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| Zhao Lusi’s New Drama Rumours Explode as Fans React to Xu Kai and Michelle Chen Casting. (Credits: Weibo) |
The rumour mill in Chinese entertainment has officially entered overdrive again after reports claimed that Zhao Lusi, Michelle Chen Yanxi, Xu Kai, and Bai Bingke are set to headline Mango TV’s upcoming modern drama As Beautiful As You Want.
The project, reportedly produced by XiXi Pictures and adapted from Yi Shu’s novel Yao Duo Mei Li Jiu Duo Mei Li, is already drawing heavy attention online before filming has even properly begun. Honestly, pairing Zhao Lusi and Xu Kai in one frame alone was apparently enough to send drama fans into full detective mode by sunrise.
If confirmed, the drama would also mark a major acting comeback for Zhao Lusi, who has spent the past year carefully easing herself back into public life after stepping away from filming following the suspension of Lovers/Almost Lovers in 2024.
Since then, the actress has become noticeably more selective about projects, openly discussing the importance of recovery, emotional balance and avoiding burnout in an industry that often behaves like sleep is an optional side quest.
Back in April, Lusi confirmed during a Shanghai livestream event that she would officially return to filming during the summer period between June and August 2026.
She explained that she feels physically and emotionally better during warmer months, adding that she no longer wants to rush into productions before feeling completely ready.
It was one of the more grounded celebrity statements in recent memory, especially in an industry where people sometimes announce three dramas, two concerts and a fashion campaign while allegedly surviving on iced coffee and eye patches.
What immediately caught fans’ attention, however, was Zhao Lusi’s description of her next project. According to the actress, the upcoming drama would focus on “the mindset and lifestyle of modern women”, suggesting a more realistic and mature direction compared to the fluffy romance image that helped launch her career through hits like Hidden Love.
That detail now has many viewers convinced that As Beautiful As You Want could indeed be the mystery project she hinted at.
The reported drama itself sounds far from a standard glossy romance. Adapted from celebrated author Yi Shu, whose works have already inspired successful series like The Tale of Rose and Best Choice Ever, the story revolves around sisters Yang Yipin and Yang Erjing.
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| As Beautiful As You Want: Zhao Lusi, Michelle Chen and Xu Kai Spark Buzz Over New C-Drama |
Raised within a fractured family environment, the two women grow into adults with completely opposing outlooks on life. One becomes deeply career-focused, while the other uses beauty and social charm as a pathway toward financial and social stability.
As expected from Yi Shu’s storytelling style, the drama reportedly leans heavily into emotional realism, complicated family dynamics and female identity rather than simple fairy-tale romance.
Viewers can likely expect arguments over ambition, uncomfortable truths at dinner tables, emotionally unavailable men standing dramatically in expensive apartments, and at least one character staring silently out of a rainy window questioning every life decision they have ever made. In other words, peak modern C-drama behaviour.
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| As Beautiful As You Want Expected to Explore Love, Family and Women’s Ambitions |
Michelle Chen, who regained major momentum following her widely discussed 2025 drama Sniper Butterfly, brings a more experienced and emotionally layered screen presence.
Meanwhile, Xu Kai continues to remain one of the busiest male leads in the market, capable of switching between historical fantasy prince mode and emotionally confused modern boyfriend mode with suspicious ease.
For Zhao Lusi, the project could become an important turning point in how audiences view her career trajectory. Following the success of 2025’s Love’s Ambition alongside William Chan, many fans began hoping she would move toward projects with stronger social realism and more emotionally complex female characters. This reported drama appears to fit that direction almost perfectly.
Zhao Lusi fans celebrated the reports as proof that her long-awaited return is finally becoming real, with many praising the possibility of seeing her in a more mature ensemble-driven series. Others immediately focused on the reported pairing with Xu Kai, joking that Mango TV was deliberately targeting drama audiences who enjoy “visual suffering with beautiful people in expensive coats”.
Some C-netz expressed concern over whether the drama could become overly focused on commercial placement and brand integration after Zhao Lusi previously hinted that future projects may incorporate advertising elements more naturally into the storyline.
There are also questions about whether the adaptation can successfully balance Yi Shu’s sharp female-centred writing with mainstream streaming drama expectations.
Yi Shu’s stories tend to be emotionally direct, sometimes brutally honest, and far less interested in delivering easy fantasy endings. That could make the series stand out in a market currently crowded with repetitive romance formulas, provided the production avoids smoothing out all the messy emotional edges that make her work memorable in the first place.
At the moment, Mango TV has not officially confirmed the full cast lineup. The reported combination of Zhao Lusi, Michelle Chen, and Xu Kai has already generated enough discussion to make the project one of the most closely watched rumoured dramas of the year. If the casting gets confirmed, will this become Zhao Lusi’s strongest comeback yet, or the next modern drama everyone ends up emotionally attached to against their own will?