Man in China sues ex-fiancée for S$9,160 in dating expenses & bride price, says she 'ate too much'

A man in China sued his ex-fiancée for a total of 50,000 yuan (S$9,160) after incurring dating expenses and an advance bride price.

According to South China Morning Post, the couple's court hearing in early December 2025 went viral on Chinese social media.

The man, surnamed He, had asked the woman, surnamed Wang, to return the monies and said she had eaten too much food from his family's restaurant.

Ex-fiancée only did "easy jobs", ate too much

The pair, hailing from Heilongjiang province in northeastern China, got engaged after meeting through a matchmaker.

They later moved to Hebei province and to run He's family restaurant, where Wang helped out for about six months.

The shop sold malatang, which is a Chinese spicy and numbing broth typically consumed with a variety of meats and other ingredients.

However, he later became unhappy with Wang as she reportedly "only worked on easy jobs".

He added that she had eaten the restaurant's food every day, and the family simply did not sell "enough for her to eat".

His family also grew dissatisfied with her and believed "she had changed".

"Too calculating": Ex-fiancée

SCMP reported that He had asked Wang to return 20,000 yuan (S$3,663), which was a bride price that his family had paid in advance to her family.

He also requested the court to order her to repay 30,000 yuan (S$5,495) of incurred dating expenses, including money used to buy black tights and underwear.

During the hearing, Wang said her fiancé was "too calculating", noting that she had been his girlfriend at the time.

He's claim for the return of the 30,000 yuan was dismissed.

The court ruled that the money was spent on items that "provided emotional value" to the couple.

However, Wang was ordered to return half of the 20,000 yuan bride price.

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