On May 17, Zhang Linghe held a live broadcast to promote his new drama This Second Overfire. However, instead of the storyline itself, it was the actor’s reaction to the drama’s English title that immediately became the internet’s hottest topic.
During the livestream, fans began flooding the comment section with the title: “Overdo.”
The English word directly translates to “doing too much” or “going too far,” closely matching the meaning of the Chinese title while also carrying subtle implications of obsession, excess, and forbidden passion.
The moment Zhang Linghe noticed the word on screen, his entire expression reportedly froze.
Fans quickly circulated clips showing the actor widening his eyes in shock before blurting out: “Wow…”
He then fell into several seconds of awkward silence while repeatedly asking staff members: “Is that really the title?”
Things became even funnier when Zhang Linghe attempted to pronounce the word himself. According to viewers, the actor confidently started with “over…” before suddenly getting stuck and hesitating to say “do,” eventually laughing nervously while his ears visibly turned red.
The unexpectedly genuine reaction instantly exploded across Chinese social media platforms, with many fans calling it one of the actor’s cutest moments ever captured on livestream.
Online audiences became sharply divided over the drama’s unusually direct English title.
Some netizens joked that the translation sounded “too explicit” for a Republican-era romance drama, while others argued the title perfectly reflected the story’s intense and forbidden emotional themes.
The series is adapted from a novel by popular author Fei Wo Si Cun and tells the story of Murong Qingyi, played by Zhang Linghe, a warlord’s son who becomes entangled in a painful forbidden romance with his future sister-in-law.
Because the drama itself centers around emotionally destructive and overwhelming love, many fans believe “Overdo” unexpectedly captures the atmosphere of the story quite accurately.
Ironically, Zhang Linghe’s embarrassed reaction may have become the production’s best marketing strategy so far.
Known for his calm and cool public image, the actor unexpectedly revealed an adorably awkward side that fans found incredibly relatable. Following the viral livestream clips, reports claimed reservation numbers across iQIYI and Tencent Video surpassed 6 million combined ahead of the drama’s July release.
Many fans are now jokingly demanding overseas promotional events just to hear Zhang Linghe attempt to say “Overdo” again in public.
Sources: Yahoo News
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