LayarHijau – After Chinese actor Yu Menglong reportedly fell to his death on the 11th of last month, authorities were said to have quickly closed the case as an accident caused by intoxication. However, rumors of harassment and torture—including the alleged circulation of videos showing him being abused—continue to stir public outrage.
Recently, new reports have emerged claiming that popular actress Yang Mi tried several times to help or invite Yu Menglong to join her agency, but those efforts were said to have failed due to contractual issues.
According to some social media sources in China, Yang Mi and Yu Menglong first met while filming the popular costume drama Eternal Love. The two reportedly shared a good relationship off-screen. When news of the actor’s death broke, Yang Mi posted a message of mourning that read, “Fourth brother, may you rest peacefully in the other world.”
Unverified reports also claim that Yang Mi had attempted to recruit Yu Menglong to her management company, Jaywalk Entertainment. However, his agency at the time, Tianyu Media, allegedly refused to release him.
In past interviews, Yang Mi once stated that artists under her company are not required to attend drinking parties or follow the “unspoken rules” of the entertainment industry. After Eternal Love became a hit, she was said to have offered Yu Menglong a contract worth twice his existing deal with Tianyu Media.
Tianyu Media, however, reportedly extended his contract and arranged his schedule until 2023. Some claims suggest the company held a “fatal handle” or binding clause that made it difficult for Yu to switch agencies, Star EBC wrote.
Other circulating reports allege that Yang Mi showed strong sincerity by raising the profit-sharing ratio from 3:7 to 5:5 and promising him two high-budget lead roles each year. Her team even reportedly adjusted schedules and revised scripts for him, but those plans eventually came to nothing.
According to fan discussions online, the key issue might have been a “priority renewal” clause in Yu Menglong’s 2013 contract with Tianyu Media. The clause allegedly allowed the company to renew his contract automatically as long as they offered a price not lower than 80% of the market rate. If true, this would explain why Yang Mi’s efforts to bring him into Jaywalk Entertainment never materialized.
As of now, neither Yang Mi nor Tianyu Media has issued any official statement regarding these rumors.
