TVBS anchorwoman Kelly Hsueh (
In what has been dubbed in the Chinese-language media as "sugar daddy and gold digger" story, Japan-based painter Yao Hsu-teng (
PHOTO: ETTODAY.COM
With the help of his long-time friend, also a TVBS anchorwoman, the businessman came to know Hsueh.
"Because we all had a good time during the first meeting over coffee, my Japanese friend told me he wanted to visit Hsueh again," Yao was quoted in the report as saying from Tokyo.
In a bid to protect his friend's privacy, Yao refused to disclose his name, saying only that his friend is well-known in Japanese financial circles and his hobby is collecting famous paintings.
When the two paid a second visit to Taipei on Sept. 10, Hsueh joined them at the coffee house of the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei. The businessman gave Hsueh a pink pearl necklace worth NT$600,000 as a gift and ?100,000 (US$810) in cash for her to fly to Japan.
"She received the two gifts and put them in her purse on the spot," Yao said in the report.
After the gathering, Hsueh suggested that she and the businessman go for a walk before she led the businessman to the fashion shops inside the hotel.
Yao said that within an hour Hsueh had bought a diamond watch for NT$1.24 million and some brand-name purses and clothing costing more than NT$600,000, all of which were put on the businessman's credit card.
"They haven't even held hands. How could she spend my friend's money like that?" Yao was quoted as saying in the media reports.
The businessman refused to make a fuss about it but Yao said he felt obliged to get the money back for his friend.
Under Yao's insistence, Hsueh returned the Chanel watch to the shop.
"He [the businessman] said it's like paying money to learn a valuable experience," Yao said, referring to the pearl necklace, purses and clothes, which his friend did not ask Hsueh to return.
Faced with the scandal, which has dealt a blow to Hsueh's image, TVBS executives said only that the company would not interfere with her personal business.
An anonymous source quoted in the report said Hsueh described the businessman as a "womanizer."
"While they were shopping, the man kept mentioning the word `hotel,' making her feel uncomfortable," the media report said.
Hsueh, who started at TVBS two years ago and is known for her sweet look, issued a statement last night to clarify her position.
Hsueh said the public should not automatically believe Yao's allegations since he was not present when she and the businessman went shopping.
"As we [Hsueh and the businessman] went out together, he tried several times to touch my hand and buttocks but I refused him," Hsueh said in the statement.
"I must clarify that I've never said, `I want to see if he is really rich,' as Yao told the media," she said.
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