What will divorce cost him?

The answer is at least half of his assets, including shares in his company, bank savings and property. And, if his wife manages to prove that Wang is seriously at fault for their marriage break-up, she might be able to get even more.

"It depends on the wishes of his wife," said Cao Cheng, a senior matrimonial lawyer with the Beijing Yingke Law Firm, who has more than six years of experience in matrimonial cases.

"If Wang chose to elope, it means he wanted to escape from the marriage at once. Getting divorced must be what he is longing for. But if the majority of their property is in his wife's name, she doesn't have a financial incentive to get divorced. She might think that the longer the marriage continues, the more Wang will suffer.