A Chinese influencer with nearly 5 million followers has sparked outrage after boasting about earning 300,000 yuan (US$41,000) in a single day by simply lying in bed. Gu Xixi referred to this hefty sum as "hard-earned money" during a live stream, revealing her earnings between February 8 and 16, which totalled 10.39 million yuan (US$1.4 million) on one platform, with an estimated commission of 2.79 million yuan. On another platform, her sales reached 8.94 million yuan (US$1.2 million) over seven days, South China Morning Post reported.
"Today, I spent the entire day lying in bed, did nothing, and still made 1.16 million yuan in sales on my Douyin shop, with an estimated commission of 303,200 yuan (US$42,000)," she said.
"The more you cannot stand seeing me doing well, and the more you criticise me, the more I make. It is not about earning hundreds of thousands of yuan per month, it is about earning hundreds of thousands of yuan per day! Understand?", she added.
Notably, the 25-year-old internet celebrity from southeastern China has been a controversial figure due to her bizarre online antics. Ms Xixi initially gained fame by performing shocking stunts, such as swallowing a ping pong ball.
However, her online presence has been marred by multiple suspensions due to "vulgar content," including insulting others and engaging in explicit behaviour. One notable incident involved her live-streaming herself washing her buttocks in an attempt to attract more viewers. In another livestream, she revealed that she was sentenced to two and a half years probation for affray at the age of 15.
This isn't the first time Gu Xixi has showcased her wealth. In November, she announced plans to purchase a 2,000-square-meter villa in Nantong, estimated to cost over 20 million yuan (US$2.7 million).
Amid the backlash, she revised her statement on February 17 during a livestream, claiming that her previous comment about easily earning 300,000 yuan was meant to provoke her haters. She emphasized that all her earnings are "hard-earned money."
"Do you know why I do not frequently share my sales performance now? Every time I do, there is a problem, right? It causes trouble, right? This time, it makes the headlines, right? That is why influencers like to act like they are poor," she said.
"We did not steal, we did not rob. All the money we make is hard-earned. When I said I did nothing all day, it was meant to provoke people. Do you think I can really do nothing all day? I said it just to irritate those haters," she added.
However, her statement did little to calm the public's outrage, and she continued to face widespread criticism and backlash.
