"Dad will always be my dad, and my dad only! No one can take him away!"

"That’s right."

Ling Anxun replied with a smile, reaching out to ruffle her fluffy hair.

"He’ll always belong to you and you alone. From now on, when father and daughter team up, our combined strength can cut through metal. We can handle anything!"

"Daddy, what metal are we cutting?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

She finally couldn’t help but ask, tilting her head.

"Hahaha!"

Ling Anxun burst out laughing.

"Gold bars, of course! Big, shiny gold bars! Don’t you want to live in a golden house, wear golden clothes, and even have golden toys in the future?"

Shanshan looked completely baffled, shaking her little head from side to side.

She still didn’t quite understand, but she thought "gold bars" sounded very impressive.

And just like that, she’d learned something new.

On the day of the parent-teacher conference, the weather was perfect.

The teacher stood at the podium, calling out several students’ names to praise them.

Finally, she gave a special mention to Shanshan.

"Shanshan is not only an outstanding student, consistently ranking at the top of her grade, but she is also mature, well-behaved, and polite. She proactively helps her classmates and respects her teachers. She is a model student in our class."

As soon as she finished speaking, all the parents in the class turned to look at Ling Anxun.

"Such an outstanding daughter must have a very dedicated parent behind her,"

the teacher added with a smile.

"Today, we’ve specially invited Shanshan’s father to come on stage and share some of his parenting experience."

As the "model parent," Ling Anxun was called up to speak.

He stood up, adjusted the cuffs of his suit, and walked steadily to the podium.

When it came to raising a child, he could talk a blue streak as soon as he opened his mouth.

From how to help with homework to how to schedule their daily routine, he had a grand theory for everything.

He boasted to anyone who would listen that his educational philosophy was advanced and his methods were scientific.

But in reality?

His so-called "efforts" were mostly just talk, with very little action to back them up.

In the audience, Cao Daqiang’s expression grew darker and darker.

The parents around him whispered to each other, their laughter incessant.

Listening to the teacher’s comments on the children’s performance, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Because Cao Jiajia was sullen and quiet all day, her classmates avoided her.

No one initiated conversations with her, and no one even wanted to be in the same group as her for activities.

After the meeting, no one paid him any mind, not even offering a simple greeting.

The other parents gathered in small groups, discussing their children’s grades.

But just as Cao Daqiang stood up, hoping to join in and say a few words, the groups dispersed.

He stood there awkwardly.

Trying to use the opportunity to network?

Not a chance.

He knew the other parents had long since grown tired of his act.

He usually ignored his child completely, only to put on a show at parent-teacher conferences.

Everyone saw right through him. A person like that wasn’t worth getting to know.

Cao Daqiang suppressed his anger and forced himself to wait until the meeting was over.

He had just stood up to leave when the teacher called out to him again.

"Mr. Cao, please wait a moment."

Cao Daqiang forced a smile and turned around.

"When Jiajia first transferred here, she was quite lively. Why has she become more and more withdrawn lately?"

She remembered on the first day of school, Cao Jiajia had worn a little pink dress, skipping into the classroom and smiling at everyone she saw.

"Perhaps she’s stressed from her studies and bottling things up. As her parent, you need to pay more attention to her emotional state, not just her grades."

"A child’s psychological problems are far more frightening than poor grades."

She hoped these words would be a wake-up call for the father standing before her, who seemed to care only about rankings.

"Yes, yes, you’re right, Teacher. We’ll definitely change, we’ll definitely change!"

Cao Daqiang nodded repeatedly.

He even deliberately took out his phone, pretending to jot down the teacher’s words.

"Don’t worry, Teacher. I’ll go back and discuss this with her mother and adjust our parenting methods!"

But his gaze drifted toward the classroom door. His only thought was to leave as quickly as possible; he hadn’t taken a single word the teacher said to heart.

The teacher watched him, sighing inwardly.

She had been teaching for over twenty years and had seen too many parents like him.

They were quick to agree, but the moment they turned around, they forgot everything.

True care was hidden in the attention and companionship of daily life.

And Cao Daqiang offered none of it.

Right now, his mind was completely preoccupied with how he was going to scold his child when he got home.

As the saying goes, there are plenty of people who have heard all the right principles yet still can’t live a good life.

Even the gods can’t save someone who refuses to listen to advice.

’I’ve done my best for this child.’

She had spoken with Jiajia privately, encouraging her to participate more in class activities.

But a child’s change ultimately depended on support from their family.

With a father so careless, no matter how anxious she became, she couldn’t win back the child’s heart.

She watched Cao Daqiang’s retreating back.

For him, this conversation was nothing more than a tedious interruption, to be forgotten as soon as it was over.

Just as the teacher had thought, not only did Cao Daqiang fail to heed her words, but he also felt his daughter had made him lose face in front of everyone.

He kept his head down, his face ashen, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into right then and there.

「Meanwhile.」

The children who had bullied Cao Jiajia before had been told off by Shanshan a few times, but they hadn’t taken it to heart at all.

A physical fight?

That was out of the question. The teachers and the school were strict; getting physical would lead to big trouble.

But who said you had to get physical to bully someone?

From then on, wherever Cao Jiajia went, she could always feel someone secretly watching her from behind or from a corner.

She was already sensitive and fragile, and had long lacked a sense of security. An environment like this was almost suffocating her.

She couldn’t hold on for more than a few days. One afternoon, she hid in the corner of the most remote restroom in the school building, crying secretly.

Just then, Shanshan happened to be passing by that restroom.

She didn’t ask anything. She just took a clean handkerchief from her pocket and gently placed it by Cao Jiajia’s hand.

"Are you happy now?"

Cao Jiajia suddenly looked up.

"The whole class hates me and they all revolve around you. You love all the attention, don’t you? You must be so proud of yourself right now, huh?"

Shanshan looked at her and shook her head gently.

"What do I have to be happy about? You think I like people fawning over me? You think I need any of this?"

Cao Jiajia froze for a moment.

"Fine, I’m not going to argue with you about this nonsense. But you listen to me. A guy like your dad is unreliable. He’ll never back you up or stand up for you. Don’t count on him. Think more about your mom. She’s the one who’s truly worried and heartbroken for you."

After saying her piece, she stood up, didn’t spare Cao Jiajia another glance, and turned to leave.

Cao Jiajia squatted alone in the corner, tightly clutching the handkerchief in her hand.

She stared into the empty hallway as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

Once everything for the start of the school year was settled, Ling Anxun immediately threw himself into his demanding work.

He performed exceptionally well in a recent large-scale joint military exercise.

He was personally commended by his superiors.

Not long after the exercise ended, he received notice of a promotion.

He was directly promoted to the rank of deputy battalion-level cadre, an extremely rare achievement among his peers.

When the news spread, it sent shockwaves through the ranks, from top to bottom.

Meanwhile, his older brother, Ling Antao, also earned a promotion for his outstanding arrangements in logistical support work.

With both brothers being promoted one after the other, it was a joyous, momentous occasion for the family.

The old master couldn’t stop smiling, and the old madam was busy making arrangements.

Early the next morning, Yang Dapeng and his wife called to congratulate the Ling family.