LayarHijau – Actor Cheng Yi has once again demonstrated his dominance in costume dramas after reaching peak popularity alongside actress Li Yitong in the latest series Sword and Beloved (天地劍心).
Amid the airing of Sword and Beloved, rumors emerged that Cheng Yi nearly starred in two major previous dramas: Love in Pavilion (淮水竹亭) with Liu Shishi, and Love Game in the Eastern Fantasy (永夜星河) with Esther Yu (虞书欣). It should be noted that these rumors have not been officially confirmed by the production teams or Cheng Yi’s management, and thus remain media reports.
According to Taiwanese media reports, Cheng Yi received the offer to star in Sword and Beloved while still filming Hero Legends, which began in January 2023 and also stars Li Yitong. Sword and Beloved itself began filming in January 2024 but aired earlier than Hero Legends.
Before ultimately choosing Sword and Beloved, Cheng Yi reportedly declined the other two major dramas. The main producer of Sword and Beloved, Wang Yixu, visited Cheng Yi three times on the set of Hero Legends. The first and second visits reportedly involved offers for Love in Pavilion (filming September–December 2023) and Love Game in the Eastern Fantasy (filming August–December 2023). Cheng Yi allegedly turned down Love in Pavilion because the male lead’s character was less prominent, while a back injury during Hero Legends forced him to step back from Love Game in the Eastern Fantasy. The male lead in that drama was eventually taken by Ding Yuxi.
On the third visit, Wang Yixu brought executives from the streaming platform iQIYI to the Hero Legends set. The production team accommodated Cheng Yi’s requests regarding the script and role, leading him to agree to star in Sword and Beloved. Wang Yixu also observed the chemistry between Cheng Yi and Li Yitong on the Hero Legends set and immediately offered a role to Li Yitong as well. Filming for Sword and Beloved officially began on January 5, 2024.
Now that it has aired, Sword and Beloved has received widespread acclaim. Viewers praised Cheng Yi as Wang Quan Fugui and Li Yitong as Qing Tong, considering them a perfect on-screen pair. The success also underscores Cheng Yi’s instinct in selecting projects.
Meanwhile, the airing schedule for Hero Legends remains unknown. In addition, several other Cheng Yi projects are still awaiting release, including The Vendetta of An, which has finished filming, and Liang Jing Shi Wu Ri, which is currently in production.
Once again, the rumors regarding Cheng Yi being offered roles in Love in Pavilion and Love Game in the Eastern Fantasy have not been officially verified and should be regarded as light, supplementary information only.
