Recently, in Henan province, a woman was sentenced to publicly apologize for 15 days by the court for exposing her husband’s infidelity on the internet. However, her apology video was restricted from being shared, and official media criticized her behavior as illegal, which sparked outrage among netizens.
From January 12th to 16th, Niu Na, a woman from Sanmenxia, Henan, posted apology videos to her unfaithful husband under the account “Na Jie Chongsheng” on social media platforms for five consecutive days.
In the videos, Niu Na introduced her husband Gao Fei, who serves as the Party branch secretary of the Gengcun Coal Mine Electromechanical Team in Sanmenxia City, Henan. He had been having an extramarital affair with a married female colleague from their unit for five years. Niu Na exposed their names, workplaces, and evidence of their affair on social media, leading to her husband suing her for defamation. The court ultimately ruled that her actions infringed on his reputation.
According to the court verdict, Niu Na did not seek a legal solution to their marital issues through proper channels but instead used public platforms to make insulting and aggressive remarks in the form of text and videos. Therefore, she was ordered to publicly apologize to her husband for 15 days.
Subsequently, Niu Na continued to release videos apologizing to Gao Fei, including consumption records of items he purchased for his mistress Han Run, the court verdict, and the previously published infringing content. She sarcastically commented on her husband satisfying the material and physiological needs of the staff and claiming they were in a true love relationship.
Niu Na’s apology videos garnered widespread attention and comments from netizens, with likes on a single video exceeding 800,000 within five days. Currently, her account has over 400,000 followers.
Many netizens criticized the unfairness of the court ruling: “What kind of world is this? Adulterers dare to sue for protection?” “Shouldn’t those who cheat be subject to moral and reputational repercussions?” “I can’t understand why she is the one apologizing for her husband’s infidelity and abuse?”
Some users made jokes: “This time Gao Fei, Han Run, and Niu Na are trending across the internet.” “Originally only colleagues and friends from work knew, now the whole country does too. Gao Fei won the lawsuit, but he lost miserably.”
Some netizens expressed concerns that her husband might not see the apology and suggested publishing it on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, local newspapers simultaneously. “If Gao Fei doesn’t use Douyin, this apology will be ineffective. It is advisable to publish the apology on social media platforms and local newspapers, or even on the unit’s newspaper to ensure Gao Fei sees it.”
On January 17th, Niu Na stated in a video that her fifth day (16th) of the apology video had been released but was not visible, and her Douyin account had been restricted, saying she was “confined to a small dark room for a month.”
In response to Niu Na’s apology, the “Beijing News” published a commentary criticizing her behavior, claiming that her actions turned an apology into punishment. Additionally, several mainland media outlets quoted lawyers stating that Niu Na’s actions may constitute a second infringement and be illegal.
In light of this, netizens questioned, “According to the court’s ruling, it is legal for Na Jie to apologize to specific individuals. Why is it considered illegal here?” “Who is being overly sensitive to the exposure of infidelity? Is there anyone from the Beijing News involved in an affair?”
Some netizens criticized official media, saying, “They are doing immoral things and still accusing others of being immoral.” “They just want good people to accept their fate and give up resistance so they can manipulate us.”
Facing public pressure, Gao Fei’s workplace, Gengcun Coal Mine, released an announcement on its official WeChat account on the 17th, stating that they were aware of the information related to Gao Fei, and a task force had been set up. On December 5, 2025, Gao Fei received disciplinary action from the party, and he is currently suspended pending investigation, with further actions to be taken based on the investigation results.
According to public records, Gengcun Coal Mine is a state-owned enterprise under Henan Dayou Energy Co., Ltd., a state-controlled publicly traded company. Recently, the stock of Henan Dayou Energy Co., Ltd. experienced a significant decline, which is believed to be related to this incident.