LayarHijau – Some fans of the Chinese drama The Early Spring (早春晴朗) in China have requested “refund only” (仅退款) for Youku’s 18-yuan VIP finale package after becoming upset again over discussion surrounding Jing Boran’s real-life relationship with Liu Wen.
The refund requests pushed the hashtags #早春晴朗剧粉仅退款, meaning “The Early Spring fans request refunds,” and #仅退款的风终于吹到了影视界, meaning “the refund-only trend has finally reached the entertainment industry,” onto Weibo’s trending searches. The two topics reportedly generated more than 230 million views combined.
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Fans Request Refunds for the 18-Yuan VIP Package
The latest controversy began after Jing Boran and Liu Wen appeared together at singer Li Ronghao’s concert in Shanghai on September 25. During one of the interactions on stage, Li Ronghao referred to Jing Boran by the name of his The Early Spring character, Luke, before describing Liu Wen as a woman who is very important in Luke’s life.
The remark upset some fans of Nian Tao CP, the pairing of Luke and Flora, played by Sun Qian. Some fans subsequently flooded Jing Boran’s social media accounts with comments asking him to “give Luke back to Flora.”
Amid the backlash, some fans submitted refund requests for The Early Spring’s 18-yuan VIP finale package, worth roughly US$2.50. They used the “refund only” (仅退款) mechanism, which allows customers to request their money back without returning the goods or services they have already received.
The unusual protest quickly became a topic of discussion on Chinese social media. The refund requests were not reportedly triggered by a problem with the VIP package itself, but by some fans’ dissatisfaction with the way Jing Boran’s relationship with Liu Wen was once again linked to his character Luke.
Jing Boran and Liu Wen’s relationship had already become a recurring topic during The Early Spring’s run. On September 3, for example, Liu Wen liked one of Jing Boran’s posts related to the drama, prompting further discussion on Weibo.
The pair were also seen chatting and smiling at a Chanel event one day before Li Ronghao’s concert, which again drew attention from some drama fans. For them, the repeated appearance of Jing Boran and Liu Wen in discussions surrounding the drama made it increasingly difficult to keep their real-life relationship separate from the fictional relationship between Luke and Flora.
The Early Spring follows Luke and Flora as their professional relationship gradually develops into a romance. Because some fans became deeply attached to the two characters, they were particularly uncomfortable when Luke’s name was used in connection with Jing Boran’s real-life relationship.
It is worth noting, however, that the refund requests came from some fans and do not represent all viewers of The Early Spring.
The controversy has also reignited discussion about CP marketing in the Chinese drama industry. During a drama’s promotional period, interactions between lead actors and their characters’ relationships are often used to build audience interest. After a drama ends, however, some fans may continue to feel emotionally attached to the fictional pairing, making the transition back to the actors’ real lives more complicated.
In the case of The Early Spring, that reaction has now taken the form of refund requests for Youku’s VIP finale package.
