BEIJING, Nov 29 — A Chinese man has become a social media laughingstock after spending over 4 million yuan (RM2.5 million) tipping a live streaming host just to hear her call him “brother”.
Running on empty financially, he survived on plain steamed buns.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the man, identified only as Hong, from Ningbo in Zhejiang province had earlier this year developed a fixation on live streaming, in particular, a female host and directed vast sums of money to her. The host’s identity was not disclosed.
After depleting his family’s savings, they restricted his access to funds.
Undeterred, he turned to theft, exploiting his job in the hardware trade by stealing copper materials during deliveries.
From May to October, Hong stole copper and sold it to recycling stations, amassing around 2.3 million yuan, which he then funnelled entirely into tipping the live-streamer to boost her rankings.
His crimes came to light when the factory reported missing copper to police, prompting an investigation.
Confronted with evidence linking his finances to unexplained income and large expenditures on the streaming platform, Hong confessed to over 40 thefts.
“I didn’t want to meet her; I just wanted to hear her call me ‘brother’,” he was quoted as saying.
SCMP reported that the man’s actions have shocked many, with some mocking his choices.
One online user quipped, “Four million yuan for a single word, ‘Brother’? Maybe he should see a psychiatrist.”
Another joked, “If you just want to hear it, why not record it and play it on repeat?”
Authorities have since recovered over 1 million yuan, which has been returned to the factory. Hong now faces charges of theft.
The case highlights China’s booming live streaming industry, where virtual gifts and donations have created lucrative opportunities for key opinion leaders (KOLs).
As reported by SCMP, iResearch has stated that the market was worth 140 billion yuan in 2019 and it is expected to hit 417 billion yuan by next year.
