Fan Shiqi’s camp has recently dismissed the notion that his name was removed from the new drama, “Veil of Shadows” because of the Yu Menglong tragedy.
The fantasy drama, starring Ju Jingyi and Zeng Shunxi, officially announced its release date on 31 March. However, compared to the announcement when filming wrapped in April 2025, which clearly stated that Fan Shiqi would play the role of an evil spirit shaman, his name was no longer listed in the latest release poster and cast list.
This had since sparked speculation among netizens that the removal of his name is related to the Yu Menglong incident.
It is noted that rumours had circulated online that Fan was one of the people who was at the same gathering that Yu Menglong was a part of the night before he was found dead in September last year.
Because the police quickly “ruled out criminal suspicion” and ruled it an “accidental death after drinking,” there was widespread suspicion that Yu Menglong’s death was not straightforward and that he might have been murdered instead.
Fan’s rep has already refuted claims that the actor was a part of the gathering.
Meanwhile, in response to the controversy surrounding his removal from the cast, Fan’s studio issued a statement on the afternoon of 31 March, emphasising that Fan Shiqi participated in the drama only as a “guest actor”.
“We respect the production team’s publicity arrangements and will actively communicate with the artiste regarding publicity matters,” they added.
However, the statement did not explain the reason for the name removal.
