A prominent Chinese influencer with over 30 million followers has been banned from social media and ordered to compensate her former employer after a court found she had fabricated sexual harassment claims to escape her contract.
Known online as Xiaohuijun, the blogger—whose real surname is Liu—rose to fame in China’s cosplay scene and amassed a massive following across two leading platforms.
ALSO READ: Woman in China earning RM1.6k lives in company toilet pays RM31 to save on rent
However, her career came crashing down after a series of accusations against her former boss, Sun Haoyu, owner of Qinhuangdao Chidu Entertainment.
According to South China Morning Press, in late 2020, Liu released videos claiming Sun had sexually harassed her and coerced her into signing unfair documents.
He denied the allegations and took legal action.
According to Pear Video, Sun announced on April 19 that he had won the case. The court ruled that Liu was to be permanently banned from both social media platforms and must pay 600,000 yuan (approx. RM354,550) in damages to Sun, along with an additional 60,000 yuan to cover legal expenses.
The ruling also required her to issue a public apology within six months via a national media outlet, given her accounts were suspended.
“Justice may be late, but it will never be absent,” Sun said in a video posted online.
“I would like to tell my audiences that if you encounter similar situations like me, please use legal weapons to safeguard your rights.”
Liu, tearful during a livestream at the time, maintained her innocence: “You think I am hyping things up? I am 22 years old and I am a virgin. I will never do this kind of thing to ruin my innocence.”
She also submitted a hospital document to support her claim that she suffered from depression due to Sun’s alleged misconduct.
However, this was not the first court ruling against Liu. In June 2022, a court in Qinghuangdao, Hebei province, determined that Liu’s claims were fabricated.
The court found that she had attempted to leverage public pressure to reduce penalties for breaching her contract. She was ordered then to pay 50,000 yuan (approx. RM29,545) to the company and issue an apology—a directive she never fulfilled.
Sun said the damage from the false allegations was severe and long-lasting.
“Two-thirds of my staff quit the company. It is difficult for me to sign other bloggers,” he said. “My parents and I are suffering online violence, even receiving a death threat.”
