By Aveek Banerjee,News18

Copyright news18

A Chinese businesswoman reportedly fell for her younger married subordinate and gave him three million yuan (Rs 3.4 crore) for his divorce and compensation for his wife. The bizarre love saga took a twist as the woman demanded her money back after living with him for a year, realising they were incompatible.
The case came to the spotlight during a trial at a court in China’s Chongqing, where the ruling mandated that the man and his ex-wife return the funds. However, a second trial overturned the verdict, as reported by the South China Morning Post, citing local media.
According to the information, the businesswoman, Zhu, operated a company in Chongqing and became interested in an employee, identified as He, when he joined the company. Even though both were married, they soon began an affair.
Zhu and He planned to divorce their respective spouses to spend a new life together. Zhu transferred three million yuan (Rs 3.4 crore) to the woman, identified as Chen, on He’s behalf as compensation for her and the upbringing of their child.
However, Zhu and He decided to part ways after living together for a year, stating that they were not suited for each other. Zhu subsequently took He and Chen to court, demanding the return of the three million yuan she paid for his divorce.
What Did The Court Say?
In the first trial, the court sided with Zhu by arguing that the funds violated public order and good customs. He called the compensation an “invalid gift” and ruled that the money should be refunded.
However, Chen and He filed an appeal, after which an upper-level court deemed that Zhu had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that she had gifted the money to Chen. The appellate court stated that the money was classified as a payment made on He’s behalf for divorce compensation and child-rearing expenses.
Additionally, the court noted that Zhu showed a lack of integrity by demanding the return of the funds after He’s divorce, a process she had hastened with her financial support. It overturned the original verdict, which removed the obligation to return Zhu’s money.
Meanwhile, the case has gone viral on Chinese social media handles, where users criticised Zhu. “It is absurd to spend three million yuan to facilitate a male subordinate’s divorce,” a user was quoted as saying by SCMP.
“It is unreasonable for her to disrupt another person’s marriage and then demand the money back after the divorce,” another wrote. A third person commented, “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.”