Jungle villa at St. Regis Vommuli. [Photo by Wong Chiu Man and Zhao Xu/provided to China Daily]

The couple plans to migrate to Australia, where Fan can do scuba diving and more.

"For me the Maldives is a free long holiday; too long I'm afraid."

For Cui, who has an older brother, the pressure is mounting.

"When I first left China, in April 2013, I promised my parents that I would return within two years, a promise that has been broken."

She went back to her home in Henan province, central China, and stayed for about three months between May and August last year. Her father underwent a minor operation.

"One thing that's constantly on my mind is my parents' medical expenses－they are OK now but there may come a day when they need costly treatment. I've seen people left untreated for financial reasons. And I decided that this is not going to happen to my parents."