This year, Zhang Ling He skyrocketed to fame thanks to the sweet romance drama "Love You." In the past, his performances in "The Last Immortal" with Yu Shuxin, "Story of Kunning Palace" with Bai Lu, and "The Tale of Rose" alongside Zhao Jinmai have all been highly popular, making him a new-generation male idol in Chinese dramas. On the 23rd, he attended Tencent’s 2025 investment promotion conference, teaming up with Tian Xiwei from "Nightwatcher of Dafeng" to walk the red carpet for their new drama "Chasing Jade." However, the two completely ignored each other as if the other was invisible, displaying an awkwardness akin to divorced couples and immediately trending online. Netizens joked that if rumors of clashing over billing order during filming weren’t enough, now they don’t even bother pretending, blatantly presenting their discord on stage, which could be considered a unique form of publicity!
Since Zhang Ling He and Tian Xiwei began co-starring in "Chasing Jade," there have been multiple reports of a falling-out over billing order. The main reason is that "Chasing Jade" is a female-centered drama focusing on the protagonist Fan Changyu (played by Tian Xiwei) as she strives to raise her younger sister and build her family business in difficult times. In fact, before filming began, Zhang Ling He’s fans advised him not to accept the role. At the time, his team promised that his joining would guarantee him first billing as the male lead. Unexpectedly, after filming started, Tian Xiwei’s team stated to the public that the two would share equal billing, leading to intense arguments between both fandoms.
There are rumors that the agents of Zhang Ling He and Tian Xiwei do not get along due to an emotional conflict, secretly competing for resources, and thus, during this collaboration, both teams argued fiercely until shooting wrapped, neither side willing to give an inch. When "Chasing Jade"'s official Weibo account celebrated the end of filming, they listed Zhang Ling He's name first and Tian Xiwei’s second, but specifically noted, "order not indicative of ranking," still failing to settle matters, which left fans outraged. To top it off, on the day of filming completion, both actors posted wrap-up photos on Weibo, but only shared photos of themselves, with no joint photos at all. The hashtag "Zhang Ling He and Tian Xiwei have no joint wrap-up photos" instantly trended.
The awkwardness didn’t end there. For the Tencent promotional event for new dramas, Zhang Ling He and Tian Xiwei appeared together as a pair for "Chasing Jade," but walked the red carpet separately, completely ignoring each other and radiating an icy atmosphere—just like a pair of divorced spouses. In the end, Tian Xiwei left without so much as a word, leaving Zhang Ling He standing alone, which immediately sparked massive discussion.
News source: Up Media