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

Chen Chu parked the car in front of his house, turned off the engine, and sat in the front seat for three seconds, stunned.

Behind me was a bag of pork ribs, a bunch of greens, and a few slices of ginger, all picked out at the market just now. I had originally planned to cook a nice meal tonight to welcome the new baby. Now all my plans are ruined.

He carried the groceries and pushed open the door. The living room was quiet; the TV was off, and everything was tidied up.

Chen Ziran's suitcase stood at the top of the stairs, zipped up, with a bulging backpack next to it.

Chen Ziran was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. When he saw Chen Chu enter, he looked up and asked, "Dad, what time is so-and-so coming tonight?"

Chen Chu placed the dishes on the kitchen counter, turned around, leaned against the stove, rested his hand on the back of the chair, and recounted the whole story.

He tried to keep it brief: Wang Zihao had run away from home, and the production team had dumped this hot potato on him. He had to find him first, and it was uncertain when he would return.

Chen Ziran was stunned for a moment after hearing this, her expression shifting from confusion to surprise: "Why would you run away from home?"

"I don't know." Chen Chu walked to the coffee table, picked up his phone, and showed him several video clips of Wang Zihao. They were all guest information sent by the production team. Chen Ziran leaned over and looked at them for a while.

On the screen, Wang Zihao sat on the sofa in the Wang family's living room, separated from his father, Wang Wenwu, by a coffee table. His expression was tense, as if he were ready to jump up and leave at any moment. His eyes held a sharp edge, but it wasn't innate; it was as if someone had pierced them one by one and then grown them into his flesh.

"Maybe he had some kind of conflict with his dad. If they argued, he might have run away from home."

Chen Chu put his phone away, walked to the water dispenser, poured himself a glass of water, and drank half of it in one gulp. "When I got back, I watched a few videos of him and found that this kid is quite stubborn. The kind of stubbornness isn't the kind that involves whining or being spoiled; it's the kind of stubbornness that's genuinely head-on."

He put down his water glass, wiped the water from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, and looked at Chen Ziran: "It's very possible that I, an outsider, won't be able to persuade him."

There were no complaints, no attempts to save face, just the honest truth.

Chen Ziran sat on the sofa, silent for a moment. He leaned back against the sofa, "Alright, Dad, I'll leave later. You go and look for people without worry, I'll take care of things at home."

It was said so casually.

The meaning is clear: I can hold on here.

Chen Chu nodded and headed towards the door. Halfway there, he turned back and added, "Take good care of your sister. It's fine to go to the Wang family later; Li Minghui owes me a favor anyway, and this whole thing was their production team's fault. Rules are rules, but people are flexible."

Chen Ziran nodded, indicating that he understood. Chen Chu gave him one last look, then pushed open the door and left.

After the front door closed, the living room was quiet for a moment.

Chen Ziran sat on the sofa, listening to the sound of the electric scooter starting up outside gradually fade away. Then he stood up, walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator to look at the food inside, and then looked at the bag of ribs and vegetables that Chen Chu had left on the table.

He leaned against the refrigerator door for a while, then went into the room and called out.

"My little girl!"

A series of light footsteps sounded, and then Chen Xiaoyu, with her crookedly tied bun, peeked out from around the corner of the stairs. Her little hands gripped the railing, and she called out in a childish voice, "Coming!"

Chen Ziran squatted down, picked up his younger sister, and let her put her little feet on the low stool that had been specially prepared for her in the kitchen.

This low stool was specially bought by Chen Chu because he noticed that Chen Xiayu always wanted to run to the kitchen, but she was too short to reach the stove.

Now she's standing on it, just enough to show half of her body. Her two little hands are obediently folded in front of the apron, which is pink with a little rabbit printed on it. Chen Chu bought it for her specially, and she always insists on wearing it.

"My little girl!"

Chen Ziran squatted down in front of her, resting his hands on his knees, and said in a very serious tone, "Dad has to go out today, so let's cook for him, okay?"

Chen Xiayu blinked, then nodded vigorously, her voice sweet and clear: "Okay!"

And so a small battle began in the kitchen.

Chen Ziran was responsible for washing vegetables, carrying pots, and cutting ingredients.

Chen Xiayu stood on a low stool, wearing her pink bunny apron, as the head chef.

"Give me that fish!" Chen Xiaoyu stretched out her small hand, palm facing up.

Chen Ziran brought over the cleaned crucian carp and placed it on the stove.

She tiptoed on the stool and poured a little oil into the pot.

After the oil was hot, she used a long-handled wooden spatula, which Chen Chu had specially prepared for her to prevent her from being splashed by the oil, to stir the ginger slices and garlic cloves in the pot. The ginger and garlic sizzled twice in the hot oil, and then she slid the crucian carp into the pot in a beautiful arc.

The fish skin sizzled the moment it touched the hot oil. Chen Xiayu instinctively pulled back, then leaned back and used a wooden spatula to hold the fish down to prevent it from curling up.

The timing of flipping the fish was perfect; the skin turned golden brown without sticking to the pan or breaking apart.

Chen Ziran stood beside her, watching her methodically add water, soy sauce, salt, and a little sugar to the pot to enhance the flavor.

She didn't look at him once; all her attention was on the pot.

She even knew when to turn the heat down to low. The right time to turn the heat down was about ten seconds after the soup boiled. She turned the knob on the stove to the low heat position, then put the lid on the pot and clapped her hands.

Chen Ziran was dumbfounded.

He took a bite of the stir-fried vegetables next to him and was stunned the moment it entered his mouth.

It has a perfect balance of saltiness and mildness, a rich garlic flavor, vibrant green leaves that don't turn yellow, and a crisp, tender texture.

He picked up another piece of braised pork ribs, which were tender and flavorful, with a bright reddish-brown color and a perfect balance of sweet and salty.

Chen Ziran put down his chopsticks and looked at his younger sister, who was standing on a low stool grinning foolishly, with the kind of gaze one would use to study an alien. He couldn't help but reach out and poke her crooked little bun with his finger: "Could it be that you're really a genius? You're so young, yet you can cook such delicious food?"

Chen Xiayu didn't understand what "genius" meant. She only knew that her brother was praising her, so she grinned, revealing her few small baby teeth, and gave a silly laugh. Then she turned her head back to continue stirring the food in the pot with a wooden spatula, shaking her head and swaying her pink apron in front of the stove.

Chen Ziran leaned against the stove, watching her younger sister skillfully toss the pot. Chen Chu had taught her this skill many times, but she wasn't strong enough to toss it properly. However, she would try her best each time, and then the weight of the pot would cause her to tilt slightly before she could regain her balance.

He suddenly realized that it shouldn't be too strange that his sister was cooking; with her intense focus, it was only a matter of time before she produced such dishes.

Perhaps, not speaking is also a talent, allowing one to immerse oneself in one's own world.

He just didn't expect this "sooner or later" to come so soon.

Chen Ziran stood in the kitchen, watching her younger sister's small figure busy in front of the stove, listening to the sizzling sound of the oil in the pan and the clanging of the spatula, and smelling the aroma of braised pork ribs and green vegetables mixed together.

It's a very down-to-earth, homey feeling, like no matter what happens in this home, the fire here will never go out.

……

The other side of the city.

Wang Zihao nestled in his hotel room bed, the curtains drawn tightly shut, with only the dim yellow lamp on the bedside table.

The air conditioner vent was blowing directly on his back, making it feel icy cold, but he was too lazy to adjust it.

He leaned against the headboard, holding his phone in his hand, the screen displaying his chat with Lele.

He had just sent Lele a red envelope because Lele had sent him a photo: a bowl of instant noodles, the lid half-open, revealing the noodles and a few pitiful pieces of vegetable inside, with a pair of disposable chopsticks next to it. The accompanying text read...

Oh no, I'm broke today, so I can only eat instant noodles, boohoo.