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| Lin Yi x Ai Mi’s New Fantasy Romance A Chan Stirs Buzz With Time Travel Chaos and Casting Questions (Photo: Youku) |
Chinese fantasy romance A Chan (阿禅) is gearing up to be one of the more ambitious page-to-screen adaptations this season. Fronted by Lin Yi and rising actress Ai Mi, the series takes on another well-known novel from Ding Mo — and isn’t shy about loading up its plot with time travel, soul swapping, and high-stakes family drama.
It’s the sort of setup that could either become a clever twist on familiar tropes or spiral into full chaos, and viewers are very much watching to see which direction it lands.
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Lin Yi steps into the role of Zhang Jingchan, once the golden son of a powerful family before everything crumbles, leaving him responsible for a staggering ten-billion debt.
With his world collapsing, he becomes obsessed with finding a way to rewrite fate. Cue an old pocket watch, a reset button on time, and a desperate mission to undo the downfall that shaped his entire life.
Opposite him is Ai Mi as Li Weiyi, an ordinary office worker who gets pulled into the same time loop while trying to prevent her older sister from making a tragic decision.
Instead of a straightforward meet-cute, the pair are hurled back to 2017 again and again, swapping souls as they try to piece together the truth and fix the past before it fixes them.
Fantasy Romance with Heavy Lifting: Time Travel, Mystery, and Character Growth
Unlike typical youth romances, A Chan piles on multiple layers of mystery.
The time loop is just the start — the soul swap adds a comedic yet emotional twist as the leads learn to navigate each other’s worlds, responsibilities, and personal burdens.
Early previews show Lin Yi leaning into a more mature image than usual, trading his familiar boyish look for CEO styling — slicked-back hair, clean glasses, and a colder, more controlled presence.
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Ai Mi, meanwhile, shows off a surprisingly composed and steady performance, matching her character’s resilience and optimistic resolve even amid timelines that keep falling apart.
Fans of Ding Mo’s earlier works say this Chinese drama seems to capture the author’s signature mix of suspense and soft romance, though this time with a heavier fantasy tilt.
Casting Talk: Age Gap and Exam Schedule Stir Online Chat
Of course, it wouldn’t be a high-profile casting without some debate. With Ai Mi being 17 and Lin Yi 26, the nine-year age difference has sparked familiar discussion online.
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While the storyline is already packed with time travel, family crises, and identity swaps, the leads’ characters do end up as love interests — something viewers have pointed out while questioning the pairing.
Adding to the chatter is the conversation around Ai Mi’s packed workload.
Her filming schedule for December appears so full that many wondered how she would fit in preparation for her university entrance exams.
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This opened up broader talk about young performers balancing education with demanding careers — a recurring topic whenever a teen star’s diary looks impossibly tight.
Her & A Chan team has not made a detailed statement, but fans argue that scheduling decisions are usually coordinated long in advance, while others worry that the pressure might be too much for someone still in school.