Ms. Shen, from Shanghai, married Mr. Jin in July 1999, and they had hai children. Her husband passed away in May 2022, following what appeared to be a successful marriage spanning hai decades.

While sorting through his personal belongings, she discovered that Mr. Jin had been in an extended affair with Ms. Tao since 2015, having given her a total of 20 million Chinese yuan over 7 years.

Ms. Shen and her children filed a lawsuit to annul these gifts and demand that Ms. Tao return the 20 million Chinese yuan.

During the initial trial, the court ruled that Mr. Jin's unilateral act of gifting a significant amount of marital assets to another person was invalid. The court therefore ordered Ms. Tao to return the money to the "rightful wife".

Ms. Tao appealed the decision, but the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court of Appeal rejected her appeal and upheld the original ruling, SCMP reported on 19/1.

The court determined that because Mr. Jin was having an affair, these gifts not only infringed upon Ms. Shen's financial rights but also violated public morality and social ethics.

This ruling sparked a lively discussion on social media. Many welcomed the verdict, stating it "truly protects public morality and social order".

"It's about time. Let all mistresses be left with nothing: no man, no money", one commenter wrote.

Hai Thu (According to SCMP)