whoissilmoy

MDL is fully aware of how much ratings influence viewer interest—this is their field, and research consistently shows that ratings play a major role in what people choose to watch. High‑8 scores (like 8.5+) get people excited and draw them in, while mid‑7s (around 7.5) make a drama seem average and slow its momentum. Yet MDL still displays these early ratings prominently, even on day one, like with a certain popular actor’s dramas where the score often sits around 7.5–7.8 literally on the first day of airing. This shapes how people see the show: casual viewers glance at a mid‑7 and assume it might not be worth watching. It also gives critics and haters an easy opening—they point to the score, question the drama’s quality, and end up discouraging others from giving it a chance. And once that early ratings shape perception, they start to shape reality too—people tend to follow what they see, so a drama that starts at 7.5 often gets rated lower simply because viewers expect it to be average.

No need to brag.

Seeing patterns between Xu Kai and Hesong:
Wang Xingyue had just begun to rise after First Love (2022), and Yu Zheng, as the producer, used Scent of Time (2023) to keep that momentum going by pairing him with a stronger, already‑rising actress. Zhou Ye had gained significant visibility from the hit drama Word of Honor (2021), making her an ideal partner to elevate the project. To secure her participation, Xu Kai was paired with another Hesong actress, Gülnezer, in Snow Eagle Lord, reflecting a mutually beneficial exchange of casting resources between the two companies.

Actually, Hesong originally wanted Xu Kai + Zhou Ye pairing in exchange for Zhou Ye + Wang Xing Yue but instead got Xu kai + Gulnezar. Now, they finally got what they wanted with A Cup of Love 2026.

Xu Kai didn’t need help or placement in 2022. He was already established, one of Huanyu’s biggest assets, and platforms wanted him.

Wang Xingyue needed the boost — Xu Kai didn’t. Yu Zheng’s priority in 2022 was building Wang Xingyue, not “helping” Xu Kai. Hesong wouldn’t give Zhou Ye without getting something meaningful in return. Even if the role was good, they would still want a strong male lead for one of their actresses — and Xu Kai is a very meaningful return. So the exchange looks like this: Huanyu wants Zhou Ye; Hesong wants a top male lead for Gülnezer; Xu Kai is the perfect match.

This is how the cooperation makes sense to me.

However, Snow Eagle Lord didn’t elevate Xu Kai, whereas Scent of Time boosted Wang Xingyue’s visibility.

It seems to me the pattern continues. For the first time, Yu Zheng appears as Chief Producer on Glory (2025/2026), a major milestone for him, which stars two Hesong leads, Neo Hou and Gülnezer. Then in Yi Ou Chun (2026), a Hesong actress, Zhou Ye, is paired with Xu Kai for the first time — consistent with the cooperation between Huanyu and Hesong. This suggests that Yu Zheng wanted Hesong artists for his milestone project, and in return, Xu Kai — Huanyu’s most bankable male lead — continues to appear opposite Hesong actresses as part of a long‑term cooperative relationship.

Zhou Ye had fully broken out by the end of 2023. By the end of 2025, after LOTFG, she had gained greater range, credibility, and industry standing — but she still had not reached the top‑tier traffic level of actresses like Yang Zi.

Even with Zhou Ye rising quickly, Xu Kai’s tier remained above hers, which is exactly why Hesong was willing to negotiate. Xu Kai is a top‑tier male lead, and that category is extremely valuable to agencies. Top‑tier male leads are rare, highly bankable, and fiercely competed for.

And we can also reasonably propose that the Xu Ruohan × Wang Xingyue pairing in Love in the Red Dust is part of the same leverage cycle that secured Xu Kai × Zhou Ye in Yi Ou Chun, given that both dramas were filmed around the same time.

Everything ultimately revolves around Xu Kai. He is the real bargaining chip in this entire cooperation cycle — the actor Hesong truly wanted for Zhou Ye. Without Xu Kai on the table, Hesong would not have agreed to any exchange. When you lay out the pattern, the structure becomes obvious:

Hesong → Yu Zheng
Neo Hou (for Glory)
Gülnezer (for Glory)
Xu Ruohan (for Love in the Red Dust) - she signed with Hesong relatively recently. She needs to build momentum after The Best Thing 2025

Yu Zheng → Hesong
Xu Kai (for Zhou Ye in Yi Ou Chun)
Wang Xingyue (paired with Xu Ruohan)

But the real prize for Hesong was always Xu Kai for Zhou Ye.
Wang Xingyue’s participation is essentially part of the broader cooperation package, but the true negotiation point — the one that actually mattered — was securing Xu Kai. Without Xu Kai, Hesong will not agreed to any of this, as long as there is a Xu Kai to secure. It seems to me that Xu Kai has consistently been the high-value asset in this Huanyu-Hesong exchange dynamic.

This is how I see it. Hesong only has these three actresses, the others are older or play supporting roles so hopefully, this is it for Xu Kai. Hesong can still try to pair Wang Xing Yue with Gulnezer. Oh wait, there could still potentially be Xu Kai + Xu Ruohan if Xu Kai renews his contract and she gets more visibility. I wonder if Hesong will be asking for Bai Lu + Neo Hou in the future since Neo Hou is gaining prominence, but Yu Zheng has never pair her outside his agency.

What do you think of Grokipedia’s write‑up on Xu Kai? Overall, it’s detailed and fairly extensive, but it puts too much weight on the August 2025 material because it’s generated by an AI system, and that emphasis could negatively influence how readers perceive him.

Since it’s AI‑generated, it leans heavily on whatever information is most visible or repeated online. Seeing that really makes me understand why PR matters so much now, but at the same time, I understand why Xu Kai won't promote himself. He’s not into hype, and fans love him for that sincerity and authenticity. But others are filling the silence for him. It also helps when fans share positive things about Xu Kai in places that are public and easy to find. That kind of content can shape the overall online conversation, and AI tools often pick up on those broader patterns when they summarize someone. Marketing groups pay attention to what fans are saying. Those conversations give them real-time ideas about what content will resonate, and they’ll often put their own spin on it—especially if promoting Xu Kai isn’t their goal or if they’re being paid to push a negative angle. Still, AI mostly reflects the overall tone of the public information it can access.

8000+
https://mydramalist.com/list/Ln8MaQw4

this is a yu zheng drama? No, he doesn't spend tons of money of marketing type for his artists.

Thanks for sharing. I don't visit Weibo so it's interesting to see that my sentiments are shared by others on Weibo.
" Xu Kai speaks with his works"
"Xu Kai is quite low-key"
"Xu Kai is down-to-earth, and the core is very stable"

Teasers and trailers are just glimpses. It’s not a good idea to overanalyze.

what do you mean, "what's the point in watching this drama?" If romance is the only thing you watch him for, that’s your personal taste. Other fans enjoy seeing him in different genres too.

Cutting scenes after filming usually costs money, not saves it, because those are already sunk production costs.

Where are you getting the idea that the Chinese government is banning romantic scenes? There’s no official guideline or law in China that says ‘no romance.’ The reports you’re seeing are media interpretations of broader content guidelines — not an actual ban on romance.

I’m not involved in the production, so I have no idea why they haven’t released anything yet. What kind of ‘quality’ are you trying to judge from a teaser?

She can still go back in time and be with him, and each time, it gets better. Each time she returns, they both have memories so it's happy too. The ending has a purpose that ties to the theme of the story.

This kind of setting of "the heroine is infinitely reincarnated until she successfully breaks the cycle of fate" is simply tailored for multi-season dramas~

I just realized that "Unclouded Soul" refers to "Xiao Yao's pure heart, which is not dominated by desires," which was the key to her ability to use time reversing spells.

The ending of The Unclouded Soul is bittersweet but hopeful open ending
1. Happy/Sweet because Xiao Yao finally figures out and masters time travel, letting her willingly return to a beautiful moment with Hong Ye and relive their love.
2. Hopeful because Xiao Yao goes back in time knowing everything that went wrong before. With that knowledge, she can change events, avoid the bad things, make their story much happier, and most likely break the repeating cycle for good so they can live peacefully together forever. If Xiao Yao succeeds in breaking the cycle of reincarnation, Hong Ye will not die.
3. Sad because we just saw Hong Ye sacrifice himself, which hurts a lot, and the drama ends very suddenly without showing us the full happy life afterward. We’re left guessing a bit and still feeling the pain.

Only Xiao Yao's pure heart ("unclouded soul") and accumulated wisdom (reincarnation memory) can completely break the cycle and save Hongye. Because she can repeatedly reverse time and restart reincarnation, Hongye has the opportunity to truly survive without having to sacrifice.

The theme that the whole play wants to convey the most: love and pure heart, which can finally overcome fate and desire~

They need a season 2

I think there is hope too that with each cycle she learns how to break out of it

So, a loop (an eternal Mobius loop) that repeats until she can figure her way out, but they left signs of hope that with each learning, she will break out of the loop, right?

that doesn't sound so bad to me

7th year would be 2023. There were couple of nasty sexually transmitted disease videos that circulated. I was still new to Xu kai and Cdrama at the time, it shocked me. That shock helped me get over it. This is how it is for him. Then Aug 2025, another shock. After a month of that, I stopped looking at YT videos. I don't want to know anymore.