LayarHijau—The new drama starring Tan Songyun and Zheng Yecheng, Brocade Odyssey, premiered on November 30, 2024.
A day after the premiere, Zhao Lusi promoted the drama through a post on Weibo, stating, "Together with Mr. Jinguan, Yang Jinglan, we protect Shujin and enjoy the scenery of Shu."
Zhao Lusi included two photos in her post: one featuring Zheng Yecheng's character sketch, Yang Jinglan, from Brocade Odyssey, and the other being a promotional poster of the actor for the drama.
Zheng Yecheng and Zhao Lusi previously starred together in the 2020 drama Love of Thousand Years, where they developed a close friendship after filming.
The airing of Brocade Odyssey faced some challenges. The drama was at risk of being shelved due to a scandal involving one of its actors, Zhang Haowei, who was implicated in tax evasion and prostitution allegations. Zhang played the fiancé of the female lead character, Ji Yingying, portrayed by Tan Songyun.
Ultimately, the drama was able to air after Zhang Haowei's character, Zhao Yixuan, was replaced with Zhao Hua Wei using AI (artificial intelligence) technology.
However, the issues didn’t end there. During its premiere, the drama failed to make it into the top 10 most popular dramas in China, according to data from Maoyan. In contrast, Guduo ranked it third, while Vlinkage placed it seventh.
Media coverage in China regarding the drama has been mixed. Some reports claim that the drama has low ratings, while others state that it is performing well. One analysis suggests that the cost and time required to replace Zhang Haowei's face with AI technology hindered the editing team from maximizing special effects for other parts, resulting in uneven visual quality for Brocade Odyssey.
This analysis may be valid, but it could also be incorrect, as the editing process should have begun long before Zhang Haowei's scandal emerged.
Nevertheless, it seems that the drama's ratings are starting to improve. Guduo reported that yesterday the drama ranked second, and Vlinkage provided similar data. Meanwhile, Maoyan indicated that the drama is currently in third place.