On 29/12/2025, the Ankang Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi province issued an initial ruling, ordering the defendant, surnamed Pan, to return 40,000 CNY (approximately 140 million VND) she had unlawfully received from Ms. Guo's husband. Previously, in the first instance trial, Ms. Guo's ex-husband, commonly known as Changzi Jie, was sentenced to six months in prison for bigamy.
This verdict marks the culmination of a three-year quest for justice by a woman who, with her husband, built their enterprise from nothing.
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Changzi Jie and her husband. Photo: Marriage & Family Magazine
Kindness misplaced
In 1999, Ms. Guo moved from her hometown in Hunan to Ankang. The couple started their business from scratch, transforming a small office into a system of five reputable local media companies. Once financially stable, she stepped back to focus on family.
The tragedy began when Ms. Guo sympathized with her best friend, Pan, a single mother who had recently divorced. Ms. Guo wholeheartedly helped Pan, introducing her to her husband and even influencing the family company to sign an advertising contract worth 180,000 CNY (over 600 million VND) to help her friend recover financially.
Her kindness paved the way for tragedy. In 2021, Ms. Guo discovered Pan's abortion records and payment receipts in her husband's car. She realized her husband and best friend had been having a clandestine affair just two months after she introduced them.
Social media drama
When the affair was exposed, instead of showing remorse, the husband turned to physically assaulting his wife and demanding a divorce. The situation escalated in July 2022 when he used a social media account with 230,000 followers to live stream, falsely declaring he was "already divorced" and asserting that Pan was his "true wife". This live stream subjected Ms. Guo to two years of cyberbullying, labeling her a "clingy ex-wife" even though their divorce had not been finalized in court.
Meanwhile, Pan openly cohabited with her benefactor's husband, even hosting lavish birthday celebrations and defiantly stating on a live stream, "I just love to show off." More painfully, during the separation, Ms. Guo's 9-year-old son was taken to live with his father and Pan, and was forced to call Pan "mother".
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Once a beautiful woman, Changzi Jie's hair turned gray during the divorce lawsuit. Photo: Marriage & Family Magazine
Evidence from son
In 2023, Ms. Guo sued her ex-husband and Pan for bigamy (marrying or cohabiting as spouses with another person while legally married). However, Pan was initially acquitted due to insufficient evidence. On 6/2025, the appellate court upheld this verdict.
Undeterred, Ms. Guo presented a series of new evidence at the late 2025 appellate court hearing. The most crucial piece was a secret audio recording made by her son, now 13, which captured intimate "husband-wife" conversations between his father and Pan at home. Additionally, five witnesses, including former employees, confirmed that Pan frequently introduced herself as the man's wife during business transactions.
In court, her son could not hold back tears and had to leave the room while testifying against his father.
The case garnered strong local support. Thousands of customers in Ankang boycotted and returned their memberships at the yoga studio owned by Pan.
"I await the final verdict, not for personal revenge, but for those who wronged me to pay the price," Ms. Guo shared, her hair having turned white after three years of litigation. The post-divorce asset dispute case is expected to be heard in early 2026.
Bao Nhien (According to Marriage & Family Magazine China)
