Terence Cao called me 'idiot' and 'useless': Actor Xavier Ong says celebrity F&B company Sibay Shiok owes him $13,000

To "address the matter once and for all", local actor Xavier Ong has alleged on social media that Sibay Shiok – a celebrity F&B company founded by Terence Cao, Vincent Ng, Shane Pow and Dawn Yeoh – owes him $13,000 in remuneration.

In a Facebook livestream last Sunday (Feb 13), Xavier said that despite joining Sibay Shiok as a livestreamer in September last year, it became "an expectation" for him to "handle the backend system".

The 27-year-old said these 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", Xavier claimed: "As expectations increased, words got harsher. Whenever things don't go right, I start getting reprimanded and scolded even when it's not my fault."

Xavier is also known as veteran local actor Wang Yuqing's stepson. In 2001, Xavier's mother married Yuqing and they went on to have two sons, but the couple divorced reportedly in 2011.

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Claiming that Terence frequently scolded him both on and off camera, Xavier also shared the "last straw" that led him to leave Sibay Shiok on Jan 6. He now runs a livestream e-commerce business of his own called City Boy.

"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'," Xavier said.

He also shared messages that he exchanged with Terence before his resignation. 

In one of these messages, Xavier 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 Terence’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.”

In the 50-minute tell-all, Xavier also revealed why he did not return the admin rights to Sibay Shiok's Telegram channel after resigning from the company.

He had been badgering for the "five-figure amount that he was supposed to be paid" – later revealed in the video to be $13,000 – to no avail.

Xavier said: "I even texted him (Terence) directly, and I was blocked.

"I never want to make it this big…. Give me the money that I worked hard for and take back your Telegram channel. It's just as simple as that."

Sibay Shiok's Telegram account hacked?

In another Facebook livestream shared on the same day, Terence said that his "respectable" legal team will be handling the accusations against him and Sibay Shiok.

Appearing next to Dawn, Terence said they don't want to argue with anyone and will leave it to the professionals to do it for them.

The 54-year-old actor also claimed that Sibay Shiok's Telegram group, which was created to be like "a concierge service" during the team's trip to Thailand, was hacked "a few days ago".

"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," said Dawn.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/sibayshiok/videos/632803924614430/[/embed]

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News on Feb 14, Xavier shared that he was "very disappointed" with Dawn.

Xavier 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 Terence opting to take legal action, Xavier said: "The purpose of my live broadcast 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. Anyway, this matter is over for me."

ALSO READ: Actor Wang Yuqing, three times married, has found love again

chingshijie@asiaone.com