A woman who had abandoned Shuying when she was only three years old. Now, the moment she saw Shuying standing at the pinnacle of the world, she returned. Not because of love. Not because of regret. She returned because she knew that this daughter could give her a little money, more than enough for her to live the rest of her life in wealth and comfort.
But now, public opinion had already begun to shift.
On social media, not only were countless people speaking up in support of Shuying, but they had also publicly voiced their support for Ye. Among them, Professor Cihai and Professor Haibo both stated that Ye was, at heart, a responsible and decent father.
Meanwhile, countless young women and members of Shuying's fan community continued to stand firmly behind her. Some even supported Shi, imagining her as a mysterious heiress from a powerful financial family, a breathtaking beauty blessed with extraordinary wisdom and talent.
Netizens discussed the matter nonstop, and the overwhelming majority of young users sided with Shuying. The most popular topics included:
"This is the world of literature, not acting. Ye may have done well, but literature is an entirely different field."
"Ye was a good father during Little Shuying's first seven years, but he simply couldn't teach her literature. Shi was the true mastermind behind her education."
"The mysterious Liu Shi... I think this woman possesses talent. She was the one who truly educated Little Shuying. Just look at the post; people are constantly discussing her there."
Yet somewhere else, Ye enjoyed overwhelming support. Many viewers there preferred thoughtful retrospectives, and the most popular videos were titled:
"If he had never fallen ill, what heights could he have reached?"
"Before Shuying existed, just how extraordinary was he himself?"
"Do you believe it? This was a man suppressed by fate throughout his entire life. He should have been allowed to shine."
"A life destined for brilliance, only to be mercilessly buried beneath the weight of the times."
"Beneath the Sea, his own life experience."
"Ying Zheng's Performance, his youthful dream."
In short, controversy raged everywhere, but all the arguments gradually disappeared as the playback continued.
Ye pointed at her with a stern expression. "This is a book explaining ancient literature. Memorize every single page. If you can't recite it properly, you'll be punished by standing!"
Shuying's eyes immediately reddened as she silently accepted the book. She lowered her head and saw the passage inside.
"Seeing the gentleman, how could one not rejoice?" The Book of Songs, Wind and Rain.
Note: I crossed mountains and seas to find you. After finally meeting you, neither the fireworks of the mortal world nor the dust of passing years could distract my heart again.
"I want to study modern poetry," Shuying protested angrily. "Ancient literature is useless."
"It was cheap," Ye replied indifferently. "I'll quiz you later. Ancient literature and idioms are incredibly important."
Shuying let out a helpless sigh as she truly had no idea how to explain it to this man. What was the point of forcing herself to memorize these texts?
Three days later, Shuying quietly returned home carrying a book of modern poetry. The instant she opened the door and saw Ye standing there, she immediately switched books, hurriedly pulling out Pre-Qin Poetry instead.
Ye glanced at the page. "'The peach tree is young and elegant... burning Qihua?' What does that mean?"
Shuying's face instantly darkened. Grinding her teeth, she answered through obvious frustration. "It means the peach blossoms are blooming brilliantly. It describes the arrival of spring after winter, when peach blossoms bloom, and plum blossoms gradually wither."
She frowned once again, glaring at Ye. "You can't even recognize words like this. This is a classic from the Pre-Qin period, yet you're asking me to memorize it."
Ye awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing. "'The peach and plum speak nothing... yet... their own path... becomes... what stream?'"
He stumbled over the final character. Apparently, he genuinely didn't know how to read it.
"That's pronounced qi. It can also be read as xi." Shuying paused.
"...As for what it actually means..." She hesitated; even she couldn't explain it.
Ye immediately flew into a rage. He snatched away her modern poetry collection, shoved the ancient classics back into her hands, and scolded her loudly. "Study this properly! Stop wasting time reading those worthless poems!"
His face was full of anger.
Shuying bit her lip until her eyes turned red before finally shouting back. "These are modern poems! They were written by genuine literary geniuses! They're meaningful!"
But Ye refused to listen. Without another word, he confiscated the book. Only his cold, dismissive voice echoed through the room. "What kind of world's greatest genius? What kind of 'I stand in the wind waiting for you'... 'Take a hundred steps back'... What meaningless, broken poetry. Read these classics instead. You'll learn idioms. They'll actually help you pass your exams."
At this moment, Ye seemed utterly unreasonable. The man shown in this memory resembled countless fathers in ordinary households. Stubborn and paranoid. Absolutely convinced that children had to follow the path he believed was right.
As a result, many spectators watching inside the studio couldn't help frowning. Quite a few of them had grown up with fathers exactly like this, and the scene struck an uncomfortable chord.
"He's really holding Shuying back."
"Exactly. With such a narrow-minded father, it's incredible that Shuying still became such an extraordinary genius."
"This is simply Ye's shortsightedness. People like him only teach what they know. They never dare let children explore beyond their own understanding. I've met far too many parents like that."
"So many gifted children end up burying their own talents because their parents force them into endless studying instead of letting them pursue what they're truly good at." The former Poetry Society director, Xu Hong, let out a deep sigh.
As soon as she finished speaking, loud applause erupted throughout the venue. Many audience members clearly agreed with every word. Even Shuying herself felt exhausted as she relived this memory once more.
Back then, studying poetry had already drained nearly all of her energy. She struggled every day to learn poetry, practice the piano, and improve herself.
Yet that man had continued delaying her progress. He kept forcing her to study subjects she had no passion for. To be fair, Ye genuinely tried his best to teach her. But by then, he couldn't even understand many idioms, classical phrases, or literary vocabulary himself.
As the years passed and he remained trapped inside the slums, the education he had once possessed gradually fell behind the rapidly changing world. Eventually, he could no longer keep up with the times. The knowledge he had once been proud of became outdated.
Little by little, he turned into an illiterate man in the eyes of modern society, a tragic figure abandoned by the relentless march of history.