In a recent interview with People magazine, Ma explained that the broadcast did not include the background of the man, a wealthy second-generation student studying abroad, who was “not a poor boy.”
She was ordered by television production staff to reject the man and used a quote she had read online a few days earlier as a joke in her response.
As a result, Ma was labeled a “gold digger,” which brought unexpected fame and job opportunities, but also years of cyberbullying.
However, recently, her public image changed drastically after she became embroiled in divorce proceedings and accused her husband of domestic violence in court.
In January 2023, Ma felt social pressure to get married by the age of 35 and decided to marry Liu Wei in a hurry. Liu Wei met a man during a live broadcast, and they generously spent 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) just to get married. Three months.
Their romance led to marriage after just five months of dating, and Ma moved from Beijing, where she had lived all her life, to Shanghai to be with Liu.
However, hidden facts soon came to light, including that Mr. Liu had a child from a previous marriage and had debts totaling hundreds of thousands of yuan.
Ms. Ma believed that they could work together to resolve her husband's debts, but was shocked to learn that the total debt had reached 650,000 yuan. I decided to sell my real estate in Chongqing.
Domestic violence further deteriorated their marriage, leading Ma to take legal action.
At a divorce court hearing held online on December 15, 2023, Ma revealed that she was effectively trapped in a rented house.
She was able to escape because her husband's violence attracted the attention of neighbors who called the police.
She presented evidence including medical records showing her husband's apologies, transcripts of their conversations, and an affidavit written at the police station in which he confessed to assaulting her seven times.
Nevertheless, Mr. Liu denied the charges. He only admitted to having an argument and breaking his cell phone.
He also argued that the medical records provided by Mr. Ma were not conclusive to prove that the injury was caused by Mr. Ma. He also expressed that he is reluctant to divorce.
In the most recent exchange between the couple in February, Mr. Liu, through his lawyer, demanded 300,000 yuan (approximately $42,000) in compensation from Mr. Ma in exchange for agreeing to a divorce.
Although a court ruling has not yet been issued, the case has sparked discussion online.
One online observer said: “She really was born in the wrong era. Her comments were not serious enough to deserve the intense cyberbullying she received.”
“No matter what you think about this woman's character, domestic violence cannot be swept under the rug. Materialism is a moral issue, but domestic violence is a legal issue,” said another.
Meanwhile, a third said: “Furious that he said he couldn't prove domestic violence!” We need to focus more on why fighting domestic violence is so difficult and why abusers can easily escape the law. ”
