Note: Spoilers ahead.
In romantic Chinese dramas, viewers can’t help but fall in love with the supporting male stars. These second male leads make our hearts swoon that we even ship them with the female lead instead of the main actor. Fans oftentimes suffer from “second lead syndrome” or SLS, wherein they prefer the second male lead and wish he ends up with the female lead. Even though we know the inevitable pairing in each of these dramas, it’s impossible not to root for the second male leads.
Here are 5 second male leads in Chinese dramas that made us fall in love:
1. Wu Busong (A Love So Beautiful)
Wu Busong is known to be Chen Xiaoxi’s guardian angel. He’s always been there for her — from high school until adulthood. He always puts in a lot of effort to make Xiaoxi happy and protect her when she gets hurt by the main lead, Jiang Chen. With his caring and bubbly personality, we see another side of him as a school athlete under the strict guidance of his coach, who is also his father. Despite his successful career, it’s a shame that Xiaoxi picks her first love over the supporting male lead, Busong.
Courtesy of Tencent Video
2. Hua Zelei (Meteor Garden)
Hua Zelei’s gentle and caring side initially made Shancai fall in love with him. He defended her from Dao Mingsi’s past troublesome behavior and he even planned to leave the band, F4, for her. He was always her shoulder to cry on whenever she felt sad or angry. Even though Shancai and Dao Mingsi were in a relationship, Hua Zelei was still a good friend to both of them and supportive of their relationship.
Courtesy of Hunan TV
3. Li Yu (When We Were Young)
On the C-drama, When We Were Young, it’s no secret that we shipped Yanxi and Li Yu at first — before Hua Biao came into the picture. Their strong chemistry as neighbors and best friends made us root for them. Li Yu is a smart, gentle, and caring best friend, which makes him a promising second lead. Li Yu helps Xanxi with her studies, and he always looks out for her. He even ends up rejecting another potential love interest, Dengdeng, in favor of Yanxi, remaining fiercely loyal to Yanxi. Swoon!
Courtesy of Tencent Video
4. Run Yu (Ashes of Love)
Run Yu may be a morally ambiguous character, but we shouldn’t disregard his passionate and undying love for Jin Mi. After all, he even made tremendous self-sacrifices for her. Run Yu’s lack of self-confidence to give Jin Mi happiness becomes the biggest setback for him. Despite his great efforts to woo Jin Mi, she has her eyes on his half-brother, Xu Feng, whom she ultimately ends up with.
Courtesy of JSTV
5. Fucha Fuheng (Story of Yanxi Palace)
Fucha Fuheng has always been Yingluo’s protector, loving her and looking out for her without expecting anything in return. Fuheng is Yingluo’s first love, but their forbidden love hinders Yingluo from achieving her goal and hard work to be the Emperor’s concubine. There’s no doubt that Yingluo will always have a place in Fuheng’s heart even after he lets her go and marries Er Qing.
Courtesy of iQiyi
