Popular actress Lucy Zhao Lusi (趙露思) recently had a sudden and public fallout with her management company, Galaxy Cool Entertainment, accusing them of mistreatment. She alleged that the company confined her to a hotel while she was ill, hired a “master” to perform an exorcism ritual on her, and even forced her to shoulder a compensation payment of 2.05 million yuan (about USD 285,600) on her own!
Staying True to Herself
Some netizens suspect her move was an attempt to avoid paying a massive contract termination penalty of up to 400 million yuan (about USD 55.72 million), while others voiced support, saying she had been “pushed to the corner.”
Since posting her accusations on August 2, Zhao Lusi has live-streamed for three consecutive days on Xiaohongshu, gaining over 1.7 million followers in the process and drawing widespread backing from fans. She explained that the dispute made her decide to speak out, “I’m not asking people to speak on my behalf. I just want those who support me to feel assured — I haven’t gone crazy, and I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Despite her surging popularity in recent years, with numerous endorsements and acting roles, media reports indicate Zhao’s 2023 income exceeded 100 million yuan. However, she revealed that when she first entered the industry, her pay was meager. “In my first month in 2016, I only earned 2,500 yuan. A few months later, it went up to 5,000. Looking at where I am today, I can say I’ve stayed true to myself.”
Addressing speculation that she was using public opinion to pressure the company into ending her contract, Zhao said she had initially hoped to negotiate privately, but the company instead threatened her with a “ban” to silence her. “If everyone knows the truth, they’ll see things more clearly. Otherwise, it just turns into me being the only one frantically speaking out.”
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