Netizens are questioning a young woman's intents after she applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on an unconscious grubby-looking man in China.
Chinese web users are now in a heated discussion as to whether she was really selfless or staged the whole scene to gain fame.
The incident occurred when a man who looked like a beggar suddenly 'fainted' in front of a building in Tongzhou district, Beijing, reported the Orient Today newspaper yesterday.
Two young women who came out from the building went to his aid, with one of them performing CPR.
The stylishly-dressed woman pressed on his chest and put her mouth to his.
A video of their rescue was posted on the Internet, together with photographs.
In the past, China has had a spate of incidents where good Samaritans were accused by the people they helped and made to pay compensation.
According to The Straits Times, blogger Liang Shichuan said cynicism is the wrong response regardless whether the incident is fake or real.
He raised the example of Yue Yue - the little girl who was ignored by passers-by after being run over multiple times - as a lesson.
Another woman at the scene reportedly said that "applying CPR to a beggar is an 'unwomanly' act".
Raising questions
A netizen was quoted by the Global Times as saying that the rescue was too fake as she did not believe a young woman would use mouth-to-mouth to help a beggar.
The beggar's looks were also called into question.
Microblogger Dongpandeng said on Sina Weibo that "the beggar looks young and handsome, and his skin is too good."
Past incidents
Recently, a man was accused of being a Peeping Tom after he went to the aid of a girl who was allegedly being raped.
Later, netizens said that the rescuer was a pervert who was too engrossed in the victim's daily life and that he managed to spot the robbery-cum-rape attempt only because of his habitual peeping.
In another incident, at least 10 people walked past a man who was molesting a drunk woman on a street in Shanghai.
According to online reports, no one stopped the man or informed the authorities.
In Nov 2006, an elderly woman who stumbled and fell while jostling with others to board a bus turned around and accused a man who had helped her of causing her fall.
She also sued him.
To make matters worse, the judge supported her, saying common sense dictated that only the person responsible for the act would offer a helping hand.
The verdict led to an uproar over warped legal outcomes.
