whoissilmoy

I noticed that too. He's on a roll ever since LYF with solid hits. Actors will work nonstop turn out dramas when their popularity is rising but then he stopped.

Douban isn’t always updated, but it also lists February 2026. Unveil: Jade is rumored to premiere on February 5 as well. Is the week before Chinese New Year considered a competitive slot?

it's in the article

You might want to check your facts— Xu Kai has not lost any of his popularity.

Has Xu Kai ever received months-long intensive training before filming action projects?
While actors like Xiao Zhan trained over two months for film epics like The Gallants as you would expect with that kind of big production, with dedicated martial arts, riding, and cultural prep, Bai Lu's three-month bootcamp stands out as particularly intensive and rare for a TV drama series:

“Bai Lu reportedly underwent three months of intense training in swordsmanship, horseback riding, and close combat. Despite her rigorous preparation, she confirmed that the filming pushed her body to its limits.” It reads as both sincere and a well‑timed bit of smart promotion as the drama is about to premiere.
— DramaPanda, Jan 25, 2026
https://dramapanda.com/2026/01/bai-lu-unveil-jadewind-last-action-heavy-drama.html

In Tang‑era case mysteries, the male lead handles the action but interestingly, Unveil: Jadewind subverts this male‑dominated convention by shifting the action to the female lead. The FL takes on the brawn, martial arts, and action (physical combat and stunt work), while the ML serves as the analytical, investigative mind of the duo with little physical action. This aligns with the drama’s female‑centric narrative, its themes of female empowerment and female injustice, and its emphasis on other prominent female roles. It explains Bai Lu's intense training.

However, in Tian Du Yi Wen Lu (also known as Ting Feng Ling or 听风令), the story narrative positions Shi Wuming (Xu Kai's character) as the brains and Su Xue Lou (Wei Zhe Ming's character) as the brawn/action counterpart, but in filming/production, Xu Kai is known for his strong action background, so his character will have impressive action scenes/stunts too. I just hope the production doesn’t tone him down too much just to make Su Xue Lou look more physically dominant.

I’ve always wondered how Xu Kai is able to step onto a set and perform such demanding stunts and ride horses so well like in Tian Du Yi Wen Lu. There was no public sighting of him until he went for the script reading, then return for filming. In his September 2025 SoFigaro interview, he said, “I’ve been working out recently, since the upcoming drama involves quite a few action scenes. I need to build up more physical strength.” But that sounds like his usual gym routine to build strength, not specialized stunt or riding training. So how is he already such a skilled rider before filming even begins? Even though he has experience from previous dramas, stunts and horseback riding aren’t things he trains for regularly. Stunt work especially changes from project to project, and in this drama the behind‑the‑scenes clips show him doing some advanced single‑wire stunts. Sword fighting, at least, seems to come naturally to him since he’s done so much of it in past roles.

Xu Kai is hardworking and takes on a lot of physical demands with many injuries, and from what I’ve read, he’s so competent and efficient that he sometimes nails scenes in a single take.

For Snow Eagle Lord, of course, he had special spear training. The director required Xu Kai to do all his own martial arts. Xu Kai found the spear much harder than it looks. I'm guessing he must have met the martial arts team probably 1 month prior to filming during the standard script reading session when they all have to discuss roles and competencies. He may have continued to train with them on basics because he kept hitting himself with it initially and also practiced on his own every chance he gets and then continued training and practicing on set during filming. He mastered the spear so well, the director told him, he can join his martial arts team.

Xu Kai’s martial arts work is a treat to watch. His movements are clean, powerful, and precise. In Moonlit Reunion, his talisman‑based martial arts, though less physical, really stand out—the composure in his posture, the power and control in his hands, and the focus in his gaze all come together beautifully.

Xu Kai’s years of wuxia and xianxia experience, combined with his natural aptitude and physical strength, make him a director’s dream for action‑oriented roles. He isn’t starting from zero; he walks onto set with a strong foundation already in place, which allows him to perform at a high level. He leverages cumulative experience, does targeted team training for unique elements (like spear), and handles the rest efficiently on set. I don't believe he's ever had a drama that required standalone, multi-month pre-filming intensive training bootcamps.


Madame Figaro article ends with this on Xu Kai:
https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23489415
Finally, he recommended an inspired article, and he remembered writing this passage in the article: "A person's mentality is very important, it is the door to your luck." When you face anything in life, if you have a good attitude and are positive and optimistic to meet challenges, then your luck will not be bad." He believes that luck is hard work that meets opportunity.

I'm sure he will have one more project before Aug 2026 when his contract ends assuming he has not renewed yet. Either he renews, signs with another agency, or goes independent. Whatever he decides, he will have projects, with or without Huanyu. Whatever decision Xu Kai makes, only he knows what's best for his life. I think Xu Kai is going to be just fine and do great in life no matter what.

How can anyone claim to know the outcome of his lawsuit? It's not public, right? What is known is that after the 2023 lawsuit, he officially left Huanyu, became independent, and went on to film four dramas that all aired in 2025. He clearly isn’t having any trouble getting strong roles in quality productions. Honestly, he probably wanted to leave earlier, but his contract didn’t expire until late 2025. Yu Zheng isn’t new to lawsuits — he practically thrives on them.

The director shot so many amazing scenes. ABAY is rich and atmospheric.

When someone puts a huge As Beautiful As You poster on a post with a caption that’s almost as big as the poster itself — ‘China is officially removing movies and TV shows about rich bosses and poor brides’ — uninformed readers will naturally assume that’s what ABAY is about. But the article isn’t about ABAY at all, which makes it pretty clear the image is being used in a way that creates negative associations with ABAY and Xu Kai. It spreads misconceptions, and the poster should be removed. It’ll stay on Reddit forever, and most people won’t read the full post — they’ll just see Xu Kai’s face and assume the drama is being targeted, or, if they’re already biased, assume it reflects something about him.

The post never mentions ABAY. It’s about vertical micro‑dramas, which have nothing to do with long‑form shows like ABAY. Putting ABAY’s poster above rants like these makes readers subconsciously link ABAY to issues that aren’t related to it:

Crackdowns / censorship
CEO tropes
Moral responsibility
Vertical‑drama regulations
Cheating plots / morality arcs
Short‑form drama restrictions
Child‑actor guidelines
Money‑worship / wealth‑flaunting bans

And because ABAY is popular, using its image guarantees attention: fans show up, haters show up, and the comments grow. It drags ABAY into a conversation that is entirely about short‑form vertical dramas — censorship rules, morality requirements, CEO tropes, cheating plots, regulatory notices, and child‑actor guidelines.

ABAY is a long‑form TV drama with a completely different approval process. The broad headline plus the ABAY image makes it look connected when it isn’t.

The article even cites things like “male cheaters,” “when a male lead is abusive,” “desire without responsibility,” “goldfish swimming in a glass,” and “moral ambiguity without consequences.” None of that has anything to do with ABAY.

So why use ABAY and Xu Kai’s image for topics unrelated to them? It misleads readers and creates unnecessary negativity. If the post isn’t actually about ABAY, the image should be removed or at least labeled as an unrelated example so it doesn’t keep spreading misconceptions.

Comments like these appeared:

Professional_Tone_62:
“As Beautiful as You is a bad example. The FL was not poor. She was university‑educated with a good job. I guess you’ve never watched it. It’s misleading and insulting. Please remove it.”

Silver‑Bus5724:
“You’re talking about the headline? It’s someone else’s and was an example of the actual reports.”

Professional_Tone_62:
“So you’re okay with spreading a rumor about a specific drama? At the very least, include a disclaimer (‘for illustration purposes only’) or use images where characters aren’t identifiable.”

Many Republicans didn't like Obamacare. But my point isn't about politics. It's about how ABAY showed big ideas for using AI and tech to bring better healthcare to rural areas—like setting up free medical camps in fishing villages and putting 'Smart Dentist Xiao Bai' AI tools in remote clinics—way before the recent White House plans (like the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program that starts funding AI, robotics, and remote care in rural spots in 2026).

Even with AI and robots getting better, bringing really good, advanced healthcare to rural places on a huge scale is still hard. It's not just in America—it's tough in China and most countries too. Private companies don't make money from it because there aren't enough patients, the setup costs a lot, and internet or roads can be bad in remote areas. Governments try to help with money and programs like the White House effort now, or China's big pushes for telemedicine and AI in villages (Healthy China 2030 initiative launched in 2016). This can make some progress and test new ideas. But full, high-quality advanced care everywhere in rural areas is still very expensive and hard—it's only easy in a few better-connected or supported places.

That's why ABAY is inspiring. They show a smart CEO (Han Ting) and a determined woman (Ji Xing) making it happen. In real life, it's much harder without big government help or special setups. The show skips the tough money problems to give us a feel-good, hopeful story.

If it follows the pattern of her last three costume dramas, the release lands about ten months after wrapping.

What is she famous for?

did he have an ulcer?

Maybe it’s just coincidence, but interestingly, XK, BL, WJY, and WXY have each appeared in exactly five Yu Zheng productions. In his latest project Glory, Yu Zheng brought in two Hesong artists, but he was only able to do that by offering his own two—XK and WXY—with Xu Kai being the key piece that made the exchange possible, in my opinion.

XK – UL, SOYP, AMA, CT, RF (2018–2022)
BL – KINE, UL, AMA, SOY, Feud (2017–2025)
WJY – UL, SOYP, TLOHL, RF, TD (2018–2024)
WXY – SOY, DD, SOT, TD, PM (2021–2025)

Her “unclouded” nature doesn’t come from lacking desire, but from never letting desire rule or corrupt her. That clarity is what makes the ending possible — it allows her to reverse time, return to their first meeting, and free both of them from the weight of their tragic past. Their reunion becomes a clean, hopeful beginning rather than a repetition of loss. It’s a poignant conclusion that reinforces the drama’s central idea: real strength lies in a heart that remains pure even in the face of desire.

the ending is spot on

"When hatred is met with hatred, the darkness only deepens. But when hatred is met with a clear, unclouded heart, the cycle breaks — wounds soften, and both sides begin to heal. This is the essence of the story: a heart untouched by corruption can transform even the harshest fate."

the female lead is the unclouded soul. It's really the whole point of the ending

So I think what she’s saying is my first long‑form project opened my eyes to what long‑form can really do.

Then it’s not wrapping early — it’s wrapping on time. Xu Kai must be so looking forward to it.

Just Fight is criminal drama, it highly unlikely this year

You got me interested in Song Weilong's past with Yu Zheng. I always wondered what happened to him. I wonder if Yu Zheng showed displeasure with him after The Untouchable Lover (2018) was not the success he hoped for, and that led to their falling out because you don't find him in Yu Zheng productions after that. I think Yu Zheng used SWL as the scapegoat.

During the period around 2015/2016, Yu Zheng was in decline after his Palace successes, and his few top actors like Chen Xiao, who rose to fame in Yu Zheng palace dramas, left before his contract was up, and Zhang Zhehan, who didn’t want to be typecast in palace dramas, also left before his contract was up; and those who worked with Yu Zheng like Zhao Liying and Yang Mi, after they became famous in his Palace dramas, also left him, with Yang Mi establishing her own studio. This was the period when YZ was losing his established stars and desperately needed new talent. Yu Zheng then was trying to re‑establish himself.

The Untouchable Lover was a critical project for him at the time. The female lead apparently was very famous at the time, and it was supposed to be a step from famous child actor to adult actor, so it seemed there was a lot on the line for Yu Zheng. Because UL was supposed to revive YZ’s reputation, its failure hit him hard. When it didn’t get the success he needed, I guess he blamed SWL and must have sidelined him later, although I’m sure he would not want the role of Fuca Fuheng since it was not a male lead role and he was already established as a male lead — as you can see from his profile, he only took male lead roles.

He signed SWL in 2015, then Wu Jinyan, Bai Lu, Xu Kai, and others followed in 2016. Maybe SWL was so young, just 16, and didn’t quite get along with the strict Yu Zheng slave‑driving dictator style, or maybe SWL didn’t like doing palace historicals. His breakouts came in 2020 in two modern dramas. Despite his falling out with Yu Zheng, he managed to get roles with other studios, and of course, Yu Zheng, rather he’s working than not, approved them. But he also had two years, 2021–2022, with no dramas airing. Finally, in 2025, SWL got the biggest breakout of his career, Shine on Me, which is also a modern drama.

Now, Yu Zheng excels at (and pushes) palace/historical with strong visuals/intrigue. SWL's breakout hits are modern, suggesting he may have resisted or not fit the “palace actor” mold Yu Zheng favors for his roster. This could have caused friction early, especially if UL's mixed results led to reduced faith in him for those genres. Perhaps those who left Yu Zheng have shown that they really know what’s best for their own career.

YZ chases trends rather than setting them. He borrows heavily from existing formulas. In recent years, YZ has been leaning heavily into short‑form dramas, following whatever trend is hot at the moment. His works often feel like a blend of borrowed ideas rather than original concepts. Perhaps actors don’t want to be trapped in someone else’s trend‑chasing cycle.

I think in Untouchable Lovers, Bai Lu’s badass female general character dominated the second half, even though she was not the female lead. The female lead was already very famous in China, but she also wanted the role because Yu Zheng was a big‑name producer, and she needed to break into adult roles, so it was mutual benefit — they got her name, and she got the role. But they essentially gave Bai Lu the most prominent and impactful role in the second half of Untouchable Lovers as a supporting actress, a newcomer. She was essentially the female lead in the second half. She even sang for the Untouchable Lovers OST, which amplified her visibility. For a newcomer, this level of spotlight was unusual.

Bai Lu is the only one who was given a female lead in her first role in a Yu Zheng production, King Is Not Easy. Even SWL’s first role was a supporting role, same with Xu Kai, Wu Jin Yan, Wang Xing Yue, and all the others. This shows favoritism/promotion for her early on above anyone else. But for Yu Zheng, who was in decline, it was not King Is Not Easy or Untouchable Lovers that reignited his fame — it was Story of Yanxi Palace.

It’s interesting to note that Yu Zheng also had a child actor, Zhang Yijie, who worked on his projects before signing with Huanyu later on. His first main role — and first male lead role — was opposite Bai Lu in King Is Not Easy. The drama didn’t become a breakout for either of them, nor did it really elevate their careers. His latest drama was short‑form, just like a few of YZ’s other artists lately.

It says a lot about Xu Kai’s perseverance — he kept rising no matter how tough, strict, or unforgiving Yu Zheng’s environment became. Even if his breakout role was only a main supporting one (Fuca Fuheng), when he breaks out, he does it explosively. Whether it was female‑centric projects (ex: The Legends, Arsenal Military Academy, and many more) or roles with limited screentime (ex: Court Lady, Moonlit Reunion, and so on — maybe not WOL, which was more balanced), Xu Kai rose steadily through grit, good choices, and versatility, proving his resilience in a tough environment. I will not give up on Xu Kai.