Accused of Using Netizens to Terminate Contract, Zhao Lusi: There Will Be Backlash

On June 2, Chinese actress Zhao Lusi posted online, officially starting a public dispute with her management company 'Yinhe Kuyu,' accusing them of cheating her out of 2.05 million RMB (about 1.21 million ringgit), and bluntly stating 'I'm done.' After the management company released a statement on the morning of the 3rd, Zhao Lusi fired back with three consecutive posts on Weibo, then went live to share her feelings. The broadcast attracted over 30 million viewers and received over 100 million likes, instantly trending online. Unexpectedly, some netizens commented criticizing her for 'using netizens to achieve her goal of terminating the contract, which is unreasonable.' Zhao Lusi did not hold back, directly responding with, 'There will definitely be backlash.'

On the afternoon of the 3rd, Zhao Lusi suddenly started a livestream. She deliberately turned off donations, appearing in casual home attire and calmly clarifying that she was not seeking support, but simply wanted the public to know that she was doing well and living a normal life. 'I don't want anyone to stir things up and make my fans uncomfortable. I’m unwilling for that to happen. My situation has already caused you enough pain.' Zhao Lusi even remarked, 'After so many years in this industry I've made quite a bit of money, I still have some savings. If it comes down to it, I’ll just open a small noodle shop. People can do anything with their lives.' She told her fans not to worry.

Unexpectedly, a netizen commented: 'You shouldn't use netizens to achieve your goal of contract termination. It should be resolved privately, and you should use the law to protect yourself. If that doesn't work, it's because you're in the wrong on the contract.' The netizen even tagged 'Use legal tools to protect yourself,' 'Defend your own interests,' and 'Terminate the contract.' Seeing this, Zhao Lusi chose not to back down, directly replying: 'Words and actions will definitely have backlash.' Other comments supporting this netizen also appeared, such as 'This netizen is right. When there’s a problem, protect yourself through legal means, not by using the majority of netizens,' and 'Fans, stop trying to control the comments.'

Many netizens expressed sympathy for Zhao Lusi, leaving comments such as ''Yinhe Kuyu' will face backlash,' 'Support Zhao Lusi defending her rights,' 'End the contract, let Zhao Lusi go,' and accused marketing accounts of defaming celebrities.

Later in the evening, Zhao Lusi went live again to chat with her fans. When someone asked if she would attend music festivals, she responded that she would not, as she felt it would make everyone miserable. She also revealed that she had received many invitations from music festival organizers, but didn't want to go, believing her singing could only be described as 'okay,' and didn’t want her fans to suffer for it. She reminded everyone that if they see news of her attending a music festival, it's fake.