The water is too deep for you to handle.

Several peaceful days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for the school's Parent Open Day.

The school had organized the event with great fanfare, involving all three grades—G1, G2, and G3—though staggered schedules were arranged to avoid overcrowding.

Parents of G3 students arrived in the morning to discuss final-stage preparations with teachers, leaving right after the morning session ended.

In the afternoon, it was the turn of G1 and G2 parents to visit.

The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground as Lin Mo and Xie Yuling walked side by side on their way to school.

Xie Yuling’s steps were slightly slower than usual. She glanced at Lin Mo several times, lips parting as if to speak, only to swallow her words each time.

Finally, as they neared the school gate, she couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke softly, "Maybe... I could ask my mom to visit your class in the afternoon?"

Her suggestion was cautious, as if afraid of touching a raw nerve.

Lin Mo turned his head, his usual easygoing smile in place. "No need. After all, I am the top-ranked student in the grade."

His tone was teasing, an attempt to lighten the mood.

But Xie Yuling didn’t laugh. Instead, she stopped walking and stood squarely in front of him, looking up with earnest concern in her eyes.

Her gaze held no pity—only pure worry.

"I’m not worried about the teachers. I’m afraid other parents might gossip. If anyone says anything unpleasant, promise me you’ll clap back. Don’t just bottle it up."

Xie Yuling spoke from experience. Back then, Chu Ling had spread so much gossip that their entire class had learned about Xie Yuling’s father’s passing.

During the parent-teacher meeting, many parents had offered her mother sympathy and comfort.

But there were also those who stood in the hallway, whispering things like how she and her mother had "brought misfortune" upon her father.

Words like those cut deeper than any blade.

At the time, Xie Yuling had been devastated. She knew all too well how cruel some parents could be with their words, and she didn’t want Lin Mo to go through the same thing.

It was also one of the reasons she shied away from socializing with outsiders.

Seeing her serious expression—like a small animal guarding its food—Lin Mo felt warmth bloom in his chest. He reached out habitually, ruffling her soft hair.

"Relax. Do I look like the kind of person who’d take things lying down?"

He withdrew his hand, a playful smirk curling at the corner of his lips. "Besides, I’m not some defenseless ordinary student. If anyone dares to embarrass me to my face, I’ve got plenty of ways to pay them back."

Hearing this, Xie Yuling suddenly remembered—this guy in front of her was far from being some lonely boy in need of protection.

He had mysterious skills, a mind sharper than most his age, and methods beyond ordinary comprehension.

Someone like him wouldn’t be bullied by mere gossip.

She had overthought things.

Letting out a long breath, her face finally relaxed into a smile.

"I can protect you too. If anyone talks behind your back, I’ll know exactly who they are."

The previously heavy atmosphere lightened, and the two chatted and laughed as they entered the school.

The classroom was noisy, with a group of boys crowded around Su Mingzhao’s desk, peering at his phone.

Su Mingzhao held his phone, brows furrowed tightly.

"Old Zhao, listen to your dad—this girl’s way out of your league. You can’t handle her," one boy slung an arm over his shoulder, speaking with exaggerated solemnity. "Let me take this burden off your hands. I’ll even go play basketball with you this weekend."

"Get lost," Su Mingzhao shoved him away irritably. "Dai Wu’s a grade below us. I’m not that shameless. And the court isn’t my backyard—go play by yourselves if you want."

Just thinking about last weekend pissed him off. Dai Wu had shown up, but for some reason, the two guys who came with her kept pulling sneaky moves, riling him up.

What was worse? His own so-called "bros" had blatantly gone easy on her, leading to their team’s crushing defeat.

And now these idiots were insisting Dai Wu had a crush on him.

Hah. That was about as believable as eunuchs holding a meeting—utter nonsense.

"Old Zhao, if you’re not into girls a grade below you, does that mean you prefer someone in our year? I still remember how, at the start of last semester, you—"

Before he could finish, Su Mingzhao’s expression changed. He clamped a hand over the guy’s mouth, shooting a panicked glance toward the other side of the classroom.

Seeing that Lin Mo wasn’t looking their way, he exhaled in relief.

"Looks like you’ve chickened out. Can’t blame you—Lin Mo is terrifying."

"Here’s something even scarier," another boy chimed in ominously. "This afternoon’s parent-teacher meeting means Lin Mo’s name will haunt us after every exam from now on—the legendary ‘other people’s child’ our parents will never shut up about."

The group collectively lost it at that, scattering in different directions.

By mid-morning, around second period, parents began arriving—though these were all G3 parents. Signposts were set up near the staircases to minimize disruption to G1 and G2 classes.

"No morning exercises today—woohoo!" Several girls in class cheered.

With temperatures rising lately, the daily exercises had been torture. But thanks to Parent Open Day, only G3 students and their parents had to participate, while the school used the opportunity to hype everyone up.

Just then, Chu Miaomiao tapped Lin Mo’s shoulder from behind.

"Mom’s coming today. How about we have dinner tonight with Xie Yuling and Auntie Zheng?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yunlu glanced over but quickly averted her gaze.

She knew her father well—while he wouldn’t outright forbid her from interacting with Lin Mo, there was no way they could sit down for a meal together.

So she stayed silent.

The thought of the parent-teacher meeting made her restless. Lin Mo would likely be sitting alone at his desk, and if her father ended up beside him, he’d probably say something awkward.

Her fingers absently twirled a pen.

No way.

She had to warn her dad in advance—no giving Lin Mo a hard time.

Don’t make things difficult for him.

At lunchtime, while picking up her meal, Jiang Yunlu took the chance to call Jiang Chengshan.

"Hey, sweetheart! Don’t worry—I’ll be there right on time for the parent-teacher meeting this afternoon. Wouldn’t dream of embarrassing you!" Jiang Chengshan’s booming voice carried through the phone.

Jiang Yunlu pressed her lips together, cutting straight to the point. "Dad, the person sitting next to you this afternoon will be Lin Mo. Don’t scare him, okay?"

Silence.

A few seconds later, Jiang Chengshan felt like he’d been sucker-punched, a mouthful of blood nearly spurting out.

Me? Scare him?

If anything, he should be grateful Lin Mo wasn’t reporting him.

Suppressing the urge to cough up that imaginary blood, Jiang Chengshan managed a strained reply.

"Sweetheart, I’ve decided not to interfere with you and Lin Mo. But can’t I at least get to know this... classmate of yours?"

"Daaaad," Jiang Yunlu detected the slight softening in his tone and immediately switched to a sweet, coaxing voice. "Then you have to promise—no deliberately picking on Lin Mo, no bringing up his family, and no saying anything inappropriate. Got it?"

On the other end, Jiang Chengshan exhaled heavily, feeling like the precious cabbage he’d painstakingly raised wasn’t just trying to get eaten by a pig—it was building the pig a house.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered weakly.

"In your eyes, is your father really such an unreasonable man?"

Truly, a grown daughter belongs to another's house.