They paid the institution to isolate her, control her daily life, and pressure her to end the relationship. A marketplace of controlA July 2026 investigation by China Newsweek documented several adults placed in similar institutions by their families. A gap in enforcementParents have no general legal authority over adult children who possess full civil capacity. They cannot legally decide where those adult children live, whom they date, what work they pursue, or how they organize their daily lives. However, emotional pressure, financial dependence, and family obligation can preserve parental influence, even where legal control has ended.