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| Fake Kiss or Creative Cut? Liu Haocun Sparks Debate Again in ‘Be Passionately in Love’ Over Alleged “No-Kissing” Clause! |
Chinese romance drama Be Passionately in Love has landed itself in the hot seat this week—less for its storyline, and more for what isn’t happening on screen.
Yep, fans reckon the “kiss scenes” between leads Liu Haocun and Wang Anyu are looking mighty staged, and they’re not keeping quiet about it.
From what netizens are saying, just when the leads lean in for that long-awaited smooch… bam! the camera pulls back, cuts to the background, or pulls some clever blocking trick to make it look like something’s happening—when it’s pretty clear it’s not.
No actual lip-to-lip action in sight.
SO SWEET... THEIR HUGS 🥺🫠 AND THEY KISSED... BUT WHY ARE THEY CUTTING THEIR KISS SCENE HUH??#BePassionatelyInLove#LiuHaocun #WangAnyu pic.twitter.com/tymzdC2A1P
— biee🎐༊*:･ﾟ (@Scenerybie) May 31, 2025
For viewers unfamiliar with the original novel, this might seem like a minor thing.
But book fans are fuming.
The female lead in the novel is bold, confident, and—let’s be real—not shy when it comes to kissing.
So the dialled-down on-screen chemistry? It’s throwing the whole vibe off, and fans aren’t vibing with it.
This isn’t the first time Liu Haocun’s been caught in this sort of chat either.
Her previous drama Derailment, with Lin Yi, faced similar accusations—fans pointed out the “kiss” scenes looked suspiciously kiss-less.
behind the scene # 45
— ᯓᡣ𐭩 (@tuqdou) January 3, 2024
i giggled watching them. even though the scene was just kissing on the cheek but I think it's too pure love. 🫶#LinYi #LiuHaocun #Derailment #脱轨 pic.twitter.com/Nq8csZHfGh
And ever since her breakout role in Zhang Yimou’s One Second back in 2020, the now 25-year-old actress has built a bit of a rep for steering clear of actual kissing in her projects.
Naturally, this has fuelled speculation.
Does she have a “no kissing” clause in her contract?
Is it a personal boundary thing, or just an image-management strategy?
Nobody knows for sure, but folks online are firmly divided.
Some reckon if she’s not up for a proper kiss, she shouldn’t be taking on full-blown romance roles.
After all, they argue, audiences expect a certain level of payoff—and a fake-out kiss just doesn’t cut it.
On the flip side, others are defending her, saying those “almost-kisses” can carry just as much heat.
It’s the tension, they say, that really sells the romance.
Whatever the real reason, Liu Haocun’s kiss-or-no-kiss choices have got the internet buzzing.
But let’s not forget—it might not be all on Haocun.
Some netizens have pointed out that the decision to keep things PG could be coming from the production team or director.
In other words: maybe it’s not Liu calling the shots here.
Still, with Be Passionately in Love trending and the kiss scenes (or lack thereof) getting more attention than the actual plot, one thing’s clear—romance dramas in 2025 come with expectations.
And when the lips don’t meet? Fans definitely notice.