u/a_HerculePoirot_fan

Another Cheng Lei food vlog released by Cheng Lei himself in his XHS account today! This one is from his recent trip to Malaysia for the iQIYI event, and once again, I love how food is always an important part of his travel content.

This time he got to try quite a few Malaysian favourites, including Black Thorn durian, roti canai/roti telur, teh tarik, and ABC (ais batu campur).

We already know from his previous food vlogs that he has a pretty healthy appetite, so I’m always happy to see him being able to relax and eat to his heart’s content when he travels. Leilei looked so happy in all the frames haha.

Source: Cheng Lei's XHS

​

The drama’s official Weibo posted the milestone today with the line:

“Pressed intimately close, with nowhere to escape—tonight is destined to burn hot.”

The drama will air on Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV, and the current rumoured premiere dates are October 8 or October 11. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, so take those dates with the usual grain of salt. Still keeping my fingers crossed that it will be aired on other platforms!

Either way, we’re getting very close now. Cheng Lei as this dark orange/red flag character is almost upon us!

Source

​

Cheng Lei posted a new vlog on Douyin his trip to Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village for the Xiaomi 18 Pro Series, and besides the promo itself, I enjoyed seeing the village through his camera.

Some of the shots turned out really beautiful, especially the rooftops stacked across the mountainside and the close-ups of the intricate Miao embroidery and silver ornaments.

I liked the quieter parts of this vlog: him wandering through the alleys, noticing the light in a small courtyard, stopping whenever something caught his eye, and then showing us the photos he took afterwards. The village itself is already stunning, but CL came away with some really lovely shots from the trip.

Source

Cheng Lei just posted a new fitness vlog on Weibo today, and the long-awaited gym content has finally arrived. He did the whole thing wearing glasses!

He mentioned that he came over early because they had a shower scene to film the next day, hence the advance workout 👀. Lol, that shower scene was probably for The Leading Stars. We got a pretty decent look at his workout routine, which included weighted pull-ups followed by more upper-body work before finishing his last exercise and declaring the fitness vlog complete. One of my favourite parts is the random appearance of a corgi at the gym lol.

Source: Cheng Lei's Weibo

Wonderland, a media platform in China released a short interview with Cheng Lei from his Clinique event in Hangzhou on September 10. I think the skincare questions ended up being the least interesting part of it for me. What I enjoyed much more were his answers about sensitivity, how he recharges, and what being “young” actually means to him.

The Hangzhou part was very CL too. He has been around West Lake several times for work, but he has also gone walking and taken photos there on his own. He describes Hangzhou as quiet, comfortable and poetic, somewhere that allows him to mentally relax. Considering how much he enjoys photography, I can picture him wandering around West Lake looking at buildings and taking random photos whenever he gets some free time.

My favourite answer comes when Wonderland asks him about “calming sensitivity.” Instead of simply turning it into a skincare metaphor about eliminating sensitivity altogether, he says that being sensitive internally isn't necessarily something that needs to be taken away and regards sensitivity as something quite precious. His approach is more about taking the positive part of it and turning it into nourishment for imagination, while learning to quieten the negative side when it becomes overwhelming.

For a short interview, I thought some of his answers were unexpectedly thoughtful. Cheng Lei has this habit of taking a fairly standard interview question and wandering slightly beyond the expected PR response, which is usually the part I enjoy most.

Source

Cheng Lei’s assistant posted a really lovely wrap-up special for The Leading Stars today!

The video has a bit of everything: BTS from the set, Cheng Lei discussing how to do certain action beats, multiple takes in the mud and rain, joking around with the crew, and even getting very invested in the colour of the sand lol. He also had to roll down the desert sand for one of the scenes and, judging by how many times he seemed perfectly happy to do it again, I honestly think he was having fun with that one. The wrap itself was really sweet too and CL described their team as warm and unforgettable.

I loved the more reflective character montage in the beginning of the clip:

>“I’m someone who goes against the wind,
because there’s a name hidden in the wind.
One day, she came with the wind.
I came looking for you. I wanted to see you.
From then on, the wind had an echo.”

Source: CL Assistant Weibo

It's finally official! Just 30 minutes earlier on their official socmed accounts, PONY has announced Leilei as their new brand ambassador, and I have to say this partnership suits him well.

We all could see this coming, but seeing the actual campaign photos makes me even more excited. The styling is clean, sporty and understated, and the earthy greens, browns and blacks look so good on him. He has that kind of aesthetic where he can make very simple sportswear look effortlessly polished without losing the casual feel.

Another endorsement for our Leizi! ❤️ I’m really looking forward to seeing what else PONY has planned for him, especially after all that teasing about painting and motorbiking.

Source: PONY

I totally forgot about this clip until someone brought it up on another sub today! I remember laughing so hard the first time I saw it because I could not believe this came from an official iQiyi account and wasn’t some wildly unhinged fan edit.

The whole thing was ridiculous, but “wisdom of the daddy” absolutely took me out. Whoever was running iQiyi’s account that day clearly understood the assignment a little too well and must have been a CL stan.

So yes, if you still haven’t watched Shadow Love… consider this your sign.

Source

Following the official statement released by Cheng Lei’s management today, r/ChengLei_ will be introducing a stricter guideline regarding invasive, unauthorised and privacy-violating content. Going forward, posts containing footage or photos obtained through stalking, intrusive photography, unauthorised filming or the tracking of Cheng Lei’s private movements will be removed.

Why are we introducing this?

Cheng Lei’s management has specifically spoken out against behaviour including following vehicles, surrounding him for photographs, gathering around his transportation, rummaging through his belongings, tracking him at hotels, filming locations, airports and train stations, and circulating undisclosed personal schedules.

They have also asked fans not to repost or spread material obtained through these methods. The appropriate thing for this sub to do is respect that request. Being interested in CL as an actor does not give us unlimited access to CL as a person. It’s very disheartening to read that CL has been subjected to so many invasive practices that his company now feels compelled to put out an official statement.

What are daipai / “Reuters”?

In Chinese entertainment fandoms, daipai (代拍)  are photographers who obtain celebrity photos or videos and sell them, sometimes directly to fans who want pictures taken on their behalf.

Some daipai go considerably further in pursuit of exclusive material, like waiting around filming locations or hotels, tracking artists between locations, following vehicles, positioning themselves outside restricted areas or secretly recording scenes from closed sets.

You may also see unofficial material referred to as “Reuters” within C-ent fandom spaces. This is fandom slang and has nothing to do with the Reuters news agency. A lot of the unofficial footage that circulates while dramas are filming comes from these photographers rather than from the production itself.

What will NOT be allowed

To make the boundary as clear as possible, the following are examples of posts that will be removed:

• Private outings with friends or colleagues. If Cheng Lei is having a meal, shopping, sightseeing, going for coffee, cycling or simply spending his own time with friends, secretly filmed footage or photos following that outing are not appropriate for the sub.
• Following him after a public event ends. Videos from the Malaysia iQiyi event itself are perfectly fine. Following him out of the venue, tracking which vehicle he gets into, following that vehicle and then filming where he goes afterwards is not.
• Following or chasing his vehicle. Footage taken while tailing his car or van, filming through the windows, following him between locations or revealing his route or destination will be removed.
• Hotel or accommodation footage. Waiting outside his hotel to record him entering or leaving, identifying where he is staying, filming hotel entrances or otherwise monitoring his movements around his accommodation is intrusive.
• Unannounced airport or train travel obtained through leaked schedules. Public appearances at airports are not automatically banned, but content obtained because someone acquired his private flight or train information, waited for him, followed him through the terminal or surrounded him while travelling will not be allowed.
• Secretly filmed drama scenes. Videos recorded from outside or inside a closed set showing Cheng Lei performing a scene, rehearsing or filming material that the production has not released will be removed.
• Unofficial set photos taken from restricted areas. This includes unreleased costumes, scenes, character interactions or other material photographed by people stationed around the set without authorisation.
• Footage filmed through barriers or windows. If someone is recording through a restaurant window, car window, fence, closed-set barrier or similar obstacle in order to capture him when he is clearly not participating in a public appearance, that will generally be considered intrusive.
• Content obtained by crowding or harassing him. Cameras being pushed into his face, photographers blocking his way, surrounding him while he is trying to leave, repeatedly approaching him or otherwise interfering with his movement will not be posted here.
• Private schedules and location information. Do not post hotel names, unpublished flights or trains, private itineraries, vehicle details, filming exit times, private addresses or information telling people where and when they can find him.
• Content involving his personal belongings or private spaces. Anything obtained by searching through, photographing or filming his belongings, vehicle, hotel room or another private area is obviously off limits.
• Edits or compilations using invasive material. Repackaging an intrusive clip into a fan edit does not change where the original footage came from.
• Reposts from another fan account do not become acceptable simply because the original watermark is gone. If we can reasonably identify the source or circumstances as invasive, it may still be removed.
• AI-generated or AI-manipulated content. AI-generated images, videos or audio depicting Cheng Lei will not be allowed on the sub. This includes deepfakes, face swaps, voice clones, fabricated photographs or videos, and AI edits that place him in situations that never happened or alter his appearance in a substantial way. Even when created as harmless fan content, these can blur the line between real and fabricated material and can easily be reposted elsewhere without the original context or disclosure. If Cheng Lei did not actually say, do or pose for something, we do not want AI creating that reality for him.

What IS allowed?

Official and legitimate public content is very welcome, including:

• fan videos from public fan meetings, brand events and other announced appearances;
• official drama BTS;
• studio and production updates;
• magazine and brand shoots;
• press interviews;
• television appearances and livestreams;
• photographs or clips Cheng Lei/his assistant/studio chooses to share;

>“But it’s already everywhere online.”

We obviously cannot control what circulates elsewhere, but we can decide what we amplify here. Every repost gives invasive material more views and makes that kind of footage more valuable. The fact that something has already gone viral does not mean r/ChengLei_ needs to help it travel further. This is about setting a clearer standard for the community from this point onwards, based on what we now know and on the boundaries Cheng Lei’s management has asked fans to respect.

We are all here because we enjoy Cheng Lei’s work and want to support him. He already shares plenty with fans through his dramas, events, interviews, livestreams and the little bits of his life he chooses to put out there himself. We don’t need to go looking for the moments he clearly wants to keep private.

We hope everyone can understand where this guideline is coming from and help keep the sub a space that supports Leizi without crossing those boundaries! ❤️❤️ Respect the person before the actor <3

Quick update on what I’m doing with everyone’s fan messages!

iQiyi Malaysia confirmed that fans won’t be able to hand letters directly to Cheng Lei, but they’ve set up a mailbox at the venue for us to drop them off instead. The staff also told me that the fan letters will be passed directly to Leizi’s team, so your messages should definitely reach him! ❤️

I went over yesterday to check out the Cheng Lei pop-up area they’ve prepared. There’s apparently a chance to win a signed photocard if you take a photo there, post it on social media and tag iQiyi, so naturally I had to give that a shot too haha. They also have a message board for fans, and I left a little note about him being the Bath Emperor haha. The male iQiyi staff member was definitely giving me the side-eye while I was sticking mine up 🤣🤣🤣

I’ve also finished putting together all the messages you guys sent me, and I’ll be dropping them into the fan mailbox on Sunday. The staff actually suggested waiting until Sunday because when I visited yesterday, the mailbox was still completely empty lol. I would’ve been the very first person to put anything in it.

I ended up preparing two separate envelopes. One is my own personal letter, and the other contains the messages from everyone here. I In that second letter, I explained that he has an active international fan community supporting him from all over the world, and I even took my chances and asked if he might draw something for our sub! The odds are probably tiny, but I figured there was no harm in trying lol. I even added the url link of our Reddit sub and a screenshot of our sub homepage lol.

I want him to know that support for him extends far beyond China and Southeast Asia. Some of the messages came from fans in places like Mexico, Brazil, the UK, the US, Canada and Egypt, which I thought was such a lovely thing to be able to show him.

Because my Mandarin writing is basically nonexistent, I had to rely on AI to translate the letters for me haha. Hopefully Leilei can read them without wondering what on earth I was trying to say.

Thanks again, everyone, for taking the time to write such sweet messages for him. I’m really happy I get to help pass them along, and now that I know they’ll be sent directly to his team, I’m even more excited knowing they should actually make their way to him! ❤️

THis is the full Cheng Lei’s Clinique livestream that took place yesterday!

My favourite part was when he was asked to give some advice to a student feeling anxious about the start of a new semester. I really liked that he didn’t give the usual “don’t be anxious” type of answer and gave a very thoughtful response. He reassured them that feeling anxious is completely normal, especially when you have been comfortable in one environment and suddenly have to readjust to another.

He related it back to himself too, saying that after working intensely for a few months, he sometimes feels lost when he suddenly has free time again, and that he can actually feel more anxious when he isn’t working. His advice was basically not to fight the anxiety so hard. Let it exist, live with it for a while, and eventually things will become clearer. That to me was good, grounded advice.

My second favorite part was the Emotion Color-Mixing Session, where they had CL experiment with ASMR using drawing materials, Clinique products, a coconut-shell wind chime, an hourglass, and other random sound-making props. He admitted right away that he had never done ASMR before and basically had no idea what he was doing haha.

Source

&#x200B;

I will be meeting Cheng Lei at the iQiyi event on the 13th, so I thought it would be nice to bring along some messages from members of this sub too!

If you would like to leave him a short note, words of encouragement, a birthday wish, a message about one of his dramas, or simply tell him what you appreciate about him, drop it in the comments and I will write it down for you. I have got the colourful paper and pens ready haha.

I will bring all the messages with me to the event, and if there is an opportunity for signing, I will also try my best to get them signed by Cheng Lei. I obviously can’t guarantee that part because it depends on how the event is organised and whether signing is allowed, but I will definitely try if possible.

You can include your Reddit username with your message, or let me know if you would prefer it to be anonymous. I will probably need to keep each one fairly short so I can fit as many messages as possible.

So if you want to send a little message to Leizi before I meet him on the 13th, leave it below! ❤️

Cheng Lei officially wrapped filming for The Leading Stars today! It was so nice seeing so many fans turn up to celebrate with him after all these months of filming.

There were so many cute little moments from the wrap-up party too. One of my favourites was when he had to recreate the iconic Jerry-the-mouse wink meme. He was soooo shy about it that he placed his hand on his cheek first before doing the pose, and the pose lasted like 0.1 seconds lol.

Then there was the fireworks! Poor Leizi got visibly spooked when they went off hahah. I swear I remember something similar happening during the booting ceremony too, where the sudden noise startled him.

The jealousy shake danc is too cute for words. He looked so painfully conscious of every movement, like someone had suddenly dragged an introverted kid to the front of the room and told him, “Okay, now dance for everyone.” I almost felt bad for him lmao.

Mostly though, I’m just happy to see him smiling and celebrating the end of another project with the cast, crew and so many fans there to support him. The Leading Stars looked like a physically demanding shoot, especially with all the desert filming, so I hope he manages to get some proper rest now before the announcement of his new endorsement on September 10th. He will be flying to Indonesia and Malaysia soon for the iQiyi events, and with the haze situation in both countries at the moment, I really hope Leizi masks up whenever he’s outdoors and takes care of himself.

Congrats on wrapping, Leizi! Now go sleep properly before the next round of travelling starts.

Shared by his assistant just a few hours ago! Cheng Lei was challenged to a little time-estimation game where he had to guess how many seconds had passed without looking at a timer. If his guess was off, the punishment was to dance along to a song.

Naturally, the part I was most interested in was the penalty. Unfortunately for us, Leizi spent most of his “dancing” sitting comfortably on the sofa, so we were deprived of the full-body performance we deserved.

He did keep going for several rounds though, with his assistant repeatedly making him try again, so at least we got plenty of seated dancing and increasingly serious attempts at judging the passage of time lol.

Source: Little Assistant's Weibo

Footprints of Change aired on this date, September 4 exactly one year ago! Ofc I had to bring Cheng Ao back onto the sub. The Republican-era arc is only 10 episodes long, which feels criminally short to me because Cheng Ao is such an interesting character and Cheng Lei had so much to work with in such a limited amount of time.

Cheng Ao is one of my favourite Cheng Lei characters precisely because he exists between two very different worlds. He is the adopted son of a Shanghai gangster boss, but also an overseas-educated lawyer with his own private practice, so he moves comfortably between the legal world and the underworld without ever fully belonging to either.

On the surface, he has that cool, controlled, slightly intimidating presence that Cheng Lei wears extremely well, but underneath all of that Cheng Ao is actually compassionate, principled and very soft-hearted. He deal with gang affairs, but he draws a clear line when it comes to hurting ordinary people. He helps the poor, takes on cases for people who cannot afford legal assistance, protects vulnerable women and students, and quietly supports the anti-Japanese cause. That contrast between the polished, formidable exterior and the genuinely decent man underneath is probably what I like most about him.

Performance-wise, Episode 10 is still the standout for me, especially the scene where >!his father threatens to shoot Siyun and he desperately begs his father not to!< Cheng Lei is so good when Cheng Ao’s usual composure finally gives way. Most of the arc asks him to play Cheng Ao with restraint, so when all that emotion finally breaks through, it hits much harder. It is probably one of the performances that best shows why I like Cheng Lei in roles where the character is controlled on the surface but carrying much more underneath.

A Cheng Ao appreciation post without mentioning the wardrobe is not possible haha. The suits, waistcoats,pocket-watch chains and hiss slicked-back hair, hngggggh🙆 Republican-era styling suits Cheng Lei well, so I’m impatient to see him tackle another Republican-era character, except this time, we are not getting another Cheng Ao-style green flag lol 🚩

Cheng Lei’s assistant released a new video asking CL 5 completely random questions, ranging from silly brain teasers to a cat-owner consultation. The highlight for me was a fan asking Cheng Lei, as an experienced cat owner, what they should do if their kitten at home refuses to eat.

Unfortunately, Cheng Lei is apparently the wrong person to ask about a picky eater, because he immediately let slip that Natasha has the exact opposite problem lmao. Natasha basically eats whatever she is given and will even rush over to grab the food herself. As for the brain teaser:

>“Good and Better go to the bathroom together. Better goes in first. Why?”

I’m guessing the joke is simply that “better” is the comparative form of “good,” so Better gets to go ahead of Good? Hahaha.

Source

The Lament of Autumn has now officially surpassed 1.5 million reservations across Mango TV and Weibo, only about a week after it crossed the 1 million mark! That is a pretty nice jump in such a short time, especially with the drama still yet to premiere.

The official account released these new posters to celebrate the milestone, including this gorgeous close-up of Cheng Lei and Xu Ruohan. The accompanying captions are also very much leaning into the longing and restrained-romance atmosphere of the drama:

> “One courtyard filled with autumn colours, two hearts longing for each other from afar. Their feelings deepen with the autumn breeze…”

And for the close-up poster:

> “Eyes lowered, their breaths draw near yet remain apart; only a breath separates them as warmth slowly spreads between them.”

With reservations already climbing from 1 million to 1.5 million this quickly, I’m hoping we will see it reach 2 million soon, or maybe even 2.5 million before the drama premieres in October. Fingers crossed the anticipation keeps building!

The new posters are beautiful too. I love the separate character posters with Cheng Lei’s Yu Changxuan and Xu Ruohan’s Ye Pingjun framed in the same autumn courtyard but apart from each other. It fits the whole theme of distance, longing and two people emotionally connected even when they are not together.

BRING ON THE ANGST!

Source: MangoTV Weibo

Instant noodles deserve their own recurring role in Cheng Lei’s life, so I put together a few clips of him either eating them or talking about them.

He has joked before about being a serious instant noodle enthusiast. During *Wild Kitchen*, he and Zhou Ye made instant noodles together, and their later Weibo interaction also turned into a joke about just how capable he is of polishing off a bowl. More recently, in a 2026 interview for Mo Li promo event, he described his ideal private downtime as basically lying in bed, gaming, and eating instant noodles lol.

His noodle appreciation clearly extends beyond the instant variety. When he travelled to Xi’an for *The Leading Stars*, his food diary included a huge bowl of spicy local noodles alongside other Xi’an favourites such as roujiamo. He also once filmed a pre-tooth-extraction “cheat meal” mukbang where fried noodles made the cut together with fried chicken and curry.

The funniest clip in this compilation for me is probably him eating instant noodles while dealing with altitude sickness and saying that he had been told instant noodles might make him feel a little better😂

What instant noodles would you recommend Cheng Lei try? Share your favourite brand, flavour, or regional variety!

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Source 4

Source 5

Now that filming for "The Leading Stars" is wrapping up on September 7, if you could choose Cheng Lei’s next female co-star, who would you pick?

I have only included actresses he hasn’t been paired with in a drama yet (as the main couple), which is why familiar names like Bai Lu, Zhou Ye, Song Yi, etc. aren’t on the list.

In the order of the images:

• Tian Xiwei
• Li Landi
• Zhao Jinmai
• Yang Zi
• DIlraba
• Song Zu'er
• Chen Duling
• Ren Min
• Li Qin
• Na Zha (guest-starred opposite him as a couple in FoF)
• Dai Lu Wa
• Li Yitong
• Wu Jinyan
• Tan Song Yun
• He Nan
• Ju Jingyi
• Zhang Jingyi

Don’t just give me a name. I want the whole imaginary drama pitch!

Which actress would you choose, and what kind of drama would you put them in? Modern, historical, Republican? Romance, mystery, political intrigue, thriller, xianxia?

You can get as specific as you want with the characters and plot too. Maybe Cheng Lei is a battle-hardened general and the FL is a princess with her own political agenda; perhaps they’re rival lawyers in a modern drama; or maybe he’s a morally grey Republican-era businessman and she’s an investigative journalist trying to expose him.

Personally, I would love to see Cheng Lei paired with Na Zha. The two of them met on the variety show Random Tour in 2024, and I really liked their overall vibe together. I think they could have very natural chemistry in a drama.

Both have fantastic visuals, especially in costume dramas, but I wouldn’t put them in a historical drama. I would want a modern marriage drama, with them playing husband and wife navigating an established relationship rather than falling in love for the first time. Give me marital problems, troublesome in-laws, parenting issues, financial pressures, career conflicts, resentment building over time, the kind of very ordinary problems that can slowly wear down a marriage.

Don’t get me wrong, I love CL in historical dramas, but I would really like to see him take on some slightly meatier roles that rely less on him being eye candy and more on heavier, real-life societal themes. I think it would be interesting to see what he could do with a character whose conflicts are quieter and more grounded, where the drama comes from relationships and everyday pressures rather than political schemes, wars, or palace intrigue.

Feel free to name any actresses not on the list!