And across every social media platform, the comments flooded every section.
"Yu Shuying is still the same, elegant. She truly embodies what it means to be unmatched."
"From the age of seven onward, the gap between father and daughter became distinct. Her father's so-called talent could no longer keep pace with her. To be more precise, he was no longer qualified to teach her."
"That man is actually rather pitiful. If he hadn't become ill, his abilities might have been extraordinary. Unfortunately, fate delayed him, and in the end he could never compare with Shuying."
"The father and daughter spent their entire lives competing against one another. Little Shuying always wanted to surpass her father..."
"She's far better than those so-called child prodigies!"
Discussions erupted everywhere.
Every platform, every forum, and every livestream was focused on the same topic. Then, just as the atmosphere reached its peak, the production team made another announcement. In an instant, the noisy internet fell into an almost suffocating silence.
At that very moment, Liu Shi posted another message, instantly drawing everyone's attention back to her. This time, the message was written entirely in English. The translated version appeared on the giant screen before the audience.
"My precious daughter, I'm happy to see everything you've achieved. But I don't believe your father possesses the ability to have trained you."
Alongside the post was a photograph. Liu Shi sat gracefully inside a private jet, dressed in a tailored business suit. The luxurious cabin complemented her noble temperament, making her appear every bit the distinguished heiress she was. Yet hidden beneath the composed smile was a faint trace of resistance, almost as though the words themselves carried an unspoken challenge.
Shuying slowly closed her eyes, and her thoughts drifted back into the distant past. The cheers of the audience, the excitement of the fans, and even the sudden appearance of her wealthy mother failed to stir much emotion within her.
Instead, she remembered herself at seven years old. From poetry and literature to speech contests and artistic performances, she had already become a dazzling young star in literary circles.
But as far as she could remember, none of those accomplishments had anything to do with anyone else. With one exception: a female piano teacher who had patiently taught her how to play. Other than that teacher, she had almost no meaningful interaction with any other woman during her childhood.
As for her father... Apart from urging her to finish her homework every single day, he had offered almost nothing that resembled literary or artistic guidance. His own educational background had never been particularly impressive. He had only graduated from junior high school before entering the overseas import and export trade industry, eventually becoming a senior executive by seizing the opportunities of a rapidly changing era.
Ever since she was seven years old, Shuying had listened to him misuse words, confuse idioms, construct awkward sentences, and explain scientific concepts with only a half-understood grasp of the subject.
Little by little, those experiences created an instinctive resistance within her, and she unconsciously distanced herself from people like him. Instead, she devoted herself completely to literature, steadily building a path filled with confidence, discipline, and unwavering determination.
She slowly raised her head and looked toward the curtain behind the stage.
The giant screen lit up once again.
The neighborhood had once been an unfinished construction project before eventually deteriorating into a sprawling slum. Foreign migrants, local residents, and countless illegal workshops crowded together, creating a chaotic and impoverished environment. Yet none of that determined Little Shuying's future.
After school, Ye arrived to pick her up as usual, and Shuying pouted slightly. "Actually... I can go home by myself."
Ye simply smiled without replying. Because of the interferon experimental medication, his body had gradually become larger and bulkier over the years. Nevertheless, his refined facial features still retained a spirit that time had failed to erase.
"It's too dangerous around here," Ye finally said in a serious tone. "You can't walk home alone."
Shuying frowned as she couldn't understand why he was always so overprotective. After a brief silence, she looked up at him. "I want to participate in the school's poetry competition. The teacher said the entries should combine literature with subjects like physics, chemistry, and astronomy. I need some books."
Ye looked at her before letting out an impatient sigh. "Why waste your time on that? What can a bunch of scholars really write? Study hard, get into university, become a civil servant, and earn a stable living."
That answer again. It was always the same answer. Every single time.
Shuying's heart sank with disappointment. "But the top three contestants get free piano lessons from the school!" she protested. "I want to learn the piano!"
"Fine." Ye nodded absentmindedly. "I'll buy you a few books."
Then he muttered to himself, "What good is all this academic poetry anyway? Isn't folk music passed down through generations just as good? Can they even write anything worthwhile? Can they write classics like Goose, Goose, Goose?"
His tone sounded dismissive, almost crude, as though poetry held no value whatsoever in his eyes.
Without saying another word, Shuying quietly returned to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Half an hour later, Ye returned. Without much explanation, he placed four books on her desk.
Shuying stared at the books before her expression darkened. "These aren't what I wanted. I wanted collections of famous poetry from around the world. What am I supposed to do with these?"
Ye answered without hesitation. "Study hard."
Only those two words. At that moment, he appeared to her as nothing more than a stern and uncompromising father.
Shuying fell silent. For the first time, she felt an indescribable chill settle into her heart. She realized that no matter whether it was poetry, literature, or her dreams, she could only rely on herself. No one else would help her.
Still, she carefully read all four books from beginning to end, over and over again. Eventually, she discovered the address of a poetry society. Unable to suppress her excitement, she decided to write them a letter.
Inside it, she wrote: Your tenderness follows the path of light, flowing across the entire universe like strands of hair illuminated by the stars.
She added another paragraph beneath it. Is this considered international poetry? Could I write poems like this? I'm still a student, and I want to win one of the top three places in the poetry competition so I can earn the opportunity to learn the piano.
Using her own pocket money, she carefully addressed the envelope, wrote the postal code by hand, and secretly slipped it into the mailbox beside the newsstand on her way to school.
Throughout the drive, Ye remained completely unaware of what she had done.
Back in the present, watching the replay on the stage's enormous screen, Shuying couldn't help smiling.
"That poetry society was wonderful. They acknowledged my attempts to combine romance with the vastness of the cosmos. From that moment onward, I devoted myself wholeheartedly to creating scientific romantic poetry. I'll always be grateful for their encouragement."
As soon as she finished speaking, countless viewers immediately recalled one of Shuying's earliest masterpieces. Actually, there's no real difference, and there's nothing to fear.
"Six hundred and fifty thousand hours from now, after we've both weathered into the wind, perhaps we'll become two neighboring bubbles floating in the same glass of beer, or two tiny grains of dust nestled together beneath the same streetlamp. Do you know? The atoms that make up the universe never truly disappear. One day, we'll be together again."
She had written those verses when she was only seven years old. The poem became one of the most celebrated entries in the elementary school poetry competitions.
From that day onward, the literary world welcomed a remarkable new prodigy, a young genius capable of blending science with poetry, and Little Shuying became the pioneer who opened an entirely new path for scientific romantic poetry.
The former Principal, Zhao Guochang, let out a long sigh. "Little Shuying's talent for poetry is genuine. I witnessed it with my own eyes. Her father's educational background wasn't particularly high, which has always puzzled me."
"I once wondered whether it was Shuying's mother, Liu Shi, who had secretly guided her. After all, Shuying once mentioned that the Poetry House frequently sent her letters of encouragement. The writing in those letters was exceptionally elegant, rich with literary grace, and the handwriting itself was beautiful. I've seen those letters personally. They were clearly written by someone with remarkable literary cultivation."
After saying that, Guochang turned toward the production team, quietly waiting.
The Commentator smiled before speaking. "Today, we've invited Xu Hong, one of the founders of the Poetry House."
"Back then, while still very young, she and her husband established the largest poetry website, publishing countless outstanding works that gained recognition both domestically and internationally. Little Shuying's poetry became one of the site's most beloved collections."
As the Commentator finished speaking, a graceful woman in her early fifties slowly walked onto the stage. Time had left only traces of maturity upon her, while her elegant temperament remained untouched. She greeted the audience with a warm, refined smile before taking her seat.
After a brief silence, she began reminiscing. "I still remember the first poem that man submitted to us."
She slowly recited it from memory.
"One day, you'll discover that countless atoms within your muscles once helped paint the sky blue. The phosphorus in your bones once colored the waves of ancient oceans green. The calcium in your teeth may have come from rocks that nurtured mushrooms thousands of years ago. Even the iron flowing through your blood was forged inside a dying star before becoming part of you. In truth, death is happening among your atoms every single moment. Yet you will never truly disappear. You will continue to exist forever as part of the universe itself."
The audience fell silent, and Hong smiled faintly. "The poem arrived under the pen name 'Shadow.' The handwriting was extraordinarily beautiful. When I first saw it, I honestly thought it had been written by a refined young woman."
"Later, after reading Shuying's submissions, I couldn't help encouraging her to continue exploring this style, to combine science with poetry and transform cold scientific knowledge into romantic literary expression."
"I never imagined that a few words of encouragement would nurture someone who would eventually become a fairy-like figure in the world of scientific literature." She finished with a soft sigh.
For a moment, the studio remained completely silent. Then the Commentator suddenly seemed to realize something. Beautiful handwriting. An unmistakably feminine style. Neat block lettering. And the author's pen name... Shadow.
Almost instantly, everyone's thoughts returned to the footage shown earlier. When Shuying had been born, Ye had proudly held his newborn daughter while wearing a formal suit.
With a bright smile, he had said, "I'll comb my precious daughter's hair every day from now on."
There hadn't been the slightest trace of literary elegance in those words. It was simply the sincere affection of an ordinary father.
Meanwhile, Liu Shi had gently embraced the baby and softly whispered, "My daughter is destined to become someone extraordinary. One day, even her shadow will shine across the galaxy."
At the time, almost no one had paid attention to that seemingly insignificant family video, it had appeared to be nothing more than a touching memory. But after the Commentator pointed out the connection, everyone suddenly remembered those words. A profound silence spread throughout the studio. Her shadow... It really had appeared.
After all, the Liu family was completely different. They had come from generations of distinguished scholars, and after leaving the country, Shi had lived an extraordinarily luxurious life overseas while remaining immersed in an environment filled with culture, literature, and academia.
Chen Cheng slowly broke the silence. "So... when Shuying was only seven years old... did her wealthy mother secretly return?"
His voice carried obvious hesitation. Originally, he had felt deeply moved by Ye. However, throughout every literary segment shown by the program, Ye had displayed almost no remarkable literary accomplishments. The production team had only shown scattered fragments of his life, none of which suggested exceptional artistic talent.
Yet after hearing Hong's account and listening to those astonishing scientific poems, Cheng couldn't help picturing Shi instead. She seemed like the very embodiment of culture and refinement.
A woman with profound knowledge.
A woman whose literary accomplishments far surpassed ordinary people.
Compared to her brilliance... Ye's strengths seemed to fade like bubbles disappearing beneath the sunlight. No wonder Shuying possessed such astonishing literary talent.
Back in the studio,
Shuying remained frozen in place after listening to Hong's story, and her expression was filled with confusion. She stared blankly at Hong before quietly asking, "Back then... Were all those reply letters... Were you teaching me through every single one of them? ...Was it because of Liu Shi?"
Hong did not answer immediately, but Shuying lowered her head. Could it really have been... That woman?
But when Shi had left, she had done so without the slightest hesitation. She had been so resolute. So heartless. How could it possibly have been her? How could it...
Yet the more Yu Shuying thought about it, the more uncertain she became. Scientific poetry wasn't something that could simply be fabricated through imagination alone. To seamlessly blend literature with physics, chemistry, astronomy, cosmology, and the vast mysteries of the universe required an extraordinary foundation of knowledge.
It demanded remarkable education. Broad vision. Profound conversations. A deep understanding of both science and romance. Only then could someone create works of that caliber.
As for Ye... Shuying remembered every detail clearly. When she had prepared for the poetry competition, he had merely bought her a few introductory books. Apart from occasionally asking about her studies, he had never once discussed poetry with her.
He had never analyzed a poem.
Never recommended a famous poet.
Never shared his thoughts about literature.
From beginning to end, he had simply urged her to study harder.
To her younger self, he had seemed stubborn, conservative, and hopelessly pedantic. He didn't understand delicate romance. He didn't understand poetic beauty. He barely understood basic physics, let alone the stars that filled the night sky. How could someone like him possibly write poetry like that?
Yu Shuying slowly raised her head, and her voice trembled. "He couldn't have written those poems... So... Was it really you?"
For the first time since the program began, Shuying looked genuinely shaken. She found it almost impossible to accept. Could it be... That the woman she had believed abandoned her had, in her own way, quietly participated in her childhood and influenced her growth from behind the scenes all along?