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| Viewers Question Fight For Love Editing After Ding Yuxi’s Screen Time Falls Below 11 Percent |
The historical romance drama Fight For Love (山河枕) has closed its run, but instead of the usual end-of-series buzz, the finale has kicked off a new storm. What started as mild debate over acting quality has escalated into a larger argument about editing choices, narrative balance, and fair treatment of lead actors—most of it circling around Ding Yuxi.
From the moment the show dropped, viewers were split. Victoria Song Qian’s performance quickly became a talking point, with many feeling her emotional range leaned heavily on the same wide-eyed expression regardless of the situation.
ICYMI: Fight For Love Ending Recap & Season 2 Talks.
Meanwhile, Ding Yuxi emerged as the quiet winner in terms of audience approval. Many pointed out how much he had improved since Love Game in Eastern Fantasy (永夜星河), with far more detailed expressions and steadier emotional delivery.
Things took a turn when fans began calculating the actual screen time. Stripping away credits, Fight For Love clocks in at 27 hours and 24 minutes.
Out of that, Ding Yuxi—billed as the male lead—appears for just 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 56 seconds. That’s a mere 10 percent.
The number hit viewers hard, especially since the production had promoted the drama as a co-lead story with equal importance given to Wei Yun (Ding Yuxi) and Chu Yu (Victoria Song).
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What made it even more baffling was the pre-filming script data that had circulated online long before the show aired.
Those numbers showed a tiny difference between the two leads: Wei Yun supposedly had 264.5 pages of script and 461 scenes, while Chu Yu had 286.6 pages and 469 scenes. Hardly the kind of gap that would naturally lead to such a lopsided edit.
No surprise, then, that viewers were stunned to discover that the final cut had leaned so heavily in Chu Yu’s favour, with Wei Yun pushed so far into the background that he was often mistaken for a supporting character.
The controversy deepened when an old on-set injury involving Ding Yuxi resurfaced. During a fight scene, the actor was accidentally struck in the palm by an arrow.
He didn’t make a fuss at the time and only mentioned it in passing on a variety programme, but backstage photos of his stitched and bloodied hand recently reappeared online.
Fans who rewatched the prison scenes noticed that the swelling on Wei Yun’s hand looked a bit too real, leading many to believe the actual injury made it into the final footage.
Adaptation changes have also been a major source of frustration.
The original novel, Changsao Wei Qi by Mo Shubai, gives Wei Yun a distinct emotional arc.
Viewers who cross-checked found that several lines and important experiences originally belonging to Wei Yun had been reassigned to Chu Yu or even other characters.
For fans of the novel, this felt like a deliberate minimisation of the male lead’s depth, especially when compared to the earlier script data.
Despite the backlash, Ding Yuxi’s performance has been widely acknowledged as a highlight of the series. His career has been on a steady rise, with Love Game in Eastern Fantasy (永夜星河) opposite Esther Yu Shuxin and Melody of Golden Age (长乐曲) with Deng Enxi previously earning him strong recognition.
Fight For Love now joins the list as another drama where his acting stands out, even if his presence doesn’t.
Looking ahead, the actor already has viewers waiting. His upcoming adventure drama Southern Anecdote (南部档案), where he stars alongside Zhang Xincheng, is expected to deliver something completely different from his past works.
Meanwhile, the historical romance Escape to Your Heart (花开锦绣) reunites him with Deng Enxi, sparking early excitement among fans who enjoyed their chemistry in Melody of Golden Age.
For now, though, Fight For Love continues to trend for all the wrong reasons, with the debate over screen time, editing choices, and adaptation changes showing no signs of cooling down.
Source: Upmedia