Sunshine Through the Rain is streaming on Netflix in the United States right now, with the first three episodes available and new episodes added weekly. The campus romance is a Chinese drama starring Yang Chaoyue and Dong Sicheng — better known to K-pop and C-pop fans as Winwin of WayV — and you can watch it on any Netflix plan, starting at $8.99 a month.
Here is how the weekly release works, who stars, and what the series is about.
How to watch Sunshine Through the Rain on Netflix
Netflix is carrying Sunshine Through the Rain as a weekly simulcast rather than a single binge drop. The first three episodes are already live, and the remaining episodes are added once a week, timed to the show’s ongoing broadcast in China. The full series runs 24 episodes, so there is a steady stream of new installments ahead for anyone starting now.
The drama streams in its original Mandarin with English subtitles. New episodes typically post in the early-morning hours Eastern time on their release day, in keeping with Netflix’s usual overnight update window, though the weekly cadence — not a fixed U.S. premiere hour — is the thing to track.
Where it streams and what it costs
In the U.S., Sunshine Through the Rain is available only on Netflix, included with any subscription:
- Standard with ads — $8.99/month: 1080p, two devices at once.
- Standard — $19.99/month: ad-free, two devices, offline downloads.
- Premium — $26.99/month: 4K HDR, up to six devices.
There is no separate rental or purchase option — the subscription covers the whole run as episodes roll out.
What is Sunshine Through the Rain about?
The series is a rivals-to-lovers college romance set at the fictional Qingyi University. Biology student Zheng Yu is fighting to win a scholarship while juggling part-time jobs and the weight of her family’s debts. Her plan runs into a problem when Chen Yanzhou — a classmate returning to campus after the death of his older brother — immediately reclaims the top spot in the class, making him the single biggest obstacle between Zheng Yu and the funding she needs.
From there it follows a familiar but reliable arc: academic rivalry that thaws, slowly, into something warmer. It is a grounded, slice-of-campus-life take on the genre rather than a high-concept one, leaning on money worries, study pressure, and the push-pull between two ambitious students.
Sunshine Through the Rain cast and creators
Yang Chaoyue, a hugely popular singer and actress in China who first broke out on the 2018 competition series Produce 101 China, stars as Zheng Yu. Opposite her is Dong Sicheng, the WayV and former NCT member who performs under the stage name Winwin, as Chen Yanzhou — a role that leans on his everyman charm rather than his idol persona.
The series is directed by Mao Deshu, who previously helmed the well-received youth drama When I Fly Towards You, and produced by Linmon Pictures. It is licensed from MGTV (Mango TV), where it airs in China alongside Hunan TV — a slightly different pipeline from the YOUKU-sourced Chinese dramas Netflix has leaned on recently, and part of a broader push by the platform to stock more C-dramas for a global audience.
What the weekly simulcast means for you
One thing worth setting expectations on: because this is a simulcast, you are watching on roughly the same timeline as the audience in China rather than getting a finished season to binge. The upside is that you stay spoiler-current and can follow the online conversation as it happens. The trade-off is patience — with 24 episodes and a weekly cadence, the full run stretches out over a couple of months, so going in now means committing to the long game rather than a single weekend.
It is also part of a bigger shift. Netflix spent 2026 aggressively acquiring Chinese dramas, and Sunshine Through the Rain is one of the first major titles it has sourced from MGTV rather than YOUKU. For U.S. subscribers, the practical result is simple: more C-dramas are landing on the platform the same week they air in China, with English subtitles ready on day one.
Is Sunshine Through the Rain worth watching?
If you already follow Chinese youth dramas, the draw is clear: a high-profile lead pairing, a proven director, and a weekly simulcast that keeps you current with viewers in China. For U.S. newcomers, it is an easy entry point into a corner of streaming that English-language outlets rarely cover — a straightforward campus romance you can sample in three episodes before committing to the full 24. The Yang Chaoyue–Winwin pairing alone is enough to draw a sizable built-in fanbase, which is part of why the series has traveled beyond China so quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sunshine Through the Rain release all at once?
No. Netflix is releasing it weekly. The first three episodes are available now, with additional episodes added each week in simulcast with the Chinese broadcast.
How many episodes are there?
The series runs 24 episodes in total.
Is Sunshine Through the Rain available in the United States?
Yes. It is streaming on Netflix in the U.S. and many other regions.
Is it in English?
No. It is a Chinese drama presented in the original Mandarin with English subtitles.
Who stars in Sunshine Through the Rain?
Yang Chaoyue plays Zheng Yu and Dong Sicheng (Winwin of WayV) plays Chen Yanzhou.
