Rumored Recasting for “Joy of Life 3” Upsets Fans

The official Weibo account of hit drama Joy of Life <慶餘年> released a concept poster hinting that Season 3 is about to begin filming. However, in a shocking update, a rumored new cast list showed that both Liu Duanduan (劉端端), who played the Second Prince, and Jin Chen (金晨), who portrayed Ye Ling’er, are on the replacement list!

Last year, Liu Duanduan – who had portrayed the seemingly ruthless but internally lonely antagonist “Second Prince” across two seasons – was caught in an extramarital scandal by Chinese paparazzo when he was seen singing karaoke late into the night with friends and behaving intimately with an attractive woman, sparking suspicions that he spent the night at her place. News of a potential recasting devastated many fans, as his scenes of political rivalry with Zhang Ruoyun’s character Fan Xian increased significantly in season 2 with his character’s growing importance.

Undercurrents of Rivalry with Co-star Zhang Haowei

However, some netizens believe the news could be a smear campaign orchestrated by Liu Duanduan’s rivals. They point to Zhang Haowei (張昊唯), who gained fame playing the Crown Prince in Joy of Life, and was previously rumored to be removed from Season 3 due to alleged tax evasion and solicitation scandals. Yet, his name was absent from the current replacement list.

In contrast, none of Zhang Haowei’s new dramas have aired recently, whereas Liu Duanduan just wrapped up his popular appearance in Zhe Yao <折腰>. Additionally, there’s been no official word on who would take over the role of the Second Prince, making the cast list seem dubious to many. As for Ye Ling’er, originally played by Han Jiunuo (韓玖諾) in Season 1 and replaced by Jin Chen in Season 2, the second season’s performance didn’t quite meet expectations. It’s now rumored that Fan Shuaiqi (范帥琦), who rose to fame playing a heroine in New Life Begins <卿卿日常>, may take on the role in Season 3.

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