The Rise of Ning (2024) Review: A Happy Ending, but That Pseudo-Sibling Romance? 😭

❤️ Quick Answers: Romance & Ending

• Happy ending? Yes.
• Main couple together? Yes, married with a son.
• Actual siblings? No, but they are raised and treated as siblings within the Luo family.
• Breakup? No formal breakup after becoming a couple.
• Major separation? A brief forced separation and fake-death scare during the finale.
• When does the romance become official? Around Episode 33.
• First proper kiss? Around Episode 33.
• Marriage? Episode 39.
• Final relationship status? Happily married with a son in Episode 40.

Should You Watch The Rise of Ning?

If you enjoy family intrigue, capable female leads, devoted male leads, and extremely slow-burn romances, you might enjoy this.

But if pseudo-sibling relationships make you uncomfortable, you want your romance to develop before the last stretch, or you can't stand a second male lead who refuses to accept rejection, consider yourself warned.

My verdict: The main couple gets a satisfying ending, but the slow pacing and uncomfortable romantic setup made this a frustrating watch for me.

My Review: Can We Stop With the Pseudo-Sibling Romance? 🙄

Okay, first of all, why do Chinese dramas insist on giving us these pseudo-sibling romances?

Here we have Luo Yining and Luo Shenyuan, who are treated as brother and sister in the Luo household. She's calling him Third Brother, everyone thinks they're family, and we're apparently supposed to start rooting for a romance.

And then comes the big revelation.

SURPRISE! They're not actually biologically related!

Oh, well, that fixes everything then! 🙄😂

No. No, it doesn't.

I know they're not blood-related, but I still don't like this trope. The whole brother-and-sister dynamic makes the romance uncomfortable for me, especially when the story spends so much time establishing that relationship.

And yes, I understand that their actual family backgrounds eventually make the romance possible. That doesn't mean I suddenly enjoy the setup.

Not related by blood doesn't automatically make the trope appealing.

The Romance: Slow Burn Is an Understatement

This romance takes its sweet time.

And I mean its SWEET time.

We have 40 episodes, and the main couple doesn't properly establish their romantic feelings until around Episode 33.

THIRTY-THREE. 😭

I enjoy romantic development, but there's a difference between letting a relationship grow naturally and making me wait through most of the series for some actual payoff.

Luo Shenyuan is protective and supportive of Yining, and they gradually become important to each other. But the romance spends so long wrapped up in family secrets and complicated relationships that I started losing patience.

I skipped a lot of material because I just didn't feel like enough was happening to keep me invested.

And that's usually a bad sign for me.

I want the romance to have room to breathe after the couple gets together, not spend almost the entire drama waiting for it to happen.

Luo Shenyuan: Zhang Wanyi Gets a Pass 😂

One thing I will give Zhang Wanyi is that I enjoy his deadpan delivery.

There's something about the way he can make a serious scene unintentionally funny without even looking like he's trying.

And Luo Shenyuan is an intelligent, capable character who spends much of his life quietly working toward clearing his mentor's name.

He's also protective of Yining and supports her ambitions.

So, no, my issue isn't necessarily with the male lead.

It's the romantic setup and the pacing.

Zhang Wanyi, you may proceed.

The pseudo-sibling trope, however, may exit the premises.

Lu Jiaxue: Sir, She Does Not Want You! 🤦‍♀️

And then we have our second male lead, Lu Jiaxue.

SIR.

HOW MANY TIMES DOES THIS WOMAN HAVE TO REJECT YOU?

This man cannot take a hint.

Actually, forget hints. Yining makes it pretty clear that she doesn't want to be with him, and he STILL refuses to move on.

His fixation becomes increasingly controlling, to the point that he eventually kidnaps her after she's married Luo Shenyuan.

That's not romantic devotion anymore.

That's an obsession with absolutely no respect for the woman's decision.

I understand that he has a complicated history with Yining. But having feelings for someone doesn't mean you're entitled to a relationship with them.

Sometimes the answer is no.

And this man needed to learn that about 20 episodes earlier. 🙄

Does The Rise of Ning Have a Happy Ending?

Yes. The Rise of Ning has a clear Happy Ending for Luo Yining and Luo Shenyuan.

They marry in Episode 39, but their wedding night is interrupted by Lu Jiaxue's schemes.

In Episode 40, Lu Jiaxue arranges a fire and kidnaps Yining, making it appear that she has died. Shenyuan discovers the deception and works to rescue her.

Lu Jiaxue ultimately dies after shielding Yining from an arrow.

The main couple survives, remains married, and gets a peaceful future.

The ending also shows them with a son.

So yes, we get marriage, a child, and an unmistakable happily-ever-after.

At least the drama doesn't make us wait 40 episodes just to give us an ambiguous ending!

❤️ Relationship Timeline

1. Early episodes

   Yining supports Shenyuan, and their trust gradually grows.

2. Around Episode 8

   Shenyuan discovers evidence that they are not biological siblings.

3. Episode 28

   Yining's true biological father is identified, resolving the blood-relationship question.

4. Episode 32

   Shenyuan openly confesses that his feelings go beyond sibling affection.

5. Around Episode 33

   Their feelings become mutual, with a romantic kiss and discussion of marriage.

6. Episodes 37–38

   Marriage arrangements progress amid political complications.

7. Episode 39

   Yining and Shenyuan marry.

8. Episode 40

   Yining is kidnapped, creating a brief forced separation and false-death scare.

9. Finale

   They reunite, remain married, and are shown raising their son.

Happily married with one son.

Breakup classification: No breakup. The final kidnapping is a forced separation, not the end of their relationship.

Where to Watch The Rise of Ning in the U.S.

Listings checked October 8, 2026: WeTV and iQIYI each list 40 episodes and advertise English subtitles. WeTV marks later episodes VIP; iQIYI displays a subscription prompt. The linked iQIYI listing identifies Mandarin audio. Availability and access may vary by region and account. U.S. playback and full-series audio/subtitle playback were not tested.

Be careful not to select the separate Vietnamese-dubbed version on iQIYI if you prefer original Mandarin audio.

WeTV

iQIYI — Mandarin listing

Final Thoughts: 3/5 ⭐

The Rise of Ning wasn't completely terrible, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.

The pseudo-sibling romance bothered me, the second male lead seriously needed to understand the meaning of rejection, and the slow-burn romance tested my patience.

I skipped quite a bit because I wasn't interested in sitting through everything just to reach the actual romantic development.

Zhang Wanyi gets some credit because I enjoy his deadpan acting, and at least the main couple gets a genuinely happy ending.

But would I want to sit through another 40 episodes of this particular romantic setup?

Absolutely not. 😂

Final Rating: 3/5 — Finished.

Do They Break Up?

No formal breakup between the main couple. The final kidnapping is a forced separation, not the end of their relationship.

Do Luo Yining and Luo Shenyuan End Up Together?

Yes. They survive, reunite after the finale kidnapping, and remain happily married with a son.

Sources & Verification

WeTV official listing

iQIYI official Mandarin listing

Episode 8 recap

Episode 28 recap

Episode 32 recap

Episode 33 recap

Episode 39 recap

Finale recap