Pretty Li Huizhen


Pretty Li Huizhen is a 2017 Chinese television series starring Dilraba Dilmurat, Peter Sheng, Vin Zhang, and Li Xirui. The series was based on the Korean drama She Was Pretty. It was first aired on Hunan TV from 2 January to 2 February 2017, and was a commercial success, ranking first in its time slot and accumulating over 7 billion views online.

Synopsis

In her youth, Li Huizhen was a stunning beauty. However, the stress of her family's financial decline and long work days have taken a toll on her appearance, and she now goes through life looking disheveled and forgettable. On the contrary, her childhood friend and admirer Bai Haoyu, once short and overweight, has grown into not only a handsome man, but a successful one. When Haoyu reconnects with Huizhen after the two not having spoken in over a decade, Haoyu doesn't recognize Huizhen, and mistakes her best friend, the fashionable and charming Xia Qiao for her. Too embarrassed of her own appearance to correct him, Huizhen asks Qiao to keep pretending to be her in front of Haoyu.
Huizhen when she is offered a three-month internship at a fashion magazine, Immortal, but to her disappointment, she is assigned to corporate support and will have nothing to do with the fashion designers, photographers, or models. To her excitement, she is allowed to leave corporate support and work alongside the magazine's editorial staff, but the change comes with a drawback and that is that her new boss in Haoyu. Haoyu, still not knowing who she is, treats her like any other intern and is critical of her work ethic and appearance, but her new colleague, Lin Yimu, becomes enamored with her. Further complicating the situation is that Qiao has begun to fall in love with Haoyu. The complicated nature of working with Haoyu initially has Huizhen trying to go back to corporate support, but she ultimately decides to stay with the editorial staff, and works on bettering herself, earning her colleagues' respect.
As Huizhen's appearance and skills improve, Haoyu becomes more cordial towards her, and finally asks her for her name, still not realizing that his coworker Huizhen is the same Huizhen he had a crush on in his younger days. Time progresses, and Haoyu begins to make connections between the two figures, and as he begins to doubt that the Huizhen he first met weeks ago, who is actually Qiao, is the real Huizhen. Haoyu begins to develop feelings for the real Huizhen and Qiao, who is now in love with Haoyu, fears losing him if she reveals her true identity, so in an act of betrayal, she convinces him that she is the real Huizhen. Despite believing Qiao, Haoyu's feelings for the real Huizhen grow stronger, and the belief that Qiao is the real Huizhen isn't enough to halt the budding attraction. In the background, Limu also competes for Huizhen's affection.
Huizhen's dramatic love quadrangle gradually comes to an end when she realizes she loves Haoyu and he realizes he loves her. Limu, though saddened by Huizhen's rejection, is content with being her friend, and also befriends Qiao. Ultimately, Huizhen and Haoyu decide to get married.

Cast

Main

Supporting

People at Immortal Magazine

  • Ren Wei as Vivian
  • *The Editor-in-chief who is very high fashionable woman.
  • Wang Xiao as Lin Hao
  • *The Column editor, a carefree and laid-back worker who is known for his eccentricities and later revealed to be the chairman's son.
  • Wang Yinan as Zhu Ying
  • *The Fashion editor and a highly respected worker who has been at Immortal for thirteen years.
  • Song Wenzuo as Lin Husheng
  • *A kind worker and the help mode team who has a crush on Han Xue and later become her boyfriend.
  • Zhao Zihui as Ya Ling, the Beauty team
  • Wang Yifei as Han Xue
  • *The assistant of the beauty team and a selfish worker who is looking for a rich man to marry, even already become Lin Husheng's girlfriend.
  • Hao Shuang as Lu Lu, the make-up assistant
  • Yang Yanru as Mei Li
  • *A worker and the mode team at Immortal who is known for her obsession with Diviner, an anonymous author.
  • You You as Anna, the public relations team

People around Li Huizhen

  • Wang Zaihe as Huizhen's father
  • Su Xin as Huizhen's mother
  • Miao Zhongzhen as Li Huilin, Huizhen's little sister

People around Bai Haoyu

  • Li Dongheng as Eric, Haoyu's best friend who is Diviner’s manager.

People around Xia Qiao

  • Gu Kaili as Xia Huijing, Xia Qiao's birth mother
  • Cai Gang as Xia Qiao's father
  • Zhang Pingjuan as Luo Minli, Xia Qiao's stepmother

Others

  • Wang Chu as Department Chief
  • Zhang Jiayi as Gi Gi
  • Li Yunao as Pang Nansheng
  • Yu Qing as Mike
  • Im Ho as Wang Xiao
  • Chen Saisai as Chen Fei
  • Gan Liying as Sis Yang
  • Mi Ya as Wang Shina
  • Wang Jiali as Han Ha
  • Li Dong as Bao Zi
  • Tian Rui as Teacher Zhang
  • Wu Qian as Clothing Store manager
  • Zhu Zicong
  • Long De as a countryside restaurant owner
  • Ge Xiaosong as President Ge of GIO
  • Bu Yaping as Store manager Xiao Li

Reception

Premiere ratings

  • Highest ratings are marked in red, lowest ratings are marked in '''blue'''