31-year-old Chinese actress Bai Lu recently announced that her contract with Yu Zheng’s company Huanyu Entertainment has ended, and she is now starting her own studio. The public is paying close attention to her next move. Her new drama, Blossoms of the Tea Plant, adapted from writer Yi Shu’s novel, began filming on the 24th. It’s a modern revenge drama centered on a female lead, and she will be working with Peng Guanyu, Samantha Ko, and Chang Huasen. With high anticipation for the new show, her short 'dog-bitten'-style haircut has been strongly criticized by fans, and during the opening ceremony, she misjudged the height of the stage and accidentally fell, startling everyone present.
The original novel of Blossoms of the Tea Plant tells the story of the 19-year-old protagonist Wang Yun Na who falls in love with her father's 40-year-old married business partner Teng Hai Qi and becomes his mistress. After being rejected when she tries to force a marriage, she stabs Teng Hai Qi and hurts herself as well. Heartbroken, she leaves for the US for seven years. During this time, Teng Hai Qi uses the opportunity to get a divorce and takes over the Wang family business. Seven years later, Wang Yun Na returns to Hong Kong for her father’s illness and meets fashion designer Zuo Wensi, with whom she soon becomes engaged—only to discover he is Teng Hai Qi’s brother-in-law. She then realizes her forbidden relationship years ago was all part of a calculated plan, prompting her to start her revenge. Bai Lu will be playing the full character arc, from a pure schoolgirl to a vengeful woman, marking a major breakthrough.
Bai Lu is best known for her costume dramas such as Forever and Ever, Till the End of the Moon, and Story of Kunning Palace. Her last modern drama, Only for Love with Dylan Wang, had both its styling and plot criticized as old-fashioned and cliched. Now that photos of her short haircut in the new drama have emerged, fans worry about repeating the same mistakes as Only for Love and have asked her studio to make improvements.