On July 9, Chinese media reported that in an apartment building in Changsha City, Hunan Province (China), 18-year-old male student Xiao Kai was sitting huddled in the hallway in the middle of the night, his stomach growling with hunger. This was the third day his parents had not allowed him to enter the house.
His only food was a bun bought from the convenience store on the ground floor. But what was more shocking was that his Gaokao (college) score was 575/750, exceeding the entrance standard for a first-class university in Hunan Province (which only required 481 points).
The news that a male student scored 575 points in the Gaokao but was kicked out of his house has attracted strong public attention in China. Photo: Baidu
The reporter came to the house, knocked on the door but no one answered. When he called, his father immediately hung up, and his mother also gave the excuse that "she was working in Guangdong, her phone was about to run out of battery". When pressed by the reporter, the mother coldly replied: "You didn't focus on studying when you were in school, and now that you've graduated, you refuse to work. What else can we do?"
However, behind the image of a young boy sitting on the floor in the hallway, quietly munching on a cold bun is the tragedy of too much expectation, pressure and broken family.
From top student to downtrodden because of phone
Xiao Kai was once the pride of his family. Passing the entrance exam to one of the “big four” high schools in Changsha city, Hunan province (China), he was always in the top 100 of the entire province in his first years of high school.
For the sake of their son, the parents rented a house near the school, split the trips to the city to take care of him, and hired a tutor with the hope that their son would be able to get into a top university in China.
However, when he entered 10th grade, Tieu Khai begged his parents to buy him a phone “for his studies”. Although they initially objected, they eventually gave in, believing that their son was self-disciplined enough.
But the phone made Tieu Khai start staying up late playing games, neglecting his studies in class, causing his academic results to drop from top 100 to outside the top 600.
The family cut off the internet and took away his phone, but the more pressure he put on, the more Tieu Khai resisted. He broke things, cut the power cord, and even wrote a suicide note, threatening to commit suicide when forced to study.
Despite his declining academic performance, Tieu Khai still scored 575 points in the recent Gaokao exam, passing the university entrance exam in his home province. This is an “acceptable” result, even higher than many of his friends. But for his parents, this is the “last straw”. They believe that if he had not been addicted to his phone, Tieu Khai could have scored over 600 points, and even entered a top university. For them, their son has “cut off the wings” that his family has worked so hard to build.
According to the latest information, Tieu Khai met his mother to ask for a chance to repeat a year of study, promising to try hard to get into a group of key schools. Photo: Baidu
After learning the results, Tieu Khai's parents gave him two choices: If he wanted to continue staying at home, he had to hand over his phone and not play games anymore; if he still wanted to keep his phone and continue using it as he pleased, he had to leave home and go to work to support himself.
Xiao Kai refused both. As a result, his parents cut off his allowance, changed the door password, left him sleeping in the hallway, and ate one meal a day from the remaining change.
"Other people's children" and the generation gap
According to Baidu , Xiao Kai's story immediately went viral on the country's social network. Public opinion initially leaned toward the boy: "575 points and still got kicked out?", "Are Xiao Kai's parents too cold? Are their expectations turning into unreasonable harshness?".
But after knowing the truth, most people changed their tune: "Over-pampering is harmful to children", "Parents spend so much effort and money, but children love their phones more than their parents".
In fact, during the three years of his high school years, Xiao Kai's family spent tens of thousands of yuan each year to rent a house, hire a tutor, and provide full support. But in return, he was a child who broke discipline, refused to communicate, lived in a virtual world , and used his phone as a weapon of resistance. His parents were not only sad about his grades, but also heartbroken because they saw their son gradually lose his independence and will to succeed.
Xiao Kai still lives on the street, and occasionally neighbors take pity on him and bring him food. He still hugs his phone and says he will “wait for his parents to soften their hearts.” Before the reporter leaves, Xiao Kai says, “Actually, I regret it too, but I just don’t want to lower myself to apologize.” As soon as he finishes speaking, the sound of a message from the game rings out again.
According to the latest information, Tieu Khai began to lower his voice and met his mother to ask for a chance to repeat a year of study with the promise to try hard to get into a group of key schools.
In response to Tieu Khai's "reconciliation", his mother's attitude was still very firm: "No! There's no use in studying again!". "When you were in school, you didn't fulfill your duties and liked to play around. Why do you want to study again now? Why should your parents have to bear the consequences of your mistakes?".
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dat-diem-thi-dai-hoc-thap-nam-sinh-bi-bo-me-duoi-khoi-nha-2420858.html
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