General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Zhao Jiadi (我叫赵甲第)

Zhao Jiadi (我叫赵甲第, also translated as "I Am Zhao Jiadi") is a Chinese urban inspirational web drama adapted from the novel Laoshi Shi Lai Hama (《老子是癞蛤蟆》) by the web novelist Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou (烽火戏诸侯). Directed by Jing Xiaoyao (荆小尧) and written by Pan Feiyu (潘飞宇), the 30-episode series stars He Peng (贺鹏) as Zhao Jiadi, the estranged heir of the northern business empire Jinhai Industrial, who refuses his father's money and builds his own path through university and the business world¹. Released on Youku in March 2022, it became a surprise hit whose final revenue split exceeded 70 million yuan, and it was followed by a second season in 2025².

Key fact	Detail
Source material	Adapted from Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou's urban novel 《老子是癞蛤蟆》¹
Format	30-episode urban legend/inspirational web drama; director Jing Xiaoyao, writer Pan Feiyu¹
Production	Filming began December 2018; wrapped April 10, 2019 after more than 120 days of shooting³
Release	Youku, March 2022; final revenue split 70.75 million yuan, a record for Youku modern-genre split-fee dramas²
Performance	Opened at number one on Youku's search rankings; peak platform heat value 9635; first in Youku main search for 20 consecutive days⁴^•⁵
Season 2	《我叫赵甲第2》, approved as 24 episodes and planned for exclusive Youku release; streaming platforms list 26 episodes for the 2025 season led by He Peng and Ding Xiaoying⁶^•⁷
Season 3	Registered with Chinese regulators as a 12-episode short-form series in the contemporary urban category, submitted by Haining Shuangying Film⁸

Spoilers

Premise

The protagonist Zhao Jiadi is the son of Zhao Xin (赵鑫), whose Jinhai Industrial (金海实业) is a prominent wealth empire in northern China. Zhao Jiadi rejects his father's money because of the bitterness behind it: a mother who was abandoned and a lonely childhood. Intelligent and gifted in science and languages, he refuses a guaranteed admission slot at a top university (Tsinghua or Peking), enrolls instead at a low-ranked college, and makes a bet worth tens of millions that he will build his own business empire¹^•⁹.

The story follows him through romantic setbacks, betrayal, and the hazards of the business world, ending in reconciliation with his father as he fights to protect family and love¹. The drama frames this against the reform-era changes of three generations, and the production distilled the sprawling novel into the father-son conflict as its central line⁵. Director Jing Xiaoyao grounded the character's outlook in Confucian and Daoist ideas, expressed in lines such as "a person must hold to something to achieve something" (人要有所执，方能有所成)⁵.

Sequels

A second season, Wo Jiao Zhao Jia Di 2 (《我叫赵甲第2》), was co-produced with Haining Shuangying Film, approved as a 24-episode series, and slated for exclusive release on Youku⁶^•¹³. It reached viewers in 2025, led again by He Peng with Ding Xiaoying (丁笑滢) joining and Jing Xiaoyao returning as director; streaming platforms list the season at 26 episodes⁷^•¹⁴^•¹⁵. In the sequel, the 24-year-old Zhao Jiadi breaks with his father again, leaves Jinhai, and rises through the business world using the strategy of ban zhu chi hu (扮猪吃虎), hiding his true abilities to deceive opponents, until he reaches a height even Zhao Xin could not attain⁷.

A third season was registered with China's National Radio and Television Administration as a 12-episode short-form series in the contemporary urban category, submitted by Haining Shuangying Film⁸.

Production

The series began filming in December 2018 as a co-production of Youku, Haining Dongtian Film and Television, Fusheng Ruomeng Pictures, and Leco Image¹⁰^•¹. It was Fusheng Ruomeng's third web drama adapted from a Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou novel¹¹. After more than 120 days of shooting, it wrapped on April 10, 2019³. To recreate the story's setting, the crew spent two months in Nanjing building an original set representing the fictional Zhao family town⁵. The nearly four-month shoot was described as one of the longest production schedules among Chinese split-fee (分账) web dramas, and the source IP's scale was many times that of a typical split-fee project⁵.

Reception and commercial performance

A surprise hit. Little known before release, the drama topped Youku's internal search rankings on its opening day and reached a peak platform heat value of 9635, close to headliner-level numbers for a small-budget split-fee series⁴. It held first place in Youku's main search for 20 consecutive days and placed in the top three on multiple industry data charts during its run⁵. When it concluded, Youku announced a total revenue split of 70.75 million yuan, a new record for modern-genre split-fee dramas on the platform².

The audience skewed heavily male, many from third- and fourth-tier cities, and the drama drew little discussion on social platforms despite strong viewership; an industry report on male viewing preferences released during its run found that male users valued "genuine emotion" and "realism" most in drama content⁵. Youku's operations chief described the show as small in scale but built on a satisfying underdog arc, and the platform scheduled the theft-themed mystery Reborn (《重生之门》) immediately afterward to retain its audience¹². Youku's user research lead attributed the appeal to the protagonist's "level-up" growth from a rebellious rich kid into a heroic figure².

Significance for the split-fee market

The series is frequently cited as a turning point for male-oriented (男频) content in China's revenue-sharing web drama market, which had been dominated by dramas aimed at female audiences. Its success led Youku to expand its male-audience slate, including planned split-fee dramas such as Young Song Ci and New Young Bao Zheng, and to launch the "Fuyao Plan" partnership program to source male-oriented web novel IPs for adaptation². Commentators at the time called it a "modern version of Sword Snow Stride" for bringing a male-frequency web novel IP to screen with commercial success⁴.

References

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 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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