Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (L) and her ex-husband, Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei. Photo from Hsu Studio’s Weibo

After Hsu’s family confirmed her death at age 49 on Monday, Wang engaged in several public acts of mourning, according to Tien Phong Newspaper. He cut short his Thailand vacation with his wife Mandy Ma and rushed back to Taiwan. Upon arriving at the airport, he appeared visibly distressed, bowing deeply and pleading with the media to “speak kindly of her,” insisting that “Barbie Hsu will always be family.”

Wang, 44, also changed his Douyin profile picture to a black image, a traditional gesture of mourning. However, he later replaced it with a photo of himself and his daughter, prompting skepticism about the sincerity of his grief.

Public criticism intensified after Wang left a comment on a video clip from a past television program featuring himself and Hsu, writing: “Wife, I miss you so much.”

He later altered the comment to simply “I miss you so much” before deleting it entirely and replacing it with another comment that read: “It should have been me who died.”

Screenshots of his comments quickly went viral, dominating discussions on China’s social media platform Weibo. While some expressed sympathy for Wang, others questioned how his current wife must feel about his dramatic mourning.

Some also condemned his actions as inappropriate, given that he and Hsu had been divorced since Nov. 2021. Both had since remarried—Wang registered his marriage with Ma, 26, in May 2024, while Hsu wed South Korean musician DJ Koo, 55, in Feb. 2022.

Adding to the controversy, Wang’s former girlfriend, Chinese actress Zhang Yingying, publicly denounced him on Weibo, accusing him of exploiting Hsu’s death to craft the image of a devoted and heartbroken man. She claimed Wang and his family had continued to harass Hsu and capitalize on her fame for financial gain.

Zhang further alleged that Wang was manipulating public sentiment, portraying himself as a tragic figure while those who genuinely loved Hsu—her family and husband, DJ Koo—faced online harassment.

“He exploits her death to paint himself as a victim. Is this what people call love?” Zhang questioned. “In reality, all her suffering was caused by him. The person who hurt her the most is now staging one sorrowful act after another.”

Amid mounting criticism, Wang has yet to respond to the allegations.

Wang and Hsu got engaged in 2010, just 49 days after their first date, and married in 2011. Although Hsu often spoke warmly of Wang, the couple announced their separation after 10 years, citing irreconcilable differences.

Since their divorce, the former spouses had frequently been embroiled in public disputes.

Hsu rose to fame through hit TV series such as “Meteor Garden,” “Mars,” and “Summer’s Desire.” Her family confirmed her passing in a statement released by her sister, Taiwanese host Dee Hsu, on Monday.

Speculation about Hsu’s death began with a Facebook post and was initially met with skepticism, given her recent public appearances in good health, including attending a wedding in January and appearing in a New Year’s post by DJ Koo. Leaked medical reports later revealed that the actress had missed two critical opportunities to be saved while in Japan.

Her ashes have since been brought back to Taiwan by her family.