LayarHijau – The hit drama Love’s Ambition (许我耀眼), starring Zhao Lusi and William Chan, became an unexpected success despite launching without any major promotion. The series not only broke viewership records but also helped Zhao Lusi regain positive momentum amid her previous contract dispute. Recently, the production team held a grand celebration in Chengdu to commemorate the drama surpassing 2 billion views.
The event quickly went viral thanks to Zhao Lusi and William Chan’s lively reunion on stage. The pair reenacted their famous “Yanyan, answer the phone!” scene—William Chan’s mix of Cantonese and Mandarin pronunciation had everyone laughing. Fans flooded the comments saying they could “watch it forever” and begged for the duo to work together again in another project.
However, the joyful celebration turned controversial when viewers realized that the official livestream also featured a merchandise sales segment. During the stream, staff began selling Love’s Ambition-themed items, including knitted socks priced at 34.9 yuan (about $4.80 USD) and plush dolls ranging from 209 to 378 yuan (about $29–$52 USD). Many online users accused the production team of being overly commercial, joking that the “thank-you party turned into a shopping channel.”
Some netizens also criticized the products’ high prices and average quality, with comments such as “even the celebration became a business opportunity” and “the merch looks cheap but costs too much” circulating widely on Weibo.
In response, the production team issued a clarification, stating that the party and the livestream were separate activities that just happened to occur on the same day due to scheduling and venue constraints. They added, “Zhao Lusi and William Chan happened to pass by the livestream room after the banquet and decided to drop in spontaneously. All interactions and reenactments were simply gestures of gratitude to fans watching from home.”
Still, skepticism remained among netizens after clips surfaced showing William Chan holding up a pair of socks to the camera, while Zhao Lusi mentioned that “the galaxy edition stock is almost sold out.” Many interpreted the remarks as a deliberate marketing push rather than a spontaneous fan interaction, reigniting the debate over whether the celebration had quietly doubled as a sales event.
