Reality TV rarely produces genuine moments of sociological interest, but when it does, the results can be fascinating. Enter Mai Lin from season 4 of Chinese divorce reality show See You Again, whose behavior has inadvertently turned her appearance on the show into a masterclass in contemporary social discourse.

What makes this case particularly intriguing isn’t just the viral moments — though there are plenty, from the now-infamous “Smoked Chicken Incident” to the philosophical question “Do I deserve a cup of coffee?” — but rather how Mai Lin has sparked nationwide discussions about relationship dynamics, narcissistic behavior patterns, and emotional manipulation in modern marriages.

See You Again’s premise is simple yet compelling: three couples in the “cooling-off” period before divorce take an 18-day journey together. (Married couples wishing to get divorced in China must wait 30 days before formalizing their split.) But Mai Lin’s interactions with her husband, singer Li Hangliang, have transcended mere entertainment to become cultural touchstones. Her behavior has been so impactful that it spawned its own field of study, dubbed “Mai Studies” (麦学 mài xué) by Chinese netizens.

The real sociological value of Mai Lin’s appearance on the show lies in how her actions have catalyzed discussions about deeper issues. The infamous “Smoked Chicken Incident” perfectly exemplifies this. 

As the designated tour guide for one day of a group excursion, Mai Lin was initially extremely frugal with the group’s shared budget, micromanaging others’ spending and chiding them for “unnecessary” purchases. However, when another contestant took over as tour guide the next day, Mai Lin’s behavior took a dramatic turn. Despite the group having already spent most of their daily allowance on dinner reservations (over 600 RMB), she suddenly insisted on buying two expensive smoked chickens (70 RMB each). When questioned about this contradiction, she justified her actions by claiming they could eat the chickens as a late-night snack, then for lunch and even dinner the next day — all while laughing about depleting the group’s funds. 

What made this incident particularly striking was her response when confronted: she deflected criticism by bringing up how another contestant’s husband bought cigarettes during her turn as guide, displaying a pattern of selective memory and manipulative argumentation that viewers found disturbingly familiar, reminding some online commenters of abusive individuals in their own lives. The incident became a metaphor for broader discussions about financial responsibility, double standards, and manipulative behavior in relationships.

Similarly, her seemingly innocent question in another episode, “Am I good enough for a cup of coffee?” (“我配拥有一杯咖啡吗?”) while her husband Li Hangliang heads out to get groceries, revealed layers of passive aggression and emotional manipulation that resonated with viewers, who recognized these subtle tactics of self-victimization and guilt-tripping from their own experiences.

What’s particularly noteworthy is how this has evolved beyond mere celebrity gossip. Chinese social media users have meticulously analyzed Mai Lin’s communication patterns, creating a virtual case study in relationship psychology. The term “Mai Studies” isn’t just clever wordplay — it represents a grassroots effort to understand and identify potentially problematic relationship behaviors.

See You Again has inadvertently become a mirror reflecting contemporary Chinese society’s evolving views on marriage, divorce, and mental health.

In an ironic twist, a show designed to document the end of marriages has unexpectedly become a relationship survival guide — albeit through negative examples. Viewers across Chinese social media have quipped that watching Mai Lin’s behavior has become an unconventional form of couples therapy, helping them identify toxic communication patterns in their own relationships and, surprisingly, strengthening their marriages. 

Each episode has generated multiple trending topics, with viewers dissecting everything from Mai Lin’s argument style to her interactions with other cast members, particularly the telling reactions from fellow contestants Huang Shengyi (a rival) and Ge Xi (a defender of Mai Lin’s).

Whether this leads to lasting social change remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Mai Lin’s appearance on See You Again has done more than generate buzzwords. It has opened up crucial conversations about relationship patterns that might otherwise have remained unaddressed in Chinese society.