Teacher Su chuckled as she revealed the correct answer: “Number 1 is a kitten, Number 2 is a white fox, and Number 3 is a little bunny.”

Yuanyuan’s eyes widened in disbelief, her black pupils reflecting pure shock: “!!!”

The kitten in Picture 1 had its head held high, and its ears weren’t visible, making it look round and fluffy. Yuanyuan hadn’t looked closely from a distance. As for Picture 2’s white fox, she didn’t even know what a white fox was. And Picture 3’s bunny was hidden in the grass, not fully visible. Gu Beiyan had hesitated between 1 and 3, jumping back and forth.

What might seem simple and straightforward to adults, requiring no thought, is much harder for children. With different angles and perspectives in the pictures, children can form completely different interpretations.

“If you don’t know the answer, don’t go giving others wrong ones,” Chu Qi said, annoyed, giving Gu Beiyan another scolding. “Can you stop being a troublemaker?”

She used to think Gu Beiyan was just mischievous, but today she realized he could also be incredibly foolish! If it weren’t for Yuanyuan, he wouldn’t have been so desperate to show off.

“Alright, Yuanyuan, you can sit down now.” Teacher Su smiled kindly, gesturing for her to take her seat.

Still in a daze, Yuanyuan slowly sat back down, staring at Picture 1 of the kitten, struggling to process it. How could she have gotten it so wrong? She didn’t even recognize herself! Tears welled up in her eyes. She felt so stupid!

As her mood sank, Yuanyuan slumped over her desk, staring at the board listlessly, her spirit drained.

When the class finally ended, Gu Beiyan rushed to apologize: “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong answer!”

“You’ve apologized like a hundred times this morning,” Chu Qi rolled her eyes. “Can you try thinking things through before you act? Be a little more mature?”

Gu Beiyan froze. “But I’m only four.”

True, asking a four-year-old to be mature was a bit much.

Even Chu Qi was silent for a moment.

Unlike most of the other kids, Chu Qi’s spot in this prestigious kindergarten came thanks to her highly elusive, workaholic scientist parents. At home, she was mostly cared for by the nanny. Though she was only three and a half, Chu Qi had learned to be quite independent—because no amount of crying, whining, or begging would ever get her parents’ attention.

As a result, Chu Qi behaved more maturely than other kids her age, which sometimes worried Teacher Su. She had noticed that Chu Qi didn’t have many friends in class. Besides occasionally scolding Gu Beiyan to meet her “daily speaking quota,” Chu Qi mostly sat alone in a corner, lost in her thoughts.

Teacher Su had tried reaching out to Chu Qi’s parents several times, but it was always the nanny who showed up at the school, making the attempts seem pointless.

“Qi Qi!” A cheerful voice interrupted Teacher Su’s train of thought. “Do you know how this works?”

Yuanyuan held up her new water bottle, which she had been fumbling with for a while without figuring out how to drink from it.

Many of the kids at the kindergarten had similar water bottles with straws, but most of them figured out how to use theirs after a few tries. Yuanyuan, however, had been struggling for about ten minutes, still confused.

Teacher Su fought the urge to step in and help, reminding herself that this was a valuable learning moment for the little ones—part of their development.

“It’s easy,” Chu Qi said, taking the bottle from her. She pressed a button on the side, and the lid popped open. “See? Just press here, and it opens.”

“Wow, wow, wow, Qi Qi, you’re amazing!” Yuanyuan clapped her hands enthusiastically, showering Chu Qi with compliments. “You’re so awesome!”

Chu Qi and Gu Beiyan froze for a second. Was that really worth so much praise?

Before Yuanyuan could celebrate any further, a group of laughing, playful kids ran past her from behind, accidentally bumping into her. The force sent her stumbling forward, her tiny body toppling toward the ground, face-first…