Live Stream: Overly Pampered Education Creates Three Superstars in One Family

Li Lele followed her mother into the house. The door lock clicked shut, as if a switch had been pressed.

Before she could even change her shoes, she heard the sound of wind.

Snapped.

Her face stung. She was knocked to the side, her ears ringing.

"Kneel down!"

The mother's voice trembled, not from sadness, but from anger.

Li Lele bent her knees and knelt down in the entryway. The floor was cold, and the chill seeped into her bones little by little through the fabric of her knees.

Her mother stood before her, her chest heaving, her voice forced out through clenched teeth, "You've grown bold, haven't you? You dare lie to me now, haven't you? You went to KTV with that Qian Jiaxin, what did you tell me? You said you were doing homework at school! When did you learn to lie? Huh?"

Li Lele lowered her head, staring at a crack in the floor, and remained silent.

"Who am I working so hard every day? I scrimp and save on food and clothes, while your dad works on construction sites and only comes home a few times a year. Who are we working for? And this is how you treat me? You actually lied to me! How many more things are you hiding from me?!"

Li Lele's shoulders began to tremble, but she didn't cry out.

"Speak! Are you mute?!" The mother's voice suddenly rose, almost a shout. She squatted down, grabbed Li Lele's shoulders, and forced her to look at her: "Look at me! How many more things are you hiding from me?!"

Looking at her mother's face contorted with anger, Li Lele's lips trembled several times before she finally managed to speak. Her voice was soft and hoarse, as if forced out from her throat: "Mom... I was wrong..."

Her mother released her shoulders, stood up, and looked down at her: "What did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn't have lied to you... I shouldn't have gone to karaoke..."

"Anything else?"

"...I shouldn't have hung out with Qian Jiaxin."

The mother was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Kneel. Don't get up without my permission."

Then he turned and went into the bedroom, slamming the door shut.

Li Lele knelt alone in the entryway. The living room light was on, casting a harsh, white glow on her.

She knelt for a long time, until her knees started to go numb, and then she lost all feeling in them.

She didn't cry out loud, but tears kept flowing, silently streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto the floor.

The comments section was filled with arguments.

To be honest, everyone says Chen Chu's parenting style is good, but what I see is that he can't manage his child at all. Li Lele's family is strict, but her grades are excellent.

[Yes, Li Lele's mother is doing this for her child's sake. Being strict now will make her child grateful when they get into a good university.]

[I laughed. Is this what you call being responsible? Putting pressure on a child who's crying like that—is that what you call being responsible?]

[Actually, I can understand Li Lele's mother. I also come from a rural area, and my parents also hoped I would study hard. But what I can't understand is why studying hard must involve such heavy topics?]

My parents have never said "It's all for you," but I can still feel their love for me. Some love doesn't need to be spoken; some love loses its meaning when spoken.

I'm all too familiar with Li Lele's mother's line, "I can't bear to eat or wear anything nice." Hearing it makes me feel physically nauseous.

I remember my mom often saying things like that when I was little, which makes me feel guilty about every penny I spend now.

In the studio, Zhao Shuilan put down her tablet and said firmly, "Children who don't study have no future. I don't want to be too harsh, but think about it: Chen Ziran or Li Lele, whose future is brighter?"

Zhou Zhenyang was about to say something.

She turned to Zhou Zhenyang: "Dr. Zhou, you're sitting here because you're a doctor, right? Otherwise, why would the production team invite you?"

Zhou Zhenyang was silent for a few seconds. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, and in the end just pushed up his glasses without saying a word.

He understood the implication in Zhao Shuilan's words: Zhou Zhenyang, you are sitting here because you studied well and because you are a PhD.

This is telling everyone that only through education can one find a way out, and without education, one is not qualified to sit in this position. There's no way to refute that.

He didn't speak, but simply leaned back in his chair in silence.

……

three days later.

The day the results are released.

Chen Chu stood in front of the mirror early in the morning, grooming himself.

He shaved off the stubble on his chin, then pulled out a clean shirt from the bottom of his trunk, buttoned it all the way up, tugged at the collar, and looked at himself from side to side.

Chen Ziran leaned against the doorframe, watching his father busy himself in front of the mirror, his expression gradually becoming subtle: "Dad, why are you dressed up so extravagantly?"

"What do you mean, 'all dressed up in fancy clothes'? Can't you speak properly?"

"Are you going to find me a stepmother?"

Chen Chu turned around and glared at him, annoyed. "What stepmother are you looking for? I'm here to back you up!"

He turned back to the mirror and straightened his collar. "The results came out today. Didn't Wang Mei say that if you can stay in the top class, she'll apologize to you in front of the whole school? I'm going to the school today to see what she has to say."

Chen Ziran paused for a moment, looking at Chen Chu's back, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and said in a lower voice, "Dad... you don't need to be so formal..."

"What do you know?" Chen Chu checked himself one last time in front of the mirror, then turned around. "It's your first time officially appearing in your top class, you can't be too casual. If others see your dad acting like a lazy bum, they'll look down on you."

Chen Ziran opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

My dad can be as sloppy as he wants at home, running around the house in a tattered T-shirt and slippers.

But in such situations, he becomes a completely different person. He wears his best clothes, combs his hair neatly, and even his tone of voice changes.

He cares deeply, hidden in the details; he doesn't say it aloud, but he does everything perfectly.

"Alright, let's go." Chen Chu patted the back of his head. "Let me show you how your dad is going to get revenge for you today."

Chen Ziran didn't say anything more, but just grinned and followed him out the door.

The style of the comments section has completely changed.

Chen Chu shaved! He really shaved!

[Am I seeing things? He's wearing a new shirt?]

He said, "If you dress too casually, people will look down on you." He wasn't afraid of losing face himself, but rather that his son would be looked down upon by his classmates.

I remember when I was in junior high, my dad showed up at a parent-teacher conference wearing construction worker's clothes. I didn't care, but when my deskmate asked me, "Your dad works on a construction site?" I was still a little... Chen Chu is right, kids actually care a lot about these details.

Good grief, she's already at school. Looking forward to Wang Mei's apology!

[That old witch Wang Mei, let's see if she can still be so stubborn today!]