An employee from an MCN company has stated that the issue of 17 million yuan in tips should be taken up directly with the platform. The father of the girl involved in the 17 million yuan misappropriation case is now essentially bankrupt. "If she goes to prison, it will be for at least ten years, and she'll be over 30 when she gets out. But this 17 million yuan represents our entire livelihood; there's no way to explain this to our creditors. The only chance of recovering the money is if it is classified as illicit proceeds," said Mr. Zhu from Zhengzhou, Henan province, after much internal struggle, as he prepared to take his daughter, Xiaomeng, to the police station to turn herself in on April 20.
Mr. Zhu explained that Xiaomeng attended a technical secondary school for one year before dropping out and taking on the role of cashier at the family's cold storage wholesale stall. Starting in July 2024, the 19-year-old began to gradually embezzle funds from the stall to tip streamers in live broadcasts and purchase card-breaking blind boxes. By November 2025, she had misappropriated a total of 17 million yuan, becoming the top donor, or "big sister on the charts," in multiple live streaming rooms.
Mr. Zhu stated that their family's cold storage business is now basically bankrupt and they still owe millions in loans to others. Despite this, Xiaomeng remains engrossed in her phone all day. He previously proactively contacted the streamers who received the tips, requesting a refund of the money, but was refused each time. He is now deeply worried that the outcome will be his daughter imprisoned with no possibility of recovering the debts.
On April 20, an employee from Hangzhou Shuaiku MCN, the company representing the involved streamer, stated, "Regarding this matter, please contact the platform directly; there is no need to contact us." The live streaming platform involved stated that if consumer behavior involves illegal activities, the platform will cooperate with the investigation and handling of the matter by relevant authorities in accordance with the law.