theotherayn

Hesong is an agency and does not produce their own dramas but their actors (Zhou Ye, Hou Minghao, Nazha, Xu Ruohan) often act in Huanyu dramas or collaborate with Huanyu actors as Li Bingbing (owner of Hesong) and Yu Zheng (owner of Huanyu) are reportedly friends

Huanyu produced (among others) Story of Yanxi Palace, Scent of Time, The Double, Perfect Match, Glory

Love in Red Dust is not produced by Huanyu but is a co-production by: Seasons Pictures (Everyone Loves Me, You Are My Lover Friend, Love in the Clouds, Road to Success); Open Picture (mostly a movie producer and has recently started with dramas. upcoming productions include Jiang Shan Wei Pin, Shadow Hunter, Tales of the Floating World, A Touch of Green); and Straw Bear Films (The Forbidden Flower, Speed and Love, Drifting Away, My Page in the 90s)

i think this drama is actually to push Huanyu rather than ZQ. there've been rumors for months now that YZ has money troubles. he was hyping up 2 different long drama projects after Shadows of Desire finished in Feb but both of them haven't had any casting melons yet despite one of them already being announced during Mango's investment conference (it's a Yanxi Palace style Qing dynasty drama so it'll probably need a bigger budget.) plus he was also hyping up a short drama that was supposed to start a few months ago then mysteriously didn't. Xing Zhi Wan is also dead in the water unless Tencent defrosts it. in the meantime, he's only been able to make AI dramas and yanked poor Liang Yongqi into them (another talented actor who deserves better than have his image used for AI.)

Huanyu is still a production company, what good is it if he can't get a drama produced? especially since he signed so many young talents to his agency after The Double became a hit. so if this one can somehow get platform approval/investment with WXY's involvement and he can use it to launch the careers of some of his newcomers then it's good for everyone in the company. just now rumors dropped that he's also roping in Bai Lu for a breakup drama (i'm not sure if the melon owner means Tang Palace 2 lol)

some book fans have said the core of the story is still maintained, they were just mostly mad at the brother and Yesenin being given more screentime

reading script pages is still different from watching a drama. will reserve judgment on the changes until it's released.

unfortunately posted by a notorious fake melon owner but it's Mango so there's a chance that they did hand him the script.

the script has leaked on xhs and most of the feedback was positive but the director likes to improvise and he reportedly changed a lot during filming. some changes i was able to gather from fan conversations:

1. ZJZ's stepbrother is now a half brother and they reconcile (he's seen in reuters at the wedding)
2. ZJZ doesn't have ex-girlfriends. he rejected XS's roommate and she's part of their friend group
3. but the love triangle/square with Yesenin and Bai Yushi is given more drama. Yesenin is now a childhood friend of ZJZ

July Schedule:

Variety Recording Overseas (Divas Hit the Road 8, the rumored schedule is July 4-30 in Mexico, Peru, and Argentina)

🍉Project Updates:

惹惊鸿 (Re Jing Hong) - a shell company connected to YZ/Huanyu registered the drama for filming despite WXY fans continued protests and complaints to the censorship board (for the plot point about a child marrying an old man.) rumor has it no platform has actually bought it yet because of the lack of a proper script/creative team and no other cast has been brought up by real melon owners despite being an ensemble drama (+ Zhao Qing is filming a short drama in July for more than a month) so fans are hoping it's far from a done deal. WXY official fan club announced they're suspending all support operations in the meantime.

Love in Red Dust - officially in iQiyi's Summer drama list. rumor is still August.

rumor is november soonest

true but cfandoms have their own quirks, they treat their actors like stock investments and will leave at any perceived weakness

because it's a pattern with YZ's career planning. he did the same with Chen Xiao, Xu Kai and Song Weilong so they jumped ship saying there was no point following his career while he's still in Huanyu.

yeah I think they would've had no problem if he was playing FL support to a veteran like when Shadow Hunter was first rumored. and if YZ put him in a normal romance idol drama it would've been fine too. but wasting 3 months on a unit drama in Huanyu where he's likely to end up as a background board again is anathema to them.

yeah they're usually called "career fans." he actually had a lot more before but they left after Yu Zheng signed him to Unveil Jadewind. it's also why they're fighting harder now.

i think the fandom knew one was coming eventually, this one just triggered their pain points that 1) it's another detective drama and 2) it's another ensemble drama with 80% of the screentime going to other people. they were mostly okay with Xing Zhi Wan until YZ took back his promise of first billing. with this, they'd rather he be a mountaineering blogger for 3 months than shoot it, at least they'd get some joy out of that.

someone snooped before that Huanyu's basic contract is 6 years + 2 years renewal. this is his 6th year with them so that's where the speculation comes from. YZ also said that 4-5 actors contracts are expiring this year. there's also been rumors since last year that Huanyu is going bankrupt and is having trouble paying their rent in Hengdian.

yeah I wish they'd stop attacking Zhao Qing and Xia Zhiguang, it's not their fault either. just focus on Yu Zheng, a harder target sure because he's a huge troll but at least it'll gain them better sympathy.

XZW was Tencent putting its' foot down after Yu Zheng insulted them too many times. this is rumored to be Mango or iQiyi where YZ holds more power so let's cross our fingers the funding falls through.

google translation of YZ's introduction:

Collecting unique and unprecedented character designs is like collecting jade beads; the characters gradually come to life, and the story is like the thread that strings the beads together, turning them into a perfect work of art.

On the surface, she is an arrogant and domineering playboy who can manipulate all sorts of people with ease, but she can never win over the handsome but weak young man. His past is dark, obscure, and intriguing. The more she investigates, the more horrified she becomes, yet she can't stop.

A wicked female demon falls in love with a Buddhist monk, willing to cook and clean for him, but she cannot prevent his white robes from being stained with blood. He tries to persuade her to let go, but she insists on seducing him. Let's see who wins and who loses.

A seven-year-old girl was married off to an eighty-year-old man to ward off bad luck. When she was eighteen, the old man died, and she unexpectedly became the most powerful woman in the family. However, she could not find her own spring and could only prove time and time again in the struggle for power that she did not need love. But there are also unexpected things that happen.

A young girl, imprisoned, accidentally travels to the human world and embarks on a path of indulgence. Just as she is completely free, she encounters a handsome young man. Feeling ashamed and unworthy of him, she picks up a knife, intending to erase her past and then date him as an innocent person. Will she succeed?

In the early years of the Republic of China, as times changed, a bizarre world filled with Chinese horror unfolded, and strange love stories were intertwined with unexpected cases, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

It is a continuation of the promotion of traditional opera in "Winter Begonia", an upgrade of the exciting drama "The Double", a gender-swapped revenge drama in "Story of Yanxi Palace", and an innovative combination of "Glory" .

Stay tuned for "The Amazing Beauty," a series you won't be able to stop watching in one go! It's truly a masterpiece!!!

+ Yin Tao, Sandra Ng, Ariel Lin, Zhou Dongyu and Deng Wei (followed by the show's weibo account.) the final member is rumored to be Ouyang Nana

🍉Project Updates:

looks like Divas Hit the Road 8 is happening, the official weibo followed WXY + Yin Tao, Sandra Ng, Ariel Lin, Zhou Dongyu and Deng Wei. just missing one more actress for the full lineup (rumored to be Ouyang Nana)

+ melons are saying LIRD will be moved to August because he can't promote it if he's in another country in July.

++ Yu Zheng's casting studio just posted a notice for a confidential Republican Drama to shoot in August for 90 days. WXY's IP from his last post was near Hengdian so there's speculation he's headed there for initial preparations (or to get his clothes back lol)

CONFIRMED BY MELON OWNERS: it's Huanyu's internal drama 惹惊鸿 with Zhao Qing, a unit/ensemble with 4 love stories like Perfect Match but Republican era mixed with Chinese folk horror/detective work. WXY fans are especially NOT happy because he'll obviously be another 5min male lead (but what can you do? hopefully it's more unit drama than ensemble so the shooting time is short lol and there's been rumors for a while now that he's leaving Huanyu so here's hoping it's a break up drama.) EDIT: there's also a rumor on twitter about a 15 year old FL, this was posted by that notorious fake melon maker on douban so it's likely false

oh and the new cdrama regulations means he'll be credited as "Wang Tao (Wang Xingyue)" from now on, a very silly rule.

Best Drama is a different award so I guess it's gonna be the best drama(s) that aren't the best drama? lol also google translate failed me and it's called The Golden Conch Award in english

WXY is nominated as Best Costume Drama Actor of the New Era for Unveil: Jadewind in the 6th New Era Television Festival (also known as the Spotted Conch/Huading Award) to be held in Macau on June 16, congratulations!

https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1780976042129155.html

Zhao Qing is also nominated for Unveil: Jadewind (Best Costume Drama Actress) and Deng Kai (Most Promising Actor) for The Wanted Detective. both dramas are also shortlisted for the The Golden Conch Award.