Liu Changqing watched Zhou Shiyan in the audience, always a beat behind in her movents. After a while, he suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
In the end, he couldn't hold it in and chuckled, turning to Lan Yixian beside him with a grin.
"Looks like your daughter... doesn't have much talent for dancing."
"She's always been like that."
Hearing Liu Changqing’s comnt, Lan Yixian responded with a smile, her eyes fixed on her daughter below, who was struggling to keep up with the others. mories surfaced in her mind.
Recalling the past, she softly said, "Shiyan didn't do well in elentary school. Her grades were so bad that her teacher often called in for etings..."
"Huh? No way?"
"It's true."
Noticing Liu Changqing's surprise, Lan Yixian nodded. Whenever she talked about her daughter, she always wanted to share more.
The surrounding environnt was noisy, filled with conversations from other parents, yet Lan Yixian felt as if the world around her had faded away—leaving only the two of them and the clumsy girl on stage.
Of all the people in this world, the one she cherished and worried about the most was her daughter.
She drifted into thought.
"At first, she didn't like studying. No matter how much I taught her, her grades wouldn't improve. Back then, she was always a cheerful little girl, always smiling..."
Liu Changqing stared blankly at Zhou Shiyan below. He hadn't expected this emotionless girl to have once been so full of laughter.
Turning to look at Lan Yixian, who continued speaking, he could see the deep affection in her eyes as she talked about her daughter.
"When we moved out on our own, she changed. I was really worried back then. I kept wondering why the child who used to smile so much had suddenly beco so serious..."
Her fingers tapped lightly on her leg, and she lowered her head with a gentle smile.
"Then, one day, she suddenly beca very diligent. She’d start reading first thing in the morning and continue studying after coming ho. Over ti, her grades improved. I always knew she wasn’t naturally gifted;
she just worked harder than other kids..."
"Other kids could learn sothing in ten minutes, but she often needed much longer. It’s the sa with everything else..."
Lan Yixian lifted a finger and pointed at her daughter on stage.
"Like dancing—she's never done it before, so she’s struggling to keep up. But if she wants to learn, it won’t be long before she’s just as good as the others. And then, she’ll keep getting better."
"No wonder..."
Liu Changqing suddenly understood.
He had always been curious why, during the ti Lan Yixian and her daughter stayed at his place, Zhou Shiyan was constantly surrounded by study materials, always holding a pen.
After all, most so-called geniuses in this world weren’t truly gifted. They simply spent their ti wisely, choosing to work hard when others were playing.
So people resent geniuses, thinking success cos easy to them. But really, that resentnt is just an excuse to avoid admitting their own lack of effort.
After all, how could anyone expect to reach the top effortlessly? That kind of person only exists in fiction.
In reality? Impossible.
Liu Changqing glanced at Lan Yixian, only to find her staring back at him. After a mont of thought, he decided to conclude their conversation.
"People who work hard... won’t have a bad life."
In the 100-ter sprint, Liu Zhiyue took first place.
After crossing the finish line, he remained calm, walking toward Zhou Shiyan at a steady pace.
anwhile, the boy who had mocked Zhou Shiyan earlier stood frozen in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
As a student athlete, he had dominated the school's sports scene since his first year of middle school. His natural talent ant he never had to try too hard to outrun others.
Even the athletics club had extended invitations to him. Yet today, at this school sports event, he had been completely crushed—by soone he had never even heard of before.
And he had lost so utterly.
He had given everything he had, used up all his strength to chase after that figure in front of him—only to fall short.
And the worst part? Even after winning, that person didn’t seem happy at all.
Clenching his fists, he suddenly turned around and shouted at Liu Zhiyue’s retreating figure, "Why the hell are you so fast?!"
Liu Zhiyue stopped in his tracks. Hearing the loud voice behind him, he noticed that all eyes had now turned to them.
After a brief mont of thought, he turned around to face the boy who had called Zhou Shiyan a "little radish head" earlier. He stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.
Raising his hand, he pinched his fingers together, leaving about a centiter of space between them. With a slight smile, he said,
"Probably... because I work this much harder than you."
With that, he dropped his hand and continued walking toward Zhou Shiyan, who was waiting for him.
He didn’t see the dazed look on the boy’s face, as if his soul had just been shattered.
Liu Changqing had seen his son's entire performance. Though he hadn't heard what was said, seeing that boy walk away looking completely defeated told him everything he needed to know.
This brat was at it again…
Lan Yixian had also witnessed the scene. Her voice carried a mix of surprise and inevitability as she said, "Zhiyue taking first place isn’t surprising at all."
"Hmm..."
"This just proves that, as a father, you've done an excellent job raising him."
"..."
Hearing Lan Yixian sohow manage to praise him in this situation, Liu Changqing felt his face heat up.
Deep down, he knew perfectly well—he hadn’t done anything special when it ca to parenting.
Otherwise... his daughter wouldn’t be such a lazy slacker.
Even though Liu Zhiyue was his son, Liu Changqing, having once been a student himself, understood sothing very clearly—his son was exactly the kind of kid he used to hate the most...
The so-called "perfect child" that every parent used as a comparison.
And yet, now that this "other people’s kid" was his own son, Liu Changqing couldn't help but feel... incredibly satisfied.
As if all those monts he had once dread of—those tis he had fantasized about looking effortlessly cool—were now being played out in real life by his own son.
It was oddly... exhilarating.
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