Recently, I came across that long post Ma Rong shared in the early morning, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. She said she has been divorced for nearly nine years now, and that she has lost both people and money—only four digits are left in her bank card, and she doesn’t even have the courage to go to the children’s parent-teacher meetings. Judging from the transfer records she posted, she really has moved from a big villa to a rundown “old, dilapidated apartment” in Xi’an, and even when ordering takeout, she has to make up enough to meet the discount.

In her own reflection, Ma Rong admits that back then she was too young and chose the wrong person. She also openly said that after Song Zhe was released from prison, they only met once—he had long since had no intention of turning back, and she couldn’t return to Wang Baoqiang’s side either. Reading these words, it really does sound quite helpless.

What’s interesting is that many people commented that Ma Rong’s biggest mistake wasn’t actually the cheating itself, but rather that she overestimated herself and completely misjudged the feelings between her and Song Zhe. Put bluntly, back then she was nothing more than someone who gained a bit of notoriety because of Wang Baoqiang—yet she looked down on her country-born husband. She spent his money while acting so high and mighty, and in the end, she was led astray by her assistant, Song Zhe.

But the most ironic part is that Song Zhe wasn’t even anything like true love. He just wanted to take advantage of Ma Rong’s identity as the boss’s wife to get benefits. Once the halo of Wang Baoqiang was gone, Ma Rong became just a passerby—so much so that even the other side didn’t want her anymore.

On the other hand, how is Wang Baoqiang faring? Over the years, he’s long stopped looking like the naïve fool from back then. He has developed on all fronts—film, movies, and variety shows. The box office of the movie he directed himself has broken 2.2 billion, and his reputation has been steadily turning around, clearly making him into a big star. Standing by his side is a highly educated woman who graduated from Stanford. No matter what, Ma Rong can’t go back to how things were.

Some netizens analyzed that Ma Rong’s family being too forceful back then was also a factor. When their daughter’s affair was discovered, instead of teaching her to own up and reflect, the family dug in and fought on with a stiff neck, bullying that honest rural young man. The Wang family may originally have had some room to ease things because of the two children, but they were forced—hard and fast—toward the dead end. This is really a great hand played terribly.

In the end, Ma Rong is at fault, and her mother-in-law is not a good person either. How many family tragedies are ruined by this kind of domineering family relationship? Sometimes, when you think about it, choosing wisely is more important than just working hard, and recognizing where you stand is also very important.