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| Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan’s The First Frost Racks Up 1.75 Billion Views, Topping Romance Charts |
If you thought sweet romance was going out of style, think again. The First Frost (难哄), a pure love hit starring Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan, has absolutely smashed it in the first half of 2025, topping every online Chinese drama chart worth talking about.
According to the latest figures from Lighthouse and Dengta, this gem clocked a jaw-dropping 1.751 billion views, claiming the crown as the most-watched streaming drama of H1 2025.
That’s no small feat, considering it left hot rivals like Bai Lu’s Moonlight Mystique, Ren Jialun’s The Demon Hunter’s Romance, and Liu Yuning’s The Prisoner of Beauty trailing behind. And if you strip out those dramas that got a TV broadcast boost, like Xiao Zhan’s The Legend of Zang Hai, The First Frost stands tall as the absolute streaming champion.
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Maoyan numbers tell an even sweeter story, ranking it number one in the “sweet romance” genre with a tidy 1.433 billion effective views. Not too shabby, eh?
The First Frost is based on a beloved novel by Zhu Yi — considered a spiritual sister to Hidden Love, for those keeping track — and tells a proper tearjerker of a story about Sang Yan (Bai Jingting) and Wen Yifan (Zhang Ruonan).
These two ex-classmates, forced back into each other’s orbit as adult flatmates, go from awkward tension to a gentle, moving romance that’s had viewers swooning left, right, and centre.
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Critics and punters alike have been raving about Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan’s chemistry — Upmedia called their performances “authentic” and genuinely affecting. Fans especially appreciated the way they handled the slow-burn connection between Sang Yan and Wen Yifan, making it feel proper real instead of your usual saccharine fluff.
For Bai Jingting, this drama couldn’t have come at a better time. After that awkward moment at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala — remember, the one where he got slammed for taking the centre spot in a group routine? — The First Frost has helped polish up his rep, big time. Meanwhile, Zhang Ruonan’s had her own win, officially shaking off the dreaded “cold stove” reputation and raking in a massive 3.9 million new followers across socials.
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And it looks like Bai Jingting’s only just getting started. Coming off this success, he’s all geared up for a jam-packed run of new projects. Next on deck is Justifiable Defense (正当防卫), dropping in July on CCTV and iQIYI, where he’ll be turning villain for the first time — alongside top talents like Gao Ye and Zhang Luyi.
He’s also got Mobius (aka Sleepless Days) in the pipeline, with Janice Man, all wrapped up and waiting for a broadcast date, plus prep work for the gritty-sounding crime series Criminal Police Time (刑警时间).
In short? Bai Jingting is on a proper hot streak, with The First Frost proving he’s still one of the most bankable — and watchable — names in the business. And with fans still replaying every swoon-worthy moment between him and Zhang Ruonan, there’s no sign of the hype cooling down anytime soon.