If you're looking for a story of gay boys' wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am relationship, it's not in this story. You want insta-gay-for-you? Prepare for a wait.
Ziming and Chulin start out in the cliche yaoi way with a surprise meeting, drinks, down on your luck protags, and riches (seemingly galore). Hollow Lovers does the most important thing right and gives the boys time to grow into who they want to become. This doesn't just apply to their relationship with each other. In finding how to love themselves, they find how to build a place for themselves in the world, one that fits around each other. You only realize how much they've grown, after they got there.
Not all of the obstacles they face are ones you think of encountering in the everyday world, but the approach Hollow Lovers takes to these obstacles makes them feel real and terrifying. They're things you would acknowledge exist, but also think "this would never happen to me." That's what these characters encounter for you, and bring you along the way.
Along with the art and plot development, the way characters react is portrayed without obvious genre tropes being thrown in. I'm sure I can name some tropes parading in the dramatic scenes, but the author's use of them sincerely fits where drama would be encountered in real life.
That's why I love this story and highly recommend you try it if this fits your interests!