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| “Five months of filming just for this nonsense. Totally embarrassing!” - Viewers Call Out 'The First Jasmine' After Cheng Lei's Final Battle Is Cut to Only 6 Seconds. (Image via: Tencent Video) |
The finale of The First Jasmine (莫离) was supposed to wrap up months of emotional storytelling, but instead it has left viewers talking about a stopwatch. Rather than celebrating the ending, Chinese social media has exploded with complaints over how little screen time male lead Ryan Cheng (Cheng Lei) received in the final stretch of the historical drama. For many fans, the biggest twist was not the ending itself, but watching one of the drama's headline stars almost disappear from it.
The controversy quickly gathered pace after the hashtag claiming Cheng Lei averaged just three minutes of screen time per episode across the final five episodes shot to the top of trending topics.
Fans accused the production team of promoting the actor heavily before release, only to leave his character, Mo Xiuyao, barely visible when the story reached its biggest moments.
The numbers shared by Chinese netizens only added fuel to the debate. After timing scenes frame by frame, viewers estimated that Cheng Lei appeared for only around 16 minutes across the last five episodes, which together ran for more than 210 minutes.
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| Cheng Lei Fans Demand Answers After The First Jasmine Finale Cuts His Screen Time to 16 Minutes |
That works out at roughly three minutes per episode, while one instalment reportedly featured him for less than two minutes. Many viewers joked that they had spent more time watching the opening and ending credits than the supposed male lead, with others asking whether he had accidentally wandered into his own drama as a guest appearance.
The biggest frustration arrived during what should have been the series' defining moment. The long-awaited showdown between Mo Xiuyao and the main villain, teased as the emotional and action-packed climax, reportedly lasted around five seconds after editing.
Meanwhile, a flashback involving the female lead and the second male lead occupied around five minutes of screen time. That comparison spread rapidly online, with many fans arguing that the imbalance was impossible to ignore.
Some disappointed viewers accused the production of relying on Cheng Lei's popularity during promotional campaigns before significantly reducing his role in the finished broadcast.
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Comments across Chinese social media suggested fans felt misled, arguing that audiences had been encouraged to expect a major male lead performance only to receive what some sarcastically described as "premium background decoration." Others joked that if anyone blinked during the finale, they might have missed half of Cheng Lei's remaining scenes.
Much of the emotional reaction also comes from the actor's commitment behind the scenes. Cheng Lei reportedly spent nearly five months filming The First Jasmine, enduring temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius while wearing heavy armour throughout demanding historical battle sequences.
Fans highlighted that he completed difficult martial arts scenes, wire work and large-scale action sequences himself, making the final edit even harder for them to accept.
Supporters were quick to praise the actor despite the limited material. Many argued that every appearance carried emotional weight, saying his expressive eyes and restrained performance made each scene memorable.
Some even suggested that the lack of screen time unintentionally highlighted his acting ability because every moment left viewers wanting more. As one fan put it, "He turned minutes into something unforgettable."
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Not everyone believes the editing was unfair, however. Some viewers pointed out that The First Jasmine was always positioned as a female-centred historical drama.
They argued the finale had the difficult task of concluding multiple storylines while resolving the journeys of several supporting characters, meaning compromises were inevitable. From that perspective, reducing the male lead's presence may have been an editing decision based on pacing rather than an attempt to sideline the actor.
Others adopted a more balanced view, acknowledging that while Cheng Lei's reduced role was disappointing, the overall narrative still reached a complete conclusion.
They suggested that broadcast time restrictions may have forced editors to prioritise certain plotlines, even if the final result left fans feeling frustrated. For these viewers, the controversy reflects the difficult choices that often come with adapting long productions into fixed episode lengths.
However, not everyone agrees with the criticism. Bai Lu's fanbase has pushed back against the viral claims, arguing that the figures circulating online are inaccurate. According to their own calculations, Cheng Lei actually appeared for more than 16 minutes across the final five episodes rather than the widely reported 15 minutes.
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They also argued that while his screen time was undeniably limited for a male lead, the difference between the competing calculations shows that online estimates vary depending on how scenes, flashbacks and partial appearances are counted, keeping the debate alive across Chinese social media.
The production team behind The First Jasmine has yet to issue an official statement addressing the editing controversy. Until then, the finale remains overshadowed by debates over missing screen time rather than memorable storytelling. Ironically, the final episodes may be remembered less for how the story ended and more for how quickly one of its biggest stars seemed to vanish from the screen.