Chinese actress Zhao Lusi, known for her role in the beloved C-drama Hidden Love, recently underwent a major health crisis, leaving her fans concerned. Visuals of Lusi being taken to hospital in a wheelchair went viral online, confirming reports of her health scare. Thankfully, she's now on the road to recovery, and her friends have been sharing updates on her progress on Weibo and TikTok. Amid Zhao' recovery, a shocking revelation has emerged, as a post from her friend has exposed the actress's alleged years-long struggle with abuse and mental health at the hands of her company and staff members, sparking widespread outrage and concern among netizens.
The friend said with this post, they hope to bring attention the Zhao Lusi's condition, even if it means facing criticism or misunderstanding, in order to help actress find closure and healing.
"Back in 2019, something happened that IĄ¯ve been keeping in my heart for a long timeĄ. It wasnĄ¯t until I came to Hangzhou and saw her sitting in a wheelchair, looking incredibly frail and thin, that I fully realized the weight of it. Although I wasnĄ¯t involved in what happened this time and canĄ¯t speak to it, I told her that emotions canĄ¯t be bottled up; they need to be expressed and released. As we talked, we revisited that incident from 2019, and it became clear that she was never truly able to let it go. Since thatĄ¯s the case, even if it means being criticized or misunderstood, itĄ¯s better to speak out,"??the friend wrote in Chinese, as translated by Koreaboo.
The post further revealed that Lusi was subjected to a horrific ordeal in 2019, where she was verbally abused by staff for over two hours, with her talent, appearance, weight, and other personal aspects being mercilessly attacked.
Ą°In April 2019, during a break in her schedule, Lusi was in Beijing auditioning for roles. At the time, she didnĄ¯t have a place to stay, so she stayed at my house. During the day, we were both busy with our own work and only occasionally ate and talked together. But one night, I came home, turned on the light, and found her curled up in the living room in the dark. I asked her what was wrong, and she said, ĄŽI donĄ¯t know why they hit me. IĄ¯m really scared.Ą¯ I was shocked. ĄŽWhy? There has to be a reason, right?Ą¯ She told me about someone who had dragged her into the bathroom and berated her for two hours, saying things like how useless she was, why she couldnĄ¯t land a role, and how she should reflect on why she hadnĄ¯t been cast as a lead actress before. They criticized her weight and said she wasnĄ¯t as good as others, just constantly putting her down. This went on until 2 AM. Finally, because Lusi stayed silent, that person slammed the door and left. Lusi, feeling aggrieved, grabbed her bag and opened the door to leave. It was drizzling outside. and the individual chased after her, seemingly trying to grab her. WeĄ¯re not sure whether they intended to slap her or pull her hair and missed, but either way, she was hit. She was terrified. Over the years, weĄ¯ve talked about this incident many times, and IĄ¯ve always felt guilty for not realizing how much it had been weighing on her. Both she and I thought that openly discussing what happened meant she had moved on. Lusi has been doing better and better, so we assumed she wasnĄ¯t dwelling on it anymore. However, when I learned that she still wakes up in terror from nightmares about it, I realized that this issue was far from resolved,"??the post added.
According to the friend, Zhao Lusi did not receive an apology for the incident, but rather an excuse that the person's behaviour was a result of being drunk. The friend also shared that they had discussed taking legal action with the actress, and had even requested footage of the incident. However, Zhao ultimately decided not to pursue the matter further due to her fear that her family would be forced to pay compensation, as she was still under contract at the time. The friend reflected on how this traumatic experience has likely had a lasting impact on Zhao's physical and mental health and is now calling for better treatment and support for her.
Zhao Lusi has reportedly been struggling with aphasia, a condition that affects an individual's ability to communicate effectively. Reports also suggested that the actress was suffering from depression.