Wonder Wall, a new TV series starring actor Guo Jingfei and actress Ren Suxi, started airing on China Central Television's CCTV-8 on Sunday and has been simultaneously streaming on Tencent Video.
Co-directed by Xing Jianjun and Lu Yunfei, the story — conceived by journalist-turned-scriptwriter Yu Geng — centers on the suddenly altered life path of an ordinary couple, portrayed by the two lead stars.
The husband finds himself at a low point in life — his career repeatedly hits setbacks, and his relationship with his wife also runs into trouble. Just as their lives seem hopeless, the husband unexpectedly purchases a deeply discounted house, with its previous owner owing a huge debt.
Attempting to make some renovations to improve their living conditions, they break open a wall and are shocked to discover a huge sum of cash valued at 30 million yuan ($4.43 million) hidden inside. This overnight wealth brings with it changes in those around them and covetous glances from strangers. Money acts like a demon-revealing mirror, exposing the true faces of human desire.
Yu, the chief scriptwriter, revealed that his initial inspiration for the story came from the real-life experiences of several couples among his friends.
"To outsiders, they seemed like the perfect couples — stable careers, well-behaved children — but behind the closed doors of their homes, each was quietly carrying an unspeakable burden of exhaustion and loneliness. I started wondering: what is turning the two people who were once closest to each other into strangers separated by a 'wall'? That 'wall' could be desire, lies, the numbing monotony of daily life, or simply 'getting used to it'," recalled Yu.
As someone who has always been fascinated by black humor and suspense, Yu decided to blend these elements to dissect the unspoken secrets of middle-aged marriages, and develop the tale into the show, which began pre-production in the winter of 2021.
"This story is about the collapse and rebuilding of the inner world of marriage. Most of the characters in it are struggling with their own fears, memories, and the gaze of the person lying beside them," said Yu.
