Zhao Lusi Has Two New Dramas Awaiting Release, Popularity Soars with William Chan Partnership

Zhao Lusi has had a public falling out with her management company “Galaxy Cool Entertainment”. Both parties have posted on Weibo, clashing with each other—she wants to terminate her contract, while the company insists on keeping her. Netizens are worried that her contract dispute might affect her yet-to-be-aired new dramas. The modern drama “Let Me Shine”, starring her and William Chan, has long ranked among the top on Tencent Video's upcoming drama popularity list, with nearly 3 million reservations. It was originally slated for the summer vacation slot in July, but has now been postponed to September. As for “Lovers,” which halted filming late last year due to her sudden illness, it was initially planned for 24 episodes, but rumors say that the completed footage was edited into 14 episodes for review. Some analysts believe that since the dramas have already been sold to the platform, broadcasting them shouldn't be a problem; the worry is that she may no longer receive good scripts, or even be frozen out of the industry entirely.

Zhao Lusi, now 26, rose to fame in 2020 with “The Romance of Tiger and Rose.” She later starred in “Who Rules the World,” “Love Like the Galaxy,” “Hidden Love,” “Curtain of Beads,” and other well-received projects. Last June, she filmed “Let Me Shine” with William Chan, which features a marriage-before-love storyline—from scheming against each other to finally facing their true feelings, the drama is highly anticipated by netizens. However, due to intensifying conflicts with her management company, promotion and resource coordination have stalled, so the platform has yet to officially announce an airing date. In a livestream last month, Zhao Lusi voiced her dissatisfaction with the delay: “No idea why it’s not airing yet or what’s going on. Who knows where the problem is?” Outsiders speculate that if the standoff between her and the company eases, the drama could be released as soon as September.

As for the new Youku drama “Lovers,” co-starring Peng Guanying, it began filming in October last year and was originally expected to take three months. However, Zhao Lusi was hospitalized with severe depression and anxiety at the end of December, causing the crew to halt filming. Early this year, it was officially disbanded, which became the catalyst for Zhao Lusi’s conflict with her management. She accused the company of not consulting her before disbanding the crew, which resulted in her bearing huge compensation; the company has allegedly withdrawn approximately 1.21 million ringgit from her studio's account without authorization. Reportedly, about one-third of “Lovers” was left unfilmed. In the end, the drama was renamed “Flowing Fish” and submitted for review as a 14-episode series, causing netizens to question the integrity of the plot.