A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Tian Xiwei and Ran Xiaoqing spent a long time tinkering in the kitchen, and finally made Mapo Tofu, Tiger Skin Green Peppers, and Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, as well as a pot of leftover pickled radish and old duck soup from yesterday.

When it was time to eat, Ran Xiaoqing handed Su Liu a bowl, chopsticks, and a spoon, and said softly, "I didn't make it very spicy, I don't know if you'll like it."

"I can handle spicy food very well." Su Liu casually took the bowl and chopsticks, scooped a spoonful of Mapo Tofu and put it in his mouth.

Bang! He immediately felt his tongue being punched hard. At this moment, he couldn't show his discomfiture, so he swallowed the tofu whole, which felt like a handful of burning sand being stuffed down his throat.

"Cough...cough cough!" He opened his mouth wide, his face contorted in rage, "How can it be so spicy?"

Seeing this, Ran Xiaoqing hurriedly stood up, calling out, "Water, water! I'll go get you some water!"

Tian Xiwei was laughing hysterically, clutching her stomach, with a piece of tiger-skin green pepper still in her mouth, her lips glistening from being wiped clean.

She put a hand on Su Liu's shoulder and complained intermittently, "I can handle spicy food very well!" Then she started laughing.

"Sigh, I already have a sensitive stomach and can't really handle spicy food around here. I didn't expect you to be even more useless than me!"

Ran Xiaoqing left in a hurry and then returned in a hurry. Su Liu took the water cup from her hand, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

He couldn't help but think of Chen Duling; if she came here, she'd probably die at the dinner table.

This plate of Mapo Tofu was clearly beyond his capabilities, but fortunately Ran Xiaoqing thoughtfully stir-fried a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. In addition, the pot of pickled radish and old duck soup was also stewed very well, and the taste was full of sour and fresh flavor.

Tian Xiwei began to vividly complain about her math teacher, who always targeted her because of her poor math grades. Ran Xiaoqing occasionally chimed in, but Su Liu ignored her and frequently gave her sharp criticisms, which often drew angry glares from Tian Xiwei.

The meal was slowly eaten until it was almost empty.

The next morning, Su Liu walked leisurely on the road leading to the campus.

"What are you two doing here? You don't need to attend the parent-teacher meeting, do you?" Su Liu said, looking at Ran Xiaoqing and Tian Xiwei beside him.

"I'm waiting for my dad," Tian Xiwei said. "Can't Xiaoqing come keep me company?"

"It's up to you."

"Um... I'm in Class 3 of the first year of high school." Ran Xiaoqing's tone carried a rare sense of relaxation. "My seat is the first one in the first group when you enter the door."

Su Liu nodded, walked straight through the school gate, and headed towards the teaching building.

When he entered the classroom, he found that it was already mostly occupied by middle-aged parents. Su Liu stood out from the crowd.

He found Ran Xiaoqing's seat and sat down.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman with a quick and decisive movement walked onto the podium carrying a folder. She was none other than Teacher Wang, whom Su Liu had met briefly a few months ago.

"Parents, please be quiet. Let's begin." Teacher Wang's gaze swept across the room, finally lingering on Su Liu for two seconds.

"Our class's grades this semester..."

Teacher Wang began to speak eloquently on the stage, while Su Liu looked down at Ran Xiaoqing's pencil case in the drawer. The edges of the pencil case were a little frayed, and a small cat paw charm hung from the zipper pull.

He suddenly remembered the cautious look in Ran Xiaoqing's eyes when she handed him his pajamas, slippers, and other daily necessities last night.

Teacher Wang on the stage had already talked about "the importance of family education," and her voice suddenly rose several decibels.

Su Liu couldn't help but think of that domineering parent at the comic convention. Could there be someone like that in this classroom now?

Parents who experienced material scarcity often regard "stability" and "practicality" as the most important things in life, while children who grew up in the Internet age value "self-actualization," "emotional value," and "a sense of boundaries" more.

This misalignment results in the two generations using completely different translation systems when trying to understand each other's love.

"I feel like she doesn't care about me because she doesn't care about the things I think are important." Many children inevitably think this way when facing their parents.

Ran Xiaoqing's suffering is visible to the naked eye, but what many more East Asian children face is a despair born of an inability to communicate. Just as Su Liu described it before: a relay race without an end.

Which causes more harm to a child: irresponsible parents or overly responsible parents? At this point, it's actually very difficult to tell.

Teacher Wang's long-winded speech lasted for more than an hour. I don't know how many of the parents in the audience were listening attentively, but Su Liu was daydreaming the whole time.

After the parent-teacher meeting ended, some parents gradually gathered around Teacher Wang to inquire about their children's specific situations.

Su Liu knew that Ran Xiaoqing was the top student in the class, and having nothing else to know, he left the classroom directly.

At the school gate, Tian Xiwei and Ran Xiaoqing squatted on the edge of the sidewalk, each holding a roasted sweet potato and munching on it.

Su Liu saw the two of them from afar and was about to walk over quickly when she saw another girl approaching them from the other side.

The man was holding something round and bulging like a balloon.

Su Liu instinctively sensed something was wrong and immediately quickened his pace. Just then, he saw the girl throw the ball in her hand. The water-filled balloon hit the ground and burst open, splashing Ran Xiaoqing and Tian Xiwei with water.

The two were initially startled by the sudden attack, but after wiping the water off their faces, they recognized the perpetrator.

How could Tian Xiwei, with her fiery temper, tolerate this? She immediately pointed at her and started yelling at her!

"Fengxian! You ugly bastard..."

"Tian Xiwei." At that moment, Su Liu finally arrived. "How could you call someone an ugly monster!"

Tian Xiwei stared incredulously at Su Liu as he approached, her voice trembling with anger, "You're taking her side?"

"I mean, it's not something she can decide to be ugly, there's nothing she can do about it."

"Huh? What did you say?"

Su Liu walked past Tian Xiwei and headed towards the girl named Feng Xian.

"I'm sorry, Xiaotian shouldn't have called you an ugly monster." He continued under Fengxian's surprised and uncertain gaze, "It's not your fault that you're ugly. If I had to say, it's definitely the fault of your two good-for-nothing parents. Even though you're ugly, your life still has endless possibilities, so don't give up."

There's a saying that goes, "One must never lose one's mind!" Feng Xian was blinded by anger and misjudged the difference in strength between herself and Su Liu. She actually lunged at him, only to be slapped to the ground by Su Liu.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." Su Liu quickly squatted down. "For a moment, I thought the Cart Giant was charging at me. It scared me half to death. I'm really sorry."

He watched as the "Cart Giant" clutched his head, silent and seemingly offering no further resistance. He then got up and left, tossing out, "If you ever approach them again, I won't let you get away with it."

Ran Xiaoqing stared blankly at the scene, while Tian Xiwei's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit a duck egg.

"Let's go." Su Liu pulled the two of them back.

"Wow! You're really good at swearing!" Tian Xiwei finally realized what Su Liu meant. "And that last move was kind of cool." She imitated Su Liu, "I won't let you get away with this!"

"How was it? Was my look just now okay?"

"So handsome!" Tian Xiwei gave him a thumbs up. "But you could squint a little more; it would make you look even more menacing."

"Is that so?" Su Liu narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, yes, that's it." She bent down and said to Ran Xiaoqing, past Su Liu, "Xiaoqing, give me your brother."

"I do not want."

At this moment, Tian Xiwei suddenly remembered something and immediately stopped in her tracks.

"Oh dear, I need to wait for my dad at the school gate!"