So it’s off to the races for the production of the C-drama adaptation of Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage. Filming has commenced on the Tencent produced C-drama this week, right after the lunar new year as previously expected. Leads Dylan Wang as Xie Jing Xing and Meng Zi Yi as Shen Miao were also as previously expected and rumored, putting a definitive “take it or leave it” for fans of the novel who think either or both of them are miscast for the characters as described. Dylan gets top billing in a hilarious narrative flip on a female centric novel where the female lead has more than double the page length to the male lead. Since most of Xie Jing Xing’s solo story happens off novel (Shen Miao hears about it afterwards), the drama will probably just show it to increase his screen time. Tencent released the first posters of both leads and goodness gracious are these just wildly unappealing. The excessive photoshop plus the styling of Dylan to look older and styling of Meng Zi Yi to look younger makes it even more apparent these two look like a young attractive aunt and her high school nephew cosplaying a general vibes. Don’t mind me, I’m off to go scream into a pillow now.