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

Xu Danian sat on a plastic chair in the hospital corridor, looking at the message Chen Ziran had sent on his phone screen, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

He turned his phone over, his tone revealing undisguised dissatisfaction.

"Making a child take the blame is really wrong. What kind of father makes his son bear the consequences of his own actions?"

Sun Xuerong nodded slightly when she saw this speech in the studio.

Her tone remained gentle, but with an air of authoritative regret.

"Mr. Chen Chu's actions were indeed inappropriate. Letting a child face such immense public pressure alone is not something a mature parent should do."

Chen Chu's expression remained completely unchanged when he heard these words during the live broadcast.

"You're judging me by your own petty standards. I didn't say anything; he was the one who wanted to say it, and you're trying to pin it on me?"

In the evening, the setting sun bathed the living room in a warm yellow light.

When Chen Ziran pushed open the door and walked in, the photographer had already set up his equipment.

The comments started scrolling, and netizens' questions flooded in like a tide.

"Ziran, were the things you posted at noon today true?"

Chen Ziran placed his schoolbag on the sofa and said calmly and frankly, "Of course it's true."

The viewers in the live chat continued to press, "Then why didn't you say so before?"

Chen Ziran scratched his head: "Of course it's because I'm shy. What a joke! I still have to go to school. If I admitted it, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?"

His tone carried a youthful candor that made many viewers in front of the screen chuckle.

"Then why are you willing to talk about it now?"

Chen Ziran was silent for a moment, then his expression became more serious: "Well... how should I put it? Actually, I've been reading those debates online. I used to feel very miserable and upset because everyone else had a mother, but I didn't. My dad also had to take time out of his busy schedule to take care of my younger sister and work part-time to earn money, so he didn't have much time to spend on me."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I feel terrible. I'm just a kid too. Why do I have to bear so much pressure alone?"

His tone wasn't one of complaint; it was more like he was stating something he had already figured out.

"But today, looking at the opinions online, I suddenly realized something: it's not that my father doesn't want to take care of me, he just really doesn't have that much energy anymore."

He looked up at the camera and said, "What a person can do and what they can't do are two different things. It's not that Dad didn't want to take care of my feelings and my sister at the same time; he just had limited abilities and couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it, so I don't want to blame him at all."

The comments section was quiet for a moment, then erupted into a surging roar.

Chen Ziran paused for a moment, then continued, "After all, I'm now one of only two male members in the family, so I want to do something for this family. I also want to become more responsible. So what I said today was what I wanted to say myself; no one forced me to say it. It's simply my sense of responsibility that prevents me from standing up."

In the studio, Zhao Shuilang was silent for a moment, then asked in a rare, less sharp tone.

"Ziran, why do you think your father is unable to do it, rather than unwilling to?"

Chen Ziran thought for a moment: "Well... actually it's because I saw that he was being criticized so much online, but he never told anyone about what happened to me."

He lowered his head. "He could have just told everyone the truth. If he had, he wouldn't have been criticized. But he didn't."

He raised his head, his eyes clear and calm. "This is something I could have done, but I didn't."

Netizens continued to press, "So what case made you realize this?"

Chen Ziran's lips curled up slightly: "Well... everyone has their own understanding. Anyway, I don't need to say anything, you should all know."

He didn't explain further, but his eyes held a wisdom beyond his years.

Netizens then turned their attention to Chen Chu: "You could have solved the problem by speaking up, so why didn't you?"

Chen Chu leaned back on the sofa, looking somewhat speechless.

"I am a father. Although sometimes I am a bit... well, as the pillar of the family, shouldn't I be able to withstand the storms?"

In short, that's all I have to say. Those who understand, understand; those who don't, won't understand even if I explain.

His comment completely drove the chat crazy.

What the hell?! Can you please explain yourself clearly?!

[Damn it, you better explain yourself clearly!]

[I understand now, this is what they call fatherly love as solid as a mountain... (likely referring to a landslide).]

Actually, I kind of understand what he means, and I roughly know what he's trying to express. It's something like... well, those who understand, understand; those who don't, there's no point in explaining. You guys figure it out yourselves.

[To the idiot upstairs: Let me explain. It's actually very simple. Chen's sense of responsibility is ingrained in his heart, while some people's sense of responsibility comes from being supervised by others.]

Some people don't steal because they inherently don't steal; others don't steal simply because there are security cameras watching.

The online community quickly split into two camps.

One group believes that Chen Chu was indeed putting on a show, and that everything was a carefully crafted persona.

The other side believes that he was telling the truth, but he just didn't want to use his child's scars to gain sympathy for himself.

The lights were already off in the hospital ward.

Xu Ziang lay on the cot, the light from his phone screen reflecting on his face.

He saw what Chen Ziran said, Chen Chu's explanation, and the analyses and debates from netizens.

He read it over and over again, his gaze finally settling on Chen Ziran's words, "He could have done it, but he didn't," for a very long time.

The faint sound of traffic from the street outside the window could be heard.

He lay in the darkness, holding his phone, feeling a place deep within his heart that he had never dared to touch slowly cracking open; it turned out that the pain had a name.

It's not that my father couldn't do it; it's that he clearly could, but he refused to.

He could have spoken politely, but he chose to use cold and sarcastic language.

He can listen patiently, but he chooses to interrupt and deny.

He could have trusted his son once, but he chose to trust his own prejudice.

It's not that he can't do it, it's that he doesn't want to.

At that moment, Xu Ziang lay in the darkness, and he seemed to finally understand why he was in so much pain.

.........

.........

P.S.: This writing seems a bit too free-flowing. Hopefully, you can understand it; well, those who understand, understand...

I'm asking for a gift, roz!