Krish728

Welp! I was right here - https://mydramalist.com/56835-cang-hai-xi-lin#comment-26561752

22 episodes in: There is a love interest, obviously ZJY, but the romance takes a backseat.

Youku and iQiyi seem to be doing a better job at marketing their dramas internationally, so in a way that's good.

Ep 15.
Why do I get the feeling that the masked man is the third person, the mastermind behind ML's family tragedy? And he's only helping ML in revenge probably because ML has higher chances of finding that artifact than anyone else.

Just my hunch, I could be wrong.

Same, I too had a love-hate relationship with this author.

There's only one decent novel that doesn't have toxic ML is The Beautiful Time With You.

It's more political, romance basically takes a backseat for most of the novel.
I wouldn't say it's spicy at all.

Yeah, that's exactly what I said.

PS, I'll still give this drama a chance, but it's gonna need me some time to come to terms with the fact that the drama and the novel have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Only then can I do this drama justice, without me comparing it with the novel. I think it will be unfair to the efforts of everyone involved in this drama if I'm always gonna compare it to the novel. I'll come back to it a few months later.

I really want to start this because I read the novel on a whim last year, and it was the best webnovel I read from China, like #1, no other Chinese novel even comes close (and I read loads and loads of novels from China).
But I've been seeing all the reels and clips from this drama, which is just discouraging me from picking up this drama. I can barely recognize this drama from the novel. And only 24 episodes? A novel that is loaded with so many interesting plotlines should at least deserve a full 40 episodes, and they are just going for 24 episodes? I've seen shorter novels with barely any plot making full 40 episodes work.

If anyone here's a troll, it's you who came here for no other reason but to hate on him blindly believing rumours and not verifying facts. There's a reason Xu Kai is winning so many legal battles against such rumour mongers, because they are simply untrue. But you don't care about that, you just want a reason to hate on Xu Kai, and you found these rumours that fit your narrative and went with it.

And about his boss, trust me, everyone including Xu Kai's own fans hate him. You act like Yu Zheng is protecting Xu Kai, but the reality is, Xu Kai is not interested in renewing his contract, and Yu Zheng is out to ruin his reputation by arranging all these rumours. But again, you don't care about any of that, you just want to hate on Xu Kai.

This is my last message to you, since you are obviously a troll who came here to spread filth.

Thank you, Xukaifangirl88, for being the voice of reason.

So, as I informed Xukaifangirl88 in one of the comments below, I would like to first inform you all that I will not be further engaging on the topic anymore after this post. But I will definitely make it my job to respond sternly if I come across any fan bothering other fans for having different opinions or views.

To those who are bothered by opinions you disagree with: ignore them. Better yet, block them. If someone is truly a troll, the fastest way to make them disappear is to stop giving them attention. Personally, I don't think most of these people are trolls. I think they're fans with different perspectives and expectations. The real issue is not that they have opinions; it's that some people don't agree with those opinions.

So why am I suggesting we simply let people have their views?

First, because it brings harmony back to this page. We are all here because we support Xu Kai. Constant arguments over personal preferences help no one.

Second, much more complex but also simple. Xu Kai needs more international fans. Why?

Chinese entertainment is becoming increasingly global, and their government will definitely push for more in this direction. We have already seen a few implementations from their government to make the Chinese entertainment industry a better place. In recent years, dramas such as Hidden Love, The First Frost, Shine on Me, and especially Pursuit of Jade have attracted audiences far beyond China. They brought in entirely new set of audiences (not the usual Asian audience).

What really convinced me of this was seeing Pursuit of Jade content appear on my main Twitter and Instagram feeds. I deliberately keep those accounts free of Chinese drama content. I don't follow, like, or engage with C-drama posts there. Yet I suddenly started seeing appreciation posts and reels from Western viewers. That kind of organic reach doesn't happen unless a drama has broken out of its usual audience.

Why does this matter? Because entertainment is one of the most effective forms of cultural influence. Whether people agree or disagree, countries around the world use films, television, music, and popular culture to shape how they're perceived internationally. I believe China understands this as well.

And when it comes to attracting international audiences, romance dramas have been one of China's greatest strengths. Looking at the dramas that have achieved significant global reach, most of them are romance-focused. While China produces excellent dramas in many genres, romance and xianxia are often what first draw international viewers into the C-drama world.

This is why I find it ironic when some people dismiss international fans as "irrelevant". Every single one of us here is an international fan. If Chinese dramas continue expanding globally, international audiences will naturally become more important, not less important. Driving away potential fans simply because they have different opinions is counterproductive, especially when the industry itself appears to be reaching out to a broader global audience.

As for Xu Kai's career, ultimately the most important factor is what he wants to do. Some of us hope he continues doing romance dramas. Others want him to focus on more serious projects. Neither opinion is wrong. Sharing those hopes does not mean anyone is trying to dictate his career choices.

From my perspective, if Xu Kai is indeed moving toward more serious and challenging roles, that could be beneficial for several reasons:

1. It allows him to continue developing and refining his acting skills.
2. If he is preparing for the next stage of his career, those projects can strengthen his reputation as an actor and potentially open doors to even better opportunities in the future, including stronger romance dramas.

At the end of the day, we can all support Xu Kai while having different preferences. Agreeing on everything has never been a requirement for being a fan. Respecting each other, however, should be.

For me, this only stops when some self-appointed gatekeepers stop bothering fans for having their own opinions and views. There's a new shift happening in Chinese Entertainment industry, and most of ya'll are not seeing the signs. I will make a new post about it. It helps you all understand why gatekeeping Xu Kai fandom will only bring more harm than good for Xu Kai in international popularity.

Yeah, except that's not what we were discussing, was it?

Whenever someone came to spew unnecessary hate on Xu Kai, I have always been on the forefront fighting them off. Most of those (gatekeepers) here who are fighting against our own down below, I didn't see them defending Xu Kai against those haters that came to spread filth on Eight Hundred drama page. In fact, if I'm not wrong, it was one of those gatekeepers who brought those haters into the Eight Hundred drama page by intentionally or unintentionally putting down their fave on their fave's drama page. I don't need to name the names, the person knows who they are.
It was mostly me and another poster (I don't remember who, but it definitely wasn't any one of those self-proclaimed Xu Kai defenders down below defending Xu Kai from general views and opinions of fans) who stood up against those haters.

Nah man, you are the one who doesn't understand words, grasping at straws to defend your behavior. Just stop. I will also stop engaging on this topic with you.

That fan didn't distort anything, they spoke facts from international fans pov, which is fair. International fans are also fans. And FLASH NEWS, Chinese dramas are picking up internationally, and Chinese markets will definitely slowly move to pander the international audience more in the future, just like K-dramas have done once they got the international recognition.

Dictating does not only mean control. And in this case, dictate is unilaterally declaring Baifan "not a fan of Xu Kai". So, yes, you are dictating.

And thank you for playing the peacemaker. This was needed.

Happy to delete my comments once the one who started all this, Shikha, deletes their comments.

Correction -- It wasn't me who started using abusive language. Please refer to shikha, they started it. I just followed them. Once abusive language is used, for me all bets are off.

Edit -- I just did a recheck, and it was indeed Shikha who started using abusive language. https://mydramalist.com/people/17086-xu-kai#comment-26420618

Not respecting? Did they say, in clear terms, they don't like Xu Kai doing these niche dramas? No, they are just hoping (yes, hoping, not forcing you or Xu Kai) Xu Kai does not completely move away from the romance genre.

About your first point: really? No one dictating?
"Throwing dirt on Eight Hundred is unfanworthy"
These are exactly your words in reply to Baifan. Isn't this dictating who gets to be a fan and who doesn't?

Search "fandom gatekeeping". I reckon you haven't come across this term used in fandoms.

I know what it means.

Some fans dictating what other fans should or shouldn't say about their fave is a definition of gatekeeping, which is exactly what's happening here.