Les Belles (2025) 怎敌她千娇百媚
Summary: Luo Ling Yu (ft Lin Yun 林允) is an orphaned beauty. She, along with her young sister, live with her greedy aunt and uncle. They force her to marry wealthy Fan Qing Chen (ft Deng Ci Xiao 邓孝慈). She flees on her wedding day and rescues a masking-wearing rogue (ft Fang Yi Lun 方逸伦). She does not see his face and they part ways. She finds residence with a distant aunt at the Lu Manor. Unbeknown to her, the mask-wearing rogue is a master of the Lu Manor, Lu Yun. Lu Yun recognizes her and believes she has ulterior motives. He keeps a close watch on her. Hilarity ensues as each has their own motives to uncover the mysteries about the other.
Total Episode Count: 26
Initial Airing Date: Feb 13, 2025
Platform: Tencent
Short Review 6.5/10 – A lighthearted comedy that maintains a playful tone without taking itself too seriously. While it lacks depth and isn’t particularly compelling, it leverages its strongest assets—Lin Yun’s beauty and Fang Yi Lun’s charm—to their fullest. It serves well as a background show as there’s little of substance to miss.
Luo Ling Yu 罗令妤 Lin Yun 林允
Orphan daughter of the Luo family who must find a husband willing to take her name in order to obtain her inheritance
Lu Yun 陆昀 Fang Yi Lun 方逸伦
Handsome playboy of the Lu family, he has a unique encounter with Luo Ling Yu while on a secret mission
Prince of Heng Yang 衡阳王 Lin Bo Yu 林柏叡
5th Prince who returns after 10 years at the border, he is disappointed to see old friends have grown apart
Zhou Ling Yang 周扬灵 Zhao Qing赵晴
Daughter of the Chancellor who disguises herself as a young man and hopes to pass the imperial exams
Prince of Chang Yi 常宜王 Guo Jia Nan 郭迦南
7th Prince and best friend of Lu Yun
Fan Qing Chen 范清辰 Deng Xiao Ci 邓孝慈
Wealthy son of the Fan family who's left at the alter by Luo Ling Yu
Overall Thoughts
I started watching this drama after seeing some social media chatter on excitement that the original book has been brought to the small screen. After breezing through the first 10 episodes, because I was watching on 2x speed (and didn’t miss anything), I am now more interested in reading the book because the entire show is just absurd. I want to know if the book is just as absurd. The drama starts with an absurd premise and just moves from absurdity to absurdity.
Here are some examples. Luo Ling Yu successfully flees her wedding in a hastily concocted plot and no one in the Lu Manor hears of the rumors even though everyone’s checking her background. Lu San heals from an arrow to the chest at a hilarious speed. There’s just many of these instances absurdities that really don’t stand under any sort of scrutiny. Then, when the plot moves to the Lu Manor, most everything is treated as a joke. I’ll admit, some of the scenes did generate a chuckle from me here and there.
There is nothing significantly wrong with the drama. The costumes are adequate, the actresses are beautiful, the sets actually quite nice, and the leads receive sufficient screentime. However, it lacks depth. Lin Yun’s portrayal of Luo Yun Xi shows occasional flashes of intelligence, but much of her performance revolves around posing and highlighting her best angles (which is what her character purposefully does). While her character effectively uses her beauty, it can feel excessive at times. Fang Yi Lun carries much of the acting weight, delivering a strong performance as the cunning Lu Yun. If you are looking for something to pass the time, this drama is serviceable, though there are plenty of other options available.
This drama has been a flop since airing, barely reaching 22,000 on Tencent’s popularity index. There was some initial interest from book fans but those have since quieted. This is a real pity for Fang Yi Lun because I think he is a decent actor. He just hasn’t been able to lead a meaty role and instead wallowing in these mid-tier dramas.
