Not Dilireba and Zhang Binbin! Top 10 Most Successful Three-Time Chinese Drama CP Rankings: Champion CP Sealed the Deal and Got Married in Real Life

In Chinese mainland dramas, there are some screen couples who become unforgettable after just one collaboration, while there are also actor pairs who collaborate three or four times, with their chemistry becoming more natural. From Dilireba and Zhang Binbin's multiple collaborations that often missed the mark, to Zhao Liying and Lin Yunjie making up for the regrets of 'The Legend of Zhen Huan' with 'With Phoenix', to Xing Zhaolin and Liang Jie turning 'Love Like Marrow' into a series masterpiece, which three-time collaborations in Chinese dramas are the most successful has always been a hot topic among drama fans. This article ranks the top 10 most successful three-time Chinese drama CP pairs, analyzing why Dilireba and Zhang Binbin are not number one, and how the champion pair Tang Yan and Luo Jin went from screen lovers to real-life couples.

Ranking 10th: Dilireba and Zhang Binbin in 'The Princess Weiyoung' Dilireba and Zhang Binbin have collaborated in 'Pretty Li Huizhen', 'Eternal Love', 'The Princess Weiyoung', and 'The Legend of Fu Yao'. In 'Pretty Li Huizhen', Dilireba played Li Huizhen, who enters a fashion magazine, while Zhang Binbin played Lin Yimu, who silently guards her. In 'Eternal Love', they played Bai Fengjiu and Li Jing, with almost no emotional scenes together. It was not until 'The Princess Weiyoung' that Zhang Binbin played King Ying Zheng and Dilireba played Gongsun Li, becoming the core couple of the drama. In 'The Legend of Fu Yao', they played Fu Yao and Zhan Feng, continuing the unresolved love story. The two have collaborated in many dramas but often missed the mark, making the pairing in 'The Princess Weiyoung' seem like a belated fulfillment. At that time, viewers commented, 'After three lifetimes, Pang Di and Binbin finally found fulfillment.' Others praised Zhang Binbin's natural performance in intimate scenes like the 'red date kiss', exclaiming, 'Zhang Binbin is so good.' Their CP feeling has the strong visual impact characteristic of heavy makeup actors, and even though their roles involve control, suspicion, and tragic elements, they still catch the eye when in the same frame.

Ranking 9th: Wu Jingyan and Nie Yuan in 'Happiness Will Knock on the Door Again' Wu Jingyan and Nie Yuan played Wei Yingluo and the Qianlong Emperor in 'Ruyi's Royal Love in the Forbidden City', with their relationship evolving from imperial trials to imperial concubine emotions. In 'The Legend of Hao Ling', they played Li Haoling, a woman from the state of Zhao, and Lü Buwei, a merchant, torn between alliance of interests, political ambition, and love. In their third collaboration, 'Happiness Will Knock on the Door Again', they switched to a modern life drama, with Nie Yuan playing Dr. Huang Zili, a doctor facing marital and career setbacks, and Wu Jingyan playing Fang Yan, a warm-hearted and straightforward female police officer. The two build their relationship through frequent bickering and mutual help. The two transformed from imperial lovers to modern lovers and rivals, with familiarity being the biggest highlight. Viewers jokingly commented, 'Nie Yuan teacher with hair is a bit unfamiliar,' and others praised, 'Jingyan's policewoman look is so cute and adorable.' Although the evaluation of the third collaboration was not as high as the previous two, viewers still watched the drama because of the memory points of Wei Yingluo and the Qianlong Emperor, proving that this CP has a high role connection.

Ranking 8th: Sheng Lei and Ke Ying in 'Virtual Face' Sheng Lei and Ke Ying played Crown Prince Chu Yu and Shen Weiwei, who mistakenly entered a game world, in 'The Double-Faced Princess'. Their roles evolved from mutual suspicion to understanding. In 'My Versatile Queen', Sheng Lei played Emperor Qi Yu, while Ke Ying played Lin Yanyan, whose personality kept switching due to a game glitch. In 'Virtual Face', Ke Ying played Shiqi, a painter forced to switch faces with a young lady from the relative's mansion and marry into the general's mansion, while Sheng Lei played Xiao Hansheng, a general who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. The two went from mistaken identities and testing each other's hearts to a life-and-death bond. 'Virtual Face' completed the plot of substitute marriage, face-swapping, love after marriage, and suspenseful revenge within a limited number of episodes. Sheng Lei and Ke Ying's acting chemistry also made this collaboration significantly surpass the previous two. After the broadcast, viewers directly 'kneel and beg for a fourth modern drama collaboration,' and some even 'knocked bowls' for a second season. Their advantage lies in their natural performance in intimate scenes, without any trace of intentional sugar-coating. Xiao Hansheng's gaze at Shiqi carried both protection and suspicion, while Shiqi's evasiveness hid an unspeakable identity secret, keeping the emotional line always tense.

Ranking 7th: Wang Zichi and Wang Yuwen in 'The Love You Gave Me' Wang Zichi and Wang Yuwen first collaborated in 'The Nine Provinces: Heavenly City 2', where Wang Yuwen played Yu Huang Feng Ruchen and Wang Zichi played General Yun Muyang, who were not the official couple in the drama. In their second collaboration, 'Just a Marriage Relationship', Wang Yuwen played designer Gu Xixi and Wang Zichi played CEO Yin Sichen, evolving from a contractual marriage to a real relationship. In their third collaboration, 'The Love You Gave Me', they played Min Hui, an independent single mother and manager of a technology company, and Xin Qi, an investor who separated from her due to a misunderstanding years ago, acting out a story of former lovers reuniting, co-parenting, and reconciliation. Wang Zichi and Wang Yuwen are known to audiences as 'not strange but jade,' and their multiple collaborations have created a rhythm close to life. Viewers describe them as 'having CP feeling without needing cultivation,' and netizens pointed out that in their third collaboration, 'the Wang-Wang chemistry and acting have significantly improved.' Their performances in arguments, cold wars, and parenting scenes are more natural than intentionally set romantic moments. Xin Qi's tough exterior but inability to stop caring for Min Hui adds a sense of everyday life to this CP, making it feel like a married couple's daily interactions.

Ranking 6th: Cheng Yi and Zhang Yuxi in 'The Wind Knows My Intentions' Cheng Yi and Zhang Yuxi first appeared together in 'Liu Li', where Cheng Yi played Yu Sifeng, a disciple of Lize Palace, and Zhang Yuxi played Zhuo Linglong, the sister of Zhuo Xuanji, and they were not lovers. In 'Singing with You', Cheng Yi played Qi Yan, an emperor seemingly controlled by eunuchs but secretly seeking opportunities to retaliate, and Zhang Yuxi played Cheng Ruoyu, who entered the palace to become a sword-wielding woman. In their third collaboration, 'The Wind Knows My Intentions', Cheng Yi became a pharmaceutical researcher Fu Yunshen, and Zhang Yuxi played a surgeon Zhu Jiu, evolving from lovers and rivals in an overseas medical mission to an accident, separation, and reunion years later. All three works carry a strong sense of tragic love, and fans even use the phrase 'I must have kissed you in a past life' to link Qi Yan, Cheng Ruoyu, Fu Yunshen, and Zhu Jiu's past and present lives. Cheng Yi excels at portraying suppressed pain and restrained deep emotions, while Zhang Yuxi's roles often actively approach and try to heal the other. Their CP charm does not rely solely on sweet scenes but comes from repeated missed encounters, reunions, and shared pain.

Ranking 5th: Luo Yunxi and Wu Qian in 'The Rescue' Luo Yunxi and Wu Qian played college-era He Yichen and Zhao Moshuo in 'The Way We Were', with one being silent and restrained and the other being open and active, creating a nostalgic memory line for the entire drama. In 'Ancient Love Poetry', they played Zhi Ruo, a gentle and sentimental man, and Yi Li, a bold and decisive female tribal leader, with their love ultimately ending in tragedy. In their third collaboration, 'The Rescue', Luo Yunxi played a lawyer Luo Ben who entered a disaster area to find his sister, and Wu Qian played an orthopedic surgeon and rescue team member Zhan Yan, with the two putting aside prejudices and confirming their feelings through multiple rescue missions. After 'The Rescue' aired, viewers most frequently mentioned the small He Yichen and small Zhao Moshuo from many years ago. Someone commented, 'Dreaming back to 'The Way We Were', He Yichen and Zhao Moshuo have grown up!' This sentence points out the most touching part of the third collaboration: Luo Yunxi is still a lawyer in the new drama, while Wu Qian has transformed from a girl chasing after love to a doctor who can save lives in disaster areas. The roles have changed, but the youthful memories when they are together still exist.

Ranking 4th: Zhong Hanliang and Li Xiaoran in 'This Life, With You' Zhong Hanliang and Li Xiaoran first collaborated in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes', playing Gu Xiechao, an ambitious man, and Xi Honglei, a strong-willed woman, who were not the core couple in the drama. In their second collaboration, 'Before I Say I Love You', Zhong Hanliang played Mu Ronghuan, who controlled a military power, and Li Xiaoran played Yin Jingwan, a rich heiress, with the two falling in love and separating amidst war, marriage, and power choices. In their third collaboration, 'This Life, With You', Zhong Hanliang became a cardiac surgeon Nie Yusheng, and Li Xiaoran played Tan Jing, a struggling single mother. The two former lovers reunite years later due to a child's surgery. The two reunited as lovers after 12 years, and viewers still call them the 'mid-age idol drama ceiling.' This CP feeling is not achieved through a large number of dreamy scenes but is hidden in the inability to look directly, pauses in speech, and concern mixed with resentment. Viewers describe Li Xiaoran's 'eyes filled with tears' as carrying both sorrow and strength, while Zhong Hanliang performs Nie Yusheng's long-unresolved obsession with restraint. When the two stand together, they can make viewers believe that this relationship was once deeply hurt.

Ranking 3rd: Zhao Liying and Lin Yunjie in 'With Phoenix' If the official interactive drama item 'Forgetting Town' is included, Zhao Liying and Lin Yunjie's collaboration can be considered three times. In 'Forgetting Town', Lin Yunjie played the hero Lin Yujiu, and Zhao Liying played a mysterious woman. In 'The Legend of Zhen Huan', Zhao Liying played Zhen Huan, who grew from a slave girl to a female general, and Lin Yunjie played Yuwen Yue, a cold and restrained man. The story ended with Yuwen Yue falling into an ice lake, and his fate was unknown. In 'With Phoenix', Zhao Liying transformed into the spirit realm's Bi Cang Wang Shen Li, and Lin Yunjie was the last ancient god Xing Zhi in the mortal world. The two went from meeting in the mortal world after eloping to guarding the three realms together. 'With Phoenix' deliberately arranged for Shen Li to save Xing Zhi from drowning, immediately evoking the memory of the ice lake in 'The Legend of Zhen Huan', and the topic 'Yuwen Yue was picked up' became popular on the internet. Some drama fans directly shouted 'My youth!' after seeing the similar scene. The success of this reunion lies in the fact that the new drama did not treat the old CP as the only selling point, but rather let Shen