iQiyi’s recently released original series One and Only, featuring Ren Jialun and Bai Lu, has quickly attracted scores of audiences from across the globe. The series is a period romance drama set in ancient China, and is part of the platform’s SWEET ON collection. True to his nickname “Prince of Costume Dramas”, Ren Jialun plays a young prince, while popular actress Bai Lu plays the young noblewoman who is his love interest.
The drama tells the story of Zhousheng Chen (Ren Jialun), the junior Prince of Nanchen and a local war hero. Zhousheng takes a vow to never marry nor have children, and keeps out of politics to stay committed to his role as a general in charge of guarding his country’s borders. Cui Shiyi (Bai Lu), a daughter of a noble family and the crown-princess-to-be, is sent to Zhousheng’s mansion to learn the ettiquettes and customs of royalty. The pair develop affections for each other, but are unable to express their feelings as they are forced to observe the formalities of their master-disciple relationship.
Both Ren Jialun and Bai Lu masterfully portray this restrained romance of two people who are trying hard to conceal the obvious chemistry between them, and have captured the hearts of audiences from around the world. From accidental moments of contact, to carrying a someone in one’s arms, these are five iconic scenes that fans can look forward to.
- Origins of temptation; leaning on one’s knees
Compared to his treatment of the other disciples, Ren Jialun is much more gentle and forgiving with Bai Lu. One night as they are reading together by candlelight, Ren Jialun notices a smile on Bai Lu’s face and wonders what she is dreaming of. Bai Lu then accidentally falls against his knees, and the unexpected intimate contact causes a stir in Ren Jialun’s heart. This moment is the first time the pair cross the line in their master-disciple relationship, and marks the start of their love for each other.
- Gentlemanly manners: carrying her in his arms
At the time, it was considered improper for men and women to have physical contact, even when passing objects to each other – and Ren Jialun stands firm by these customs. When he has to carry Bai Lu home one night, he wraps her up in fox fur as a form of barrier between them. This extra measure he takes, so as to not stain her reputation, shows the level of sweetness and genuine affection the pair have for each other.
- Implied love and romance; writing “Rhapsody on the Shanglin Park”
Before he heads off to a battle, Ren Jialun goes to say farewell to Bai Lu. When he meets her, Bai Lu is struggling to write down the epic poem “Rhapsody on the Shanglin Park”, as she cannot remember the latter half of a particular sentence. Ren Jialun helps her with this, revealing the missing part of the sentence: “ soon they hit it off and fall in love”. The scene shows the underlying chemistry and tension between the two. While it may appear that Ren Jialun was merely helping Bai Lu complete the sentence, the specific line in question also implies that the pair are very much in love despite having to conceal their feelings towards each other.
- Caring throughout the night: Kabe-donning on the bed
When Ren Jialun is wounded during a fight, Bai Lu volunteers to tend to him. She stays by his side throughout the night, preparing her own medical concoction to help him heal and recover. Just as she is about to wake him up to serve him this medicine, Ren Jialun awakes with a start and pushes her onto the bed – the knee-jerk response of an alert general. This “Kabe-don” moment breaks the previously observed rules of decorum, leaving the hearts of the characters – and audiences – racing.
- Heartful communication: a pulse-ing moment
As the relationship between Ren Jialun and Bai Lu develops further, Bai Lu is determined not to see the visiting crown prince (Prince Guangling) and claims that she feels too ill to receive the visitor. Ren Jialun, who is an expert in medicine, sees through her excuse and puts on a show of being concerned for her health. He takes her pulse and asks her if she has chest pains or if her ears are tingling, posing these questions teasingly along with a heart-melting smile. With their eyes fixed on each other as he takes her pulse, they realise that they know each other all too well. Needless to say, the scene captures the level of connection and chemistry going on between the master and his disciple.
One and Only is currently streaming on iQiyi – and Malaysian users can now enjoy premium access to the series with iQiyi’s special offers and deals! Until September 12, iQiyi is offering Malaysian users a free one-week VIP subscription, so that they can enjoy exclusive and high-quality viewing experience of over 4,500 iQiyi shows and films. The platform is also running a limited-time 50% discount for its quarterly and annual plans from September 6 to 12, with quarterly plans priced at only RM12.90, and yearly plans priced at RM44.90.
To catch One and Only, or to find out how you can redeem your free week of VIP access, log onto the international App or iQ.com.