Chinese actress Zhang Jiani skyrocketed to fame for her role as 'Consort Shun' in Story of Yanxi Palace, with her exquisite period costume look earning her the nickname of 'the most beautiful concubine.' After marrying businessman Mai Chao, the two had two sons together. Although they never held a wedding ceremony after getting married, the couple frequently showed off their affection for each other in public and on variety shows, which firmly established their loving image in the public eye. However, four years ago, Mai Chao was allegedly photographed cheating, which cast a shadow over their enviable marriage. The public generally believes the two have since quietly divorced, and their fairy-tale life has come to an end.
Recently, on the night of the 3rd, Mai Chao started a livestream to interact with netizens, only to have unrelenting viewers bring up his past scandal. Someone directly asked him how he now viewed his previous heartfelt vow to Zhang Jiani on a show: 'there is no divorce, only widowhood.' Faced with such a pointed question, Mai Chao smiled on camera and then responded: 'Just consider me dead now. Life is actually quite long, so you don't need to dwell on what happened back then. As long as you're happy, maybe I'm already dead.' With just these few words, he seemed to try and defuse the awkwardness with self-deprecating humor, but unexpectedly reignited netizens' anger.
The livestream clip quickly appeared on Weibo’s trending list and drew widespread backlash from netizens. Many criticized Mai Chao for brushing over his earnest promises with such a casual attitude, which seemed very irresponsible. Comments mocked him with lines like, 'When in love, there are vows as enduring as the sea and mountains; when it's over, just act as if I'd died,' and 'just smashing the pot because it's cracked.' However, a minority took a different view, noting that relationships are full of uncertainty and can't be forced. Some tried to smooth things over, saying, 'It's normal to divorce if you fall out of love, there's no need to be hung up on things said in the heat of passion,' and that it's better to part ways on good terms.
Source: China Times