The 29-year-old man, identified only by his surname Liu, allegedly fled the restaurant in China’s Zhejiang province when presented with the bill for 20,000 yuan (around €2,600 or £2,200), NextShark reports.

The bill was particularly high as the 23 relatives reportedly ordered expensive cigarettes and premium alcoholic drinks.

The woman, known by her surname Zhang, settled the bill in Liu’s absence but later asked her date to pay up. However, Liu said he would only pay around 4,000 yuan (around €520 or £450) towards the meal.

Zhang subsequently filed a lawsuit in a local court, which subsequently ruled in Liu’s favour, finding that he only had to pay around 1,400 yuan (€180 or £160) to cover the cost of his and her meal.

The bizarre incident has been widely discussed in Chinese social media.