On August 19th, Zhang Haowei's studio addressed allegations regarding his tax affairs and leaked video recordings. The studio categorically denied any wrongdoing in terms of tax evasion and presented documentation confirming that all taxes have been duly paid. Furthermore, with respect to the leaked video recordings, the studio revealed that it had reported the matter to the police a week prior. Shortly after, Zhang Haowei echoed the statement by posting, "The truth will prevail."
It was alleged on the same day by media sources that Zhang Haowei was involved in falsifying accounts and evading taxes. According to purported chat logs, he seemed to explore various methods to avoid paying taxes. Additionally, recordings of him engaging in lewd conversations at social gatherings were made public, in which he made crass remarks about attempting to gather women from all over. Later, an internet user claimed that Zhang had posted a lengthy message in the early hours of the morning but quickly deleted it. The gist of the post was that he had become the target of a group that had been recording his conversations and selectively using statements that could damage his reputation, regardless of their veracity.