The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later

Xue Yue sacrificed her freedom for 500 yuan—a desperate bargain to save her brother's life through marriage. She never anticipated that her husband, He Lang, would be completely unaware of the arrangement. When He Lang returned home after an unexpected absence, he found his room occupied, his bed claimed, and a wife he never agreed to marry waiting for him.

The absurdity left him reeling: how could he be married in his own absence? No one consulted him, no one asked his permission. Yet as weeks turned into months, this reluctant union began to transform. The woman who entered his life out of necessity became someone he actively chose.

By the time He Lang asked about registering their marriage certificate, something fundamental had shifted between them. When Xue Yue reminded him of his initial unwillingness, his response was fierce and revealing: "Unwilling? Who said that? Point them out, and I'll make them regret it." In this 1970s tale of unexpected devotion, two strangers discovered that sometimes the best love stories begin not with choice, but with the choice to stay.