Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

A Study on the Presentation and Acceptance of Love Values in Domineering CEO Short Dramas

Zhaoqing WenRenmin University of China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

With the development of mobile internet and short video platform, Domineering CEO short dramas have taken off as a highly stylized form of micro-dramas. Their condensed emotional conflicts and formulaic narratives drew in a large audience, and offered a window for observing how love values are shifting in contemporary popular culture. This study systematically examines how love values are presented in these dramas and how audiences accept them. We combined textual analysis with in-depth interviews, interpreting Domineering CEO short dramas and interviewing experienced viewers. The textual analysis reveal that a modern shift in love values is taking shape, marked by three features: an "illusion of egalitarian power relations", a "return to the slow-burn relationship model" and a growing priority on "individual value". Moreover, the narrative strategy builds something that could be described as "cloaked in independence but still fundamentally dependent". This is achieved through flat character portrayals, a strengthened female perspective, and rhythmic control. On the side of audience, the study uncovered several layers of complexity, showing a "separation between ideal and reality", a "tug-of-war between admiration for the powerful and the desire for independence" and signs of what we call the "emergence of reflective audiences". Viewers cognitively endorse modern love values, but emotionally they still enjoy the fantasy of being "rescued by the powerful", resulting in "sober immersion". The findings suggest that the short drama serve both as a compensatory outlet for contemporary emotional anxieties and as a reflection of women's real struggles between independent consciousness and traditional dependence.

Keywords: Domineering CEO short dramas; love values; audience acceptance; pseudo-egalitarian narrative; qualitative research
Published: June 1, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.BJ34082
Volume: CHR Vol.110
pp. 98-105
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