A man spent 30,420 RMB (approximately 130,000 NTD) to invite a woman he admired on a trip abroad, but upon returning home, he unexpectedly demanded half of the travel costs from her, leading to a court case where he ultimately lost.

This incident took place in Shanghai, China. In September 2023, Mr. Chen pursued Ms. Li and after discussions, they decided to go on a vacation together, opting for a 'two-person independent group' travel format at a cost of 15,210 RMB each. On September 21, Mr. Chen paid the total travel expenses of 30,420 RMB to the travel agency. They enjoyed a sweet 7-day, 6-night trip from October 2 to 8.

However, after returning on October 21, Mr. Chen suddenly asked Ms. Li to pay for his portion of the travel expenses, essentially requesting an AA split. Ms. Li refused, arguing that Mr. Chen had voluntarily treated her and had never indicated a wish to split the costs. She also pointed out that during a previous trip to Nanjing, Mr. Chen had covered all expenses as well.

As a result, the two ended up in court. The court ruled that Mr. Chen voluntarily paid for the trip while pursuing Ms. Li, that she never promised to pay for those costs, and there was no agreement to split expenses. Therefore, this expenditure was considered a 'gift' and did not represent unjust enrichment, thus the court did not support Mr. Chen's claim.

Legal experts noted that if Mr. Chen had clearly stated that the payment was a loan or had a repayment agreement, he might have had grounds to seek reimbursement. However, since the payment was made voluntarily without any clear agreement, it was classified as a voluntary gift. Following the publication of this incident, many netizens commented, emphasizing the importance of clarifying financial arrangements in romantic relationships.