Lu Yuxiao

Lu Yuxiao (, born September 27, 1999), or Irene Lu, is a Chinese actress. She gained popularity for playing the role of Shangguan Qian in My Journey to You, after which she was awarded Expected Actor of the Year at the Weibo Awards 2023. She received further recognition for playing the roles of Ming Yi in Love in the Clouds (2025) and Hu Xiu in Love Between Lines (2026).

Early life and education Lu Yuxiao, or Irene Lu, was born on September 27, 1999, in Shanghai, China. Her mother is a dentist, whilst her father is a doctor, and the Vice President of Shanghai Bo'ai Hospital. An only child, Lu was raised in Shanghai. She began learning dance at the Little Star Dance School, where she would attend weekly classes. At the age of 14, Lu moved to the United Kingdom, to study at Bootham School, where she completed her secondary education, taking A-levels in Economics, Maths, Art, and Chinese. She later, enrolled at the University of Leeds, for a degree related to fashion design.

Career 2019–2023: Debut and career beginnings Interested in performing, Lu would post videos of herself on social media enacting short scenes, alongside photos. In 2019, these caught the attention of an agent, leading Lu to sign with Star Times Agency. The program focused on participants' performance skills, and development as actors, marking her official entry into the entertainment industry. Lu later secured her first television drama role as Qimu Yiluo in seasons 1 and 2 of the iQIYI series No Boundary, which premiered in March 2021. The same year, she had a guest role as Kui Er in the series Good and Evil.

In April 2022, Lu portrayed Lian Ge Yao, a tv anchor, in the romance series See You Tomorrow, which aired on iQIYI. In October of that year, she played the ill-fated Wu Miao, in Tencent Video's contemporary urban drama My Deepest Dream. She next starred as Lin Xi, opposite Wu Junting, in the youth campus drama Time and Him Are Just Right, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jiang Mutong, which premiered on December 25, 2022. Her portrayal of the "fox-like" girl garnered attention for her natural and lively performance, with media outlets praising her beauty.

In May 2023, Lu co-starred with Zhu Zhengting in the urban romance drama To Ship Someone, in which she played the optimistic Song Yangqi, a film and television producer. She then played Bai Xueying, the eldest daughter of the Bai Clan, in the xianxia series The Longest Promise, which aired in July 2023. In August 2023, she played Jin Luo in iQIYI's fantasy drama Love You Seven Times.

2023–present: Breakthrough and rising popularity In September 2023, the wuxia drama My Journey to You began airing on iQIYI, in which Lu played the scheming assassin Shangguan Qian, regarded her breakout role, for which she gained greater recognition. During this period, Lu's Weibo followers increased tenfold from 300,000 to 3 million. She was awarded Expected Actor of the Year at the 2023 Weibo Awards, which took place in 2024.

On January 19, 2024, Lu began filming the historical costume drama Perfect Match, directed by Yu Zheng, in which she starred as Kangning, the witty third daughter of the Li family. Filming concluded on April 18 that year. On March 15, 2024, she was announced as the female lead in the xianxia drama Love in the Clouds, starring opposite Hou Minghao. Filming commenced on August 31, 2024, and was completed on January 10, 2025. She additionally played Shao Yao in the costume drama Blossoms in Adversity, and Li Jia in the drama Romance in the Alley, which aired in 2024 on Youku and Hunan TV respectively. For her work, she won Promising Actor of the Year at the 2024 Weibo Awards, which took place on January 11, 2025.

On January 25, 2025, Perfect Match premiered globally on Netflix. She was next confirmed to star alongside Chen Xingxu in the urban romance drama Love Between Lines, which began filming on February 24. On April 25, 2025, the historical drama Serendipity premiered on WeTV, in which Lu portrayed Mingshu, a wealthy heiress, and sole survivor of a family massacre. On May 4, 2025, she participated in the 2025 May Fourth Youth Day New Media Special Program - Ode to Youth, in which she sang "Landscape Painting Scroll". In August 2025, Lu was announced to star opposite Lin Yi in the modern romance drama When I Meet the Moon, based on the novel of the same name by Zhu Yi.

On October 8, 2025, Love in the Clouds premiered on Youku, where it had gained 2 million pre-registrations before release. This led to wider recognition for Lu, who played the role of Ming Yi, a cold-blooded female warrior who disguises herself as a dancer, and engages in a battle of wits with her rival. Within two weeks, the show achieved over 400 million effective views on Maoyan, a 15.5% market share on Yunhe Data, and 6.14 billion views on Douyin's main hashtag. As of November 28, the show had accumulated 1.332 billion views. On December 31, 2025, Lu participated in both Dream Comes True in the East: 2026 Dragon TV New Year's Eve Gala and Sailing 2026 - CCTV New Year's Eve Gala, performing the song "Peach Blossom Smile" in the latter, alongside Zhang Hanyun.

On January 9, 2026, Love Between Lines premiered on iQIYI and DragonTV. The show ranked 1st on iQIYI's weekly chart for average effective views per episode, and reached a market share of 12.8% on Yunhe Data during its run. Lu played the role of Hu Xiu, a hardworking, aspiring architect whose life becomes intertwined with the male protagonist after meeting in a virtual reality murder mystery game. She received praise and gained further recognition for her portrayal of the self-reliant, and courageous female lead, who achieved a character popularity exceeding 100 million on iQIYI.

On January 25, 2026, it was announced that Lu had been cast as Nanyi in the historical spy drama Dancing with the Tide, based on the novel of the same name by Xianyu Ke. Filming for the drama began that day. On March 9 2026, Lu was awarded Annual Quality and Influential Drama Star at the Dragon TV Drama Quality Ceremony, for her "delicate, restrained, and highly empathetic" portrayal of Hu Xiu.

Other activities Endorsements On November 15, 2025, Lu was announced as a brand ambassador for French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. The same year, she became a spokesperson for several domestic Chinese brands: the fashion brands TATA, Guvet, and MSLAN, the travel lifestyle brand ITO, the cosmetics brand Passional Lover, and skincare brand Freeplus. She also became a photography ambassador for Oppo's Reno14 phone series in 2025. Between January to May 2026, Lu was also named a New Year's photo ambassador for Haima Photo Studio; a beauty ambassador for Nice Princess; a body care vitality ambassador for Olay; an ambassador for Chips Ahoy!; a brand ambassador for Just Chill; and the ambassador for Game for Peace, serving as the face for the Shahua Annie.

Philanthropy In 2023, Lu participated in the "Half a Smile" campaign, to support children with autism. In January 2025, she donated funds to the Beijing Han Hong Charity Foundation, to support Shigatse, Tibet, which was struck by an earthquake. In November 2025, she donated again via the Han Hong Charity Foundation to those affected by the Wang Fuk Court fires in Hong Kong. In July 2026, she donated supplies to the Huang Xiaoming Charity Foundation to aid flood relief efforts in the region of Guangxi.

Reception Public image In 2024, Lu participated in the variety show My Little One, in which she shared insights into her personal and family life. This received positive attention from viewers, who praised her seemingly loving upbringing, and Lu's cheerful and optimistic nature. That same year, onlookers on set revealed that, whilst filming the drama Serendipity, Lu performed CPR on a crew member who suffered a cardiac arrest. The member reportedly regained consciousness and was rushed to hospital afterwards. She has received praise for appearing authentic, with communication researchers noting that she displays "her real daily life without the filter of a script". Her emotional intelligence has also been noted by media outlets. In April 2026, she was named by Tatler as one of the leading figures in the "authentic idol" movement, and of the best rising Chinese drama actors set to dominate the year.

Artistry and audience appeal Amongst audiences, Lu has garnered a reputation for her versatility, and portrayal of "out-of-the-box" roles. She is recognised for playing complex and multi-faceted, empowering female characters, who undergo growth arcs. Her performance on the variety show Real Actor drew positive attention from the judges, and she was hailed a highly versatile actress. Chinese screenwriter and showrunner Yu Zheng additionally praised Lu on Weibo, believing her to have great audience appeal and considering Lu a rare gem in the entertainment industry.

Personal life Self-described as a mostly "quiet person", Lu has stated she prefers to spend time with a few close friends, over socialising in noisy environments with large groups of people. In her free time, Lu enjoys artistic activities, such as drawing and painting. Lu is also a fan of animals, revealing that playing with cats and dogs helps her to relax.

No Boundary 玉昭令 Qimu Yiluo iQIYI Support Role; Season 1–2 Good and Evil 百灵潭 Kui Er Mango TV Guest Role; Cameo (Ep. 3-5)

See You Tomorrow 明天也想见到你 Lian Geyao iQIYI Main Role My Deepest Dream 乌云遇皎月 Wu Miao

Support Role Time and Him Are Just Right 时光与他，恰是正好 Lin Xi Main Role

To Ship Someone 全世界都在等你们分手 Song Yanqi / Xiao Qi iQIYI Main Role The Longest Promise 玉骨谣 Bai Xueying Tencent Video Support Role Love You Seven Times 七时吉祥 Jin Luo

Support Role My Journey to You 云之羽 Shangguan Qian Main Role Parallel World 西出玉门 A He

Support Role Battle Through the Heaven 斗破苍穹之少年归来 Xiao Yixian Support Role

Blossoms in Adversity 惜花芷 Shao Yao Youku Support Role Romance in the Alley 小巷人家 Li Jia Hunan TV Support Role

Perfect Match 五福临门 Kang Ning Mango TV; Netflix Main Role Serendipity 榜上佳婿 Jian Mingshu Tencent Video Main Role Love in the Clouds 入青云 Ming Yi Youku; Netflix Main Role

Love Between Lines 轧戏 Hu Xiu

Main Role

When I Meet the Moon 折月亮 Yun Li Main Role Dancing with the Tide 何不同舟渡 Nan Yi Mango TV; Hunan TV Main Role 2023 Hello, Saturday 你好，星期六 Guest Ep.38 2023 Hit it Off 拍即合的我们 Regular Member Ep.3-7, 10 2023 Ace vs Ace Season 8 王牌对王牌 第八季 ‧ Guest Ep.9 2023 Keep Running Nature Season 奔跑吧·生态篇 Guest Ep.3-4, 7 2024 Hello, Saturday 2024 你好，星期六 2024 Guest Ep.38, 44 2024 Sweet Tasks Season 6 甜蜜的任务 2024 Guest Ep. 2 2024 Da Re Men Lai Le 大热门来了 Guest Ep. 8 2024 My Little One Season 3 我家那闺女2024 Regular Member; Daughter Ep. 2-8 2025 Perfect Match: Friendship Sharing 五福临门团综·友福同享 Regular Member 2025 Laugh Together 一见你就笑 ‧ Guest Ep. 5 2025 My Little One Season 4 我家那闺女2025 Guest; Observer Ep.0-2 2026 Hello, Saturday 2026 你好，星期六 2026 Guest Ep. 2 Discography

Soundtrack appearances Year Title Album 2022 "You" Time and Him are Just Right OST 2023 "Belong to Him" To Ship Someone OST 2025 "Pretend It's Nothing" Love in the Clouds OST Awards and nominations