Darkstone Code-Chapter 818 - 816: Parent-Teacher Conference

School bullying in the Federation is an unavoidable issue, which Lynch encountered both during his junior high and high school periods.

Because he was very handsome, especially when he was a bit younger, people would often mistake him for a girl, and there were those who harassed him in junior high.

Fortunately, he wasn’t just a bookworm. After using a pencil to show people he was not to be messed with, he successfully transferred schools.

However, those incidents spread as he transferred, arriving at his new school and high school, where things were relatively peaceful afterward.

But not every child has the courage to stab a sharpened pencil into someone’s shoulder, so at this point, the importance of parents becomes apparent.

Having a father with a scholarly demeanor can hardly effectively deter those bad kids at school, but having a strong and reliable father can make those delinquents think twice about the consequences before acting out.

Though the Federation has laws protecting young people, these laws aren’t meant to protect criminals; they’re meant to safeguard the legitimate rights of good kids.

Once someone becomes a criminal, their age, gender, faith, and the like no longer matter, as the Federation’s judiciary is fair.

In other words, once bad kids make mistakes, they are treated as adults, and getting beaten up by the angry victim’s family is a normal occurrence.

Especially in the Lower City, where workers wielding wrenches, carpenters with saws, and butchers with large knives are always nightmares for children.

In the Upper City, school bullying exists too, but the power dynamics switch from "I dislike you and you can’t beat me" to "I dislike you but your dad isn’t as powerful as mine."

When the social status of two dads isn’t too different, the standard for kids to judge who to mess with is whose dad looks like he could fight better.

Kids in the elite private schools of the Upper City know better than those in the Lower City how to pick a tomato that easily crushes to pulp.

This year is the first enrollment year for a young boy, and it’s the first time his father’s presence is required on-site.

If it’s a single-parent family, one can inform the school of the situation, and the mother can attend, but this means exposing the family circumstances, and the child is likely to become the next victim.

Vera looked at Lynch, who furrowed his brow, "What are your thoughts?"

Vera’s gaze at Lynch suddenly changed, and she couldn’t help but laugh, "You don’t think I want you to play this role, do you?"

She laughed loudly, and honestly, Lynch indeed had such a thought just now, finding himself out through Vera’s laughter.

"Come on, you should look in the mirror. Though you are indeed very handsome, you are far from mature."

"If you were his brother, maybe people would believe it, but as his father, no one would."

"Most importantly, you are too famous."

Perhaps the last point was crucial; Lynch was too famous, always recognized by someone, his life long becoming part of daily news.

A distinctively prominent young millionaire is always a target chased by various media, and people could talk with a smile about him spending one night on a stripper, costing more than what an average family spends in a year or even a decade.

But there is zero tolerance for any form of crossing moral boundaries, overtly or covertly.

Lynch did not laugh, "What do you mean?"

Vera laughed for a while before calming down, "Didn’t you always have someone with you before...", she glanced elsewhere, "that strong bodyguard?"

"You mean the Senior Soldier?"

"Senior Soldier?", Vera nodded, "Is that his nickname? It certainly matches his image well."

This was a consensus.

People always thought military high-ups were either fat or skinny, and even if they were well-proportioned, they were flabby, lacking muscles.

Only the lower-level soldiers underwent daily training, hence having a strong physique, and the nickname Senior Soldier aptly explained his robustness.

"Whether a father or uncle, he is old enough, looks fierce, especially when wearing sunglasses, making those school punks behave."

Senior Soldier looked somewhat menacing, the most suitable candidate in Vera’s eyes.

"He’s now shifted to a desk job, but that’s okay, I’ll give him a call. When does the parent meeting start?"

"The day after tomorrow..."

Lynch nodded, glancing at the sky, casually saying, "It’s still early..."

After dark, Lynch left, not because he had other business at night, but simply because the tutor had arrived.

Many people often think public schools and private schools are roughly the same, but they aren’t; what people see is that kind of joyous upgrade class.

By spending more money, children enjoy more growth happiness, then by "correctly using a cloth" can get admitted to prominent universities, people are different.

Apart from this joyous upgrade class, there is also a normal class, understandable as an elite class, which starts assignments from first grade.

Some private schools might not require lower-grade students to do homework, but they would require each child’s parents to hire tutors for further guidance after class.

People are different, irrespective of comparisons, always different.

Vera isn’t technically a wealthy person, even if Lynch is willing to help her child in the future, offering him a job or a career, it still requires him to be sufficiently excellent.

So early on, Vera hired two tutors to specifically help the little boy with his studies.

He will grow up in a strict environment, from a young age becoming a model child admired by neighbors or parents at the public school.

He will successfully enter a well-known private high school, and then, holding Lynch’s recommendation letter, further his studies at a university of the Saint Harmony Alliance.

In this process, he will meet many children of Saint Harmony members, gradually finding his place and forming a unity with his classmates.

After graduation, if he is outstanding enough, Lynch, or an upperclassman, or a school teacher will introduce him to the Saint Harmony Association, and his brilliant life will then begin.

People are ultimately different from each other.

After the tutors arrived, Lynch took the initiative to say goodbye, after all, tutors count as "outsiders."

As for Lynch’s presence, it didn’t bring any burden to the tutors, rather, she became more patient and entertaining while tutoring the boy.

Two days later, the Senior Soldier sat a bit uneasily in the front passenger seat, while Lynch and the boy sat in the back.

After just transitioning to a civilian job, the Senior Soldier was very unaccustomed to it, having gotten used to wandering around with two modified pistols on him, rather than sitting in an office with a cup of coffee reading files.

He also wasn’t used to the lightweight clothing he wore, not feeling as familiar as wearing a bulletproof vest. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But life is like this, for the sake of his wife, for his child, compromises must be made.

When Lynch approached him about this matter, the Senior Soldier agreed without refusing, yet strangely, he was feeling a bit nervous now.

He wasn’t as nervous even when going to the battlefield, he wanted to go to the bathroom, feeling like he could hardly endure it.

The car slowly stopped in the school parking lot, making the Senior Soldier even more nervous, his palms were sweaty.

The classmates’ parents who looked stern and the teachers standing at the door were suffocating him!

"You look very nervous," Lynch’s voice was still gentle.

The Senior Soldier shook his head, "No, boss, I’m not nervous at all, this isn’t a battlefield."

Lynch pointed to his temples and behind his ears, "But you’re sweating a lot..."

"The heater in the car is set too high!"

Lynch laughed, he knew this feeling, many people actually feel this way.

In this special school event of parent-teacher meetings, it’s the parents who are more likely to get caught up in emotions, not the students.

Lynch looked out the window at other parents heading towards the school gate and said with a smile, "Actually, they’re even more nervous than you are. Alright, go quickly, don’t be late, it’s very impolite!"

Lynch patted the boy’s head, and after the boy got out of the car, bending to express his thanks, he pulled the Senior Soldier’s hand and walked towards the school’s entrance.

Although Lynch wasn’t playing the role of his "father," the strong "uncle" beside him provided him with ample security.

Walking upright on the campus road, some classmates looking at him bore slightly reverent gazes.

The children’s world doesn’t seem too complicated; when they can’t obtain a dominant position in family background, their parents’ "strength" becomes the leverage that influences other children’s attitudes.

This parent-teacher meeting lasted over an hour, partly to reassure each male parent that they need not worry about their children being bullied at school, and partly to learn about the children’s family backgrounds.

When the teachers and classmates’ parents learned that the boy’s "uncle" was a middle manager at Darkstone Security and had always provided safety services for Lynch, their expressions somewhat changed.

Darkstone Capital, Darkstone Security, and the currently integrating Darkstone Transport, a massive Empire is slowly rising.

Even if he’s just a supervisor, let alone his close relationship with Lynch.

Can a flea hair be the same as a mammoth hair?

No, absolutely not.

An hour later, the Senior Soldier came out alone, while the children stayed at school for a class meeting without parents.

"Whew, finally it’s over," the Senior Soldier had a more natural smile on his face as he sat in the car.

He patted his cheeks a few times, "I was nervous to death..."

Lynch found it quite amusing, "What will you do in the future for your child’s parent meetings, you can treat this as some kind of... trial."

"A trial that allows you to deal calmly with your child’s teachers in the future. Each semester probably has two to three parent-teacher meetings, and I’ll call you when needed."

The Senior Soldier felt a bit unadapted but still agreed to it because affairs like these, seemingly trivial, could help him draw closer to the boss.

He couldn’t stay by Lynch’s side at all times now, so he could only maintain the relationship through these "little matters."