To start I want to say I'm not hating on Xu Ruo Han. I've never seen her in any drama for more than a few minutes, but I've read others saying she's their favorite or she's really good in "drama name here." I don't know her range or what she's capable of.

The FL in this drama is a really complex character to play. I've had trouble trying to figure her out the entire time I've been watching. A lot of that is due to the writing and the fact that we don't get to see her inner thoughts and character growth like we do with ML.

The writers have turned Ping Jun into a disaster magnet. It can't be easy to portray a character who is beaten up by circumstances every ten minutes. And she is paired opposite a strong, cunning, selfish, powerful man who is so far above her in status that it's amazing she had the guts to talk back to him in the first place. And then she gets turned into a dishrag by the constant wearing away of any protective shield she might have had. That would be a challenge for any actress to portray, particularly when a majority of the audience wants her to acquiesce to CX at any cost to her desires.

So can you think of an actress you think was made for this role, or at the least could accept the challenge of it and come out with the audience on her side? No right or wrong answers and if you think I'm totally off base, that's fine, too.

Moonstruck:

That said, many top actress would not even touch the script for this drama due to the content and the number of intimate scenes.

I never thought of this. It is pushing the limits in a lot of ways and some of the comments on Viki have been surprised at things that have gotten through censorship. And having just finished ep 29 I know there are more to come.

Your list is really interesting. Zhao Lusi would be good for the cutesy, shy parts (I loved her opposite Liu Yuning in The Long Ballad. Their scenes are the only ones I watched).

Wang Churan would be great for the bold aspect and I think she would do well with the vulnerable parts. She was in Are You the One? and she played an amnesiac through most of it and the man she was married to was not actually her husband! He lied to her for political reasons. I can actually see her in this role. The only drawback might be the fact that she's 3" shorter than Cheng Lei and he has to carry her so many times. I'm not sure it would have quite the same effect.

Definitely kudos to Xu Ruo Han for accepting this role. The more I watch the more I see what a difficult role it really is. I hope she gets a boost and more offers because of it.