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I’m taking this rumored upcoming Chinese-Korean collaboration drama with a grain of salt, but more on the casting than on the drama actually happening. Word on the street is that Chinese A-list actor Huang Xiaoming, who is getting ready for his upcoming big-budget wedding to fellow C-actress Angelababy (Yang Ying), is pretty a spin-off drama to his recent period drama hit Cruel Romance (錦繡緣華麗冒險). The drama will be called 錦繡緣璀璨年華 and currently doesn’t have an English title so I’ll just call it Cruel Romance 2 for now, and will be set in the extravagant and glittering world of antiques and jewelry dealing in period China.

The lead character set up is apparently going to crib from the Cruel Romance OTP, with a scrappy female lead meeting her romantic destiny with a powerful and commanding male lead – basically the Candy story with a bad boy turned devoted Romeo. China loves that very dynamic, and in addition to Cruel Romance another early Republic-era drama The Lady and the Liar also had the exact same construct, so the story line is way less interesting than the news that Huang Xiaoming will be pairing up with popular K-actress Park Shin Hye for this second go-around. Say what? Continue reading →