For many viewers, the atmosphere between Li Yunrui and Meng Ziyi during the recent Keep Running special in Quanzhou felt like the final confirmation that the once wildly popular “Yun Qian Meng Rao” pairing has officially entered its “BE ending” phase.
The moment that sparked the biggest discussion was surprisingly small.
During filming, Meng Ziyi accidentally got into Li Yunrui’s car. After realizing who was inside, she immediately pulled away almost instinctively, and the two maintained complete silence throughout the interaction. Later, during the recap segment, Li Yunrui also noticeably avoided mentioning her name directly, instead referring vaguely to “the two girls.”
For viewers who still remembered him casually calling her “wife” during promotions just months ago — even jokingly telling her to “take the red packet, wife” — the contrast felt almost shocking.
What made the situation even more noticeable was how carefully separated the two appeared throughout the entire recording.
According to viewers present at filming, the production team paired Li Yunrui with Bai Lu, while Meng Ziyi was grouped with Xu Zhisheng. Across nearly eight hours of recording, the two reportedly had almost no direct interaction, no meaningful eye contact, and barely even appeared in the same frame.
For many CP fans, the emotional whiplash was hard to ignore.
Only months ago, audiences were still discussing red carpet moments where Li Yunrui carefully adjusted Meng Ziyi’s dress or looked at her with what fans described as “chemistry overflowing through the screen.” Now, even basic interaction seems intentionally minimized.
Still, outside the emotional reactions from fans, many industry observers see the situation much more pragmatically.
Because in the entertainment industry, CP culture has long been closely tied to marketing cycles and commercial strategy.
The popularity of the pairing largely exploded during promotional periods connected to projects such as Jiu Chong Zi and Shang Gongzhu. At that stage, maintaining visible chemistry and frequent interaction benefited both actors, helping increase traffic, fan engagement, and overall public discussion.
But once the peak promotional cycle passes, the strategy often changes completely.
For actors trying to establish long-term careers, excessive attachment to a CP image can eventually become restrictive. Meng Ziyi has increasingly been moving toward more independent female-led projects and stronger “main heroine” positioning, while Li Yunrui also faces pressure to avoid becoming permanently labeled as a “CP-dependent actor.”
From that perspective, the sudden distance may not necessarily reflect personal conflict at all. Instead, it looks more like a coordinated industry-standard “cooling-off period” designed to gradually separate overlapping fanbases and redirect attention back toward individual careers.
That is also why many viewers now describe the situation less as a real emotional fallout and more as the end of a highly successful “business period.”
In today’s entertainment environment, chemistry on screen is often shaped not only by the actors themselves, but also by editing, promotional strategy, audience projection, and platform marketing. Fans naturally become emotionally attached during that process, which is why the eventual distancing can feel unusually sharp once the “industrial sugar” suddenly disappears.
At the same time, some viewers believe the current situation may ultimately benefit both actors professionally.
Because for performers, long-term career value still depends more on convincing roles and strong projects than on temporary CP popularity alone. If this separation allows Li Yunrui and Meng Ziyi to establish clearer individual identities and stronger future performances, then what currently feels like a disappointing “BE ending” for fans may eventually become an important turning point for both careers.
