The Early Spring has officially wrapped its 24-episode run, delivering a deeply satisfying conclusion to a story defined by messy emotions, workplace complications, and missed chances. Starring Jing Boran as Luan Nian (Luke) and Sun Qian as Shang Zhitao (Flora), the hit Chinese drama, which aired simultaneously on Netflix and Youku, captivated audiences across the world with a slow-burn but risky romance that was never quite simple. For years, Luan Nian and Zhitao remained trapped in an intense but stagnant dynamic, unable to figure out how to move forward. So, how does this complicated narrative finally conclude, and what makes their ending feel so entirely different from where they started? [Warning: Spoilers ahead.]
A Romance suffocating in the shadows
“You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love” perhaps summed up The Early Spring better than anything else. At the centre of the series was Flora and Luke’s secret six-year weekend relationship, made even more complicated by the fact that he was her proud, demanding boss at Lingmei Advertising in Beijing. There was no denying their chemistry, but being together was never easy. Luke’s controlling nature often left Flora feeling boxed in, while her own insecurities in her 20s made her constantly wonder if she was good enough for him, or if she was making the right choices for herself. With a competitive workplace and years of things they had never really said to each other thrown into the mix, it was hardly surprising that their relationship kept finding its way back to the same painful dead end.
Things finally fell apart when Flora watched a junior colleague take credit for her work simply because they came from a well-connected family. Soon after, the devastating suicide of her best friend left her dealing with a grief she could no longer bury or ignore. Both experiences changed the way she looked at her life. She began to realise that loving Luke could not mean slowly losing herself in the process. More importantly, she understood that a relationship that constantly made her question her own worth was not the kind of love she wanted to hold on to.
Eventually, Flora knew she had to choose herself. She ended things with Luke, left Lingmei and returned to her hometown of Harbin. But she did not go there expecting Luke to follow her or hoping he would somehow fix everything. She started again, this time entirely on her own terms. She bought a house, started her own event management company and gradually built a life that had nothing to do with Luke. For the first time, she had the space to figure out who she was without him being at the centre of every decision.
Learning to love without the baggage of secrecy
If Luke wanted Flora back, he knew he could not bring her back into the same relationship they had before. A big part of his journey was recognising his own mistakes and unlearning the behaviour that had made Flora feel trapped in the first place. Thus, begins his journey of yearning and then finding her back.
When Flora’s new business hit a serious cash-flow problem, she chose to mortgage her apartment instead of turning to Luke for help. It was a clear sign of how much she had changed. She had built something of her own and was determined to protect that independence. When Luke eventually went to Harbin, he handled things differently too. He did not simply step in with his money or try to take charge of her business. Instead, he quietly used his professional connections to open new doors for her, helping her without taking away her control.
That change was also visible in their more personal moments. By then, Tan Mian had sent her the video of him breaking down during New Year’s Eve. When they nearly kissed in Flora’s apartment, she stopped him. Luke did not pressure her or assume that their history meant she owed him another chance. He waited for her to make that choice herself. Later, when Flora’s father caught them together the morning after they had finally reunited, Luke did not try to hide or dodge the situation. He simply faced it and said, “We dated, broke up because of a misunderstanding, and are still in love,” making it clear that he was no longer looking for another secret relationship. He wanted to marry her and build a future with her openly.
The Museum of Time: ending explained
Episode 24 delivered one of the most emotional moments of the finale when Luke finally made his grand gesture. Instead of relying on the usual flashy display of wealth, he put together something far more personal, a pop-up exhibition called the Museum of Time.
The exhibition brought together photographs, belongings and memories that captured the years Flora had spent building her life in Beijing and the bucket list she had made for her 20s. It also gave Luke a chance to finally let his guard down. He revealed that when he had first driven Flora home all those years ago, he had not actually been going that way. He had simply been “looking for a reason to stay close to her.” It was a small confession, but it showed that Luke had noticed and cared about Flora long before he was willing to admit it.
The proposal that followed kept things emotional without taking itself too seriously. Their dog, also hilariously named Luke, arrived with balloons and a message asking Flora to say yes. With their closest friends around them including Lumi, Tracy, Sun Yu, Tan Mian and more, Luan Nian got down on one knee, and a tearful Flora said yes.
Why the finale works
But the most satisfying part of the finale came after they got back together. Flora did not abandon the life she had built in Harbin or give up her company for Luke. She continued running her own business, returned to Beijing also by making it clear that she had chosen to be with him without giving up her independence. Even when she eventually returned to Lingmei Advertising, she did so on her own terms. She was no longer Luke’s subordinate.
The Early Spring worked because it never suggested that loving someone deeply was enough to make a relationship healthy. The real problems between Flora and Luke had always been their power imbalance, poor communication and their inability to be honest about what they were feeling.
By the end, Flora had built a life and career of her own, while Luke had finally learned to meet her halfway instead of trying to pull her into his world. As Flora says in the end, “Their love survived the bitter winter and finally welcomed the early spring. From there, through the blazing summer, they entered the brightest season of their lives.” Yes, the story towards the end felt a bit rushed but in the end, their story came down to a simple truth: they had loved each other for years, but they needed to grow separately before they could come back together as equals.
