Lin Feng Song & Chen Wen are back on our silver screens, with a loud bang!!

For those who are unaware of their names or have forgotten them, let’s do a sharp rewind. These actors played the secondary couple in the first ever Chinese BL, that became a global sensation. Yes, we are talking about the 2016 sleeper hit “Addicted Heroin”. The show became so popular that Chinese censorship was shaken to its core, since the star cast became immensely famous. Lin Feng Song & Chen Wan’s comic timing was impeccable. Their renditions became memorable forever. Now, they are back ten years later, leading the cast in “Love After Addiction”.

First you need to get over the fact that the silly secondary couple are the main leads here, their roles call for serious, mature portrayals albeit with some comic relief. Lin Feng Song tabs well in his comic sense to portray an award winning actor who has fallen from grace while Chen Wan plays his long lost school friend. Their chemistry is still strong with hints of mystique and estrangement.

The Storyline

The show revolves around award-winning actor Yoki (Lin Feng Song) who hits rock bottom after a series of scandals and chronic insomnia derail his career. His name is smeared by his co-star who blames him for cheating and forcing an abortion while they were in a relationship. Online scrutiny and hate campaign completely derail his popularity and most of his projects are canceled. In the midst of this turmoil, he finds solace in a loyal fan who always supports him online. Coincidentally, Yoki is given a second chance at survival when his manager lands him a reality show. Initially hesitant, Yoki agrees to join the crew when he realizes that the show will be shot in the same town where his loyal fan resides. It could be curiosity or simply gratitude, but he travels to that small town in the hopes of meeting his fan. Once there, he is repeatedly bullied by the show director and the crew. Surprisingly, he ends up meeting his school friend, Yang Meng (Chen Wen). Yang Meng is the village volunteer who joins the crew to help them maintain safety regulations. As they reunite, Yoki is immensely happy with their reunion while Yang Meng seems to actively avoid him.

The Chemistry

Even though their first outing was comic relief in a show based on toxic relationships, Lin Feng Song & Chen Wan are trying to outgrow their past portrayals. Their depiction is more nuanced and mature here. As Yoki, Lin Feng Song has to play a character who was at the peak of his career and fell from grace. The constant online scrutiny turns him into an insomniac. Until, he meets Yang Feng and realizes that he can sleep soundly beside him. Yang Feng invariably ends up becoming his magical cure. They do have an incomprehensible history. Yang Feng seems besotted with Yoki but chooses to hide his affections, while Yoki pursues him endlessly. We still don’t know what happened between them, but it does seem like Yoki was dating another guy during his school days, so Yang Feng never made his move. They dance around their emotions; the pull & push is albeit delicious.

First Impressions

There is a lot of history and even more chemistry between Lin Feng Song & Chen Wan!

Chinese BLs are currently driving the momentum and are insanely popular. Various production houses are finding loopholes to produce these shows abroad and stream them online. And Chinese actors are putting their careers at stake to portray gay characters against active Chinese censorship. They are bold, daring and outrageous in their portrayals. Lin Feng Song & Chen Wan join their ranks to rewrite history. This show could be a masterpiece in making; the production value is questionable but the lead pairing as well as the secondary couple are totally entertaining!

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Gagaoolala/Viki/GTV Drama English YouTube Channel