People still remembered those words. Their origin came from footage broadcast by the program group of "Is This A Happy Family?". In that forgotten urban village, where poverty seemed to be inherited through generations, where hardship lingered like a curse that refused to fade, a young man dressed in simple clothing stood where everyone could see him.
Gradually, his figure seemed to grow taller. Behind him was poverty, decay, and neglect. A world blocked by darkness and despair. Yet what radiated from him was something entirely different; it was like vast rivers flowing endlessly. Like mountains standing firm beneath the sky and earth. Like a spirit unwilling to bow before fate.
And in the end, a title slowly appeared across the entire screen. Father. This was Yu Ye. The moment he revealed that stubborn, burning determination hidden inside him, even after every terrible impression people once held of him.
Countless viewers still could not stop themselves from exclaiming:
"This man..."
"He's like something eternal."
An existence that simply refused to die. It was impossible to imagine what someone suffering from brain cancer and hematohidrosis endured every single day. The endless headaches. The dizziness. The veins swell painfully. The nausea. The splitting agony. The auditory hallucinations. The constant torture.
Yet somehow, he resisted it. Again and again. By relying purely on willpower and forcing himself forward. Live. Live. Live for my daughter. For her.
Jinling University, Social Pedagogy Elective Course.
Professor Chen froze for several seconds. She originally intended to continue discussing the advantages of matriarchal family structures. But at that moment, she could not continue.
Because the figure on the screen, Yu Ye's back, was impossibly straight. It was steady and unyielding.
Inside the classroom, several students stared in disbelief.
"How is this possible?"
"What kind of willpower is he relying on?"
A chubby student slowly stood up, and his voice carried confusion. "This is brain cancer. Brain cancer means constant pain. Headaches. Dizziness. Veins swelling. Vomiting. Hallucinations. People break under this, so ho how is he staying conscious? How is he still standing?"
The student looked toward Yu Shuying's father. For the first time, there was no contempt in their eyes, only disbelief.
A female student quietly spoke. "Maybe he isn't good at teaching children. But his willpower... It's extraordinary."
Professor Chen Shan slowly nodded. "That student is correct. A person's willpower and a person's ability to educate children are different things, especially in an environment this harsh. I still don't believe Yu Ye properly educated future generations."
"Look at Yu Shuying, the resentment she carries toward him runs deep. That alone proves Yu Ye was an unqualified father. Most fathers raised in slums lack proper educational methods, so they only hope their children become extraordinary."
"But hope alone cannot create success." Professor Chen Shan's words landed heavily.
Even though her criticism was broad, many students still nodded. Because Yu Shuying had changed everything, she possessed talent, exceptional talent. But most children raised in poverty never escaped; they remained trapped. Generation after generation.
"Yu Shuying is the real genius! And Yu Ye, as a father, failed educationally." Chen Shan's expression carried certainty.
The surrounding students nodded one after another. Their admiration for Yu Ye weakened once again. After all, his methods felt painfully familiar. Rigid, harsh, and uneducated. Every college student present thought the same, including Yu Shuying.
"No... It's not like that... Why... Why did you change after I turned four years old? Why didn't you care about me anymore?" Standing on the grand stage of the show, Yu Shuying trembled as her eyes stared toward the screen behind her.
Pain flooded through her as memories surfaced. When she thought about her father, she remembered selfishness, ignorance, stubbornness, and decay. So much so that from the age of four, she had made a vow.
"I swore. I swore when I was four. I would hate you. I would stay away from you. I would leave you forever. You were a father before I turned four. But after that... You changed. You became someone else. Decadent and broken. Like people trapped in those streets. Like those adults who only knew how to fight and argue." Yu Shuying spoke openly.
Without caring about her public image. Without caring about cameras. Without caring about being a star. She simply said it. Directly and honestly.
The commentator lowered their head, and other contestants quietly wiped tears from their eyes because they could feel it. The grievance, the pain, and the loneliness, Yu Shuying had endured.
And everyone understood, for a girl to climb out from a family like that, to rise and survive was never easy.