photo: web

A catering chain from Japan has won the hearts of Chinese customers after one of its employees bravely stopped a drug-facilitated sexual assault in one of the popular chain's restaurants.

Comments and likes poured in on the official Weibo account of Japanese hotpot brand On-Yasi, after one staff member of its branch in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, took action to prevent a female customer from drinking a glass of drink drugged by her male dining partner. 

"Thank you for being so kind and brave, I suddenly feel that the world is not so indifferent," an internet user known as liaozaoxiaoxiongbao commented under the official Weibo account of the company. 

"Please give bonuses to the waiter and manager to reward them for their kindness," said another internet user known as songzijiang. 

The restaurant kept a low profile and remained humble when approached by the Global Times on Thursday.

"We don't see it as an incredible act of bravery, but instead something we should do," an employee in the company's public relations department told the Global Times, adding that the company has internally rewarded the employee, and it has seen more customers recently due to the employee's responsible actions.

The employee was also awarded with 3,000 yuan ($428) by the shopping mall in which the restaurant operates, according to media reports. 

The person suspected of drugging the young woman's drink, which caught the attention of many internet users earlier this week, is currently under criminal detention on suspicion of committing attempted sexual assault, according to a statement issued by Shenzhen police on Wednesday.

The suspect, surnamed Zhao, acknowledged it was a wrong decision to slip drugs into his partner's drink and apologized to the woman in a video.  

The incident took place on July 4 when Zhao invited a woman, surnamed Zhu, to dine in an On-Yasai store in Shenzhen, before deciding to slip "white powder" into her drink while she was away from the table. Zhao's actions were spotted by an employee of the restaurant, who took the drink away and informed Zhu of her partner's misconduct. Police were called after the incident occurred.

According to the police investigation, Zhao, 23, and Zhu, 22, got to know each at a social gathering and have been communicating online. Zhao admitted that he tried to have Zhu drink the drugged beverage for his own pleasure. He claimed the powder was purchased while he was studying abroad.