Yu Ming

The Diary of a Husband serves as an illustration for the arrival of the white-collar economy, in which the extended family is replaced by the smaller nuclear family. It is a story about four pals who work at the same office, which, like other white-collar workplaces, has become the men's primary site of life, where livings are made and friendships fostered. Meanwhile, their wives have fostered something of their own—a brigade to catch cheating husbands. Much comedy is then generated by the cat-and-mouse game between the men and the women...The battle line drawn here between the sexes remains for years, to the extent that this very same story has been retold many times in Hong Kong films, including Men Suddenly in Black, the 2003 Pang Ho-cheung film with a similar Chinese title.

In protecting a group of children from bullying and gang violence, the gallant 'Lady Bond' Kong Yin stays with the family of driver Lee Pak in order to give classes in self-defence to Pak's younger brother Calf and neighbours Tak, Ah-ling as well as the young woman Sheung, drilling them in the moves and techniques. Startled by her striking resemblance to his kidnapped girlfriend Tong Ching-yee, Tse Tsi-ming pleads with and convinces Kong to pose as the missing girl to visit her bedridden grandfather Chung-sau. The masterminds behind the abduction, Tong's stepmother and her nephew Chan Chi-biu capture also Tse and the children. Tse brilliantly manages to alert Kong. Fighting and apprehending her opponents, Kong frees the hostages and hands the criminals over to the authorities.

Dirt-poor painter But Ka-sing lives under the same roof with Tang Chan-sin and Lee Tai-hak. Smitten with Tse Mei-chen, the penniless suitor resorts to staging a suicide and makes a fortune of his paintings which are sold at sky-high prices after his feigned death. Reinventing himself as a doctor, But competes with the rich heir Fung Chak-chak to win Tse's heart with an avalanche of gifts and money. However, Tse rejects the suit of the philistine. But gives up his windfall and tells the truth at his memorial exhibition. Thrilled, Tse pledges her love and marries the painter, for better and for worse.

Sit Muk-fu covets the beauty of the maidservant Ku Kar-lin. Ku concocts a scheme with her husband Wong Hoi to swindle money out of the lascivious man and has to flee into hiding with Sit being stabbed to death during their secret liaison. Detector Lui Hak investigates into the murder at Ku's house and arrests the husband who has a sharp knife in his possession. Bearing witness to the murder, their daughter Bo-bo fights to prove her father's innocence. Upon receiving a score of mysterious phone calls revealing Ku's whereabouts, Lui lures the woman out with Bo-bo as bait, subduing and detaining the suspect. The detective fathoms the mystery of the murder case which leads him to another suspect, But Kei. But has been extorting money from Sit and forces his daughter, the sole heir to his inheritance, into marriage in return for concealing his murder-for-money scheme. But submits to arrest without resistance while Ku and husband walk free, acquitted of the charges.