Taiwanese television host Kid Lin and his wife Rita recently held their wedding banquet at a five-star hotel, where he spoke about an expensive gift he received from a friend.
Speaking to reporters on site, Lin, 39, revealed that he had received an ang pow containing NT$1mil (RM146,519) from renowned television presenter Jacky Wu.
Admitting that he thought Wu was playing a practical joke on him at first, Lin said: “I was afraid it would be a blank cheque but Jacky really lived up to his word. He really gave me NT$1mil!”
Lin joked that he even rushed to the bank the day after to bank in the cheque. He also said that he did research on how to cash in such large sums of cash.
When asked if he thought about returning the money to Wu, Lin responded: “No! I wasted no time locking it in the safe in my hotel room.”
According to Wu, 61, the wedding ang pow given to Lin was the second largest sum he’s ever gifted anyone; the first was for a family member.
Earlier in February, Wu revealed that he had become a grandfather for the first time and said he would gift his second daughter Vivian an ang pow of NT$2mil (RM283,000) if she gave birth to a girl.
Wu had a humble start – working part-time at a petrol station where he was paid NT$25 an hour.
He entered the entertainment industry at 15 and later went on to become a successful celebrity in Taiwan.
Wu is said to be one of the richest entertainers in Taiwan. It is reported that he made NT$88mil (RM12.9mil) in 2020 from hosting alone.