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| Joy of Life Season 3 Sparks Controversy Amid Rumours of New Cast Members (Upmedia) |
Joy of Life Season 3 hasn’t even hit the cameras yet, but it’s already kicking up a right fuss online.
The official Weibo for Joy of Life (庆余年) just dropped a fancy concept poster teasing Season 3, sending fans into instant meltdown — but not in a good way. Moments later, a supposed “new cast list” started floating about, claiming that Liu Duanduan, who played the stone-cold yet secretly soft-hearted Second Prince, and Jin Chen, the second-season Ye Ling’er, are both getting swapped out before filming even starts.
If true, it’s a bit of a gut punch for loyal viewers. Liu Duan duan had built up a cracking rivalry with Zhang Ruoyun’s Fan Xian character, especially as the Second Prince’s storyline got meatier in Season 2. His scheming, double-edged persona turned him into one of the show’s biggest talking points, so recasting him now feels like snatching away half the drama’s heart.
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Mind you, Liu Duanduan had a bit of a scandal last year — Chinese paparazzi papped him on a karaoke bender with a stunning young woman, and the pair allegedly ended up spending the night together.
Cue social media furore and a wave of cheating speculation, which the star never properly addressed. Some reckon that’s what’s pushed producers to quietly look for a replacement.
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On the other hand, conspiracy theories are doing the rounds — some fans suspect the whole “replacement list” might be a bit of sabotage. Zhang Haowei, who played the brooding Crown Prince, was previously rumoured to be under fire for tax and solicitation scandals but now seems safe as houses, with his name missing from the new cast changes.
His dramas haven’t aired for a while, while Liu Duanduan just wrapped the popular The Prisoner of Beauty a.k.a Zhe Yao (折腰) — so supporters think Liu might be the victim of a bit of co-star rivalry behind the scenes.
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As for Ye Ling’er, it’s a saga all of its own. She was played by Han Jiunuo in Season 1, then swapped to Jin Chen for Season 2, which didn’t really wow the audience. Now there’s chatter that Fan Shuaiqi, who won loads of new fans thanks to New Life Begins (卿卿日常), might step in for Season 3 to freshen up the role.
At this stage, there’s been zero official confirmation on replacements, so a fair chunk of viewers are still crossing their fingers that Liu Duanduan keeps his place. After all, the Second Prince’s rivalry with Fan Xian is a massive hook — binning him now might just bin the show’s soul along with it.
Either way, Joy of Life 3 is about to start filming, so we’ll know the truth soon enough. Buckle up — this could get even messier before the cameras roll.