The current controversy stems from a long-running disagreement over who should be credited with writing the screenplay for Blossoms Shanghai. In 2022, a former crew member named Cheng Junnian, writing under the pseudonym Gu Er, began posting on WeChat about his experiences working on the show. After the show aired in 2023, listing Qin Wen as the sole screenwriter, Cheng publicly accused her of taking credit for his work. According to the World Journal, Cheng claims he originally was meant to be the writer and director of Blossoms Shanghai and had spent three years developing the scripts. He alleges that Qin Wen, who won an award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2024 Magnolia Awards, only made minor changes to his work and presented it as her own. Cheng says he was then demoted to Wong’s personal assistant, earning only 3,000 yuan a month (around $424). Despite being credited as a preproduction script editor, he claims his duties ranged from writing key plotlines to running personal errands for Wong, like cooking and bringing him snacks. Cheng, who has Kennedy’s disease, also alleges he was bullied at work and that when he requested time off due to worsening symptoms from the stressful job, Wong responded dismissively.
