Serene

ソウルメイト Soul Mate (2026)

Wanted to do this, since every drama I've seen him in seems to be cast on the principle of casting directors going "you know what's better than a man who's 6'2 and can do unhinged? A man who's 6'2, can do unhinged and is down on his knees for love." And they aren't wrong.

Anyway, here are our candidates.

The Long Ballad (2021) - we first meet Liu Yuning as he murders some begging man and his mission for most of the drama is to hunt down and murder our FL, his tiny princess love interest's favorite cousin. Yet he would make a carpet of himself for his tiny princess to walk on and almost gets himself murdered making sure she is not forced into an unwanted marriage.

Heroes (2022) - Liu Yuning starts out as a hero, is literally tortured into a psychotic breakdown, but no matter how many vile acts he commits, even madness cannot get rid of his softness and "brotherly" love for his "sheath" (no, really, they refer to him that way) Zeng Shunxi. If you are thinking there is nothing straight about that drama, you would be right.

The Legend of Anle (2023) - enter Liu Yuning as "minister of the ministry of punishments" who in addition to torture and murder yearns to artistically cough near our heroine.

A Journey to Love (2023) - Liu Yuning is the chief of the spy/assassin bureau, he murders a man with a hairpin shortly after we meet him, and his one goal for the future is to retire and move in the middle of nowhere and never speak to another human being. Well, until he meets lady assassin Ren Ruyi, and then said plans get modified to "being dressed up, hair-pinned, protected and eventually bred by my lady." (Side note - I've loved most LYN dramas but this is my n1, also my n1 battle couple of all time, cdramawise.)

About his bod...

Heroes (2024) - Liu Yuning is the best swordsman in the world (sadly less useful than it seems since it's the start of the 20th century), on a mission for treasure and with bodies piling up. He is also in love with his dead master's wife (to be fair, she was his girl first, until the old man went "I need a virgin to cure my illness" - yes that drama is dark) and will pause any murder and treasure hunt for his lady's period cramps.

The Story of Pearl Girl (2024) - a trader/pirate hybrid with sexy braids, at one point Liu Yuning keelhauls our heroine but by the end he's all "I am gonna crawl away and die somewhere by myself so as not to mildly inconvenience her having to move my corpsicle."

Eternal Brotherhood (2024, 2025) - Liu Yuning has killed more people than Genghis Khan and puts civilians to the sword as easily as he breathes but he will ditch all his power to take care of his wife after her miscarriage who he likes to proclaim "I am your slave" to.

The Prisoner of Beauty (2025) - introduced via bloody face and arson, orders a man dismembered and stuffed into a chest within five minutes of screen time, his meet cute with his future wife is trying to murder her with an arrow. By the end? The girl is on top in every conceivable way.

A Dream Within a Dream (2025?) - has not aired yet but we've all seen the trailers and he's (of course) a murder beast who's (of course) weak for one woman.

And now a poll...

I'll move out. I enjoyed the time we spent together. But I can't stay with you anymore.

The moment I stepped into the ring, I tried not to look at the crowd. I had a feeling that everything was about to begin.