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| How Dare You!? Wraps With 767 Million Views as Wang Churan and Cheng Lei Reunion Rumours Heat Up. (Photo: iQIYI) |
Costume drama How Dare You!? (成何體統) has officially wrapped its run, and it’s going out on a high note. Starring Wang Churan and Cheng Lei, the series closed with an impressive 767 million total views and a solid 7.2 rating on Douban. Beyond audience approval, the drama quietly turned into one of the season’s most commercially successful titles, cementing its status as both a ratings and advertising winner.
From day one, How Dare You!? showed strong pulling power with advertisers. The drama attracted 12 brands on its premiere day alone, and at its peak, a single episode carried six advertisement slots — a rare sight that set a new record for first-run costume dramas on iQIYI.
By the time the final episode aired, the full 32-episode run had secured 31 brand sponsors, 151 ad placements, and a total ad duration of 1,683 seconds.
In iQIYI’s online advertising rankings, the drama placed fifth in total advertising brands and sixth in average ad duration per episode.
These numbers allowed it to outperform several high-profile titles released in the same period, proving that How Dare You!? delivered S+ commercial results despite being positioned as an A+ production.
Story-wise, the drama’s appeal lies in its playful yet strategic premise. Wang Churan plays Wang Cuihua, an ordinary modern office worker who suddenly finds herself transported into the world of a novel.
Inside the story, she becomes Yu Wanyin, a palace consort doomed to a tragic ending.
Cheng Lei portrays Xiahou Dan, a seemingly ruthless emperor who later reveals that he, too, comes from the modern world and is trapped inside the same fictional narrative.
With full awareness of the original plot, Yu Wanyin and Xiahou Dan form a calculated alliance to rewrite their fates.
What begins as a survival pact slowly evolves into trust, emotional connection, and eventually romance, as they navigate palace schemes, power struggles, and inter-kingdom tension together.
The drama balances humour, romance, and court intrigue without losing narrative momentum.
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| iQIYI |
The final episode delivered a satisfying payoff. Xiahou Dan successfully avoids his predetermined tragic death, Yu Wanyin escapes her doomed storyline, and after overcoming multiple major conflicts, the pair secure a rewritten ending.
The conclusion, which includes their reunion back in the modern world, left many viewers calling it one of the more emotionally rewarding endings of the year.
Commercially, How Dare You!? continued gaining sponsors as it aired. Four additional brands joined during the finale window, underlining how advertiser confidence grew alongside viewer engagement.
In terms of advertising scale and efficiency, the drama surpassed several well-known costume and romance titles, reinforcing its strong industry reputation.
With the drama’s success and the visible on-screen chemistry between Wang Churan and Cheng Lei, industry chatter has now shifted to their possible reunion in a modern romance project titled Cross the Ocean of Time to Love You/No More Beauties (Unconfirmed) (京洛再無佳人/Jing Luo Zai Wu Jia Ren/). The drama is rumoured to be directed by Guo Jingming and set within the entertainment industry.
No More Beauties is adapted from a romance novel by Qiao Wei’an and centres on Huang Xitang, a background actress working in Hengdian, and Zhao Pingjin, the son of a powerful official.
Their relationship is shaped by class differences, emotional distance, and an attempt to mend a broken past. In the original story, Huang Xitang is sharp-minded and resilient, while Zhao Pingjin is calm, distant, and authoritative — character traits many readers believe align closely with Wang Churan and Cheng Lei.
Fan and netizen reactions to the rumours have been mixed but loud. CP fans are openly enthusiastic, calling the pairing “visually perfect” and praising their natural chemistry in How Dare You!?.
Some viewers are excited to see the duo tackle a more intense, emotionally driven modern setting, while others remain cautiously optimistic, waiting for official confirmation before celebrating too early.
There are also discussions about whether a modern drama can recreate the same spark they showed in costume styling and palace dynamics.
Whether or not the reunion becomes reality, How Dare You!? has already proven that Wang Churan and Cheng Lei are a commercially viable pairing with strong audience pull.
If No More Beauties moves forward with both actors attached, it could easily become one of the most talked-about modern romance projects in development right now.
Do you think this pairing works better in costume dramas or modern settings? And if the reunion is confirmed, would you tune in for another round of emotional chaos?