We wrapped up Season 1 of Joy of Life and so naturally, the next step is to discuss Season 2. For this season, there isn’t as much history and culture involved in each episode so we may move through the drama rather quickly. Can’t only do plot recap right? But we will also supplement the drama with book spoiler commentary. Season 2 in particular seems to have more hints as to the various true allegiances of people and so we will be discussing those along the way. This is of course, only going to be what we think will happen based off of the book. Where season 3 takes us will be in the hands of the screenwriter and we may have to wait quite some time. There are key hints though that we would be remiss to NOT point out so if you do NOT want what could potentially happen in season 3 be spoiled, we’ll be ok if you sit this out. Otherwise, we will be providing details of that in this podcast season. We will also be discussing more pop culture referenced in the drama. The drama was filmed in 2023 and incorporated many more recent pop culture references so it’ll be fun to talk about those. 

For today’s podcast episode, we will provide an intro to the season, give our thoughts for season 2 now that we’re a year out from its airing and also add any interesting tidbits to the drama before we start. Many of our comments are written down actually in our drama review of season 2 when you can check out on our website at chasingdramas.com

[Karen]

Plot

Season 1 left off on the cliff hanger of Fan Xian being stabbed to death. Season 2 starts right where season 1 left off with the apparent death of Fan Xian. We all know he couldn’t have really died. In reality, he worked with Yan Bing Yun to fake his death to shake off his tail of the 2nd prince and buy him time to return to the capital. The Qing Emperor, Chen Ping Ping and Fan Jian were initially distraught to hear of Fan Xian’s death but then gathered he must have faked it. 

Back at the capital, Fan Xian must figure out how to save his adoptive brother, Fan Si Zhe, his teacher, Fei Jie and also the wife and child of his old deceased friend, Teng Zi Jing, all of whom were supposedly captured by the 2nd prince as blackmail to force Fan Xian to turn to his side. Turns out, Fan Si Zhe is totally fine, Fei Jie is off on other matters but Teng Zi Jing’s wife and child were brought into a mysterious Bao Yue lou. Fan Xian works with old and new colleagues to help resolve the mystery of this new Bao Yue Lou as well as other matters thrown his way by not only the 2nd prince, but also the Crown Prince and the Emperor himself.

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[Cathy]

So, this drama came 5 years after the airing of season 1 and aired on May 16, 2024. It was one of the most highly anticipated dramas, perhaps ever, with over 18million people indicating that they were “waiting” to see the drama, the highest number ever for Tencent. The drama broke many records since airing, becoming the fastest drama ever to breach 30,000 on Tencent’s popularity index and now currently holds the highest number at over 34,000, surpassing 2022’s A Dream of Splendor. No drama in 2025 has come close to touching that record. The drama also did decently well on CCTV8 where it aired across the country. 

[Karen]

Now, as I wrote in my review, season 2 is not as good as season 1. Part of the problem it seems like, is that there was such high expectations for season 2, you could not live up to those expectations. Additionally, I would say I felt like there were business decisions that were made that detracted from the drama. What does that mean? There were actors and actresses that were included or removed from the drama for what seemed like business reasons that somewhat detracted from the show, or at least the viewing experience.

In terms of the casting changes, let’s actually dive a little deeper into that.

[Cathy]

There was significant speculation over the years as to whether or not season 2 would ever happen and who of the cast would return. In my view, it made absolutely no sense for any of the main cast to not return because of how successful Season 1 was. The only caveat to that was Xiao Zhan. He exploded in popularity while Season 1 was airing but his portrayal of Yan Bing Yun…was controversial. When the cast of season 2 was announced and people saw that he was NOT part of the cast, his fans were furious while other people rejoiced. 

Regardless, almost all of the cast returned save for a select few. Xiao Zhan was replaced by Wu Xing Jian, someone I’m not too familiar with. 

[Karen]

The surprising change is Ye Ling’Er. Ye Ling’er is Lin Wan’Er’s best friend and in season 1 was played by an unknown Han Jiu Nuo. In season 2, she was replaced by the much better known Jin Chen. Jin Chen is I believe the highest grossing 90s flower in terms of box office ticket sales. There was a lot of speculation during the airing of the drama as to why she got this role and kicked out Han Jiu Nuo. Actress Han Jiu Nuo did step forward to say she wasn’t even approached for season 2. There’s back and forth as to why she wasn’t included, but general commentary on this replacement is that the management company bullied this unknown actress to replace her with the much better known Jin Chen. Jin Chen ultimately did NOT come out looking great in this swap because of that assumption that she had more power/influence for this role. Additionally, the writing for this role and how she played Ye Ling’Er didn’t really help her so folks didn’t really understand why Jin Chen needed to take the role of Ye Ling’Er.

I guess Joy of Life is SUCH a large IP that plenty of people were vying to be a part of the success. Jin Chen headlines her own dramas and movies, and the cast also was expanded to include the likes of Mao Xiao Tong and Wang Chu Ran. They normally headline their own dramas but were willing to be a part of this cast in however small a role. That’s the power of Joy of Life.

There were a few smaller roles that were replaced and we’ll talk about those individuals when we see them. Off the top of my head I count 3 smaller roles that were changed? But for the most part, I was impressed with just how much the cast stayed the same.

[Cathy]

In terms of the 2 biggest character challenges for me of the drama is that 1) the drama seemed to play up the role of the 2nd prince. Liu Duan Duan was you could consider a breakout star from season 1 so you will notice he got a LOT more screen time in season 2. I would say that didn’t land and his and Ling’er’s scenes in season 2 were some of the weakest. Additionally, Season 2 really didn’t know what to do with Lin Wan’Er. They added some color to her that deviated from the main storyline in the book but Li Qin’s Lin Wan’er has been relegated in Chinese as a “Xiang Bian” Nv Zhu or a sidelined female lead, and I think that’s quite fair. I am forever sad at how quiet her wedding celebration was. 

As for what changes we can expect moving forward, in the year since airing of this drama, the actor for the Crown Prince 张昊唯 has been embroiled in scandal. He has not been publicly blacklisted I don’t think but he’s been AI replaced in some dramas already. I highly doubt he will return to the small screen any time soon. That’s unfortunate because he did such a great job as the Crown Prince so it’ll be interesting to see what that dynamic is like without him there. I feel like whoever takes his mantle wil have big shoes to fill. Yan Bin Yun and Ye Ling’er’s replacements will be less consequential than this guy’s replacement.

Let’s also talk about some interesting tidbits about events that have happened in between the seasons.

[cathy]

First, let’s talk about our lead, Zhang Ruo Yun. Even when we wrote our review last year, several people wrote to us commenting on Zhang Ruo Yun’s weight loss. It’s undeniable that he lost a lot of weight between filming season 1 and season 2. The Chinese are really rough on women in terms of weight but they also are picky towards men. Many commented that they thought Zhang Ruo Yun was rather pudgy in Season 1. In interviews he talked about his weight loss that started back in 2019 / 2020 when his wife Tang Yi Xin was pregnant with their daughter and he started eating much healthier. I mean, look at him in 2021’s Sword Snow Stride, he was extremely thin there. In interviews promoting Joy of Life 2, he joked that during Season 1, his wife wasn’t too busy so she often came to set, bringing him home cooked meals, which is why he gained several pounds during the filming of that season. For Season 2, because his wife was at home taking care of their child, he didn’t have these home cooked meals and so had to eat takeout. But, because he’s a picky eater and really focused on his weight this time, he lost a ton of weight during the filming of season 2. He joked that everyone’s focusing on his weight right now because 郭麒麟, his costar and actor for Fan Si Zhe gained a few pounds. That was a slight little dig on 郭麒麟 but 郭麒麟 wasn’t too bothered with this. In general though, Zhang Ruo Yun looks great for a 35 year old and definitely passes for a much younger man.

[karen]

Next, let’s briefly discuss the rises and falls of celebrity status since season 1 aired. We kind of alluded to this with the different actors and actresses who chose to join this cast. Zhang Ruo Yun, as the male lead, is comfortably at the top ladder right now in the Chinese entertainment industry. He is one of the few who audiences will see if the IP is strong enough, especially with Joy of Life. He’s a good actor and chooses his projects carefully. We’re recording in June 2025, he and his family were spotted recently in Edinburgh, Scotland and all the comments were – WHY ARE YOU ON VACATION! Go back and start filming Joy of Life season 3!! 

 Xiao Zhan, has seen a stratospheric rise to the top as a Chinese idol and actor with his 2020 drama, The Untamed. It would have been difficult for him to accept the role of Yan Bing Yun after headlining so many recent dramas. He also doesn’t need this IP. As for the ladies, Xing Zhi Lei, the actress for Hai Tang Duo Duo really increased her popularity and celebrity status in 2024. This all started with the 2023 reality show diva’s hit the road which aired in late 2023 through early 2024. Then she was the breakout star as 李李 in 繁华 or Blossoms Shanghai which came out in december 2023 and through early 2024. She was EVERYWHERE during those early 2024 months. Then this drama aired in May 2024 and she reprised her role as the fan favorite 海棠朵朵 which gave her another boost in popularity. Her stardom definitely overshadowed that of the main female lead 李沁. 李沁, despite being in many popular dramas over the years, just hasn’t had a breakout role that’s gotten her more fans. She is well regarded and liked in the industry as evident by her several acting nominations. She also has garnered decent goodwill and recognition amongst the masses. She just hasn’t bothered going down the path of an influencer idol, which is why we don’t hear much about her besides her dramas.

[cathy]

And lastly, let’s talk about all the clever marketing and sponsorship peppered within the drama but also in real life. In season 1, there was one main in-drama product placement called 999 感冒灵, which was a Chinese traditional herbal medicine brand. In Season 2, there is still this product placement but more brands found their way into the world of Joy of Life. We’ll call those out as we watch the drama. As for the viewing of the drama and the stars themselves, Joy of Life 2 had over 174 unique ads featuring 28 different brands and averaging around 8 ads per episode. There were also plenty of brand tie ins specifically with 纯甄yogurt and Pechoin cosmetics.