A 61-year-old man in eastern China suffered a stroke on his wedding day, and his condition subsequently deteriorated, leaving him paralysed.
His wife siphoned 1.1 million yuan (US$153,000) from his account, leaving him with a mere 42 yuan (US$6).
According to the mainland media outlet News Morning Post, Wang, hailing from Shanghai, divorced over 20 years ago and raised his daughter independently.
In 2016, he married Ren Fang, a woman 16 years his junior. The details of their initial meeting remain undisclosed.
Relatives noted that older men living alone in Shanghai are highly sought after as marriage partners.
“My uncle had a solid pension, property, and relocation benefits,” remarked Wang’s nephew.
Wang’s mother had opposed his marriage, expressing concerns that the significant age gap might mean Ren had ulterior motives.
On the day of his wedding, Wang collapsed from a stroke and was promptly taken to the hospital.
Though he was once healthy, his condition continued to decline, resulting in multiple strokes over the years.
By 2019, he was paralysed on his left side, unable to speak, and bedridden, relying solely on his right hand to gesture for communication.
His family placed him in a nursing home, where his wife and daughter shared caregiving responsibilities.
In 2020, after Wang’s previous home was demolished, he and his daughter received a new flat along with more than 2 million yuan (US$280,000) in compensation.
Shortly thereafter, Ren had Wang declared legally incompetent and positioned herself as his sole guardian.
She also filed a lawsuit against her stepdaughter to claim her share of the property compensation, but the court ruled that Wang would receive 1.1 million yuan while the remainder would go to his daughter.
Wang’s daughter alleged that her father’s funds were transferred into an account controlled by Ren.
Ren then withdrew substantial amounts over two years, with withdrawals sometimes reaching 50,000 yuan in a single day. By August last year, only 42 yuan remained.
Recently, Wang’s daughter filed a lawsuit to alter the guardianship arrangement.
Ren countered that the money had been used for nursing home bills and health supplements, claiming she withdrew cash to deposit it in a bank in her hometown for better interest rates.
However, the daughter pointed out that Wang’s 6,000-yuan monthly pension already covered all his expenses.
The court ruled in favour of the daughter, deciding that both she and Ren must serve as co-guardians, with all financial decisions requiring their joint signatures.
A later attempt by Ren to divide the resettlement flat was also denied.
The judge remarked: “The essence of guardianship lies not in titles, but in who can genuinely care for an incapacitated loved one.”
This story has sparked intense discussion on mainland social media.
One online commenter stated: “Wang should never have remarried. In the end, he lost his money and ended up in a nursing home.”
Another noted: “In reality, children often become too occupied with work to care for the elderly, which leaves widowed seniors feeling even lonelier. When they seek companionship, they must exercise caution.”
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Chinese man suffers stroke, wife skims US$153,000 from account, leaving him with only US$6
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