- A Chinese businesswoman gave $420,000 to a younger employee to settle his divorce
- The employee worked at her Chongqing company and had an affair with her
- She demanded the money back after realising they were incompatible living together
A Chinese businesswoman found herself in a complicated situation after gifting a huge sum of money to a younger employee, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The businesswoman, identified in the report by her surname Zhu, fell for the employee. She gifted him around $420,000 (3 million yuan) to help him settle his divorce and compensate his ex-wife Chen and the child
The employee, known as He, worked at her company in Chongqing. When he joined the company, they began an affair despite being married separately. The gift was apparently intended to facilitate the divorce so that they could start a new life together.
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However, things took a turn when Zhu realised they weren't compatible after living together for a year. She then demanded the money back. The first trial ordered him and his ex-wife to return the funds, but the second trial overturned this verdict.
Separately, He and his ex-wife filed an appeal. As per an upper-level court, Zhu had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that she had gifted the money to Chen, because the money was paid on behalf of He. The court also noted that Zhu showed a lack of integrity by seeking the return of the funds.
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Social media reaction
The case has sparked a buzz on Chinese social media platforms. As quoted, one user said, "It is absurd to spend three million yuan to facilitate a male subordinate's divorce."
"It is unreasonable for her to disrupt another person's marriage and then demand the money back after the divorce," another wrote as per the SCMP report.
"One must secure a handsome husband; who knows, maybe one day he'll catch the attention of a wealthy woman, and you could become rich overnight," a third user wrote.
