5 Arthur Chen (Chen Fei Yu) C-Dramas To Add To Your Binge List
Arthur Chen (Chen Fei Yu) has been steadily making a name for himself in the C-drama world. The 25-year-old actor has shown a maturity beyond his years in his nuanced approach to his onscreen characters, which range from complex and layered to endearing.
Apart from his engaging screen presence and natural acting style, it is the easy chemistry with his co-stars which makes this young actor quite the fan-favorite. From young adult love to a slow burn period romance as well as fantasy adventure, here are five Arthur Chen C-dramas to add to your binge list.
“Love Story in the 1970s”
Everyone needs their own Fang Mu Yang—that has been the unanimous consensus amongst fans after watching “Love Story in the 1970s.” The enduring love story between Arthur Chen’s Fang Mu Yang and Sun Qian’s Fei Ni is as heartwarming as it is motivating.
Set in 1975, as the Cultural Revolution defined the sociopolitical and economic ethos of communist China, the drama gives an insight into the everyday lives of ordinary folk. Fang Mu Yang is an exceptional artist, but he chooses to give up on university, and instead, like many young men, has been serving the cause of nation building.
Fei Ni is a bright and creative girl who aspires to go to university. Despite being deserving, she is constantly rejected, since admission is not based on merit but on the recommendation of superiors.
Fei Ni and Fang Mu Yang were elementary school students, but when they meet as adults, the situation is very different. Mu Yang is injured after saving people in Fei Ni’s town, and she becomes his caregiver, hoping the good deed will get her a spot in university. Mu Yang had been in love with Fei Ni since they were teenagers, but has never confessed his feelings. When Fei Ni suggests they enter into a marriage of convenience to secure housing, he readily agrees.
Mu Yang constantly encourages Fei Ni to never give up on her dreams, standing beside her like a rock, and is her biggest cheerleader.
From being housemates to friends, Fei Ni slowly realizes she is in love with this man who unconditionally stands by her, come what may. There are no grand or heart pounding confessions, but rather an easy and enduring relationship of love, trust, and support between the two. As they weather many storms together, what binds them is their belief in each other.
Fang Mu Yang is a man who is pragmatic but has a stubborn streak. As he calmly faces every ordeal, his undying devotion toward Fei Ni is beautifully articulated by Arthur Chen, who does full justice to the character by playing him with an ease that feels completely natural.
Start watching “Love Story in the 1970s”:
“Lighter and Princess”
Arthur Chen’s Li Xun in “Lighter and Princess” is poles apart from Fang Mu Yang, but if there is one thing they share, it is that both can take a bullet for love. Li Xun is reserved and aloof, but his reputation precedes him as the super whiz kid when it comes to coding and programming.
Zhu Yun (Zhang Jing Yi) is charmed by the unusual Li Xun, but he shows no interest in her. The college grapevine suggests that Li Xun is bad news, and a past incident from his school days continues to envelop his present.
When Li Xun takes on an influential senior and calls him out in a situation that directly impacts Zhu Yun, his confession shocks everyone—he simply says he did it for love.
As love blossoms and both Zhu Yun and Li Xun lay the foundations of their programming start-up, fate has other plans. Li Xun is falsely implicated in a crime he did not commit and is imprisoned. He also breaks up with Zhu Yun.
Three years later, the two meet once again after Li Xun is released from prison. Well aware that he was wrongly charged, and despite her own mother’s animosity towards the man she loves, Zhu Yun wants to set things right. But it is Li Xun who continues to avoid her. Can these two star-crossed lovers reclaim their happily ever after?
Arthur Chen’s Li Xun is the proverbial bad boy with a heart of gold. The actor brings a brooding intensity and restraint which makes him compelling and irresistible.
Start watching “Lighter and Princess”:
“Eat Run Love”
Arthur Chen’s Gan Yang in “Eat Run Love” and Li Xun are different, yet similar. Gan Yang lives to run and design shoes. Though still at university, his mission is to transform and revolutionize the shoe business, especially running shoes.
He meets Ding Zhi Tong (Zhuang Da Fei), an aloof senior on campus, and falls for her. Zhi Tong has a prickly personality, paying off her daily debts as she hustles between various jobs; her sole aim is to secure a permanent, well-paying job.
Gan Yang cutely yet awkwardly pursues Zhi Tong by asking her to run with him, only to be rejected time and again. He dotes on her, but she is clear that they cannot be together. Their bond grows over time, and she eventually reciprocates his feelings.
As Zhi Tong moves to a different city for a new job, Gan Yang supports her, flying in and out to meet her, until his family business takes a deep dive, and it is now on him to weather the storms of bankruptcy. Not wanting to involve Zhi Tong, he breaks up with her.
Six years since they parted ways, Zhi Tong is now a successful investment manager. She is on an assignment for a client to secure a deal with a popular sports shoe start-up. Unbeknownst to her, Gan Yang is the elusive CEO of that very company. When they meet, she is cold and distant. She wants to bring him down, aware the deal would ruin his stake in the business.
Gan Yang, on the other hand, initially hesitant toward any investment, is willing to sacrifice himself and his company for her. It his way of paying the price for her heartbreak. What Zhi Tong is not aware of is that he had come looking for her and was told she had married someone else. Can these two solve their misunderstandings and forgive each other?
Arthur Chen’s Gan Yang is both a dreamer and a practical man, and the actor elevates him with a mix of warmth, restraint, and a quiet magnetism.
Start watching “Eat Run Love”:
“Ever Night”
From the college campus to realms unexplored, “Ever Night” follows Ning Que (Arthur Chen), the sole survivor of a brutal massacre who grows up alongside Sang Sang, the girl he rescues. What begins as a story of survival gradually expands into a sweeping journey of revenge, power, and destiny as Ning Que makes his way to the prestigious Academy in Chang An.
What makes Ning Que compelling is that he is far from the conventional hero—he is calculating, unapologetically self-serving at times, and driven by revenge, yet fiercely loyal to those he loves. His unpredictability and moral ambiguity make him feel real and refreshingly human.
Arthur Chen anchors the character with remarkable ease, bringing together Ning Que’s sharp edges and softer moments without ever overplaying either. There is a quiet confidence in his performance. He makes Ning Que charismatic, flawed, and deeply watchable.
Start watching “Ever Night”:
“When Destiny Brings the Demon”
This is a story that spans across the immortal, demon, and human realms with Arthur Chen’s Sima Jiao at the center of it. Once a powerful immortal who had been sealed away for centuries, his path crosses with Liao Tingyan (Wang Ying Lu), a young woman who finds herself drawn into this mystical world and awakens him. What follows is a sweeping tale of fate, love, and sacrifice, marked by separation, reunion, and shifting identities across lifetimes.
Sima Jiao is far from a conventional hero. He is cold, aloof, and shaped by betrayal, carrying an emotional guardedness that makes him difficult to read. Yet beneath that restraint lies a quieter vulnerability, one that surfaces in fleeting moments, especially in his evolving dynamic with Liao Tingyan.
Arthur Chen brings a measured intensity to the role, never overplaying the drama, instead letting the character’s contradictions unfold gradually. He balances detachment with underlying warmth, making Sima Jiao both enigmatic and compelling.
Start watching “When Destiny Brings the Demon”:
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.