26-year-old mainland Chinese popular actress Zhao Lusi fell ill and was hospitalized halfway through filming at the end of last year. It took her nearly half a year to recover both physically and mentally. During this period, shocking details of her being bullied by her management company were unexpectedly exposed. On the evening of August 2nd, she once again criticized the management company for cheating her out of 2.05 million Chinese yuan and demanding compensation from her, along with giving her the cold shoulder. Having suffered from severe depression and anxiety disorders, she declared, “I’m done,” sparking discussions and leaving her fans deeply concerned.
In recent years, Zhao Lusi has gained fame for her roles in dramas such as “Bright Starlit Night,” “Can’t Hide Lies,” and “Pearl Curtains, Jade Screens.” At the end of last year, while filming a new drama titled “Lover,” she was reported to have been taken to the hospital urgently due to health issues. Footage from that time showed her weakly resting her head on her shoulders, curled up, pale-faced, with a tube in her nose, alarming many. Her struggles with aphasia and depression were also revealed through this incident.
After a month of recuperation, Zhao Lusi participated in the reality show “A Little Courage” on Hunan Satellite TV’s Mango Channel in April this year without any compensation. Sharp-eyed netizens noticed that during her conversation with the show’s staff, she displayed sudden confusion and momentary absence, taking about 3 seconds before regaining consciousness, suspected to be a “brain fog” reaction. This incident quickly made its way to the top trending topics on Weibo as fans expressed their concerns and urged her to focus on recovery before returning to work.
According to reports from Chinese media, Zhao Lusi renewed her contract with “Galaxy Cool Entertainment” in 2023, with four more years remaining until its expiration. Even if Zhao Lusi intends to unilaterally terminate the contract, based on the unwritten rules of the Chinese entertainment industry, the penalty for breaching the contract is usually ten times the contract amount. This implies that Zhao Lusi might face a hefty penalty of tens of millions when the time comes.
Media analysts speculate that if Zhao Lusi chooses not to terminate the contract but adopts a “strike” stance against the management company, she may have to endure a freezing period of up to four years before the contract ends, followed by a “cooling-off period.” Returning to work after a long hiatus could mean facing the challenges of being in her thirties in the fiercely competitive Chinese entertainment industry. This extended absence could almost be synonymous with the end of her acting career, especially for Zhao Lusi, who is considered a top-tier actress. With no viable options, it is believed that Zhao Lusi was forced to resume work promptly.
On August 2nd, Zhao Lusi took to Weibo and accused her company of suppressing her during her illness. Not only was she required to compensate, but she was also threatened that speaking out could result in being “blacklisted.”
When exposing the eight-month-long disputes with “Galaxy Cool Entertainment” from her illness last year, Zhao Lusi described her ongoing contract as “stupid.” She accused the management company of using her illness as an excuse to cancel some of her brand endorsements, all at her own expense. She raged, “You claim to be responsible for my illness this time, yet it is me who ends up paying. Can you just take money from my studio without negotiation?”
Zhao Lusi pointed out that she was deceived into signing a split account for her finances, resulting in a loss of 2.05 million Chinese yuan. After enduring eight months of waiting, she not only failed to regain control of her studio’s operations but also faced the dissolution of the production crew, again leading to her shouldering the losses. Disheartened, she anxiously questioned, “Will I have to keep giving in the future?” and bluntly declared, “You don’t need to blacklist me. I’m done.”
In fact, on January 1st this year, Zhao Lusi unlocked her Weibo account and detailed her past encounters with adversity. She admitted that she had been showing signs of depression since over five years ago due to facing violence from her previous boss and accused him of only letting her leave after taking a huge sum of money.
Zhao Lusi revealed that her struggle with depression began in 2019, but those around her dismissed her distress, suggesting she “stop being overdramatic” and “just find a way to be okay.” She, too, thought she was overreacting and sensitive, neglecting her mental health issues. It wasn’t until 2021 when she started experiencing allergic reactions that she sought treatment from a psychologist to alleviate her anxiety. By 2023, the impact of events like pneumonia, emphysema, hives, nerve-induced deafness, and the loss of loved ones led to frequent dry heaves, dizziness, joint and neck pain in 2024. A previous weight measurement footage showed that despite being 161 cm tall, she had plummeted to a shocking 36.9 kg, leaving her fans both stunned and heartbroken.