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In a tearful, apologetic interview, Chinese actress Zheng Shuang's father has stepped forward to debunk rumours of her alleged abandonment of her two surrogate children in the United States.

Daughter never abandoned her children

Zheng's father, whose name is Zheng Cheng Hua, claimed that the 29-year-old's fertility issues drove her to opt for surrogacy.

He also added that his daughter has never abandoned her children, and claimed that she has even sued her ex-boyfriend Zhang Heng in the U.S. in order to fight for custody of the children.

Pre-interview Weibo posts

Prior to the interview, Zheng's father had publicly exposed Zhang and his parents on Weibo on Jan. 19.

In the post, the older Zheng denounced Zhang as a cheating "scumbag" whose phone allegedly contains indecent videos of women.

He also mentioned how Zhang left his daughter "deeply heartbroken with serious financial losses".

He further claimed that Zheng had entered the relationship with plans to spend the rest of her life with him, and alleged that Zhang's mother had condoned and dismissed his cheating ways.

Interview with Zheng's father

On Jan. 23, however, his attitude appeared to have changed.

Besides secretly deleting the Weibo post, he accepted an interview from Baidu App, and made a tearful apology on-camera.

Sina provided a transcription of the 10-minute interview, which covered three main points.

1. The family had planned to bring the children back to China and raise them there

Zheng's father clarified about the inappropriate comments that his family was heard saying in the audio recording that was leaked onto the Internet. Some of these comments included giving the children away during the seventh month of the pregnancy before they were born.

He insisted that their inability to control their emotions caused them to make such comments.

Claiming that the comments did not reflect what the family actually believed, he apologised:

"I genuinely believed that no matter what, it was still wrong of us to say that. On behalf of our family of three, I would like to sincerely apologise to everyone."

He also claimed that they "have been settling the issue of custody".

He detailed the plan that his family had come up with for the two children, saying:

"In 2019, we have sought legal support to find the whereabouts of the children via an American lawyer.

On Aug. 24, 2020, we had already started the process of litigation. We wish to fight for custody, to raise them independently, and we hope for the children to return to our country. That has been our plan, we have proof, you can verify it on the American website."

He also shared that they had made preparations to welcome the arrival of the babies, such as redecorating their home in Shenyang and buying baby cots.

Previously on Jan. 21, Zheng had revealed what appeared to be court documents filed in the District Court of Denver, Colarado, that showed her lawsuit filed against Zhang for custody of their children.

2. Surrogacy is "wrong"

In addition, Zheng's father said he believes surrogacy is wrong and that his daughter had acted on impulse. He added:

"As a parent, I should not have supported her. What she has done is wrong and we have to take responsibility as parents... Not firmly objecting to her decision is our greatest mistake as parents."

He also claimed that Zheng had resorted to surrogacy due to fertility issues. He said: "Due to her work, Zheng's health condition was not great... Her health condition made her eligible for medical surrogacy."

3. Would not comment further on Zhang's alleged misdeeds

Lastly, Zheng's father stated that his family would no longer comment on Zhang's alleged misdeeds, such as accusations of fraud, borrowing from loan sharks, debt evasion, absconding to the U.S. with the money, and his infidelity, among many others.

He said "it is meaningless to do so" and "genuinely wishes that it would not affect everyone's lives".

When probed specifically about Zhang's alleged infidelity, he declines to make any comments about it as "these are their personal matters".

Baidu App faced backlash due to the inappropriate logo placement next to Cheng Hua and have taken down the interview video. The Baidu App have since released an official statement on Weibo to apologise and clarify that the video is not involved in any economic actions.

Netizens' reactions

Sohu managed to capture a screenshot of some comments before Baidu App took the video down:

"Focus on being a good person, you're already so old yet you're only concerned about making yourself happy."

"Zheng Shuang is sick yet you're still trying to use her for fame, trying to get the best deal out of your daughter. Your wife has been forcing her to dream about becoming a star since she was a child. Her fans are also accomplices. A long time ago, didn't I say that she should stop to see a doctor if she's ill? In the end, I got mobbed by her fans. If you have a conscience, please send her to a doctor, alright?"

"Some people say surrogacy is illegal. Yes, but she did this surrogacy procedure legally in the U.S. In our country, she has not done anything illegal. Her health is not in good condition yet she wants her own children, what is morally wrong about it? More and more women are afraid of bearing children, which results in a smaller population, which can also result in a social crisis. The presence of surrogacy services suggests that there is a demand. Just like mobile payments, we never had it in the past but now we do. This is because demand creates supply."

"It's thanks to you and your wife that your daughter has turned out like this. Hope you'll have a good showbiz debut, old man. Haha, I'm dying of laughter. Although your daughter has been banned, your desire to become famous still hasn't changed, what a joke. Hope you'll become famous and become ashes, superstar."

"Speechless.“

Zheng's fall from grace

The actress's career has taken a severe nosedive at the height of her popularity. While many have flocked to follow her on Weibo since the scandal broke out, Prada and other brands have terminated their partnerships with her on Jan. 19.

On Jan. 20, China's National Radio and Television Administration released an official statement to ban Zheng, "We will not offer a platform for those who are plagued by scandals to be seen and heard. As always, we strive to provide positive, constructive content for the public."

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Top images via Sohu.