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

The faint light emanating from the tablet screen flickered in the dimly lit apartment, illuminating Li Minghui's stubble-faced and somewhat tired expression.

On the screen, Chen Chu's speech about "cosplaying adults" and "oppressive education" continued, each word like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of countless netizens.

Li Minghui, who had been a bit grumpy when he first woke up, now leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the screen with a complex mix of emotions, and his fingers, holding a cigarette, paused slightly. After a long while, he took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and let out a long sigh.

As he watched the tearful accusations in the live chat and listened to Chen Chu's sharp words, he was deeply moved. He had to admit that Chen Chu was right, absolutely right. The older generation of parents had indeed used many suffocatingly excessive methods in their parenting, such as indiscriminate belittling and crushing self-esteem, which truly ruined the bright and sunny youth of many people.

However, as a middle-aged man who has been struggling in society for many years, Li Minghui asked himself honestly, and deep down, he didn't actually resent his parents that much.

"Chen Chu, you're still too young, and your perspective is too sharp." Li Minghui flicked his cigarette ash, his voice carrying a weariness and clarity born of experience. "Actually, you can't entirely blame those parents."

The operations girl standing to the side was excitedly looking at the trending search data when she heard the director suddenly say this. She was stunned and turned around to look at him with a puzzled expression.

Meeting the girl's questioning gaze, Li Minghui shook his head and calmly explained, "You 90s and 00s kids grew up in a sweet environment; you can't even imagine how bad the material conditions were for our parents' generation. What kind of era was that? Food and clothing were scarce, and daily necessities were extremely limited. For many, the biggest problem they faced every day wasn't how to realize their self-worth, but how to feed their entire family!"

Li Minghui's gaze became distant, as if he had returned to that impoverished era: "In that kind of environment, people would be driven crazy. They lived such a hard and miserable life, and all their energy was devoted to fighting poverty. So in those days, many families raised their children really just casually, without paying attention to mental health or emotional value. The only standard was—just to survive. As long as they didn't starve or freeze to death, that was a great blessing."

He paused, stubbed out his cigarette, and continued, "This kind of living environment meant that their generation had virtually no concept of 'educational philosophy.' They not only lacked education, but also the capacity to think about how to nurture a sensitive heart. Often, even if they wanted the best for their children, they didn't know how to express it and could only discipline them in the most brutal and instinctive way. The times created their limitations, so it's unfair to blame all the tragedies of today on the 'poison' of parents."

After listening to this long-winded explanation, the operations manager was not convinced at all. Instead, her eyes widened, and a sense of justice, typical of young people, surged into her mind.

"Director, you're twisting the facts! You're making excuses for the abusers!" the operations manager retorted angrily, her voice clear and firm. "Wrong is wrong! Material deprivation can be a reason why they can't provide a comfortable life, but it can never be a cover for their emotional abuse!"

She pointed at the trembling little girl, Wu Jiajia, on the screen, her eyes slightly red: "Just like Teacher Chen said, why take out your anger on children? Why transfer your own pain onto others? Just because you had a hard time back then, just because you suffered from the hardships of your time, does that mean you can make the next generation suffer too? This kind of logic is simply robbery logic!"

Li Minghui quietly observed the young girl before him, brimming with a sense of justice and naive to the ways of the world, without immediately refuting her. He simply and slowly picked up the cigarette case from the coffee table, took out a cigarette, and tapped it lightly on the surface.

"Well said, quite passionately." Li Minghui gave a forced smile, then his eyes narrowed slightly, his tone suddenly turning icy as he uttered a chilling question: "Do you even want to come to work tonight?"

This seemingly casual remark was like a bucket of ice water poured over the little flame of justice burning within the operations team.

The operations manager's voice abruptly stopped, her mouth agape, frozen in place. She stared at Li Minghui's expressionless face, her mind racing with thoughts of the unpaid credit card bills and the harsh company policy of docking pay for lateness and early departures.

Ultimately, the pull of reality prevailed over the allure of ideals.

The operations girl reluctantly shut her mouth, pouted aggrievedly, and muttered under her breath, "Director, you've gone too far. Threatening me with your authority when you can't win an argument, what kind of skill is that..."

Seeing the girl's discomfiture, Li Minghui chuckled and skillfully lit a cigarette: "This isn't a threat, I'm just giving you a free lesson in the workplace. Let you know in advance what 'the treacherous nature of society' means."

He exhaled a smoke ring, looked at her through the swirling smoke, and said earnestly, "In this society, not everything can be judged in black and white. You need to learn to read people's expressions, to know what you can and cannot say in front of certain people. Sometimes, the truth is worthless when it comes to making a living. Alright, stop standing there and get your eyes on the live stream data. If the viewership drops, I'll hold you responsible!"

……

At this very moment, the atmosphere at the kindergarten event was so tense it was on the verge of exploding.

Chen Chu stood at the edge of the stage, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixed on Zhou Liying. The barrage of words he had just hurled at her had not quelled his anger; instead, seeing Zhou Liying's unrepentant, even aggrieved, expression only intensified his sorrow.

"Ms. Zhou, you still don't realize where you went wrong!" Chen Chu's voice suddenly rose, pointing at Zhou Liying's nose, mercilessly tearing away her last piece of pretense. "You keep saying it's for the child's good, but look at your face just now! You weren't educating the child at all! You've gone too far! You had this child not out of love, but just to find a free punching bag to vent your anger on in this messed-up life, a bag you dare not resist!"

The words "scapegoat" were like a sharp knife, piercing straight into Zhou Liying's most sensitive nerve.

Under the condemnation of the crowd, Zhou Liying had already begun to back down, but those words instantly ignited all the grievances, resentment, and anger deep within her. Like a mother beast that had been completely enraged, she suddenly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot as she glared at Chen Chu, completely abandoning all dignity and restraint, and hysterically erupted in front of everyone.

"You're talking nonsense! What's it to you?!" Zhou Liying screamed, her voice so shrill it hurt the eardrums. She took a step forward, pointed at Chen Chu's nose, and cursed, "What right do you have to stand here and criticize me?! I gave birth to her and raised her. I get up before dawn every day to cook, get yelled at like a dog by my boss at work, and then rush home after work to help her with her homework! I've given all my youth and blood to this family, and what about you?! Have you given anything in return?!"

Tears welled up in Zhou Liying's eyes, a testament to years of pent-up exhaustion and despair. She wiped her face roughly, pointed at Chen Chu, and cried out, each word dripping with anguish: "You stand here talking without any sense of the pain! You just open your mouth and call me a wicked, vicious woman! If you're so capable, why don't you help me raise this child? Pay my rent, pay her tutoring fees, and shoulder this damned burden of life for me!"

She became increasingly agitated, her whole body trembling: "Am I not tired?! I'm a person too, I also have times when I can't breathe! I'm under so much pressure every day, can't I even say a few words to her if I lose my temper a little?! Do I have to be judged and humiliated by you, an outsider?!"

Faced with Zhou Liying's seemingly frantic accusations and questions.

Chen Chu remained silent.

This is the first time since the show started that he has fallen silent amidst heated debate.

The large activity room echoed with Zhou Liying's heavy breathing and faint sobs. All eyes were focused on Chen Chu, awaiting his razor-sharp counterattack.

However, Chen Chu just stood there quietly, his lips pressed tightly into a line.

Looking at the woman before him, her hair somewhat disheveled, her eyes lined with fine lines, and her appearance ravaged by life, the surging anger deep within him suddenly seemed to have crashed into a cold and hard wall.

Yes.

Chen Chu silently asked himself: What should I do?

Even if I were to eloquently explain my reasoning here today, even if I were to verbally abuse Zhou Liying mercilessly, what good would it do?

After the party ends, Zhou Liying still has to return to that cramped rented room, still face the crowded subway every morning, and still have to bow her head and bend her back for the sake of daily necessities and the boss's attitude. The heavy burden of life will not lessen in the slightest.

I can stand on moral high ground to criticize her parenting methods, but can I really take out cash to help her raise her child? Can I help her solve the trivial problems in her life?

No.

At this moment, Chen Chu deeply felt the pull of reality. It was a weight that no amount of flowery language or correct theory could lift.

Seeing Chen Chu remain silent, Zhou Liying felt as if she had grasped his weakness and regained her composure. She sneered, tears streaming down her face, making her look somewhat ferocious: "Why aren't you saying anything? Have you become mute? Teacher Chen, weren't you quite talkative just now?"

She continued her tirade, her tone filled with mockery and disdain: "You, living in the clouds, just talk a good game! You have no idea about the suffering of us ordinary people, you have no idea what it feels like to be ground down by life! So, all you do is spout nonsense and try to manipulate me with your grand theories!"

"No."

Chen Chu suddenly raised his head, interrupting Zhou Liying's taunts.

His gaze was clear and firm, without the slightest hesitation. He looked directly into Zhou Liying's resentful eyes, his tone no longer angry, but carrying an undeniable weight.

"Ms. Zhou, you've misunderstood something." Chen Chu took a deep breath and said, word by word, "My silence now is only because I genuinely cannot solve your life's difficulties, not because I'm simply lecturing you."

He took a slow step forward, his gaze fixed on Zhou Liying's heart: "I admit you're living a hard life, you're exhausted. But that doesn't mean what you've done is right! If you've done something wrong, you've done something wrong! If there's a problem, there's a problem! This has nothing to do with your identity or your bank account balance!"

Chen Chu's voice resonated throughout the hall once again, carrying a power that struck straight to the soul: "You can't turn around and vent your pain on a life weaker than you, a life with no ability to fight back, just because you've suffered injustice and pain in this society! That's not your outlet, that's your daughter!"

"Life slapped you in the face, and you didn't dare retaliate, so you slapped your daughter instead. No matter how many excuses you make, no matter how pitiful you try to portray yourself, this behavior is essentially cowardice, an unforgivable evil!"

Zhou Liying froze completely.

Chen Chu's words were like a precise scalpel, ruthlessly cutting through the veneer of "motherly love" she used to comfort herself, revealing the most vulnerable selfishness and cowardice within.

She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but found her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a sound. All her grievances and stubbornness were utterly crushed by Chen Chu's logic at that moment.

Zhou Liying remained silent for a very long time.

Finally, she deflated like a punctured balloon, her shoulders slumping. But her stubborn pride still held her together. She gritted her teeth, staring intently at Chen Chu, and said in an almost defiant tone, "Fine, you're right, I can't argue with you. But I'll say it again, this is my own child. I know how to discipline her. I don't need you, 'Expert Chen,' bothering with this! If you're really so capable, so compassionate, then come and raise my child for me!"

After saying that, she grabbed Wu Jiajia, who was still looking down, and roughly pulled her to leave, as if she didn't want to stay in this place that had made her lose face for even a second longer.

……

The viewers in the live stream couldn't hold back any longer when they saw this.

A few people initially felt sorry for Zhou Liying, but after hearing her stubborn and pleading remarks, all their sympathy instantly turned into overwhelming anger.

[Holy crap, this woman is being so unreasonable! She's clearly in the wrong, but she absolutely refuses to admit it!] [She's incredibly unlucky to have a mother like this! When she can't argue with Chen Chu, she resorts to being a scoundrel, even saying things like, "If you're so capable, then raise her yourself!" Is that even human language?] [It's disgusting! Teacher Chen is absolutely right. She's a weakling in society, so she abuses her even weaker daughter at home. This isn't education; it's using her child as a punching bag!] [I'm so angry! It's heartbreaking to see that poor little girl being dragged around like that by her mother. This kind of person doesn't deserve to be a mother!] [Yeah, it's too much! She has absolutely no capacity for self-reflection. She thinks she's the most burdened and miserable person in the world, and everyone else deserves to suffer under her abuse!]

The barrage of insults on the screen was like a tsunami, and the crowd was filled with indignation.

……

at the same time.

Li Minghui, the chief director, who was in a high-end apartment in the city, could see the conflict on the scene clearly through a tablet computer.

He had been half-lying on the sofa, but now he was sitting upright. His small eyes, which always carried a hint of shrewd calculation, were now gleaming with an almost fanatical light.

Li Minghui stroked the prickly stubble on his chin, his mind racing.

"Interesting...very interesting." Li Minghui stared at Zhou Liying's angry departing figure on the screen, a businessman's smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He knew all too well what the current variety show market needed. Pure warmth and harmony had long since lost its appeal; audiences craved excitement, conflict, and targets for emotional release during their leisure time. And Zhou Liying before him—stubborn, obsessive, representing the anxiety and morbidity of working-class parents—was practically the perfect "villain"!

If we could get her on the show and have her engage in a long-term debate with an "aloof" education expert like Chen Chu, the buzz and the ratings would absolutely blow the roof off the TV station!

After thinking for less than half a minute, Li Minghui decisively picked up his phone and dialed the number of the on-site photographer.

The call connected almost instantly.

"Hey? Director Li, the situation on set is getting a bit out of control. Zhou Liying is leaving, we..." The photographer's anxious voice came through.

"Don't let her go!" Li Minghui interrupted him without hesitation, issuing the order in rapid succession, "Go over there right now and stop her. On behalf of our program team, formally send her an invitation to join our upcoming long-term family education observation project as a resident family!"

"Huh?!" The photographer on the other end of the phone was completely dumbfounded upon hearing this instruction. He stared wide-eyed at Zhou Liying and her daughter, who were already at the front door, his voice trembling: "Director Li, you're not kidding, are you? Invite her? She's just a nobody, and she made such a scene on stage just now. She's practically drowning in online criticism. Why would you invite her?"

"You know nothing!" Li Minghui cursed into the phone, his tone revealing the coldness and shrewdness of a capitalist. "What I want is for her to make a scene! This woman is full of controversy right now; she's a perfect hot topic, isn't she? As long as she's on the show, viewers will tune in to criticize her. Go now, this is a death order, you must take her down!"

The photographer hung up the phone, swallowing hard with a bitter expression. He glanced at the parents around him who were avoiding Zhou Liying like the plague, then at Zhou Liying herself, who was still angry. He could only grit his teeth, carry the heavy camera, and jog after her.

"Ms. Zhou! Ms. Zhou, please wait a moment!"

Outside the kindergarten gate, the photographer, panting, blocked Zhou Liying's path.

Zhou Liying stopped in her tracks, staring at the black camera blocking her way. Like a hedgehog with its feathers standing on end, she snapped, "What are you doing?! Are you guys ever going to stop? Wasn't it enough that I was made a fool of in there by your so-called expert? Now you want to come out and film me making a fool of myself? Get out of my way!"

The photographer wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly put on a professional smile: "No, Ms. Zhou, you've misunderstood. I'm here on behalf of the director of our program 'Family Revelation.' Our director feels that what you just said on stage reflected many of the real dilemmas and helplessness faced by modern families."

The photographer took a deep breath and, as instructed by Li Minghui, threw out the bait: "So, our production team would like to formally invite you and your daughter to join our follow-up observational program as regular guests."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Liying was stunned for a moment, then let out a sharp, cold laugh as if she had heard an extremely absurd joke.

"Invite me on a show? Ha! Do you think I'm stupid?" Zhou Liying refused without hesitation, her eyes filled with wariness and disgust. "Do you want to put me on TV so the whole country can watch me cry and be criticized by your high and mighty experts? Do you expect me to act out this kind of victim act on TV? Dream on! I'm leaving, get out of the way!"

As she spoke, she roughly pushed the camera aside and pulled Wu Jiajia to continue walking forward.

"They're rich! They'll pay you for the appearance!"

Seeing that the mission was about to fail, the photographer had a sudden inspiration and shouted at Zhou Liying's back.

Zhou Liying's steps froze as soon as she heard the word "rich".

Her back stiffened for a moment. For a single mother who works long hours every day and is overwhelmed by rent and tutoring fees, the word "money" is far more damaging than dignity.

The photographer keenly noticed Zhou Liying's hesitation and quickly moved in front of her, his tone sincere and enticing: "Ms. Zhou, please consider the offer. Our program's appearance fee is very generous, definitely equivalent to several months' salary for you working hard outside. Surely you wouldn't want that money? Who would turn down money?"

Zhou Liying bit her lip tightly, leaving a row of pale teeth marks on her lower lip. Her chest heaved violently as she struggled internally. On one hand, there was the humiliation of being pointed at and talked about on television; on the other hand, there was the real money that could give her a moment's respite.

Ultimately, the burdens of life crushed what little self-esteem she had left.

She slowly turned her head to look at the photographer, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes—a mixture of compromise and resentment.

"Okay, I promise you."

Zhou Liying's voice was a little hoarse, but her tone was unusually stubborn: "However, let's make this clear beforehand: I'll take the money, but I, Zhou Liying, will absolutely not act for your ratings! I am who I am!"

She tilted her head back, as if addressing Li Minghui on camera, or perhaps declaring war on the entire online audience: "By the way, I also want to use this program to let the whole country see what your high and mighty Chen Chu is really like! I want them to see how I struggle in this cold city, and how I've wronged my daughter! I don't steal or rob; I work hard for this family, I've worked very hard, okay!"