Just found out this fiasco this morning. I was in the middle of my working hour, so this news really mess up my work rhythm a bit. I am sad that Cheng Yi got lots of heat out of this. But somehow I can understand why he did what he did. Lots of fans are unable to separate the actor with the character. This is a big problem when the fans turn to bash any actress that collaborate with him else than Yuan Bing Yuan. He has lots of drama lines up and this kind of obsessive cp fans are not favorable. Doused those fans with cold water is in order, no matter how valuable their support currently.
I am currently watching The Promise of Chang An and there I got the gist that the actress Sarah Zhao got some heat because some crazy fans don't like seeing her acting together as lead with Cheng Yi. Like Cheng Yi only likes Yuan Bing Yuan. How crazy these fans can get? It is fine if you are still unable to let go of Si Feng but you should never force your fantasy on others.
I don't really know about Cheng Yi personality by the limited time I saw him in interview. But, I think he is a pretty reserved guy and doesn't really love to be in spotlight. He is happy people recognize his acting and enjoy his work but that's about it. In short, he does not have idol mentality. I never saw him catering to his fans wish beyond professionalism (please correct me if I am wrong). In a way, I am glad he is who he is. Fandom is quite toxic in China. If you give them mile, they will suck your life (pretty sure all of us here don't want him to become a second Xiao Zhan).
I see that he lost fans in Weibo. I think he should take it in stride. A REAL fans of him should have seen how uncomfortable he was throughout the live concert (it was so unnatural) and instead of cursing and blaming him, will be more concerned of what happened to him behind the screen. A real fans will ask him a concerned question instead of all these blame game. Just let those fickle fans go. They will bring trouble sooner or later. Better kept the sane and loyal one. Also he needs to show that those fans do not control him. His speech that Si Feng is over in my ears is like he implicitly told the fans to behave. Cheng Yi and Si Feng are separate identity.
Currently, people is more sympathetic on Yuan Bing Yuan which is understandable. She is a woman and in this kind of situation, woman usually looks more pitiful than the man even though in reality both are equally victim.
I am just hope that this glitch does not impending his future works. He is a very talented actor. And he deserves recognition.
I am sorry for the very long post.