A Chinese man has ended his marriage in a shocking case that has captured nationwide attention, after discovering his wife secretly drained nearly 680,000 yuan (approximately ₹56 lakh) of their family savings to donate to a male livestreamer.
Years of Frugal Living Wiped Out
Mr. Liu from Zhengzhou had lived an extremely frugal life for eight years, diligently working and handing almost all of his income to his wife for safekeeping. He trusted her completely to manage their household finances and believed their savings were securing a stable future for their family, which includes at least one child.
When Mr. Liu recently tried to access the funds for family needs, he made a devastating discovery: not only were the savings completely gone, but the family was now in debt. The money he had worked so hard to accumulate over years had vanished without his knowledge.
The Truth Behind the Missing Money
Investigations revealed that Mr. Liu's unemployed wife had developed a strong parasocial attachment to a male livestreamer. Despite never meeting in real life, she formed what she perceived as a close bond with the online creator through live broadcasts and chat messages.
Driven by this one-sided relationship, she secretly transferred large sums of money through virtual gifts and donations over several years. The entire amount came from family savings that Mr. Liu had built through his long years of hard work, money he believed was being protected for their child's future education and needs.
Aftermath and Legal Implications
Mr. Liu felt deeply betrayed both as a husband and as a father, particularly since the financial damage now directly impacts their child's education and future plans. After confirming the full scale of the spending, he immediately filed for divorce.
Currently, there is no public information about whether Mr. Liu plans to take legal action to recover the substantial amount. It also remains unclear whether the streamer was aware that the donations were coming from a married woman using her husband's income without his consent.
This case highlights growing concerns about parasocial relationships and uncontrolled spending on livestreaming platforms in China. Previous cases involving teenagers and excessive livestream spending prompted regulators to introduce spending limits and age verification checks. Some streamers have now begun voluntarily capping donations to prevent similar situations.
