Rotten Mango Podcast: Episode Summary

Episode: 17 Celebrities Accused Of Hosting Secret Party To Torture & Kill 1 Actor Yu Menglong
Host: Stephanie Soo
Date: October 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This deep-dive Rotten Mango episode focuses on the mysterious and suspicious death of Chinese actor Yu Menglong, whose case has spiraled into a labyrinth of conspiracy theories, government censorship, and allegations against industry elites. Host Stephanie Soo unpacks the evidence, internet discourse, and social media sleuthing that have fueled widespread suspicion—including connections to other celebrity deaths, shell company schemes, and disturbing rumors about a dinner party attended by powerful celebrities and executives.

The tone is intense, skeptical, and investigative, with Stephanie emphasizing the extreme difficulty of separating fact from fiction in a case marked by relentless censorship and viral misinformation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Death of Yu Menglong: The Core Mysteries

• Incident Recap: On September 11, 2025, Yu Menglong, a popular actor with over 25 million followers, died after falling from the fifth floor of a Beijing residential building (00:58).
• Immediate Questions:
  • Why was Yu at a building where he didn’t live?
  • How did he burst through a tall, mesh-screened window?
  • Why were police investigations so brief (12 hours) and vague?
  • Why is the Chinese government so aggressively censoring discussion?
• Police Conclusion: Ruled as a drunken accident, but fans and netizens suspect coverup (01:32).
• Government Censorship: Massive online silencing; users banned from social media for asking questions (02:43).

2. The Dinner Party and the List of 17

• Allegation: Yu attended a secret industry dinner attended by celebrities, managers, and investors (01:32), sparking the circulation of a "list of 17" suspected attendees/aides in the coverup.
• Director Cheng Qing Song: First to defend himself, with questionable WeChat message screenshots as his alibi (03:43).
• Ting Hairong: Billionaire widow, pulled into the mess via Cheng’s "alibi;" both present inconsistent text records, fueling more suspicion (06:48).
• WeChat Evidence Scrutiny: Netizens analyze timestamps, font discrepancies, and suggest photoshopping or message deletion (09:49).

Notable Quote

“Text messages with your friend should not constitute as an alibi to a crime.” —Stephanie Soo (04:54)

3. Suspicious Receipts & Alibis

• Receipt Evidence: Director Cheng & Ting Hairong provide a pristine Bulgari Hotel dinner receipt and corresponding bank transaction to prove their whereabouts (14:15).
• Public Reaction: Why would millionaires save pristine receipts? Timing doesn’t match text logs. Their over-explanation makes them seem guiltier (17:02).
• Additional Suspicion: Picture of the receipt posted a month after the event, still looking brand new (17:03).

4. Social Media Censorship and Algorithmic Manipulation

• Cyberspace Admin Involved: Executives of the social media app Little Red Book summoned; warnings given to users not to discuss Yu Menglong's case; blanket bans on keywords and related discussions (33:08).
• Real-World Effect: Even unrelated fish and lemon sellers get banned, as code words for Yu become targets (129:09).
• Serpent Eating Its Own Tail: Censorship feeds conspiracy, which fuels more censorship (129:09).

5. Yu Menglong’s Final Days: Signs, Signals & Theory of Captivity

• Livestream Clips: Fans find clips where Yu appears to mouth “save me” and “help me,” along with repeated domestic violence hand signs. Some interpret these as real cries for help, others see lag or manipulation (29:13).
• Bruises & Withdrawn Behavior: Eyewitnesses, livestreams, and fan meetings point to sudden bruises and a decline in his physical and mental state. Theory arises that he was held “captive” in the months leading up to his death, perhaps under threat by his managers/agency (35:40).
• Alleged Poem: Circulating rumor that a poem Yu wrote, when the first characters of each line are combined, spells “today they want me to die” (31:11).

Notable Quote

"There are times where you have a conspiracy theory and the reality is not that dark... And there are times where the reality is a lot darker than the conspiracy theories themselves." —Stephanie Soo (26:08)

6. The Dark Side of Talent Agencies & Power Brokers

• The Agency System: State-run, cannot be sued; mass signing of talent, few get promoted, the rest “refrigerated” or used for other purposes, including potential shell company money laundering (41:15).
• Shell Companies & Weapons: Yu had shell companies in his name, dealing in military contracts (44:35).
• Pattern: At least 9 other deaths of artists from Yu’s agency in the past ten years, all ruled as accidents or suicides, all surrounded by suspicion (43:40).
• Powerbrokers: Figures like Shin Chi—mysterious, well-connected, perhaps son of a party leader—appear as common factors in deaths (49:54).

7. The 17 Suspects and Their Potential Motives

Main Figures:

• Director Cheng Qing Song: Suspected for harassing male talent, posting cryptic “yummy” message the night of Yu’s death (12:27).
• Ting Hairong: Billionaire widow, associated with money laundering, potentially financing hush money for residents (117:40).
• Shin Chi: Young, politically connected executive; runs Yu Menglong’s fan club, possibly had a personal obsession with Yu (50:52).
• Song Yiren: Actress in same building, suspected “madam” linking talent with powerful men; live photos include voice clips like “he keeps resisting” (73:54). Denies involvement but public remains skeptical (80:56).

Notable Moment

“The audio is like as clear as this podcast. And there’s another picture... It’s the same phone case.” —Stephanie (77:27)

• Referencing the “he keeps resisting” background voice and the specific orange phone case, connecting Song Yiren’s presence with Yu.

Other Figures:

• Ji Guangg & Xi Tao: Owners of the apartment, seen holding hands at the scene (110:57). Ji allegedly hosted the party and is son of a high official.
• Singer Fun (Fan Shiqi): Former close friend, implicated by audio allegedly showing torture; after Yu's death, bizarrely posts "I'm very happy" (99:55).
• Agency Screenwriter: Claims Yu’s dogs are fine but gives evasive answers—refuses to provide proof of life, fueling suspicion (102:42).

8. The Bulgari Hotel, Museum, and Conspiracy Web

• Bulgari Hotel: Key location for alleged dinner/alibi; linked by receipts, and by rumors of a hidden tunnel to a disturbing art museum (141:15).
• 798 Museum: Yu photographed there shortly before his death; exhibits display gory, possibly human “art,” run by one of the suspects’ spouses. Yu’s own photos at the museum are deleted posthumously from Weibo (136:13, 137:51).
• Symbolic Ritual Theories: Wild speculation about Yu as "birthday twin sacrifice" for political occult longevity; shoe and skin exhibits seen as “trophies” of abuse (129:09, 141:09).

9. Government & Police Involvement

• Official Statements: Police detain three people—not for the death itself, but for “spreading rumors”; public statements focus on shutting down speculation. Only eight out of 100,000 comments are viewable under the police post (123:40).
• Mother’s Statements: Two circulating letters, one from the agency "on her behalf" calmly asking the public to move on, and one emotionally pleading to expose her son’s murderers (151:54).
• Censorship Extends: Social media accounts, including those of fishermen (due to the "fish" word connection to Yu's name), are being banned en masse (129:09).

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• “September 11, 2025… he suspiciously falls from the fifth floor… There are so many questions.” (00:58)
• “If you ask any of these questions on Chinese social media, you’re likely going to get banned.” (02:43)
• “Just because you meet someone at dinner for 6:30 at 6:30pm doesn’t mean you don’t go anywhere else after. It doesn’t prove that you even went to dinner with her.” (05:58)
• “The more these people are talking, the more guilty they seem.” (14:40)
• "If the Chinese government has nothing to do with the celebrity’s passing, why don’t they just have the police investigate further?” (01:52)
• “He kind of has his hand covering his mouth as he’s reading the comments... It kind of sounds like save me, but you don’t really hear it.” (29:47)
• “So, let’s look at their phone evidence. The colons in the timestamps don’t match. People think that’s very strange.” (10:35)
• “Let’s say Song Yiren, someone’s commenting. Song Yiren, why are you doing this? ... Then this random account that people have connected with, Hong Yiren keeps commenting, what are you? ... Otherwise you won’t even know how you died.” (79:31)
• "If even this celebrity, Yu Meng Long's death can be covered up, so to speak. What about literally every other citizen who does not have 25, 26 million followers...?" (129:09)

Select Important Segments and Timestamps

• Initial Mystery & Setup: [00:58] – [04:00]
• WeChat Alibi Scrutiny: [04:54] – [10:40]
• Receipt & Timeline Analysis: [14:15] – [19:00]
• Discussion of Censorship: [33:08], [129:09]
• Signs of Distress in Yu’s Livestreams: [29:13] – [33:08]
• Agency, Shell Company & Powerbrokers: [41:15] – [53:24]
• Breakdown of Suspect List & Live Audio Evidence: [73:40] – [99:55]
• Fan, Family & Police Statements: [151:57] – [157:18]
• Speculative/Conspiracy Theories (museum, rituals): [136:13], [141:15]
• Netizen Reactions, Social Media Bans: [123:23], [129:09]
• Host’s Disclaimer & Close: [26:08], [157:23]

Conclusion & Host's Take

Stephanie emphasizes extreme caution in interpreting the swirling rumors and claims, reiterating that the only confirmed facts are Yu Menglong is dead, the circumstances are highly suspicious, and government/police behavior has been more suspicious still. She acknowledges that with the level of censorship and manipulation, “the truth is almost impossible to get to,” and urges listeners to keep an open mind, continue doing their own research, and above all, “question everything.”

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode

This summary captures the frenetic, skeptical tone and dense conspiracy mapping, focusing on the intersection of true crime, celebrity, and government cover-up. The episode combines empathy for the victim, sharp internet sleuthing, and harsh cynicism toward official narratives. Expect whirlwind storytelling, deeply unsettling speculation, and a warning about the limits of online rumor and truth.