Why did this guy hide it? Would you do the same?

I know a white guy who became fluent in Chinese mandarin and did missionary work in China and joined a Chinese mandarin Christian group that did not speak a word of English and he later tried to date a Chinese speaking woman. When she rejected him, he totally renounced his Chinese and would get upset with me every time I praised him for being able to speak my language and I can understand that cause I want to learn Spanish but would never want a Spanish person to know I’m trying to learn their language, cause I don’t want to look like I’m trying to hard to impress them.
Why did this guy hide it? Would you do the same?
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