While Guo Meimei has moved on from Red Cross flak, gambling conviction, she remains mired in controversy

Her scandal caused an uproar among Chinese internet users, tarnished the reputation of the Red Cross Society of China and plunged the organization into an unprecedented crisis of trust.

Amid a drastic drop in donations to the charity group after her story was exposed, the Ministry of Civil Affairs solicited public opinions on a draft guideline to increase the transparency of donation management, a move many believe was linked to her.

If it were not for her boasting about her luxurious lifestyle on the internet, she might have never come under public scrutiny. As many furious netizens had hoped, she was brought to justice and spent five years behind bars for organizing gambling groups.

Now out of prison, the internet celebrity has made a comeback. She may have been forgotten by many, but her extravagant lifestyle and high-profile posturing remain intact.

Her name is Guo Meimei. The criticism against her hasn't gone away, but what may be surprising is she still has many die-hard fans and continues to live lavishly.

The scandal dates back to 2011.

At the time, Guo claimed on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, to be the general manager of a company called Red Cross Commerce. She showed off pictures of her Maserati and Lamborghini, expensive handbags and a palatial villa, triggering widespread fury among netizens. Many questioned whether the then 20-year-old had purchased her luxury items with money donated to the charity.

Both Guo and the Red Cross Society publicly denied having any ties with each other, but that failed to break the wave of online anger. The outraged netizens waged a so-called "human flesh search" against her, digging up private information about her on the internet and then posting whatever they found.

Ultimately, what landed Guo in prison had nothing to do with the Red Cross Society. Three years after the online ire against her began, she was arrested as the head of an eight-member internet soccer gambling ring that Beijing police unearthed during the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

The next year, she was convicted of organizing gambling groups. On three occasions in 2013, for example, she invited people to play cards with the stakes exceeding more than 2 million yuan ($309,000), according to a Beijing court.

During her 10-hour trial in 2015, Guo apologized for her wrongdoing.

"I know I am wrong and I regret it, but I believe the law can provide me with a fair verdict," she said.

Her high-profile comeback after spending time behind bars, however, has provided irrefutable evidence that she has no regrets about publicly flaunting her luxurious lifestyle, as seen in photos posted on her new Sina Weibo account registered in late September 2019.

She has made more than 180 posts since then. You could hardly find any photos of her not wearing extravagant clothes no matter what the season is.

Seldom does she leave her belly button covered. She is often dressed in a low-cut blouse, though her thighs are not always nude.

Occasionally, she wears backless gowns, and it's not uncommon for her post photos of herself in a bikini. The way she dresses has drawn even fiercer condemnation.

"Don't impose your views on others," she has replied in response to her critics.

She has used quite a large number of flowery words to describe herself, including queen, princess, angel, goddess and mermaid, and has said her beauty is second to none.

Netizens, only the other hand, have described her as brainless and disgusting and as a person who flaunts "an extravagant and depraved lifestyle" and who has had a negative impact on society.

"Any topic related to Guo Meimei makes me feel sick," one netizen commented.

Guo, however, has never lacked supporters. She has more than 1 million followers on Sina Weibo, and her sticky post, which includes a video that shows her performing as a DJ, has received almost 1,800 likes. "Be brave to be yourself," one of Guo's supporters wrote on one of her posts.

In a video interview with the Red Star early last year, a news outlet headquartered in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, Guo said she had sold some of the luxury goods she had flaunted on her former Weibo account for low prices.

"I want to start a business," she said, without elaborating.

That, however, doesn't mean that no new luxuries will show up in her new account.

In late October, she posted that, though she couldn't get the down payment she paid for a Bentley car back, she didn't want it any more.

"I visited car showrooms for days, but still failed to find one I like," she said.

She said she reserved a Rolls-Royce for purchase in January. Two weeks later, she posted photos of a pink one.

"A New Year's gift for myself. I will make efforts to regain the five years I lost," she said. "I am not flaunting wealth. Weibo is where I share my life and moods. I'm thankful for the attention and support from my fans. I hope my desire to succeed will also offer a glimmer of hope to you."

Her posts about her DJ shows and her work as a plastic surgery consultant also seem to put to rest any questions about how she affords her lavish lifestyle.

Guo also once showed photos of her just after she underwent surgery. This may well explain why she looks significantly different compared with online photos of her posted before being incarcerated.

"If you want to be more beautiful, you can turn to me," she posted multiple times.

Two weeks of trying to add the WeChat account she uses to offer plastic surgery consultations were fruitless. Each attempt resulted in a message saying that too many people were trying to add the account, so "please try again later".

A message sent via her Weibo to invite her for an interview also went unanswered.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seemingly had little effect on her DJ performances around the country.

"Carelessly, I bought a new house in Changsha (Hunan's provincial capital) where I am putting on performances. I paid for it shortly after visiting it this afternoon," she said on Nov 9. Four days later, she performed in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.

Late last year, she posted a memo with shows she had lined up in 12 cities in January.

"Don't judge others randomly because you haven't seen their efforts. I fly almost 20 days every month," she said, adding that she makes 600,000 yuan a month.

"I don't care whether you like me or not. I don't live for you," she said.