The new drama 'Mo Li', starring Chinese actress Bai Lu alongside Cheng Lei, premiered on the 9th. The show not only hit a record-breaking peak heat index of over 25,000 on its debut, but also secured an impressive 31 advertisers in the first 5 episodes alone—breaking Tencent's annual record and claiming the top spot in sponsorships. However, the high popularity has also been accompanied by a massive controversy. On the 10th, well-known screenwriter Meng Qiqi publicly accused Bai Lu and the production team of 'changing screenwriters right before filming' and 'unfair crediting.' Multiple related topics instantly shot to the top of trending searches, causing an online uproar.
On the 10th, Meng Qiqi posted on Weibo, directly calling out Bai Lu and the production crew. She alleged that her team had spent a year completing the script, which was key in passing Tencent’s S-level review and project approval. Yet, after assembling the cast and crew, including director Lin Yufen, lead Bai Lu, and Dong Jie, the production team abruptly replaced her original writing team just before filming commenced.
After the show aired, Meng Qiqi discovered that her team was only credited as the 'Initial Draft Team' at the end of the episodes, rather than receiving the contractually agreed upon joint screenwriter personal credit. In frustration, she publicly commented: 'Bai Lu, what gives you the right to insert a new screenwriter before filming?' She further questioned if the lead actor misused their influence to interfere with screenwriter appointments, also revealing that Lin Yufen allegedly requested the team to 'write everything around Bai Lu,' denouncing the practice as 'privilege of the celestial elite.'
Faced with mounting public backlash, Bai Lu's side quickly retaliated, announcing legal action against defamation 'across all platforms.' Afterwards, Yu Zheng, producer at Huanyu Film and TV, publicly voiced support for his artist Bai Lu and even released chat screenshots with Zhao Na, Mo Li’s current screenwriter. Yu Zheng strongly responded: 'Our actors care most about the script—every time it’s script first. But this time, because we trusted director Lin Yufen, Bai Lu didn’t participate in any script discussions or decisions from beginning to end.'
According to chat logs exposed by Yu Zheng, before Zhao Na’s team took over, Yu Zheng had evaluated the original script and found there were 'major problems, outdated ideas,' so he recommended the new team start from scratch. Meanwhile, Mo Li's official current writing team also made a statement, denying that Meng Qiqi was ever a team member, and claiming she was a 'marketing account riding the hype.'
As the controversy continued to escalate, netizens dug up Meng Qiqi’s past, subtly shifting public opinion. Some bloggers pointed out that Meng Qiqi was the 'Versailles literature' pioneer and had previously attracted criticism for fabricating a 'CEO's pampered wife' persona. More damaging, she had once been accused by original author Lu Xiaohan of plagiarism and rewriting content before eventually changing her name. Additionally, in her 2025 personal summary, Meng Qiqi reportedly described herself as only 'participating as a team member' on Mo Li; some industry insiders suggested she may not have been the main writer, thus lacking grounds to claim individual screenwriting credit. #
News source: Sina Entertainment