Wife discovers husband stayed in hotels with insurance agent 180 times, bought more than 50 policies from her
A woman in China who suspected her husband was having an affair with his insurance agent uncovered far more than flirtatious messages.
Over seven years, her husband allegedly stayed in hotels with the woman more than 180 times, transferred her over 3 million yuan (S$566,600), and bought more than 50 insurance policies through her worth over 10 million yuan (S$1.9 million) in premiums.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing Hongxing News, the case involved a married man surnamed Guo and an insurance agent surnamed Li, who was eight years younger than him.
Wife first found flirty messages in 2017
Guo’s wife, surnamed Zhen, first became suspicious in 2017 after discovering flirtatious messages between her husband and Li.
According to SCMP, the messages included “I miss you”, as well as repeated transfers of 520 yuan — a number commonly associated with “I love you” in Chinese because of the similarity in pronunciation.
Years later, while Zhen was hospitalised in 2024, she discovered that Guo had bought medical insurance policies for her and their two-year-old daughter through Li.
That prompted her to investigate further.
She later calculated that Guo had transferred more than 3 million yuan to Li over seven years.
Insurance records also showed that Guo bought more than 50 policies through Li between 2017 and 2024, with total premiums exceeding 10 million yuan.
Chinese media outlet Sina, citing company records, reported the exact figure as 10.12 million yuan. It added that Guo had already paid more than 5.15 million yuan in premiums, still owed about 4.96 million yuan and had taken nearly 2 million yuan in loans from the insurer.
During that period, Li was promoted to a managerial position at the insurance company.
More than 180 hotel stays
Zhen eventually sued Guo, Li and the insurance company, seeking a refund of the premiums and arguing that marital assets had been used to buy the policies.
She also sought the return of the money transferred to Li.
But Li denied having an affair with Guo.
She argued that there was no law preventing people from discussing business in hotels and claimed Guo had sought a refund because he could no longer afford the premiums.
However, a police interview record showed that Guo admitted staying in hotels with Li more than 180 times, according to SCMP.
Zhen claimed that after comparing the hotel records with the insurance purchases, she found that a new policy was taken out after almost every hotel stay.
Guo disputed that, saying his wife had exaggerated and that only about 10 policies were bought following hotel stays, Sina reported.
Guo also said he owned more than a dozen properties and was not experiencing financial difficulties.
Court found they had an ‘improper relationship’
The court eventually found that Guo and Li had maintained an improper relationship.
Li was ordered to return about 900,000 yuan in inappropriate gifts to Zhen, along with interest. Her request for a retrial was later rejected, SCMP reported.
The separate dispute over whether the insurance policies should be cancelled and the premiums refunded remains unresolved.
The insurance company argued that Guo’s repeated purchases over several years showed they were “rational decisions consistently reaffirmed over time”, rather than impulsive purchases or ones made under pressure.
Guo, however, acknowledged that his relationship with Li had played a significant role in his decision to buy multiple policies.
The case has attracted widespread attention in China, with related posts drawing more than 100 million views on social media.
One netizen observed: “Money given to an affair partner may be reclaimed, but insurance is a different story. The purchase itself was legally valid and should not simply be cancelled.”
Another added: "According to Li’s perspective, she may have viewed the affair less as romance and more as a business opportunity.”
*This article was produced with AI assistance.
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