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

The midday sun slanted into the kitchen, the hum of the range hood and the crisp sound of spatulas clattering together.

Chen Chu, wearing an old gray apron, was stir-frying something in front of the stove. The whole kitchen was filled with a rich aroma of soy sauce, the smell of braised pork ribs. The glistening sauce coated the ribs as they sizzled in the pot, making an enticing sound.

When Chen Ziran pushed open the door and walked in, the aroma wafted into his nose, and his stomach growled involuntarily.

Chen Xiayu was drawing on the small table, the crayons making a scratching sound on the paper. She drew something she called a "family portrait," with four crooked little figures standing in a row. The largest one had a few strands of hair sticking up on its head, probably her dad.

Chen Chu brought the last dish to the table, took off his apron and hung it on the back of his chair: "Wash your hands and eat."

On the table were three dishes and a soup: braised pork ribs, water spinach with garlic, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup.

After washing his hands, Chen Ziran sat down at the table, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, then put down his chopsticks, took a pen from his pencil case in his schoolbag, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Chen Xiayu.

"Little sister, this is for you."

Chen Xiayu was engrossed in gnawing on ribs when she heard this. She looked up, glanced at the shiny fountain pen on the table, then at her brother. Her greasy little hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to take it or not.

Chen Chu paused in his chopsticks, picking up food with his chopsticks. "Oh? What is this? Why are you giving your sister a gift?"

Chen Ziran scratched the back of his head, his ears slightly burning: "Well... Dad, this is my prize. I didn't think I'd need it, so I wanted to give it to my sister."

He lowered his head and took a bite of rice, his voice a little muffled, "The teacher gave out awards today, saying I made the most progress and gave me a progress award."

He felt somewhat ashamed.

I feel like I was showing off a bit too much...

It's just an award, why are you so smug...?

I hope Dad won't say I'm not humble enough...

Chen Chu put down his chopsticks, his expression changing from surprise to a proud appreciation.

"Wow, I actually got a reward? You're amazing!"

He patted Chen Ziran on the shoulder, "You're such a role model for me! Your sister is here too. You're so amazing, setting such a great example for her. She'll definitely idolize you from now on!"

Chen Ziran's chopsticks paused in mid-air, and he could barely suppress a smile: "Really?"

"Of course it's true!" Chen Chu's tone was as certain as if he were stating a universal truth. "Your sister must idolize you to death. Look at the way she looks at you, it's full of admiration."

Chen Xiayu chewed on a rib, looked up at Chen Chu, then at Chen Ziran, her big, dark eyes filled with confusion, and a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of her mouth.

She had no idea what was going on, but seeing her brother laughing so happily, she chuckled along.

When Chen Ziran saw his sister smile, he puffed up like an inflated balloon, his mouth stretching to his ears.

Hey Hey……

"My younger sister idolizes me..."

Netizens are laughing hysterically.

【Seriously, are you teasing our Ziran again? Chen Chu, can you please stop fooling him all the time!】

[They tricked Ziran into becoming an embryo, hahaha!]

Honestly, I think my little sister will really like this gift, since it's from her brother. She might not need it now, but when she grows up and sees this pen, she'll remember the gifts her brother gave her when she was little.

Yeah, I also want an older brother to give me presents...

[How old is that old man upstairs who still wants a brother? Wake up, you should be preparing dinner for the kid.]

Seeing Chen Ziran's smug expression, Chen Chu didn't expose him and continued eating.

The corners of his mouth curved slightly.

……

On the other hand, the atmosphere was far from harmonious.

As soon as the bell rang, several boys gathered in front of the class ranking list.

Wang Zihao's name was prominently displayed at the top of the list. He scored 98 in Mathematics, 91 in Chinese, 95 in English, and 186 in Science, ranking first overall, nearly forty points higher than the second-place finisher.

The boys exchanged glances, their expressions filled with the same confusion and distrust.

One of the tall, thin men lowered his voice and said something.

"How could someone who never studies possibly get first place? They must have cheated!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was just enough to reach Wang Zihao's ears.

Wang Zihao was sitting in his seat, sending messages on his phone.

Upon hearing that sentence, his fingers didn't stop typing; he continued typing, but his expression had darkened.

Another voice chimed in: "It's not just this time. His final exam results last semester were pretty outrageous, though not this ridiculous. This time he went straight for first place, forty points ahead of second place, almost reaching the top class. I don't believe there's nothing fishy going on."

Wang Zihao's fingers slowly tightened around his phone.

He didn't look up, but the words of those people pierced his ears like needles, growing increasingly harsh.

Finally, when the third voice said, "If someone like him can get first place, what's the point of me staying up all night to study?" Wang Zihao stood up.

He took his water cup, walked to the seat of the tall, thin man, and without pausing, tilted the cup and precisely poured half a cup of water onto the man's chair.

The tall, thin man suddenly stood up, water dripping down his soaked trouser leg: "Wang Zihao, are you fucking crazy?"

"Say it again?" Wang Zihao's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an uncontrollable ferocity.

"I said you cheated, and I can't even say it?" the tall, thin guy's voice was louder. "Everyone in the class knows what kind of person you are! You can't even copy homework properly, how could you get first place in exams? You're kidding me!"

Wang Zihao slammed his water glass onto the table, the sound of it shattering echoing throughout the classroom.

The two quickly started fighting.

The table was knocked askew, and books and stationery were scattered all over the floor. The surrounding students scattered, and some screamed and ran out to call the teacher.

When the homeroom teacher arrived, Wang Zihao was riding on the tall, thin guy, his fist raised high.

The two students in the back row separated the two when they saw the teacher coming.

The office was so quiet it felt almost oppressive.

The homeroom teacher sat behind his desk, with three students involved in the incident standing in front of him.

Wang Zihao stood on the far left, with a red mark on his face from being scratched, and the collar of his school uniform was torn askew.

The tall, thin man stood in the middle, with a small cut on the corner of his mouth.

Another boy who had joined in the commotion stood on the right, his head down.

The homeroom teacher's gaze swept across the three students' faces before finally landing on Wang Zihao. After a moment of silence, he spoke with a cautious and deliberate tone.

"Zihao, tell the teacher the truth, in this exam, did you...?"

She didn't finish the second half of her sentence, but the meaning was already quite clear.

Wang Zihao's face instantly turned extremely ugly: "What makes you suspect me? Do you have any evidence?"

His voice rose, filled with the anger of someone who had been wronged, "Can't I get first place on my own merit? What makes you all worthy of it?!"

The tall, thin guy next to him sneered, "Rely on yourself? If you're so good, how come you always have to copy other people's work when you do math problems?"

Wang Zihao suddenly turned his head, his eyes looking like he wanted to devour someone.

The homeroom teacher rubbed his temples, feeling a sudden headache.

She has been teaching for over a decade and has seen many good and bad students.

She had also seen gifted students.

She had encountered students who grasped concepts quickly, didn't seem to study much, yet always got high scores on exams.

But Wang Zihao isn't that type.

She observed for a long time that he was inattentive in class, did his homework perfunctorily, and gave up on problems that required even a little bit of thinking. He didn't seem like a gifted student at all.

When her child used to rank in the top ten or even the top three, she could barely convince herself that he might be a test-taker who performed well under pressure.

But this time he surged to first place, scoring several tens of points higher than the second-place finisher, and his total score was almost at the cutoff for the zero-class cutoff.

She could no longer lie to herself.

In addition, there were rumors circulating in the grade recently that someone had created an internal group online to buy exam answers. She wasn't sure if Wang Zihao was involved, but once the seed of doubt was planted, it was hard to eradicate.

She didn't say those words aloud, but remained silent for a moment before waving to the other two students.

"You guys go back first."

After the two boys left the office, she stood up, walked up to Wang Zihao, and tried to keep her tone as calm as possible.

"I'm not trying to wrong you. But this matter needs an explanation. Here's what we'll do: this Sunday, I'll give you a test, just the two of us. I'll set the test and proctor it myself. If you can achieve the same result, I'll apologize to you in front of the whole class, and if anyone talks about you again, I'll be the first to speak up for you."

She paused, then lowered her voice, "Is this okay?"

Wang Zihao stood there, silent for a moment, then let out a cold snort.

"Let them test me then. An upright person has nothing to fear. I didn't cheat, so what do I have to be afraid of?"

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the office.