Jay Chou calls out his former friend Cai Weize, who allegedly absconded with over 100 million TWD worth of Bitcoin?

Author: Golem, Odaily Planet Daily

On October 15, Jay Chou, who had just finished his carnival tour concert, posted on his Instagram account with millions of followers looking for his former magician friend Cai Weize, and made a strong statement: "If anyone sees this magician who has made himself disappear, please let me know. Do you think I'm not a magician? If you don't show up soon, you're finished." He then directly unfollowed him.

About an hour after Jay Chou's post seeking his friend, Cai Weize responded on Instagram saying, "It's really been a long time since I've appeared," and then added, "Sorry will stay off social for another bit. Expect temp void of response."

The "other-dimensional" dialogue between Jay Chou and his former friend Cai Weize left fans puzzled about what could have happened to provoke such intense words from Jay Chou.

Is it a scam under the guise of magic investment to deceive Jay Chou out of over 100 million TWD?

Cai Weize is a magician from Taiwan who appeared on "America's Got Talent" in 2017, but he is more famously known as a close friend of Jay Chou. In 2018, he collaborated with Jay Chou to perform "Confession Balloon" at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, and in 2020, he participated as a regular guest in Jay Chou's travel reality show "Travel with Jay Chou."

The public speculates that the fallout between Jay Chou and Cai Weize is likely due to a financial dispute. On October 16, Taiwanese media reported that the two were allegedly involved in a financial dispute amounting to over 100 million TWD (approximately 23 million RMB), which has already caused losses to a third party. Jay Chou's JVR Music Company received a demand letter from a third party, and after Jay Chou privately messaged the other party without receiving a response, he had no choice but to take this drastic measure.

JVR Music Company has not yet responded to this. However, some media speculate that the catalyst for the situation stemmed from the magic project investment for "Travel with Jay Chou 2" in 2024. At that time, Cai Weize proposed a collaboration, and out of trust, Jay Chou allowed JVR Music Company to invest over 100 million TWD. However, after the project ended, Cai Weize defaulted on the repayment on the due date, and JVR Music Company not only failed to recover the repayment but also implicated several third-party companies involved in the collaboration.

Helped Jay Chou invest in Bitcoin but lost everything on "10.11"?

But there is another version of the story circulating in the cryptocurrency community. According to some media speculations, the over 100 million TWD that Jay Chou gave to Cai Weize was not for a magic investment, but rather to entrust Cai Weize to help him invest in and manage Bitcoin. However, a year ago, Cai Weize claimed that the account he used to manage Bitcoin for Jay Chou was locked, preventing Jay Chou's funds from being withdrawn. He lamented that many people were asking him for money, so Jay Chou gave him time. Unexpectedly, Cai Weize then vanished, and the assets have yet to be returned. Jay Chou, unable to endure it any longer, publicly called him out on Instagram.

According to insiders, Cai Weize was also active in the blockchain investment circle and often leveraged his relationship with Jay Chou to solicit investments. There were even rumors that he had his girlfriend misappropriate company funds for cryptocurrency trading. He also claimed to have connections with members of royal families in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, helping them invest and taking commissions.

At the same time, some cryptocurrency insiders speculate that Jay Chou's over 100 million TWD may have been liquidated during the massive crash on "10.11," and Cai Weize chose to go into hiding rather than face Jay Chou.

However, so far, these claims are all speculation and lack any concrete evidence. Jay Chou has now deleted the post seeking Cai Weize, possibly indicating that a private resolution has been reached, or perhaps due to public influence.

Cai Weize participated in "America's Got Talent" in 2017, using four coins worth 10 TWD each as performance props, making the coins disappear, move, and even turn into petals on stage, claiming it was his original magic. This opened the door to his fame. Since then, he has developed a closer relationship with Jay Chou, who loves magic, and they became close friends. Now, with Cai Weize absconding with over 100 million TWD worth of Bitcoin, it resembles a real-life version of "Now You See Me."