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| Wang Yibo Said Nothing. Someone Else Did — And Now They Are Facing Legal Action. (Image via: Sina) |
Yuehua Entertainment moves to court after manipulated Xiaohongshu messages falsely attributed to the actor spread widely online. Screenshots purportedly showing private conversations between Chinese actor and entertainer Wang Yibo and a woman named Qi MeiHe began circulating on Xiaohongshu in the early hours of 28 February, sparking immediate controversy across Chinese social media platforms.
The fabricated messages claimed to show Wang Yibo discussing lavish spending habits — including a wine purchase reportedly totalling 14,000 yuan — along with alleged negative remarks about prominent entertainers Xiao Zhan, Cai Xukun, and Cheng Xiao.
Within hours, the screenshots had been shared widely enough to generate significant public debate, drawing reactions from fans, casual observers, and industry watchers alike.
Yuehua Entertainment responded swiftly.
In an official statement released at 1.23am the same morning, the agency described the content as maliciously fabricated and a deliberate attempt to damage Wang Yibo's reputation.
The statement alleged that the individual behind the screenshots had registered a Xiaohongshu account using an old mobile number previously belonging to Wang Yibo — one that had been publicly disclosed and deactivated as far back as 2019 — to construct conversations designed to appear credible.
The agency confirmed it had collected evidence and formally initiated legal proceedings.
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| Wang Yibo's Team Is Done Playing Nice — Lawyers Are Now Involved. (Weibo/Yuehua) |
Reaction online split fairly quickly, though not evenly. Supporters of Wang Yibo moved fast to challenge the screenshots on technical grounds, raising points that many felt dismantled the fabrication's credibility almost entirely.
Central to their argument was how Xiaohongshu handles direct messages. The platform stores chat history locally on individual devices, with no cross-device syncing capability. The screenshots, however, appeared to suggest access from multiple devices — something fans argued was technically impossible and a clear sign of manipulation.
Others pointed to the language used throughout the alleged conversations. Wang Yibo has a well-established public persona as someone who communicates sparingly and plainly.
The messages in question reportedly contained casual internet slang widely considered inconsistent with how he typically speaks, which many supporters found immediately unconvincing.
There was also the matter of timing.
.. the conversations were supposedly dated between 2025 and 2026, yet the phone number used to set up the account had reportedly been out of service since 2019.
Several passages within the screenshots were also noted as disjointed, leading some users to suggest the content had been assembled from separate, unrelated sources.
Not everyone dismissed the screenshots straight away. A portion of users online urged caution before drawing conclusions, with some expressing uncertainty until more information emerged.
A handful questioned whether the agency's response alone was sufficient to close the matter. That said, as the technical inconsistencies accumulated, broader sentiment shifted decisively toward viewing the screenshots as a fabrication.
One detail that caught wider attention was an apparent failure by whoever posted the screen recordings to fully conceal their identifying information. That oversight led netizens to speculate that the person responsible may be a teenager from Heilongjiang, reportedly born in 2006.
No formal identification has been made public, and legal proceedings are ongoing.
Yuehua Entertainment has been unambiguous about its intentions, stating it will pursue the case fully and ensure those responsible are held accountable. For many of Wang Yibo's supporters, that commitment was precisely what they wanted to hear.
What do you think platforms should be doing differently when it comes to content like this?