Zhang Yanyan had postponed all her makeup appointments these past few days so she could stay by Zhao Panpan’s side in the hospital. After Zhao Panpan was discharged, she even found a hotel nearby for her to stay.
For this mediation, Zhang Yanyan waited outside, keeping an eye on things.
When Zhang Liang stormed out, clearly refusing to mediate, she quickly got up to find Zhao Panpan and comfort her. “Don’t worry. Trust Lawyer Gu.”
Zhao Panpan nodded, a heavy frustration pressing in her chest. After Gu Chen reminded her not to contact the other side privately for now, he left to take care of other matters, and Zhao Panpan returned to the hotel with Zhang Yanyan.
“I really thought he was my salvation,” Zhao Panpan said quietly. “I went into the future full of joy, thinking we’d be happy together. I didn’t even care about dowries or gifts when we married, just because I believed he cared for me. Looking back… how foolish I was.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “These past five years of marriage, every holiday, every little thing—property fees, water, electricity, gas, buying clothes, groceries, car expenses—I paid for it all! Zhang Liang’s five hundred yuan a month barely covered his own meals, and sometimes I had to get up early to prepare a loving lunch for him to take.”
She had covered everything—food, shelter, daily life—while he only contributed emotional support. Whenever there were conflicts with her mother-in-law or sister-in-law, he would expect her to endure. During the holidays, he would even perform in the kitchen to show off, fawning over Zhang Jun’s macho ego.
And she never questioned these details? Never dug deeper?
Zhao Panpan’s frustration boiled over. If she could, she thought, she would go back to those years when she loved Zhang Liang wholeheartedly and give her past self a few hard slaps to wake her up.
Zhang Yanyan rubbed her head gently. “When we’re young, who doesn’t want a sweet, happy love? Girls are just more likely to give their hearts fully.”
“Why?” Zhao Panpan frowned.
Zhang Yanyan smiled. “Because historically, in societies that favor men, girls grow up wanting more love. They’re taught to be obedient as children, then when they grow up, they’re brainwashed to give their money home, honor their mother-in-law after marriage, and obey their husband. Girls are trained from birth to be ‘tamed.’ They’re told, ‘If you can’t cook well, your husband’s family will dislike you. If you don’t keep the house clean, he might not marry you.’ So they feel inferior and try to please everyone…”
When a girl hasn’t learned healthy ideas about love and intimacy at home, it’s easy to be misled by someone who only appears good on the surface. She gives herself fully, willingly.
If the person truly is good, they see your efforts, they appreciate your companionship, and it becomes a wonderful marriage.
But if the person has problems, your efforts become taken for granted—or worse, seen as never enough.
That’s why many women who’ve been through it all say: marry someone who is inherently good, so their goodness to you isn’t just situational. Being “good to you” should never have a hidden cost or come with strings attached.
Every woman who’s been through marriage reflects on herself at some point.
Some women, after suffering under male-dominated households, end up repeating the cycle. They criticize their own daughters, control their daughters-in-law, and even exaggerate the patterns of abuse they once endured. Victims can become perpetrators.
Others fight to save themselves. They escape toxic homes, resist patriarchal pressure, and reclaim control over their lives. The process of tearing down old beliefs and reshaping emotions is painful, but eventually, they return to a normal state—capable of loving themselves and others—and provide their children with a healthier model of love and relationships.
Zhang Yanyan didn’t need to say it outright. She embodied the second path, offering light instead of dwelling on misery. She wanted to guide Zhao Panpan’s hand toward sunlight and flowers, out of the darkness.
Zhao Panpan nodded, deeply moved. “Yeah… my original family was terrible. I saw him as the only light, thinking marrying him was the only way to escape those parasites. I thought marriage would save me, but I ended up in a wolf den.”
When she married, she knew Zhang Liang’s parents—Zhao Yongwei and Liu Fenhong—would seize any dowry. She decided not to ask for anything. Looking back, she wished she had kept it in her hands. Then, if Zhang Liang’s family bullied her, they might have thought twice.
She had lost her savings, given so much to a heartless family, and now, all she had left were wounds.
Oh, and a child she had once thought was a blessing.
But the father was too cruel to provide a healthy environment.
Rather than bringing the child into a life as painful as hers, she thought…
Her heart felt gripped by invisible hands. Just thinking about it made her chest ache.
Meanwhile, the child’s father was at home scheming how to take Zhao Panpan’s property for himself.
Zhang Jun slammed his hand on the table. “She married you. The house she bought is yours, of course!”
He was furious. After seeing the online backlash reverse the next day, he rushed to the hospital only to find it empty—he couldn’t find Zhao Panpan anywhere.
Now he regretted not taking her by force back then.
Zhou Xiangping also declared, “This house has nothing to do with her!”
All three read certainty in each other’s eyes.
Zhang Liang pulled the property deed from the cabinet—it clearly bore Zhou Xiangping’s name.
For five years, Zhao Panpan had refused to prepare for pregnancy until they bought a house in the city. That’s when Zhang Jun reminded Zhang Liang to be cautious of her.
So Zhang Liang handed over his salary, keeping only enough for meals. When buying the house, he only gave a symbolic few thousand yuan, which made Zhao Panpan happy.
But when the house was fully paid, Zhang Jun had Zhang Liang sign a stack of documents under the pretense of insurance. Hidden among them was the property transfer agreement.
They finished all the paperwork quickly, and the house ended up under Zhou Xiangping’s name.
Confident, Zhang Jun sneered. “Let her sue. It’s our mother’s house. What’s marital property to her? If she wants it, she’s got no shame at all!”
Zhou Xiangping grinned at the deed. “Hah, that little tramp will never touch my house. It has nothing to do with her!”