Introduction
The Chinese short-length series A Dream like the True Love is a rare production that is praised for its calm and sweet romance, well-executed plot, and surprisingly high production quality for its format. While it contains moments of sadness and plot lines that create angst, it ultimately delivers a wholesome ending.
The native title, ⼀梦如初 (Yi Meng Ru Chu), actually translates to “A dreamlike beginning”. Which is more accurate as a drama title, considering the female lead’s starting event in this drama feels unreal, as if it’s happening in a dream. Moreover, Ru Chu is the male lead’s nickname.
The drama showed several snow scenes, combined with dramatic lighting or movement, to offer viewers a romantic backdrop. One of them was shown in the featured image.
Drama Info
Drama title: A Dream like the True Love (Native title: ⼀梦如初 )
Alternative title: Yi Meng Ru Chu
Genres: Historical, Romance
Aired: Jun 24, 2025 - Jul 4, 2025
Episodes: 24 | Duration: 17 minutes
Director: Lu Tian ( 陆添 )
Screenwriters: Hu Li Ping ( 胡丽萍 ) and Wang Ting Ting ( 王婷婷 )
Adapted from the web novel "Yi Meng Ru Chu" ( 一梦如初 ) by Xing Zhi ( 行之 )
Where to watch: WeTV and Fresh Drama (the latter platform has a full version)
OST: Fan audio (the ending song is sung by the leading actor and the leading actress)
Trailer:
Synopses
Usually, I put only one synopsis to introduce the story in my articles. In this article, I will put two synopses from official channels, WeTV and Fresh Drama. It’s not that they are different, but there are some phrases that need to be addressed in the Review section, because their misinformation distorts the depth of the story.
Synopsis from WeTV: Born into abject poverty, Chen Pan’er is coerced into a brothel by the local magistrate under the pretense of a river god ritual. She makes a daring escape, changes her name to Bao Yin, and sells herself into service to escape her fate. She later crosses paths with Wen Su, the eldest son of the Wen family, who once rescued her, only to discover that he has become the consort of the Princess Royal. Faced with adversity, Bao Yin and Wen Su join forces, carefully navigating the dangers, clearing their names, and ultimately achieving success at the highest level.
Synopsis from Fresh Drama: It tells the story of Wen Su, who came to investigate the flood and accidentally rescued Chen Bao Yin, a rural girl who was sacrificed to the river god because of her poor family. Bao Yin took the initiative to leave home to treat her mother’s illness. After many twists and turns, she was sold to the Wen family as a servant; on the other hand, although Wen Su won the top prize, his family suddenly fell into poverty. Faced with the tricks of fate, Bao Yin began to work as a boat girl in the Bian River to sell wine and food for a living. She accidentally discovered that Wen Su had endured humiliation and became the male favorite of the eldest princess in order to save his family. In the midst of adversity, two lonely hearts gradually approached…
Clarification on the synopses
Before I proceed with the characters, let me address some issues found on the above synopses to clarify the plot.
- The magistrate of the prefecture where Chen Pan’er lived was a crooked official and sold young girls to human traffickers under the guise of sacrificing them one per year as the bride of River God. This year was Chen Pan’er’s turn.
- Wen Su was investigating the magistrate when he ran into, and ended up saving, Chen Pan’er, who ran away from the traffickers. He was not an official, but he worked for the Crown Prince.
- Chen Pan’er decided to sell herself to a broker who was looking for servants. The payment was to cure her sick mother. She changed her name to Chen Bao Yin (because she regarded her old self as dead), and ended up working as a maidservant for the Wen Family. I personally think that Chen Pan’er chose to work there, because Wen Family was famous for treating their servants kindly.
- After he was done with his mission, Wen Su looked for her whereabouts, but couldn’t find her because she changed her name. He was pleasantly surprised when he met her again at his own family’s home.
- The happy and peaceful environment at the Wen Family didn’t last long. Wen Su caught the Eldest Princess’ eye (probably when he was in and out of the palace for the Crown Prince), who wanted to make him her toy boy. He ran away from her clutch, entered the imperial examination quickly, and placed the first. However, his father, who was a prefecture magistrate, not from where Chen Pan’er was from, was accused to collide with a certain minister who angered the Emperor. Mr. and Mrs. Wen ended up imprisoned. It was not explained, but somehow I felt this was the Eldest Princess’ doing.
- Before imprisoned, Mrs. Wen returned the servant contracts to the servants so Chen Bao Yin was a free person, thus free to go. To repay Wen Family’s kindness, she took care of Qiong Niang, Wen Su’s little sister. To make a living she started a business selling wine and food on the river (like a floating bar).
- During a river festival, Chen Bao Yin and Chen Bao Zhu (Qiong Niang’s name now since Bao Yin changed her name for safety), saw Wen Su in the royal pleasure boat, when the Eldest Princess was hanging out with her toy boys. Note: the description that Wen Sun was the Eldest Princess’ consort was wrong because she had an official husband. “Male favorite” is used on another synopsis. According to Wikipedia, the classic term of “favorite” means “the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person.” Both terms are euphemism of “toy boy” that is used in the official subtitle. The Chinese word used is 男宠 (“nan chong” means male lover of an emperor, empress, or high official”).
- Wen Su became Zhao Qing Cheng’s toy boy to save his father and mother from death penalty. However, there is more than this I will spoil you later in the review section.
- Bao Yin and Wen Su did not “join forces” as WeTV synopsis says. They rather understand, support, and trust each other during the Wen Family’s adversity, alongwith mutual respect and admiration they help each other by any mean.
Characters
Main Characters
Na Yi ( 娜一 ) as Chen Pan’er/Chen Bao Yin
Liu Xu Wei ( 刘旭威 ) as Wen Su/Wen Ru Chu
Supporting Characters
Zhao Qing Cheng (Qi Yi) – Eldest Princess
Luo Teng (Sheng Gang Shuai) – Chen Bao Yin’s neighbor/business partner
Themes and Messages
Before I explain as of why I think this drama is rare and exquisite, below are the drama’s themes and messages that are commonly found in other dramas.
Love and sacrifice for family and loved ones
Wen Su became the Eldest Princess’s toy boy so his father and mother wouldn’t be executed. Bao Yin sold herself to be a servant to pay her mother’s medical expense. Later, she also worked hard to help her newfound family and Wen Su.
Resiliance and overcoming adversity
Both Bao Yin and Wen Su are faced with hardship and societal pressures. Bao Yin came from the poor family and the rural background. She was used to hardship but she didn’t dwell on it, but worked hard to get out of it. Wen Su’s family sudden misfortune forced him to stoop low and humiliate himself. The drama showcases their resilience as they navigate these challenges and find ways to survive and even thrive.
Female empowerment
The drama portrays Bao Yin, a strong female lead, who takes initiative and responsibility for her family and her newfound family, demonstrating strength and resourcefulness in a patriarchal setting. There was also Bao Zhu/Wen Qiong Niang (played by child actor Peng Si Qi), a little girl who becomes strong and resilient along with her foster sister.
Finding family and support
The story highlights the importance of finding support and comfort in unexpected places, even when blood ties are strained or absent. Bao Yin’s father and brother were worthless, but she found a family with the Wens. The lonely and depressed Wen Su, when had a chance to go home during the holidays and his family’s house was confiscated and his parents were imprisoned, found a home with Bao Yin and Qiong Niang.
Review: Rare and Exquisite
RARE
The unusual storyline
Without spoiling the details, I think the storyline is not typical to Chinese dramas, especially the regular length ones. The plot is also fast-paced with cliffhangers in the end of each episode. Despite its short format, A Dream like the True Love is able to keep viewers engaged without being distracted by low production values.
The interesting characterization
Let’s be honest, strong and resilient female leads with a female empowerment theme are quite common in dramas to cater the predominantly female audiences. In this drama, it’s perfectly represented by Bao Yin.
However, the male lead Wen Su is an atypical male lead, in a drama world where strong, powerful, and high status male leads are abound. Initially, Wen Su is not a prince, nobleman, or a court official. He is a son of a low level official (magistrate) and a spy for the Crown Prince, and his family downfall results to even a lower status in front of the court and the public.
The eldest princess with her super sensational characterization is something else. Yes, we do have a few powerful villainous female supporting characters in historical dramas, in which take interest in toy boys. These characterization can make them cringe to watch due to their awful and unsettling natures. I will give a spoiler about Zhao Qing Cheng in Some Questioning Issues in the Drama section below.
Overall, the leading and the supporting actors and actresses performed well, especially in the scenes of the delicate emotional expression between the male and female lead, and the bond between family members.
EXQUISITE
The directing that used closeups to show the protagonists emotional state
I especially notice that the director used a lot of close-ups of Bao Yin and Wen Su to emphasize their emotions or reactions, and thus draw viewers into the scene.
For example, when Wen Su discovered that his sister Qiong Niang and his former maid Bao Yin were amongst the crowd watching the royal pleasure boat with the eldest princess and him on it, and saw their shocked and disbelief reactions, the closeup of Wen Su’s horrified reaction is particularly dramatic, especially it’s a cliffhanger in the end of the episode.
Naturally, the leading actress Na Yi has one of the most expressive eyes I have ever seen in Chinese dramas. Considering she was a newcomer in acting, this is really impressive.
The shocked and painful look from Bao Yin when witnessing the humiliation Wen Su received from the eldest princess.
A delicate but healthy romance full of symbolism
Wen Su and Bao Yin’s relationship, despite their dire circumstances, is peaceful and gentle, making their romance a refreshing watch with just the right amount of emotional pull. They have quite a healthy romance with tacit understanding and mutual trust towards each other.
For example, when Bao Yin’s annoying brother found her and demanded for money, she was in a bad mood. At first, she didn’t want to tell Wen Su about her brother’s visit, but he could tell from her facial expression and said: “I know you’re tough but isn’t that only for the outsiders?”
They also treat each other with utmost respect and admiration. Wen Su never looked down on Bao Yin being his family (former) maidservant, but since they met he had admired her courage and devotion to his family, and later respected her decisions. Bao Yin never looked down on Wen Su being a toy boy and seeked to respect his circumstances and admired his talents.
The way Bao Yin looked at Wen Su when he was drawing calligraphy
I also love the symbolism used in showing their romance. At first, Wen Su’s handkerchief he gave to Bao Yin when he rescued her at the first time. She kept it as a reminder for his kindness and her yearning for him. The red string Wen Su asked Bao Yin to tie on his arm symbolizes the family union. Initially, Bao Yin and Qiong Niang visited the Wen father and mother in the prison and they tied the red strings on each arms as an evil ward off symbol, but also united the family. The red ribbons Bao Yin tied on a barren tree to signal Wen Su that she wanted to meet him. The broken bracelet that he retrieved and put back together with red strings and kept as a love token.
The production values
The drama’s visualization is very good at setting off the atmosphere. The director’s lens language is extremely comfortable in shaping visuals, conveying emotions, and enhancing narrative. In my opinion, despite a short-drama budget, A Dream like the True Love is top-notch in production values, where it was the stage design, lighting, costumes (Song style), and camera movement. Even every empty scene (without any character in it) is beautiful.
The opening scenes have beautiful graphic as preview for the plot in each episode.
The slow motion when Bao Yin tying the red rope around Wen Su’s arm in the snow is one of the few moments that are captivating. Another scene shows the light and shadow atmosphere of the plot when Wen Su helped Bao Yin write the inscription was very impressive, and the love between the two seemed to deepen at this moment.
My only criticism of the visualization department is Bao Yin’s makeup. Her makeup, whether she was a country girl or worked as a pearl picker, was too pretty. The actress is naturally gorgeous, but in the above situations, Bao Yin doesn’t appear to be doing physical labor at all. The funny scene was when Bao Yin returned from the sea after working as a pearl picker and Wen Su told her that “now you’re as dark as charcoal”, but her skin is still pale white, lol.
Some questioning issues in the drama
The palace politics
Yes, there are palace politics in this short drama, complete with a power struggle, a rebellion plot, the change of leadership, and the new court. So much to cover, it makes sense if there is no depth in this subplot, and some viewers regard the palace politics in this drama as child’s play.
If you like intricate palace politics, don’t watch this drama for that, but more for the romance. If you don’t like palace politics, this drama is watchable for such subplot.
The breakup/separation
Now, about one of the hated tropes in romance dramas: the couple’s breakup. Yes, there is also a couple’s breakup in this drama, but don’t worry, it only lasts for one episode (although the duration is five years). Bao Yin broke up with Wen Su, despite they had gotten together officially and were seriously thinking of getting married.
The reason? With the new emperor’s leadership, Wen Su was promoted as a Vice Minister of Revenue. However, the court officials and the public still talked about his past being a toy boy. The new emperor wanted to solidify his leadership, so he wanted Wen Su to marry a noble lady from a prominent family to give Wen Su more power, thus stronger support for the new emperor. He didn’t want anything of that, however, Bao Yin overheard about it and thought that Wen Su needed a strong backup in his career. She also heard rumors that he was to marry her to return the gratitude for her taking care of his parents and sister.
Some people wrote that it was so out of Bao Yin’s character that she broke up with Wen Su and left for five years. We thought she was a perfect woman, but she still needed character growth. In my opinion, her decision was not a noble idiocy (‘I left you because I know you will do better without me’), but it was more about figuring out her self-worth, not just by what he said. In terms of the couple’s growth, I especially like the couple’s attitude when they break up. Although heartbroken and depressed, Wen Su respected Bao Yin’s decision.
During their separation, although miserable with their longings, Bao Yin and Wen Su had excelled in their careers. When they got back together, they quickly said that they had misunderstandings. Also, there was no such thing as retaliation or jealousy.
The crazy princess and her toy boys
Zhao Qing Cheng, the eldest princess, is a very full character. She had interesting and unique qualities that made her character stand out. The eldest princess was ambitious to seize the position from the useless crown prince, and she was decisive and cruel. For your note, the eldest princess was not the crown prince’s sister. She was the daughter of the former emperor. So, it makes sense if she wanted the throne.
Some viewers might not like this type of character who gets in the couple’s way. If you’re one of this kind of viewer, you might be curious about what happened to the eldest princess in the end.
What happened to the eldest princess?
In Episode 17, the eldest princess planned a coup and executed it when the current emperor fell ill. However, the rebellion failed, and she committed suicide by jumping out of the palace’s balcony.
The story could end when the eldest princess commits suicide. After that, the palace politics seem watered down.
If you think you might feel cringey watching the physical intimacy between the eldest princess and Wen Su
The only scene that could be cringey was the first time the audience and Bao Yin/Bao Zhu witnessed Wen Su as the eldest princess’s toy boy, which was on the pleasure boat during the festival. After that, there was one scene when she was intimate with another toy boy. Her lovers were not only for pleasure, but they were also her guards and executors of her coup plan. Wen Su served her more in the latter capacity. But she also knew that he had Bao Yin in his mind, which made her angry to the point of torturing him.
The close-up shot of Wen Su’s horrified reaction when his sister and Bao Yin discovered him to be the eldest princess’ toy boy.
The leading actor’s acting
There was an issue with the leading actor Liu Xu Wei’s acting skill, which was criticized as a bit poor in comparison to his leading actress. He couldn’t perform complex emotions, and when he needed to show deep emotions, he looked more like a wooden man.
Wen Su’s quiet and shy character helped the actor with limited emotional acting skills. Moreover, his co-actress Na Yi carried more of the burden because Bao Yin was more of a straightforward and outgoing character and delivered encouraging words. The director also played a crucial role in Wen Su’s brokenness, making it vivid with camera shots. For example, as shown in the above image.
Conclusion
Overall, if you are looking for a Chinese drama that combines sweet and healthy romance, overcoming adversities, and personal growth with a historical setting and intriguing characters, A Dream like the True Love could be a worthwhile watch, especially if you appreciate shorter series.
Ending spoilers
Wen Su and Bao Yi got married at the end of the drama. In Episode 21, little Bao Zhu, now a young woman, was to be married to her sweetheart (not shown). Mr. Wen and Mrs. Wen were released from prison (Episode 17), and Mr. Wen’s position was reinstated.
