UPDATE: Fans of Yibo have since come out to debunk previous reports, claiming that the original poster used an old picture of a non-celeb, instead of the actor himself in the picture above. His fans have also compiled a collage using pictures of the actor's younger self to refute plastic surgery rumours.

Chinese pop idol-turned-actor Wang Yibo hit the big time in 2019 after starring in queer romance-epic fantasy drama The Untamed opposite fellow heartthrob Xiao Zhan.

The 24-year-old entered showbiz in 2014 as a member of the Chinese-Korean boyband UNIQ, but has since gone on to greater things as a solo artiste, including his very successful stint as a mentor on dance competition Street Dance of China.

Recently, netizens unearthed pictures of a younger Yibo before he made his showbiz debut.

According to reports, Yibo was really into dancing when he was younger and often took part in dance battles in his teens.

The photo that netizens are now circulating appear to be from his days as a dancer.

According to these netizens, the photo is proof of the “power of styling”, or you know, professional fashion advice and aesthetic treatments, as well as hair and make-up done by stylists.

“As expected, if you have money, you’ll definitely become more attractive,” one netizen wrote.

Other netizens were less kind with their words, commenting that Yibo “looks like an entirely different person”.

“It’s almost as if he went for plastic surgery,” wrote one netizen.

Photos: hk01, Wang Yibo/Weibo, UNIQ/Weibo