iQIYI’s original period comedy drama New Life Begins has broken iQIYI records within a week of its premiere, surpassing the 10,000 rating popularity mark, and becoming the fastest drama to pass this lucrative milestone.

Fans of the show were in for a sweet treat once the news was broken on the internet. Series lead Bai Jingting took the lead, breaking his usual cool demeanour to celebrate the news with a filter on social media that makes him look chubbier than he is in celebration.

Female lead Tian Xiwei also posted a short video with the crew while in her costume from the series to cheer on this success. Other actresses Liu Mengmeng and Liu Lingzi also respectively posted photos of themselves eating melon seeds while doing a handstand, and exclusive behind-the-scenes photos respectively.

With the whole cast showing their support for the series in their own unique ways, and New Life Begins only halfway through its airtime, the expectations of the series hitting yet another milestone is definitely something to be anticipated.

During an interview with iQIYI, Bai Jingting denied the allegations of him being as much of a lightweight as Yin Zheng: “I don’t think I’ll be drunk, at least not to the same extent, but I’ve definitely not blacked out before!”

Tian Xiwei acts as a 10/10 foodie Li Wei in the series, who uses dish after dish of delicacies from all over the region to solve all her problems within the palace. The actress also shared that she is a foodie herself, and loves anything that is sweet and sour in flavour.

As the series surrounds itself around the core message “food before love”, the cast were definitely in for a feast. In a particular scene where they were enjoying a hotpot, Bai Jingting admitted that he brought his own ingredients and even sauces to go with it.

“I brought the meat and sesame sauce that you see in the series itself and even shared it with my third and fifth brothers in the drama. I mean for us to show how good the food is, as it should actually be delicious in the first place!”

He also shared that the cast also meet up for hotpot sessions outside of filming, so the show is literally a reflection of their own personal lives.