The First Frost (难哄) poster

CompletedOn NetflixRomanceYouthSlice of Life

The First Frost

难哄

English title
The First Frost (aka Hard to Please, Difficult to Coax)
Chinese title
难哄 · Nán Hǒng
On Netflix?
Yes — Global
Episodes
32 episodes · 45 min each
Status
Completed
Starring
Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan
Original network
Youku
Premiered
Feb 18, 2025 – Mar 10, 2025
Genre
Romance, Youth, Slice of Life
Based on
难哄 by Zhu Yi

Updated

What is The First Frost about?

Years after high school, reporter Wen Yifan runs into Sang Yan, the classmate whose youthful romance with her ended without explanation, and the two pretend to be strangers. When circumstances leave them sharing an apartment, Yifan's stress-triggered sleepwalking keeps pulling them together, and buried feelings and old family trauma come back to the surface. The story is a companion to Hidden Love: it follows Sang Zhi's older brother, with Sang Yan recast.

Based on the novel: 《难哄》 by Zhu Yi (竹已).

The First Frost cast

Full cast
  • ActorBai Jingting

    Bai Jingting as Sang Yan

    白敬亭 饰 桑延Lead

    Co-owner of the Overtime bar and a game-company team lead who never really let go of his high school love.

    @baijingting
    CharacterBai Jingting as Sang Yan
  • ActorZhang Ruonan

    Zhang Ruonan as Wen Yifan

    章若楠 饰 温以凡Lead

    A former ballet dancer turned news reporter who seems composed but carries deep family wounds.

    @zhangruonannan
    CharacterZhang Ruonan as Wen Yifan
  • ActorEdward Chen (Chen Haosen)

    Edward Chen (Chen Haosen) as Su Haoan

    陈昊森 饰 苏浩安

    Sang Yan's close friend and business partner in the bar.

    CharacterEdward Chen (Chen Haosen) as Su Haoan
  • ActorZhang Miaoyi

    Zhang Miaoyi as Zhong Siqiao

    张淼怡 饰 钟思乔

    Wen Yifan's loyal best friend since childhood.

    CharacterZhang Miaoyi as Zhong Siqiao
  • ActorZhai Xiaowen

    Zhai Xiaowen as Xiang Lang

    翟潇闻 饰 向朗

    A childhood friend who quietly has feelings for Wen Yifan.

    CharacterZhai Xiaowen as Xiang Lang

The First Frost episodes

Release schedule

The First Frost has 32 episodes, each about 45 min. It aired on Youku from Feb 18, 2025 to Mar 10, 2025, and all episodes are out.

Where to watch The First Frost

All options

What fans are saying about The First Frost

MyDramaList · MyDramaList reviewsLove it

Becoming Each Other's Sunlight: A story about growth, healing and enduring love

Praises the production and the leads, and reads the show as a story about two people healing each other over a decade.

MyDramaList · MyDramaList reviewsLove it

Certainly the best modern C-Drama I've ever watched :)

A 10/10 review calling it the best contemporary C-drama the writer has seen, citing the gripping story, strong acting, cinematography and soundtrack.

Douban · DoubanDiscussion

难哄 (豆瓣)

Opened at just 5.4 despite record Youku popularity. Chinese viewers argued over a weakened heroine compared with the novel and a flat pace, and some complained of review-bombing aimed at the leads.

The First Frost memes & viral moments

Wen Yifan's sleepwalking encounters

Yifan's sleepwalking repeatedly lands her in Sang Yan's arms or his room. Fans especially love the moment she hugs him as if he were the sun, and countless TikTok edits replay these scenes.

Source: Gulf News

Episode 12

The drunk 'sleepwalking' hug

While tipsy, Yifan finally hugs Sang Yan, which she has long wanted to do, and lets him believe she is sleepwalking again. Viewers loved the secret-yearning irony.

Source: Cho Na Writes

Episode 32

The music-box proposal

At their old high school, Sang Yan proposes with a ring hidden in a ballerina music box tied to Yifan's childhood. Fans called the tearful, trembling proposal one of the most realistic in C-dramas.

Source: Filmibeat

More The First Frost guides

Dramas like The First Frost

Sources