Do the Chinese offer us any good rules to live by?

Yes, of course, many; in fact, here are two Chinese sayings that I take especially to heart:

瓜田不納履(과전불납리)
Don't adjust your shoe in a cucumber patch.

and

李下不整冠(이하부정관)
Don't adjust your horsehair hat under a plum tree.

Both expressions suggest that you avoid doing things that may cause unnecessary suspicion. If you bend down to adjust your shoe in a cucumber patch, the farmer may think you are stealing a cucumber, and if you adjust your horsehair hat under a plum tree, the farmer may think you are stealing a plum. That is why I never adjust my shoe in a cucumber patch, nor even touch my horsehair hat under a plum tree.