The intimate photos of Mr. Zhang and Xiao Xing provided by Ms. Chen; Ms. Chen's bruised eye socket from being beaten; Xiao Xing, the niece of Ms. Chen; police officers mediating at her home. Photos taken by Shenzhen Evening News reporter Zeng Xianping.
Faced with her husband's second infidelity, Ms. Chen never expected that this "third party" would be her brother's daughter, her own niece. In her interactions with her husband, Ms. Chen claims she has repeatedly suffered domestic violence. Regarding the accusations made during their divorce proceedings, her husband, Mr. Zhang, defended himself, stating it was slander, claiming she said these things to "get more of my property." The starkly contrasting statements from both parties turned this ordinary divorce case into a baffling mystery.
Shenzhen Evening News reporter Zeng Xianping
Wife: Niece Turns Into Mistress
Rents Out Apartments To Escape Domestic Violence
On January 30, when the reporter met Ms. Chen, visible bruises were evident around her eye sockets and mouth corners, her eyes filled with bloodshot veins. She claimed these were inflicted by her husband on January 29 when she returned home to see her son, and she had already undergone a forensic medical examination at the hospital.
Ms. Chen said that she met her husband, Mr. Zhang, in 2000, married him on January 4, 2001, and gave birth to a son in 2004. They bought a house of over 70 square meters in Building 3 of Hai Dian Ju in Nanshan District in 2005. Her husband was a senior software development engineer, while she worked in factory management, living what was once a happy and content life. However, in February 2009, one day her husband suddenly confessed to her that he had an affair with his divorced first love, Mei, hoping his wife could accept the fact that he had a lover.
"Which woman would accept that?" Ms. Chen stated she firmly rejected it. But her husband still sent 8000 yuan to Mei’s mother, saying they wanted to get married. Ms. Chen also claimed that Mr. Zhang even said, "I've considered letting you and Mei switch roles, making you the mistress." Although Ms. Chen refrained from excessive criticism to maintain their marital relationship, the affair between Mr. Zhang and Mei only lasted for three months before ending. She thought her husband had returned to the family, and life gradually returned to normal.
However, good times didn't last long. In early 2011, she noticed her husband often staying out all night, sometimes not even coming home on weekends, claiming he needed to accompany company leaders. She suspected her husband had cheated again. One day in April, her husband confessed again, admitting he had a lover outside, someone Ms. Chen knew — her niece, Xiao Xing. Hearing that her 24-year-old niece had an affair with her 37-year-old husband was like a bolt of lightning. Ms. Chen's niece also had a family, and her child was only three years old.
"He said he trusted me, hoping I could help him sever ties with his niece. They also felt it couldn’t continue," Ms. Chen said. In fact, her husband and niece officially met during the Spring Festival of that year, having only seen each other a few times prior. She regretted agreeing to her over-50-year-old brother's proposal to spend the Spring Festival in Shenzhen, which led to this sinful relationship. Nevertheless, she still trusted her husband and went together to Zhongshan City in May last year as a witness for a “breakup dinner.” After the meal, she returned home alone. However, upon returning, her husband told her that the "breakup" was very special, as after lunch, they went to a hotel room.
To escape domestic violence, she rented an apartment outside.
Ms. Chen initially hoped her husband would change his mind, but in August, Mr. Zhang resigned and went to Ankang, Shaanxi with Xiao Xing for a month before returning. On the day they came back, Ms. Chen said Mr. Zhang was unusually affectionate towards her, kissing and hugging her. Later, she learned that her husband and Xiao Xing had quarreled. That night, she refused her husband's request to share a bed and was severely beaten. He not only prevented her from sleeping but also forbade her from going to work the next day. That evening, Mr. Zhang beat Ms. Chen again, causing her to lose consciousness. At her strong insistence, Mr. Zhang took her to Nanshan Hospital, "He is so stingy, even the 350-yuan brain CT scan required much pleading." She indicated that although she had already reported it to the police, she did not allow them to enter her home, and all her injuries were internal, not visibly obvious externally.
For safety reasons, she fled her home and rented a room in Xili village. In November, she filed for divorce litigation at Luohu Court. "I myself was also hesitant; my son is only seven years old and should have a complete family. Under the persuasion of the Zhang family, I withdrew the lawsuit," Ms. Chen said. After withdrawing the lawsuit, she moved back home for a few days. In December, she was subjected to violence again for refusing to sign an unfair divorce agreement and fled once more, spending the 2012 Spring Festival alone in her rented apartment.
On the afternoon of January 29, she returned home to see her child and was beaten and driven out by Mr. Zhang.
Mr. Zhang: This Is Slander
On the evening of January 30, the reporter followed Ms. Chen and Xiao Xing's younger brother, Xiao Wei, to his home, where Xiao Wei knocked on the door. Surprisingly, after Xiao Wei called out, Mr. Zhang reported it to the police, claiming there was a strange man standing at the door threatening him, making him feel very scared. When the police arrived, realizing it was a domestic dispute, they could only offer advice. Mr. Zhang outright denied knowing Xiao Wei.
Mr. Zhang's elderly mother spoke in Shaanxi dialect, expressing her dislike for Ms. Chen, saying she was always away from home day and night, barely taking care of the child after giving birth. Then she grabbed Xiao Wei's leg, claiming she was frightened.
"Baloney!" When the reporter questioned the barely open door where Mr. Zhang peeked out, he responded with those words. He then claimed, "There is no such thing (affair with wife's niece)," "It has nothing to do with her," "Judging by logic, this is slanderous nonsense aimed at getting more of my property." The reporter asked if he completely denied what Ms. Chen had said, and Mr. Zhang replied, "Not entirely, there hasn't been a face-to-face confrontation, and she has no evidence."
The reporter also saw Mr. Zhang's defense statement from the November 2011 divorce case. In the defense statement, he denied the first affair with Mei and even denied that Xiao Xing was Ms. Chen's niece, saying, "This person is actually non-existent!" There was no such person in his family members, completely fabricated by Ms. Chen. The related evidence presented by Ms. Chen was questionable in terms of legality and authenticity. In response to Mr. Zhang's denial, Ms. Chen showed the reporter numerous photos she kept of her husband and Xiao Xing traveling to Hainan. From the photos, the two appeared intimate, indicating an extraordinary relationship. However, Ms. Chen said that although her niece's household registration was transferred to her husband's side, she had evidence proving Xiao Xing was indeed her niece. Moreover, for the previous lawsuit, she obtained witness testimonies from relatives within the family. In the defense statement, Mr. Zhang also denied committing domestic violence, but security guards and neighbors in the neighborhood testified that Mr. Zhang had indeed beaten Ms. Chen.
"Uncle-in-law turned into brother-in-law, sister has disgraced our entire family," Xiao Wei said. Xiao Wei dialed Xiao Xing's phone in front of the reporter, but the call was hung up when asked about her whereabouts. After Xiao Wei dialed again, he could only say on behalf of the entire family that they wanted to cut off relations with her because relatives back home knew about this matter, leaving the whole family ashamed. He would support his aunt and testify in court.
Divorce Is Easy, Property Division Is Hard
"I am utterly heartbroken with him," Ms. Chen said. Last December, Mr. Zhang proposed giving Ms. Chen a maximum of 400,000 yuan to solve the housing problem, with custody of the child going to Mr. Zhang, no division of the property, waiting until their son turns 18 to give it to him. Ms. Chen said that the house belonged to both of them, currently worth more than 1.7 million yuan, and should be evenly divided.
In an email and defense statement given to Ms. Chen, Mr. Zhang explained the root cause of their issues, stating the large difference in educational levels caused their thoughts and views to differ too greatly, leading to a gradual estrangement in their feelings. Ms. Chen handled family problems in a simple and brutal manner, resorting to calling the police whenever conflicts arose, resulting in the breakdown of the family. Ms. Chen admitted to some neglect of her child while working in Longhua but maintained that the main issue stemmed from her husband's infidelity, especially this time involving her own niece as the third party. If she forgave him again, she would face repeated harm. Regarding the second divorce lawsuit, Ms. Chen hopes the court can handle it fairly, "This marriage can be considered over."