How is The First Frost related to Hidden Love? Explained

The highly anticipated drama of 2025, The First Frost, is the prequel to one of the biggest C-dramas of 2023, Hidden Love. The First Frost is based on the web novel First Frost (难哄) written by Zhu Yi (竹已), who has also written Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide It (偷偷藏不住), the novel from which Hidden Love is inspired.

The First Frost's timeline begins years before the events of Hidden Love. While Hidden Love, which aired in 2023, focuses on the love story of Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu, The First Frost follows the story of Sang Zhi’s older brother, Sang Yan, and his relationship with Wen Yifan.

However, Hidden Love was adapted as a drama first, and the overwhelming success of the series led The First Frost to be produced with a bigger budget. It also led to a significant casting change—Victor Ma, who played Sang Yan in Hidden Love, was replaced by Bai Jingting in The First Frost. The drama also stars Zhang Ruonan as Wen Yifan.

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The First Frost and Hidden Love: How their stories connect through parallel timelines?

Hidden Love depicts Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu’s relationship from the time Sang Zhi is 14 and Duan Jiaxu is 19, following them until they are 22 and 27, respectively. The story of The First Frost begins even earlier, starting with Sang Yan meeting Wen Yifan as high school students at the age of 15.

This is years before Sang Yan in university meets Duan Jiaxu, who later becomes his best friend and then is introduced to Sang Zhi. At that time, combining both the story timelines, Wen Yifan has already left Nanwu.

Hidden Love is also told from Sang Zhi’s perspective, which is why Wen Yifan is never mentioned in it. At the beginning of Hidden Love's timeline, Wen Yifan is studying at Yehi University, away from the Nanwu, where Sang Zhi first meets Duan Jiaxu. By the time Sang Zhi moves to Yehi University and reunites with Duan Jiaxu, Wen Yifan has left Yehi and, returning to Nanwu, has already met Sang Yan again.

The First Frost fills in the gap in Hidden Love's Sang Yan's story by telling his story from his high school years when he was 15. It introduces Sang Yan's first meeting with Wen Yifan on her first day of high school and explores their growing friendship and mutual but unspoken romantic feelings for one another. However, their story takes a turn when Wen Yifan loses her father and her mother remarries.

She is forced to move between relatives’ homes, experiencing an unstable and abusive upbringing. After high school, despite promising to attend Nanwu University with Sang Yan, she decides to leave her past and Nanwu entirely, choosing to study at Yehi University instead. This decision, driven by past trauma, not only breaks her own heart but also deeply wounds Sang Yan.

6 years later, Wen Yifan returns to Nanwu and unexpectedly crosses paths with Sang Yan at a bar, which she later discovers he owns. Their lives intertwine again when a fire destroys Sang Yan’s house, leading him to move into Wen Yifan’s apartment as her roommate. This living arrangement brings unresolved emotions to the surface.

Wen Yifan, who has struggled with sleepwalking during her teenage years, begins experiencing it again after returning to Nanwu. This is because, here, she is once again confronted with the abusive family environment she has tried to escape earlier.

However, now, sleepwalking in Sang Yan’s presence culminates in moments where she unconsciously hugs, kisses, and even shares a bed with him in her sleep. This confuses and worries Sang Yan, further complicating their contractual roommate agreement. Eventually, their repressed feelings lead them to confront their feelings for each other, and Wen Yifan decides to actively pursue Sang Yan.

The First Frost is narrated from Sang Yan and Wen Yifan’s perspectives, which means it does not delve into Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu’s story. However, both characters appear in the drama as they are an integral part of Sang Yan’s life.

Sang Yan in Hidden Love is also different from his character in The First Frost. As seen through Sang Zhi’s eyes in Hidden Love, he is depicted as an annoying and funny older brother.

Both in the novel and the drama version of First Frost, Sang Yan is seen from his and Wen Yifan's perspective. So there, he is seen as someone highly attractive, charming, and emotionally layered who has carried past heartbreak.

Although Hidden Love does not explore Sang Yan’s past, it does provide a small but significant reference to his love life. In episode 13 of the series, during a family dinner, Sang Zhi and Sang Yan’s mother urges him to attend a blind date, only for Sang Yan to dismiss the idea, stating he has no intention of going.

Later that night, while changing a porch light bulb, the Sang siblings once again discuss this. Sang Zhi teases her brother about being single and suggests he go on blind dates and take Duan Jiaxu, who is also single, with him.

However, Sang Yan, in the middle of their conversation, receives a message on his phone, prompting him to smile. He then tells his sister Sang Zhi that he doesn't need to go to any blind date, saying:

"Because there's a girl trying to pursue me right now."

Sang Zhi, believing her brother is not particularly good-looking, laughs out loud, leading to Sang Yan locking her out of the house. This moment subtly hints at his relationship with Wen Yifan, who, at that point in both the story's parallel timelines, has returned to Nanwu and is reconnecting with Sang Yan.

In essence, The First Frost and Hidden Love run parallel to each other, each focusing on different love stories while subtly connecting through shared characters and overlapping timelines.

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The First Frost has released 21 episodes, all available for streaming on Youku. On Netflix, 19 episodes have been released so far.