Sun’s lawyer Zhang Qihuai, said on Thursday evening that a court in Xi’an had accepted the case and Sun had applied for asset preservation, a legal measure intended to prevent assets involved in a dispute from being transferred or disposed of, according to Chinese news outlet Sina.

He described the money as a betrothal gift made by Sun’s family to Jing’s family as the couple discussed marriage. Sun and Jing dated for about seven months and had discussed getting married before separating earlier this year, according to Zhang. No hearing date has been announced.

The dispute became public Thursday when Sun posted a lengthy account titled “My Girlfriend Jing Tian” on X, describing their relationship and plans for marriage and children.

He…