On social media

PHOTOS: JAY CHOU/ INSTAGRAM, ZHENG SHUANG/WEIBO

OLD JAY CHOU RUMOUR RESURFACES: The hottest news on Chinese social media this week is the scandal involving Chinese actress Zheng Shuang, who has been accused by ex-boyfriend Zhang Heng of abandoning two surrogate babies they had together in the United States.

Strangely, an old rumour involving Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou began trending on Weibo on Wednesday afternoon, even though it was refuted three years ago.

The saga started on a Chinese forum, with a post claiming that a Chinese air stewardess had quit her job after she became pregnant with Chou's child. The netizen even posted a photo of him with the alleged mistress and claimed he had bought a villa for her in Shanghai.

Sharp-eyed netizens noticed this was a false rumour rehashed from three years ago. The stewardess had clarified then that she did not know Chou personally and was just one of many fans who took a photo with the singer at a fan meeting before his concert.

The post was slammed by many, who wondered if it was a ruse to divert attention from Zheng's scandal.

Chou celebrated his 42nd birthday on Monday, and posted on Instagram photos of himself glamping with friends and family.

He is also celebrating the success of new film Nezha, a racing movie he produced that is headlined by his wife Hannah Quinlivan and actor Tsao Yu-ning.

Meanwhile, Quinlivan, 27, posted photos of herself with her husband on his birthday. She wrote: "Who needs superheroes when you have a super husband? Happy birthday, my Superman."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 23, 2021, with the headline On social media. Subscribe