Fake Marriage in the '70s: The Stoic CEO Forces a Renewal - Reviews

I need to process what just happened with Wen Yan because my brain is still reeling. She takes the jam, goes into her room, shuts the door and windows—and then POURS IT OUT. Liu Jilan's reaction says everything: 'Why did you throw it away?' and Wen Yan just drops this line, 'I don't eat other people's food.' That is such a specific, pointed rejection. It's not just about the jam. It's about boundaries. It's about power. Wen Yan is drawing a line that says I will not be indebted to you, and I will not share your table. In the original novel, she was described as warm and gentle, but this version? This version is calculating and cold, and she's making her position crystal clear from the start. Meanwhile, Liu Jilan is a whole different energy. She's so awkward and self-aware—beating her own chest in frustration, apologizing for touching Wen Yan's things, then immediately making it worse by asking about meals. She's trying so hard and failing so adorably. Her internal monologue is gold: 'Why can't I fix this bad habit of mine?' And Gu Yueqian? She just watches all this with this calm, observant distance. She's reading the room like a chessboard. When she thinks about whether Lu Cheng will still end up with Wen Yan after she leaves, that's not just plot curiosity—that's a woman assessing her actual survival situation. The relationship dynamics here are razor-sharp.

I need to talk about Lu Yao because this girl is absolutely phenomenal and I think she deserves her own chapter. Here's this tiny kid—still growing, still needs her strength—but she's out there gathering firewood, feeding pigs, carrying chamber pots for her sister-in-law, and she has ZERO tolerance for nonsense. When Wen Yan shows up trying to manipulate her way into the family, Lu Yao doesn't even waste breath on her. She literally ignores Wen Yan completely and immediately turns to Gu Yueqian with 'Sister-in-law, I'll fetch some water to wipe your sweat.' The contrast is everything. And then the door slam. Bang. Just shut out. Wen Yan standing there like a fool while the family eats inside. Lu Yao didn't even look back. But what really got me is the scene where Lu Yao runs to whisper to her brother: 'I don't want to share meals with that educated youth. Please don't agree.' And Lu Cheng's response? 'When did I ever say I would?' This kid is so transparently trying to protect her family and it's adorable and touching at the same time. She then runs back to report to Gu Yueqian that 'Brother said he won't share meals. He only likes eating with you.' And Gu Yueqian is just sitting there like... I was right here. You didn't need to lie to me, child. The sibling bond between Lu Cheng and Lu Yao is genuinely heartwarming. He cooks for her, he protects her, and she fiercely guards their household. And Gu Yueqian—she's become this anchor for both of them. Lu Yao calls her 'sister-in-law' with genuine affection, and Gu Yueqian has brought real warmth into their lives. The three of them form this little family unit that's incredibly tight-knit. Wen Yan, on the other hand, is reading the room completely wrong. She tried to go through Lu Cheng instead of Lu Yao, didn't greet Gu Yueqian at all, and thought her polite proposal would work. She has no idea who she's dealing with. This family doesn't need her.

I need to talk about Granny Dabao's dialogue because the woman is a COMEDIC GENIUS and I don't say that lightly. "Murder! My niece-in-law is trying to murder me! Help! Someone save me, I'm being beaten to death!" She gets KICKED once and she's already drafting her own obituary. And then later: "Brigade Leader, you must uphold justice for this poor old woman! That vicious creature—she not only stole collective property and kept it for herself, but she even laid hands on me, her elder! What kind of wicked daughter-in-law does that? I can't live anymore, I just can't live!" The woman has RANGE. She goes from physical aggressor to victim in 0.2 seconds and the performance is Oscar-worthy. Her line about showing off the footprint on her belly like it's evidence in a courtroom—iconic. Absolutely iconic. And Lu Cheng's dialogue is in such sharp contrast. The man says almost nothing and when he does it cuts. "Not your concern." "That debt's already repaid." "I. Want. To. Divide. The. Family." Each word deliberate, each sentence a weapon. The author clearly understands that what a character DOESN'T say is often more powerful than what they do, and Lu Cheng is the master of this. The dialogue between Wen Yan and Liu Jilan at the end is also really well done. Liu Jilan is basically thinking out loud—"Seems like that Lu Cheng treats his wife really well... We should try to pair up with their household later"—and Wen Yan's response is this cool, almost amused "Your judgment isn't very sharp." The contrast between Liu Jilan's straightforwardness and Wen Yan's hidden depths is delicious. You can tell Wen Yan is playing a much longer game and the reader is in on it while the other characters aren't. One line that made me laugh out loud though: when Lu Yao asks her sister-in-law what happened and Gu Yueqian says "No idea. Maybe their backs itch?" And Lu Yao nearly topples over. The deadpan delivery is perfect. This woman is unflappable and I love her for it.

Okay so I need to talk about Lu Cheng because this man is quietly the most romantic character I have ever encountered and I am not even being dramatic about it. He goes out at MIDNIGHT in the summer heat to buy brown sugar and cured meat for his pregnant wife. Not because she sent him on some errand. Not because he was ordered to. He just... went. And he came back with a basket of eggs too, apparently bartered or begged or whatever mysterious means he used. And the next morning? Brown sugar poached eggs waiting for her when she wakes up. Let me just say that again. He walks home in the dark, presumably exhausted, and the very first thing his sister has ready is breakfast made specifically for his wife. That is not just romance, that is a whole lifestyle. And Gu Yueqian's reaction? She just... freezes. She realizes he actually went out in the middle of the night to get these things. She thinks: "So he really did care about her pregnancy, didn't she?" And then: "This man..." That trailing thought says everything. She's not used to this. She's not used to being cared for like this. Which makes sense given her background and the fact that she was basically forced into this marriage situation. The most devastating detail? Lu Cheng is so tongue-tied with Gu Yueqian that he can barely communicate with her directly, but with his sister Lu Yao, he has plenty to say. He told Lu Yao exactly what to cook for her, what to save, what to bring. He's capable of care, he's just... awkward with his wife. That's honestly more realistic than any grand romantic gesture I've ever read. The old couple at the beginning also had a moment that made me soft. The old woman nearly died from fright when Lu Cheng appeared at midnight, and then she watches him leave and says: "He's a sincere boy. His wife is blessed." And then immediately starts thinking about her own pregnancies and how different things were back then. The way the old man ignores her daggered look and just says "too late now, time to sleep" — I laughed out loud. These villagers are living characters, not props. I keep thinking about that scene where Gu Yueqian checks the cupboard and finds the two taels of cured meat. She brought her own supplies but Lu Cheng and Lu Yao would never touch her things. And yet somehow, in one night, he managed to get more brown sugar and eggs. The fact that she couldn't bring herself to ask Lu Yao directly shows how much this is affecting her. She's not used to this kind of attention. She's not used to being the person someone goes to midnight trouble for. And the village gossip? "No wonder he dotes on her so much—brown sugar, eggs… If it were me, I'd spoil her too." This woman just said it out loud. The whole village knows and they're all just... accepting it. Even the women who are gossiping about it aren't being mean about it. They're almost envious in a fond way. I'm genuinely invested in this couple now. Lu Cheng is this stoic, hardworking man who shows love through action rather than words, and Gu Yueqian is this city woman who's learning what it means to be cared for. It's slow burn but it's the good kind of slow burn.

I need to talk about Lu Yao. I need to talk about her right now because this chapter absolutely wrecked me in the best way. There's this one moment—just a tiny, almost throwaway moment—where Gu Yueqian shoves half a boiled egg into Lu Yao's mouth and Lu Yao wants to refuse but can't because her sister-in-law is being so insistently kind. And then later, when Gu Yueqian gives her candy and says sweet things, Lu Yao's internal monologue is basically: 'So—sister-in-law has already fully accepted her brother? Tonight, I must tell him word for word!' And then she nearly cries. Just like that. A whole emotional earthquake over a piece of candy and a shared bowl of blueberries. This girl has been bullied by her own cousins, she's malnourished, she's spent her whole life scraping by, and the simplest act of kindness from someone who's supposed to be a stranger completely short-circuits her. I swear to god I got chills. But it's not just the sister-in-law bond. The friendship between Lu Yao and Xiuyun hit me too. Xiuyun lost her mother, lives with her father and grandmother, looks like she's one good meal away from collapsing. And when Gu Yueqian gives her candy, she 'clutches the candy like treasure before running to her grandmother.' Like treasure. Not like a snack. Like something precious that might not exist tomorrow. And the grandmother! Bent, wrinkled, nearly toothless, and the first thing she does when Gu Yueqian shows respect is say 'Xiao Cheng marrying you is truly his blessing.' That's not just gratitude—that's an elderly woman recognizing that her granddaughter has finally found someone who will treat her well. The warmth in this story isn't loud or dramatic. It's in shared firewood, in wild blueberries passed around in straw hats, in candy pressed into the hands of starving children. It's the kind of tenderness that makes you want to hug the page.

I have to talk about the dialogue in this section because it's genuinely excellent and I don't say that lightly. Every character has a distinct voice, and the author achieves this mostly through word choice and rhythm rather than elaborate speech tags. Let me give you examples because they're too good not to share. Lu Dabao's grandmother says: 'The brigade's collective property, and they dare keep it for themselves? Even if they picked it, it belongs to everyone to share. Da Bao, don't be afraid—go take some. You're entitled to it. If anyone dares say otherwise, Grandma's got your back!' This is one of the most perfectly crafted lines of villainy I've read. It's not evil for evil's sake—it's evil dressed up in bureaucratic language. 'Collective property.' 'Entitled to it.' 'Grandma's got your back.' She's weaponizing ideology to justify theft and making a child feel righteous about it. The voice is so specific: an old woman who knows how to manipulate the system, who has spent a lifetime finding loopholes, and who sees Gu Yueqian's blueberries as an opportunity. You can hear her cackling inside her head. And Lu Dabao's internal monologue? 'Right, that was collective property, owned by the whole village. Why should Lu Yao hog it all for herself? He ought to get a share too—snatching it was honorable!' The word 'honorable' is doing so much work here. This is a child who has been so thoroughly conditioned by his family's toxicity that he genuinely believes theft is a virtue. The dialogue isn't just describing his thoughts—it's performing them. We're not being told he's rotten; we're hearing his rotten logic from the inside. Meanwhile, Gu Yueqian's dialogue is sparse but sharp. 'Him, heartbroken?' when the villagers tease her. One question, and it completely deflates their bawdy jokes. She doesn't need to explain herself. She just... doesn't play along. That's her voice: direct, unbothered, and occasionally devastating.

Let me just say—the pacing in these chapters is absolutely filthy in the best way. You start with Granny Dabao swinging a firewood stick at Gu Yueqian's face and within THREE CHAPTERS the entire household has been split apart. That is a wild escalation and I was here for every second of it. What I love is how the author layers the tension. First it's the physical confrontation—stick vs kick, very visceral, very immediate. Then the brigade leader shows up with the educated youths, which opens up this whole new thread with Wen Yan's backstory. And just when you think the scene is stalling because we're getting exposition about Wen Yan's past life, BOOM—Lu Cheng walks in and drops the household division bomb. The Wen Yan flashback section actually works really well as a pacing choice, not just filler. It slows things down right before the big confrontation, giving us a different POV and a different emotional register. Her bitterness, her schemes, her observation of Gu Yueqian—it adds this undercurrent of future conflict while the present-day drama plays out. And the author doesn't overstay it. She gets her backstory, we understand her motivation, and then we're back to the main action. Also worth noting: the little girl Xiuyun testifying is such a perfect beat. Just when Granny Dabao and Lu Dabao think they've won with their wailing performance, this tiny kid drags firewood into the scene and drops the truth like a mic. It's a great structural choice because it comes from an unexpected source and it's the moment everything flips. The chapter endings are also well-timed. Chapter 12 ends with the household split finalized and the pigs divided. Chapter 13 opens with the aftermath and the educated youths being assigned. There's no dragging, no unnecessary scenes. Every beat moves the story forward. I stayed up way too late reading this batch and I blame the author's pacing entirely.

The sensory details in this chapter are what make the world feel so alive. Let me start with the food because honestly, I was hungry reading this. Lu Cheng making sorghum buns with sugar mixed in, steaming them over corn grits porridge. The text describes it perfectly: 'Sweet to the taste, they weren't as soft as fine wheat buns, but they were fragrant, the hearty grain flavor mingling with sweetness, delicious when eaten with pickles.' I can literally taste this. The contrast between the coarse texture and the sweet flavor, the pickles on the side—it's such a specific, grounded detail that tells you everything about this world. Then there's the blueberry jam operation. Gu Yueqian washing basins full of wild blueberries, making two huge batches, storing them quietly. The spiritual spring water detail is interesting—she's using something supernatural to enhance ordinary ingredients, which creates this fascinating blend of the mundane and the magical in an otherwise very realistic rural setting. The production team office scene is also richly detailed. The team leader, secretary, and accountant all gathered together, the coins on the table, the discussion about collective property versus personal skill. The secretary stroking his beard, the accountant mentioning his mother—these small details make the bureaucratic world feel lived-in. And the contrast between Lu Cheng's family having a feast (steamed sorghum rice, pig fat, eggs mixed with rice) while Wen Yan and Liu Jilan are eating dry rations in their own home. The economic disparity is palpable. You can feel the hunger, the poverty, the careful calculation of every yuan. The outhouse repair project is another great detail—Lu Cheng building something practical, planning for winter, thinking ahead. This is a world where every resource matters, where a thick curtain at the door is the difference between comfort and suffering in cold weather.

I've been rethinking the entire conflict structure after this section, and I need to get it out. The Da Bao family's attempt to steal the blueberries isn't just a comedic beat—it's the moment the story's power dynamics shift permanently. Before this, Lu Dabao had free rein to harass Lu Yao. He'd already tried to steal eggs. He was comfortable because no one ever pushed back. But Gu Yueqian doesn't negotiate with parasites. She kicks him. And the brilliance of it is that the author doesn't make it a big moral speech. There's no 'how dare you steal!' monologue. Just a kick. Because some people don't need to be reasoned with—they need to be physically stopped. The simplicity of the response is what makes it so powerful. But the real plot engine here is Wen Yan's arrival. The reborn heroine. The original protagonist. She's introduced with this whole backstory about how she ends up with Lu Cheng in the original timeline, has a happy family, and watches the original Gu Yueqian's child suffer in contrast. That's a lot of dramatic irony packed into a few paragraphs. Wen Yan thinks she's the main character. She thinks she knows how this story goes. But Gu Yueqian is awake now, and she knows exactly what kind of woman Wen Yan is. The plot is setting up a battle between two women who both believe they're the protagonist, and the reader gets to watch them collide. That's not just engaging—that's electric.

Okay so let me just say—this section is where the plot starts actually clicking into gear for me. Up until now I was just kind of watching Gu Yueqian adjust to her new life, but the blueberry scene? Chef's kiss. It's not just a cute moment, it's a full-on plot pivot. She's got this 'item sense' ability from her past life in the apocalypse, right, and she uses it to find wild blueberries. But here's the thing that really got me—she doesn't just hoard them. She calls everyone over and shares them. And the villagers' attitudes toward her? Completely flipped. They went from thinking she was some snobby city girl who looked down on them to actually respecting her. That's not just feel-good fluff, that's strategic world-building. The author is showing us that Gu Yueqian understands something the original 'Gu Yueqian' wouldn't have: in the countryside, survival is communal. You don't win by being selfish. But then—plot twist incoming—Old Lady Da Bao and Lu Dabao show up and immediately try to weaponize the 'collective property' excuse to steal what she found. I literally laughed out loud. 'The brigade's collective property, and they dare keep it for themselves?' Are you kidding me? Wild blueberries on a mountainside are collective property now? This is the kind of bureaucratic gaslighting that makes you want to scream. And Gu Yueqian's response? She kicks Lu Dabao in the face when he tries to enter. Not a lecture, not a debate—just a solid kick. The woman has zero patience for this nonsense. And can we talk about Wen Yan for a second? The reborn heroine who's supposed to be the main character? She's introduced as this gentle, poised contrast to the original Gu Yueqian, but the author is already setting up the irony. In the original storyline, Wen Yan ends up with Lu Cheng and has a happy life while the original Gu Yueqian is left with a disabled abandoned child. But now? Gu Yueqian is awake and aware. She knows the script. And she's not playing along. The tension between these two women is going to be absolutely delicious.

I'm not ready for how much that one scene with Lu Cheng wrecked me. He comes home exhausted from building a toilet of all things, sits down to eat, and Gu Yueqian notices he's only eating pickles and potatoes. Not touching the meat. So she serves him. And serves him. And serves him until she can't stand it anymore and just says 'Eat more fat, you'll need strength for work.' He stays silent the whole time. Just eats. This man doesn't have a single conversational skill in his body. Gu Yueqian is internally screaming—'heaven gave you a mouth for speaking, not for wiggling in your chair'—but the fact that she keeps putting meat on his plate says everything she won't say out loud. She notices what he's not eating. She anticipates his needs. She's building this quiet, stubborn care into every meal. And then the sugar water moment! He can't just ask for a drink, he has to sit there wiggling until she guesses, and she makes him jam-sweetened water because that's all she has. It's petty and it's tender and it's so them. The Lu Yao moments hit different too—that little girl sitting on the threshold with her eyes squinted shut from the sweetness of the jam, the way she runs around excited about her new dress. Gu Yueqian watching her and thinking 'this is what a child her age should be like' after seeing her so gaunt and timid when they first arrived? I'm not okay.

Okay so this whole chapter is basically one big setup for future conflict and I am HERE for it. Let me break down what's happening because the plot layers are actually really clever. On the surface, the main event is Wen Yan trying to insert herself into Lu Cheng's family by proposing to share meals. She gets completely shut out—not a single person even acknowledges her properly. Lu Yao is the real MVP here, basically giving Wen Yan the cold shoulder so hard it's hilarious. The door slam at the end? Iconic. But the REAL plot thread is the blueberry jam. Gu Yueqian is running a secret side business, and this is where it gets interesting. She's not just making jam for fun—she's using spiritual spring water to make it extra special, then having Lu Cheng sell it at the commune. The money trail is being carefully tracked. And then she personally goes to the production team to hand over five yuan, doing the math on sugar costs and everything. The team leader, secretary, and accountant are all impressed by her 'awareness.' This is setting up a whole moral framework around the jam business. Meanwhile, Lin Yufen is watching from the shadows like some kind of rural gossip villain. She notices Gu Yueqian making jam, sees Lu Cheng leave before dawn with it, comes back to find the family having a feast, and connects the dots: THEY'RE SELLING COLLECTIVE PROPERTY. She's already plotting to catch them in the act. This is classic foreshadowing—Lin Yufen is going to make trouble, and we all know how these stories go. The original book reference is also interesting. Gu Yueqian wonders if her presence has altered the story, specifically whether Lu Cheng will still end up with Wen Yan. This meta-layer suggests the plot is bending around her, which means there are bigger forces at work. The jam business might be the thing that saves them from poverty but also becomes the weapon Lin Yufen uses against them. I'm genuinely curious how this plays out.