whoissilmoy

it's for Less is More?

I finally get the joke.

oh yeah, I found it thanks

this is the same director of recent big hits Legend of Shen Li (2024), Tencent heat 31,784, Guardians of Dafeng (2024), Tencent heat 30,128, and Prisoner of Beauty (2025), Tencent heat 30,055.

Deng Wei has only done one modern drama in his career, a supporting role back in 2021, makes me think he's only interested in costume dramas.

she's a hard worker but the number of dramas she puts out is average. it's about 2 year and some are shorter episodes. so, I think she's fine.

how in the world do you know that she had a nose job?

I just wanted to point out it's not a romance drama so that's why you don't see the usual romance. Also, they don't come across as siblings to me. I thought some of their scenes together were tender, caring, and loving. Through this drama, I discover that song I think it's called Boundless sea or something like that. I really like that song esp. in the drama. It tugs at my heart the scenes they had the song. Hopefully, Xu Kai will do another romance drama you will like.

Douban user comment:
finished watching the latest two episodes of the 800-meter radius. Oh my god, Xu Kai's acting is amazing. His panic and painful expression after missing the shark was so well acted. I cried for a long time and watched 😭😭😭😭😭 this part over and over. Chen Hui was at fault, but this Tian Jinhai was just too bad, pushing him to the brink. Chen Hui didn't mean to smack him, but Tian Jinhai kept pressing and angering Chen Hui, and in the end, in his rage, he strangled the other guy without realizing it. I can say this acting is nothing short of legendary

OK nice talking to you, have a great day

To be fair, it's still a bit early to say, but the plan to watch is 68.7% which is quite high, at least for now. It's probably better to check these stats after a while.

I find the drop rating really interesting. When it’s very low—below 3%, and especially below 2%—it usually means some users are rating the drama a 1 but prefer to “park” themselves under drop because it looks more legitimate. No one questions you when you drop at a 1, whereas actively watching and rating it a 1 early on draws attention.

A drop user can later switch to currently watching or completed and keep the 1, but it looks better to do that later rather than at the beginning of the drama.

A 1 rating early on is extremely powerful when the rating pool is small; at that stage, it can take as many as four 10s to offset it. It looks like they poke at the system early on to steer the result and then keep nudging it at different points.

Oh, I write stuff on spur of the moment and delete all the time. I saw that there were a lot of reviews early on and then it just kept coming. So now, it's done, I took a look at other dramas, and it does look high. I guess it's a drama that people feel strongly about and compels them to write reviews. But maybe there are another 2k user ratings still to come.

usually, endings like that will make a rating drop a lot more at the end, so I just wonder

let's see if this will beat Overdo

Douban is 5.2. Why? well, I can't watch it, so I won't know. I have to think that when you do one of the biggest legendary stories, Chinese audience will be highly critical.

is there a link to watch? I only seen clips on YT. It's pretty intense.

144 reviews for 2,047 user ratings is high.

I saw a review and it said this is the hottest drama of the summer, blowing everyone away, and will end up in the top ten for the year, but you wouldn't know looking at MDL.

ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (1/10)

Xu Kai A Decade of Depth
Time is a vehicle that always moves life forward. For Xu Kai, his life is divided into many angles. On one side, it is the life of the characters he receives from drama scripts, which are full of happiness, misery, ups and downs of fate. On the other side, it is his own ordinary life, consisting of small, simple daily stories.
The year 2026 marks 10 years for Xu Kai in the entertainment industry. It is a year where his works are continuously released to the audience, ranging from realistic suspense dramas and historical political intrigue series to variety shows.
Outsiders often talk about the stark contrast in his on-screen personas, or his soft and timid personality revealed in variety shows. However, very few catch a glimpse of the inner order of his mind hidden beneath every role and identity he takes on. Amidst a relentless schedule, drastically different roles, and ever-shifting public perceptions, Xu Kai chooses to accept every change with serene composure while standing firm to remain true to himself, never wavering.


ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (2/10)

A Clear Boundary
One summer afternoon, soft sunlight streamed through the window of the interview room, cutting off the hustle and bustle of the outside world. The setting sun cast its colors onto the table in front of Xu Kai, who sat completely relaxed. He didn't try to maintain a flawless posture the way he does when standing in front of a camera. His voice was smooth and even, and he spoke slowly with a calm emotional wave. He seemed like someone who has long been accustomed to keeping every feeling inside and dealing with it entirely on his own.
When the conversation shifted to his daily life, his answers were simple, straightforward, and filled with ordinary life stories.
Xu Kai: "In my free time, I try to spend more time with my family. If the weather is good, I go out to exercise. But if it rains, I just stay home and rest. The sports I regularly do are running, mountain climbing, and gym workouts."
Not long ago, he updated his social media with pictures of himself taking a stroll around the Forbidden City and sitting down to eat roadside barbecue. Those images were full of the atmosphere of a normal life.
Xu Kai: "It is these small, ordinary things in daily life that touch me easily. A simple, comfortable period of time is enough to bring me happiness."
He spoke while offering a warm smile.


ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (3/10)

Apart from being close to nature and experiencing the atmosphere of everyday people's lives, spending time alone is another way Xu Kai manages his emotions.
Xu Kai: "I usually deal with negative emotions on my own. I rarely go and talk about them to my friends. Just being alone for a while helps my mind slowly calm down. Or else, I go out to exercise or ride my skateboard, which helps me relax."
Having to journey through so many stories and characters over the years has allowed Xu Kai to establish clear boundaries for himself. He doesn't let himself get too obsessively consumed by problems, and he knows how to properly compartmentalize his emotions. When filming begins, he completely dedicates himself to the role. But once the cameras stop rolling, he can completely detach himself from the character, returning to a simple, peaceful life to rebuild a positive energy cycle for himself once again.
In the drama EIGHT HUNDRED 方圆八百米, Xu Kai plays the role of Chen Hui, a character that completely shatters his familiar on-screen image of a handsomely polished historical male lead. Chen Hui is a lower-class young man with a scruffy, unkempt face who lives his life in the gray area of humanity, full of paradoxes and contradictions.
Xu Kai: "This project is a suspense drama, and Chen Hui is a youth from a small town, which is vastly different from the image everyone is used to seeing from me on screen. To get as close to the character as possible, I prepared quite a lot—including scouting real locations, observing people, and gathering details from real life. I hope to make everything in front of the camera look as realistic as possible."
This marks the first time he has taken on a character role with such complexity, existing in a gray area between good and evil. "Playing this role feels incredibly deeply moving."


ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (4/10)

One of the core emotional arcs of the story is the relationship between Chen Hui and his father, who is a police officer.
Xu Kai: "Chen Hui and his father know each other inside out. Yet, at the same time, their relationship is full of gaps and conflict. That very familiarity ends up becoming the root of the friction between the two."
For Xu Kai, scenes where he had to perform alongside veteran actor Ding Yongdai were considered the ultimate challenge. He had to convey the complex, layered emotions that arise when confronting family—including guilt, hiding the truth, and internal confusion fighting within his mind—and project them so the audience could truly feel it.
Xu Kai: "The most high-pressure scenes were those where Chen Hui had to face his parents. Especially when sharing a scene with Teacher Ding Yongdai, I was very nervous. Every scene was a massive challenge. I wanted to do my absolute best. But Teacher Ding is a very kind person with a great sense of humor, and he constantly helped me. After finishing heavy scenes together, it felt like a complete emotional release. It was such a relief."
Even though time has passed, when speaking of the confrontation scenes or the intense, grit-testing moments he had to perform with his father, he still remembers the feelings of that day with crystal clarity.
Xu Kai: "This is a deeply ingrained memory. Although it was difficult, it was an experience that felt incredibly fulfilling."
After the drama aired, viewers offered straightforward and fair critiques toward the character of Chen Hui. The audience opening their hearts to accept a gray-shaded character like this marks another crucial step for Xu Kai on his path of acting transformation.


ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (5/10)

The next work that will meet the audience is SPRING OF THE BLADE 一瓯春, in which Xu Kai plays the role of Shen Run, a calm, patient commander of the Imperial Guards who hides his profound depth within. Shen Run is a powerful official who grew up in the wake of a family tragedy and gradually climbed his way up to a high position.
Xu Kai: "I think what makes this different from the historical characters I've played before is that the core essence of this character is completely distinct. Furthermore, the overall image of the character has dimensions and multiple layers of detail, which helps me better access the inner world of the character."
Before the cameras roll, he always prepares his mental state for each character.
Xu Kai: "Before filming begins, I establish a psychological state appropriate for each individual character, and then I inject small details that I've interpreted myself into the performance. Luckily, the director liked and agreed with those ideas."
Even though costumes and makeup greatly enhance a character's persona, what he wants the audience to see most is Shen Run's inner world.
Xu Kai: "I think Shen Run's charm lies in his extremely difficult background, which forged him into a patient and complex person. These internal contradictions are what I tried to convey through my acting."
For him, the heart of a character does not lie in the costumes or power, but rather in patience and the internal struggles born from a painful past—and that is exactly what he wants to pass on to the viewers.


ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (6/10)

For Xu Kai, every character represents a chance to live another life to the absolute fullest. He is always ready to step into a character's world with a dedicated heart, whether it is the frustration of an ordinary person, the pent-up oppression of a player in a power game, or a wide variety of other stories waiting for him to portray.
Yet, no matter how deeply he invests himself in a role, he firmly maintains a clear boundary between acting and real life. In the world of acting, he is ready to deeply empathize with and understand the countless complexities of human nature. But once the cameras stop rolling, he returns to being his simple, peaceful self, living life in perfect harmony with who he is.
He never allows a character to consume his own identity, nor does he let external labels from the outside world define who he is. Between the world of acting and reality, Xu Kai has firmly maintained his own unique balance throughout the past ten years.


ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (7/10)

Time That Crystallizes
This year marks Xu Kai’s entry into his 10th year since debuting in the entertainment industry. This path has never been strewn with rose petals, but is rather the result of him gradually expanding his own boundaries with sheer determination.
Xu Kai: "When looking back over the past ten years, I have tried acting in many genres, including historical, modern, and suspense, along with many other styles. A character like Chen Hui, who is a realistic anti-hero, is considered highly challenging because he successfully breaks the old familiar images of me on screen. In the future, I still want to try taking on roles that are even more drastically different from what I've done before."
Use code with caution.Along the way, he has also faced moments of work burnout. Continuous and intense filming over a long period naturally chips away at one's passion for the profession as a matter of course. Yet, during times when his mind feels weary and exhausted, Xu Kai does not choose to take a break or run away from the camera. On the contrary, he chooses to confront that challenge head-on.Xu Kai: "During those times, I usually choose to shoot heavy, intense scenes myself. Because when I encounter a scene that requires immense energy, my brain and senses immediately wake up. Throwing myself into such intense scenes helps pull me back. The sense of achievement gained from acting becomes crystal clear, and it also helps reignite the fire of my love for acting once again."

ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (8/10)

Apart from his acting work, the variety show GREAT ESCAPE 密室大逃脱 is considered another special experience during Xu Kai’s ten-year journey. In 2026, the show has reached its 8th season. Looking back at the early stages, he straightforwardly admits that the fear he felt when placed in the mystery room situations was a genuine feeling from within.Xu Kai: "I think being afraid is completely normal, and it’s a real feeling. If I weren't afraid of anything at all, the audience probably wouldn't find it fun to watch the show."The gentleness, straightforwardness, and nervousness that viewers see in the program represent another side of Xu Kai that rarely appears in his drama works. His initial anxiety when facing darkness and solving puzzles has gradually transformed into composure and increased confidence with each passing season. Furthermore, working together for a long time has allowed the team members to understand and trust each other more deeply.Xu Kai: "Everyone feels like one big family. We understand each other almost without having to say a word."Outsiders often like to assign roles to the members of the show, defining who is the strategist, the front-line rusher, or the designated comedian. However, Xu Kai has never defined an image for himself; he simply follows his instincts and dedicates himself to every mission. For him, a variety show is another form of self-training where the camera does not require him to put on a persona or act like anyone else. It simply requires him to reveal his authentic reactions. This naturalness gradually completes his sense of self, teaching him to accept his own gentleness, vulnerability, and fears, without any need to constantly maintain the image of a poised, strong, and decisive young man all the time.

ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (9/10)

On the day of this photoshoot, the weather was exceptionally hot and humid. The loud, buzzing sound of cicadas echoed from outside the window. During a break in the filming schedule, Xu Kai stood quietly and peacefully. His overall demeanor was relaxed, as if he remained entirely unaffected by the sweltering heat. However, when the interview began, he spoke with a smile.Xu Kai: "To be honest, it is incredibly hot. If it weren't for work that absolutely needs to be done and cooperating with the team, I would have almost zero desire to go out and travel anywhere outside."That simple response revealed another side of him—one that is natural and full of life. When asked about his 10th anniversary in the industry, he gave a straightforward reply.Xu Kai: "I know that this year marks my 10th year in the industry, but honestly, I don't think about it too much. Whether it is the tenth year or any other year, my work attitude does not change. I am still determined to do my absolute best just as before, hoping to deliver good works to the audience and earn everyone's recognition."His voice was calm and steady, as if the 10th anniversary were merely another passing period of time on his career path, rather than a turning point that needs to be grand or monumental.

ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO (10/10)

Over the past ten years, countless characters have entered Xu Kai's life before gradually fading away amidst continuous praise, criticism, and outside discussions. This entire period has not only caused his idol image to gently recede, but it has also allowed him to grow from within and discover a more stable sense of self.Time has gradually refined him, allowing him to let go of unnecessary stress and attachments. When facing exhaustion, disappointment, or criticism, he is instead able to accept everything with a calmer composure. This is because he understands that the ups and downs of life are completely normal; what never changes is his inner core, which remains a steadfast anchor amidst all transformations. While outsiders might expect a ten-year milestone to be a time for a massive, dramatic shift, for Xu Kai, growth is not an overnight overhaul but rather a gradual accumulation built little by little every day.All of his experiences in front of the camera, along with the patience he maintained during difficult times, have forged an inner confidence. Xu Kai knows well that the past ten years represent just one station on his life's path. Up ahead, there are still countless stories waiting for him to interpret and convey through his acting.Outside the window, the hot summer wind continues to blow, blending with the sound of cicadas. Yet, no matter how loud or quiet the noises from the outside world become, Xu Kai continues to step forward steadily, ready to journey toward the next chapter of his life.

ARENA HOMME PLUS CHINA 2026.08 Edited and Compiled by ZERO
Translated from Thai to English via Google, total of ten pages
https://x.com/ZerochaphiL/status/2085247170614280301/photo/2