Ye Chen is an only child from a poor family. His parents dote on him, giving him everything they can despite their limited means. As a result, he grows up with no ambition and an obsession with video games. After failing the college entrance exam, his parents pay for him to attend an adult education college.
Xin Yue’s father favors sons over daughters. Because Xin Yue is not a boy, he chooses to have another child, and he often beats her. Her mother is strong-willed and keeps her under strict control. Xin Yue gets into college as she hoped, choosing one far from home so she can escape her parents’ control.
Ye Chen pursues Xin Yue relentlessly. Introverted and shy, she is drawn to his enthusiasm and soon falls into a passionate romance with him. Ye Chen is deeply insecure, and after his studies go completely off the rails and he fails to find a job, he becomes anxious, irritable, and suspicious. In a desperate attempt to keep Xin Yue by his side, he tries to control her, leading to a bitter conflict between them.
Shen Moxuan comes from a rural family with many brothers. Through his own hard work, he makes a life for himself in the city and buys a house. At the age of thirty, under pressure from his family, he marries Liu Mei, a teacher. They live apart after the wedding. Liu Mei stops taking care with her appearance, and as she gets older and her figure changes, Shen Moxuan grows dissatisfied with her. Restless, he longs for passion and romance.
As an older single woman, Liu Mei has had several failed relationships, including one with a shady guy who cheated her. She sees Shen Moxuan as her salvation. Extremely vain, she often boasts about her marriage to her colleagues despite how unhappy it is. But then her husband tells her he has been unfaithful.
