Cover From fantasy epics to modern rom-coms, these meet-cutes in C-drama prove love often begins with complete and utter disaster (Photo: IMDB)
From fantasy epics to modern rom-coms, these meet-cutes in C-drama prove love often begins with complete and utter disaster (Photo: IMDB)
1 / 1
Meet-cutes in C-drama have a flair for making first meetings gloriously chaotic
Every great romance has to start somewhere. In C-dramas, that “somewhere” is rarely a candlelit dinner or an awkward coffee date.
Instead, couples meet while escaping assassins, investigating murders, waking up inside fictional worlds, accidentally resurrecting demon lords or stumbling into political conspiracies that could topple an empire. Their first encounters are chaotic, funny, emotionally charged—and often reveal exactly what kind of love story is about to unfold.
The best meet-cutes in C-drama don’t simply introduce two attractive people. They establish the chemistry, conflict and power dynamic that will define the relationship for dozens of episodes. By the time the leads finally fall in love, viewers have already put together the clues that were there from the very beginning.
Whether hilarious, heartfelt or completely unhinged, these unforgettable first meetings prove that in C-dramas, true love almost always begins with a spectacular inconvenience.
In case you missed it: From ‘Eternal Love’ to ‘You Are My Glory’, here are 9 unmissable romance C-dramas
1. ‘Love Between Fairy and Devil’ / ‘苍兰诀’ (2022)
Above A low-ranking orchid fairy accidentally frees an imprisoned demon lord, binding their fates together through an unexpected magical connection
The meet-cute vibe: “I accidentally unleashed the most dangerous being in the Three Realms.”
Few first meetings escalate as quickly as this one. Xiao Lanhua (Esther Yu) isn’t looking for romance—she’s simply trying to complete an errand when she accidentally breaks the seal imprisoning Dongfang Qingcang (Dylan Wang), the feared Moon Supreme. Instead of killing her outright, a magical spell links their emotions and even their physical pain, forcing the immortal ruler and the cheerful fairy into the world's most inconvenient partnership.
It’s hilarious because the most terrifying man in the realm suddenly has to worry about whether a tiny fairy has tripped over a rock. That imbalance becomes the emotional engine of the entire romance.
2. ‘Hidden Love’ / ‘偷偷藏不住’ (2023)
Above A shy girl develops a long-standing crush on her older brother’s best friend before fate reunites them years later as adults
The meet-cute vibe: “My brother brought home his best friend, and my life was never the same.”
Not every unforgettable meet-cute needs explosions or palace intrigue. Sometimes all it takes is quiet kindness.
When young Sang Zhi (played as an adult by Zhao Lusi) first meets Duan Jiaxu (Chen Zheyuan), he’s simply her older brother’s university friend dropping by the house. Yet from the moment he gently looks after her instead of treating her like an annoying little sister, something shifts. Their first meeting isn’t played for grand romance but for warmth, establishing the respect and emotional safety that define their relationship years later.
It remains one of modern C-drama’s sweetest introductions because it earns its slow burn rather than forcing instant chemistry.
3. ‘Joy of Life’ / ‘庆余年’ (2019)
Above An unconventional young nobleman becomes entangled in imperial conspiracies after an unexpected encounter with the woman he’s supposed to marry
The meet-cute vibe: “An arranged marriage? Absolutely not. Unless, of course, the bride is the girl eating chicken under the altar.”
Fan Xian (Zhang Ruoyun) has no enthusiasm for the marriage arranged for him by the imperial family. While trying to navigate the expectations surrounding his future bride, he ends up at the Qing Temple, where he encounters a young woman hiding away and eating a chicken leg. That woman is Lin Wan’er (Li Qin), although Fan Xian has no idea yet that the mysterious “chicken leg girl” is his intended wife.
The charm of the scene is that, for once, neither character is behaving according to the roles the court has assigned them. Fan Xian is not meeting the noblewoman he has been told to marry; Wan’er is not presenting herself as the refined young lady everyone expects her to be. They meet instead as two people sharing a slightly ridiculous moment, with food becoming the unlikely bridge between them. Fan Xian is immediately intrigued, while Wan’er’s willingness to sneak away for something she wants gives her a playful streak beneath her carefully managed public image.
The joke becomes even better once Fan Xian discovers who she actually is. Their next encounter comes after he disguises himself as a physician to treat her, at which point the mysterious girl from the temple and his prospective bride turn out to be one and the same.
4. ‘Love Like the Galaxy’ / ‘星汉灿烂·月升沧海’ (2022)
Above A neglected young noblewoman repeatedly crosses paths with the empire’s most feared general as both become caught in a web of family secrets and political conspiracies
The meet-cute vibe: “Nothing says romance like meeting during a criminal investigation.”
Cheng Shaoshang (Zhao Lusi) and Ling Buyi (Wu Lei) don’t have the luxury of a gentle introduction. Their first encounters unfold amid criminal investigations, political unrest and life-or-death situations that immediately reveal their personalities.
Rather than being intimidated by the empire’s most formidable general, Shaoshang challenges him with wit and stubborn independence. Ling Buyi, meanwhile, quickly learns that beneath her playful exterior is someone unusually perceptive.
Their relationship never follows traditional courtship because it begins with mutual respect earned under pressure.
5. ‘The Romance of Tiger and Rose’ / ‘传闻中的陈芊芊’ (2020)
Above A screenwriter wakes up inside the historical romance she created—except she’s reincarnated as the doomed villainess destined to die at the hero’s hands
The meet-cute vibe: “I accidentally became the villain in my own script.”
Few meet-cutes in C-drama are as gleefully meta as this one.
After finding herself trapped inside her own screenplay, Chen Xiaoqian (Zhao Lusi) realises she’s no longer the heroine but the notoriously short-lived Third Princess. Her first encounter with Han Shuo (Ding Yuxi), the male lead she originally intended to kill her off, becomes an increasingly ridiculous attempt to outsmart the very plot she wrote.
What begins as a desperate survival strategy gradually transforms into one of the funniest enemies-to-lovers romances in recent memory, with both leads constantly trying—and failing—to stay one step ahead of fate.
6. ‘The Double’ / ‘墨雨云间’ (2024)
Above After surviving her husband’s attempt to kill her, a woman assumes another noblewoman’s identity and crosses paths with the empire’s most enigmatic duke
The meet-cute vibe: “I know you’re lying. I’m just curious why.”
Unlike most romances, The Double begins with a psychological duel rather than butterflies.
When Xue Fangfei, living as Jiang Li (Wu Jinyan), first encounters Duke Su (Wang Xingyue), neither is interested in romance. They’re interested in information. Duke Su immediately learns there’s far more to this supposedly sheltered young woman than meets the eye, while Fangfei understands that he’s one of the few people intelligent enough to see through her carefully constructed disguise.
Instead of flirting, they test each other’s instincts. Every conversation becomes a subtle game of observation, making their eventual partnership feel earned because it begins with mutual respect rather than instant attraction.
7. ‘The Princess Royal’ / ‘度华年’ (2024)
Above After dying in a politically disastrous marriage, a princess and her prime minister husband awaken in their younger bodies with memories of their previous lives
The meet-cute vibe: “We’ve already been married once... and it ended terribly.”
Few romances begin with this much emotional baggage.
Li Rong (Zhao Jinmai) and Pei Wenxuan (Zhang Linghe) don’t need introductions. They’ve already spent an entire lifetime loving, distrusting and ultimately losing each other. Their second "first meeting" is filled with awkward glances, quiet suspicion and the shared recognition that history has given them another chance.
It’s a brilliant inversion of the classic meet-cute. Rather than discovering each other for the first time, they’re trying to figure out whether they can avoid making the same devastating mistakes all over again.
See more: 12 prestige C-dramas that redefined Chinese television
8. ‘The Story of Minglan’ / ‘知否知否应是绿肥红瘦’ (2018)
Above An overlooked noblewoman gradually rises through Song Dynasty society, forming an unlikely partnership with a powerful nobleman who has long admired her resilience
The meet-cute vibe: “Love wasn’t immediate—but respect quietly took root.”
Unlike most romances on this list, Minglan (Zhao Liying) and Gu Tingye (Feng Shaofeng) don’t have a single dramatic first encounter that changes everything.
Instead, their relationship unfolds over years of shared experiences. Gu Tingye repeatedly notices Minglan’s intelligence hiding beneath her deliberately modest exterior, while Minglan slowly realises that beneath his carefree reputation lies a deeply honourable man.
Their meet-cute is really a series of quiet observations that gradually build one of C-drama’s most mature romances. It is a reminder that sometimes love doesn’t arrive with fireworks but with patience.
9. ‘When I Fly Towards You’ / ‘当我飞奔向你’ (2023)
Above An endlessly optimistic high school student falls for her quiet, academically gifted classmate, setting off a heartwarming coming-of-age romance
The meet-cute vibe: “She saw him once and immediately decided he was worth chasing."
Sometimes the simplest first meetings are the most unforgettable.
From the moment Su Zaizai (Zhang Miaoyi) notices the reserved Zhang Lurang (Zhou Yiran), she refuses to let his icy demeanour discourage her. While he initially keeps everyone at arm’s length, her relentless warmth slowly chips away at the walls he’s built around himself. Their first meeting perfectly establishes the dynamic that makes the drama so beloved: sunshine meets rain cloud, optimism meets insecurity and persistence gradually blossoms into one of youth C-drama’s healthiest romances.
10. ‘You Are My Glory’ / ‘你是我的荣耀’ (2021)
Above Years after drifting apart, a glamorous actress reconnects with the brilliant classmate she once secretly admired through an online game
The meet-cute vibe: “My high school crush just logged into the same game.”
Technically, Qiao Jingjing (Dilraba Dilmurat) and Yu Tu (Yang Yang) first met in high school. But the romance truly begins years later when a chance gaming connection brings them back into each other’s lives.
The reunion is charming because both have changed dramatically. She’s now one of China’s biggest celebrities; he’s an accomplished aerospace engineer quietly questioning his career choices. Gone are the awkward teenagers who never quite confessed their feelings. In their place are two adults finally given the timing they never had.
Sometimes, the best meet-cutes in C-dramas aren’t about meeting for the first time, but about finding each other again when the timing is finally right.
See more: 10 essential Dilraba Dilmurat shows and movies to watch if you love C-dramas
Topics
Sasha Lim-Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila, she also covers entertainment and dining, as well as a broad range of topics. She was the former digital editor at Esquire Philippines and was the digital managing editor at Spot.ph, and now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
