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| “What Did I Just Watch?” – Meme Queen Zhang Ruonan’s Viral Expression Sums Up Everyone’s Thoughts (Weibo) |
You know those moments when you’re trying to stay polite but your face betrays every thought in your head? Zhang Ruonan lived that moment on national telly—and the internet can’t get enough of it.
In the latest episode of Infinite Transcendence Class 3 (《无限超越班3》), a variety show packed with young actors showing off their chops, a rather unexpected scene unfolded.
Ding Zhen—yes, the Tibetan heartthrob who went viral back in 2020 for his natural good looks—was doing an emotional wartime monologue.
All was going semi-normal until… it wasn’t.
While his fellow “soldiers” were ducking for cover from imaginary gunfire, Ding Zhen suddenly stood tall, whipped out a purple flower and smiled—innocently, dreamily, and completely at odds with the chaos around him.
Cue Zhang Ruonan, who was quietly observing the scene from the monitor station.
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The camera panned to her just as the flower moment landed—and her wide-eyed, “wait, what?” expression said it all.
She looked like someone trying very hard to stay professional while internally screaming.
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Within hours, that one second of confusion had exploded online.
Netizens crowned it “the most relatable expression of 2025,” and the clip has already been viewed over 28 million times.
#章若楠看丁真演戏的表情 (Zhangruonan Expression While Watching Dingzhen Act) is trending on weibo with more than 29M discussions.
— 飞 🍒 (@HIRAETHSXT) May 12, 2025
Netizens are saying nannans reaction are relatable since his acting of suddenly smiling while holding a flower when they got attacked is indeed… pic.twitter.com/lbxGqlVwme
It’s spawned countless meme formats—from reaction GIFs to nine-grid photo panels. Some of the best captions floating around?
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“Me trying to understand my boss’s new workflow.”
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“When your friend says ‘I’ve got tea’ and it’s spicier than expected.”
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“My brain in math class.”
Weibo’s gone mad for it, with the hashtag #章若楠看丁真演戏的表情 racking up over 320 million views and 29 million discussions.
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It was sitting pretty at #5 on the Hot Search and #2 on the Entertainment List.
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What really sent this moment into orbit was how genuinely unscripted it felt.
In an industry where most things are polished to perfection (or over-rehearsed to death), Zhang Ruonan’s reaction felt like a breath of fresh, awkward air.
To be fair to Ding Zhen, his acting did get praise from the show’s mentors, including the legendary Nancy Sit, who called it “genuine and emotionally resonant.”
But even the most emotionally resonant scenes can be a little... perplexing, especially when they come with surprise flowers mid-battle.
As for Zhang Ruonan? She’s being hailed as a “walking meme generator” and is apparently getting flooded with ad offers—from brands wanting to tap into her expressive charm and unintentional comedic gold. Honestly, we wouldn’t mind seeing her in a commercial just reacting to random stuff.
Sometimes, a confused face says more than words ever could—and Nannan’s face said everything.