SERVING AS AN INSPIRATION

Last year, she organized the inaugural Lun Lun Cup tennis tournament, which saw Qu and other celebrities, who love the sport, take on a selection of players from the amateur Tennis 123 championship.

Leveraging her close friendship with Wang Jun, founder of Tennis 123, she invited some of her famous friends, including singer Wang Zhengliang and actor Bao Jianfeng, to compete against, and in most cases, to be thoroughly defeated by the non-celebrity amateurs.

These clips quickly went viral on Chinese social media platforms, bringing her — as someone who rarely stays in the public spotlight — back into widespread conversation.

"I'm having a second act," she joked.

Faced with a flood of work offers following her resurgence, Qu did not rush to seize the opportunity.

Instead, she said that she doesn't want to work too much.

"I still want to follow my own rhythm," she said.

During her time away from the public eye, her ideal daily rhythm involved waking up early, playing tennis, occasionally hitting the gym for strength training and going to bed before 11 pm.

"I just want to do things I love," she said.

Recently, the second edition of the Lun Lun Cup tennis tournament was held on the clay courts of the National Tennis Center in Beijing, bringing together celebrity tennis enthusiasts, such as singer Mao Ning, TV variety show host Zhu Dan and figure skater Sui Wenjing, to compete with amateur players.

"When I organized the first Lun Lun Cup last year, it was purely to satisfy my love for tennis and to make new friends. It's wonderful to see my friends having so much fun," Qu recalled.