Taming the Wild (驯野)
Taming the Wild (驯野, pinyin Xùn Yě; also released in English as Tamed by Temptation and Tame Wild) is a 2025 Chinese urban romance micro short drama of 77 episodes, each about 2 minutes long, starring Yang Pengcheng (杨鹏丞), Wang Xiaoyi (王小亿), and Zhang Xuan (张旋). It was produced by Guozhou Culture and Media (Wuhan) Co., Ltd. and Hangzhou Guo'er Media Co., Ltd. and premiered on the Hongguo short-drama platform on August 17, 20251 • 2. It became one of the platform's biggest hits of the year, with effective plays exceeding 1 billion1.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 77-episode vertical micro short drama, 2 minutes per episode; drama, romance, short1 • 2 |
| Premiere | August 17, 2025, on the Hongguo (红果) short-drama platform1 |
| Main cast | Wang Xiaoyi as cardiologist Ji Shuyu; Yang Pengcheng as Qiao Ye; Zhang Xuan as Pei Jingzhi1 • 3 |
| Production | Guozhou Culture and Media (Wuhan) Co., Ltd. and Hangzhou Guo'er Media Co., Ltd.; mainland China, Mandarin1 • 2 |
| Peak heat | Second on the Hongguo heat chart the day after release; peak heat value 95.75 million1 |
| Viewership | Effective plays over 1 billion; 2025 cumulative effective play 2.248 billion, 12th on the 2025 cumulative chart1 |
| Sequels | Xun Ye 2 (81 episodes, 2026) and Xun Ye 3 (77 episodes, 2026), with the same three leads1 • 4 |
Spoilers
Premise and plot
The story follows Ji Shuyu (季舒语), a cardiologist played by Wang Xiaoyi, who catches her fiancé Pei Jingzhi (裴敬之) being unfaithful and drives off to clear her head. Her car breaks down on a mountain road, and she meets Qiao Ye (乔野), a college student played by Yang Pengcheng who works part-time repairing cars1. Because Qiao Ye needs money to treat his seriously ill younger sister and his mentally ill mother, the two enter an unusual arrangement in which he becomes the "canary" (金丝雀) in her home, a kept companion1.
A central setup is that Ji Shuyu was in fact the doctor who sponsored Qiao Ye as a child, and he has secretly loved her for years1. The plot then turns on identity: Qiao Ye is the descendant of a lost heir of a wealthy family and is recognized back into the Ruan family of Beicheng, with a plum-blossom birthmark on his mother's body serving as the key clue1.
After his identity is revealed, the class gap and outside gossip unbalance the relationship. Qiao Ye leaves to study abroad to win back equal standing, not knowing that Ji Shuyu is pregnant. Five years later he returns as a Wall Street professional and a family heir, finds her raising their son alone, and is at first refused. He ultimately persuades his family, and the three become a family1.
Sequels and related works
A sequel, Xun Ye 2 (驯野2, released in English as Taming the Wild 2 / Untamed Wildness), began filming in January 2026 with the original cast returning and over 650,000 reservations on the platform before release1. Baidu Baike dates its premiere to March 20, 2026, with 81 episodes, a first-broadcast heat of 63.06 million, and a run at 11th on the Hongguo chart1; the Short Drama Encyclopedia database lists its online date as March 2, 2026, directed by Wang Weijiu (王纚玖) and written by Guo'er, with Wang Xiaoyi as Su Li and Yang Pengcheng as Pei Ye in a new story4. A third installment, Xun Ye 3, followed on March 26, 2026, with 77 episodes and the same three leads4.
The title 驯野 has also been used by unrelated works, including the 2025 costume drama Shuse Xunye (殊色驯野) and a 2026 AI animated drama Guo Qianjin Xunye (乖千金驯野)6 • 7.
Style and themes
A female-led reversal. Industry commentary described the drama as built around "older woman, younger man" (姐弟恋) romance and "taming" (训狗) emotional dynamics, with a clear-headed, self-reliant heroine who holds the upper hand in the relationship rather than waiting to be rescued, in deliberate contrast to the dominant-boss (霸总) formulas common in short dramas5. The male lead combines the innocent dependence of a "puppy" type with the possessiveness of a "wolf" type, and the heroine keeps her position in the relationship even after his status rises above hers5.
The script also pushes back on the "chasing wife crematorium" (追妻火葬场) trope, in which a male lead wins forgiveness through a grand return and sweet gestures. In episodes 51 and 52 Ji Shuyu sharply rejects Qiao Ye's overtures, calling out the five years he was absent and framing his self-improvement as self-flattering rather than accountable5. The drama also incorporates social topics including human trafficking and sexual violence against women, and has the heroine reject victim-blaming after a childhood assault1 • 5.
Reception and performance data
The drama was an original work, not an adaptation5. It reached second place on the Hongguo heat chart the day after release and first place on the Hongguo short-drama chart within days; by August 24, 2025, its Douyin native cumulative play count was 78.597 million, with 2.583 million favorites and 4.854 million likes1 • 5. Its peak heat value was 95.75 million, and within three days of release its heat reached 86 million, briefly displacing the reigning short-drama star Li Keyi's titleholder from first place1. Effective plays eventually exceeded 1 billion, and the drama ranked 12th on the 2025 cumulative effective-play chart with 2.248 billion effective plays1.
Performances drew attention online. Wang Xiaoyi's crying scenes spread widely on social media, and clips of the two leads' interactions gained high play counts on Douyin; commentary credited Wang Xiaoyi with consolidating her position in the "big heroine" track and Yang Pengcheng with attention for playing a character who shifts from docile to forceful1. The premise also drew some criticism from viewers, while anti-trope lines such as "I bought you as a vase, not as a kept man" attracted attention1.
Production background
The topic came from fan feedback: fans had said they wanted to see stories about working women1. The series was shot and released in 2025 in mainland China, in Mandarin, as a vertical-format web series2.
References
- 驯野（2025年杨鹏丞、王小亿、张旋主演的短剧）, Baidu Baike
- Taming the Wild (2025), ChineseMov
- 馴野, 短劇百科
- 短剧《驯野2》, 短剧百科
- 大女主"训野狗"，双穿换命致富，反套路逆袭｜本周短剧红榜, 澎湃新闻 (娱乐资本论)
- 殊色驯野, 短剧百科
- AI漫剧《乖千金驯野》, 短剧百科
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Sp to Z
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
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