Chinese actress, 75, sued for S$950,000 by ex-assistant, 37, who claims they were in relationship & he was underpaid
Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing, 75, is being sued for 5.04 million yuan (S$950,000) by her 37-year-old former assistant Gu Ke, who alleges a six-year romantic relationship and underpayment for multiple roles.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
75-year-old Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing is being sued by her 37-year-old former photography assistant Gu Ke, who claims they lived together and were romantically involved for six years. He is seeking S$950,000 in unpaid wages, overtime and interest, while Liu denies any relationship existed.
A famous old actress in China is being sued by her young former helper. The helper says they were boyfriend and girlfriend for six years and that she didn't pay him enough for all the work he did, like driving and taking photos. The actress says they were never together and she paid him everything he was owed.
Analysis
The 5.04 million Yuan claim
Gu Ke's lawsuit seeks a sum that, when converted, totals roughly S$950,000 — a substantial figure for an employment dispute centred on a stated monthly salary of just 10,000 yuan (around S$1,900). According to Lianhe Zaobao's reporting cited by Mothership, the breakdown includes the shortfall in wages, overtime pay and accumulated interest. The case is currently in court mediation at Beijing's Chaoyang District People's Court, which signals that both parties have left the door open to a negotiated settlement before any full trial.
The size of the claim becomes more striking when measured against the assistant's own description of his pay. Gu says he took on multiple roles — driver, housekeeper, social media manager and photographer — for compensation he now describes as inadequate. The implied math is several years of contested underpayment, with multipliers for overtime and interest pushing the total into the high six figures in local currency.
Gu Ke's account
According to Mothership's account of the filing, Gu maintains he and Liu Xiaoqing began a romantic relationship in 2015, the year after they started working together, and that he moved into her home in 2016. He describes the arrangement as both a romantic partnership and a business one, and explicitly rejects the characterisation that he was a kept man — a distinction that matters legally because it frames the dispute as employment rather than support. His account places the breakup in 2021, after he was refused a loan to start a business and was told to move out.
He also claims Liu called him "baby" during the cohabitation period, a detail that underscores his insistence the relationship was personal rather than purely professional. The combined picture he paints — multiple job functions, cohabitation, and an intimate nickname — forms the foundation of his argument that the compensation package failed to reflect the scope of what he provided.
Liu Xiaoqing's denial
Liu has rejected every element of Gu's narrative. She denies any romantic relationship, any cohabitation and any unpaid wages, framing the six-year period as a straightforward employer-employee arrangement that ended cleanly. Her public position is unusually firm: she has said she will not pay him "a single cent" and has accused Gu of demanding a large sum without evidence.
The actress's standing complicates the optics. Liu Xiaoqing is one of China's most recognisable entertainment figures, and a high-profile dispute of this kind invites public scrutiny of both parties. With the case still in mediation, neither side has yet been compelled to produce its full evidence in open court, leaving the contested facts — the relationship, the scope of work, the unpaid amounts — unresolved.
Key points
- Liu Xiaoqing, 75, is being sued by Gu Ke, 37, for 5.04 million yuan (about S$950,000) at Beijing's Chaoyang District People's Court
- Gu claims the two were in a romantic relationship and cohabited from 2016 to 2021, after starting work together in 2015
- He says he worked as photographer, driver, housekeeper and social media manager for 10,000 yuan (S$1,900) a month and is owed the shortfall, overtime and interest
- Liu denies any relationship, any cohabitation and any unpaid wages, and has publicly said she will not pay "a single cent"
- The case is currently in court mediation rather than a full hearing
If mediation succeeds, both parties avoid the reputational damage of a public trial, and Gu could walk away with a negotiated payout that acknowledges his years of multi-role service without requiring Liu to admit to a relationship. A settlement would also let Liu close a chapter that has already drawn unwanted headlines.
If mediation fails and the case goes to trial, both sides face a public airing of private conduct and an employment record that may not match Gu's description of his duties. Liu's pledge to pay nothing could harden public opinion against her if the court accepts parts of Gu's account, while Gu risks being portrayed as exploiting a relationship with a much older, wealthier woman.
