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| Chen Xiao and Michelle Chen’s New Dramas Go Head-to-Head After Their Divorce (Photo: Weibo) |
Chinese actor Chen Xiao and Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen Yanxi officially ended their nine-year marriage in February, and while the two have kept things fairly quiet on the personal front, their professional comeback ended up creating a showdown nobody expected.
As both stars rolled out fresh drama projects this month — Chen Xiao with the period business epic Legend of Magnate, and Michelle Chen with the modern romance Sniper Butterfly — netizens quickly clocked that the two premieres were happening almost back-to-back.
Cue the online jokes about a “battle of the exes,” as viewers wondered which drama would claim the upper hand: the heavyweight rise-of-industry tale, or the glossy age-gap romance buzzing across social platforms.
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A Scheduling Coincidence… or Smart Marketing?
With the release dates landing so close together, plenty of fans speculated that the clash was deliberate — a cheeky bit of promo from both camps.
Whether arranged or purely coincidental, the timing instantly fuelled curiosity, and now that the shows have been airing for a while, early numbers are giving people plenty to chat about.
And this is where the results split.
Legend of Magnate Wins the Ratings Race, But Sniper Butterfly Owns the Internet
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On traditional broadcast, Legend of Magnate is miles ahead. Airing on CCTV and iQiyi, the drama opened strong, hitting over 3 percent in its first half hour and breaking four Kuyun premiere records.
It’s polished, male-centric, and very much built for mainstream audiences — and the ratings reflect that.
The surprise? Despite the impressive figures, the drama is almost too quiet online. It rarely charts in trending discussions, prompting netizens to jokingly call it “a high-rating drama with no hot searches.”
Meanwhile, Michelle Chen’s Sniper Butterfly, streaming on Tencent Video, is pulling far more modest viewing numbers but absolutely cleaning up on social media.
It’s a constant presence in the hot search rankings thanks to viral talking points: its “18 kissing scenes,” the age-gap romance, Michelle Chen’s youthful screen presence — and not to mention the wave of celebrity support.
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Over 20 big names, including Liu Shishi and Ruby Lin, have publicly boosted the show.
The result? Sniper Butterfly’s related hashtags have soared past 630 million views on Douyin, easily eclipsing Legend of Magnate’s online footprint.
Part of Sniper Butterfly’s traction comes from the plot itself. Michelle Chen plays a woman rebuilding her life after being let down by her ex-husband, only to form a bond with a younger man she once helped.
Some viewers have pointed out “similarities” to real-life circumstances, which naturally amplified discussion — not in a harsh way, but in that curious, soap-meets-reality manner that online audiences love.
The performance feedback has also been favourable. Michelle Chen’s portrayal of a woman reclaiming her sense of self, paired with her youthful appearance and emotional delivery, has resonated with many viewers.
This, plus the organic celebrity promotions, has created a “strong independent female lead” narrative that the public seems keen to embrace.
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While the drama battle draws playful commentary, the buzz around the two shows has also shaped the public’s perception of Chen Xiao and Michelle Chen in very different ways.
Chen Xiao’s drastic weight loss for Legend of Magnate — reportedly dropping around 20 pounds to portray a late-Qing merchant — sparked discussions about his dedication.
Some viewers noted that his tired, sunken-cheek look in stills contrasted sharply with his pre-marriage image, leading to wider commentary about how much the role demanded physically.
Michelle Chen, on the other hand, has experienced a noticeable shift in public attitude. With Sniper Butterfly gaining traction and fans revisiting old rumours from her marriage era, her supporters have stepped up to clarify and correct long-running misunderstandings.
Combined with her strong performance and the show’s themes of personal renewal, she has become a talking point for resilience and reinvention.
Ultimately, the so-called “exes showdown” says more about audience habits than anything else. Legend of Magnate is built for prestige ratings and delivers exactly that. Sniper Butterfly is engineered for trend-friendly chatter — and does that better than expected.