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| “Bit Much, Eh?” Liu Duanduan Ruffles Feathers Playing Flamboyant Wei Yan in The Prisoner of Beauty (Weibo) |
Things are getting messy—and not just on screen.
With The Prisoner of Beauty riding high in the rankings, it’s not the heroine or the main romance grabbing headlines this week. It’s Liu Duanduan’s gloriously chaotic second male lead Wei Yan—flamboyant, unpredictable, and apparently too much for some.
In the original novel, Wei Yan was complicated: morally grey, sharp-witted, and quietly tragic. In the drama? He’s strutting the line between unhinged and seductively dramatic—drunkenly sketching Xiao Qiao’s silhouette one moment, then spiralling into shame the next. Oh, and did we mention Xiao Qiao (played by Song Zuer) is his cousin-in-law? Cue the uncomfortable squirming.
Netizens are split. One camp’s screaming “iconic performance” while the other’s asking if the director's had too much caffeine. Some reckon the show’s taken a perfectly nuanced character and cranked him up to eleven—campy, cartoonish, and far from canon. But fans of Liu Duanduan say he’s giving theatre, and honestly? They’re here for it.
The man himself, 38-year-old Liu Duanduan, finally chimed in online:
“It’s possible that Wei Shi Jun’s way of expressing himself earlier made you feel uncomfortable. But please remember to watch Zhe Yao together with us. Thank you, thank you all. To all the fans on the frontlines, you’ve worked hard. Sorry for the trouble.”
Wholesome enough. But then came the meme. Liu Duanduan’s post originally included a screenshot poking fun at viewers for complaining too soon—hinting they’d be emotionally destroyed later on. Some took it as shade. The meme quickly stirred backlash, with critics calling it smug and dismissive.
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Not one to stir the pot further, Liu quietly deleted the image.
Fans later jumped to explain it was actually a quote from Wei Yan in the drama, not a personal jab. Still, the post’s tone had already hit a few nerves.
Let’s be real: this isn’t the first time a Deng Ke drama has caused a stir. The director’s known for reimagining source material with bold choices, and this flamboyant version of Wei Yan is certainly one of them.
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Whether you see him as chaotic genius or Shakespearean meme-fodder, Liu’s performance has undeniable flair. He’s not blending into the background, that’s for sure.
So while some viewers are longing for the book version of Wei Yan—brooding and understated—others are eating up this loud, lovestruck wildcard.
And that’s kind of the point. You don’t have to like Wei Yan, but you’ll absolutely remember him.
The Prisoner of Beauty is still airing, with Song Zuer and Liu Yuning leading the main romance—but if Liu Duanduan’s getting this much attention as the second lead, you just know something’s working.