The First Frost
The First Frost is a 32-episode Chinese modern romance drama from Youku. It aired from February 18, 2025 to March 10, 2025, and all episodes are out. In the US it streams officially on Netflix (subscription) and Youku (VIP, episodes 1-3 free), checked November 1, 2026. It is adapted from the novel Nan Hong by Zhu Yi.
Where to watch The First Frost
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Is it worth watching?
Final verdict coming soon. It goes up once our editor has seen the ending. How we rate
Hidden Love fans who want Sang Yan's own story, told as a slower and heavier second-chance romance
What viewers score it
The story, without spoilers
What to Expect
We haven't watched this one. This section is based on the production's own descriptions, Chinese and English coverage and published episode recaps, and we'll replace it with a verdict once we have one.
The First Frost is a second-chance romance between two adults who never got over each other. The first half is the sweet part: the awkward reunion, the shared flat, Sang Yan's teasing and Wen Yifan's habit of sleepwalking into his room. Flashbacks fill in their school years. The second half turns to her past. After her father died, her mother remarried and sent her between relatives, and the drama gives a lot of screen time to the men who harassed her, at home and later at work, and to how that shaped the guarded adult she became.
What viewers praised. International audiences liked it more than Chinese viewers did. It reached No. 6 on Netflix's global TV chart in late February 2025, which Wikipedia calls a record for a Chinese drama, and Mashable gave it four out of five. Bai Jingting won Best Actor at the Busan People's Choice awards, and the opening theme won Best Theme Song at the Asian Television Awards. Coverage singled out the leads' chemistry and the sweetness of the early episodes.
What viewers complained about. Its Douban score was 5.4 when China News Service reported on it on March 18, 2025. Readers of the novel accused it of mogai (魔改), changing the book too much. Their main complaints were that the drama makes Wen Yifan more passive than the novel's calm, capable heroine, adds a second separation and a trip to Hong Kong, and stacks up scenes of harassment the book doesn't have.
Pacing. The 32 episodes run about 45 minutes each. Several recaps describe the middle stretch, around episodes 24 to 26, as the point where the story slows down and separates the couple again.
Content notes. Expect repeated stalking and sexual harassment of the heroine, including by a family member when she was a teenager, a near-assault, a stabbing, and a parent who neglects her child. Nothing is graphic, but these threads run through most of the second half.
The Story
Wen Yifan turns Sang Yan down on the day their high-school exam results come out, and leaves their hometown of Nanwu for a university far away. Six or seven years later she is a TV news reporter, and she walks into a bar he co-owns. The two pretend not to know each other. Then a neighbour's harassment forces her out of her flat, a fire damages his, and they end up sharing one. The First Frost (难哄) is a 32-episode Youku drama starring Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan, adapted from Zhu Yi's 2020 JJWXC novel. Netflix released it worldwide on the same day as Youku, February 18, 2025.
It is set in the same world as Hidden Love. Sang Yan is Sang Zhi's sharp-tongued older brother from that drama, and this is his story, with a new cast. You don't need to have seen Hidden Love first, though fans will spot Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu in cameo roles.
Release Notes
The First Frost premiered on Youku and Netflix worldwide on February 18, 2025, and finished on March 10, 2025. It had over 8 million pre-reservations on Youku before it aired. It was filmed from February to June 2024 in Chongqing, with scenes set in Hong Kong. Qu Youning directed with Jiang Ruizhi and Jia Hao. Wajijiwa Entertainment (哇唧唧哇), Youku and Hunan Galaxy Cool produced it.
Two episodes were screened at the 30th Busan International Film Festival. An animated version was announced on Bilibili in November 2025; we haven't confirmed a release date.
The opening theme is Mayday's "Willful" (任性), which the leads also play together in the finale. Li Yuchun sings the ending theme, "It's You" (是你).
There is no second season. Zhu Yi's next novel in the series, Zhe Yueliang (折月亮), is being adapted separately.
Does The First Frost have a happy ending?
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We have not finished this one ourselves; this is based on outside sources. The drama changes how the novel ends.
In Brief
Ending spoilerShow the ending in brief
The First Frost has a happy ending. Wen Yifan and Sang Yan get back together, the man who threatened her for years is caught, and she cuts ties with her mother. At their school's 100th anniversary, Sang Yan proposes in his old school uniform, and she says yes.
Full Ending Explained
Full spoilersShow the full ending
This account comes from Chinese episode recaps and coverage of the final episodes, not from watching.
Leaving again. Around episodes 24 to 26, Wen Yifan leaves Sang Yan without a word. Recaps say she is afraid of Che Xingde, her aunt's brother, who harassed her as a teenager and has found her again, and she goes to Hong Kong for graduate study. Her best friend Zhong Siqiao and Sang Yan's friend Su Haoan help track her down, and Sang Yan follows her to Hong Kong. This whole stretch is the drama's own addition.
Che Xingde. Back in Nanwu, Sang Yan confronts Che Xingde, and recaps say Sang Yan is stabbed or injured in the fight. Che Xingde is caught and handed over to the law around episode 29. Recaps disagree about his sentence, so we haven't included one.
Her mother. Wen Yifan deletes her mother Zhao Yuandong's contact details and breaks off the relationship. Her mother is shown in tears and full of regret, but the drama doesn't reconcile them.
The box. Wen Yifan finds a box Sang Yan has kept for years, full of tickets and clippings of her news reports. It shows that he followed her life the whole time they were apart.
The proposal. The last episode goes back to school. At the 100th anniversary celebration, Sang Yan proposes in his old uniform, with a ring, and both of them cry. The finale also has the leads playing the opening theme together on the piano, and the couple moving into a home he designed. Recaps describe the story as spanning about nine years, from school uniform to wedding dress.
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Cast and characters
Also starring
- Wen Yifan (Zhang Ruonan): a TV news reporter who once trained in ballet. Calm and polite on the surface, she has learned to expect nothing from anyone after years of being passed between relatives.
- Sang Yan (Bai Jingting): the boy she turned down, now co-owner of the Jiaban bar and the lead of a game team. Proud and sharp-tongued, he has never stopped caring about her.
- Zhong Siqiao (Zhang Miaoyi): Wen Yifan's loyal best friend, whose romance with Su Haoan is a drama-only subplot.
- Su Haoan (Edward Chen): Sang Yan's friend and business partner at the bar, the comic relief of the group.
- Xiang Lang (Zhai Xiaowen): a friend caught in a love triangle with Wen Yifan and Zhong Siqiao that the novel doesn't have.
- Che Yanqin (Kong Lin): the aunt who took Wen Yifan in, grudgingly.
- Che Xingde (Li Hongchen): Che Yanqin's brother, who harassed Wen Yifan when she was a teenager and comes back to threaten her as an adult.
- Zhang Wenhong (He Jiong): their warm high-school teacher, who appears in the school flashbacks.
Identity Reveals
Ending spoilerShow identity reveals
There are no hidden identities. The slow reveals are about the past: why Wen Yifan turned Sang Yan down and left, what happened to her in her aunt's home, and, near the end, how closely Sang Yan kept track of her during the years they were apart.
The novel behind it
The drama adapts Nan Hong (难哄) by Zhu Yi (竹已), serialized on JJWXC in 2020. It is a companion to her Tou Tou Cang Bu Zhu (偷偷藏不住), which became Hidden Love, and the next novel in the same loose series, Zhe Yueliang (折月亮), is set for a 2026 adaptation. Qu Youning (瞿友宁) was chief director and screenwriter. We haven't found an official English translation of the novel.
Differences from the Novel
Ending spoilerShow the differences
Chinese coverage, mainly beauty321 and China News Service, lists a long set of changes:
- Wen Yifan herself. In the novel she is calm and capable. When she is threatened, she gathers evidence and calls the police herself. The drama makes her more avoidant, and has others rescue her more often.
- More harassment. The novel has no near-assault by her neighbour. There, she records evidence and he ends up with the police. The drama also adds a slap from a boss's wife and rumours at work about her being a mistress.
- The second departure. In the novel, after a crisis, Wen Yifan goes to Yihe herself and explains things to Sang Yan. The drama has her leave for Hong Kong without a word and Sang Yan follow her, which many readers disliked.
- New subplots. Zhong Siqiao's romance with Su Haoan, the grandparents' storyline and the Xiang Lang love triangle are all new. In the novel, Wen Yifan and Xiang Lang are simply friends.
- Smaller changes. Sang Yan brings Duan Jiaxu home in the drama, while in the book he brings only Sang Zhi. The intern Mu Chengyun is pushier, and there are new high-school scenes.
Novel Ending
Full spoilersShow how the novel ends
Both versions end happily, but readers describe the novel as sweeter, with fewer setbacks in its final stretch. According to one Chinese source, the book's extras have Sang Yan choose Wen Yifan's birthday as the day they register their marriage. We haven't read the novel, so treat other details of its last chapters as unconfirmed.
- Original title
- 难哄 · Nan Hong
- Author
- Zhu Yi 竹已
- First published
- JJWXC, 2020
- In English
- No official translation that we know of
Words and customs you'll hear
The title
The Chinese title, Nan Hong (难哄), means "hard to coax" or "hard to win over". The English title points to Wen Yifan's nickname, Wen Shuangjiang (温霜降). Shuangjiang, "Frost's Descent", is one of the 24 solar terms of the traditional Chinese calendar, falling in late October, the point in autumn when the first frost arrives.
Exam results day
In China the gaokao results come out in late June, and students then choose which universities to apply to, often in another province. Turning Sang Yan down on results day, and choosing a university far from Nanwu, is a decision about her whole future, not just about him.
The Hidden Love universe
Zhu Yi's novels share a world. Sang Yan is the older brother from Hidden Love, and both stories use the fictional cities of Nanwu and Yihe. Fans read them as a set, and the producers, including Youku and Wajijiwa, worked on both dramas. Our HE, BE and OE entry explains the ending labels fans use when they compare the two.
The First Frost FAQ
How many episodes does The First Frost have?
The First Frost has 32 episodes, each about 45 minutes long. All 32 have been out since March 10, 2025, on Youku in China and on Netflix internationally, where it was released worldwide on the same day as the Chinese premiere. There is no second season, though Zhu Yi's next novel in the same series is being adapted separately.
Where can I watch The First Frost?
From the US on November 1, 2026, Netflix had The First Frost, and Youku's international site, youku.tv, had all 32 episodes, with episodes 1 to 3 free and the rest for VIP members. Netflix released it worldwide in February 2025, but we've only checked it from the US.
Does The First Frost have a happy ending?
SpoilerShow the answer
Minor spoilerReveal whether it ends happily
Yes. Wen Yifan and Sang Yan end up together. At their school's 100th anniversary, he proposes in his old school uniform, and she accepts. The novel ends happily too, and readers describe it as sweeter.
Why does Wen Yifan leave Sang Yan again?
SpoilerShow the answer
Ending spoilerReveal why she leaves
According to recaps, she leaves without a word because Che Xingde, who harassed her as a teenager, has found her again. She goes to Hong Kong for graduate study, friends help track her down, and Sang Yan follows her. This second separation is not in the novel and was among the most criticized changes.
Why is The First Frost's Douban score so low?
It was 5.4 when China News Service reported on it in March 2025. Most complaints came from readers of the novel, who felt the drama made Wen Yifan weaker, added too many harassment scenes and invented the Hong Kong separation. Outside China, reception was warmer, and it reached No. 6 on Netflix's global TV chart.
Can I read The First Frost novel in English?
We haven't found an official English edition of Zhu Yi's Nan Hong (难哄). Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed Hidden Love, the companion novel about Sang Zhi, and released its first volume in 2026, so an English edition of Nan Hong may follow. Check your usual bookshop for any announcement.
Who sings The First Frost theme song?
The opening theme is "Willful" (任性) by Mayday, which won Best Theme Song at the Asian Television Awards. Li Yuchun sings the ending theme, "It's You" (是你). In the final episode, Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan play "Willful" together on the piano, a scene many recaps single out.
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