Lin Luan looked toward the classroom door.
Standing there was a woman who looked to be in her thirties.
She wore a yellow printed short dress, paired with slightly exaggerated earrings, and carried a designer handbag with a massive logo in her hand—like one of those classic fashion women from magazine covers.
“Qin Qing’s mother, it’s alright, please come in, we’re just getting started.” Teacher Li gestured to the seat beside Lin Luan, “Your daughter’s seat is over there.”
Only then did Lin Luan notice that the seat next to him had been empty the whole time.
“That’s good, that’s good, I almost didn’t make it.” The woman patted her chest in relief, let out a breath, and trotted lightly to sit down in her daughter’s seat.
As soon as she sat, Lin Luan caught a whiff of her perfume—rich, but not overpowering.
The woman placed her handbag on her lap, sat elegantly, and took out her phone, pressing at it as if replying to a message.
Lin Luan was just thinking about how to greet her when the other party spoke first.
“You’re Lin Wan’s brother, right? Lin… Lu’an? Is that it?” The woman put her phone away. “My name is Liu Minghui, I’m Qin Qing’s mother.”
Lin Luan was a bit surprised and nodded, “Yes, I’m Lin Wan’s brother. You… know my sister?”
“Oh! I knew it was you!” Liu Minghui smiled.
“How could I not know? My Qin Qing talks about her at home all the time—‘Xiao Wan’ this and ‘Xiao Wan’ that. She says Lin Wan is her best friend, so well-behaved and good at her studies! She just adores her!”
“I’ve always wanted to see what kind of family raised such a well-behaved girl. Today I finally get to meet a parent! And Lin Wan’s brother is so handsome and elegant, no wonder your sister is so cute!”
“Ahaha.” Lin Luan scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
Truth be told, he had no idea who Qin Qing was—Lin Wan had never mentioned her.
Thinking back, Lin Luan realized that every day, he was either at work or cooking dinner for Lin Wan at night, always busy making money, never really paying attention to Lin Wan’s social life…
He didn’t even know who her best friend was. That was a bit sad—he’d have to ask Xiao Wan more when they got home.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Liu Minghui turned and rummaged through her handbag, pulling out two beautifully wrapped chocolates and pressing them into Lin Luan’s hands before he could protest.
“Try these—Belgian chocolate! And give the other one to Xiao Wan.” “Oh… Thank you.”
Liu Minghui’s enthusiastic personality left Lin Luan at a bit of a loss, so he could only quietly accept the chocolates and thank her.
Just then, Teacher Li at the podium coughed lightly, signaling for the parents to quiet down—the parent-teacher meeting was about to begin.
Lin Luan let out a breath of relief. He truly wasn’t good at socializing.
Liu Minghui habitually took out her phone and started replying to messages.
Lin Luan glanced at her screen—it looked like Liu Minghui was chatting with her friends, discussing which store to go shopping at after the meeting.
Her daughter was already a senior, but she still had the personality of a trendy girl.
With a sigh, Lin Luan withdrew his gaze. It wasn’t polite to keep looking at someone else’s phone.
On the podium, Teacher Li spoke steadily about the overall study plan for the senior year, the school’s strategies for the final sprint, and some routine reminders.
For Lin Luan, all this felt like looking through frosted glass—vague and far away.
He didn’t even finish his first year of high school before dropping out. After his parents passed away, Lin Luan had to take responsibility for the family early on.
The student life only existed in novels for him; he had no interest in Teacher Li’s speech.
While he was lost in thought, Teacher Li suddenly called out a name, snapping Lin Luan back to the present.
“…Especially our classmate Lin Wan, whose attitude toward learning is exemplary. Her grades are always among the top in the year, and all the teachers speak highly of her. She has unlimited potential and serves as a role model for her classmates.”
Lin Luan unconsciously sat up straight.
Damn, after all these years, he still had that reflex—whenever his sister’s name was mentioned, it was like his own.
“Lin Wan’s brother is here with us today. Let’s give a round of applause to Lin Wan’s brother and invite him up to the podium to share with us how he raised such an outstanding child, so the other parents can learn from his experience! What do you all say?”
A burst of warm applause filled the classroom, and every parent’s gaze focused sharply on Lin Luan.
Liu Minghui put down her phone and nudged him with her elbow, quietly encouraging, “Wow, Handsome Lin, go up and say something.”
Lin Luan froze instantly.
Go up? Share parenting experience?
His mind went blank.
What parenting principles did he have?
All he ever thought about was how to make a bit more money, how to handle Su Jin’s endless tricks, how to make sure his sister had a hot meal—he didn’t even know who Lin Wan’s best friend was.
More than anyone, he knew that Lin Wan’s excellence was almost entirely her own effort. As her brother, aside from providing the bare minimum materially, he had contributed almost nothing educationally.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
That mask of composure he’d developed for dealing with Su Jin kicked in once again. He put a gentle smile on his face and steadily walked up to the podium.
Standing behind the lectern, he glanced at all the expectant faces in the audience, each one filled with longing for educational success.
He was silent for a few seconds, then began.
“Teacher Li flatters me. And you parents praise me too highly.” He gave a slight bow, his attitude humble. “Standing here, I truly feel ashamed.”
He paused, his gaze unfocused as if recalling something, looking toward the back of the classroom.
“To be honest, I don’t have any remarkable parenting experience to share. My sister and I… our parents passed away when we were young.”
At these words, whispers rippled through the room, with many parents showing looks of sympathy. Liu Minghui also stopped playing with her phone, covering her mouth in surprise.
Lin Luan ignored their reactions and continued, telling his story:
“At that time, I wasn’t much older than her. I had to drop out before finishing my first year of high school. For me, the most important thing was simply surviving—making sure my sister could keep going to school, making sure there was a hot meal waiting for her every night.”
His voice held no self-pity, only the calm that comes from being tempered by hardship—a calm that made people ache all the more for him.
“So, things you all talk about—enrolling in tutoring, cultivating hobbies… Those things were distant dreams for me, even luxuries. All I could give her was the most basic guarantee for survival.”
“Often, I’d come home after work to find her already asleep, her homework finished and on the table. I didn’t even… know who her best friend was until just now when I heard from Qin Qing’s mother.”
By now, many mothers in the audience were quietly wiping away tears.
“Xiao Wan… she’s really too sensible. Her excellence and good grades are all thanks to her own hard work. As her brother, not only did I fail to give her spiritual support, I made her suffer and worry from a young age…”
“In short, what I want to say is: a child is a child, not a tool. Xiao Wan never gave up on herself—not once.”
“She’s my pride, not some kind of ‘education result.’”
He bowed again. “That’s all I have to share. Thank you, everyone.”
Thunderous applause broke out instantly as Lin Luan walked steadily back to Lin Wan’s seat.
As soon as he sat, he heard muffled sobbing from beside him. Turning, he saw Liu Minghui’s eyes were red with tears, her meticulously drawn eyeliner already smudged.
As she gently dabbed the corners of her eyes with a tissue, trying not to ruin her makeup further, she said to Lin Luan:
“Wu… child, what you said is just heartbreaking… You and Xiao Wan have had it so tough…” She choked up, thrusting her phone toward him.
“Come! Add Auntie’s Weixin! Have Xiao Wan come over more in the future! Auntie will cook for her! Make up for everything she’s missed!”
Lin Luan was a bit overwhelmed by this wave of sympathy, managing only an awkward smile as he added Liu Minghui on Weixin.
“Thank you, Sister Liu, really… it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s all in the past.”
He wasn’t used to being the object of pity, especially since he’d revealed such an old wound himself.
On the podium, Teacher Li was clearly moved as well. She took off her glasses to wipe her eyes, took several deep breaths to compose herself, and put her glasses back on.
“Thank you so much to Lin Wan’s brother for that sincere and moving sharing… It really showed us that behind every outstanding child, there may be untold stories of hardship and effort.”
“Alright, that concludes today’s parent meeting. Thank you again for coming!”
The parents all stood up, and many gave Lin Luan admiring looks as they left.
Liu Minghui quickly gathered her things, her eyes still red, and gave Lin Luan another reminder, “Remember! Bring Xiao Wan over to visit!”
Then, still typing on her phone, she clicked away in her high heels, leaving the classroom with the crowd.
Lin Luan sat alone in the gradually emptying classroom and let out a small sigh of relief.
Life is just a performance, he thought. What he’d just done was all improvisation—he hadn’t expected to move so many people.
Lin Luan took out his phone, intending to contact Su Jin, but noticed an unread message on the home screen—a reply from Xiao Wan.
Curious, Lin Luan opened the message, and then froze in place.
[Bro, save me.]