A man in China deliberately crashed his car into his girlfriend and her father in a misguided attempt to save their relationship, shocking many people on social media.

The man, surnamed Rao, from southern China’s Guangdong province, staged the collision because he thought it would help him win back her love and get him out of repaying the 1mil yuan (US$140,000) he owed her, Chinese media outlet Hongxing News reported on July 23.

The woman, surnamed Ke, who is in her 20s, is 14 years younger than Rao.

She dated him for four years and became engaged to him despite finding out he had cheated on her.

Ke had loaned nearly a million yuan to Rao to support his car dealing business, and wanted the money back.

Rao refused to break up, and threatened to not pay back the loan if they did. Ke fled to stay with a relative in another city.

A few days later, Rao said he would sell his shop, cars and flat, and return the money.

He then invited Ke to return and discuss the details with him.

On Nov 28, last year, Ke and her father were on their way to Rao’s for their meeting, when a car suddenly hit their electric bike.

Ke was slightly injured, but her father suffered serious injuries that needed surgery.

The driver, surnamed Xiao, was very cooperative, helping them contact the ambulance and the police.

A distraught Ke made several calls to ask Rao for help but he did not answer immediately. When he finally did, he told Ke he had been sleeping, but would rush straight to her.

At the hospital he gave Ke and her father the most considerate care, and even paid for their treatment.

Ke said she was deeply moved, but when she tried to contact him again, he had disappeared.

It was then that Ke learned from the insurance company that they could not be reimbursed because the accident was a criminal case, and Rao was behind it.

The police told her it was Rao who was driving the car, which he had rented with his friend Xiao. After he had hit Ke and her father, he hid in the back seat and let Xiao deal with them.

Rao deliberately ignored Ke’s calls to make it look as though he knew nothing about the accident.

Ke said she regretted trusting Rao, especially because of the pain her father suffered.

According to China’s Criminal Law, causing such serious injuries can lead to a jail term of three to 10 years.

The public prosecutor has applied for sentences of three years and two months for Rao and one year and 10 months for Xiao, taking into consideration that they were cooperative and confessed to their crime.

“This is not a car accident, but an intentional attempted killing,” one person commented on Douyin.

“The case is more dramatic than a television drama,” another said.

 - SCMP