Ding Yuxi Plays the Male Lead but Appears Only 2.5 Hours in 40 Episodes? Massive Cuts to His Key Scenes Spark Fan Outrage

Chinese actor Ding Yuxi, who recently gained popularity from The Long Night Star River, stars as Wei Yun—the seventh young master of the Wei family—in his new drama Pillow of Mountains and Rivers, opposite Victoria Song in a forbidden “uncle–sister-in-law” romance. But despite being the male lead, fans discovered that his total effective screen time in the 40-episode series is only 2 hours and 27 minutes, roughly 9% of the entire drama, sparking widespread outrage and sending the topic trending on Weibo.

Ding Yuxi performed all of his action scenes personally and was even injured by an arrow during filming, leading many fans to expect a strong performance. But once the drama aired, statistics revealed he appears less than 4 minutes per episode on average. Episode 28 featured just 4 minutes and 23 seconds of him, and Episode 29 only 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Fans were furious that a male lead received such minimal screen presence, with many of his pivotal scenes clearly removed during editing. They also pointed out that fans collectively spent 6–10 million RMB (approx. RM351k–RM585k) on online “theater sponsorship” to boost the drama’s promotion, only to find Ding Yuxi’s scenes heavily cut. Many accused the production team of poor script handling and unreasonable editing that weakened the male lead’s character arc.

Adding fuel to the fire, fans compared his screen time in Huai Shui Bamboo Pavilion, where he only had a guest appearance—his on-screen time there was 2 hours 26 minutes, nearly identical to his total in Pillow of Mountains and Rivers. Fans commented angrily:

• “How is this a male lead? This is a special cameo!”
• “The title should be changed to ‘Cut-Rivers Pillow’.”
• “The romance arc feels forced and unnatural.”

The controversy continues to escalate as fans demand the production team respond.