To avoid the relentless marriage pressure, I told my parents I lost my job and had racked up a huge debt, figuring no one would want me then. I didn’t expect to be disowned and kicked out that same night. “We don’t have a daughter who brings such shame to our family!” “Get out, get out, get out! If debt collectors come knocking during the holidays, how are we supposed to face anyone?” “Angel, you’re an adult now. You need to take responsibility for yourself. We’re too old to bear this burden for you.” Should I tell them it’s their son who’s in debt, not me? Chapter As New Year approached, the marriage pressure calls became more frequent. “Daughter, you’re already in your late twenties. What are you going to do if you don’t get married soon?” “Your elementary school classmate, I forget his name, already has two kids!” “How can your father and I hold our heads up? People think there’s something wrong with our daughter! If you don’t marry, your brother will struggle to find a wife too!” “Listen to me, your aunt set you up on a blind date. The guy is honest and doesn’t talk much! He’s really good! You have to meet him when you come back for New Year, got it?” “There are also other men introduced by relatives. I’ve lined them up for you. It doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad, as long as someone wants you! Otherwise, in a couple of years, even the guys at the village entrance won’t want you!” By the end of the year, it was almost like clockwork, four calls a day, perfectly timed with meals. Colleagues who witnessed all this were secretly mocking me: “Is your family breeding livestock?” “Even for breeding, you’d want a strong one to ensure the quality of offspring. Your family… not even the village guys?” I was blushing from the ridicule. My manager’s gaze was also becoming strange. With my limited work experience, I guessed they either wanted to make me more compliant or suspected I was about to get married and become unsuitable for work! I was both restless and angry! I’m only 23, in the prime of my youth! At the beginning of the year, I joined a big company. Every day, my parents would call me with workplace survival tips like “be diligent, serve tea and clean up, give gifts, sweet talk, and use connections.” After being overheard, I was ridiculed and became a minor office joke. At the end of the year, because of countless marriage pressure calls, I became the office laughingstock again. I walked to a quiet corner, and another call came through. “Stop pressuring me! I’m only 23!” I ruffled my hair in frustration and pleaded into the phone with a tearful voice. “I was just negotiating a business deal! Your calls ruined the cooperation, and I’m about to get fired and held accountable!” “The deal was worth millions! Are you going to compensate for that?” “Stop calling.” The marriage pressure call ended. My mom didn’t say anything. Before I realized it, she hung up with a “ding.” I was stunned for a couple of seconds, then exhaled a breath of relief, finally able to enjoy some peace. Days passed without any marriage pressure calls, and I was in a great mood, even eating two extra bowls of rice. “Finally got through it!” I packed up my things, ready to head home. “Next year is a new year, with new gossip. Everyone will forget.” I comforted myself. Chapter
When I got home, it was dinner time. “Dad, Mom, Brother,” I greeted each one. Seeing my brother and his new girlfriend was a bit of a surprise. “Hi, hi, I’m Angel, Jack’s sister. Make yourself at home!” They seemed surprised to see me, their chopsticks frozen in mid-air, and the atmosphere felt a bit tense. “What’s up? Didn’t I text you that I’d be home today?” I looked at my silent family, feeling a bit strange. “No, uh, my phone broke, didn’t see it.” My mom awkwardly smiled, pointing with her chopsticks. “You’ve eaten, right? We’re halfway through our meal, you… want some more?” I looked at the leftover food, a bit helpless: “I sent the message to the family group chat.” My dad’s face darkened, frowning as he scolded me: “Just come home, it’s not a big deal!” “Daughter.” My mom quickly stopped him and then hesitated to stop me from getting more dishes. “Yeah? What is it?” “Well, Mom’s phone broke, and I’m getting old, don’t understand these electronic products. Can you buy me a new one?” “Sure.” I didn’t catch any hidden meaning and agreed readily. Since I started working, they’ve often asked me for gifts. She finally showed a smile and went to get me some dishes. “Daughter, it’s good you’re back. We all missed you!” “While everyone’s free for the New Year, I’ve arranged for you to meet your aunt and a few other men introduced by relatives. One every hour! Just check them out, pick one, and aim to get married this holiday.” “You’re still young, you have choices. Wait a couple more years, who will want you then?!” I was so shocked that I dropped my food, the beef roll falling back into the hot pot, quickly picked up by my brother, who glared at me. “This year? Are you kidding?” Seeing their serious expressions, I put down my chopsticks and addressed a reality check about marriage. “Marriage requires a lot of preparation, especially financially.” “For example, how much are you expecting in dowry? How much are you giving me as a bride price?” My mom gave me a pinch of cabbage, giving me a playful look. “You young people love shortcuts, hoping to get rich through marriage! Cars and houses will come in time! Don’t fuss over these! A reliable man is what matters most!” My dad’s face was grim, displeased with my questions. “We’re not selling our daughter, why ask for benefits? You want people to gossip about us?” My mom quickly filled his glass, soothing him. “Listen to Mom, money isn’t important in life. When your dad and I got married, we didn’t care about these things. We had nothing but still made it work.” Seeing I wasn’t moved, she began tearfully lamenting how hard it was to raise me, and how not getting married would be an eternal shame, leaving them restless forever. I got fed up with the pressure, recalling the words that made them quiet before, ready to use the same trick. “It’s not that I don’t want to get married, but marriage involves living together, buying a house, a car, having kids, needing a stable financial base, right?” “Before… you kept calling at inappropriate times, ruining several contracts, and now I’ve been fired. The client is demanding compensation, and I’m in debt by millions. Who would dare marry me? Marry me and share my debt?” The familiar tense atmosphere returned, broken by my dad slamming his chopsticks down. “Who are you trying to fool? You agreed to buy the phone for your mom without hesitation, how can you be in debt?!” “Don’t think we don’t know your little schemes!” “You just don’t want to get married! How are we supposed to hold our heads up in the village?” I stared in disbelief. Were they testing me from the start, setting a trap? No way, we’re family, right? I shook my head, pushing the odd thought away. “Take out a loan! If you’re deep in debt, what’s one more? If you’re covered in lice, you won’t feel itchy!” I said casually, trying to continue eating, but my brother blocked me, so I gave up, not caring anymore. “Anyway, I’m deep in debt now! No job! Anyone who marries me is unlucky! Definitely can’t get married!” “My focus next year is to find a good job, then work for promotions and raises! Be filial to you, alright?” “As for marriage, I’m not considering it for now. Don’t rush me. I’ll marry when I find the right person!” They stared at me, seemingly confirming the truth of my words. Finally, after a moment, my mom clutched her chest, trembling, and began crying again. My image of being obedient and honest since childhood was deeply ingrained, so they probably believed me. But what they didn’t know is once someone starts working, they learn to tell little lies with ease! Watching my mom cry, I felt at a loss. Is not marrying at 23 such a big deal? Is it worth crying over? “So you’re blaming us…” “You want us to pay your debts?” My mom pointed at me, crying as if she was about to faint. “How did I give birth to such a debt-collector?!” Chapter
“I…” Before I could finish my sentence, my dad took a deep breath, threw back a shot of baijiu, and slammed the glass on the ground, asserting his authority as the head of the family. “Impossible! Don’t even think about it!” “Other people’s children go out to work and earn money to support their families. But you? You’re like a failure! Not only didn’t you make money, but you also ended up owing millions!” “I don’t have such a disappointing daughter!” His harsh words left me stunned. Pointing to myself in disbelief, I asked, “Me? Disappointing?” I finally understood what they were implying. They thought I wanted them to help pay off my debts? But the debt isn’t real! Even if it were, shouldn’t a family face hardships together? “What if it was my brother Jack who was in debt?” I asked, not giving up. My dad’s face darkened even more. “Don’t even think of comparing yourself to your brother! He’s the pillar of our family! After a hundred years, everything we have will be his. Don’t even dream of getting a penny!” “Besides, your brother wouldn’t do something like that!” Jack had been looking uncertain, but hearing this, he immediately raised his head proudly. I found it absurd. They say a father’s love is conditional, while a mother’s love is selfless. Could my mom be this heartless too? My mom clutched her chest as if she couldn’t breathe. “What do you mean? Are you blaming us?” “We’re urging you to get married for your own good, so there’s someone to take care of you! If you can’t secure a contract, it’s because you’re not capable!” “If we made a mistake, it’s in raising you too well, making you arrogant! You couldn’t see your place and insisted on working in the big city!” “If you’d dropped out and worked early on, you’d already be married, and you wouldn’t have all these problems!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. In middle school, they wanted me to drop out and work. It was my teacher’s home visit that brought me back to school. I worked hard, finished college with scholarships and part-time jobs. I always thought we were poor, as they always said, raising me was a huge favor. Until last year, when they suddenly took out two million yuan to buy Jack a house. That’s when I realized we weren’t poor; they were just poor to me. By then, I was financially independent, so I didn’t dwell on it. After all, we’re family! My mom continued, “Daughter, you made this mess, you should clean it up yourself! We’re old, how can you bear to let us suffer with you?” Suffer? I’ve never made them suffer. As she bragged, when she was seven months pregnant with me, she was still working hard. I was quiet and obedient. When she argued with my grandma and accidentally fell, I was born with a “splash.” She wanted to earn money and have another child, so she barely raised me, leaving me with my grandparents. They fed me rice soup. Once I started school, being diligent and sensible, I never caused them any trouble. When I was two, my brother was born, and I helped take care of him like half a nanny. Suddenly, I wanted them to suffer a bit. Tears started flowing uncontrollably. “I’m not asking for much. Didn’t Jack prepare 188,000 yuan for his wedding? Lend it to me for now. I’ll pay it back after the Lunar New Year, double!” I gritted my teeth, looking at them hopefully. 188,000 yuan is definitely within their reach. As long as they say “yes,” I’ll repay it double next year! I wasn’t sure what I was fighting for. Maybe this would prove they saw me as family! Chapter
“Angel, what do you mean?” Jack, who had been silent, jumped up excitedly. “Who do you think you are? Do you deserve it?” I looked at him in shock, unable to believe the sweet brother on the phone could become so vicious. “I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. So what if you owe debts? Just ask for more benefits!” “Go ask around, how many college students are there in our area? We endured hardships to send her to college, wasn’t it for this? Why are you being so pretentious?” He shouted at my mom, then looked at me smugly. “You probably don’t know yet, right? Aunt found you a match whose wife just died, leaving him a big inheritance!” “You did pretty well, worth some money! He’s willing to pay 188,000 yuan to marry a college graduate!” “Don’t look so shocked, as if you’re innocent! You’ve worked so hard studying, trying to please mom and dad, isn’t it to find a better husband? If not to attract a man’s attention, why work so hard?” I was furious and slapped him across the face. Before high school, I spent all my vacations on him, teaching him homework and life lessons. In high school, I spent more time studying and working part-time, always buying him snacks and gifts when I had extra money. The effort I put into him wasn’t any less than what my parents did. His words hurt me more than my parents’ schemes. “He’s your brother, how can you hit him?” My mom shrieked, raising her hand to hit me. I dodged quickly, avoiding her hand, but tripped over a chair and fell to the ground. Jack seized the opportunity to kick me in the stomach. The girlfriend he brought home was so scared she dropped her chopsticks, quietly standing up and heading for the door. I curled up, in pain all over, unable to believe these were my family, who claimed to love me and have my best interest at heart! My dad approached, and I thought he was going to help me up. I propped myself on my arms to get up, only to see him looking down at me arrogantly. “Lock her in the room, let Aunt come to pick her up tomorrow.” My heart went cold, finally recognizing the truth. This isn’t my home, and they’re not my family. I bit down on Jack’s hand, drawing blood. He used his other hand to choke me. “You dare hit me! You’ll marry whether you want to or not! That’s your fate!” “If you refuse, I’ll break your legs!” I grabbed his hands, trying to loosen his grip, but I couldn’t match his strength. Asphyxiation set in, and my head started spinning. Tears blurred my vision, and I saw my mom leaning on a chair, crying harder than I was. “Enough! It’s a holiday, don’t you find this unlucky!” “Once you’ve vented, that’s it. We’re still waiting for her to bring in benefits!” I finally got a moment to breathe. “Wait!” “You can’t lock me up…” My dad, impatient, was about to kick me again. I covered my head and shouted, “I said the debt is real!” “They’re already here, right at the village entrance!” “They have knives and axes!” “Let me go, I’ll lead them away!” “Otherwise, none of us will survive tonight!” He paused, looking at me mockingly. “If you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable!” I struggled to look up. “Listen!” My voice was hoarse from the choking, like a ghost. Chapter On my way back, I saw people at the village entrance, smashing things. I wanted to watch but was worried they’d wait too long for me at home, so I quickly asked what was happening. “What else? Debt collecting!” “It’s a good time to collect debts during the holidays!” There are many who drink and gamble in the village, losing a car over the New Year is common. I’ve known that since I was young. But collecting debts during the holidays, this was a first for me. But it doesn’t matter to me, I just want to get away! They’re not family; they’re demons!
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