Online dating is a cold world sometimes. You think you made a love connection after a few chats and snaps, and you buy plane tickets to meet your bae but something goes wrong. This is what happened to Alex Cirk of the Netherlands, who started an online relationship with a 26 year-old Chinese woman named Zhang.
They got close online so he flew 4,500 miles to China to finally meet her in person, but after 10 days of waiting at the airport she did not show up. Waiting 10 days in the airport took it’s toll on Alex, and he had to be hospitalized before he could fly back home to the Netherlands.
CCTVNews has more details:
Alexander Pieter Cirk met a Chinese woman surnamed Zhang two months ago on a social networking app and quickly fell in love. Like many who meet on the Internet and get to know each other, the 41-year-old continued to chat with the 26-year-old: despite being 4,500 kilometers away and the six-hour time difference, their romance blossomed.
Cirk was so in love that he decided to fly to Changsha in central China’s Hunan Province to meet Zhang. However, when he landed, there was no one to welcome him in the arrival area. Zhang was a no show. But Cirk waited. He waited for 10 days hoping his girlfriend would show up, just like she had promised. In photos that circulated online, the Dutch man was seen resting on an airport chair. In another set of photos taken days later, he looked frail. He was later rushed to the hospital.
The story went viral in China and news media tracked down Zhang to find out why she didn’t show up. Here is what she said:
“We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous toward me,” Zhang said. “One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly, and I thought it was a joke. He didn’t contact me later.” And when Cirk did contact after landing at the airport, Zhang was switched off.
She said she had signed up for a plastic surgery in another city and couldn’t see Cirk’s messages after he arrived in China. Zhang also told the TV channel that she would meet Cirk after her recovery and that she is still interested in maintaining their relationship.
Zhang put together a couple of excuses that are less than believable, but I am sure Alex will be happy to hear she still wants to maintain the relationship. Once you put in that type of dedication, you have see it through to the end right? Maybe next time he will fly her to the Netherlands instead.
Flip the page to see the photos of Alex looking sick while waiting in the airport.