Two men in China rose to fame after leaving their wives to move in together and posting videos of their family life

BEIJING: Two men in China became famous as “divorced partners” when they started living together after separating from their wives.

The duo Liu Yi and Zhang Shuo, who are 12 years apart, met last year on the Chinese reality show See You Again.

The show explored marital crises by following three couples as they re-evaluated their relationships and made final decisions about their future.

During the show, Zhang gained a negative reputation for his selfish behavior as he consistently neglected the needs of his wife, Wang Shuishui, especially when she was unwell.

However, Liu, whose ex-wife is the famous debater and writer Fu Shouer, gained more sympathy.

Throughout their marriage, Fu was seen as the dominant figure. Liu sacrificed his career to move to Shanghai to support her and take care of their son, but as Fu’s fame grew, she began to see him as unmotivated.

Although Liu and Zhang had limited interactions during the show, their bond strengthened when they both became single in the aftermath.

Their platonic friendship sparked some hilarious speculation among netizens, with one user asking if they were really just friends. -Weixin

Eventually, Zhang moved to Shanghai to live with Liu. They began documenting their daily lives on social media, quickly gaining the nickname “divorce duo” among Internet users.

Many videos feature the two men exploring restaurants together, and on one occasion they drove 50 km from Shanghai to Kunshan to dine at a famous noodle shop.

Under the influence of Zhang, Liu, who had no interest in cooking before, began to learn how to prepare meals.

Their platonic friendship sparked humorous gossip among Internet users, with one person commenting: “Are you sure you’re not together?”

Since partnering with Liu, public sentiment towards Zhang has improved significantly, prompting him to say, “Liu Yi is the best plastic surgery I could have hoped for.”

Although Liu is 12 years older than Zhang, they told online news site New Rank that they have not encountered any conflicts because they both have a laid-back approach and do not have high expectations of each other.

Moreover, their shared passion for singing made their relationship even stronger.

Inspired by Zhang Liu (above), who had no previous interest in cooking, he began learning how to prepare meals. -Weixin

In the popular video, Liu passionately sings Faye Wong’s song “I’m Willing” while Zhang plays the guitar. This video has received 34,000 likes on Douyin.

On September 8, they even invited Liu’s ex-wife to join a live broadcast on Xiaohongshu, which attracted over 920,000 viewers.

During the live broadcast, Fu maintained her sharp and direct personality, bluntly telling Liu that the clothes he was wearing made his legs look short.

She added: “When we were together, we didn’t flatter each other, so there’s no need to change that now that we’re divorced.”

Some viewers jokingly commented that they resembled a “family of three”.

Liu and Zhang’s lifestyle has become a popular topic of discussion on the Internet.

“Liu and Zhang make a great couple. It’s amazing how fate brought them together!” one person said.

Another added: “Zhang Shuo is truly someone special – he was terrible to his wife during their marriage, but now, after their divorce and as a friend, he has become a better person. Maybe it just takes the right person to build a good relationship!” – Morning mail from southern China