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| NINEONE Issues Clarification After Hug with iQIYI Director Che Che Sparks Affair Rumours |
Chinese rapper NINEONE# (乃万), also known as Naiwan, has come out swinging after a gossip storm blew up over a viral video of her being hugged in the street by iQIYI Director and Vice President Che Che.
The clip, released on 11 September by entertainment paparazzi, showed the two leaving a dinner, chatting closely, and sharing a hug — before Che Che wandered off to relieve himself in public, an act that only fuelled the headlines.
By the very next day, whispers had turned into accusations, with some netizens labelling NINEONE a “home-wrecker.” On 12 September, she took to social media to set the record straight.
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NINEONE: “I Am Not the Third Party”
In a fiery statement, NINEONE denied any romantic involvement with Che Che:
“I have never dated him. I am not a third party, and I will never be a third party!”
She explained that the encounter followed a work dinner, nothing more.
What really pushed her to respond, she said, was the way silence only worsened the online slander:
“Staying quiet and trying to preserve dignity doesn’t solve anything, it only makes the insults worse. Their divorce has nothing to do with me in the past, now, or in the future. Why is that fact so hard to accept?”
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To back herself up, she even posted screenshots of her chat records with both Che Che and his then-wife, singer Li Jiage.
Che Che Owns Up: “It Was My Drunken Mistake”
Che Che, who until recently was married to Li Jiage, also posted an apology in the comment section, admitting the blame rested with him:
“It was my mistake for being drunk. I dragged you into this. Please forgive me!”
Notably, on the same day the video went public, Li Jiage officially announced their divorce, describing her relationship with Che Che as having “long returned to friendship.”
That announcement only intensified speculation around the timing.
Studio’s Official Response
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NINEONE’s studio released a formal statement confirming the video was indeed from a work dinner. They stressed:
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Che Che acted inappropriately only because he was drunk, and apologised immediately.
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NINEONE is currently single.
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The team has kept legal evidence and will pursue action against malicious rumours.
The incident has split opinion online.
Some questioned why a single woman would appear so close to a married man, while others defended her, arguing the public is over-interpreting casual gestures and ignoring her right to privacy.
It also didn’t help that Che Che’s marriage troubles were already public knowledge. Li Jiage had hinted at long-standing issues on a family reality show, even describing herself as “like a single mum.”
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For critics, the hug video felt like confirmation of deeper cracks, while supporters see it as coincidence exaggerated by paparazzi framing.
This isn’t NINEONE’s first brush with controversy. Past rumours linked her romantically to fellow rappers like Capper, but she has consistently brushed off talk about her dating life.
In mid-2025 she publicly declared that rumours of relationships and break-ups were “all false,” hinting she has been single for years.
For now, she’s standing firm: her work, not her private life, should be the focus. Whether netizens listen remains another story.