Married – Feng Shaofeng, Cai Wenjing

Ning Yue is a lawyer, an honorary employee at her law firm, and a constant winner in the courtroom—a rising star with boundless potential. Initially destined to be the protagonist of a successful career-oriented life, four years later, she became a wife, with her daily responsibilities revolving around managing household tasks. Ning Yue's husband, Hu Cheng, is also a successful professional.

They have a clear division of labor—Ning Yue focuses on taking care of the home and supporting her husband so that Hu Cheng can fully concentrate on his career. Now that their child has grown up, Ning Yue is ready to return to her career path. During her time away from formal work, she never gave up her professional skills.

She continued offering online legal consultations and, with Hu Cheng's support, took on pro bono cases, maintaining a steady work rhythm. Ning Yue received an offer from a company. When Hu Cheng found out, he wasn’t pleased. He had been planning for a second child, but Ning Yue had made her career decision without discussing it with him, which upset him. Hu Cheng persistently attempted to manipulate Ning Yue emotionally, claiming he was worried about her old health issues recurring.

However, no matter what he said, Ning Yue stuck to her own plans. At this point, Hu Cheng decided to let it go. While working as a community lawyer, Ning Yue took on a divorce case. The husband in the family had cheated, and the wife wanted evidence to proceed with the divorce. However, their child found out about the situation.

In the child's eyes, his father was the best dad in the world, and he couldn’t believe his father would betray his mother. Instead, he blamed Ning Yue, thinking she had ruined his parents’ relationship. The child, Congcong, had classmates whose parents divorced, and after the father remarried, his classmate lost the fatherly love he once had. Congcong was determined not to let his parents divorce.

In desperation, Congcong threatened to jump from a building to force his mother to return home. Tragically, he accidentally fell, sustaining serious injuries and ending up hospitalized. When Ning Yue visited the hospital, she learned that photos of Congcong’s father’s affair had been posted online. Congcong’s mother accused Ning Yue of leaking the photos and blamed her for harming her child.

Fortunately, Hu Cheng arrived in time to shield Ning Yue, telling Congcong’s mother that it was her husband’s actions that had hurt the child and that she shouldn’t place the blame on someone else. Ning Yue looked at the online photos in confusion, as she was the only one who had access to them. However, she hadn’t shared them online, as basic professional ethics forbade such actions.

When Ning Yue questioned Hu Cheng about the photos, he avoided answering directly, turned off his phone, and prepared a glass of water with sleeping pills for her to drink. Ning Yue didn’t suspect him. Hu Cheng explained that when he couldn’t reach her, he contacted the service station to learn what had happened, which allowed him to rush to the hospital in time. Ning Yue believed him without question.

Because of this incident, Ning Yue became the target of online harassment and ended up losing the job she had secured. Her mental state began to deteriorate, and she started having nightmares. Worried that her depression was resurfacing, Hu Cheng took her to see a doctor. Throughout the consultation, Hu Cheng subtly guided the doctor to suggest that Ning Yue wasn’t fit to work. However, the doctor remained professional and refrained from making absolute statements.

Later, Hu Cheng insisted that Ning Yue take medication, and although she felt it wasn’t necessary, she complied. Ning Yue discovered that the consulting service station was funded and sponsored by Hu Cheng, but she didn’t blame him. Hu Cheng, meanwhile, was secretly pleased that Ning Yue had lost her job, feeling that his goal had been achieved. Although Ning Yue never doubted Hu Cheng’s love for her, she began to sense that something was changing.

Ning Yue’s son, Hu Ziyuan, had a classmate who lived next door. This led Ning Yue to be dragged into gatherings with other mothers, something she didn’t particularly enjoy. One day, she overheard a conversation between two of the mothers and realized that everything—her involvement in these gatherings and more—had been orchestrated by Hu Cheng. Feeling increasingly uneasy, Ning Yue started to feel like a puppet under Hu Cheng’s control.

The photos of Congcong's father’s affair were indeed uploaded online under Hu Cheng’s arrangement. Everything Hu Cheng did was to ensure that Ning Yue remained under his control. He trusted no one, not even Ning Yue, and relied solely on his own judgment. He even taught his son this way—no matter who says something, even parents, trust only yourself. One day, Ning Yue gave Hu Cheng a dark-colored tie to wear, but he didn’t like it.

On his way to work, he secretly switched to a light-colored tie he preferred. At work, a senior employee commented on how Hu Cheng looked better in the dark-colored tie, which irritated Hu Cheng. Using the employee’s prior surgery as a pretext, Hu Cheng dismissed him under the guise of letting him rest and recover.

To maintain his image, Hu Cheng staged a dramatic performance in front of the other employees, claiming the senior employee no longer contributed to the company, misused company funds, and was essentially a parasite. He presented this as a painful but necessary decision to protect the company. Hu Cheng’s goal was to solidify employee loyalty while protecting his reputation. Although Lao Song left the company, he didn’t give up on fighting for his rights.

Hoping for higher compensation, he decided to hire a lawyer—Ning Yue’s former colleague, Qin Can. Confident in his skills, Qin Can agreed to take on Lao Song’s case, provided his claims were true. Meanwhile, Xiao Zhu, who had worked at the service station under Hu Cheng’s orders, no longer needed to stay there since Ning Yue was no longer involved. As Lao Song’s legal representative, Qin Can met with Hu Cheng.

Despite his youth, Qin Can showed no fear in front of the cunning Hu Cheng and firmly rejected any offers of settlement, advising Hu Cheng to prepare for a legal battle. This left Hu Cheng in a sour mood. Meanwhile, Tian Qiuzi, Hu Cheng’s mistress, visited his office under the pretense of discussing legal contracts but was actually there to accompany him. The two became intimate in the office.

Elsewhere, Ning Yue went to the hospital and happened to see Xiao Zhu giving a sum of money to Congcong’s mother. She confronted Congcong’s mother for an explanation, but the latter refused to discuss the matter further and asked Ning Yue not to come again. After leaving the hospital, Ning Yue followed Xiao Zhu’s car and was surprised to discover him returning to Hu Cheng’s company. To her shock, she witnessed Xiao Zhu speaking with Hu Cheng.

Even more startling, she saw Hu Cheng behaving intimately with Tian Qiuzi and personally driving her away. When Ning Yue returned home, she directly questioned Hu Cheng about Xiao Zhu. Hu Cheng launched into his usual manipulative rhetoric. Ning Yue didn’t press further but instead asked if there was anything else he needed to confess. Hu Cheng avoided mentioning anything about the woman in question. Knowing Hu Cheng wouldn’t tell the truth, Ning Yue chose not to ask further.

Hu Cheng and his senior colleague signed a major project deal, which made him ecstatic. To ensure it wouldn’t disrupt the company’s plans for going public, they decided to resolve Lao Song’s case by paying him off. Lao Song accepted the money and agreed to a settlement. This outcome took Qin Can by surprise, leaving him feeling that all their efforts during this time had been in vain.

Frustrated and self-doubting, Qin Can began questioning his ability to protect his clients’ rights. He tendered his resignation, but his leader refused to accept it, encouraging him to reconsider. The leader reminded him not to view situations too narrowly and to take a broader perspective.