A Shanghai man recently went viral in his home country after asking his ex-girlfriend to compensate him for all the expenses incurred while they dated.
Last week, Chinese media reported the unusual case of an unnamed Shanghai man who allegedly compiled an incredibly detailed list of expenses incurred while dating a woman who had since broken up with him. The unusual list features hundreds of line items, complete with dates and times, as well as descriptions of specific expenditures for clarity. He allegedly sent his ex the list as proof of the money he spent on her during their relationship, demanding that she compensate him.
The detailed “breakup list” has been doing the rounds on Chinese social media for over a week, sparking heated debates among netizens. Most of them declared themselves shocked not only by the man’s gesture but also by his ability to remember all these expenses from months of dating. As one person notes, it’s as if he had every little yuan spent recorded in advance…
The man’s list included trivial expenditures such as “two bottles of water”, as well as more substantial expenses, like taking care of the ex’s sick mother. His detailed document also mentions whether each expenditure was shared as a couple or if the woman was the only beneficiary.
One example reads that he spent 36.1 yuan to “buy snacks and give them all to the woman”. In this case, he asks his ex to pay him back the full amount. Another example mentions dinner for two at a restaurant in Changning. Since they both got to order, he demands that the woman compensate him 50% of the expenditure.
The scorned man also listed the expenses he and his family covered when his ex’s mother was hospitalized. The woman then died, and he and his parents helped cover funeral costs. Now he wants back all of it.
In total, the man claimed that he had spent over 72,000 yuan during the time they dated, of which 60,147,025 yuan ($8,954) should be compensated by her.
It’s unclear whether the man’s ex-girlfriend agreed to pay him back anything, but the public’s general reaction to his plan has been negative. Some have called the man vindictive and scheming, while others are convinced that he had been working on the list when they were dating, to use as a secret weapon.