Tencent Period C-drama The First Jasmine with Bai Lu and Cheng Lei Confirm June 2026 Release
With May wrapping up the first big C-drama June release will be Tencent period romance and intrigue C-drama The First Jasmine (Chinese title Mo Li 莫离). I like that the title is different, not using the typical trope words or going too literal, but the preview is now what I was expected. The drama starring Bai Lu and Cheng Lei seems on paper like a political intrigue romance but the preview makes it look like a plotting revenge with detective murder mystery, giving off vibes of her last drama Unveil: Jadewind. My interest is piqued with liking both leads and going into this feeling blind as to what to expect narratively.
Trailer for The First Jasmine:
The performances seem stiff so far and the costumes
Seem awkward on the leads but this is supposed to be a revenge story. I think I read the manhua briefly and it was alright but I know this is based on a novel and I did not read it because I believe it is a bit long. guess we will see what they alter for censorship and whether it will play out well. I love the main male lead more than the female lead so I will watch for him.
There is no manhua of the story. I’ve read the original novel. The original story is not a revenge oriented story. I would call it a romance, action, political war story. The FL is a time traveler from 21st century who ends up in the body of a 15/16 year old girl but in present day was really in her early 30s. She was also in the military/spy in present day. The books has a lot of action and espionage in it with the female character playing a major role. So I wonder how they are going to work that in to the story. I think Bai Lu is a great cast because she can pull off that type of character as least if they follow the FL book archetype.
I guess I got confused with another story thanks 😊
There’s a lot of hype for this drama but it sounds similar to another drama that’s coming out at around the same time: Ashes to Crown. I wonder if people will get fatigued from big female lead costume dramas about revenge and political intrigue and power.
The chosen title for the English title is a good choice. And the trailer looks intriguing!
I have never been interested in anything BL has starred in, she really just doesn’t give off good acting actress vibes.
While she doesn’t overact like some actresses, she is quite bland. Other than a few decent crying scenes, she lacks acting range. She’s been looking the same from drama to drama lately.
This is so going to flop.
My view of BL went from liking her, to indifference, to almost total avoidance. Yet, I keep giving her dramas a shot! lol. This one is no exception, though not for her sake. I want to see how CL fares, even though his last few dramas as the ML didn’t impress me. I don’t think it’s because he can’t act; the plots just didn’t hit the mark for me.
I personally dont think Cheng lei is lead material. Ive seen a few of his previous dramas and the one where he had a little more impact was when he was supporting. But I know his agency iqiyi is trying to push him. Hes missing sth. Bai lu started off really earnest in her career, she was good in arsenal military or whatever. But it’s been downhill since. She has no range of emotions, incredibly wooden and acts the same in evey drama. She was soooo bad in unveil jadewind.
Agree with Arsenal Military Academy! One of my favorite pseudo-school dramas (like HanaKimi but military set-up). Bai Lu, Xu Kai, and the whole crew were fun.