“Guest Star Male Lead?” Li Yunrui’s Missing Screen Time in Ice Lake Rebirth Has Viewers Checking Out

800 Million Yuan Drama Left Ad-Free as Viewers Tune Out Early. (Credits: Upmedia)

Rebirth was meant to be a prestige comeback, but instead it’s turning into one of the most awkward big-budget misfires of the year. With a reported 800 million yuan riding on it, the sequel to Princess Agents has managed an almost unthinkable feat: airing nearly 20 episodes without a single advertiser willing to come on board. 

And at the centre of the chaos is Li Yunrui, whose surprisingly limited screen time has become the latest talking point fuelling audience frustration.

For a drama marketed around its male lead, the numbers are not doing anyone any favours. Early episode breakdowns shared across Chinese social media show Li Yunrui appearing for just 49 minutes across the first five episodes, compared to HuangYang Tian Tian’s 110 minutes and even trailing behind second male lead Zhang Kangle. 

Viewers didn’t hold back, quickly dubbing him a “guest star male lead”, which is not quite the branding a production of this scale had in mind.

The imbalance only became more obvious as the series progressed. In several early episodes, Li Yunrui reportedly appears for less than five minutes, with episode nine barely giving him more than a blink-and-you-miss-it presence. 

While his screen time does increase from episode 15 onwards, by then many viewers had already checked out, leaving the show struggling to regain any momentum.

The casting of Huang Yang Tiantian was initially seen as a clever nod to legacy fans. Having previously portrayed a younger version of Zhao Liying’s character, her step into the lead role carried a sense of continuity. But that goodwill didn’t last. 

Ongoing criticism of her acting, combined with last year’s image controversy, appears to have dented audience trust. The result is a lead performance that many viewers simply aren’t buying into, no matter how much screen time it gets.

Rebirth — Douban Score: 3.2

Behind the scenes, the scale of the production tells a very different story. Rebirth leans heavily into visual spectacle, with real snow mountains and ice lake locations filmed at altitudes of up to 4,800 metres. 

The production reportedly poured around 200 million yuan into creating a cinematic look, blending practical locations with extensive effects. 

On paper, it’s ambitious. On screen, viewers are asking why all that money didn’t translate into stronger storytelling.

The commercial fallout is where things get particularly stark. Despite the scale and hype, the drama has yet to attract advertisers even after 19 episodes. 

That absence is being read as a clear signal of market hesitation, with brands seemingly unwilling to attach themselves to a series struggling to hold audience interest. 

Reports of producer Zhang Meng becoming emotional during promotions have only added to the narrative that expectations and reality are miles apart.

Some viewers argue the series wasted its strongest assets, pointing to the underuse of Li Yunrui as a critical misstep. Others feel the narrative leaned too heavily on one character without delivering the depth needed to sustain it. 

Li Yunrui’s Role Shrinks as Audience Interest Fades

There are still a handful defending the later episodes, insisting the story improves if you stick with it, but the general mood online suggests most people didn’t wait around long enough to find out.

At this point, Rebirth is less a triumphant sequel and more a cautionary tale about hype, balance, and audience patience. Big budgets and scenic backdrops can only carry so much before viewers start asking tougher questions. 

And judging by the current response, they already have. So what do you think — was this doomed from the start, or could it have been saved with a better focus?