LayarHijau – Chinese actor Chen Xiao and Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen finalized their divorce in February after nine years of marriage. Now that both stars are single again, they’ve each plunged into new drama projects — and unexpectedly found themselves at the center of an online showdown.
When Chinese netizens realized that Chen Xiao’s new period business drama Legend of Magnate and Michelle Chen’s modern romance Sniper Butterfly were scheduled to premiere around the same time, curiosity spiked. Viewers jokingly labeled the situation as a “battle of the exes,” eager to see which show would win the ratings race. Would audiences gravitate toward a serious story about the rise of an industry giant, or a buzzy age-gap romance?
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The back-to-back release dates have sparked speculation that the arrangement was deliberate — a clever promotional strategy from both sides. And now that both dramas have been airing for a while, the early numbers are giving fans enough material to declare their own “winner.”
Legend of Magnate, which airs on CCTV and iQiyi, leads comfortably in both ratings and total viewership. In contrast, Michelle Chen’s Sniper Butterfly, streaming on Tencent Video, sits noticeably lower in broadcast performance. But online popularity tells a very different story: Legend of Magnate hardly generates buzz on social media, while Sniper Butterfly repeatedly dominates trending lists.
Produced with a high-end approach and told from a male-centric perspective, Legend of Magnate immediately captured mainstream attention upon release. On CCTV, it scored over 3 percent in its first 27 minutes and broke four Kuyun records with its premiere episode. Despite its strong start, the series rarely appears on trending charts — leading some netizens to poke fun at it as a “high-rating drama with no hot searches.”
Meanwhile, Sniper Butterfly has become a breakout topic despite its more modest viewership. The drama frequently lands in top trends thanks to viral talking points such as its “18 kissing scenes,” “age-gap romance,” and Michelle Chen’s “youthful appearance.” Related hashtags have racked up 630 million views on Douyin, far surpassing the social media reach of Legend of Magnate. Adding to the spotlight, more than 20 major celebrities, including Liu Shishi and Ruby Lin, have publicly shown support, turning attention toward Michelle Chen’s impressive personal network.
The storyline of Sniper Butterfly has also fueled discussion. Michelle Chen plays a woman betrayed by her ex-husband who later develops a relationship with a college student she once helped — a plot some viewers find “similar” to her real-life situation. This perceived overlap has only intensified the drama’s buzz, with many predicting it could become an unexpected dark horse as the year draws to a close.
