It’s a well-known fact that Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou is loaded… which shouldn’t really come as a surprise given he’s one of the reigning kings — if not the reigning king — of Mandopop. We also know how the rich get richer: through (successful) investments.

Recently, an interesting report about the 41-year-old, who has a net worth of NT$6bil (S$283mil), popped up on Taiwan’s Apple Daily. It claims that Jay secretly met with billionaire tycoon Lin Ming-hsiung to discuss a big business proposal (and no, it has nothing to do with music).

Ming-hsiung is a pretty influential figure, to say the least. He is the chairman of real estate development company Yuanlih Group, supermarket chain Pxmart, as well as Hwatai Bank, and is worth an estimated NT$66.4bil (S$3.1bil).

According to the report, two of Jay’s homes, including the NT$660mil (S$31mil) luxury penthouse he shares with his family, were built by Yuanlih Group, a sign that he's happy with their work.

He and his wife, Hannah Quinlivan, were said to have visited Yuanlih Group HQ together and even took a private elevator to a mysterious closed-door meeting with Ming-hsiung. While it’s not known exactly what they talked about, it is rumoured that Jay intends to invest in the company, so he met with Ming-hsiung in hopes that they can collaborate on future building projects.

If Jay wants to become a company shareholder, he might need to sink in at least NT$100mil (S$4.7mil). This is why he may also sign up as the company’s spokesperson. In the past, when Jay was the celeb ambassador for a headphone brand, he converted part of his endorsement fee into shares and became a shareholder.

However, this very detailed piece of gossip may have been fabricated.

Jay issued a response through his record label JVR Music, saying: “I don’t know how this rumour came about. Director Lin is a very good big brother and Yuanlih Group is an amazing construction company that builds houses of high quality. Everyone praises them.”

A rep from Yuanlih Group also spoke up regarding the news, explaining that since Jay is one of their clients, it’s not unusual for him to drop by their office. She added that while she has not heard about any collaborations with Jay, the company maintains “an open attitude” towards this possibility.

It is believed that Jay and Ming-hsiung got to know each other through retired Taiwanese diva Jody Chiang, who is close friends with the both of them.

Those who follow Jay on his socials would be familiar with Jay’s, um, not-so-humble abode, which he reportedly spent nearly two years and over NT$10mil (S$471,000) to renovate. He sometimes posts pictures of himself chilling with his famous friends in front of a spectacular 360-degree view of the city.

Photos: Jay Chou/Instagram, Apple Daily, JVR Music