Li Yunrui has quickly risen to become a male idol in Chinese dramas with appearances in hit series like ‘Nine Layers of Purple’, ‘Hidden God’, and ‘Love Like the Galaxy’. However, the sequel to ‘Princess Agents’—‘Rebirth on the Frozen Lake’, in which he stars alongside Huang Yangdiantian, known as the “Little Zhao Liying”—has received extremely poor reviews. Not only did it score a recent record low of 3 points for a Chinese drama on Douban, but with an overall production cost of 200 million RMB (about 110 million MYR), it aired without a single advertisement from the first to the final episode, making it unlikely for costs to be recouped. Recently, rumors surfaced online that a victory party for ‘Rebirth on the Frozen Lake’ would be held on the 20th, a move that left the entire internet dumbfounded. According to insiders, the real reason for this victory party is to promote Huang Yangdiantian and generate buzz for her upcoming series ‘Mermaid’.
‘Rebirth on the Frozen Lake’ is a sequel to ‘Princess Agents’, originally starring Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin, and adapted from the novel ‘The Royal Agent Princess’ by Xiao Xiang Dong Er. However, the plot takes major liberties from the source material, and leading actress Huang Yangdiantian has struggled to recover her popularity after being embroiled in a fake earrings and flaunting wealth scandal. Additionally, many of Li Yunrui’s scenes were reportedly cut, with the camera focusing primarily on Huang Yangdiantian and the supporting cast, greatly limiting the influence of ordinarily ratings-guaranteed Li Yunrui. Consequently, ‘Rebirth on the Frozen Lake’ has suffered poor word-of-mouth, aired without a single advertisement, and has been mocked online as China’s worst drama of the year—a truly awkward situation.
Under these circumstances, the news that a victory party would be held on the 20th triggered a new wave of mockery across the internet. Fans of Li Yunrui and Zhang Kangle became concerned that their idols’ attendance would subject them to negative association with Huang Yangdiantian, potentially hurting their own popularity. The rumored motivation for the celebration, it’s speculated, is to give Huang Yangdiantian a publicity boost. Recently, Huang has made frequent public appearances, tearfully claiming in interviews that both she and her younger brother have been bullied due to the fake earrings flaunting wealth scandal, and is actively trying to turn around her negative image.
Source: Up Media Pop