The Truth Behind Marriage

This film (drama)Also known as婚姻背后，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2008Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating7.1(For reference only)。

The retired and leisurely former head of the Liucheng Cultural Bureau, Su Botao, and Lin Ying have always lived a comfortable life surrounded by children and grandchildren. However, one day, after Su Botao accidentally sees news of Bai Liyun's death in the newspaper, he suffers a heart attack due to extreme emotional distress and is hospitalized. It turns out that Su Botao had a romantic relationship with Bai Liyun 20 years ago, which has haunted him and Lin Ying throughout their lives; the only commonality between them regarding this matter is that they have always hidden it from their children. Su Botao's sudden illness catches Lin Ying off guard and leaves her perplexed. Their children are urgently summoned back home. The most favored second son, Su Qin, rushes back from Hainan, only to find that his wife, Li Xiaodong, is asking for a divorce as soon as he arrives. Su Qin reluctantly keeps this from his ailing father and agrees to Li Xiaodong's demands. Little did Su Qin know that his return to Liucheng would lead him into a swamp, plunging him into a difficult to describe marital situation. While cleaning the room, Lin Ying unexpectedly discovers the news of Bai Liyun's death in the newspaper and gradually realizes the cause of her husband's distress. However, for her husband's sake, she must endure and conceal the divorce matter along with her son. Su Min, Su Botao's eldest daughter, has always been regarded as part of the most stable couple among their four children. Yet, when Zhang Shaotong rushes back from out of town to be with his father-in-law in the hospital, he is met with a young man named Yu Qiang who enters and calls him "Dad." This startles Zhang Shaotong, who breaks out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, Su Botao is currently asleep; otherwise, explaining would be impossible. Shortly after Su Qin's divorce, he runs into his former colleague Chen Juan in Beijing. Both as solitary individuals, they become confidants for each other, and sparks eventually fly between them. To prevent another divorce, Su Qin and Chen Juan cleverly devise a way to maintain their marriage through a contractual arrangement to fulfill their love. Unbeknownst to Su Min, her seemingly stable marriage had always harbored hidden dangers. Ever since Yu Qiang (the son of Zhang Shaotong's first love, Yu Xinzhu) appeared, Zhang Shaotong's life has become precarious, living in constant fear every single day, as if traversing a flaming mountain. In recent days, the Su family has been plagued by a series of troubles. Su Botao feels like a child who cannot swim, gasping for air after being thrown into the water. His condition had stabilized, but his naive niece Yueyue inadvertently exposes the details of Su Qin's divorce. Su Botao finally realizes he has been deceived. The mood within the Su family becomes complex, with everyone entangled in love and family issues. Lin Ying finally learns that Su Botao still harbors feelings for the woman named Bai Liyun. Zhang Shaotong faces the challenge of explaining his feelings to his beloved wife Su Min, while the matter of movie tickets leaves him feeling like he's swallowing a dead fly; he suspects Su Min may be straying. The family conflicts finally unravel one by one, with Su Qin secretly crafting a contractual marriage with Chen Juan, leaving Su Botao in a state of confusion. Zhang Shaotong, desperate to become an official, juggles the need to appease both Yu Xinzhu and the inescapable bond with Yu Qiang and Su Min, exhausting himself. After learning the truth, Su Min's marriage heads towards destruction. The marriage situations within this family reveal that love is an eternal topic, and marriage is a pursuit for everyone. What is true love? The reality we observe is that after Su Qin and Chen Juan enter into a contractual marriage, the lingering shadow of Li Xiaodong remains in Su Qin's mind. After a traffic accident, Su Qin's disingenuous yet urgent care towards Li Xiaodong gives us a positive answer. Chen Juan, confronted with the facts of affection intertwined with familial love, decides to seek her own belonging. Su Qin and Li Xiaodong ultimately reunite. Wu Shuang awakens through the emotional experiences of Su Min, Zhang Shaotong, and Yu Xinzhu; after uncovering his own origins, he finally understands the relationship between Su Min and Zhang Shaotong. The Su family completes their understanding of life through their individual experiences on their journey within their families. They eventually return to reality, being aware of how vital a harmonious atmosphere is for love and a family, with harmony manifested through sincerity and tolerance.