One Silenced, One Erased: Deng Lun Reappears, Yu Menglong Falls—Is One Hand Pulling the Strings?

Three years after being fined 106 million yuan and wiped from the entire internet, Deng Lun has quietly appeared in a Beijing cafe, meanwhile, another costume drama heartthrob, Yu Minglong, mysteriously fell to his death at age 37. One reborn, one fallen, this doesn't feel like coincidence, but like a script already written. At the crossroads of their fates, a mysterious name surfaces, Kaijia. Could his connections with the two actors be tugging the invisible hand behind China's entertainment industry? Don't miss the next drop, subscribe and enable the bell. Dear viewers, can you imagine, Deng Lun, who was banned three years ago, fined 106 million, and disappeared from the internet, was recently spotted in a Beijing cafe. Wearing a black cap and a denim shirt, he looked calm. One netizen said he was like a boy walking out of the shadows. At the same time, another costume drama leading man, Yu Minglong, mysteriously fell to his death in Beijing at the age of 37. One rebirth, one demise. Fate feels like a script written by someone, some are blocked, some are erased. And behind those two names, an even more mysterious one is going viral, Kaijia. His intersections with Deng Lun and Yu Minglong seem like a hidden dark thread binding the three fates together. Online chatter says he is not only a Central Academy of Drama graduate but may also have a Is all this coincidence? Or an extension of power into showbiz? Today we're not just talking about two actors' tragedies, but an invisible war spanning the glamorous stage and shadowy power. Time, October 2025, Beijing, a cafe. A familiar yet unfamiliar figure sent the internet into a frenzy. A woman posted on Xiahangsha that as she left the cafe at dusk, she brushed past a young man and looked up, turns out it was Deng Lun. She gushed, what kind of god-tier good luck is this? She even described Deng Lun's profile as chiseled, with eyes as clear as before. In the photo, Deng Lun wears a black baseball cap and blue denim shirt, chatting casually with friends, gentle and slightly distant, as if untouched by worldly smoke. The comments exploded, that face really holds up. So clean even without styling. Hope he gets a chance to come back. Another fan sighed, as long as he lives peacefully, it's enough. He's still the ceiling in my heart. This is Deng Lun, the ashes-of-love male god who's been officially banned for three years. So why did he fall from traffic king to rock bottom? And what shocking similarities does his fate share with Yu Minglong's? Deng Lun's rise, from talent show newcomer to traffic king. To tell Deng Lun's story, we really have to start at the beginning. Born in 1992 to an ordinary family in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, he was a bit different growing up, while others played ball, he mimicked TV actors, while others chased test scores, he dreamed of the camera. He attended Shijiazhuang Elite High School with solid grades, but his heart had long drifted to film and TV. In 2010, at 18, he joined the talent show Go! Fraternal Boys. He didn't win, but talent scouts had already noticed, those clear eyes and a tender smile, pure youthful aura. Soon after, he signed with an agency and was admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy's acting program, officially stepping onto the acting path. In 2013, he debuted in the youth drama Flowers in Fog, playing a sunny boy. Though his role was small, many remembered that gentle-eyed kid. Then came five years of straight ascent. In 2017, White Deer Plane showed depth in his acting, and his role Xiaosu in Princess Agents made him an overnight sensation, the contrast from sunny youth to heartbroken prince turned him into countless viewers' unresolved regret. That same year, Ashes of Love, as Phoenix slash Su Feng, sent him to the throne. The whole internet was Phoenix Su Feng, Weibo followers shot to 40 million. The image, red robes, long hair, eyes both gentle and domineering, became the ceiling of Xiansha dramas. Endorsements, magazine covers, fashion events, one after another. He practically defined debut at the peak. He didn't just act, he did people well too. On variety shows like Great Escape, Go Fighting, and I am a Detective, his wit and warmth won fans. He didn't hog the camera or act flashy, a single joke dissolved awkwardness. Netizens called him the smiling warm detective. He didn't drop the ball on charity either. He formed the Dangluan Charity Group, donated multiple times for the 2021 Hebei floods and during pandemic control, and personally visited children's projects. As a Tencent charity ambassador, he helped mobilize over 10 million yuan in donations, he was listed as an excellent artist in the 2020 Chinese Film and TV Star Social Responsibility Report. From 2017 to 2021, these were his brightest years, good dramas, hot variety, explosive commercial value. He was a traffic king, standing atop the pyramid yet still wearing a gentle smile. Who could have imagined that just as everyone thought his future was boundless, a storm crept The tax storm, a 106 million fine and a total ban. In showbiz, the winds change overnight. On March 15, 2022, the Shanghai Tax Bureau dropped a bomb, Dangluan allegedly evaded 47.6582 million yuan in personal income tax through fabricated businesses in 2019 to 2020, and underpaid 13.9932 million yuan. Total back taxes and penalties came to 106 million. The internet exploded. One moment he was trending with brand announcements, the next he was named and penalized. After Fan Bingbing, Xing Shuang, and Viya, another traffic giant fell under the tax storm. Right after the notice, Dangluan issued an apology, I engage in deep self-reflection, accept all decisions by the tax authority, and am willing to bear all responsibility. He did repay 44.5503 million yuan, but because rectification wasn't comprehensive, the penalty was heavier, 0.5 times on the self-repaid portion, and four times starting on the remainder, stacking to a staggering 106 million. But that was just the appetizer. The real storm hit minutes later. Eight minutes after the fine, Veomi Technology announced it was terminating his endorsement. The cut was so fast it turned surreal, two hours earlier they just named him global ambassador. That endorsement's lifespan? Two hours and eight minutes. Then came a cascade, Jojoya, Clear slash Unilever, Herangia, Sanyao, Sophia, L'Oreal Paris, brands hurried to cut ties. Premium brands like Solosu, Bulgari, and Quaker quietly scrubbed materials. His social accounts, Weibo, Douyin, Zaihongshu, were all banned, even his fan super topic was shut down that same day. Streaming platforms also moved. Signature works like Ashes of Love and Princess Agents were delisted or had credits altered, unreleased projects like The Ying Yang Master, Song of the Abyss and Night Wanderer were put on indefinite hold. Netizens were stunned, too sudden. How can a top star just vanish? More intriguing was his hotpot brand Huixia. The official account stayed silent, but a WeChat moment's line stirred speculation, some things can't be said, hope you all understand, quietly keep him company. That one sentence led many to ask, was it really just about tax evasion? Or was there a deeper undercurrent behind the tax storm? The Yu Menglong case blows open industry shadows. Fast forward to the early hours of September 11th this year, shocking news hit the industry, 37-year-old actor Yu Menglong fell to his death in an apartment in Beijing. At just 37, it was a thunderbolt. Yu wasn't a nobody. He rocketed with Go Princess Go and solidified his place as a costume drama male beauty ceiling as the immortal Baixin in Eternal Love. White robes, jade-like bearing, he was an icon of the xinxia genre. Few expected that after the peak would come a fall. In 2020, during his golden years, rumors said he refused improper demands from investors, so-called casting catch rules and resource trades, and was shelved by his company for three years. He disappeared from public view, no dramas, no variety, no gigs. Fans waited online for news, ending in helpless sighs. Has the industry abandoned him? By 2024, he finally returned, taking the suspense drama Immortal at the River and urban drama Long Night Walk. Just after wrapping, the news of his fatal fall arrived. Authorities quickly stated they had ruled out a criminal case. But that cold statement didn't calm doubts. If anything, public opinion surged harder. Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu were flooded. Topic Reads easily topped 3 billion. Netizens dug deeper. Some said he held sensitive evidence. Others said the case involved financial elites and entertainment capital. Still others claimed he had been detained and threatened, even forced to prove his innocence. Overseas bloggers went further, alleging a bizarre sacrifice conspiracy linked to top leadership. More oddly, some mentioned an alleged 17-person dinner list, said to include names from red families and capital tycoons. No one could verify it, but the thread lit a fuse. Amid the chaos, people remembered another name, Deng Luwen. Also a top star, also disappeared at the height of his career, for reasons that felt baffling. Netizens began to ask, was the tax storm merely a fine? Or was it another script to cover the truth? Startling parallels between Deng Luwen and Yu Menglong. If showbiz is a mirror, Deng Luwen and Yu Menglong are near-mirror twin stars. Deng Luwen, born 1992, Yu Menglong, 1988. One became the fiery red phoenix, Su Feng, in Ashes of Love, the other the gentle white baijin in Eternal Love. One is fire, one is jade, both are costume drama ceilings. Coincidentally, neither is formally trained in the same way people expect, Deng Luwen stepped in through Go. Fraternal boys, Yu Menglong first drew attention by a super boy. Both carved their craft through grit and self-polish in an industry that often values capital over ability. On variety shows they were equally likable. Deng Luwen showed warm in Great Escape and Go Fighting, Yu was a gentle gentleman on Up Idol and Day Day Up. Both had a non-aggressive aura, no hype, little scandal, increasingly comfortable to watch. Even their charity paths were strikingly aligned. Deng Luwen donated for floods, Yu contributed during the pandemic. Both did good quietly, inspiring fan donations and multiplying impact. For years they were rare dual-reputation artists, popular and clean. Then came the fork. In 2022, Deng Luwen was comprehensively banned over the tax storm, in 2020 Yu, after refusing improper rules, was shelved, and three years after returning, died from a fall. One faded into seclusion, the other died at the scene. Netizens looked at the two trajectories inside, at the very height of their years, how could it line up like this? Adding to the strangeness, the alleged 17-person list in Yu's case repeatedly elevated the name Kai Yijia. Netizens began to connect dots, were these artists drawn into the same dark industrial chain? The Kai Yijia Question Born in 1996 in Fujian, Kai Yijia is a Central Academy of Drama graduate. He appeared in the 2016 youth drama Boyhood, then starred in the idol drama About Is Love. With a fresh, boy-next-door look, he should have been a slow-burn actor, but his resources were extraordinarily good, almost all green lights. Online rumors long claimed he is an illegitimate son of Politburo Standing Committee member Kai Chi. There is no official confirmation, but due to his early access to top resources and frequent links to big productions, the rumor never died. In the Yu Menglong case, Kai's name became a focus. Netizens claimed he was a core figure on the alleged 17-person dinner list, said to be involved in pressure at the dinner, money laundering, and shadowy power transactions. Coincidentally, Dang Luan and Kai have a quiet intersection too. In 2017 they worked together on the Republican-era drama Blossom in Heart, Begonia Rouge. Kai played the Sion Gushiha, Dang Luan played the mysterious noble Ling Wuxian. They had many scenes together and plenty of sparks. No one expected that drama would later be scrutinized by netizens thread by thread. One user on X speculated, perhaps after that cooperation, Dang Luan offended certain big players in the circle. Did Dang Luan refuse Kai Yijia's rules? Or refuse to help with some dirty work? Is that why the tax storm later hit him, won plus $100 million in fines and a full internet ban? There's no evidence for this, of course, but the timeline is intriguing. Blossom in Heart filmed in 2017 and aired in 2019. Dang Luan's alleged tax evasion period was 2019 to 2020. In other words, the accounting window overlapped with the broadcast period. Netizens posited, perhaps the $106 million fine in 2022 was a tool of killing with a borrowed knife, and tax issues were merely the surface rationale. A user named at Genu14 defended Dang Luan on He's the type who openly says he won't play that game, refuses casting catch rules, that's why bizarre things keep happening to him. After Ashes of Love blew up, there was money every year running rumor sites and smear campaigns, even dragging in his family. If he'd gone with the flow, scripts would be everywhere, how could he be banned? It sounds like conspiracy, yet each line seems to have a trace. The darkness of showbiz is like deep water. Some flash on the surface, others are dragged by undercurrents. Kaijia, Dang Luan, Yu Menglong, perhaps their stories are not coincidence, but a shadow projection of the power game. One netizen lamented, maybe tax evasion was an excuse, but at least Dang Luan is alive. In a sense he's lucky, quitting is better than being pushed to the edge. After three years of silence, is Dang Luan really coming back? Since the 2022 tax notice, Dang Luan nearly vanished. But in 2025, the former traffic king seems to be quietly lighting a comeback signal. On February 12, Lantern Festival, he suddenly opened a new Kuaishou account. The verification line simply reads actor, and the bio says graduate of the Shanghai Theater Academy, as if reminding everyone, he's still a professionally trained actor. His first video was a bowl of sweet dumplings with Happy Lantern Festival, instantly topping 200,000 likes and 600,000 followers in days. Fans cheered, he's coming back. Back on January 24, Fashion Mag Art PDF 02 quietly hired him as a model. Though banned, so his name and face couldn't be shown, the set of nameless model photos sold shockingly, an 80 yuan issue surpassed 30,000 pre-orders in one hour. The editors wrote, a friend lost his face and name, he naturally became a model. Some mocked, no face to show, but more replied, even without showing, we know it's him. On Lunar New Year's Eve, he posted a New Year photo on Instagram, wearing a Chinese long gown, upright and refined, like a long-awaited reunion. That restrained gentleness was his most moving trait before fame. Comments flooded with one line, Luan Luan, are you coming back? At 32, after three quiet years, he still holds light before the lens. Perhaps he never truly left, just waited for a moment that allows him to speak again. From the low-key cafe sighting to that bowl of tangyuan on Kuaishou, Deng Luan seems to be gently telling everyone, he's still trying to live. His silence isn't surrender, it's a form of resistance. And like Yu Minglong's tragedy, both were drawn into an unseen storm, on one side the dazzling entertainment machine, on the other, roiling power struggles. In this era where words can't be spoken casually, and people can't become popular casually, whose silence is really voluntary? The stories of Deng Luan and Yu Minglong may be just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the waterline, how many needed actors, replaced names, erased faces? Dear viewers, in a mainland entertainment scene where the CCP elite's shadowy hands are everywhere, do you hope Deng Luan returns? And for the ever-fermenting Yu Minglong case, will the day ever come when the truth is laid bare?