Introduction
If you’re looking for a romance that moves at lightning speed, Love Has Fireworks probably isn’t it. This modern drama takes its time developing the relationship between its leads, following their personal and professional struggles before romance finally takes center stage. While the wishy-washy couple and extremely slow burn may test some viewers’ patience, the series offers a grounded and relatable look at love, career, and personal growth in adulthood.
Drama Info
Drama title: Love Has Fireworks (Native title: 爱情有烟火)
Alternative title: Ai Qing You Yan Huo
Genres: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Aired: 15 Jun, 2026 - 30 Jun, 2026
Episodes: 36 | Duration: 45 minutes
Director: Shi Cheng Ye (史成业)
Screenwriters: Liu Yi (刘益), Liu Li (刘莉), and Qin Ye (秦晔)
Adapted from the novel "We Live Together" (我们住在一起) by Hong Jiu (红九).
Where to read the English-translated novel: MyDramaNovel and ReadtheDrama
Where to watch: WeTV, iQiyi, Viki, and New TV Hit Drama
OSTs:
Fansubbed full playlist: Peachey Blossom
Trailer
Synopsis
Qian Fei, a junior investment banking employee, had her life carefully planned out and believed she was on the path to happiness. But her world is turned upside down when her fiancé, Wang Ruohai, decides to leave her. Forced to start over, Qian Fei embarks on a challenging journey to rebuild both her life and career.
Li Yifei, a wealthy heir determined to make a name for himself through hard work, sees love as a bonus rather than a necessity. His girlfriend, Gui Lili, is unwilling to endure the hardships of a startup lifestyle and leaves him behind.
Through an unexpected twist of fate, Qian Fei and Li Yifei, who hold completely different views on life and love, find their paths crossing. To keep up with her mortgage payments, Qian Fei rents out a room to Li Yifei, and the two begin an unlikely co-living arrangement.
Surrounded by the support of friends, family, and colleagues, Qian Fei faces challenges and conflicts head on. With resilience, determination, and an unwillingness to give up, she gradually grows into a stronger and more confident person. As Qian Fei and Li Yifei go from roommates to project partners, their constant clashes and misunderstandings slowly give way to mutual understanding. In time, they fall in love and choose to face the future side by side.
Source: WeTV
Characters
Main Characters
Tan Jian Ci (檀健次) as Li Yi Fei
Wang Chu Ran (王楚然) as Qian Fei
Supporting Characters
Li Qian Sheng (Li Nai Wen) – Li Yi Fei’s father
Wang Ruo Hai (Li Xin Ze) – Qian Fei’s ex
Yao Jing Jing (Jiang Pei Yao) – Qian Fei’s bestie
Jun Cheng (Liu Rui Lin) – Li Yifei’s friend
Dang Yu (Christine Zheng/Zheng Sui Jing – Qian Fei’s friend
Liao Shi Yu (Elisa Ye) – Wang Ruohai’s girlfriend
Fang Yun (Yang Tong Shu) – Qian Fei’s boss
Review
Story and Plot
Story
Well, although the genre is listed as rom-com, I think Love Has Fireworks is more of a slice-of-life workplace/business drama, a combo of two genres that I am not particularly attracted to. That being said, in my opinion, the drama has more flaws than strengths. But let me point out the strengths first.
Mature romance
This drama focuses on two adults healing after failed relationships. Their love grows naturally through everyday life rather than grand romantic gestures.
Both Male Lead and Female Lead experience personal growth
Qian Fei begins as someone whose happiness depends heavily on getting married. After the breakup, she learns about financial independence, career confidence, and self-worth beyond relationships
Li Yifei begins as someone who prioritizes ambition and views love as secondary. Living with Qian Fei teaches him empathy, compromise, and emotional openness.
Their growth is parallel rather than one-sided.
Now, my rants, aka about the weaknesses of this drama.
Where are the fireworks?
Now, the English title is actually an accurate translation of the native title 爱情有烟火 = Ai Qing (“love”) You (“has”) Yan Huo (“fireworks”).
“Fireworks” in a romance immediately suggests: intense attraction, sparks flying, emotional highs and lows, dramatic confessions, and
unforgettable romantic moments.
Think of a romance where the audience feels excitement every time the leads interact.
But there are no “fireworks” in this drama. It’s like a false advertisement.
No “fireworks,” even though they promise fireworks as depicted in the poster.
Uneven pacing
Many episodes spend significant time on workplace meetings, business negotiations, and supporting characters, while the main romance develops very slowly.
Some side stories add little to no value
The drama includes multiple side couples and secondary family conflicts. Instead of enriching the main story, these subplots sometimes interrupt the momentum.
For example, Jun Cheng and Dang Yu’s romance and Jun Cheng’s family conflicts didn’t have any connection to the main plot. I completely skipped their scenes.
The one character I wish shows up more: Li Qiansheng (Li Yifei’s father)
Plot
At its core, Love Has Fireworks is not really a romance plot. It’s a “rebuilding life after failure” plot disguised as a romance.
The story follows a classic three-stage structure of this type of plot:
- The protagonist’s life collapses: Qian Fei loses the future she carefully planned when her engagement falls apart.
- Life reconstruction: Li Yifei enters her life as a tenant. Their cohabitation functions as a narrative device that forces both characters to confront financial pressures, emotional baggage, career ambitions, and loneliness.
- Character’s transformation: Both Qian Fei and Li Yifei become emotionally mature enough to maintain a healthy relationship.
The romance becomes the reward for growth rather than the cause of growth.
Characterization and Acting
Characterization
In my opinion, one of the drama’s strongest aspects is its characters. Love Has Fireworks is more attractive because of the characters than for the major plot.
Qian Fei and Li Yifei are two contrasting individuals. No, I’m not talking about the rich man-poor woman trope, or boss-subordinate trope.
Qian Fei and Li Yifei are opposite to each other
Qian Fei
At the beginning, Qian Fei appears to be an ordinary woman whose life goal is simple: a stable job with a stable income, marriage, and family. She seems practical rather than ambitious.
Qian Fei’s biggest flaw is not weakness—it’s dependence on a life script. She believes happiness comes from following a predetermined path: Study → Work → Marry → Live happily ever after
When her engagement fails, she doesn’t just lose a boyfriend; she loses her entire identity. This is why her heartbreak feels so devastating. The breakup destroys the future she imagined for herself.
Her character growth is essentially from dependence to self-reliance. She gradually learns emotional independence, financial confidence, self-respect, and decision-making without external validation
Her next romance works out because she becomes stronger before entering a new relationship with Li Yifei.
Li Yifei
Li Yifei initially appears to be the typical C-drama male lead: handsome, successful, intelligent, and financially privileged.
But don’t expect another perfect CEO archetype! The drama subtly deconstructs this image.
Li Yifei’s real struggle is not money, it’s emotional vulnerability. He is highly competent professionally but less capable emotionally. His instinct is often to solve problems logically, suppress emotions, and maintain control. This makes him successful at work but creates distance in relationships, for example, with his father and his previous girlfriend.
Li Yifei biggest fear is dependence. He wants to prove he can succeed on his own merits. As a result, he sometimes treats relationships like problems to manage rather than experiences to share. Qian Fei gradually teaches him emotional openness.
His character growth is from control to trust. Li Yifei learns vulnerability,
emotional honesty, partnership, and compromise. His character growth is more subtle than Qian Fei’s, but equally important. Because he seems so capable, his growth can feel less dramatic than Qian Fei’s.
Acting
The acting is actually one of the stronger aspects of Love Has Fireworks, although the two leads succeed in very different ways.
Tan Jianci as Li Yifei
Tan Jianci’s greatest strength is micro-expression acting. However, Li Yifei is not a highly expressive character. Much of this role requires holding back emotions, observing rather than speaking, and conveying affection indirectly.
Casting the wrong actor could make Li Yifei’s character seem cold or boring. Tan Jianci instead communicates subtle emotional shifts through eye movements, pauses, slight changes in tone, and restrained body language.
You can often tell what Li Yifei is feeling before he says anything. This is especially effective in the cohabitation scenes, where much of the romance develops through small moments rather than dramatic declarations.
Wang Churan as Qian Fei
Wang Churan carries much of the drama’s emotional burden because Qian Fei experiences disappointment, insecurity, frustration, and heartbreak, but also gradual confidence.
Wang Churan generally handles these emotional transitions naturally. One of her strengths is making ordinary scenes feel believable. Many romance heroines can become exaggerated or overly cute. Qian Fei feels more like a real adult woman navigating life’s difficulties.
Their chemistry
Their chemistry is what makes the drama shine, although without fireworks. Tan Jianci and Wang Churan create chemistry through comfort, trust, natural conversation, and domestic interactions. Their relationship feels lived-in. You can believe these two people would actually enjoy spending time together off-screen!
Visuals
From a production standpoint, Love Has Fireworks is a fairly polished modern urban drama. It isn’t visually groundbreaking, but it does a good job supporting the story’s themes of work, adulthood, and everyday romance.
Cinematography
The cinematography aims for a naturalistic and contemporary urban look rather than a glamorous idol-drama aesthetic. Many scenes use soft natural lighting, neutral color palettes, practical indoor lighting, and realistic office environments. This helps the story feel grounded.
The camera often focuses on facial expressions, eye contact, and small gestures. This technique works well as the romance develops through subtle emotional changes rather than dramatic events.
Costume
I particularly love Qian Fei’s costumes because her professional clothing evolves throughout the story. Early on, she wears softer silhouettes and lighter colors, with more conventional office attire. Later, her outfits are more structured, which gives her greater confidence in styling, and a stronger professional image. This subtle progression mirrors her personal growth.
Makeup and Styling
The makeup remains relatively natural throughout the series. The production wisely avoids excessive glamour, even for Gui Lili, Li Yifei’s ex-girlfriend, who is supposedly a model.
Set design
I love their shared apartment. It’s more than a location; it functions as a storytelling device. The set reinforces cohabitation, compromise, and everyday intimacy, which are central themes of the story.
The apartment also feels lived-in, practical, and believable. Unlike luxury penthouses common in romance dramas, the apartment reflects real financial pressures. For example, when Li Yifei changes his bedroom door to a thicker—and more expensive—one because he doesn’t like the noise.
My Rating
I used my rating system with additional scores of:
- + 1.0 for the grounded characterization, great chemistry between Wang Churan and Tan Jianci, and both actors’ believable acting.
- + 1.0 for the chic urban cinematography and visual design.
Total rating 8.0/10.
Conclusion
Love Has Fireworks is the definition of a slow-burn romance. The lead couple spends much of the drama caught in a cycle of hesitation, misunderstandings, and second-guessing, making them one of the most frustratingly wishy-washy couples I’ve watched. There were plenty of moments when I wanted them to stop overthinking and simply admit their feelings. Still, beneath the endless delays is a mature and realistic romance that develops gradually, making the eventual “fireworks” feel satisfying when they finally arrive.
Spoilers
What is the ending?
Wholesome happy ending.
How does it end?
Fulaxida, Li Yifei’s startup company, successfully went public with an IPO. Li Yifei and Qian Fei proposed to each other.
When did Li Yifei and Qian Fei get together?
Episode 34
When did Qian Fei find out about Li Yifei’s identity?
Episode 36
What about side couples?
Yao Jingjing and Lu Ze, they got married, and Yao Jingjing was pregnant at the end.
Jun Cheng with Dang Yu, his mother finally accepted her.
Wang Ruohai got together with Liao Shiyu quite early, but they broke up later.
Li Yifei’s ex, Gui Lili, got married.
