Yanling sent Jiang Xin a WeChat message, asking her to meet tomorrow.
Jiang Xin looked at the WeChat message from Yan Ling, but unlike before, she wasn't full of anticipation. She replied calmly with an "okay," and then continued to bury herself in her work.
When she was leaving get off work that evening, the colleague who had complained to her earlier invited her to dinner. In addition to her, the colleague also invited several other single women from the department.
They went to a newly opened Sichuan restaurant, and at the dinner table, they abandoned their usual formalities at the company and chatted enthusiastically.
The youngest among them is 25 years old, and apart from Jiang Xin, everyone else present has experienced being pressured to get married.
They gathered together to complain about their parents pressuring them to get married. They simply couldn't understand why these career elites didn't have their own social value.
Among them, the oldest, He Ran, complained to them about her bizarre blind date experiences, describing her outrageous blind date partners in a lighthearted manner.
But Jiang Xin caught a fleeting glimpse of fatigue on her face.
"She must really hate going on blind dates," Jiang Xin thought, feeling a pang of sympathy for her plight.
With He Ran's initial remarks sparking a discussion, everyone chimed in, complaining about the bizarre people they'd encountered on blind dates.
"Jiang Xin, what about you?" A colleague asked Jiang Xin when she hadn't said anything.
Jiang Xin was taken aback when she was called out. She had never made friends before and didn't know how to get along with them.
Now, she also acts as a listener to her colleagues and rarely talks about her own situation.
Jiang Xin thought for a moment and said, "My parents have passed away, so no one is pressuring me to find a boyfriend."
Her colleagues quickly apologized to her and offered words of comfort.
Jiang Xin saw their goodwill and smiled nonchalantly: "I'm fine. I know a friend who was adopted by a wealthy family when she was young."
Jiang Xin recalled her dream and slowly said, "The family that adopted her had a very strict mother who had high expectations for her. Her adoptive parents gave her the best educational resources."
He sent her abroad to study, bought her a house and a car after she graduated, and even helped her find a job through connections.
Later, she fell in love with a man whose family background was completely different from hers. Her adoptive parents strongly objected. Her mother told her that they had spoiled her so that she would do laundry, mop the floor, and cook for other people.
Despite her parents' objections, she insisted on being with that man, and she broke ties with her family for him.
"Oh my god! What was your friend thinking?! Do her adoptive parents need another daughter?"
"I don't want a mother like that for me! This is the kind of mother I should have! You ask them if they need another daughter? I promise I'll be obedient!"
"And me! If I were his daughter, I'd definitely obey. What are men anyway? My mother is my goddess!"
Jiang Xin was taken aback by her colleagues' enthusiastic reaction. She asked blankly, "Don't you think her mother is very controlling? She's also very strict with her daughter."
A colleague looked at her like she was an idiot: "My God! Isn't it normal for families like this to be strict with their children?"
Is it really good to let a rich kid grow up and become a clueless spoiled brat? That's called being responsible for your child! She doesn't want that kind of life, but I do!
A group of people chimed in, saying she was willing too.
Some people questioned whether this was a scene from a TV series, since there are no girls this naive in real life.
Jiang Xin asked blankly, "Don't you think their love is very touching? They dared to defy their parents and give up all worldly things to pursue true love."
The people present shook their heads and answered in unison, "We don't think so."
"Are there really people in real life who would pursue true love at all costs? Don't houses and cars matter to her?"
What social class does your friend's family belong to?
Jiang Xin thought for a moment and answered truthfully, "It's about the same as Chenguang."
A burst of screams erupted from the group, and one of them, still unwilling to give up, asked, "Your friend gave up being a rich girl and chose a boyfriend instead?"
Jiang Xin nodded hesitantly, and several colleagues immediately clutched their chests and leaned back in their chairs, wailing, "Oh my god, if she doesn't care, she can give me the opportunity!"
Another colleague bluntly asked, "Have you taken your friend to get checked out?" She then pointed to her head.
Jiang Xin understood; this meant there was something wrong with her head.
“But…” Jiang Xin wanted to say something more, but the person next to her interrupted her.
"Stop! In a family like that, let alone being controlling, I'd be willing to be locked up at home by her!"
"Yes, yes, has your friend ever met children from ordinary families?"
Take me for example. I have a younger brother. I've known since I was little that my parents love my brother more. My brother gets to choose everything in the house first, and I can only take what he doesn't want.
When I was in high school, I wanted to attend a well-known local tutoring center, but my parents were reluctant to spend the money on me. However, when it came to my younger brother, they were willing to pay any amount of money.
My mom told me that everything in the house belonged to my younger brother and that I shouldn't even think about competing with him. After I graduated, I went back to my hometown. My mom required me to be home before 8 pm every night and to pay for living expenses and utilities every month.
I had to get her permission to make friends, and she even stipulated what kind of boyfriend I had to find. Later, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I left my hometown and came to Beijing.
Jiang Xin, this is true control.
When the topic of parents came up, the colleagues found they had a lot in common.
Jiang Xin's female colleague to her left had tears in her eyes: "My mother has been very strict with me since I was a child. I have to be number one in exams. If I don't get first place, I will be beaten when I get home and I won't be allowed to eat! She said that the rewards I give her are not worthy of her sacrifices for me!"
Before I went to university, I was never out of her sight. She would pick me up from school every day, rain or shine. When classmates discussed homework with me, she would listen in.
Over time, no one at school wanted to play with me or talk to me, but my mother didn't care at all.
Before I went to university, I didn't even have a cell phone. She said I was still young and didn't need to buy one. She told me that my classmates could call her if they needed to contact me.
She wouldn't allow me to read any extracurricular books or watch TV. She supervised my homework every day and would come to my room every night to check if I was asleep. My bedroom door wasn't locked; she said I was her child and there was nothing she couldn't know.
After she finished speaking, she silently shed tears, and many people took out tissues to wipe them away for her.
Jiang Xin was shocked by her colleague's experience. She now realized that what she had gone through was nothing in their eyes.
The colleague's experience was so depressing that just hearing about it was enough to make one feel incredibly oppressed.
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