Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Li Yanchen couldnât help but doubt that the âclosedâ school wasnât really closed at all. He leaned toward Lin Wan and whispered, âThey arenât allowed phones in the school, so how do they recognize us?â
âThey come home once a month. They are all Xinxinâs classmates. Preserved
Egg and the others have been to our home several times and have probably bragged about us already.â
âI remember now⦠You and Auntie Huang were recognized at Dongxiang too, right?â Li Yanchen had found out about it from Auntie Huang.
Lin Wan smiled. âAh, itâs normal for people to recognize you when youâre an internet celebrity. They were all very friendly.â
âLin Wan? Iâm Leleâs grandmother. I watched your livestream. You are so adorable. By the way, Lele and Li Zexin are both on the basketball team, though they are in different classes,â said a stylishly dressed elder woman.
âHello,â Lin Wan said politely.
âAre you Mr. Li? You two look so young. How come your kids are already in the third year of junior high?â
Li Yanchen was unsure how to respond, but Lin Wan was quick-witted. âAuntie, you look young too, at most in your forties or fifties. Your grandson must be in his third year of high school, right?â
âLin Wan, you are even more charming than you appear on the show. Come to my store sometimes. The Peerless Jewelry on the first floor of Xingyang Building.â The elderly womanâs face was full of pride.
âThe largest jewelry store in Yun City? Itâs an honor to meet you! Iâll definitely visit when I get the chance,â said Lin Wan.
The two of them chatted for a while, and more people came to greet them.
At this point, Lin Wan couldnât tell whether they were attending a meeting for her stepsonâs school or a fan meet-and-greet.
âNinth-grade. Class 9-3. Please, line up!â A volunteer with a loudspeaker called out.
The chaotic crowd instantly returned to order, and everyone stood in their respective lines.
On the way to the classroom, the parents standing in front of and behind Lin Wan wanted to talk to her, but the student ushering them was introducing the school. So, they hesitated.
Li Zexinâs classroom was on the first floor of the teaching building.
The teachers had already prepared the classroom and handed out materials to each parent. The materials contained the admission scores for various major high schools in Yun City and the acceptance rates of each school.
Li Yanchen felt that the data Assistant Qin found online for him was far less detailed than this material.
Before the formal meeting began, the teacher briefed the parents on the general situation of the class, especially praising the first-ranked class leader and Li Zexin, who had shown the most improvement.
Li Yanchen and Lin Wan sat in Li Zexinâs seat. They felt proud of Li Zexin.
Which parent wouldnât feel proud when their child was being praised by the teacher?
Unfortunately, the teacher didnât allow the parents to give speeches. Otherwise, Lin Wan would have eagerly signed up.
While Lin Wan was lost in thought, she was suddenly prompted by the English teacher.
âSince this is mainly a meeting for motivating students to fill out voluntary applications, we havenât arranged for parents to give speeches. However, this is the time for communication between parents and the school. Just now, our teacher reported on the studentâs situation in school. Now, I invite a few parents to say a few words about their children at home. Letâs start with Li Zexinâs parents. Would the father or the mother like to say a few words?â âThe mother,â said Li Yanchen.
âAlright, then please, Ms. Lin, say a few words. Letâs welcome her with applause.â Thunderous applause erupted in the classroom.
Lin Wan forced herself to stand up.
The children were watching the live broadcast in another classroom.
The adults were unaware that their words were being broadcasted in real-time.
When this segment was being planned, the teachers had different opinions. Some agreed that many children felt their parents had high expectations and were overly strict. They felt that their parents only cared about their grades and didnât love them. However, the teachers wanted to show that the parents really loved their children. The parents only behaved rigidly in front of the children. So, they decided on a live broadcast to show the children that their parents were proud of them.
Others disagreed. They feared that some parents might genuinely be too harsh on their children and would say hurtful things about them behind their backs. That might hurt the children even more.
In the end, they took a vote and decided to go ahead with the live broadcast.
Lin Wan stood among the crowd. She thought for a moment about what to say.
âIâve only known Li Zexin for a few months. The first time I met him, I honestly wanted to knock some sense into him. But I consider myself a civilized person. Civilized people donât resort to violence or use foul language. This kid seemed unreliable at first. He was always late to classes and skipped more classes than he attended. I really would like to apologize to the teachers for the trouble he caused in the past.â n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Li Zexin puffed out his cheeks. He used to be a troublemaker, but it was embarrassing for that to be revealed in front of everyone.
Chubby Jiang held onto Li Zexinâs arm. âWow⦠your stepmother really disliked you in the beginning. I feel like you were asking for it.â
âThe first time I truly understood him was when we had to spend a week together. I realized that he was only lashing out because he was venting out his frustration. Deep down, he is a very soft and gentle person.â
Lin Wan paused. âHe is very timid. We started telling each other horror stories. He would always scare himself halfway through it. Although he pretends to be all laid back and careless. he studies diligentlv at home. Our studv room is filled with his books. Even when he went to a livestream on the show, he brought along his textbooks.â
âHe has so much love to give. He always rushes forward in defense of his two brothers like a brave warrior. He is very self-reliant. He never bothers anyone if he can do something by himself. This year, he has been serious about his studies. He has worked very hard.â
âAs for parenting methods, I really donât have any. Itâs his own hard work that led to his progress. It has nothing to do with me. Thank you, everyone!â Lin Wan bowed to the teacher as she finished speaking.
Applause resounded once again.
âThank you, Li Zexinâs mom, for showing us what your family is like. From her speech, we can see that she is truly pleased with her child. She attributes her childâs progress to his own efforts. Was Li Zexinâs momâs speech good?â the English teacher asked.
âYes!â The parents discussed it for a while.
Li Zexin, who was watching the live broadcast, was touched. He remained silent.
âZexin, you really study hard!â
âLi Zexin, you said you only play games when you go home. Did your stepmom accidentally reveal the truth?â
âCome on, bro, top students like to pretend they donât study and play all day.
Do you really believe that?â
âNo one can succeed without hard work. Zexin is just being modest.â
âIâm such a fool.â
Some of Li Zexinâs classmates believed that he didnât study and only played games. They thought that Xiao Yi had helped him during the live broadcast, and he had miraculously become good at his studies..