Now, the stadium was packed with more than 100,000 spectators. The sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see. Most of them were young, and at this moment, every gaze was fixed on the girl standing beneath the spotlight.
Their eyes were filled with admiration. How could someone shine so brilliantly at every stage of life? How could someone continue to rise, no matter how many obstacles stood in the way?
Near Yu Ye's seat, a young couple was watching the show.
The boy clenched his fists and said, "Do you know what I feel when I look at Shuying? It's resonance. A powerful resonance."
His eyes were glowing. "It's like looking at someone who proves that people at the bottom can rise. No matter how small the opportunity is, no matter how harsh the environment is, they can still climb upward. They can still stand at the top."
Beside him, a chubby young man wearing an inexpensive entry-level suit, something similar to a real estate sales uniform. Suddenly, tears were wiped away. It was obvious that he had his own story.
His voice trembled with emotion as he nodded vigorously. "Exactly. The reason so many people like her is that she never lowers her head. Whether it's social class, wealthy families, or influential elites, she always faces them head-on. She doesn't rely on tricks. She doesn't rely on shortcuts. She challenges them openly and defeats them fairly."
The boy's girlfriend hesitated before speaking softly. "But..." Why is Yu Shuying so extraordinary? Can it really have nothing to do with anyone else?"
Her voice was barely audible. Because even she didn't know how to answer her own question.
Shuying's background was simply too ordinary. Her father had grown up as an orphan. Her mother had left long ago. She attended ordinary schools. She walked the same roads as countless ordinary children.
At first glance, there was nothing special about her life. Yet as she grew older, countless wealthy people who belonged to her generation gradually came to understand the meaning of inferiority.
In literature.
In songwriting.
In piano composition.
In film and television screenwriting.
In acting.
In academic achievement.
In personal insight and values.
Again and again, they were surpassed. Again and again, they were left behind. Again and again, they experienced what it meant to be completely overshadowed.
Because of that, countless people firmly believed one thing. Shuying's brilliance had nothing to do with privilege; she had been born too humbly. Yet her radiance was so overwhelming that it illuminated an entire era. She wasn't merely outstanding; she seemed to exist on an entirely different level from everyone around her.
After the girl on stage finished speaking, silence filled the venue. Nobody spoke.
Meanwhile, Yu Ye sat quietly in his seat. His dim eyes seemed to travel through countless years of loneliness and desolation. Fragments of memory surfaced one after another. In the end, all of them transformed into a faint smile. It was a good thing. A very good thing. To hear people praising his daughter.
"Cough... Cough... cough..." The coughing suddenly intensified.
Brain cancer continuously tormented him as a wave of nausea surged through his body, and the pain attacked every nerve. His once-strong frame had shrunk until he looked as thin. Skin clung tightly to his bones. His skeleton seemed capable of piercing through his flesh at any moment.
Taking out a handkerchief, he quietly wiped away the blood he had coughed up, and his trembling hand slowly lowered to the ground.
The nearby couple subconsciously moved farther away. Not because they disliked him but because he looked frighteningly frail. Though traces of his youthful handsomeness could still be vaguely seen, the man before them now carried a heavy aura of death.
Ye leaned silently against the seat, then he raised his head and looked at the sky above. His pupils reflected countless memories. From the day he became an orphan to the years he wandered through life alone. Those days had been painfully long and painfully lonely.
When he became an adult, he only wanted to prove his worth. Later, he had a daughter, and that daughter became the only light in his lonely world.
Back then, countless nights in the slums had left him unable to sleep. Again and again, he would wake up from nightmares. Then stare into the darkness and think about only one thing.
What would happen to his daughter after he died? Who would bully her? Who would protect her? If someone adopted her, would they truly treat her well?
Those fears followed him endlessly. Like flames burning inside his chest. Like darkness consuming his soul. Like invisible chains binding him to despair. The loneliness of the entire world seemed to gather around him. And now... Those memories returned once more.
Fortunately, his daughter had finally grown up. She had grown stronger than he had ever imagined.
At that moment, the inner terror buried deep within his heart seemed to growl again. "Was it worth it? Did anyone ever understand your way of educating her?"
Ye remained silent, and he didn't answer. He simply continued watching the show.
Meanwhile, on stage.
Commentator Nana spoke excitedly into the microphone. "We have specially invited Yu Shuying's mother, who is currently overseas. She will soon appear as the fifty-first guest of our program. The Liu family rebuilt their lives after leaving. We are all curious. If it had been Liu Shi who personally raised Little Shuying, just how outstanding would she have become?"
As soon as the announcement ended, cheers erupted throughout the stadium. At the same time, information about Liu Shi appeared on the giant screen.
[Liu Qinghe fell in love with Yu Ye at the age of twenty.]
[At twenty-five, Yu Ye entered one of the most prestigious companies in the capital. The Liu family approved the marriage.]
[At thirty years old, the Yu family's fortune collapsed. Their assets were auctioned off. The family fell into debt. Little Shuying was only one year old. The Yu family moved into the slums, and Liu Shi eventually left.]
[At thirty-one, Liu Qinghe went overseas through family connections. There she met a wealthy businessman and remarried. Together they established numerous large corporations abroad and later had several children.]
[Now forty-nine years old, few people know the extent of her influence. Some overseas media reports suggest that she and her children control enormous business interests. A woman born into wealth and privilege, whose life remains shrouded in mystery.]
The audience watched attentively.
Liu Shi's life story was difficult to understand. At times, she seemed completely ordinary. At other times, she appeared almost untouchably mysterious. Because of that, many people still believed that Shuying's growth was somehow connected to her. After all... She had once been Yu Shuying's mother.
After leaving the slums, she had entered an entirely different world. A world of wealth. A world of influence. A world far removed from Shuying's childhood.
As the discussion spread, everyone began expressing their opinions. Contestants on stage, audience members in the stands, and viewers watching online, exploded with speculation.
"I'm really curious about Liu Shi's appearance."
"What kind of person is she now?"
"If she had personally raised Little Shuying, how different would things have been?"
"I'm more curious about Yu Ye."
"What if he had never gotten sick?"
"People forget that he was also considered an elite figure of his generation."
"If Liu Shi had raised Little Shuying from childhood through her teenage years, her achievements might have been even more fearsome."
"Keep watching!"
"The screen is adjusting again!"