Billionaire heiress actress Esther Yu allegedly in conflict with film crew

Chinese actress Esther Yu. Photo from Yu's Instagram

According to Znews, 163 reported on Dec. 6 that Yu updated her profile with a sad emoji. Shortly afterward, she wrote: "On the path to maturity, you will surely face some unfairness and difficulties. But I will try my best for everyone. Don’t worry too much."

Her posts attracted significant attention, garnering thousands of comments from fans. Many expressed concern for the actress’ well-being. The keyword "What’s happening with Esther Yu?" quickly rose to the top of the most-searched topics on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with 150 million views within the day.

Online speculations spread allegations that Yu is sending out distress signals after experiencing discord with the "Speed and Love" crew. Sources claim the actress was tricked into signing a contract. She had been promised to star opposite an A-list actor, but when filming began, she discovered her co-star He Yu was a B-list actor with much less fame than her. She reportedly wanted to quit filming, but due to her contract, she had no choice but to continue.

Moreover, during the filming process, it is reported that Yu and the director had multiple conflicts, even heated arguments, which affected the filming schedule.

Following the actress’ posts, Yu’s fans have been posting and questioning the film crew. However, as of now, the crew has not responded.

Yu, 29, gained fame as a former member of The9, the project girl group from iQIYI’s survival show "Youth With You 2."

Citing QQ News, the South China Morning Post reported that her father is a mining magnate and her grandfather is the head of a steel corporation. Her family’s net worth is estimated at 40 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion).