Leo Wu and Zhou Ye’s Pairing in New Drama

Hot on the heels of highly anticipated costume drama Sword of Coming <劍來>, Chinese drama heartthrob Leo Wu (吳磊), is reportedly taking on the modern drama No More Beauty in Jingluo <京洛再無佳人> next, where he will be paired with Zhou Ye (周也) of Legend of the Female General <錦月如歌>!

Change in Original Cast

The production team had originally hoped to reunite Cheng Lei (丞磊) and Wang Churan (王楚然) from How Dare You!? <成何體統>, but Wang Churan reportedly turned down the role as she felt the female lead’s character image did not align with her. With Cheng Lei alone unable to secure investors’ approval, the team eventually set its sights on Leo Wu, whose commercial value is considered higher, for the male lead role.

Leo began his career as a child actor, and his journey in the entertainment industry has been remarkably smooth. He gained explosive popularity with Zhao Lusi (趙露思) in Love Like the Galaxy <星漢燦爛>, later received strong praise for his older-woman-younger-man romance with Zhou Yutong (周雨彤) in Nothing But You <愛情而已>, and starred opposite Zhao Jinmai (趙今麥) in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love <在暴雪時分> the year before last, earning the drama the title of a benchmark sweet romance series. As Leo has not taken on an idol romance drama in two years, his participation in No More Beauty in Jingluo has attracted significant attention.

First-time Collaboration Between Leads

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Chinese author Qiao Weian (喬維安), No More Beauty In Jingluo follows the story of Huang Xitang (Zhou Ye), and Zhao Pingjin (Leo Wu), who fall in love in their youth but eventually part ways with regret. Five years later, the two unexpectedly reunite. By then, Zhao Pingjin has achieved success in the field of smart vehicles, while Huang Xitang is still struggling to find her footing in the entertainment industry.

Zhao Pingjin begins to approach and test the waters with Huang Xitang once again, and the two gradually re-enter each other’s lives. After overcoming various challenges, staying true to themselves, and growing along the way, they eventually find the courage to face their feelings and come back together.

The production team had initially hoped to cast Cheng Lei and Wang Churan as the leads. However, the female lead, Huang Xitang, was originally a big star who suffered facial disfigurement due to an accident, which led her to cut ties with the male lead. As Wang Churan’s team is currently looking to shape her image as a clear-headed, independent female lead type, Huang Xitang’s character was deemed unsuitable and thus she rejected the role, leaving the production team searching for new candidates for both lead roles.

Leo – who has performed well in modern dramas in the past, but has yet to play an overbearing CEO-style role before – was handpicked by the production team, while Zhou Ye, who is also known for her solid acting skills, was chosen to star opposite him. Expressing excitement over the pairing, many netizens have called it the ultimate visual combination – “Leo Wu and Zhou Ye together? This is simply the top-tier pairing in terms of looks”, “The visuals would be so beautiful I can’t even imagine it.”

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