Meari21

Not related to your post but I just realized your profile pic is He Yu. lol Loved him in Dashing Youth. I gotta send you a friend request!

He is exactly that. He seems to be the reluctant leader who didn't really want the responsibility. But court politics is brutal and many would want to overthrow him as well as other demon kings eyeing to conquer his kingdom. So he has to put up a cold and ruthless front to give the illusion that he's not to be messed with. He is formidable but he's not like the other kings. He cares about his people and his subjects are clearly loyal and devoted to him. I mean, he got a powerful and idealistic princess to work for him as his personal guard. That counts for something. As others have said, he's like the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Formidable and intimidating but a big softie deep down. That's why he never tried to break Bai Shou's spirit and completely dominate her. In fact, every time she opposed and defied him, you see admiration in his eyes. You never see him becoming furious by her audacity. He only got angry when she was being reckless.

This is not the same story, though. The characters are not the same either. They didn't even use the same names for the gods because of copyright restrictions. This is meant to be a standalone story. You don't need to watch Ancient Love Poetry to understand this. As much as I love Liu Xueyi, I do understand the need for them to change the actors as they are merely reincarnations of the characters in ALP. Not to mention that they probably wanted to get a bigger name for the female lead and a fresh face for the male lead. To me, it makes sense that they chose different actors here. It's not like they're recasting the roles as they are actually different ones.

That's why I said "almost". Their features are not common in Asia. Those who have similar features usually have mixed ethnicity.

Yes. I like that he never complained about princess carrying Bai Lu even though it took them several takes to shoot that scene. Bai Lu made fun of him sweating but he just laughed it off. Other actors I've seen would complain that the actresses are so heavy or joke that the women should lose more weight so they can lift them more easily. He was such a gentleman. Plus he let her playfully beat him up. 🤣

Yep. Hope he starts posting more stuff soon. Apparently, he is blowing up in China now. He has been trending on Douyin. He ranked third just behind Yang Zi at second and Bai Lu at first. He ranked higher than Wang Hedi and Tan Jianci and to think those two are way more popular than he is.

Here you go! https://www.instagram.com/aoruipeng1995/

I've also read comments that he's not male lead material, that he's just for second leads or wacky sidekick roles. I can't agree with that because most formidable male actors working today start out as second leads or sidekicks. They transition from supporting actors to leads over time as they grow more confident and gain more experience in acting. This is Ruipeng's first major break and his first S+ drama starring opposite a bonafide superstar, but he's holding his own. For someone who only started acting some 5 years ago and had humble beginnings, he's subverting expectations. His character Fan Yue is now trending on Douyin, only third to Bai Lu's Bai Shou at number 1 and Yang Zi's Flourished Peony character at number 2. That's huge for a B-list star like Ruipeng.

I don't get C-ent and their fans either. I don't understand why fans have so much power over the entertainment industry. They can make or break actors and have a say whether a project gets made or not. And the competition and jealousy, it's all so toxic.

Plus, Asians age slowly for some reason. Not to mention these actors have strict skincare routines, and most likely get botox and other treatments regularly. I understand why some people feel that Bai Lu should've been paired with someone older or more well-known. Honestly, I would've liked Liu Xueyi for the role too. But the trend these days is pairing more established actors with younger or lesser known ones. Besides, Bai Lu is a huge star now and pairing her with someone like Cheng Yi, for example, would just cause fan wars. Although I would like to see them paired someday too. So her best bet right now is to pair up with rising stars like Ruipeng and give them a shot at stardom, no conflict with the billing, no unnecessary fighting among fans.

I just read a comment that says Ruipeng looks like a child and then a conflicting comment saying that Ruipeng and Bai Lu look too old for their respective roles. I'm a little confused, so which one is it? Do they look like children or are they too old? lol Personally, I think Bai Lu looks young for her age, even though she's already 30. She also has a child-like quality to her, which is why she can still pull off young-ish roles. And Ruipeng is actually just a year younger than her, so even though he acts like a kid offscreen, he doesn't look young to me at all. He's older than some of her leading men like Zhang Linghe, Wang Hedi, and Zeng Shunxi. Plus, he's so tall and imposing, the guy is almost 6'3! Maybe as Lei Wujie he looks like a kid, but that's because he's supposed to look like a teenage boy and his co-stars, Li Hongyi and Liu Xueyi, are also tall.

And she's also jealous of Tian Hou that's why she demanded to be told who the latter really is and why Fan Yue trusts her with his life. It wasn't out of spite or sense of privilege, it was her reaction to her confusing feelings for Fan Yue. She doesn't trust him and is determined to hate him but she can't help falling for him. People react differently to jealousy. In her case, she lashed out at him and Tian Hou, which is a normal reaction too, especially for someone young and spoiled like her. But she isn't selfish. If she was, she wouldn't have risked her life to save her father and that little girl sick with an unknown disease that could've been contagious.

Another isekai story! And it has a great cast. Hope they release this worldwide. There are some dramas on iQIYI that are not available in my region.

She said that because she's developing feelings for him and she wanted to see him flinch or say otherwise. It's a defense mechanism. When you're in love with someone and you're afraid that they don't love you back, you tend to say the opposite of what you really mean or feel. Yes, she's bratty and arrogant but that comes with youth, I was the same when I was a kid, especially since I grew up fairly independent and had confidence in what I could do. But she's also smart and she knows she got herself mixed up in an unforgiving and ruthless world filled with schemers, manipulators, and cutthroats. She's trying to play the game and knows full well that her only advantage is the stone so she's using that as leverage every chance she gets. She's basically puffing herself up like a puffer fish to keep predators away and for them to not underestimate her. But if you remember, Fan Yue lectured her about wanting to become powerful immediately and that she has to go through hell to get to where she wants to go like the rest of them. I loved that scene. It was a lightbulb moment for her, that's why she dutifully studied under the Old Turtle and even humbled herself despite the fact that she's not used to that, having been raised a governor's daughter. I believe Fan Yue is the key to her character development. She will learn a lot from him and their journey together.

I already saw this and I did get spoiled! But I don't regret anything because it looks to be a happy ending. lol And of course, Bai Lu cries while happily kissing her man. lol

Thank you! I listened to this just now.

Ao Ruipeng's styling in this, especially the Fox costume with the blond wig, is reminding me of the androgynous looking elves in The Lord of the Rings. And yes, it reminds me of Dylan Wang in Love Between Fairy and Devil too. But then again, they do look alike. They have very similar features that make them look almost caucasian with makeup.

I know what you mean. I've been a fan of his since his The Blood of Youth days and this is his best look in any drama, modern or historical, to date! The reuters for his upcoming dramas look good too so I'm looking forward to those dramas as well.

This! Fan Yue is a softie who has to act tough because of his position. He most likely has a tragic past. He's a typical tsundere. He acts as if he doesn't care but he goes out of his way to make sure his so-called "pawn" is safe and is kindhearted deep down. He looked so embarrassed when Bai Shou showed him her neck and accused him of taking off her clothes, so he's most probably a virgin too. lol

Well, based on the upcoming dramas this year, I don't see any CP that comes close in terms of looks. So yeah, we can declare that now. Of course this is subjective as I find them both terribly attractive. lol I don't find many Chinese actresses beautiful so there's that. Others will most likely disagree, though.