Qiu Yingying is reborn and bound to a learning system.

The living room lights were still on, casting a warm yellow glow on Mr. and Mrs. Guan's tense faces, but it couldn't dispel the heavy, oppressive atmosphere in the room. The two sat facing each other on the sofa, neither speaking first. The air was thick with barely suppressed anger and irritation; even their breathing carried a hint of gunpowder.

Aunt Guan gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with her fingertips, the edges of the cotton fabric wrinkled from being pinched. Just thinking about Gu Er's lawless and arrogant behavior in the yard and living room made her heart clench, and she was so angry that her temples throbbed.

In her nearly fifty years of life, she had never seen such an ill-mannered, tactless, and unambitious young person. He disrespected his elders, did not value his career, had no intention of starting a family, spouted nonsense, sprawled on the sofa like a giant baby who had never grown up, was more interested in playing video games than anything else, and treated everyone with indifference.

A man like that, let alone being her son-in-law, she would frown and avoid even a random stranger on the street.

But ironically, this is the very man whose daughter, who has always been obedient and sensible, treats as a treasure and insists that she will marry no one but him.

Thinking about this, Guan's mother felt a tightness in her chest and was so angry that she couldn't even speak properly.

Guan's father's face was extremely ugly, dark and gloomy, his brows were furrowed into a tight knot, and he held an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

The qualities he valued most in his life were reliability, stability, good manners, and a sense of responsibility, none of which Gu Er possessed. In his eyes, this young man was not only unreliable, but he had also ruined his entire New Year's expectations, tarnished the Guan family's reputation in front of relatives, and had completely bewitched his daughter, making her unable to distinguish right from wrong.

"There's no room for discussion; we have to split it."

Mr. Guan finally broke the silence, his voice as deep and cold as a block of iron, striking the air without any room for negotiation or compromise. He looked up at Mrs. Guan, his gaze firm and resolute, carrying the unquestionable determination of the head of the family.

"I've lived most of my life and I've never seen such an immature, irresponsible, and disrespectful young man. I'd be ashamed to even have him as a friend, let alone a son-in-law. Keeping someone like this around Ju'er will only hinder and harm her; he absolutely cannot be allowed to stay."

"Of course I know we need to split it!" Aunt Guan immediately lowered her voice, her anger almost overflowing, yet she dared not raise it too high, afraid that Guan Ju'er in the hallway would hear. "But Ju'er is so stubborn; once she's made up her mind, nothing anyone says will change it! I confronted her in the bedroom, I made it clear to her, but she wouldn't budge an inch, she's clearly going against us!"

She was truly angry, anxious, aggrieved, and powerless.

From childhood to adulthood, Guan Juer had always been the most obedient child, never talking back, never rebelling, never causing trouble. She would do whatever she was told, study hard when told to study hard, and work steadily when told to work steadily. She never imagined that one day her daughter would so openly defy her and rebel against her for the sake of a stranger, even ignoring her words.

"You can score points even if you go against them!"

Guan's father slammed his hand on the table, the dull sound particularly jarring in the quiet room, his tone unwavering and resolute, showing no sign of backing down.

"I'd rather she never date or get married than let her jump into this fire pit! If someone like that really comes into our family, we'll never have peace again. Our relatives and friends will laugh at us, and Ju'er's life will be ruined!"

"That's exactly what I mean!" Aunt Guan immediately echoed, her attitude resolute and unwavering, her eyes filled with determination. "I'll continue talking to her tomorrow, from morning till night, until she breaks off all ties! I absolutely cannot accept this crooked, good-for-nothing lad! He has no chance of marrying my daughter, not even a second thought!"

"Not only must they break up, they must break up completely!" Guan's father continued in a deep voice, "They are not allowed to meet or contact each other from now on. Their phone numbers and WeChat accounts are all blocked. I will personally keep an eye on her and make sure that Ju'er has absolutely no connection with this kind of person again."

"Yes, it has to be a clean break!" Mrs. Guan nodded, her tone hardening. "I refuse to believe I can't control my own daughter. No matter how much she throws a tantrum, cries, or stubbornly insists, there's no turning back. They have to separate!"

The two spoke back and forth, their tone resolute, without a single concession, not a hint of compromise like "I won't pressure her anymore" or "It's up to her." All that remained was their utter rejection and disgust of Gu Er, and their unwavering determination to force Guan Juer to break up with him. They were determined that even if it meant a falling out with their daughter, even if it meant a chaotic New Year, they would never let Guan Juer be with such a scoundrel.

Pressuring someone to get married?

They've long since forgotten about being pressured to get married.

More than fearing their daughter would marry late or not at all, they feared her jumping into a brightly lit pit of fire, marrying a man that everyone looked down on and opposed.

At this moment, at the corner at the end of the corridor, Guan Juer stood quietly in the shadows, hearing every word her parents said in the living room.

She wasn't angry, aggrieved, or sad; instead, she felt a sense of relief, and the smile on her lips deepened, impossible to hide.

The objective has been achieved.

Completely and perfectly achieved.

The constant pressure to get married that had once made her feel suffocated and wanting to escape every Chinese New Year vanished without a trace at this moment.

Instead, her parents did everything in their power and took a hard line to force her to break up with the boyfriend.

No one is forcing her to find a partner by 25, to get engaged by 26, to get married by 27, or to have children before 30. No one is using the guise of "for your own good" to plan her life, make decisions for her, or arrange a future she doesn't want at all.

In the whole family, all the focus, all the attention, all the nagging, all the arguments have shifted from "urging marriage" to "forcing a breakup."

And this is exactly the result Guan Juer wanted most.

As for whether or not to break up—

That's not up to her to decide.

Gu Er is a rental; the relationship is fake. She can end it at any time, and she can "continue" it at any time.

The initiative was entirely in her own hands.

Gu Er stood quietly beside her, the young man tall and clean-cut, a stark contrast to the carefree, unruly brat he had been during the day. He turned his head slightly, looking at Guan Juer beside him, her eyes filled with amusement and her body relaxed. He gently touched her arm, a knowing smile in his eyes, and whispered softly, "..."

"Sister, it seems they're really in a hurry."

Guan Juer slowly raised her eyes and looked out at the dark and quiet night sky.

A few sparse stars hung in the deep blue night sky, and the moonlight gently shone down, falling on the branches of the trees in the yard, on the moss in the corner of the wall, and on her shoulders that had been tense all day and were finally completely relaxed.

She let out a long sigh, a sigh that contained all the grievances, repression, frustration, and helplessness of the past three years, the suffocation she felt every time she was pressured to get married, the embarrassment she felt every time relatives pointed at her, and the powerlessness she felt every time her parents nagged her.

Now, it's all vanished into thin air.

Being in a hurry is the right thing to do.

She'd rather be forced to break up than be pressured into marriage, have her life planned out, or be forced to settle.

At least this time, the initiative in her life has finally returned to her own hands.

She no longer needs to pretend to be obedient, no longer needs to force herself to cope, and no longer needs to compromise herself to meet everyone's expectations.

This year was peaceful, satisfying, and a great success.

Pressuring someone to get married?

From this moment on, it is completely a thing of the past.

Guan Juer turned her head slightly to look at Gu Er beside her, her eyes filled with sincere gratitude and a relaxed smile. She had to admit that this temporarily rented "boyfriend" was an impeccable actor, perfectly capturing the right balance. He was arrogant when he needed to be, and restrained when he needed to be, portraying the word "unreliable" so vividly that he completely silenced the whole family's marriage-urging group.

If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have been able to escape this mental kidnapping that had lasted for several years so easily.

The two quietly turned around and tiptoed back to the room at the end of the corridor, afraid of disturbing Guan's parents, who were still angry in the living room. Guan Juer arranged for Gu Er to stay in the guest room that had been prepared in advance, telling him to get some rest and that everything could be discussed tomorrow. After all, the play was over, and the effect had been maximized. The rest was up to her to handle on her own.

Back in her bedroom, Guan Juer closed the door behind her, leaned against it, and finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

It wasn't a smug smile, nor a secret laugh; it was a genuinely relaxed, joyful, and liberating laugh.

She picked up her phone from the bedside table, and the screen lit up, revealing the familiar chat group of the five beauties from Ode to Joy.

This group was her warmest refuge in Shanghai, a place where five girls supported each other, vented their frustrations, and stood up for one another. In previous years, when she was pressured to get married during the Spring Festival, she would cry to her sisters in the group and be comforted and given advice by Qiu Yingying, Fan Shengmei, Andy, and Qu Xiaoxiao.

This time, she didn't come to cry.

She came to report good news and share the results of the battle.

Guan Juer's fingers flew across the screen, typing lines of text with a light and smug tone, radiating an undisguised sense of satisfaction:

"Sisters, I hereby declare that I have won the battle against being pressured to get married during this year's Lunar New Year."

Within seconds of the message being sent, the group chat exploded.

Qiu Yingying was the first to jump out, sending ten excited emojis in a row:

"Wow! Guan Guan, you're amazing!! Really? The whole family has stopped pressuring you?!"

Fan Shengmei appeared shortly after, her tone full of heartache and relief:

"You've finally made it through! I knew you could do it. Seeing how much pressure you've been under all these years has broken my heart."

Andy is always concise, yet every word he says is sincere:

Congratulations on regaining control of your life. You deserve to live according to your own wishes.

Qu Xiaoxiao, as always, was both arrogant and supportive:

"Wow, Guan Guan! You've been hiding your true strength! I thought you were going to obediently let things be arranged for you for the rest of your life, but you pulled out all the stops right away! Awesome!!"

As Guan Juer looked at the messages on the screen, her heart warmed and her eyes welled up with tears.

In this world, there will always be someone who understands her grievances, her struggles, and the freedom she desires.

She continued typing, briefly recounting the events of the day, highlighting the key points: renting a boyfriend to take home, deliberately letting him let loose, silencing all her relatives, pressuring her parents to break up with him, and never mentioning marriage again.

The group chat exploded even more instantly.

Qiu Yingying: "My God! That's so awesome! What kind of amazing move is that! Ju'er, you're so brave!"

Fan Shengmei: "Although it's just acting, it was so satisfying. Those relatives should be taught a lesson. What right do they have to interfere in other people's lives?"

Andy: "The strategy was successful, and the result was ideal. You didn't hurt anyone; you just stayed within your boundaries."

Qu Xiaoxiao: "Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter! My whole family went from pressuring me to get married to pressuring me to break up. Guan Guan, you're really ruthless! I'm completely free now! I can date if I want, and I can not date if I don't want to. Nobody can stop me!"

Seeing her sisters congratulate her, support her, and express their happiness for her, Guan Juer completely relaxed.

She replied:

"Thank you all for being there for me. From now on, I can truly live for myself."

The group chat was flooded with hugs and congratulations.

Guan Juer put down her phone, a relaxed smile on her face, her mind clear and calm.

She picked up her phone and opened her chat with Gu Er.

From the very beginning, communicating details on the platform, determining the price, agreeing on the extent of the acting, and discussing strategies for returning home, to the cooperation, tacit understanding, and improvisation along the way, Gu Er did far better than she had imagined. He was professional, reliable, and had an excellent sense of propriety. His acting was realistic, never overstepping boundaries, causing embarrassment, or creating trouble, and he perfectly completed all the tasks.

The agreed-upon reward was eight thousand.

But Guan Juer transferred 10,000 yuan directly.

She didn't say much, just a simple note: "Thank you for your hard work."

A red transfer notification popped up, showing the amount as 10000.00.

A few seconds later, the other party clicked to receive the payment.

Immediately afterward, Gu Er sent a message, her tone relaxed, with a slight smile, clean and polite:

"Thank you, sister. I'll keep the extra. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything next time."

There were no unnecessary pleasantries, no ambiguous probing, no excessive intimacy; a perfectly appropriate distance was maintained, demonstrating professionalism and propriety.

Guan Juer looked at the screen, smiled gently, and replied with a single word:

"it is good."

She put down her phone, lay down on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and felt incredibly at ease.

This New Year's drama, which started with "renting a boyfriend" and ended with "defeating the marriage-urging group," has finally come to a close.

In the living room, Guan's parents were still discussing how to confront her tomorrow, how to force her to break up, and how to prevent her from seeing Gu Er again. Their tone was firm, their attitude resolute, and they were determined not to give up.

Guan Juer lay in bed, but she wasn't worried or scared at all.

Because she has already won.

The pressure to get married, a curse that had plagued her for three years, was shattered by her own hands.

From then on, no one dared to interfere in her life anymore.

No one dares to define her value by her age, marriage, or children anymore.

No one dared to make any decisions for her under the guise of "for your own good" anymore.

She can work steadily in Shanghai, live a slow life, meet people slowly, choose to get married, or choose to never get married.

Her life, her rhythm, her choices, her freedom.

Nobody can control that.

The moonlight outside the window was softer, and the courtyard was quiet. There was no more daytime noise, no more jarring marriage urgings, and no more suffocating interrogations.

Guan Juer closed her eyes, a faint, reassuring smile on her lips.

This year was the most comfortable, enjoyable, and free year she had ever experienced since she grew up.

Pressuring someone to get married?

From then on, it ceased to exist.

From this moment on, her life truly belongs to her.