Chinese wife ordered to apologise after exposing husband’s long term affair in sarcastic post
A woman in central China has been ordered by a court to publicly apologise to her cheating husband after her sarcastic social media posts about his affair were ruled to have damaged his reputation, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
Affair exposed on social media
The woman, Niu Na, from Henan province, revealed online that she had been married to her husband, Gao Fei, for more than a decade and that the couple share a daughter. Niu claimed she discovered that Gao, a team leader at a local coal mining company, had been involved in an affair with a married colleague, surnamed Han, for five years.
According to Niu, during the affair Gao used the couple’s joint assets to buy his mistress gold, cosmetics and clothing. Outraged by the betrayal, she took to Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, where she disclosed details of the affair, named the workplaces of both Gao and Han, and used harsh language to describe her husband. She also posted a sarcastic short story mocking his infidelity.
Defamation case and court ruling
Soon after the posts gained traction, Gao filed a defamation lawsuit against Niu. The court ruled in his favour, stating that personal moral failings could not justify infringing upon another person’s lawful rights. Under Chinese civil law, defamation carries civil responsibility, which can include an apology, cessation of harmful behaviour and financial compensation.
Niu was ordered to publicly apologise to Gao for 15 consecutive days, with the content of each apology video subject to court approval. Since January 12, she has been uploading daily apology videos on Douyin.
In one video, she says: “I was overwhelmed by anger and made the wrong decision to insult you. I am sorry.” She adds: “You and your mistress are clearly in true love. Even with your serious moral flaws, your personal rights and reputation deserve respect.”
Ironic apologies go viral
Despite the court order, Niu’s apology videos have taken on an ironic tone. She continues to share details of the affair, including chat records, money transfers and photos of Gao’s head injury after he was allegedly beaten by his mistress’s husband.
“I shouldn’t have mocked you and called you ‘pig’,” she says in another clip. “You were beaten to protect her. You are a good leader and lover.”
In her fourth video, Niu displays injuries she says were caused by domestic violence, stating: “Your affair and violence have hurt me deeply, but that does not justify my wrong actions. Emotional issues should be handled legally.”
The videos quickly went viral, drawing millions of likes and helping Niu gain more than 350,000 followers within days.
Newfound fame and uncertain future
As reported by SCMP, following her viral success Niu began selling the clothes, hair clips and cosmetics featured in her videos. She has also hosted live streams promoting the beauty of her hometown, each attracting more than 10,000 viewers.
It remains unclear whether Niu and Gao are divorced, though they are currently living apart. Niu has said that the betrayal took a serious toll on her health. Thanking her supporters, she said: “Your support and love give me the strength to keep moving forward.”
