Xiaxue: I will not apologise to Simonboy or give in to his demands
Xiaxue isn't backing down, and she's certainly not apologising.
Speaking exclusively to Stomp, the social media personality, whose real name is Wendy Cheng, said she has no intention of acceding to the demands laid out in a legal letter sent by content creator Simonboy, whose real name is Simon Khung.
According to Ms Cheng, Mr Khung is seeking financial compensation and an apology over comments she made about him and his late daughter, Megan. She said she was surprised that he had to resort to sending a legal letter.
"Simonboy has his own platform, I didn't think he needed a lawyer's letter to clarify his stand," she said.
'Quite unreasonable'
But she made clear that she has no plans to give in, as far as his demands are concerned.
"No, I found them quite unreasonable and will not accede to any of them," she said.
"But I'm quite curious what the compensation amount he thinks is reasonable, since he wanted me to pay him money," she added.
She added that she does not regret the three posts she made on Instagram and Facebook Stories.
"I haven't seen anyone else with a significant platform post any opinion on the matter, though I could have missed it, of course, and I feel like someone should say something," explained Ms Cheng, who said she does not know Mr Khung personally or had any dealings with him.
She had previously invited him onto a podcast after Megan's case came to light, but he declined.
The spat between the two erupted after Ms Cheng posted about the launch of Forever Megan - a charity started by Mr Khung - on her Instagram stories on Nov 12.
"I think you have enough kids on your hands," she wrote.
"Three kids with three different moms. First child he neglected for 11 years and met the kid for the first time in 2024. Made sure to document it on social media and for the news."
Ms Cheng then received a cease-and-desist letter from Mr Khung on Nov 13.
'People should question what they see online'
When asked what she hoped to achieve with her posts, she replied: "I hope that people can question what they see online and not just think one dimensionally."
A large part of her criticism, she said, stems from what she sees as inconsistencies in how accountability has played out.
She said: "The fact of the matter is, everyone involved in Megan Khung's death has been taken to task. The main culprits are in jail. The child protection agencies were investigated and criticised. The negligent police officer was fired."
She added: "But Megan's father, who is supposed to be taking care of her, is the only one who did not face any tangible consequences. He is also culpable, in my opinion, because from what is publicly known he only filed a police report months after he got out of jail, and she was alive for months when he was released."
Ms Cheng felt that Mr Khung could have done more.
"If he were more responsible, he could have saved her. Now he is constantly talking about how much he loves her and misses her. Where was this concern when she was alive?"
Ms Cheng also questioned the public praise Mr Khung has received in recent years.
"His drug abuse history is used by him to create content and fame, and it has resulted in a career path for him. He is being celebrated," she said, pointing out that a minister even called him 'an example for all of us' in a social media post.
Mr Khung in an interview with CNA on Nov 10 said his "main motive" behind the Forever Megan Charity is to honour his daughter.
In an earlier interview with Minister K. Shanmugam, Mr Khung said he still feels anger and bitterness over what his daughter had suffered. "I cannot vent it at home, I need to take care of my mother, I need to be okay in front of them," he said.
"It doesn't mean that I'm smiling, now I never cry, then it's not sad. Who won't be sad?" He added that he wanted to "turn that tragic story into something positive".
Ms Cheng said she found it "uncomfortable" that someone whose "past actions" had, in her view, contributed to a child's suffering would now "position himself as a champion for vulnerable children".
She added that naming the charity after Megan has also raised questions for her, saying that using her name "naturally makes people wonder if it's truly for doing good or for elevating his self-image".
Revisiting Megan's case
Looking back on Megan's case, Ms Cheng said she was shocked at the extent of the little girl's suffering when reports first surfaced.
"I never expected something like this to happen in Singapore. As a mother, I thought back of my son when he was three to four years old, how small he was and how at that age toddlers are still so cute and innocent, and I cannot fathom anyone intentionally inflicting harm on them," said Ms Cheng, whose son is now 12.
"At that point," she added, "I didn't think much about Simonboy's involvement… Some lauded him as a hero for blowing the lid off the case."
That changed when she later learned more about the timeline.
"I didn't know the time lapse between his sentence and the police report, nor did I realise that Megan's mom was only 19 and he was 27 when she got impregnated and left to her own devices to take care of Megan," she said.
"I thought Simonboy must have also gone through a lot of undeserved pain. But now, I no longer feel any sympathy for him."
Stomp has reached out to Mr Khung for comment.
