Shine On Me Episodes 1-11 Recap: Plot, Cast, Characters

I. Introduction to "Shine On Me"

"The Sun Shines Like Me" is a 36-episode urban romance drama adapted from Gu Man's novel of the same name. It premiered on Tencent Video on December 22, 2025. The main storyline focuses on the growth of Nie Xiguang, a cheerful female college student who is like a "little sun," after leaving campus and entering the workplace. She once had a bittersweet crush on Zhuang Xu, a top student. After entering the workplace, she meets Lin Yusen, a workplace elite who was unable to continue working as a surgeon due to an accident and switched to the photovoltaic industry. The two initially have constant friction due to misunderstandings, but they gradually resolve their misunderstandings and fall in love through getting along and supporting each other. Xiguang also undergoes a transformation in her career and self-identity.

II. The Plot of "Shine On Me"

EP1

The story begins in 2011: Surgeon Lin Yusen has just finished performing nearly eight hours of surgery at Songshan Hospital in Shanghai. Upon leaving the operating room, he receives a call from an alumnus offering to set him up on a blind date. The alumnus mentions that she is "Nie Chengyuan's daughter," and he agrees to the date. The next day, on his way to Suzhou, Lin Yusen is involved in a serious car accident on the highway, forcing his life to take a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, at home, Nie Xiguang is playing video games when she meets Zhuang Xu, a tutor hired by her father. Xiguang is instantly smitten with this handsome and charming young man, planting the seeds for her bittersweet crush during her university years.

The following year, Xi Guang, nearing graduation and having interned in Wuxi for a period, returned to Shanghai to prepare for graduation. She unexpectedly saw Zhuang Xu at the school gate, accompanied by his roommate Ye Rong. Ye Rong announced that Zhuang Xu had received an offer from a Shanghai bank and wanted to treat everyone to dinner. After dinner, Zhuang Xu caught up with Xi Guang to discuss her "post-graduation plans," directly accusing her of following her family's arrangements and lacking initiative. Xi Guang retorted that her family had a business and didn't need to start from scratch, and that her choices were none of Zhuang Xu's business. The two parted on bad terms. After seeing the pressure her roommates were under in the job-hunting "involution," Xi Guang decided to step out of her comfort zone and attend job fairs. When she had only a few resumes left, Zhuang Xu, under the pretext of "knowing the recruitment personnel at Sheng Yuan," directly submitted her resume to Sheng Yuan. This action not only attracted Lin Yusen's attention but also allowed the seeds of misunderstanding about "getting special treatment" to sprout.

EP2

Nie Xiguang prepared thoroughly for Sheng Yuan's interview, repeatedly rehearsing potential questions in English with Xiao Feng in the park. She also stated that no matter how "laid-back" she was, she would definitely rely on her abilities to succeed if she wanted to. However, when she actually arrived at the Sheng Yuan interview site, the interviewer told her that "the interview was just a formality" and that she could start working at any time because Sheng Yuan had a close cooperative relationship with Wuxi Yuancheng in the past. At the same time, Sheng Yuan's senior management held a meeting to discuss a new project collaboration. Lin Yusen pointed out that the profits brought by Yuancheng were not obvious, suggested diluting the other party's shares, and analyzed the real estate market, which impressed the senior management.

Back at the school cafeteria, her roommate pressed her for the interview results. Xi Guang truthfully told her she had passed but hadn't decided whether to go to Sheng Yuan yet, unintentionally stirring up Ye Rong's emotions, who had also applied to Sheng Yuan and hadn't received a notification yet. Ye Rong then went to Zhuang Xu, hoping he could help her find out what she hadn't done well. Meanwhile, while researching in the library, Xi Guang received another interview call from a solar photovoltaic company in Suzhou, secretly pleased that she could find an opportunity without relying on her family. Si Liang gathered the entire dormitory at the lakeside pavilion, where Ye Rong publicly questioned Xi Guang for "receiving her interview notification call but not relaying it," and said that Zhuang Xu had already found out that Sheng Yuan would be making a unified call on Monday afternoon, and only Xi Guang was in the dormitory at the time. Xi Guang hurriedly called HR to prove herself but accidentally dialed a non-existent number, making the situation even more awkward. She then checked the school's entry and exit records and provided proof of her library borrowing time. Xiao Feng also stepped forward and said that she was the one who received the call that day, and the HR said they would notify her again. Finally, everyone went to Sheng Yuan's HR to verify and confirmed that the intern had forgotten to notify her a second time and made up an excuse to shirk responsibility. The misunderstanding was finally cleared up (Ye Rong also used the excuse of missing the subsequent dinner).

EP3

Nie Xiguang went to Zhixing/Xingzhi Building to retrieve her thesis guidance from her teacher, only to find Zhuang Xu in the office. After flipping through her thesis, the teacher launched into a tirade, criticizing her for submitting it last, having an outdated perspective, and a chaotic structure, making it difficult for her to be scheduled for defense. Zhuang Xu spoke up to smooth things over, saying, "Maybe some revisions will improve things," but because of the previous dormitory incident, Xiguang mistakenly thought that Zhuang Xu was only "apologizing on behalf of Ye Rong" and was trying to smooth things over. She hurriedly said that she didn't need him to speak, but was instead scolded by the teacher for being "too stubborn and not humble." The two then took the elevator downstairs together, the atmosphere awkward. Zhuang Xu simply said: "If you need to look up information, feel free to contact me anytime." On her way back to the dormitory, she ran into Si Jing, who advised her to move back so that they could work together to find a solution. However, Xi Guang recalled a conversation she had overheard—Ye Rong was using her as a "touchstone" to test Zhuang Xu, so she did not accept Si Jing's offer.

Later, when Xi Guang and Jiang Rui were doing their homework together, she received a call from Zhuang Xu saying that he had compiled the materials needed for her thesis and sent them to her email. When she opened it, she found that he had not only compiled the materials but also translated a lot of international literature. She was very grateful, but she was also stung by the thought that "was he working so hard for Ye Rong?" She called to verify and found out that Zhuang Xu had been staying up for several days and was catching up on sleep. Xi Guang made a tough decision, hung up the phone, and deleted all the materials. She then spent a month on her own revising her thesis, and the teacher finally nodded and let her participate in the defense. The story then moved to graduation season. She accompanied Jiang Rui to the college entrance examination, helped prepare stationery and lunch, and was also dragged by Jiang Rui to "create a romantic encounter" but failed. Finally, roommate A-Zhen left the dormitory to go home first, and everyone went to the train station to see her off. On the way back, when Xi-Guang was rushing to catch the last bus, she couldn't get on the bus and was left on the platform. When she turned around, she found that Zhuang-Xu had also been squeezed off. The two of them stood side by side in the night wind, setting the stage for the next episode.

EP4

Continuing the campus storyline: Nie Xiguang, looking at the bus schedule at the bus stop, realizes that the bus she just took was the last one; she missed it and turned around to see Zhuang Xu, who had been behind her the whole time and hadn't boarded either. Ye Rong calls, and Zhuang Xu frankly tells her that he's with Nie Xiguang; the two want to take a taxi but realize they don't have any money, so they have to walk back to school. On the way, Zhuang Xu mentions why she didn't use the materials he found for her graduation thesis, and Nie Xiguang brushes it off with "inconsistent structure," but she's still processing the embarrassment and reluctance to owe him a favor—this scene makes her emotions of "moving from campus to the next stage" more apparent, echoing the main theme of the entire drama, which is her turning point as she leaves campus, enters the workplace, and experiences emotional growth.

When Nie Xiguang arrived at the dormitory building, Ye Rong didn't appear. She knew that graduation was approaching and many people and things would eventually come to an end. She watched Zhuang Xu turn and leave, but she couldn't help but call out to him and wave goodbye, as if she were personally drawing a line under her university days. Then, Jiang Rui took her to England to relax before leaving for the holidays. During the short trip abroad and while waiting for the start of her study abroad program, Nie Xiguang expressed her thoughts on "missing out" and "not forcing what doesn't belong to you" more clearly, and her emotions gradually eased. What also fits the emphasis of this drama is her growth path of saying goodbye to the past while preparing to embrace the workplace and new relationships.

After returning to Taiwan, her job search was finalized: Nie Xiguang mentioned that she had received interview invitations from companies, one of which was "Shuangyuan Solar Energy." Her mother also reminded her that it involved her parents' past business and expectations for "succession." Not wanting to be held back by old relationships and past events, she ultimately preferred to work in Suzhou based on her own abilities. Upon arriving in Suzhou, Ou Qiqi helped her with the onboarding process and introduced her to her dormitory roommates Yin Jie and Wan Yuhua. After a while, her roommates talked about how a "very handsome" department manager, supposedly a surgeon who had switched to solar energy, was about to be parachuted into the headquarters. That night, the three of them were watching a drama when they realized the download wasn't finished. Nie Xiguang lost a game of rock-paper-scissors and had to take the computer to the office to re-download it. When the network was lagging, she crawled under the table to check the network cable. Suddenly, the light came on—a handsome man was standing in front of her. The workplace storyline and the male lead's storyline had a beautiful "head-on collision" here.

EP5

Back in her dorm, Xi Guang was still describing to her roommates how she had been startled a few days earlier when a strange man "suddenly appeared in the office" while she was downloading a TV series using the company network. She had initially thought he wasn't from the company, until news spread that a "handsome vice president had been parachuted in." When she and Yin Jie passed by the general manager's office on their way to a meeting, she took a few extra glances at him. It wasn't until they brushed past each other at his workstation that Yin Jie pointed out that the "strange man" was Lin Yusen. Xi Guang instantly felt that her start in the workplace was full of bad impressions, and she also had a vague feeling that this newly appointed boss would be particularly rude to her, as if he was deliberately making things difficult for her.

Then the finance manager called to say that "a transfer before the New Year has caused a big problem": it should have been settled in RMB, but it was transferred out in USD, and the voucher was stamped with Xi Guang's seal. Xi Guang recalled that before the New Year, the purchasing department had rushed to process the transaction, and her colleague Ou Qiqi had used her computer to operate the transaction and then asked her to stamp it, which led to the current dispute between finance and purchasing, with each side blaming the other. Lin Yusen received a call while visiting the factory and learned that the conflict was unsolvable, so he directly called the partner to coordinate and get them to agree to transfer the funds back. Before Xi Guang went to Ou Qiqi's office to be "talked to", she was reprimanded by Mo, the general manager of the purchasing department, in the corridor, but she also retorted to his face that purchasing was equally responsible. After reviewing the transfer receipts, Lin Yusen determined that Xiguang was not suitable to continue working in finance and arranged for her to be transferred to the management department as soon as possible—in everyone's eyes, this was more like the first wave of "showing off" to her by a newly appointed boss.

After reporting to the management department, Xi Guang was assigned to the archives to organize data. She was very efficient, but because of her "compulsive finishing," she often stayed out very late. At the same time, Lin Yusen discovered loopholes in the contracts of projects that had been transferred to the wrong department. He went to the archives to look for data for several days in a row, which caused a stir in the company. People said that he had personally transferred Xi Guang to the archives "to help him with his work." In order to keep up with his schedule, Xi Guang took the initiative to say that she had a good memory and could quickly find what she needed. As a result, Lin Yusen gave her an extremely difficult task: to organize the prices of every raw material purchased and sold by the company since 2005. After she finished working overtime, she wanted to take three days off and pretended to have a stomachache. However, he saw through her by saying, "I used to be a doctor. I can't tell what's wrong with you." Xi Guang felt that he was deliberately making things difficult for her. After get off work, she, Yin Jie, and Wan Yuhua discovered that a new employee who moved into the dormitory next door was suspected to be a relative of Boss Mo. The employee had taken away the double room slots that should have been given to them. The three discussed whether to complain or go directly to Lin Yusen, but in the end, they decided to put up with it for the time being.

EP6

Nie Xiguang couldn't help but go to Lin Yusen to complain about the "unfair dormitory allocation" problem. Although Lin Yusen immediately called the logistics department to find out the situation, after learning that it was Mo Zong's arrangement, he chose to avoid a direct confrontation and only arranged for Yin Jie and Wan Yuhua to move in first. This left Xiguang feeling unhappy and complaining to her cousin Jiang Rui that she felt like she was being deliberately "made things difficult". At the same time online, Hua Ya Bank sent Zhuang Xu to Shuang Yuan to conduct preliminary research; Xi Guang was so busy with the warehouse inventory at the end of the month that she was running around non-stop, but as soon as she heard "the researcher surnamed Zhuang", she rushed out. In the end, she only made a brief eye contact with Zhuang Xu outside the factory, and the two passed by without saying a word. After seeing this, Lin Yusen simply made her "responsible for the inventory every month from now on" as punishment. Over the weekend, she went to Shanghai with her roommate and unexpectedly hitched a ride with Lin Yusen. When they arrived at Ping'an Temple, Xiguang offered incense and made a wish to "make Lin Yusen disappear from her side." Afterwards, she went to Lujiazui and the vicinity of Sheng Yuan's headquarters to try her luck and see Zhuang Xu. She even waited anxiously at a dessert shop, only to find out in the end that it was the weekend and Zhuang Xu would not be there at all, so she could only leave disappointed. On the other hand, when Lin Yusen met with Sheng Xianmin in Shanghai, he also told him about President Mo's secret replacement of suppliers and the spread of bad news, which directly led to a thorough investigation of the purchasing department.

EP7

Zhuang Xu was working overtime at the company, compiling a research report on "Shuang Yuan". He was originally invited by his colleagues to go drinking, but he rushed downstairs because Ye Rong texted him that she had brought some things from her hometown. When the two went to a dessert shop, they mentioned that the signature "Napoleon Strawberry" had just been bought up in bulk and taken away. At the same time, the scene cuts to Nie Xiguang, who also bought "Napoleon Strawberry" with her friends at the same dessert shop. Afterwards, she stood on Zhuang Xu's daily commute route hoping to "bump into" him, but she never saw him and could only force herself to stop overthinking. Meanwhile, Lin Yusen went to the hospital for a follow-up examination of his wrist. He was hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road, which aggravated his old injury, requiring him to rest. The company had a batch of important documents, such as factory expansion, that required his approval, so he had to send someone to deliver the documents. Xiguang felt guilty when she heard about his accident after she had just made a wish at the temple that "I hope Lin Yusen will disappear from my life." She took the initiative to take on the task of delivering the documents.

The next day, Xi Guang went to the Lin residence in Shanghai to deliver documents. From the nanny, Aunt Chen, she learned that Lin Yusen's injuries were not serious, but he needed to rest. After reviewing the documents, Lin Yusen made a list and asked her to deliver more information the following day. When Xi Guang went to wait for him again, Aunt Chen chatted with her and mentioned that Lin Yusen used to be a surgeon, but switched to the photovoltaic industry after a car accident. Later, because Aunt Chen had something to do the next day, Lin Yusen asked Xi Guang to leave a key so that she could open the door herself when she came to deliver documents. As a result, when she returned to the company, her colleagues treated Xi Guang like his "assistant" and kept stuffing documents into her hands to sign. When Xi Guang delivered the documents to Shanghai again, Lin Yusen suddenly questioned her about her guilty expression, mentioning his "second car accident" as if hinting that she remembered something. In the end, he changed his mind and told her to leave the key in the entrance hall so she wouldn't have to come to the Lin residence to deliver documents anymore. At the same time, the company's internal auditor took away President Mo, who was later investigated and dismissed for dereliction of duty and accepting kickbacks. The situation between Shuang Yuan also changed. At the end of this episode, Xi Guang forgot her dormitory key and tried to climb onto the balcony to go in, but she slipped and fell. Lin Yusen happened to be passing by and rushed forward to catch her, pushing the connection between the two to an even more difficult level to sever.

EP8

The story continues after Xi Guang's accident: Lin Yusen immediately took Nie Xi Guang to the hospital. After examination, it was confirmed that she was not seriously injured, mainly suffering from superficial injuries, but he still stayed by her bedside waiting for her to wake up. As soon as Xi Guang woke up, he asked her, "Do you remember my name?" She then poured out all the grievances she had been holding in, directly asking him if he was targeting her because she was Nie Chengyuan's daughter, and recounted the things she had encountered during this time. All sorts of bad luck (work-related injuries, accidental frights, etc.) were attributed to him, and he couldn't help but shed tears when he talked about how tired he was. On the surface, Yusen felt wronged, but in his heart he was moved by her condition. At the same time, he was also reminded of his own past when he was in a car accident while trying to see her, his recovery after falling into a coma, and the disappointment he felt when she didn't come to visit him in the hospital. The misunderstanding between the two began to loosen during "this night in the hospital", leading to a turning point where he softened his heart and chose to reconcile.

The plot then focuses on "care" and "sweetened relationship": Yu Sen stays at the hospital to care for Xi Guang, and when he meets his old colleague Dr. Fang, he is teased for being too attentive. He brushes it off as "a boss's responsibility to his employees," but then specifically instructs that plain porridge be cooked; his colleague Yin Jie comes to visit and recounts how he caught Xi Guang with one hand, knelt down as if he had an old injury, accompanied the ambulance all the way, and even got vomited on by Xi Guang, which significantly changed Xi Guang's opinion of him, and she sent him a message to thank him; Yu Sen does not Reassured, they returned to the ward, where the two "wiped the slate clean" of their previous unpleasantness. During Xi Guang's hospital stay, she was bored and played video games, so he simply brought his work computer and even swapped game consoles with her to help her pass the levels. Meanwhile, Dr. Fang also assisted him from a friend's perspective. Xi Guang saw Yu Sen's professionalism when discussing surgical plans and secretly developed admiration and feelings for him. The entire episode used hospital observation, doctor and ward interactions to make the "from conflict to reconciliation" story more delicate and sweeter.

EP9

Lin Yusen was often stuck in games due to an old injury to his left hand. Nie Xiguang would tease him while helping him find ways to play that were more suitable for his hand condition. She also learned from Dr. Fang that the reason everyone deliberately dragged Lin Yusen into discussions about surgery and medical cases was actually a kind of "desensitization" rehabilitation and psychological adjustment, allowing him to slowly let go of the pain of "not being able to be a surgeon anymore." The atmosphere between the two of them noticeably warmed up as a result, from disliking each other to being able to put jokes and care into the same conversation. At the same time, as their relationship heated up, Lin Yusen also began to bring her into a more private social circle and invited her to attend a friend's wedding (the psychological tension of "attending a wedding with a female companion for the first time" is described in more detail in a similar passage in the original novel).

After being discharged from the hospital, Nie Xiguang originally wanted to go back to Wuxi to recuperate on her own, but Lin Yusen insisted on driving her there. Small details, such as helping her set up her home location and unlock her phone, suddenly brought them closer and increased their ambiguity. Back at the company, Lin Yusen suggested a "big dinner" to improve the department's luck, but then asked him and Nie Xiguang to split the cost, causing her to complain to her best friend Yin Jie about being broke. The dinner turned out to be surprisingly high-end, and even more embarrassingly, Lin Yusen "forgot his wallet" when paying the bill and had to text for help. In the end, Nie Xiguang silently swiped her card, and he didn't explain, making this little incident a "secret" only they knew. The wedding storyline continues in the same episode: Lin Yusen invites her to attend a friend's wedding, and she begins to seriously hesitate about "whether to go and how to go" (the original novel focuses more on preparations such as "dressing up for the wedding and buying clothes").

Another narrative shifts to Zhuang Xu's workplace: Hua Ya Bank holds a seminar on the cross-border company "Ri Mang Energy." Chris and Sheng Zhongkai are inclined to push forward, but Zhuang Xu is more concerned about the risks of cross-border guarantees and even provides his supervisor with supplementary information after the meeting, which arouses Chris's suspicion and workplace undercurrents. While working overtime in the evening, Zhuang Xu receives a call from his roommate Xiang Qun and learns about her wedding on the 2nd of next month, which triggers his internal struggle about the "gap" and "unworthiness." Also, because the wedding is approaching, Nie Xiguang's relationship with Lin Yusen seems to be pushed forward more than just working overtime together and attending the wedding banquet together; it's more like they are officially putting each other into their life schedules (the original novel also uses "bringing a female companion to a friend's wedding" as a key node in the advancement of their relationship).

EP10

Nie Xiguang and Lin Yusen's relationship has clearly warmed up, and a tacit understanding of "you take a step back, I'll make up for it" has begun to take shape between them. Lin Yusen takes the initiative to invite her to a friend's wedding, which seems like a normal social event, but in fact it brings Xiguang closer to his social circle; and the most memorable atmosphere clues in the same episode have already been laid out in the anticipation of the "snowy night" and the "famous scene".

At the wedding, their "relationship positioning" was brought to the forefront: in the eyes of friends and guests, they seemed more like a couple in the midst of ambiguous confirmation, or even tacitly considered a couple; Lin Yusen also took the opportunity to protect Xiguang within his own rhythm. At the same time, this public closeness had a great impact on Zhuang Xu, pulling his emotions and sense of presence back, forming a more direct triangular tension, forcing Xiguang to confront which was more real: "past unresolved issues" or "current feelings of attraction."

After the wedding, EP10 uses "climbing the steps in the snowy night" to push the emotions to a high point: Under the cover of snow and night, Lin Yusen approaches Xiguang in a very restrained but firm way - the dialogue "Let's go back early while the snow on the ground is not deep" and "Wait for me here, Xiguang" makes Xiguang feel that she has been chosen and placed; at the same time, it also implies that the misunderstandings and missed opportunities between the two are heading towards being clarified and repaired.

EP11

The story revolves around the idea that "the two are starting to act more like a couple and are more willing to stand together in front of others." Xi Guang and Lin Yusen are dragged to a friend's wedding, and before leaving, they playfully tease each other, with jokes like "Mr. Lin, you must dress even more handsomely, and Ms. Nie, don't forget to be beautiful." This sweet banter pushes their relationship from ambiguity to a more open and assertive way of interacting. Weddings are inherently prone to gossip and comparisons, and some people want to provoke Xi Guang with a "public announcement/demonstration," trying to embarrass or shake her.

After the conflict escalated, Lin Yusen's approach was very direct: he appeared at the crucial moment, took Xiguang's hand, and quietly but effectively stated his position, essentially rescuing her from the predicament in public and making it clear that "if you want to provoke her, you have to get past me first." This "holding hands" was not just a sweet gesture, but more like a public declaration: he would no longer let Xiguang face the rumors or conflicts alone, and he also pushed their relationship to a clearer and more visible position, foreshadowing the subsequent chain reaction in the workplace and among their friends.

III. Cast of "Shine On Me"

Leading actor

1. Song Weilong | A career elite who started as a surgeon in Linyu and later switched to the photovoltaic industry; his relationship with Nie Xiguang, from misunderstanding to growing closer, is the core of both their career and romantic storylines. IG: @songsongswl

   
   

2. Zhao Jinmai | Nie Xiguang: A cheerful, sunny girl who, after transitioning from school to the workplace, gradually clarified her career path and also let go of youthful regrets, embracing more mature choices in her relationships. IG: @jinmai_z

Special guest star

Lin Yilun is Jiang Ping Nie Xiguang's uncle. He is assertive and has a strong presence, but he is essentially an elder who will take responsibility for his family and provide support in critical moments.

Main supporting characters

Wei-Ming is Zhuang Xu-Guang's crush during his university years. He is aloof and outstanding. After entering the workforce, he pursues a career in the government system (as a civil servant). His relationship with Xu-Guang influences the early campus storyline.

Bai Bingke | One of the important characters in the drama by Ye Rong

Fan Shih-ran and Yin Chieh are employees of the management department of "Shuangyuan Solar" (an important role in the workplace), and their workplace life, conflicts, and growth are all connected with Xiguang.

Wu Qihua | Nie Chengyuan's father, a business tycoon, has a great influence on his daughter's life choices and family relationships.

IG: @ansonki1

Kong Lingmei | Shen Shu (Aunt) Xi Guang's aunt, is an important pivotal character in the family storyline.

IV. The Relationship Between the Characters "Shine On Me"

I. Core Romantic Relationship (Main Triangle) Nie Xiguang ↔ Lin Yusen: Meeting at work, from misunderstanding to mutual attraction and love; Lin Yusen was originally a surgeon, later switching to the photovoltaic industry, where he met Nie Xiguang and was moved by her. Nie Xiguang → Zhuang Xu: The "bittersweet unrequited love" and lingering regret from university; after entering the workplace, this relationship becomes a past she must clarify and say goodbye to.

II. Campus Romance (Sources of Unrequited Love and Misunderstandings) Zhuang Xu ↔ Ye Rong ↔ Nie Xiguang: During the campus phase, when Nie Xiguang returns to school, she sees Ye Rong with Zhuang Xu; subsequently, Zhuang Xu and Ye Rong are seen talking on the phone and interacting with each other multiple times, making Nie Xiguang's unrequited love more easily misunderstood and painful. (Note: Ye Rong is one of the main supporting characters, and her Douban cast page also indicates that "Bai Bingke plays Ye Rong".)

III. Family Storyline (Background Influencing Nie Xiguang's Career Choices) Nie Xiguang ← Nie Chengyuan (Father) / Jiang Yun (Mother): Jiang Yun tells her that "Shuangyuan" was co-founded by her and Nie Chengyuan before their divorce, and that Nie Chengyuan is preparing to retire and hopes his daughter will take over; however, her mother does not approve of her daughter being entangled in her parents' past and encourages her to follow her own path. Nie Xiguang ↔ Jiang Ping (Uncle) / Jiang Rui (Cousin): Her uncle Jiang Ping and cousin Jiang Rui are mentioned many times in the story, serving as her "family support" and emotional buffer.

IV. Workplace and Friendship Lines (Shuangyuan Solar): Nie Xiguang (Newcomer) — Ou Qiqi (Mentor/Guide to Onboarding) — Yin Jie, Wan Yuhua (Roommates/Friends): After Nie Xiguang reports to "Shuangyuan Solar" in Suzhou, Ou Qiqi helps her with onboarding and introduces her to her roommates Yin Jie and Wan Yuhua. This line supports her workplace adaptation and friendships. Zhuang Xu (Hua Ya Bank) ↔ Lin Yusen (Sheng Yuan related meeting scene): The workplace line also arranges for the two to meet in a business cooperation scene, forming the cross pressure of "old love line" and "new love line".

V. The Ending of "Shine On Me"

TBD

VI. Evaluation of "Shine On Me"

"The Sun Shines Like Me" is a typical urban romance drama featuring unfinished campus romances and a reunion after entering the workforce. The female lead, Nie Xiguang, enters the workforce with a youthful crush on Zhuang Xu. Later, she meets Lin Yusen, a surgeon who transitions to the photovoltaic industry. Their relationship evolves from misunderstanding to closeness, with the core focus on the female lead's personal growth in both her love life and career. It is adapted from the novel of the same name by Gu Man, with Gu Man also serving as screenwriter. The series consists of 36 episodes and premiered on Tencent Video on December 22, 2025.

I think its greatest strength lies in the readability of its "coming-of-age narrative": if the drama can continue to focus on Xi Guang's self-positioning (not proving her worth through family background or being loved), then the romance will not just be about sweet moments, but about gradually pushing her towards more mature choices. Gu Man's works are adept at using everyday details to make the audience believe in the characters, and if this drama lays a solid foundation in the details, the emotional conclusion will be very impactful.

The second plus point is that the "character contrast" makes it easy to create layers: Zhuang Xu is more like a projection and regret of youth, while Lin Yusen is a companion who can carry on reality in adulthood; as long as the script does not write Zhuang Xu as a tool or Lin Yusen as a domineering CEO template, but makes the choices of the three people reasonable, the triangle tension will "drive growth" rather than "torture for the sake of torture".

Therefore, I would position it as a "slow-burn, gradual" winter romance drama: suitable for those who want to see the characters grow together, rather than just chasing high-density sweet moments. To enjoy watching it, the key is not how sweet each episode is, but whether it can do two things: first, make Xi Guang's every step feel more like "the path she chose herself," and second, give Lin Yusen's misunderstandings and soft-heartedness clear cause and effect.