A good example is The Double. WXY was 21 and WJY was 34 — a 12 to 13‑year age gap — but WXY carries a very mature on‑screen presence. Because of that, the discussion quickly shifted from the age difference to how impressive such a young actor is and how strong their chemistry feels.
Just my thoughts on the ongoing age discussions pre-air... People are making too much out of the age issue when the drama hasn't even aired. There was a time in Chinese films and dramas when they cast 16- and 17-year-old girls in romance stories. Liu Yifei (Crystal Liu) was only 16 when she played opposite Hu Ge who was 21 in Chinese Paladin. As long as the romance is innocent—no kissing or anything beyond handholding—and the acting is convincing, focused on emotional connection, adventure, and intrigue, then people will be talking about their acting, not their age gap (even if it's larger). Back then, viewers didn't ask about 'when's the first kiss' because there was no kissing. Today, so many viewers equate romance with kissing or physical scenes, so they think a 17-year-old is 'underage' for that—even when there may not be any kissing at all. If she pulls off a mature presence playing a young girl, that will really stop people from discussing her age—or the gap—altogether.
Even if he waits until 1.) he re-signs or 2.) signs with someone else, he's got plenty of projects that will be…
Your bias leads you to assume Xu Kai needed an apology to get high‑budget projects or male‑centric roles. That isn’t supported by his career. The lawsuit you mentioned is two years old, filed during Moonlit Reunion, and it didn’t slow him down. Producers clearly didn’t hesitate to hire him. Budgets are set based on business strategy, market analysis, and investment planning, often before casting is even locked.
Since then, he’s filmed Fire Investigator, 800 Meters in Radius, A Cup of Love/Spring, and is now filming Tian Du Yi Wen Lu. Three of those four are male‑centric roles, which shows he wasn’t limited by reputation or waiting for an apology to get strong projects. Xu Kai took on Fire Investigator (fire‑crime investigative thriller), 800 Meters in Radius (crime/mystery/thriller), and now another costume investigative drama because he wants to expand his range — these are deliberate career choices.
And why assume Xu Kai has lost popularity? He’s always had strong screen presence, regardless of whether a drama is considered ‘better.’
No one knows unless they announce it. His schedule will be announced by his team . Without any info about the…
You’re making assumptions and trying to devalue a drama that hasn’t even aired yet, and you’re planting doubt about both the project and Xu Kai without having any actual information.
Why are you so happy that it is ‘finishing early.’ The production schedule does not impact you. I don't think filming has wrapped yet.
Even if he waits until 1.) he re-signs or 2.) signs with someone else, he's got plenty of projects that will be…
Why are you connecting the apology to xu kai being "offered a good high budget male centric drama?" Are you implying that he needs this apology to “qualify” for big projects? That without it, he can't get a "male centric" role? That’s a pretty negative assumption about Xu Kai’s standing in the industry.
Yu Zheng co‑founded Huanyu Entertainment in 2012 after merging his previous company into it. Most comments about Yu Zheng tend to be negative. He’s been involved in plagiarism disputes, he’s outspoken online, and he often ends up in controversies, which I think he does it for publicity.
Since Xu Kai is signed under Huanyu, Yu Zheng has a say in which projects he takes. His priority is the overall benefit to the company, so project approvals are usually based on what aligns with Huanyu’s business interests — whether that’s promoting other artists, strengthening partnerships, or maintaining industry relationships.
There are rumors about whether Xu Kai has renewed his contract, but nothing has been confirmed publicly. If his contract is ten years, it would end around August 2026. Going independent in C‑ent isn’t easy — it requires resources, connections, and time. Based on Xu Kai’s interviews, he seems more focused on family than chasing fame, so it’s hard to predict what direction he’ll choose. For now, no one really knows his plans.
I think it’s reasonable to assume Yu Zheng react negatively if Xu Kai leaves, simply because a departing top artist becomes direct competition. Given Yu Zheng’s personality and how he handles public conflicts, it will get messy. I wouldn't be surprised if YZ smears Xu Kai.
Rumoured around 2/9 If this is true then definitely filming till the end of this month . See this 👇 copy paste…
I went to Douban, there's no discussions on the book. I only see positive comments: "This is my father's stand-in literature" "Oh huh, the series I chased during the high school magazine period came out" "When I was in junior high school, I was fortunate to watch several issues of the mystery world, and several cases left a deep impression, which belonged to the relatively early national style reasoning detective novels, and I hope they can be well adapted" "This is really a childhood memory killing. The green mountains and green levels of An County, dreaming of the Tang Dynasty case always feel emotional."
It’s probably not as interesting for reuters to film two guys talking compared to the ML and FL teasing each other in BTS. And with so many action scenes, that’s naturally what reuters are focusing on.
I know who this is and he's 1 of my favorite actors. Most traffic actors hardcore fans operate like this, there's…
Actor‑style traffic and idol‑style traffic
Xu Kai’s traffic profile He leans more toward: Dramas / acting output Brand endorsements Prestige events Traditional media appearances Talk show, travel, cultural appearances (he was on some show that talked about Macau)
... such as activities that boost reputation, not traffic. Carrying the Olympic torch, a symbolic national honor. Performing at major cultural festivals (e.g., Chinese New Year Gala) Being a guest of honor at fashion weeks: Milan Receiving awards at major ceremonies or in the past, he was invited to announce recipients at Huading award because he was a past recipient (if I recall the correct one) Serving as a cultural ambassador
... and these maintain visibility but don’t create the viral fan‑driven buzz Magazine covers and photo shoots Interviews Print media features Official promotional events Red carpets, brand openings, store events.
Xu Kai does not promote himself at all. He has no marketing behind him. That's what makes him, a top actor who is popular and does get traffic for his dramas, an interesting case. The only publicity he gets is negative. His traffic shows stable, gradual growth.
He doesn’t use the viral, fan‑driven methods that idols and traffic actors depend on to keep their traffic high — things like: Frequent livestreams Variety show saturation High‑volume social media posting Performance‑based content (singing, dancing, rapping) dance practice videos music releases
Please don’t read any politics into what I’m about to say. I was watching TV, and the rural healthcare goals discussed by the White House today reminded me of ABAY — specifically how Han Ting devoted his life to using AI and robotics to bring healthcare closer to rural communities after his parents died in a rural accident when he was a young boy, because timely medical care wasn’t available.
The idea being discussed is essentially the same: using technology that’s already widely available in urban America to save lives in rural America. ABAY was filmed in 2023, and only now is the United States beginning to talk about these concepts.
For example, Butler, PA has no neurosurgeons. If someone suffers a head injury that requires immediate surgery, they have about one hour to receive care, and Pittsburgh is too far away for many patients to make it in time. With telerobotic surgery, however, patients could access the specialist care they need without leaving their local hospital. This is exactly the kind of technology that might have saved Han Ting’s parents.
Another example mentioned was rural areas in Alabama where there are no OB/GYNs. The proposal is to use robotic systems to perform ultrasounds on pregnant women and transmit the images to major medical centers to help with early detection of risks in pregnancies. ABAY did a similar program with dental care.
Making advanced healthcare accessible in rural China with the help of AI and robotics was a central theme in ABAY. It also showed how he ultimately made his company’s AI database open‑source to accelerate progress across the entire industry, alongside the broader question of whether AI will ultimately help or harm humanity — a topic Han Ting and Ji Xing briefly reflect on in their old age. Han Ting’s decision was strategic and visionary — bold, risk‑taking, and decisively carried out — allowing him to stay at the forefront while helping the entire industry grow and advance at a much faster pace.
https://weibo.com/5938847841/5255479493395340Saw this post on weibo which explains yu tong’s character. There…
thanks for posting weibo comments
"Wow, it's really good, it's not a simple crime-solving film as I imagined before" "His personal story line is more attractive to me than the case itself" "Damn, in this market now, there are few people with such feelings and characters"
It's interesting to find someone on Weibo felt exactly as I did when watching Royal Feast: "when I first watched Zhu Zhanji, I also liked the part of grandfather and grandson and father and son the most."
If an 8 seems low, it’s because MDL ratings skew high for a variety of reasons. I’ve long ignored the differences anyway, since plenty of dramas end up underrated. Many dramas earn strong metrics or awards that aren’t reflected in their MDL score. It doesn’t make sense to rely solely on MDL ratings.
I just need our kiwis who is able to comment on YZ's account in china to give him a piece of our mind since I…
YZ here is ref. to Yu Zheng. His agency has a tight relationship with another agency named Hesong, Neo Hao and Gulnezar are both with Hesong. YZ was able to get these two for Glory in exchange for mutual benefits. I discover something interesting from reading the director's piece on Douban. YZ first time he's chief producer which is higher than producer or executive producer; basically, I think he calls all the shots, so he's able to bring in a short-form drama director for Glory. I also noticed that YZ has been dabbling in short form dramas with his less popular artists in recent years. Also, The Double was wildly successful and does have that short-form style of fast pace grab your attention from scene to scene and now I realized that's why he brought in Lü Hao Ji Ji who hadn't worked for over ten years. His instincts were right about Lü Hao Ji Ji's inherent high-energy style (extreme close-ups, dramatic wind effects, theatrical flair) as ideal for amplifying the short-drama mindset in a long format. I wonder if he brought in the short form director to try to replicate The Double's success which this director failed to do, or he's trying to create new partnerships in that space. All this does have an impact on the Glory. The director's piece, she did say she tried to incorporate short-form elements with long-form.
i know nothing about cdrama 'drama'. what's wrong with yu zheng? 👁️👄👁️ (i started watching cdramas…
He thrives on controversy —even manufactures it — and knows exactly how to exploit it. He went from an unknown figure to someone filing lawsuits against well‑known personalities. Somewhere early on, he clearly learned that publicity, whether positive or negative, is a powerful currency.
Creatively, he’s not particularly original; he has a reputation for plagiarism and doesn’t seem to have a strong eye for genuine talent because that's not his focus, which are profits. What he does have are sharp instincts for turning attention into profit.
I’ll give him that, even if his methods often feel self‑serving at the expense of others. I haven’t come across many kind remarks about him, yet viewers still enjoy some of the dramas he’s written or produced — though they frequently point out how much he copies and pastes from other works.
2 
1 
People are making too much out of the age issue when the drama hasn't even aired.
There was a time in Chinese films and dramas when they cast 16- and 17-year-old girls in romance stories.
Liu Yifei (Crystal Liu) was only 16 when she played opposite Hu Ge who was 21 in Chinese Paladin. As long as the romance is innocent—no kissing or anything beyond handholding—and the acting is convincing, focused on emotional connection, adventure, and intrigue, then people will be talking about their acting, not their age gap (even if it's larger). Back then, viewers didn't ask about 'when's the first kiss' because there was no kissing.
Today, so many viewers equate romance with kissing or physical scenes, so they think a 17-year-old is 'underage' for that—even when there may not be any kissing at all. If she pulls off a mature presence playing a young girl, that will really stop people from discussing her age—or the gap—altogether.
Since then, he’s filmed Fire Investigator, 800 Meters in Radius, A Cup of Love/Spring, and is now filming Tian Du Yi Wen Lu. Three of those four are male‑centric roles, which shows he wasn’t limited by reputation or waiting for an apology to get strong projects. Xu Kai took on Fire Investigator (fire‑crime investigative thriller), 800 Meters in Radius (crime/mystery/thriller), and now another costume investigative drama because he wants to expand his range — these are deliberate career choices.
And why assume Xu Kai has lost popularity? He’s always had strong screen presence, regardless of whether a drama is considered ‘better.’
Why are you so happy that it is ‘finishing early.’ The production schedule does not impact you. I don't think filming has wrapped yet.
Yu Zheng co‑founded Huanyu Entertainment in 2012 after merging his previous company into it. Most comments about Yu Zheng tend to be negative. He’s been involved in plagiarism disputes, he’s outspoken online, and he often ends up in controversies, which I think he does it for publicity.
Since Xu Kai is signed under Huanyu, Yu Zheng has a say in which projects he takes. His priority is the overall benefit to the company, so project approvals are usually based on what aligns with Huanyu’s business interests — whether that’s promoting other artists, strengthening partnerships, or maintaining industry relationships.
There are rumors about whether Xu Kai has renewed his contract, but nothing has been confirmed publicly. If his contract is ten years, it would end around August 2026. Going independent in C‑ent isn’t easy — it requires resources, connections, and time. Based on Xu Kai’s interviews, he seems more focused on family than chasing fame, so it’s hard to predict what direction he’ll choose. For now, no one really knows his plans.
I think it’s reasonable to assume Yu Zheng react negatively if Xu Kai leaves, simply because a departing top artist becomes direct competition. Given Yu Zheng’s personality and how he handles public conflicts, it will get messy. I wouldn't be surprised if YZ smears Xu Kai.
"This is my father's stand-in literature"
"Oh huh, the series I chased during the high school magazine period came out"
"When I was in junior high school, I was fortunate to watch several issues of the mystery world, and several cases left a deep impression, which belonged to the relatively early national style reasoning detective novels, and I hope they can be well adapted"
"This is really a childhood memory killing. The green mountains and green levels of An County, dreaming of the Tang Dynasty case always feel emotional."
Here are some bts of Xu Kai and Miles. Xu Kai looks happy.
https://x.com/i/status/2011011249958764589
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sy_GRsT6MLI?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BPcKerwBD1U
https://x.com/i/status/2013161117892108420
https://x.com/i/status/2013189592451776787
https://x.com/i/status/2013322605105754422
Xu Kai’s traffic profile
He leans more toward:
Dramas / acting output
Brand endorsements
Prestige events
Traditional media appearances
Talk show, travel, cultural appearances (he was on some show that talked about Macau)
... such as activities that boost reputation, not traffic.
Carrying the Olympic torch, a symbolic national honor.
Performing at major cultural festivals (e.g., Chinese New Year Gala)
Being a guest of honor at fashion weeks: Milan
Receiving awards at major ceremonies or in the past, he was invited to announce recipients at Huading award because he was a past recipient (if I recall the correct one)
Serving as a cultural ambassador
... and these maintain visibility but don’t create the viral fan‑driven buzz
Magazine covers and photo shoots
Interviews
Print media features
Official promotional events
Red carpets, brand openings, store events.
Xu Kai does not promote himself at all. He has no marketing behind him. That's what makes him, a top actor who is popular and does get traffic for his dramas, an interesting case. The only publicity he gets is negative. His traffic shows stable, gradual growth.
He doesn’t use the viral, fan‑driven methods that idols and traffic actors depend on to keep their traffic high — things like:
Frequent livestreams
Variety show saturation
High‑volume social media posting
Performance‑based content (singing, dancing, rapping)
dance practice videos
music releases
The idea being discussed is essentially the same: using technology that’s already widely available in urban America to save lives in rural America. ABAY was filmed in 2023, and only now is the United States beginning to talk about these concepts.
For example, Butler, PA has no neurosurgeons. If someone suffers a head injury that requires immediate surgery, they have about one hour to receive care, and Pittsburgh is too far away for many patients to make it in time. With telerobotic surgery, however, patients could access the specialist care they need without leaving their local hospital. This is exactly the kind of technology that might have saved Han Ting’s parents.
Another example mentioned was rural areas in Alabama where there are no OB/GYNs. The proposal is to use robotic systems to perform ultrasounds on pregnant women and transmit the images to major medical centers to help with early detection of risks in pregnancies. ABAY did a similar program with dental care.
Making advanced healthcare accessible in rural China with the help of AI and robotics was a central theme in ABAY. It also showed how he ultimately made his company’s AI database open‑source to accelerate progress across the entire industry, alongside the broader question of whether AI will ultimately help or harm humanity — a topic Han Ting and Ji Xing briefly reflect on in their old age. Han Ting’s decision was strategic and visionary — bold, risk‑taking, and decisively carried out — allowing him to stay at the forefront while helping the entire industry grow and advance at a much faster pace.
"Wow, it's really good, it's not a simple crime-solving film as I imagined before"
"His personal story line is more attractive to me than the case itself"
"Damn, in this market now, there are few people with such feelings and characters"
It's interesting to find someone on Weibo felt exactly as I did when watching Royal Feast:
"when I first watched Zhu Zhanji, I also liked the part of grandfather and grandson and father and son the most."
Creatively, he’s not particularly original; he has a reputation for plagiarism and doesn’t seem to have a strong eye for genuine talent because that's not his focus, which are profits. What he does have are sharp instincts for turning attention into profit.
I’ll give him that, even if his methods often feel self‑serving at the expense of others. I haven’t come across many kind remarks about him, yet viewers still enjoy some of the dramas he’s written or produced — though they frequently point out how much he copies and pastes from other works.