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

Shude Middle School, top class.

The report cards were posted on the bulletin board in the lobby on the first floor of the teaching building, with red paper and black ink, densely listing the rankings and scores. The bulletin board was crowded with people as soon as the morning exercises ended.

Chen Ziran stood on the outer edge of the crowd, not pushing his way in. His hands were in his pockets, and he appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was pounding like a drum. Someone squeezed out next to him, muttering "Holy crap," and then glanced at him with a complicated expression.

"Make way, make way."

The crowd parted automatically to make way. Chen Chu walked in, his shirt collar buttoned up perfectly, his hair neatly combed, and his gleaming leather shoes standing out starkly against the backdrop of school uniforms and sneakers scattered everywhere. He walked to the notice board, looked up, and searched from top to bottom, but couldn't find it. Then he searched from bottom to top.

Then I saw that name in the third row.

Chen Ziran, total score: 553.

He stared at the three numbers for several seconds, then turned around and gave Chen Ziran a thumbs-up. Seeing that gesture, Chen Ziran's heart, which had been pounding, finally settled, and a wide grin spread across his face.

Chen Chu sent Chen Ziran a message: "Dad will play games with you tonight. Now Dad will go find the factory for you."

The school bell rang.

Wang Mei walked out of the office carrying a stack of lesson plans and ran into Chen Chu in the corridor. She tried to pretend she didn't see him and turned to walk away.

Chen Chu stepped aside, blocking her path perfectly, and smiled: "Teacher Wang, the results are out, have you seen them?"

Wang Mei stopped in her tracks.

"My son scored 553 points, ranking 35th in his class." Chen Chu's tone was unhurried, as if he were discussing the weather. "You said before that if my son could stay in the top class, you would apologize to him in front of the entire school. Does that promise still stand?"

The corridor was silent for three seconds. A few students passing by slowed their pace and furtively glanced over.

Wang Mei stood there, her face turning pale and then flushed, her lips pressed into a thin line.

After a long while, she spoke, her voice very low: "...I mean what I say."

During the long break that morning, the school's public address system broadcasted an announcement.

"All teachers and students, please assemble on the playground."

On the playground, more than 3,000 students stood in rows according to their classes, a dense, dark mass.

On the podium, Wang Mei stood in front of the microphone, her face as white as a sheet of paper.

She remained silent for a long time.

The playground was silent as more than three thousand eyes watched her.

She finally spoke: "...Regarding the matter of Chen Ziran's suspected cheating on the monthly exam, after verification, it was my own misjudgment. Hereby, I sincerely apologize to Chen Ziran. I'm sorry."

After saying those three words, she bowed to the audience, then straightened up, turned around, and quickly walked off the stage.

A murmur arose from the audience, the buzzing sound spreading like a tide.

Chen Chu stood at the edge of the playground, arms crossed, his expression calm.

Chen Ziran stood in the class line, head down, his expression unreadable.

His shoulders relaxed slightly.

That afternoon, the "Effective Parenting" program set up equipment in the Chen family's living room, and host Xiao Sa personally conducted an exclusive interview.

"Mr. Chen, we are very curious. In just one month, Chen Ziran's English score has improved from single digits to over 90 points, and his total score has also increased from over 400 points to over 550 points. How did you do it?"

Chen Chu leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said casually, "Just use flattery to kill."

Xiao Sa was taken aback for a moment: "...To flatter someone to death?"

"Yeah, praise to death." Chen Chu changed his posture. "Kids need to be praised more. Praise them when they do something right, and of course you should correct them when they do something wrong, but after you've corrected them, you also need to let them know that you're correcting them because you care about them, not because you hate them."

Many parents have misunderstood something: they think that it's a child's duty to do well, but they should be scolded if they do something wrong.

But children aren't machines. You can't just give negative feedback. You need to let them know that you'll be happy when they do something right, and you'll be happy when they make progress. Once they sense your happiness, they'll be more willing to do it themselves.

Xiao Sa nodded thoughtfully: "So, how exactly should I praise him?"

"Praise it to the extreme."

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

[Just as Pavlov's dog existed in ancient times, Chen Chu's son exists today. Classic conditioned reflex, right?]

[Hahaha, what kind of nonsense is this, praising someone to death!]

But he has a point! Positive feedback is indeed more effective than negative feedback!

I tried it, praised my brother, and he happily washed the dishes. This method works!

Screen switch.

Li Lele's home.

A report card was spread out on the coffee table in the living room.

Chinese: 134. Math: 148. English: 141...

Total score: 649.

It was much lower than the last monthly exam.

Li Lele's mother sat on the sofa, looking at the report card, her face as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

She slammed the report card on the coffee table, the paper making a crisp sound: "Look at it yourself, how much have you regressed?"

"Mom, this test was harder than the last one..."

"Difficult?" Mom's voice suddenly rose. "Difficult only for you! Others can get high scores, why can't you? If you've regressed, you've regressed, don't make excuses!"

"I……"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, ''? I take care of you day and night, and this is how you repay me? Do you know how embarrassed I am when your dad calls to ask about your grades? I can't bear to tell him! I can't stand the shame!"

Li Lele stood in front of the coffee table, head down, hands clasped together.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and she couldn't make a sound.

The comments section went silent for a while before starting to scroll again.

[...649 points and he got criticized like this. I don't know what to say.]

The difference is obvious. Over there, 553 points are treated like a treasure, while over here, 649 points are being vilified.

Chen Chu is right, "You have to let him know that I'll be happy when you do the right thing." Li Lele's mother will never be happy. She won't be happy if she gets 649, nor will she be happy if she gets 700.

I suddenly feel so sorry for Li Lele. She's clearly tried so hard, but her mother will never see it.

……

After finishing the game.

Chen Chu was exhausted.

Chen Ziran sat on the sofa, holding a remote control in his hand, but didn't turn on the TV. He was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Dad... Mom called me."

Chen Chu was pouring water, his hands still moving: "Hmm, what did she say?"

"I know about your bet," Chen Ziran said in a muffled voice. "She said you agreed that if I don't get 550 points on next month's monthly exam, she'll give me and my sister custody."

Chen Chu put down the kettle, turned around, and looked at Chen Ziran.

"What she said went too far!" Chen Ziran's voice suddenly rose. "Why should we be the ones to bet? We're nothing! She even said her sister is sick and that you can't cure her, only she can cure her. What gives her the right to say that!"

Chen Chu walked over and sat down next to him. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "Your mother... she's not a bad person. She just likes to use standards to measure people too much. Grades are the standard, scores are the standard, whether or not you can get into a good school is also the standard. She lives within these standards, so she thinks everyone should live within these standards. But people aren't machines; they can't be quantified."

Chen Ziran lowered his head and remained silent.

"Don't take her words too seriously. She's worried about your sister's illness, and she has her reasons. It's just that the way she expresses it... well, it's rather direct."

Chen Ziran suddenly looked up: "Dad, let's defeat Mom together!"

Chen Chu was stunned for a moment: "...Huh?"

"We can't let her take away custody of my sister!" Chen Ziran's expression was serious, unlike that of a fifteen-year-old. "Although I'm not an adult yet, I'll work hard for the exam! I've thought it all through. I'll study hard, get good grades, and let the judge know that I won't go astray with you. As for my sister, she definitely doesn't want to go with Mom!"

Chen Chu looked at his serious face and remained silent for a long while.

He reached out and patted him on the head: "Okay, let's beat her together."

But he knew in his heart that things weren't that simple.

At Chen Ziran's age, as long as he insists on living with his father, the court will generally respect the child's wishes.

But Chen Xiaoyu is only five years old and has autism.

When determining custody, the court will give priority to economic and medical conditions.

In both of these areas, Chu Qiuyue is far superior to him.

This is probably why Chu Qiuyue dared to make that bet. If she won, she could directly obtain custody; if she lost, she could take legal action and might not necessarily lose.

He didn't say these words aloud.

He looked at Chen Ziran's face, which had regained its fighting spirit, and simply smiled: "Alright, go to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

Chen Ziran nodded, stood up, and walked towards his room. At the door, he turned back and said, "Dad, goodnight. See you tomorrow."