Shine on Me (2025) [+]
Mar 04 2026
Shine on Me is a Chinese romance with light drama running 36 45-minute episodes.
In college Nie Xiguang (Zhao Jinmai) pines for fellow student Zhuang Xu (Lai Weiming) but backs off when she finds out Xiguang's roommate Ye Rong (Bai Bingke) is Xu's childhood friend and also pines for him. Due to a misunderstanding and not talking to each other Xu does like Xiguang and thinks she likes him but then she suddenly breaks it off inexplicable (to him) and disappears on an European vacation.
After graduation Nie Xiguang gets a job at a solar panel manufacturing company that her mom and dad own (they are divorced) and she starts at the bottom without revealing her parentage. Meanwhile new manager Lin Yusen (Song Weilong -- male lead in Find Yourself, 2020) arrives. Very handsome bachelor but starts picking on Xiguang criticizing her work and giving her extra work. But her uncomplaining toiling and suffering slowly changes his heart.
Later on there is this complicated back story of why Lin Yusen at first fell in love with Nie Xiguang at first sight, then later hated her after an accident that crippled his left hand and caused to leave neurosurgery. Once again it turns out to be a lot of sorrow going on for years because Lin Yusen never confronted Nie Xiguang to clear things up and that final secret is revealed in the last third of the series.
Zhuang Xu keeps reappearing, pining for Nie Xiguang, yet never actually talking to her to find out she's still single and once he makes his move it's too late as she's with Lin Yusen and she totally rips him apart because he never came forward when she was in trouble with Ye Rong and he never made his feelings clear to her when she did to him at least once.
There is no corresponding love rival that pines for Lin Yusen. There aren't really another other romantic subplots -- neither lead character has a strong best friend with their own subplots. I guess to make up for it Nie Xiguang parents and aunt and uncle have subplots mostly because her father is a bit of a dick and the father's current girlfriend and her daughter are minor villains though inexpertly used.
I guess the biggest problem with this series is that there is little drama. The obstacles are easily overcome and the bad guys are not very capable. Also other than the two leads everyone else's plots feel unfinished and rather brief. Another downside is that there are times with lots of monologuing where the series is promoting Chinese solar panels and solar industry as something that will be the best in the world if not now then soon. Propaganda that is a bit more jarring than usual.
On the positive side the two leads are amazingly photogenic and cute and the love story works fairly well. I quite enjoyed watching almost all the series (the last two episodes are bit wrapping up as they accomplish their last big goals, get married, and we see 5 and 15 years into the future which I guess is nice but the story has lost all momentum so those episodes seem to drag a bit).
I recommend this series and there are two or three other Zhao Jinmai romance series I think I'll watch.
In college Nie Xiguang (Zhao Jinmai) pines for fellow student Zhuang Xu (Lai Weiming) but backs off when she finds out Xiguang's roommate Ye Rong (Bai Bingke) is Xu's childhood friend and also pines for him. Due to a misunderstanding and not talking to each other Xu does like Xiguang and thinks she likes him but then she suddenly breaks it off inexplicable (to him) and disappears on an European vacation.
After graduation Nie Xiguang gets a job at a solar panel manufacturing company that her mom and dad own (they are divorced) and she starts at the bottom without revealing her parentage. Meanwhile new manager Lin Yusen (Song Weilong -- male lead in Find Yourself, 2020) arrives. Very handsome bachelor but starts picking on Xiguang criticizing her work and giving her extra work. But her uncomplaining toiling and suffering slowly changes his heart.
Later on there is this complicated back story of why Lin Yusen at first fell in love with Nie Xiguang at first sight, then later hated her after an accident that crippled his left hand and caused to leave neurosurgery. Once again it turns out to be a lot of sorrow going on for years because Lin Yusen never confronted Nie Xiguang to clear things up and that final secret is revealed in the last third of the series.
Zhuang Xu keeps reappearing, pining for Nie Xiguang, yet never actually talking to her to find out she's still single and once he makes his move it's too late as she's with Lin Yusen and she totally rips him apart because he never came forward when she was in trouble with Ye Rong and he never made his feelings clear to her when she did to him at least once.
There is no corresponding love rival that pines for Lin Yusen. There aren't really another other romantic subplots -- neither lead character has a strong best friend with their own subplots. I guess to make up for it Nie Xiguang parents and aunt and uncle have subplots mostly because her father is a bit of a dick and the father's current girlfriend and her daughter are minor villains though inexpertly used.
I guess the biggest problem with this series is that there is little drama. The obstacles are easily overcome and the bad guys are not very capable. Also other than the two leads everyone else's plots feel unfinished and rather brief. Another downside is that there are times with lots of monologuing where the series is promoting Chinese solar panels and solar industry as something that will be the best in the world if not now then soon. Propaganda that is a bit more jarring than usual.
On the positive side the two leads are amazingly photogenic and cute and the love story works fairly well. I quite enjoyed watching almost all the series (the last two episodes are bit wrapping up as they accomplish their last big goals, get married, and we see 5 and 15 years into the future which I guess is nice but the story has lost all momentum so those episodes seem to drag a bit).
I recommend this series and there are two or three other Zhao Jinmai romance series I think I'll watch.