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| The First Frost Novel Reveals Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu Were Rumoured to Be a Couple at University. (Credits: Weibo) |
The success of The First Frost did not just revive interest in slow-burn Chinese romance dramas — it also sent fans back into the original novel looking for every tiny detail that never made it into the screen adaptation. One of the funniest discoveries? Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu were apparently so inseparable during university that half the campus genuinely thought they were a couple.
Honestly, Chinese drama male leads can never just attend university normally. They either become campus legends or emotional disasters. Sometimes both at once. Adapted from Zhu Yi’s novel Hard to Coax, The First Frost starring Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan became one of the biggest Chinese drama hits on Youku and Netflix, dominating discussions both domestically and overseas.
The drama is connected to the same universe as Hidden Love, adapted from Secretly, Secretly but Unable to Hide It, meaning fans were already emotionally invested long before Sang Yan even appeared on screen looking permanently annoyed at life.
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While the drama adaptation softened or changed several scenes, the original novel contains far more chaotic details about the characters’ personal lives, especially during their university years.
One detail currently making rounds online involves how ridiculously famous Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu were back in university. Not famous in the “top student” sense either. More like “everyone secretly took photos of them and uploaded them onto forums” famous. Modern campus privacy rules would probably collapse instantly.
The revelation appears during a reunion dinner scene involving Wen Yifan, Zhong Siqiao, Xiang Lang, Sang Yan, and Su Hao’an.
What starts as a casual hotpot gathering quickly turns into a storytelling session exposing Sang Yan’s past. Unfortunately for him, friends in novels behave exactly like friends in real life: they absolutely will embarrass you for entertainment.
During the conversation, Su Hao’an casually reveals that Sang Yan once secretly travelled all the way to Yihe just to visit Duan Jiaxu. That alone already raised eyebrows at the dinner table, but Zhong Siqiao then adds the detail that truly sent readers into orbit.
According to her, Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu were known across campus as the “twin heartthrobs” of the Computer Science Department because they were always together.
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| Hidden Love and The First Frost Novels Reveal Duan Jiaxu and Sang Yan’s Campus Popularity |
The novel explains that a university forum thread discussing the most attractive students on campus suddenly exploded in popularity.
Students from different departments secretly uploaded photos of people they considered the best-looking around campus, and naturally, Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu quickly became two of the most talked-about names. Chinese universities really said academic excellence can wait, let’s discuss visuals first.
The funniest part, however, was that almost every single photo of Sang Yan accidentally included Duan Jiaxu somewhere in the background. Meanwhile, nearly every photo of Duan Jiaxu also happened to include Sang Yan. They were apparently attached at the hip for four straight years.
As Zhong Siqiao says in the novel, students eventually realised that more than 80 per cent of the photos featured both men together. They ate together, walked together, attended classes together, and appeared around campus side by side so often that rumours naturally started spreading that they were secretly dating.
#WenYiFan - "This is #DuanJiaXu right? He's quite Handsome" 😂#SangYan - "He stood out in the Crowd because I'm not in the Photo" 🤣#ZhangRuoNan #BaiJingting #TheFirstFrost pic.twitter.com/zkUDg71OVJ
— Uttarandhra BO (@uttarandhrabo) March 3, 2025
And because neither of them was ever seen getting close to girls throughout university, the gossip only became more dramatic. Students even jokingly referred to them as the “handsome couple” of the Computer Science Department. Somewhere in the background, their actual friends were fighting for visibility like unpaid extras.
Su Hao’an hilariously complains in the novel that he, Qian Fei, and Chen Junwen practically disappeared whenever Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu appeared in photos. According to him, everyone ignored the others simply because they were “not handsome enough”. At least he was self-aware about it.
The entire situation becomes even funnier because many girls who liked Sang Yan apparently viewed Duan Jiaxu as their biggest rival. Not another girl. Not an ex-girlfriend. Just Duan Jiaxu existing nearby with good visuals and emotional support energy.
Ironically, the rumours even end up affecting Wen Yifan herself. After hearing story after story about Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu’s closeness, she subconsciously starts viewing Duan Jiaxu as some kind of romantic threat.
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Jealousy over your future boyfriend’s best friend is already complicated enough. Jealousy caused by old university gossip? That is another level entirely.
The novel also repeatedly hints that Sang Yan remained absurdly popular even after graduation. After university, he opens a bar with several college friends near Wen Yifan’s workplace.
The venue quickly becomes famous because customers keep hearing rumours about the incredibly handsome owner who often personally stays at the bar. In other words, Sang Yan accidentally became local celebrity material without even trying. Annoyingly attractive fictional men truly never struggle.
Meanwhile, Duan Jiaxu’s popularity receives just as much attention in Secretly, Secretly but Unable to Hide It. One memorable novel scene — later omitted from the drama adaptation — perfectly captures how much attention he attracted from women.
The moment happens when a younger Sang Zhi asks Duan Jiaxu to pretend to be her older brother during a meeting with her teacher. Inside the office, another woman immediately notices him and repeatedly steals glances his way. Sang Zhi notices the situation instantly and physically shifts herself to block the woman’s line of sight. Protective mode activated immediately.
After the meeting, the woman nervously asks Duan Jiaxu for his contact details. Instead of directly rejecting her, he simply stays silent long enough for the atmosphere to become painfully awkward.
Before things get worse, Sang Zhi suddenly blurts out that her “brother” has already dated twenty-nine girlfriends and changes partners every day. Absolutely unhinged behaviour, but somehow iconic.
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The comment leaves everyone stunned, including Duan Jiaxu himself, who immediately turns to look at her with disbelief. Even then, he still refuses to give the woman his contact information, making the rejection crystal clear without openly embarrassing her further.
Readers have since revisited the scene online because it perfectly reflects how both Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu were consistently portrayed in the novels: handsome, popular, emotionally complicated, and somehow permanently surrounded by misunderstandings.
Despite all the attention they received from others, both characters still ended up struggling through messy feelings, bad timing, and years of emotional confusion before finding happiness. Apparently visuals cannot solve communication issues after all.
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| Zhu Yi's Universe |
Fans online have reacted to the university “heartthrob duo” revelation with a mix of amusement, disbelief, and emotional damage. Many readers joked that Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu sounded less like ordinary university students and more like unofficial campus celebrities running around starring in their own romance drama before the actual romance drama even started. Others admitted the novel’s stories made their friendship feel even more entertaining than some official love lines.
Some viewers also questioned why several comedic scenes from the novels never made it into the drama adaptation, especially the moments involving Duan Jiaxu’s awkward popularity and Sang Zhi’s chaotic reactions. Others argued the changes were likely made to fit broadcasting restrictions and maintain a softer tone for television audiences.
Fans of The First Frost and Hidden Love seem to agree on one thing: the original novels remain packed with hilarious character details that make the entire Nanwu-Yihe universe feel far more alive. And honestly, now readers probably want an entire prequel series showing Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu surviving university while unknowingly becoming the most discussed pair on campus.