Businessman Wang Xiaofei is considered the person responsible for the suffering and tragedy that Barbie Hsu endured until her passing.

February 3, 2025, will be an unforgettable day for Chinese showbiz as Barbie Hsu’s family confirmed that the Meteor Garden star had passed away due to flu and pneumonia in Japan. Her sudden departure shocked the industry and left an immense sorrow for her loved ones, colleagues, and fans.

While Barbie Hsu’s family and close friends quietly mourned and bid their final farewell, her ex-husband, Wang Xiaofei, acted in stark contrast. Amidst the mourning, the businessman wept dramatically, expressing overwhelming grief over his ex-wife’s death. However, his performance was quickly exposed as an act. Chinese media revealed that Wang Xiaofei was merely pretending to mourn Barbie Hsu to attract attention.

Wang Xiaofei: The Man Who Brought Tragedy to Barbie Hsu

During the early 2000s, Taiwanese idol dramas were sweeping across Asia, and Barbie Hsu was the dream girl of many. After dating top stars such as Vic Chou and Blue Lan, she eventually married Wang Xiaofei in 2010. As a wealthy businessman from an influential family, Wang Xiaofei was known for his extravagant lifestyle and playboy reputation. Their marriage happened after only four meetings in a span of 20 days.

Many believed that Barbie Hsu would have a fairy-tale ending, living in wealth and happiness like an idol drama. However, reality was far from it. She was treated as a childbearing machine by her in-laws, pressured to have children despite her fragile health. To conceive quickly, Barbie Hsu abandoned her vegetarian diet and took traditional Chinese medicine as per her mother-in-law’s orders. At 38, she had her first child via IVF. At 40, she gave birth to her second child naturally but nearly died during labor due to an allergic reaction to anesthesia, resulting in temporary memory loss.

In 2018, at 41, Barbie Hsu’s third pregnancy announcement sparked criticism due to the risks. However, she later revealed that she had to undergo surgery to terminate the pregnancy because of fetal complications. Despite her deteriorating health, she was forced to travel to Beijing for a reality show filming to support Wang Xiaofei’s career.

In 2023, Barbie Hsu shocked the public by revealing she had actually been pregnant four times. Just four days before her wedding with Wang Xiaofei in 2011, she suffered a miscarriage. Despite her grief and weakened state, she was forced to smile and proceed with the wedding for the sake of her in-laws.

After enduring multiple pregnancies, miscarriages, and life-threatening childbirth, Barbie Hsu developed chronic heart disease, epilepsy, and severe depression. She also suffered from extreme weight fluctuations, gaining nearly double her original weight due to pregnancy complications, which led her to quit acting in 2012.

Wang Xiaofei: The Man Who Left Barbie Hsu with Nothing

Not only did Barbie Hsu lose her health and career, but she also suffered financially because of Wang Xiaofei. Despite marrying a wealthy businessman, she never lived a lavish life. In 2015, Wang Xiaofei’s family business faced financial troubles, and his mother’s company was on the verge of bankruptcy. His own ventures suffered heavy losses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. To cover his debts, Barbie Hsu had to sell properties worth over $8.9 million.

She also lent Wang Xiaofei 26 million TWD (approx. $750,000) for his hotel business in 2018. By 2022, he had repaid only 5 million TWD and even attempted to avoid paying the rest.

Despite sacrificing her health and wealth for a decade-long marriage, Barbie Hsu was repeatedly betrayed. Wang Xiaofei cheated on her numerous times, insulted her appearance during pregnancy, and even physically abused her. In 2021, Barbie Hsu divorced him at a time when her fame had faded, her body was unfit for acting, and her wealth had been drained to repay his debts.

Even After Her Death, Wang Xiaofei Wouldn’t Let Barbie Hsu Rest in Peace

Sadly, even after divorcing Wang Xiaofei, Barbie Hsu never found peace. Wang Xiaofei refused to fulfill the alimony and child support agreements, leading to constant legal battles. He and his mother, Zhang Lan, frequently harassed her, spreading false rumors that she had affairs, used drugs, and suffered from mental illness, severely damaging her reputation in her final years.

Wang Xiaofei’s Performance: Profiting Off Barbie Hsu’s Death

Following Barbie Hsu’s passing, her family remained private and only made brief statements about her funeral and clarifying misinformation. Meanwhile, Wang Xiaofei flooded social media and news outlets, putting on a public display of mourning.

On February 3, after hearing the news of Barbie Hsu’s death, Wang Xiaofei immediately changed his profile picture to black and canceled a vacation with his influencer wife in Thailand to fly to Taiwan. Photos of him looking devastated at the airport and bowing 90 degrees to reporters, asking them to write good things about Barbie Hsu, went viral. Hours later, a video emerged of him wandering the streets, crying in the rain for 30 minutes.

On February 4, he left shocking comments on videos related to Barbie Hsu: “Wife, I miss you so much” and “I should have been the one to die.” On February 7, more images of him kneeling in the rain in Taiwan spread online. His family escalated the spectacle, with his mother and godson falsely claiming that Wang Xiaofei paid for Barbie Hsu’s ashes to be brought back to Taiwan and accusing her husband, Koo Jun Yup, of taking out 21 life insurance policies to profit from her death.

Seeing the disturbing exploitation of Barbie Hsu’s passing, her family and Koo Jun Yup publicly demanded Wang Xiaofei stop and let her rest in peace. Even Taiwanese media exposed Wang Xiaofei’s staged mourning scenes, revealing that he deliberately stepped out of his car to walk in the rain for the cameras. Furthermore, he was accused of hiring fake accounts to flood social media with posts portraying him as a grieving ex-husband.

The backlash against Wang Xiaofei intensified. His tearful performances became a mockery, with netizens sarcastically calling him an “Oscar-worthy actor” and “Master of Emotional Manipulation.” Many speculated that his public display of grief was an attempt to gain sympathy for future legal battles over child custody and inheritance and to boost his business, particularly his livestream sales.

Wang Xiaofei’s True Intentions

Under immense criticism, Wang Xiaofei called his mother during a livestream to scold her for falsely claiming he paid for Barbie Hsu’s ashes. He also denied staging his rain-soaked walk. His team insisted he was emotionally unstable and would clarify things once he recovered.

However, the public remained unconvinced. Many believed that from the moment Barbie Hsu entered Wang Xiaofei’s life, she was doomed to tragedy—and even in death, he continued to exploit her memory for his gain.