Pull Strings turned Ao Ruipeng into a fan favorite almost overnight and now his upcoming slate is making it very clear that 2026 was just the beginning. Five projects across romance, historical mystery, wuxia, suspense and a highly anticipated sequel are all on the table. Here is everything you need to know.
My Queen, My Rules
Release Date: 2026 (exact date TBA)
Actors: Ao Ruipeng, Shen Yujie, Wang Duo
Episodes: 30
Duration: ~45 minutes per episode
Genre: Modern Romance, Drama
Ao Ruipeng plays Cen Sen, a cold and domineering CEO whose life collides with Ji Mingshu, a proud and equally strong-willed heiress played by Shen Yujie.
What starts as mutual suspicion and calculated maneuvering between two people who are equally matched gradually evolves into something neither of them planned for. An arranged marriage acts as the catalyst rather than the conclusion here, and the story focuses on how both leads challenge fate and protect each other through emotional and moral tests.
Adapted from Buzhishikecai’s novel of the same name. Airing on iQIYI. Romance fans who have been circling this one since the first poster dropped are not going to be disappointed.
Now Or Never
Release Date: 2026 (exact date TBA, originally rumoured for late 2026)
Actors: Ao Ruipeng, Dai Luwa, Zhou Qi, Bian Cheng
Episodes: 40
Duration: ~45 minutes per episode
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Martial Arts
This one is for the fans who prefer their dramas darker. Ao Ruipeng plays Chen Yi, the sole surviving descendant of the Chen family, a once-respected martial arts clan in Dafeng State that was framed and wiped out. More than a decade later Chen Yi resurfaces as a fugitive on the run, accompanied by a wedding planner named Lüluo, his childhood friend Dian Cang, and the heir to a funeral business named Zhou Peng.
What starts as survival quickly becomes a conspiracy the size of the entire country. The moral complexity and darker storytelling make this the most interesting project on his slate for fans who want something with weight.
The Blood of Youth Season 2
Release Date: TBA (expected 2026-2027)
Actors: Li Hongyi, Ao Ruipeng, Lin Boyang, Li Xinze, Dai Yanni
Episodes: TBA
Duration: ~45 minutes per episode
Genre: Wuxia, Adventure, Fantasy
The sequel picks up in the third year of Chonghe, with the Nanjue court in turmoil after the Crown Prince is framed and trapped in a life-threatening situation. Xiao Se and the original crew arrive just in time to pull him back from the brink, before a mysterious and inextinguishable strange fire breaking out in the South China Sea pulls them south into a far larger conspiracy.
Ancient mysteries sealed for two hundred years, a dark web running through the martial arts world, and bigger stakes than the first season promised are all on the menu. Ao Ruipeng returns as Lei Wujie, the Azure Dragon Guardian of Tian Qi City. The original cast including Li Hongyi, Lin Boyang and Li Xinze are all back. Streaming on Youku.
To Defy the Stars
Release Date: 2027 (estimated)
Actors: Ao Ruipeng (lead role, further cast TBA)
Episodes: TBA
Duration: TBA
Genre: Fantasy, Xianxia
To Defy the Stars, known natively as 错世录, follows Wei Jie, a young Demon Lord taken in as the unlucky disciple of Cui Xiao Xiao, a disaster-prone master whose unconventional methods and chaotic energy upend everything Wei Jie thought he knew.
The xianxia premise sits squarely in territory Ao Ruipeng is comfortable in after The Blood of Youth and Moonlight Mystique, but the dynamic between a Demon Lord protagonist and an unpredictable master suggests a lighter, more comedic register than either of those projects.
Cast and platform details beyond Ao Ruipeng’s involvement have not yet been officially confirmed. Expected sometime in 2027.
Wild Bloom (Guest Role)
Release Date: 2026 (exact date TBA)
Actors: Victoria Song, Wang Luodan, Ava, with Ao Ruipeng in a guest role
Episodes: TBA
Duration: ~45 minutes per episode
Genre: Suspense, Crime, Drama
Wild Bloom is a suspense drama produced by iQIYI centering on Wu Ying, a police officer navigating the line between emotion and law while pursuing a dangerous criminal. Chen Luoxia, suffering from a terminal illness, simultaneously embarks on a path of revenge to find her missing friend Wang Jing, who mysteriously disappeared nineteen years ago after her student status was stolen from her.
Victoria Song and Wang Luodan lead the cast, with Ao Ruipeng appearing in a guest capacity. The suspense angle and female-led ensemble make this one of the more distinctive projects he is attached to this year even in a supporting capacity.
Add us as a preferred source on Google.
Conversation