Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The hottest scandal in China of late has undoubtedly been the case of director Wang Quan'an. Beijing police confirmed on September 15 that the 48-year-old Wang had hired sex workers, which is illegal in China, between September 8 and 10.

Many netizens said they were confused about Wang's actions, since his wife, actress Zhang Yuqi, is both charming and "sexy."

Some even blamed his visits on Zhang, who they accused of "sexual apathy."

A lot of people believe men's loyalty is proportional to their partner's looks. But the casual relationship is not clear. According to US surveys, between 15 and 20 percent of US men have paid for sex at least once.

As to the reasons, it varies from sex-starvation or excitement-seeking to pressure-releasing and escapism. Some also claim that they need this kind of natural and simple catharsis, which can inspire them in every aspect, including work and family life.

Sometimes it simply comes from desire, which we all experience, whether for money, power, food, or sex.

This was touchingly depicted in the American film Don Jon (2013), where Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a sex addict who finds more pleasure in satisfying himself to Internet pornography than in his relationship with a beautiful woman.

The vast majority of people have a desire for sex on occasion, but for most people, desire can be suppressed by ethics or responsibility, while for others lust surpasses morals.

Of course, different ways of releasing this desire lead to different consequences, of which betraying our partners might be the worst.

Back to Wang's case, it seems that this scandal now makes him lose fame and reputation.

However, he is not the only celebrity to be detained under suspicion of frequenting sex workers this year.

Actor Huang Haibo was caught in May and was later given a six-month detention and re-education punishment.

Now it even seems a common occurrence that celebrities are exposed for a variety of crimes such as drug abuse, tax evasion, drunk driving and prostitution. This harms both the stars' reputation and social morality.

When such things occur, there are always uproar from the public.

Among these voices, for a tax-evader we never say that the tax is too high for him to afford, and for a drug addict we never complain real life is too plain for him to enjoy.

In Wang's prostitution case, however, malicious slander about his wife is all over the place.

But shouldn't the focus be on holding up this awful example rather than finding implausible and untenable excuses? Prostitution is still a crime in China, and betraying your partner is a terrible thing to do.

In other words, this is a law-breaking behavior that shows no respect for Wang's spouse and no consideration of society. It is nothing more than meeting a temporary desire.

I don't know and even don't care about the hidden story between Wang and Zhang. But as a wife and as a woman, when Zhang faces the criticism and booing, it must be embarrassing and painful for her. After all, no excuse can explain degenerate behavior like his. Zhang shouldn't be dragged in to share the shame and burden.

The author is a freelance writer based in Shenzhen. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn