The portrait of his girlfriend caused Lai Kuan Lin’s career to collapse and he had to leave showbiz at the age of 23.
On June 14, Lai Kuan Lin shared the news of his career change through Weibo, China’s largest social networking service.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to change my career path,” Lai Kuan Lin wrote. “From now on, this account will be managed by an employee due to my new professional plans.” Following this announcement, his profile picture on Weibo was changed to a black background.
Details about Lai Kuan Lin’s future career plans remain undisclosed.
So what made the 23-year-old male Idol choose to leave showbiz?
Lai Kuan Lin debuted as a member of Wanna One in 2017 after finishing in 7th place on Mnet’s audition program “Produce 101 Season 2.” Following Wanna One’s activities, he had a legal dispute with his former agency, Cube Entertainment, over his exclusive contract, which he won in 2021. Since then, he has not been active in Korea and has continued his entertainment career in China.
However, the turning point in his career came when fans discovered he was secretly dating someone 10 years older than him and took gifts from fans to give to his girlfriend Ceci Zhang.
Ceci Zhang didn’t stop there, challenging public opinion by joking about dating and posting posts that turned fans against Lai Kuan Lin.
Even though he apologized, fans still decided not to forgive Lai Kuan Lin. Due to scandals in his personal life, he was boycotted, causing his career as an idol to have almost no chance. There is no longer a place in the idol world and entertainment industry.
