LayarHijau– Chinese costume drama The First Jasmine, starring Bai Lu and Cheng Lei, has enjoyed a strong launch since its premiere. By its second day of release, the series had reportedly topped both the popularity and ratings charts, surpassing Ashes to Crown, led by Chen Duling and Zhou Yiran, as well as Dazzling, starring Li Yunrui and Guan Xiaotong.
Despite the drama’s success, Bai Lu has become embroiled in a new controversy after a screenwriter using the pen name Meng Qiqi accused her of having the entire writing team replaced shortly before filming began.
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In a social media post, Meng Qiqi wrote, “During this difficult period for the film and television industry, other actors have to deal with expanded supporting roles or last-minute script changes, while Bai Lu’s project can replace the entire writing team just before filming starts.” The writer continued, “We never suspected any hidden interests behind it. We simply reflected on the fact that our writing wasn’t good enough, that our abilities fell short, and that we didn’t deserve to be part of a blockbuster expected to surpass the 30,000 heat index.”
The post quickly sparked heated discussion online and sent Bai Lu’s name to the top of China’s trending searches.
Yu Zheng, Bai Lu’s producer and manager, swiftly pushed back against the allegations. “Our actors always place great importance on the script. But this time, because we trusted director Lin Yufen, we never offered any opinions or participated in discussions about the script from beginning to end,” he wrote.
He also noted that The First Jasmine marks Bai Lu’s third collaboration with screenwriter Zhao Na before taking an apparent swipe at the accuser. “It’s exhausting to keep chasing fame and profit. That energy would be better spent creating good work. Gold will always shine, while mud-slinging eventually fades away,” he said.
The latest controversy comes after Bai Lu drew criticism for her appearance on the newest season of the variety show Keep Running. Chinese media reported that she lost a substantial number of followers across multiple social media platforms within a short period.
Amid the ongoing debate, some Chinese netizens speculated that the recent wave of negative stories surrounding Bai Lu could be linked to reports that her management contract is nearing its expiration. Others pointed to the roughly four-hour gap before Yu Zheng responded publicly, suggesting the incident may have been used to generate additional attention for The First Jasmine. However, those theories remain speculative and have not been substantiated or confirmed by any of the parties involved.
On June 12, Bai Lu’s studio announced that it had initiated legal proceedings to protect the actress’s reputation. In its official statement, the studio said that claims involving fabricated academic credentials, manipulated billing status, alleged procedural violations in actor certification, rumored romantic relationships, accusations that Bai Lu sought to replace the writing team, and alleged close ties with personnel from Jiangsu Cultural Investment were all defamatory.
The studio added that it would pursue legal action against those responsible for creating or spreading the rumors in order to protect Bai Lu’s rights and reputation.
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