"How did you survive?" On the show, at that moment, Yu Shuying's long dress swayed gently beneath the sunset breeze. She remained as breathtaking as ever, elegant, weathered by life, yet untouched by the dust and noise of the world.
But deep inside her heart, only one question echoed. She wanted to know. Ever since she was young, she had known that the man had been sick for years. Over time, he had repeatedly asked her for money. But how? How had he managed to survive through such a twisted and difficult life?
But none of that mattered now. None of it could affect the emotional support Shuying desperately needed at this moment. She needed this. Needed it more than anyone knew.
From standing in brilliance years ago to becoming the target of public judgment today, there was only one thing she wanted to say to every child who had once lived like her. Even without parents. Even when abandoned. You can still rise.
So she lifted her gaze toward everyone present and spoke calmly, seriously. "Actually, I've never understood why you rejected everything I loved. Even reading books. You even tried to control what kind of literature I could choose at school. And that wasn't even the worst part. From the time I was six years old, your illness kept getting worse. Schizophrenia. Throwing things. Breaking things. Nightmares. Fear. Chaos. That family... That family was terrible."
As she spoke, memories surfaced one by one. Her beautiful eyes carried no anger anymore, only quiet indifference.
When Shuying said those words, the entire atmosphere froze. Even Sheng, seated among the guests on the show floor, felt her chest tighten painfully. From the child's words alone, she could almost picture the crushing environment Shuying had grown up in. The pressure. The fear. The loneliness.
Although she still believed in Yu Ye, illness changes people. Someone suffering severe pain for years could become irritable. Emotionally unstable, even mentally fractured. She could only sigh silently. Sometimes suffering spreads beyond one person.
"Ah..." She lowered her head and sighed.
Beside her, Cheng nodded quietly. Ever since seeing Ye's unstable state before, he had realized something. Illness. Poverty. Family burdens. Stacked together long enough, they could crush almost anyone. Under that kind of pressure, emotional collapse felt inevitable. Even mental instability no longer seemed surprising.
Meanwhile, the audience erupted into whispers, including contestants. The children sitting there stared with wide eyes. They could not imagine surviving inside a home like that. Yet somehow, she still rose. Brightly and brilliantly. How difficult must that path have been? How desperate?
Contestant No. 01's son, Su Zixue, couldn't help blurting out: "She's incredible..."
Inside the stadium, almost everyone was recording this scene. Except Yu Ye. His arms had begun growing weak, and even his fingers felt numb. He could feel it; life was leaving him fast.
Perhaps... It should have happened long ago. Fifteen years ago, he should have died then. These extra years, they had only been borrowed time. Years of stubborn persistence had long drained his body. Now, the belief holding him together was beginning to collapse.
And with it, the last strength hidden deep inside his bones slowly faded away. The surrounding voices. The accusations. The misunderstandings. He could no longer hear them clearly. Only white hair, wrinkles, and the burning pain in his chest remained. Reminding him that something inside him was collapsing. The world suddenly felt cold, empty, and lonely.
Yu Ye curled inward unconsciously. It was summer. So why... Why did he feel so cold? Ever since raising his daughter alone, his life had felt like an endless winter. Dreams abandoned. Careers abandoned. Hope was buried beneath years of exhaustion. He had lived at the bottom of an ice field where sunlight never reached. Accompanying him, only endless nights. Long and silent. Impossible to explain.
His thoughts drifted uncontrollably to the day his daughter left home. Sometimes, late at night, he would wonder. If one day... The faith holding him together finally shattered... Would she come back? Would she... Come see him?
At this very moment, the program exploded across the internet as Shuying's childhood story spread rapidly. Clip after clip. Moment after moment. Every detail replayed endlessly. Every hardship. Every triumph. Every subtle experience that shaped who she became.
Young viewers loved watching a superstar rise.
Older viewers admired watching a child forge herself through hardship.
Combined with comparisons to other contestants' stories, the program exploded in popularity. Exactly as expected. Clips flooded every platform as countless creators edited emotional compilations.
"Little Shuying - A Life That Refused to Fall"
"Like a Song, She Walked Into the Light"
The footage showed everything. A child born into hardship. Growing up in poverty. Struggling. Shining. Visiting her mother's grave. Going to school. Walking home beside children from happy families. Standing by the sea. Then finally, the song. Bright and alive. Overflowing with vitality.
The comments poured in endlessly.
"Born carrying light."
"Grew beneath a burning sun."
"And one day stood in the sky, never falling again."
"So people really can shine when excellence reaches its limit."
"Have you ever seen a child like this? Her five years surpassed ordinary lives."
People also edited Ye, but his videos felt entirely different. Slapping Liu Shi. Moving heavy items through crowded urban villages. Fainting. Medical diagnoses. Returning home exhausted. Dirty work clothes. Delivering food before sunrise. Riding electric bikes through the night. Part-time jobs at fried chicken shops. Factory unloading. Assembly line work. Cooking. Cleaning. Construction labor. Late-night fast food shifts. Barbecue restaurants. Temporary waiter jobs. Hospital visits. Swallowing piles of cheap medicine. Tightening ropes around his head to fight unbearable pain. Always frowning. Always carrying exhaustion. Sometimes, criticizing Little Shuying. Sometimes, clutching half a bottle of liquor.
Every clip felt heavy. Gray. Cold.
The caption beneath one compilation read: "Is the sky dark? Always."
When the uploader posted the video, many people fell silent. Blind supporters fell silent. Critics fell silent. But even then, many still could not connect the pieces. How could such a father raise such a daughter? The contrast felt impossible. Some sighed, and some felt conflicted.
"He wasn't always bad... but what about his mental condition afterward? A child growing up under that would absolutely suffer."
"The first half of his life was painfully hard... but reality is reality. Raising a child under those circumstances became another burden he had to carry."