Anjiu's mother, Zhou Jingyi, came from a scholarly family that had been prominent for generations. Having lost her father early, her mother Ruan Yun single-handedly managed the vast family business, devoting all her efforts to her only daughter, Zhou Jingyi. Before marrying Song Xingguo, Zhou Jingyi had a childhood sweetheart, Liang Dong, who, due to his poor family background and habit of speculating, was disliked by Ruan Yun. Under Ruan Yun's firm opposition, Zhou Jingyi eventually married the man her mother had chosen for her, Song Xingguo.
One was arrogantly self-righteous, the other a staunch male chauvinist; their marital life was as one might imagine. Owing to concerns about the impact on the company's stocks, their conflicts were suppressed. Later, when Anjiu was born and with Song Xingguo often abroad at the company's foreign branches, and Zhou Jingyi working away from home as well, their relationship eased slightly.
