I present a brief intervention with a Chinese couple that illustrates the impact of Chinese culture and its current rapid evolution on the couple's struggle to build their marriage. Each member of the couple was idealised and pampered as a child, but with opposite effects: the wife became unable to care for herself, while the husband became so focused on his career that he ignored the gnawing effects of his own dependency. When he reached out to other women to care for him during his wife's pregnancy, the ensuing crisis brought them to seek consultation. The rigidity experienced during the first days of the intervention yielded unexpectedly in the last two days, promoting a new-found sense of hope in the couple and in the therapists.