According to The Paperthe 31-year-old actress said she signed with Star48 Culture in 2013 under a contract valid until June 6, 2024. During that period, Ju alleged that the company repeatedly failed to honor contractual commitments, forged her signature on multiple occasions, and fabricated contracts to conceal her true remuneration in order to appropriate income that should have belonged to her.

She further claimed that she received relatively low pay and that her career development was constrained by the agency over an extended period.

In response, Star48 Culture issued a statement on Tuesday saying that from 2013 to May 2024, it had paid Ju a total of nearly 140 million yuan (US$19.9 million) before tax. The company said it had submitted relevant documents bearing Ju’s signature to the court as evidence.

In addition to this amount, the agency said it transferred a fixed monthly salary of 250,000 yuan to Ju. It also provided her with a personal driver and rented a 155-square-meter high-end apartment in Shanghai for her use. At Ju’s request, the company later leased a larger apartment for her and her assistant. Star48 Culture said it also covered various personal expenses, as well as travel costs for Ju and her friends.

The company added that the contract between the two parties runs until 2033 and that it retains the right to continue managing Ju’s professional activities. Any third party using Ju’s name or image without the agency’s authorization would be acting unlawfully, it said. Under the agreement, Star48 Culture holds exclusive rights to manage and use the actress’s name, image and voice.

After the company’s statement, Ju’s side responded that the 140 million yuan amount represented a “settlement figure” that included the agency’s operational costs and did not belong solely to the actress.

The keyword phrase “Ju Jingyi’s remuneration” quickly became a trending topic on Weibo, drawing hundreds of thousands of comments. Netizens questioned issues such as Ju’s tax obligations, whether her income matched her abilities, and whether the earnings were high or low by industry standards. Others said the key issue was whether the income corresponded to the commercial value she generated, adding that the matter should ultimately be decided by the courts.

Often dubbed “the most beautiful idol in 4,000 years,” Ju began her entertainment career in 2013 as a member of idol group SNH48 and later rose to prominence through roles in popular television dramas, including “Novoland: The Castle in the Sky,” “Legend of Yunxi,” “The Legend of White Snake,” “Xuan Yuan Sword: Han Cloud,” and “Sword and Fairy 4.”