[6] In 2018, Qu gained popularity for his starring role as a shadow assassin in the wuxia web series Bloody Romance.
In 2019, Qu starred in China's first interstellar science fiction film The Wandering Earth, playing the lead role.
[16] In July 2018, Qu established his own studio, leading to a tense relationship with his agency, Top High Pictures.
By late March 2020, despite Qu having already started martial arts training for the role, he was replaced as the male lead in the costume drama The Long Ballad, with Leo Wu stepping in as a substitute.
On March 27, Qu posted an Instagram story expressing gratitude to the director and crew for their support while jeering at Top High's alleged attempts to blacklist him by forcing his replacement due to contractual disputes.
By December 15, half a month before its official release, the total pre-sale box office had surpassed 250 million yuan.