Justin Sun is suing to recover a $4.5 million bride fee from his ex-girlfriend Jing Tian’s family after their relationship collapsed.
Sun, 36, the cryptocurrency billionaire behind blockchain company Tron, reportedly transferred roughly 30 million yuan to Tian’s parents as part of a traditional Chinese engagement arrangement. The payment, known as a bride fee, was made with marriage as the understood goal, according to a written response Sun provided to the Wall Street Journal through his lawyer. “We dated with marriage in mind,” reports said in that response.
The relationship’s unraveling took an unusual turn when Tian allegedly demanded that Sun register a Hong Kong property in her name and transfer her $50 million. This request was reportedly connected to plans for the couple to have a child through surrogacy. Sun consulted an AI chatbot about whether to proceed with the $50 million transfer, and when the artificial intelligence advised against it, the couple separated and lost contact.
Sun initially shared details of the relationship in an X post titled “My Girlfriend Jian Tian,” where he described having a crush on her since college and disclosed the $4.5 million bride fee payment. He later claimed the post was “completely fictional,” adding that “any resemblance to actual events or persons is purely coincidental.” Despite this disavowal, a lawsuit seeking the return of the money has been filed and a court has agreed to hear it.
Tian, an actress known for roles in “The Great Wall,” “Kong: Skull Island,” and “Pacific Rim Uprising,” responded to the swirling scandal with a social media post of her own. She conceded that she has “poor judgement in men and insufficient wisdom,” She continued: “I would never trade love or her soul for money,” She added that “time will prove everything.”
The scandal spread widely across Chinese social media, though questions have persisted about whether the entire episode might be fabricated or exaggerated for attention. The lawsuit’s existence suggests at least some factual foundation to the dispute, regardless of Sun’s later claims about fiction.
Sun has hired celebrity lawyer Zhang Qihuai to handle the case. Zhang has clarified that the lawsuit focuses solely on the bride price question and makes no mention of the surrogacy allegations or the $50 million demand. The case has not yet had a major court hearing.
The breakup’s unusual details — particularly the AI consultation that helped end an engagement involving millions in promised payments — have fueled intense online speculation. Whether the court will order return of the bride fee remains unresolved as the case moves through preliminary stages.