The door to the teacher's office was closed, blocking out the noise outside.
The couple who just slapped the table at the young head teacher were now huddled in two chairs against the wall, not daring to breathe.
John is standing at the desk.
He placed several asset freeze warnings and job transfer letters sent by Ashley in front of the couple. Behind him stood a Chinese lawyer who had just arrived from the provincial capital an hour ago.
"I don't care how your marriage is going."
John looked down at the pale-faced man and woman, his voice was very calm,
"But from today on, if any of you take your work and emotional grievances out on your children, or use your grades as an excuse to go to school to make trouble, Lawyer Chen will follow the process just mentioned. You should know how long it will take to lose your current job and house."
The man's lips trembled and he wanted to say something, but when he raised his head and met John's cold blue eyes, he swallowed his words and could only nod his head again and again.
"The child will live with his grandparents next."
John pointed to another custody and life support agreement that had been drawn up on the table.
"Living expenses, tuition fees, as well as the medical and housekeeping care of the two elderly people, will be handled regularly every month by dedicated personnel, and the money will not pass through your hands. If you let me know that you will go there privately to vent your anger on the children, we can meet again."
The couple didn't dare to say no, so they grabbed a pen, signed the commitment letter, and left the school as if they were running away.
After dealing with the parents, John turned to look at the young head teacher who was still standing by the window and the dean who came after hearing the news.
The parents of the three senior boys who were blocking the way in the corridor have been called and are being reprimanded in the office next door. The school clearly gave them a demerit and ordered them to change classes to avoid any further interaction with Little Lynn.
"Teacher Wang."
John looked at the young head teacher and softened his tone.
"What happened just now is clear to the school that it is not your teaching problem. From now on, if this child is in the class, there is no need to provide him with special care, just normal teaching. If any parents or others make trouble unreasonably, just call the number on the business card. Lawyer Chen's team will be stationed locally all year round."
Teacher Wang took the business card with the logo of the law firm and looked at the foreign young man in front of him who seemed to be Homelander. He nodded with lingering fear, and most of the grievances and depression that were originally pressing in his heart disappeared.
One afternoon.
John took Lawyer Chen directly to the home of Little Lynn's grandparents, and arranged a full set of physical examinations for Central Hospital in the city, follow-up long-term on-site medical treatment for chronic diseases of the elderly, and hourly workers responsible for buying groceries and cooking every day.
The two elderly people were uneasy at first, but it was not until Lawyer Chen presented the formal student aid and pension fund documents, and repeatedly confirmed that this did not require them to pay any price, that the two elderly people agreed with red eyes.
All potential escape routes and long-term guarantees have been laid out clearly.
In the evening, the school bell rang.
Lynn and John stood under the sycamore tree diagonally opposite the school gate.
The primary school students lined up and poured out of the school gate.
Soon, Lynn saw his grandparents with white hair.
Two old men, wearing clean old coats, were standing in the pick-up area and looking inside.
Teacher Wang led Little Lynn out.
Teacher Wang greeted the two old people with a smile and patiently said a few words. The children were very disciplined in school today and did well in their homework.
Grandpa responded cheerfully and reached out to take the schoolbag from his grandson's shoulder.
A few steps out of the school gate, grandma looked down and saw that the collar of Little Lynn's school uniform was a little crooked. When she reached out to straighten it for him, she casually asked if she was happy at school today.
In the past, Little Lynn would just shake his head and hold everything in his stomach.
But today, the little boy stopped, took his grandma's rough hand, and whispered:
"Grandma, the big guys from the senior class came to pull my schoolbag again this morning and laughed at me. But two uncles helped me stop it, and the teacher even criticized them."
Grandpa was stunned for a moment, and quickly squatted down to check his grandson's arm. "Did it hit anywhere? Why didn't you tell grandpa a few days ago?"
"It didn't hit."
Little Lynn shook his head, took out the orange that he had been reluctant to eat from his pocket, peeled off a piece and stuffed it into grandma's mouth.
"That uncle told me that if I feel wronged, I can just say it directly. It's not my fault."
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the three of them. Grandma patted the child on the back and kept saying,
"Yes, it's not our Xiao En's fault. From now on, we will tell our grandparents everything."
Under the shadow of a tree not far away, Lynn watched this scene quietly.
No one told him how many places John traveled in the afternoon and how many people he met.
But when he looked at Teacher Wang's relaxed look and the solidity in the eyes of the two old men, he knew that the dark cloud weighing on the child's head had been completely moved away and would not gather again just because they left tomorrow.
Lynn looked at the little figure bouncing around beside his grandparents, and raised the corners of his mouth, wanting to smile.
As soon as the funny feeling came to his mind, his eyes became hot.
That child who huddled in the corner of the corridor and waited for his whole childhood without anyone to support him, on this evening, someone finally stayed for him.
A tear slipped down Lynn's cheek and hit the scarf.
John stood beside him quietly, saying nothing.
Regardless of whether that child was from Lynn's past, he had already taken care of this matter that worried Lynn for him.
The figures of the three people, grandfather and grandson, gradually disappeared around the corner of the street.
According to usual habits, Lynn should quickly wipe away his tears at this time, turn around and ask John if he is tired after running for a day, and then pretend to be relaxed and greet him back to the mountain.
But this time, Lynn didn't move.
He didn't even raise his hand to wipe the tears on his face, but slowly walked to a bench by the roadside and sat down, putting his hands on his knees, lowering his head, and letting the grievances in his chest that had been delayed for decades well up little by little.
"John." Lynn's voice was muffled.
"I'm here." John walked up to him.
"I don't want to go back so soon today."
Lynn raised his head and looked at the young man in front of him who he had raised by himself.
"I still feel a little uncomfortable. Please sit here with me for a while."
John sat down next to Lynn and handed the tissue over.
"Okay." John responded, "Sit for as long as you want."
The river breeze blew through the streets, swirling the fallen leaves.
Lynn leaned on the backrest of the bench and looked at the lights of thousands of houses in the distance. Suddenly something in his heart dissipated without a trace.
He no longer has to rely on playing an all-conquering patriarch to prove his position in this family.