LayarHijau.com—Zhao Lusi has once again topped the hot search list on Weibo. As of the time this article was written, hashtags related to her occupy the first position.
In these hashtags, several media outlets in China, such as Sohu, shared a lengthy essay written by a friend of Zhao Lusi during her early career. The friend's name has not been disclosed by the media, but they claim that this story was posted with Zhao Lusi's approval.
The friend recounts how Zhao Lusi was hit and insulted by a man suspected to be her current management boss after she failed an audition and did not secure a leading role. You can read the full post here.
This friend expressed disappointment over the incident that occurred in 2019, which left a deep mark on Zhao Lusi’s heart. In Hangzhou, this friend saw Zhao Lusi in a very weak state, sitting in a wheelchair with a face showing fear and exhaustion. This moment reminded them of the dark and stressful past that Zhao Lusi had to face, which she could never fully forget.
According to the friend's account, the incident occurred when Zhao Lusi was auditioning in Beijing. She was staying at this friend's home, and one night, after coming back, the friend found Zhao Lusi curled up in the living room, terrified after experiencing emotional abuse from a man who was supposed to be her colleague. This man, who never apologized, treated Zhao Lusi in a very inappropriate manner, belittling her and making her feel worthless.
The friend felt guilty for not realizing the extent of the impact this incident had on Zhao Lusi. They said, “I remember her face, always full of smiles, but that night it changed to a face full of fear and helplessness, with tears streaming down her cheeks.”
"This person never apologized to Lu Si from start to finish, and he showed no remorse. Why would you treat a 21-year-old girl like this? There were five people on site who tried to hold her back. Her manager at the time embraced her. There were also two artists who knew what was happening and saw that Lu Si was in a confused state. So many people witnessed it. Just because you're the boss and Lu Si is a girl without a background, does that give you the right to treat her like this?!" they wrote.
Although they often discussed this situation openly, the friend realized that Zhao Lusi still harbored deep wounds. She didn’t even tell her friends what had happened, trying to process everything on her own without wanting to burden anyone else.
The friend's concern grew as they witnessed how Zhao Lusi continued to struggle with external pressures, including attacks from haters on social media. They expressed how difficult it is for someone innocent to face humiliation and mistreatment, and that no one has the right to treat Zhao Lusi in such a manner.
In this essay, Zhao Lusi's friend hopes people will recognize the dangers of online violence and its impacts. They urge fans to offer positive support and love to Zhao Lusi, who is now fighting to heal and regain her cheerful smile.
This writing has elicited a variety of reactions from netizens and fans. Most of Zhao Lusi’s supporters have already believed that her management and the crew of the drama *Almost Lover* failed to protect her health and safety. With the emergence of this story, their anger has intensified.
Meanwhile, some netizens believe that this writing will have no impact. They criticized Zhao Lusi, suggesting that she should have reported the incident to the police instead of asking her friend to write this post.
However, in the post, Zhao Lusi’s friend addressed their plans to report to the police and their considerations at that time. "Because we were too young back then, we knew that even if we called the police, we would need evidence, and we were afraid that without evidence, we wouldn’t get a fair resolution. Lu Si and I went to look for CCTV footage together. I asked her if she had told her family. She said she didn’t want to tell them because she didn’t want to break her contract, which hadn’t expired yet, and she would feel guilty if her parents had to be involved in compensation," the friend wrote.
For now, the truth of this account remains unknown. Coupled with the silence from Zhao Lusi's management and the Almost Lover drama team, the negative views among fans are growing stronger. We can only wait for statements from various parties involved, including Zhao Lusi herself.