The drama Love in Pavilion, starring Liu Shishi and Zhang Yunlong, ended on a major downer—a full-on Bad Ending. As fans online summed it up: “a crowd at the beginning, a pile of graves at the end.” Basically, a story where everyone’s just walking toward death.
Thing is, this drama actually had potential. It’s adapted from the comic Hu Yao Xiao Hong Niang by Tuo Xiao Xin and is part two of the Fox Spirit Matchmaker trilogy, sitting before Red-Moon Pact and Sword and Beloved timeline-wise. It tells the story of Dongfang Huaizhu and Wangquan Hongye, leaders of their respective clans, trying to stabilize chaos and rebuild the Unity Alliance in a world where humans and demons just can’t get along.
Before it even aired, Love in Pavilion was hyped thanks to its cast—big names like Wu Xuanyi, Zhai Xiaowen, Hou Minghao, Shen Yue, Ding Yuxi, Zhang Ruonan, and Meng Ziyi. It went from a “talent show reunion” to what people called a “traffic conference.” Yet, even with all that star power, it still flopped.
People really went at it in the comments section. Some fans of the original comic felt the adaptation was too heavily altered—saying the plot didn’t make sense and that casting “middle-aged ancient romance” actors clashed with the youthful vibes of the original. Others defended the show, saying it was smart to expand from the original anime’s 12-episode story, calling some changes “divine modifications.” Neither side budged.
To be fair, from my point of view, the adaptation wasn’t terrible. Some of the changes to the romance dynamics and details were actually nice. But yeah, the show didn’t keep its quality consistent. It had “good in patches” energy. Despite the S+ level cast, its viewing numbers were worse than the previously mocked Red-Moon Pact. So what went wrong?
Well, let’s be honest—right from the first few episodes, complaints rolled in. Liu Shishi’s acting was called stiff, the special effects looked like they were shot with a phone, and the tone felt way older than the young and passionate original. And nowadays, in the world of short videos, if your first three episodes aren’t fire, people drop the show. Love in Pavilion started off on the wrong foot.
Then there’s the pacing. Each episode was only 30–40 minutes—shorter than your typical costume drama. Sometimes the story rushed, sometimes it dragged. It made things feel choppy. One pairing—the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord (Hou Minghao) and the Poisonous Lady (Chen Yuqi)—got such little screen time, it felt like a short TikTok drama. Before you could get into their story, boom, Demon Lord’s gone.
Meanwhile, another pairing, Yang Yan and Mu Xiaowu, dragged on forever. Tons of slow-mo shots, dramatic close-ups—honestly, the pace just didn’t match the importance of their arc. Felt like overkill.
Surprisingly, one cool move was the whole “20 years into the future” subplot. Most folks already knew about the tragic ending thanks to spoilers flying around online. So instead of just sending the Masked Group off to die because of “youthful passion,” the show gave them a real reason—trying to change a future they already saw. That was clever.
But they didn’t really do much with it. Apart from saving the male lead once, they didn’t fix anything. The big baddie—the Black Fox—still ended up being someone for the next generation to deal with. It’s like taking a practice test before finals, realizing your mistakes, then doing the same stuff wrong in the actual exam. What’s the point?
Oh, and that final scene where everyone in the Masked Group starts dying? Yeah, the vibe was definitely “get your tissues ready.” But here’s the problem—those tearjerker deaths only hit hard if you’ve spent time falling in love with the characters and couples. When the emotional buildup is weak, the tragedy just doesn’t land. That’s more on the writers and director than the actors.
Let’s not forget—there were plot holes left hanging from that future arc. Like, if Yang Yitan died, who the heck trained Mu Mian to open his celestial eye? No answers.
Still, one thing they did nail was the “female lead’s blackening” arc. After losing her memory and falling under the Sky Demon’s control, Liu Shishi’s Dongfang Huaizhu turned into “Western Vicious Bamboo,” a villain living only for herself. Honestly, she nailed it here—way better than her flat performance in the original timeline. Her scenes with Wangquan Hongye? Netizens called it a move from “baby Xianxia” to “adult Xianxia.” CP fans loved it, even if it didn’t help the main story much.
Same thing with the Demon Control Kingdom subplot—it looked amazing, had sweet moments, but plot-wise? Kinda filler. Still, the exotic styling and makeup? Gorgeous. That part was eye candy for sure.
If we’re talking best romantic arcs, though, we gotta mention Ding Yuxi. He played both Zhang Zheng and his stand-in A’naran in a love triangle with Qing Muyuan (Meng Ziyi). That story? Absolutely tragic and beautiful. It had all the feels—young master energy, campus romance, identity confusion. Total win.
And I’ve gotta give a shoutout to Wu Xuanyi and Zhai Xiaowen’s “Drunk Dream” pairing. Childhood sweethearts, tragic redemption arc—it had everything. These two really stepped up from their idol roots. No wonder they topped the CP charts during the show’s run.
What this drama really teaches is how important it is to know the selling points of every pairing in an ensemble cast. Character design, chemistry, acting, emotional arcs—you need all of it. And it helps to have some unexpected twists in the mix.
Oh, and that editing thing? Huge deal. If you’re doing a long drama, you’ve gotta find the balance: keep those deep emotional arcs, but don’t lose viewers to pacing issues. As Yu Zheng said on Weibo: “Don’t wait until you’re sitting high and mighty with an empty audience to regret.”
In the end, Love in Pavilion had the ingredients—great cast, solid costumes, good OST, high production value. But all the sugar in the world won’t save bland storytelling. Judging by pairings like “Zheng Yuan” and “Drunk Dream,” the writers can do romance. They just didn’t manage the whole puzzle.
Two dramas down for the Fox Spirit Matchmaker trilogy… Whether it’ll be three strikes depends on what the rich young master delivers next.
