Justin Sun, the crypto entrepreneur who once paid $4.57 million for Warren Buffett’s charity lunch, has triggered a public dispute after publishing a long post titled My Girlfriend Jing Tian. In it, Sun alleged that he had been in a relationship with Chinese actress Jing Tian and that the two eventually split over surrogacy and financial arrangements.
Sun says the relationship later moved into a surrogacy plan in the U.S.
According to Sun’s account, his interest in Jing dated back to 2007, when he was living in a dormitory at Peking University. He wrote that he first saw a photo of Jing that year, tried to add her on Xiaonei, and kept her photos for more than a decade, moving them from phone to phone until the two eventually met and started dating.
Sun wrote that the relationship quickly became strained after it began. He said that about three months into the relationship, he privately had Jing, her family, her assets and her past relationships investigated, and that the findings were compiled into a report of more than 40 pages. He described himself as appearing obedient in the relationship while not believing “a single word.”
He also included a series of personal anecdotes. Sun said that when the two wanted to watch Zootopia 2 and Jing wanted a private screening, he handed cash to 26 ticket holders at the cinema and asked them to leave. He also wrote that Jing was highly sensitive to light while sleeping, and that 11 assistants traveling with them used black tape each day to cover windows, indicator lights and other sources of light in hotel rooms.
Sun further claimed that during their first more intimate physical contact, his sharp fingernails made Jing uncomfortable, and she spent nearly an hour filing all 10 of his fingernails before allowing them to continue. In another episode, he wrote, Jing asked him to call her “mom,” and he said he did so.
Sun says he transferred about RMB 30 million and later discussed surrogacy in California
Sun said the two at one point moved toward marriage. He wrote that Jing cited the difficulty of her parents’ years of raising her and made related requests, after which he transferred about RMB 30 million into accounts tied to her parents. He also wrote that Jing explicitly asked him not to mention “a certain athlete,” a reference the report identified as likely pointing to table tennis player Zhang Jike, described there as Jing’s former boyfriend. Sun also wrote that a tattoo on Jing’s back was connected to that past relationship.
The post also said Jing spoke about what she described as “set couples” in the entertainment industry, where some actors develop brief intimate relationships while filming, then act as if nothing happened after production wraps.
Sun wrote that the relationship later progressed to discussions about having a child and that the two decided to use a surrogacy arrangement in California. He said they had already found a 34-year-old surrogate mother with two children, and that medical arrangements including ovarian stimulation injections had been prepared. He also said he booked an entire floor of a luxury hotel for 30 days, with lodging costs of about $1 million.
Sun said the plan collapsed on the eighth day of the stay. According to his account, Jing demanded a final condition: pay $50 million first, and only then would she proceed with egg retrieval. Sun wrote that he then opened Claude Code, organized and calculated his personal assets, and reassessed what a $50 million payment would mean for his finances. He said the payment was within his means, but the AI tool advised him not to pay, and that this recommendation pushed him to refuse.
He said that in the final key phone call, Jing asked about the $50 million again. After around 11 seconds of silence, he did not agree. He wrote that Jing replied, “Okay, I understand,” and hung up. Sun said the relationship then broke down completely. He also claimed he was left with unused hotel stays, surrogacy deposits, unopened ovarian stimulation injections, and costs tied to private jet parking and fuel.
Lawyer says a lawsuit has been filed; Jing responds publicly
On the same day Sun published the post, his lawyer Zhang Qihuai confirmed publicly that he had formally sued Jing Tian and her parents over property-related issues. Sun’s side argues that the money involved should be treated as a betrothal gift paid for the purpose of marriage and should be returned because the marriage was never concluded.
The case is now in judicial proceedings. Jing’s side has already raised an objection over jurisdiction.
After Sun disclosed a large number of private details, Jing broke her silence the next day on Weibo. She wrote: “In the past, now, and in the future, I will not sell my love for money, nor will I sell my soul.” She added that she still believes in law, kindness, and the justice and fairness that will eventually arrive.
Sun softens his tone on Aug. 29, and CZ comments
On Aug. 29, Sun published another article. Unlike the earlier post, which went into extensive detail about the relationship, this one was noticeably milder in tone. He wrote: “The sound of turning off the lights startled Ms. Jing. That was not my intention.” He also said, “I hope she is well,” and, “May the days ahead for her have nothing to do with these words.”
Sun said the case had entered judicial proceedings and that he would respect the court, the process and all of the other party’s rights, and accept the outcome regardless of what it is.
The dispute also drew a comment from Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, or CZ. Zhao said: “Aggressive marketing is one thing, but using it to turn into personal attacks, and even harming someone’s future career development, is unnecessary. Going straight to court is better than disclosing unnecessary details.”
Sun replied soon after: “Thanks CZ, you’re right. Mutual respect, proper resolution, and leave the rest to the court. I won’t say more.”