Responses
If you let gossip affect your work to that extent, you aren't a very balanced adult to begin with. I understand that in asia, minding your own business isn't exactly what people do, but people are not as harsh and unfair, and if you're scared of every contrary comment people might make, you might as well stop making decisions of your life.
Do they not realise that they don't need the unconditional support of coworkers for their personal affairs? That others don't actually have a right to judge you like that?