 |
| Popular Chinese actor reveals he has just US$713 in savings after years in showbiz, opening up about how it happened.. (Sohu) |
Luo Zheng has surprised fans by revealing that nearly a decade in the entertainment industry has left him with less money than many would expect. The 30-year-old Chinese actor and singer, known for dramas including Future's You and Put Your Head on My Shoulder? No, try Heartbeat Love and From the Future, admitted that his current savings stand at just 4,831.93 yuan (USD 713), despite years in front of cameras and a growing acting career. Instead of a glamorous success story, he described a long journey dominated by debt, legal disputes and financial pressure.
Speaking on the programme Inner Entertainment and Their Manager, Luo Zheng explained that one word had followed him through much of his career: debt. He said most of the money he earned disappeared into repayments linked to a legal dispute with his former agency.
"If I hadn't been paying back the debt, I would actually have quite a lot of money," he said candidly, adding that finally clearing those obligations felt strangely ordinary because, in his words, he had never really experienced having money in the first place.
 |
The actor's story began long before his television breakthrough. According to Luo Zheng, he signed his first contract around a decade ago without properly reading the terms after being persuaded by his former company.
At the time, he was earning around 2,500 yuan a month, before appearing on Idol Producer in 2018, where his popularity quickly grew. His salary later increased to 5,000 yuan, but the numbers behind the scenes told a very different story.
Although he estimated that his work generated between 2 million and 3 million yuan in revenue during one successful year, the amount that actually reached his own account was dramatically smaller.
He revealed he received only around 20,000 yuan after the company deducted what it described as training costs and other operating expenses. It was only after taking legal action that he discovered just how extensive those deductions had become.
According to Luo Zheng, expenses charged against trainees allegedly included assistant salaries, transport costs, studio depreciation, water dispensers and even something as ordinary as replacing a light bulb. Looking back, he joked that when he calculated his earnings during the busiest period of his career, his annual income reached roughly 80,000 yuan.
His reaction was refreshingly blunt, saying he briefly wondered whether becoming a security guard might have been the more profitable career choice. It was a remark that landed somewhere between dark humour and painful honesty.
 |
The legal dispute became even more complicated when Luo Zheng decided to leave the agency. He claimed the company demanded 50 million yuan as compensation for terminating his contract. Lawyer's fees added another financial burden, and although he ultimately lost the case, the amount he had to pay was reportedly reduced to several million yuan after negotiations and court proceedings.
His current manager, Xiaoxiao, became a turning point during that difficult chapter. She helped him challenge the former agency through the courts and supported him as he rebuilt his acting career.
Although they did not reveal the exact settlement figure, she suggested the amount Luo Zheng paid would have been enough to purchase a home in a desirable neighbourhood. After years of repayments, the actor finally settled the outstanding compensation in January 2024, bringing one of the most difficult periods of his professional life to an end.
The challenges did not stop there. Luo Zheng also claimed that while filming projects under his former company, an assistant assigned to him was allegedly more interested in documenting his private behaviour than simply helping on set.
He suggested the material could potentially be used to pressure him into remaining with the agency. Those claims added another layer to his already difficult account of working under his previous management.
Despite everything, Luo Zheng has managed to keep his sense of humour intact. He admitted there was a period when he seriously considered trying livestreaming to make ends meet and even prepared promotional photographs before realising he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Sometimes self-awareness arrives just in time to save everyone involved.
Today, his financial situation is slowly improving. The actor revealed his bank balance has recently grown by a few thousand yuan after completing another acting project, with a new production already lined up.
His immediate ambition is refreshingly modest compared with the luxury lifestyles often associated with celebrities. Rather than chasing sports cars or extravagant homes, Luo Zheng simply hopes to reach 10,000 yuan in personal savings, a goal he shared with genuine excitement.
Many fans admitted they were shocked that someone with years of television credits could be left with so little after contractual disputes but they praised Luo Zheng for speaking openly about financial realities that many performers rarely discuss.
When asked how he remains optimistic despite everything that has happened, Luo Zheng laughed and delivered perhaps the most memorable line of the interview. He said staying positive was simply his only option. It was an answer that perfectly summed up his approach: honest, slightly sarcastic and surprisingly cheerful after years of setbacks.