A student who's hoping to pay for her engineering degree with gifts of cash from wealthy sugar daddies says her boyfriend doesn't mind her befriending older men.

Winnie Mei, 18, is a self-styled 'sugar baby' - a woman who offers friendship to men decades older in return for money and expensive gifts.

Surprisingly, Mei's relationships, which she says are platonic, don't impact her real life love affair, with restaurant worker boyfriend Mason Chilton, 19.

Teen romance...but Winnie Mei has other men in her life. The student, pictured with boyfriend Mason Chilton, enjoys lucrative friendships with older men

Time for romance: Wei says she's been lavished with expensive watches by older men

Mei has been enjoying the company of her sugar daddies for just four months but says she's already she's earned almost £2,000, as well as being regularly being wined and dined.

She says: 'Some of them have had sugar babies for years and spend thousands on them.

'I wonder how they cover up that amount of money [from their wives], but they usually have high-flying jobs so maybe a few grand is small change to them.'

Despite his initial shock, her boyfriend of three years, restaurant worker Mason Chilton, 19, claims he has no problem with the way she makes money.

Winnie, who lives in Toronto, Canada, said: 'I was really nervous to tell Mason. At first, he was so against it – but now he jokes that I'm an expensive girl, so at least I'm getting myself some money.'

Now, Mason says he has even considered meeting her dates: 'I didn't like the idea of my girlfriend going out with other guys, but that stemmed from jealousy.'

After hearing about the Seeking Arrangements website, Winnie signed up and now says she's happy to enjoy the attentions of older men

'Now Winnie has told me about the dates, I can see that these men are good people and treat her well. I'd even be willing to meet them myself if she wanted me to.

'It took me a while to appreciate and understand the art of it, but now I know if anything did go wrong she'd tell me immediately.'

McDonald's worker Winnie first heard of sugar babies in September 2016, after a co-worker confessed to being one.

I don't think I'd fall for them. I see them more as friends or mentors who, at the end of the day, are mainly financial support Winnie Mei

Intrigued, she signed up to Seeking Arrangement, a website which links successful men and women to attractive, younger dates, who enjoy the finer things in life.

And, within minutes, messages began to trickle in. 'All I could hear was the message tone on my phone going off again and again,' said Winnie. 'I was surprised I got so many messages.'

Aside from a few approaches from 'creeps,' who she has promptly blocked, Winnie has never had a bad experience on a date.

In total, she's met up with 10 men holidaying at Niagara Falls with a man in his fifties, although she broke things off with him shortly afterwards, saying he was 'too clingy.'

Fistful of dollars: But Mei says she has been approached by some men who she thought were 'creeps'

Secure: Mei says she doesn't think she'll ever fall for one of her friends...and is happy with Mason

As well as being given a total of around $3,000 (£1,870), she has also received handbags, clothes and a brand new iPhone from her dates.

The most she has been offered for a single date is $750 (£467).

Keen to be sensible with her earnings, Winnie is saving them so she can complete an engineering degree.

She also buys gjfts for her family, friends and boyfriend. And, whilst her sugar daddies allow her access to the high life, she is adamant that she would never cheat on Mason with them.

'I don't think I'd fall for them. I see them more as friends or mentors who, at the end of the day, are mainly financial support,' she explained.

Expensive tastes: Mei's stash of expensive goods include an iPhone 6 and designer goods

Negative side: Mei says she is now more fearful for her future and worries that 'all guys' might be cheaters

'Mason trusts me and besides, it's usually such a big age gap between us that he really doesn't need to worry.'

Whilst she has no plans to stop being a sugar baby in the near future, she gets disillusioned by the fact a lot of the men she dates are married.

She continued: 'It does jade my impression of guys. A lot of them try to explain themselves, but I don't buy their excuses.

'I don't like it when they talk about their wives and children. I try to just put it out of my mind.

'It sometimes makes me worry for the future. I think 'Is this what all guys do?'