Terence Cao called me 'idiot' and 'useless', says actor Xavier Ong amid Sibei Shiok dispute
Local actor Xavier Ong has taken to social media to air his side of the story concerning his dispute with Sibay Shiok, a celebrity F&B company founded by Terence Cao, Vincent Ng, Shane Pow and Dawn Yeoh.
In a Facebook livestream last Sunday (Feb 13), Ong said the company, which he worked for from September last year up till last month, owes him $13,000 in remuneration.
The 27-year-old, who is veteran local actor Wang Yuqing's stepson, also alleged that actor Cao frequently scolded him both on and off camera, and called him “useless” and an “idiot”.
In the 50-min tell-all, Ong said that despite joining Sibay Shiok as a livestreamer, it became "an expectation" for him to "handle the backend system". The added responsibilities included setting up and managing Sibay Shiok's Telegram channel, supporting other celebrity livestreams, and keeping track of the company's daily profits.
While he was "completely fine with all that", Ong added: "As expectations increased, words got harsher. Whenever things (didn’t) go right, I (got) reprimanded and scolded even when it (was) not my fault."
Ong, who now runs a livestream e-commerce business of his own called City Boy, said the last straw for him occurred on Jan 6. "One thing that I couldn't take was when [I was told] 'You are useless' and 'I'm paying you, just shut up and work'," he said.
He also shared text messages he exchanged with Cao before his resignation. In one of them, Ong wrote: “I never expected to be name-called ‘idiot’ and ‘useless’ repeatedly after what I’ve contributed, whether or not I’ve met anyone’s expectations. I see what you are doing to build an effective team in a fast-paced environment, forcing a steep learning curve for all of us, [but] it could have been a more enjoyable journey together."
And Cao’s text reply was: “It’s okay, appreciate your efforts. I sincerely apologise for my harshness last night, I’m sorry. It’s just a job, we can still be friends.”
Admin rights to Telegram channel
Ong said he has not returned the admin rights to Sibay Shiok's Telegram channel as he is still owed $13,000.
Ong said: "I even texted him (Terence) directly, and I was blocked.
"...Give me the money that I worked hard for and take back your Telegram channel. It's as simple as that."
Terence Cao’s response
In another Facebook livestream shared on the same day, Cao, appearing next to Yeoh, said his "respectable" legal team would be handling the accusations against him and the company.
The 54-year-old also said Sibay Shiok's Telegram group was hacked "a few days ago".
Yeoh chimed in: "The funny thing is, people are saying there's an admin who's responding, but I wonder who's the admin because when all of us aren't inside, who's the one answering? That's the puzzling part.”
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News on Feb 14, Ong said he was "very disappointed" with Yeoh.
He said: "I'm not surprised by Terence's reply, because I expected it. I was a little shocked by Dawn's appearance... She was always protecting me when we were in Singapore and Thailand."
As for Cao opting to take legal action, Ong said: "The purpose of my (livestream) was to bring this matter to an end, but if it has come to that, there's nothing else I can do… At the moment, I have not received anything and I can only play it by ear.”
Latest Instagram post
Perhaps weary from the whole debacle, Ong posted an update on his Instagram account on Feb 16.
In it, he said that it isn't his "style to bring any negativity onto social media" and that "my action caused negativity to be brought upon others and for that I apologise".
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