The romantic historical drama Fight for love is ending its run amid a storm of backlash from viewers not for its plot, but because of the minimal screen time of its supposed male leadDing Yuxi, who plays the noble Wei Yun, the central romantic interest of Victoria Song’s character Chu Yu.
According to aggregate fan statistics, Ding Yuxi appears for a total of 2 hours and 27 minutes in 40 episodesaverage less than 4 minutes per episode a simple one 9% of total screen time. In some episodes the numbers were even more alarming: only 4 minutes and 23 seconds in episode 28 and only 2 minutes and 30 seconds in episode 29. Fans described his role as more of a “cameo” than a protagonist, and many compared his time on screen in Fight for love unfavorably to that in Love in the pavilionwhere he only had a guest role but appeared for almost the same duration.
This led to widespread criticism, especially since promotional materials had widely advertised the romance between Wei Yun and Chu Yu as the core of the story. Viewers now feel misled and demand transparency.
“The whole emotional arc was broken” noted one viewer on Weibo, pointing out that without the constant presence of the male protagonist, the central love story became incoherent. Others complained about “jarring imbalance” in the edit, which emphasized Victoria Song’s character despite complaints about her performance.
Adding to the discontent, fans collectively say so spent between 6 and 10 million RMB on promotional virtual screenings and online campaigns to increase interest in the show, an investment that is now being felt”betrayed.”
The controversy also highlights a broader trend in Chinese historical dramas, in which major characters are sidelined in favor of marketing-driven pairings or sudden editorial choices. Online platforms such as Douban and QQ Forum are currently full of calls for the production team release a full version or offer to public explanation for the drastic reductions of the scene.
Some theories suggest that the cuts could be due to censorship problemsespecially if it was politically sensitive material. Others blame post-production inconsistencies AND misaligned PR messages noting that early teasers emphasized a romantic arc that was barely present in the final product.
As online discussions heat up, one thing is clear: Fight for loveonce considered the breakout drama of the year, it is now remembered less for its story and more for a male lead who, surprisingly, was barely in it.
Sources: VTV
