Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

That afternoon, Li Changlin and Zhou Xiaoyun only talked about two topics.

Were they really wrong?

Is Li Zhao their son?

Both questions were answered quickly.

Wrong, definitely wrong.

Because Li Zhao's rebuttal was impeccable, they dared not confront him directly.

Moreover, Li Changlin was already dissatisfied with Zhou Xiaoyun's actions, but he was used to it, so he didn't take it too seriously.

But now it seems that my son didn't take it lightly at all.

That was indeed a bit selfish.

The other one must be his biological son.

From his appearance to some of his genetic traits, he is definitely my beloved son.

But what kind of genius genes do they have that allowed them to have such a son?

A bizarre scene even inexplicably appeared in Li Changlin's mind.

In the hospital, newborn Li Zhao was placed in an incubator, but unlike other babies, he didn't cry or fuss. Instead, he frowned, sighed deeply, and said in a childish voice:

"Logically speaking, with your qualifications, you two are not qualified to have me."

This is truly bizarre.

When their son was little, everything was normal; at most, he was a little smarter, which gave them some hope.

Why does it sound like someone suddenly had an epiphany?

Let's talk about good things... having a genius son is certainly a good thing.

But this pressure is indeed hard to bear.

I always feel like my son is targeting them both.

That evening, their conversation turned to whether or not they should apologize to their son.

Zhou Xiaoyun supported him because she felt Li Zhao was just waiting for an apology. Li Changlin also supported him; since his son's words made sense, as parents, they couldn't just let it go as if nothing had happened.

However, Zhou Xiaoyun was too embarrassed to show up, saying, "He'll get angry if he sees me later." Li Changlin also didn't want to show up, because he felt that the core of the problem was Zhou Xiaoyun.

After arguing for a while, Li Changlin finally knocked on Li Zhao's door before he went to sleep.

"What's wrong, Dad? Did you come to apologize on Mom's behalf?"

Li Changlin couldn't hold back any longer.

Good grief, all that mental preparation I did fell apart right away.

"You knew all that?"

"If you had kept your voices down when you were discussing it in the living room, I wouldn't have noticed."

Li Changlin smiled awkwardly, sat down on Li Zhao's bedside, and said to his son who was reading at the desk, "Now that you know, I'll have a good talk with you. Your mother did make a mistake today and shouldn't have taken her emotions out on you."

When he was a child, he could be happy for a long time after hearing his parents apologize, but now he knows that human nature is much more difficult to understand than a math problem.

"Dad, do you think it's over?"

"Hmm?" Li Changlin always felt that talking face-to-face with his son was more stressful than talking to business owners.

"If you do something wrong, and then come over and apologize, is that all there is to it?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Okay, I'll get 59 points on the next test, and when I come back I'll apologize for letting you down. Is that enough?"

Li Changlin frowned, but after taking a few deep breaths, he said, "Son, let's not talk about that now. Haven't you been a bit disrespectful lately?"

"If that's the case, then there's nothing more to say. If there are similar issues with pedestrian street redevelopment in the future, I'll talk to other parents."

A sword pierces the heart!

Parents naturally have an advantage in terms of status. If Li Zhao continues to talk about this advantage, it will only be a temporary solution, and the harmony will only be a facade.

To detach themselves from this identity, they should be treated as two ordinary adults.

Therefore, self-interest is always the most powerful thing to control people.

Relationships cannot be based solely on interests, and family ties certainly cannot be based solely on interests either. However, discussing feelings without considering interests is a sign of immaturity.

If you only talk about feelings, others may not understand. But if you combine it with interests, everyone will understand.

Li Changlin was so anxious that he stood up abruptly. "Huh?"

"Dad, what's the rush?"

"Son, son, how can you side with someone else?"

"That's all. Anyway, in your eyes I'm just a primary school student, your son, so we can't have an equal conversation."

"That's not what Dad meant..."

Li Zhao glanced at Li Changlin. "Dad, to be fair, I've never said anything disrespectful to you or Mom, have I?"

"……No."

"So, stop talking to me with that 'disrespectful' attitude. I really went too far, and I apologize to you."

……

Silence.

After finishing his speech, Li Zhao continued looking at the planning document in his hand, seemingly completely unaffected by Li Changlin beside him.

"Sigh," Li Changlin conceded, "Fine, Dad is serious, I really didn't understand what you meant. Isn't an apology enough?"

"I already asked you that question. 59 points, then an apology, is that enough?"

This time, Li Changlin had no way to change the subject. After thinking for a while, he said, "Of course it's not enough. What if you get 59 again next time?"

"Keep apologizing."

"...Dad understands what you mean, you want to change, right?"

"Whether or not an apology is made is actually not important," Li Zhao said. "A sincere apology must be accompanied by reflection and correction. Without the latter, the apology is not sincere. An insincere apology is meaningless."

"Then tell me, how should Mom and Dad change?"

"You know very well in your hearts, Dad, these things are not something I can make demands of or teach you."

Li Changlin took a deep breath, remained silent for a while, and then gently patted Li Zhao's shoulder.

"Dad understands. Don't worry, your mom and I will be more careful from now on."

[Initial success in reforming parents: Happiness +2, Total 11]

Let's call this a partial victory.

However, a thought of reflection suddenly popped into Li Zhao's mind:

Is it because of his past life experiences that he no longer trusts human relationships?

Never mind, no rush.

"Son," Li Changlin didn't leave immediately, "Dad has something to ask you."

"What's wrong?"

"How...how did you suddenly, um, become like this?"

"What is it like?" Li Zhao looked at his father with innocent eyes.

"...That's right, he's very smart and mature, like a completely different person."

"Was I not smart before?" Li Zhao asked back.

"You are smart... but it's different now. You used to be like a child, but now you don't look like one at all. What kind of books are you reading? All in English. I never would have dared to imagine that before."

"There are two answers, one formal and one more acceptable. Which one do you choose?"

Li Changlin was a little nervous because he hadn't expected there to be multiple-choice questions.

"Is that acceptable?"

I learned it during winter break.

This is totally unacceptable!

Li Changlin took a deep breath. "Well then, let's make it more formal."

"I've always been like this, I just didn't want to show it. I've always been reading these kinds of books."

"Before? When?"

"When I was little, you could think of me as a child prodigy."

"But, your past studies... don't necessarily mean you were..." This was a difficult question to ask, and Li Changlin carefully chose his words.

"What can you tell from elementary school exams? Sometimes you're not focused enough, and if you make a mistake, a 98-point score can be far behind a bunch of 100-point scores. So Dad, you don't need to worry about these issues. Since I'm not going to continue interacting with you as an ordinary child, you just need to accept the fact that I'm a child prodigy."

Li Changlin was completely dumbfounded.