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

In the cramped and dimly lit corridors of the tenement building, the air was filled with a mixture of cooking fumes and damp, musty smells.

"Knock knock knock".

A series of urgent but deliberately soft knocks suddenly rang out in the dull corridor.

Wearing an apron, Zhou Liying opened the somewhat chipped iron security door. When she saw who was standing outside, she froze on the spot, her tired expression instantly replaced by astonishment.

Standing outside the door was none other than Zhou Yun, the woman in the elegant coat I had seen in the school office that afternoon. Beside her stood Sun Yuting, who usually swaggered around in class but now looked down with a wronged expression.

The mother and daughter were carrying several gift boxes of various sizes, each bearing a gold-plated brand logo: an expensive fruit basket, the latest high-end eye-protection desk lamp, and a complete set of expensive brand-name stationery. These items seemed out of place in the dilapidated rental house with its peeling paint.

"Oh dear... what's wrong?" Zhou Liying was somewhat flattered and stammered, "What's wrong...?"

Zhou Yun's face was plastered with an extremely sincere, even somewhat fearful, smile. She quickly stepped forward, her tone so humble that Zhou Liying could hardly believe it: "Jiajia's mother, I'm so sorry to bother you so late. Our child did something really wrong at school today. We've thought about it and feel really bad about it, so we brought her here to apologize to Jiajia."

Zhou Liying was completely stunned, blinking her eyes: "Huh? Didn't I already apologize in the teacher's office at school?"

"Oh dear, that doesn't count!" Zhou Yun said, shoving the expensive gifts she was carrying into the house while waving her hands repeatedly. Her tone was incredibly sincere. "At school, it's too rushed, done in front of the teacher. As parents, we need to teach our children what rules are. This time, we have to be more sincere! That's why I specially bought some school supplies and supplements for Jiajia."

Looking at those exquisitely packaged high-end gift boxes that she wouldn't even dare to glance at normally, Zhou Liying's long-suppressed vanity swelled up instantly.

For a wealthy family member who usually acts arrogantly to come to your door with lavish gifts to apologize, that's an incredible honor!

"Oh, Ms. Zhou, you're too kind! You're really too kind!" Zhou Liying's face crinkled into a wide smile as she quickly opened the door wide, repeatedly saying politely, "Children often play around and joke around at school, there's no need to make such a fuss! This is too valuable, how can I accept it..."

"It's our duty, it's all our duty. We really feel bad about it." Zhou Yun replied with a smile, but a hint of anxiety, driven to desperation by public opinion across the internet, flashed quickly in the depths of her eyes.

She didn't dare delay any longer. She turned around abruptly, her smile vanishing, grabbed Sun Yuting by the back of the head, and shoved her daughter forward without any politeness, shouting sharply, "What are you all standing there for?! Quickly apologize to Jiajia!"

Sun Yuting's head was pressed down hard by her mother, and her whole body was bent at almost a ninety-degree angle.

The petite Wu Jiajia huddled in the corner of the small living room, helplessly clutching the hem of her tattered clothes, and took a half step back in fright at the scene before her.

Looking at Sun Yuting's head being pressed down, and at Zhou Yun's superficial and exaggerated smile, Wu Jiajia felt no pleasure whatsoever in her young heart, only overwhelming grievances and disgust.

She doesn't want to forgive.

Why? Why should I belittle myself like mud in a gutter in front of so many classmates at school, trampling on my dignity with the most vicious words, and then go home and just throw up a few pretty boxes and casually say "I'm sorry" and call it even?

I did nothing wrong, but just because I wore an old piece of clothing, I had to suffer such humiliation for no reason!

Wu Jiajia's eyes were red, and she bit her pale lower lip hard. She didn't want to say a word. She didn't need these charity gifts at all. She just wanted these hypocritical and terrifying people in front of her to get out of her cramped home and never appear in her sight again!

However, Zhou Liying saw her silence and stiffness as an unforgivable disgrace.

Zhou Liying was originally immersed in the vain pleasure of being flattered by rich people, but when she turned her head, she saw her daughter standing there like a wooden stake, with a cold face, neither responding to a word nor reaching out to take anything. Suddenly, she felt a surge of anger rush to her head.

"Wu Jiajia! How can you be so rude?!"

Zhou Liying's face instantly darkened. In front of Zhou Yun, she reprimanded her in an extremely sharp tone, "Your aunt and classmate personally brought gifts to apologize to you, and you don't know how to accept it?! Are you mute or deaf? Where did all the manners I taught you at home go?!"

Wu Jiajia trembled at her mother's sudden reprimand and instinctively looked up at Zhou Liying.

What met her head was Zhou Liying's icy gaze, almost murderous. Her eyes were filled with warning, disdain, and rage, as if silently roaring: If you dare to ruin my show in front of rich people, I'll skin you alive tonight!

That was the look most familiar to children who had lived in fear for a long time.

Tears welled up in Wu Jiajia's eyes, and a huge rock pressed on her chest, making it painful to even breathe. She had absolutely no right to resist; in this cold, suffocating home, she had never been a person with willpower.

"It's...it's okay." Wu Jiajia slowly lowered her head, squeezing out a faint, almost inaudible sound from her throat, "I...I accept it."

Head bowed, she mechanically allowed Zhou Liying to push her forward and accept the designer gift box. A torrent of grievance churned in her stomach like poison; she didn't know how to express her pain, so she could only bury her head even lower, her toes digging tightly into her slippers, desperately praying in her heart again and again: Go, please, just leave...

However, fate is often crueler.

Seeing her daughter bow her head and acknowledge the bill, Zhou Liying's gloomy expression vanished instantly, replaced by a warm and hospitable demeanor. She glanced at the sky outside, her eyes darting around, and earnestly said, "Ms. Zhou, look, it's almost dinnertime! You've gone to all this trouble! Don't leave, just have a simple meal at our house tonight, nothing fancy, please don't mind!"

Zhou Yun originally just wanted to come over to make a formality and quell the online public opinion, but then she thought that if she could go with the flow and stay for a meal, and the program crew would broadcast it through the room, wouldn't that prove that the two families had put aside their differences and made a complete reconciliation?

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry... Since Jiajia's mother is so hospitable, then we'll take our leave!" Zhou Yun's smile grew even brighter as she readily agreed.

……

This harmonious and loving scene was fully presented in the live broadcast room of the parenting expert through the program team's high-definition camera.

Inside the studio, the tense atmosphere instantly eased, and even warm and gentle background music played on the screen, as if a deeply moving human reconciliation had just taken place.

Zhao Shuilan, watching from the observation panel, smiled with satisfaction and nodded repeatedly in admiration: "Look everyone, isn't this wonderful? Zhou Yun's character is truly excellent, and she is very principled in her approach to raising her child. To err is human, to forgive divine! When a child makes a mistake, the parent not only doesn't cover it up, but also personally takes the child to apologize, showing utmost sincerity. This is the best example of family education."

Sun Xuerong, a family ethics expert standing nearby, pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and agreed with a look of approval: "Yes, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. If everyone sits down at the table and talks things out peacefully, the misunderstanding can be cleared up, and everyone will be happy. That's why I always say that the world isn't as complicated as people think. There's no need to make a big deal out of everything and talk about punishment and revenge all the time."

Sun Xuerong raised her chin meaningfully, her tone carrying a hint of lecturing composure: "Mutual understanding and mutual tolerance are the highest levels of handling interpersonal conflicts."

The live stream chat also shifted dramatically, with many viewers who had been misled by the apparent warmth echoing the sentiment:

[How heartwarming! The other parents are also very respectable people; the gift they bought looks expensive, showing their sincerity!]

[Yes, yes, that's exactly the meaning of "effective parenting" that we want to see! Family education should guide children to resolve conflicts and move towards reconciliation.]

[Exactly, does justice only exist when someone acts like Chen Chu, arguing and driving people to their deaths in a live stream? It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Chen Chu is too aggressive; it would be much better to learn from his approach.]

[Just have a nice meal together and the matter will be over, right? What do children know about deep-seated hatred? Adults' guidance is so important!]

The screen displayed a peaceful and praising atmosphere, completely concealing all the sharpness and cruelty beneath this layer of hypocritical warmth.

……

Half an hour later, this dinner, filled with insincere social interactions and awkward fake smiles, finally came to an end.

Zhou Liying, all smiles and profuse thanks, escorted Zhou Yun and her daughter to the corner of the stairwell, constantly saying, "Come visit often in the future."

However, the moment the green security door slammed shut behind me with a loud "bang,"...

The warmth and gentleness on Zhou Liying's face shattered instantly, like a mask being torn off. Her sallow and haggard face turned cold and sinister again in a second.

She turned around and strode back to the cramped living room.

There were still leftovers on the table. Wu Jiajia stood silently by the table, head down, preparing to clear the dishes.

"Snapped!"

Zhou Liying grabbed a dishcloth from the table and slammed it down hard on the dining table, making a jarring thud.

"Wu Jiajia! You think you've gotten any smarter?!" Zhou Liying pointed at her daughter's nose, her pent-up anger erupting like a volcano. "Look at the way you ate just now! You had a long face the whole time, your lips were so pouty you could hang an oil bottle on them! Who were you trying to fool with your mournful expression?!"

Wu Jiajia trembled from the shout, nearly dropping the bowl in her hand. She bit her lip hard, tears welling in her eyes, but dared not let them fall.

"What kind of host are you?! You have no manners at all! The guests came all this way with valuable gifts to apologize, and you kept putting on a sour face the whole time, like they owed you eight million!" Zhou Liying felt more and more aggrieved as she cursed, her chest heaving violently, her voice so sharp it almost cracked. "I spent the whole day at work watching my boss's face, I'm exhausted like a dog! And when I get home I still have to come back and put on a smiling face to serve the guests. I did all this to clean up your mess, to make your time at school a little easier?! I work so hard every day, is it just to come back and see this deadpan face of yours?!"

"Say something! Why aren't you saying anything?! You're such an ingrate!"

In the cramped rented room, only Zhou Liying's hysterical cursing echoed continuously.

Wu Jiajia stood silently in the shadows. She offered no explanation, offered no resistance, and even forced back the sobs that threatened to escape her lips. In this house, silence was her only shield, and although it was always shattered, at least it helped to wear down the storm sooner.

She simply endured it numbly, letting those vicious words pelt her already battered heart like hailstones.

……

The next morning, the early autumn fog enveloped the campus of the city's No. 1 Primary School, and the air was chilly.

Wu Jiajia, carrying her worn-out, faded schoolbag, walked cautiously into the classroom with her head down.

She had thought that last night's so-called "solemn apology" would at least stop those two girls from bothering her. However, the moment she stepped into the classroom, the noisy surroundings suddenly fell into an eerie silence, as if a mute button had been pressed.

All eyes, filled with scrutiny, mockery, and rejection, fell upon her.

Wu Jiajia's heart sank suddenly, and a familiar yet immense fear instantly enveloped her.

At the back of the classroom, Sun Yuting was surrounded by several close female friends. The grievance and embarrassment she had felt the night before when her mother had pressed her head down were gone from her face; instead, there was a look of smug anger and vengeful triumph.

When Sun Yuting saw Wu Jiajia walk in, she deliberately raised her voice and gave a sarcastic laugh in a sharp tone that the whole class could hear clearly:

"Hey, isn't this our class's pampered princess, Wu Jiajia? Everyone, stay away from her! She's incredibly precious, a spoiled brat you can't even touch!"

The members of Sun Yuting's small clique immediately understood and burst into shrill laughter.

Sun Yuting crossed her arms, her face contorted with disgust as she went around boasting about her "victories" from the previous night, spreading rumors and twisting the truth: "I advise you all not to hang out with her anymore! She's incredibly shrewd. She can make a joke at school, and the next minute she'll be crying and complaining to her parents! Last night, my mom had to go to her house with bags full of stuff to beg for forgiveness, putting on such a big show! If you ever accidentally step on her foot, watch out, she might drag your whole family into this mess and cause you a lot of trouble. You won't even have time to cry then!"

"Yeah, that's terrifying. How can there be such a person..."

"It was just a joke, but they had to make both sets of parents uneasy. It's disgusting."

"Stay away from her, and whatever you do, don't talk to her. Otherwise, if we accidentally bump into her, it'll look like we're bullying her, and she'll tell the teacher!"

The girls in the small group chimed in, each looking at Wu Jiajia with eyes that seemed to regard her as a plague, and even deliberately and exaggeratedly moved their desks to the side to increase the distance between them and her seat.

The malicious whispers were like countless poisoned needles, densely piercing Wu Jiajia's eardrums.

Why?

Wu Jiajia stood alone in the corridor, her body ice-cold.

She couldn't understand it, she really couldn't understand it.

She was the one who was bullied, insulted, and had her dignity trampled on from beginning to end! She didn't complain, didn't ask for those gifts, and didn't even utter a single unnecessary rebuttal!

Why am I the one who ends up isolated? Why do those who do wrong stand tall and enjoy the support of the crowd, while I, the innocent victim, become the sinner that everyone avoids?

To adults, it was a dignified reconciliation; but in the jungle law of children, that apology pushed Wu Jiajia directly into a deeper and more cruel abyss of emotional abuse.

All around her were pointing and whispering gazes and deliberate distancing. Wu Jiajia felt dizzy, and all her grievances, despair, and loneliness completely overwhelmed her in that instant.

She stumbled back to her seat and slammed the chair out. She didn't know how to defend herself; in this hostile classroom, no one would listen to her.

She suddenly slumped onto the cold desk, burying her face in her arms, her thin shoulders beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

Tears quickly soaked her cuffs; the suffocating sense of injustice made her want to just burst into tears without a care in the world.

Just then, the front door of the classroom creaked open.

The homeroom teacher, Ms. Zhang, carrying a thick stack of morning reading practice papers, strode into the classroom. The previously unrestrained laughter in the classroom instantly subsided by more than half.

As soon as Teacher Zhang looked up, she immediately noticed the unusual figure sitting by the window—Wu Jiajia was slumped over the table, her shoulders heaving violently, clearly suppressing her sobs.

Ms. Zhang's face instantly darkened. The scene in the office yesterday was still vivid in her mind. She thought things would be over after the two families reached a settlement, but she didn't expect her child to be crying like this so early in the morning.

"What's going on?!"

Teacher Zhang strode to the center of the aisle and questioned her sternly. Her serious eyes swept over the students who were usually the most troublemakers, and her gaze locked onto Sun Yuting in the back row.

Sun Yuting felt a chill run down her spine under the teacher's sharp gaze, but she was no longer the unsuspecting little girl she had been yesterday. The slap she received from her mother last night, coupled with the online uproar, had taught her instinctively how to feign innocence and shirk responsibility.

Sun Yuting immediately adopted a posture a hundred times more aggrieved than Wu Jiajia, her eyes even instantly welling up with tears, and she loudly cried out her innocence with a sobbing voice:

"Teacher! Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't even touch her today! She just came into the classroom and started crying. I didn't say a word to her, I have no idea what happened!"

Ms. Zhang frowned, clearly skeptical of Sun Yuting's words. She turned around, walked gently to Wu Jiajia's desk, softened her tone, and asked with concern, "Wu Jiajia, look up. Is what Sun Yuting said true? What happened? Did someone bully you again? Tell me, and I'll stand up for you!"

At that moment, the classroom was deathly silent.

All eyes were focused on Wu Jiajia's trembling back. Sun Yuting stared intently at her from the back row, her eyes filled with warning and resentment.

Wu Jiajia, who was lying on the table, felt her heart clench when she heard the words "the teacher will stand up for you."

Can you make the decision?

No.

Yesterday, the teacher said she would stand up for her, but what happened? What she got in return was her mother fawning over the wealthy parents, her mother's hysterical cursing behind closed doors, and this morning, the intensified isolation and exclusion from the whole class!

If she makes any more accusations against Sun Yuting today, Teacher Zhang will definitely call her parents again.

When that time comes, Zhou Yun will come knocking again, and Zhou Liying will go completely insane and tear her to pieces.

In this world where no one truly stands behind her, every attempt to resist and cry for help ultimately becomes the sharpest dagger piercing her own chest.

Wu Jiajia slowly raised her head from her arms.

Her eyes were terribly swollen and red, and her face was covered with crisscrossing tear tracks, but her once youthful face now exuded a heartbreaking stillness and numbness.

She remained silent for a full five seconds, and then, under the watchful eyes of the entire class, shook her head very slowly but with unparalleled clarity.

"Yes...that's how it is, Teacher Zhang."

Wu Jiajia's voice was hoarse and hollow as she said, word by word, "No one bullied me. It was me... I was just feeling a little unwell and upset, that's why I cried. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

As soon as she uttered this lie against her conscience, Wu Jiajia felt that even the last bit of her backbone had been drained away.

Teacher Zhang was stunned.

Looking into Wu Jiajia's empty, lifeless eyes, she sensed, based on her years of teaching experience, that something was definitely wrong. The child's eyes were practically overflowing with grievance and fear; how could she possibly be feeling unwell?

However, Wu Jiajia herself denied it in public, even insisting that it had nothing to do with anyone else. Without any substantial evidence, even if Teacher Zhang wanted to intervene, he simply could not pursue the matter procedurally.

She gave Wu Jiajia a deep look, then glanced at Sun Yuting, who was looking rather smug in the back row, and finally could only sigh helplessly.

Teacher Zhang strode up to the podium with her lesson plan in hand, slammed the blackboard eraser down hard, making a piercing sound.

"Quiet! Everyone, take out your books and get ready for morning reading!"

Teacher Zhang's expression was stern, her gaze sweeping over the entire class like a cold sword. She sternly warned, "I'll reiterate once again! Absolutely no bullying or ostracizing of classmates is allowed in my class! If I discover it, whoever it is, they'll be immediately suspended from class and their parents called! Especially you, Sun Yuting! Watch your words and actions! You are absolutely forbidden from bullying Wu Jiajia again, do you hear me?!"

Sun Yuting, who had been publicly called out and warned, gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and mumbled, "I heard you..."

Teacher Zhang put down the test paper, turned around and quickly walked out of the classroom to coordinate the morning reading arrangements with the class next door.

And just a second after the classroom door closed.

Sun Yuting suddenly stood up from her seat, as if she had been deeply humiliated. Pointing in Wu Jiajia's direction, she shouted angrily:

"Everyone heard it with their own ears, right?! Even she herself said that no one bullied her! I didn't say a word to her, and then the teacher came in and started yelling at me again!"

Sun Yuting stood with her hands on her hips, her face a mixture of anger and smugness, and incited the class, "See that?! I told you she's a menace! I didn't do anything, but just because she was lying there pretending to cry, I was publicly slandered by the teacher! If anyone accidentally offends her in the future, who knows how badly she'll smear them with her mouth!"

She spat out a cold laugh: "Let whoever wants to deal with this scheming bitch have her!"

Sun Yuting's performance of falsely accusing someone first instantly resonated strongly with the classmates who were unaware of the truth but eager to band together.

A chorus of unbridled mockery and agreement immediately filled the classroom:

"Yeah, Yuting, you're so innocent! You've had the worst luck imaginable!"

"Exactly, Wu Jiajia is really too delicate. She cries at the drop of a hat and acts like she's going to die if you touch her."

"How disgusting! If you want to cry, go home and cry. Who are you trying to impress by putting on this act in the classroom?"

"Isn't it all just to gain the teacher's sympathy? She almost got Yuting into trouble; she's so scheming!"

Each cold and harsh comment was like an invisible hammer, crashing down on Wu Jiajia's thin back.

Wu Jiajia sat in the window seat, her blood seemingly frozen in that moment.

The tears that were about to burst from her eyes now hung tightly on her eyelashes.

Why?

Why am I so unlucky?

Being mocked for her unfashionable clothes was her fault; being forced to accept a false apology was her fault; now she is isolated and ostracized by the whole class, and even the tears she secretly sheds when she is helpless are seen by others as evidence of her being "scheming and trying to gain sympathy"!

In this world, as a vulnerable person, as someone who has been hurt, has she been completely deprived of even the right to shed tears?

Tears welled up uncontrollably and started to fall.

However, Wu Jiajia bit her lower lip tightly, even drawing a deep bloody line. She stared wide-eyed, using the last bit of strength in her body to tilt her head back and force back the scalding tears.

She dared not cry.

She can't cry.

Because she was afraid... she was truly afraid that once her tears fell, they would become the bargaining chips for these people to point at her nose and wantonly trample on her last shred of human dignity.