicated drama, but don't expect anything special.

Beyond The Flame MDL
过火
Пылающая любовь Doramy Club

Actors:
Female Lead: Zhang Shan (张珊)
Male Lead: Zhao Guan Yu (赵冠宇)

'Kisses Everywhere' starts with the classic "she's supposed to get pregnant" setup... except she never does. That entire premise is wrapped up in the first half hour and then completely forgotten. From there, the story zigzags wildly through corporate battles, murdered parents, revenge, and one twist after another, throwing everything at the screen to see what sticks. The only thing I genuinely felt was sympathy for the female lead, who spends the entire drama trapped between two controlling psychopaths. The budget and acting are just as inconsistent—some scenes are surprisingly good, others are painfully bad. As for rewatch value? None. I barely survived the two-hour watch, and that was more than enough.

Kisses Everywhere MDL
处处吻
Повсюду поцелуи Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Guo Jing (郭靜)
Male Lead: Wang Chao Yang (王朝阳)

'The Scarlet Contract' was a pleasant surprise and one I genuinely enjoyed. The story is well written, stays fairly close to the original novel, and never feels boring. The cast, both the leads and the supporting actors, did an excellent job, showing genuine emotion and making the characters believable. The production quality is also noticeably above average, with good locations, attractive costumes, and solid cinematography. While the drama has its share of angst, it balances it with plenty of genuinely funny moments, making it an enjoyable mix of drama, romance, and comedy. This is definitely one I'd happily rewatch.

Fei Se Qi Yue MDL
绯色契约 BAIDU
Алая сделка Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Shi Tong (時童)
Male Lead: Wang Ying Jie (王英杰)

After losing a relative and her unborn child, the female lead leaves for several years before meeting the male lead again.

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'Love Cocoon' was a pleasant surprise. I genuinely enjoyed watching it, even if it's hard to explain exactly why. Maybe it was simply a refreshing break from the previous tropes. The male lead delivered a strong performance, while the female lead fit her role perfectly. She played a resilient character who endured one hardship after another without losing her warmth, and that made her easy to root for. The production quality is solid, with decent costumes, locations, and overall presentation. This isn't a drama with huge twists or unforgettable moments, but it leaves you with a warm feeling when it's over. It's an easy, enjoyable watch, and one I'd consider rewatching someday.

Qing Jian MDL
情茧
Кокон любви Asia Poisk

Actors:
Female Lead: Lei Fu Man (雷馥缦)
Male Lead: Zhou Hang (周航)

After her abusive husband is presumed dead for several years, the female lead prepares to move on—until he suddenly returns.

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The Stranger Who Came Home was a pleasant surprise. It was the first time I'd come across this particular plot, and the central mystery of who actually returned as the husband kept me hooked from beginning to end. The male lead gave the standout performance, especially with his expressive facial acting, which added a lot to the suspense. The female lead was equally enjoyable to watch. She wasn't an overpowered heroine, but she was intelligent, resourceful, and made the best use of her abilities and the help available to solve the mystery. The production is solid, with good costumes, locations, and an overall polished look. This is definitely a drama I'd consider rewatching once enough time has passed for the mystery to feel fresh again.

The Stranger Who Came Home IQIYI (no link)

Actors:
Female Lead: n/a ()
Male Lead: n/a ()