Faking a viral 'lost homework' video dissolved 猫一杯's MCN within two years

On February 16, 2024, lifestyle influencer Thurman (Xu Jiayi, known on Chinese platforms as 猫一杯) posted a video claiming she had found a first-grader's lost homework in Paris and was helping the fictional student 'Qin Lang' complete it. The staged video went viral as a heartwarming story — until reporters found no such school or student, and Hangzhou police confirmed the video had been fabricated to attract attention.

The backlash was terminal. Hangzhou police classified the stunt as spreading illegal information, the MCN behind her — Thurman Network (杭州瑟曼网络科技有限公司), founded January 2023 — was fined ¥15,000, and every one of Xu's social accounts was permanently banned across platforms, ending the career that was the company's only product.

The ban starved the MCN of revenue, and the collapse followed in public steps. In January 2025 the company received three new tax-arrears notices totalling more than ¥15,000. In April 2025 it was taken to court in a service-contract dispute — marketing firm Shanghai Heimang sued Xu and the company, with a hearing at Hangzhou's Binjiang District People's Court on April 18. A month later, sister company Thurman Network Technology (Guangzhou), founded August 2021 with Xu as sole shareholder, was deregistered — one of seven related companies in her name, only three of which remained active.

The case was still producing headlines in 2026. On January 30, 2026, the Binjiang District tax authority published a fresh arrears notice for Thurman Network: ¥22.08 in unpaid urban maintenance and construction tax. A business that had ridden a fabricated heartwarming story to national fame was now publicly listed for owing twenty-two yuan.