Xu Kai Faces Role Replacement & Financial Scrutiny Following Gambling Allegations
Mainland Chinese actor Xu Kai, 30, has been replaced as the male lead in the upcoming drama “Listening to the Wind” following allegations of habitual gambling. Producer Chen Yitao confirmed the replacement on the evening of September 8th,stating that Wei Zheming will now be the sole male lead. The drama was originally slated to begin filming on September 24th.
The controversy began on September 8th when the Weibo account “Bai xiaosheng who can shoot” released a video alleging Xu Kai regularly participates in high-stakes card games, with individual wins and losses reaching up to one million yuan annually.The video presented evidence including footage from December 30,2021,showing xu Kai winning 8,000 yuan in a card game at his Nanjiang No. 1 residence, and footage from may 4, 2023, depicting him at a card game in the Wanda Vista Hotel in qingdao during the filming of “You Are beautiful Than the Stars.” The whistleblower claimed Xu Kai requested participants maintain confidentiality, stating the group was “very small.”
The allegations quickly trended on Weibo, prompting a response from Xu Kai’s studio in the form of a lawyer’s letter. The letter denied the gambling accusations as “seriously inconsistent with the facts” but did not address the specific details presented in the video.
further complicating the situation, Xu lisha, an artist under producer Yu Zheng (who also manages Xu Kai), posted several social media posts questioning Xu Kai’s character. Both Yu Zheng and Xu Kai’s studio later stated that Zhao Qing was tutoring Xu Kai at the time of the alleged incidents.
the Dongyang Public Security Bureau of Zhejiang Province (Hengdian Branch) confirmed to Jiupai News that they had taken note of the allegations regarding Xu Kai’s gambling.Producer Chen Yitao, who was subsequently ”blacked” by Yu Zheng according to his own statement, publicly confirmed the role replacement and expressed concern for investors in Xu Kai’s upcoming projects. He stated that investors in three unreleased dramas were “trembling” and cautioned against associating with individuals exhibiting questionable behavior.
Xu Kai’s filmography includes notable works such as “Story of Yanxi Palace” and “Shadowski.” He recently concluded filming the drama “Midnight Return” on September 7th. He currently has three unreleased dramas: the crime suspense drama “Eight Hundred Meters in the ring” (co-starring Ding Yongdai and Deng Enxi), the costume romance drama “Yi Ou chun” (co-starring Zhou Ye), and the contemporary case-related drama “Chasing the Murder on Fire” (co-starring Liu Yitie).
Financial records from “Tianyan Check” show Xu Kai has three associated companies. Currently, only “Xiamen Kaikai Fafa Film and Television Cultural Studio” remains active. The studio’s 2021 annual report indicated total assets of 25.1289 million yuan and total liabilities of 9.7719 million yuan. However, the company has chosen not to disclose asset status information for the years 2022-2024.
