LayarHijau.com—On Sunday, December 29, director Deng Ke posted on Weibo, "May the world be at peace." He is the director of drama Almost Lover.
This post became a topic of discussion among Weibo users and trended in hot search. Apparently, netizens and fans of Zhao Lusi responded negatively to this post.
Since the news of Zhao Lusi being admitted to the emergency room of a hospital went viral a few days ago, fans and netizens in China have blamed the crew of the drama Almost Lover and the actress's management company for her health condition.
Fans argue that Zhao Lusi showed symptoms of health issues since December 14, but the drama crew ignored them, allowing filming to continue even as she required oxygen assistance to breathe.
Some fans commented that if Deng Ke could post something new on Weibo, it meant he wasn’t too busy; why hasn’t he addressed or commented on Zhao Lusi's health condition?
"Bring the crew @电视恋人 and the producers @胖胖熊制作 @银河酷娱传媒 to come out and explain and make a statement! Why was the actress still healthy before joining the crew, but now she is seriously ill in bed?" commented one fan on Weibo.
"Deng Ke is filtering comments (on his Weibo account) and changing his bio, but there’s no comfort, no apology, and no statement," criticized another user.
Meanwhile, some users believe that Deng Ke's work has always been well-received and there have never been any issues. So what happened during the filming of Almost Lover?
A few hours ago, Zhao Lusi's studio released a statement: "The Internet is not a place without law. Rumors and slanders against Ms. Zhao Lusi have been proven and submitted to lawyers for handling. I hope everyone can jointly maintain a healthy and civilized Internet environment and be responsible for their own words and deeds. I also call on everyone to think rationally, actively resist online rumors, do not make rumors, do not believe in rumors, do not spread rumors, and protect a clear and clean Internet space."
However, this statement was met with backlash from fans who blamed Zhao Lusi's management for failing to safeguard the actress's health. Some even accused the management of pressuring Zhao Lusi to continue filming despite her obvious health issues.
Other fans demanded that the management address the situation clearly as a form of accountability.