What's wrong with me, a school principal, listening to students' suggestions?

In the afternoon, the equipment installation officially began.

Alienware's after-sales engineers personally came to the site to guide the installation.

Eighty desktop computers, eighty 27-inch 240Hz high refresh rate gaming monitors, and eighty Razer series keyboards, mice, and headsets.

Each time a PC is unpacked, the RGB light strip on the side of the case lights up, its iridescent blue-purple hue standing out prominently in the dark gray room.

Lin Yucai stood in the center of the first floor, watching the engineers assemble and debug the machines one by one.

The moment the monitor turned on, the entire space felt different.

Eighty screens lit up simultaneously, their cool white light illuminating the room as if it were daytime.

"hiss!"

The boys who were peeking from the doorway let out a unified gasp.

"Even internet cafe owners would cry if they saw this setup."

"Internet cafe? Compared to this, an internet cafe is like a roadside stall compared to a Michelin-starred restaurant."

"Alienware R15, Razer keyboard and mouse, and the gaming chair is also from Aofeng... I've seen reviews online, and one chair costs over two thousand."

"Where did the principal get so much money?"

No one can answer this question.

But nobody really cares about the answer.

All they know is that the cafeteria has evolved into an air-conditioned space, shower rooms, smart blackboards, and now an e-sports arena.

Principal Lin always keeps his word and has never let them down.

By 6 p.m., the installation was basically complete.

Eighty alien computers were neatly arranged, each displaying a standby screen.

An alien logo floats on a dark blue background.

The gaming chair has a straight backrest and a black faux leather seat with the original factory film still on it.

The lights were switched to event mode, and the overhead LED light strips turned into a gradient of blue and purple, creating a fantastic atmosphere.

Lin Yucai stood at the entrance of the e-sports arena and glanced around the entire venue.

Eighty workstations, arranged in four columns and twenty rows, with reasonable spacing.

The innermost glass booth is already set up with five devices plus a high-end live streaming machine, and even two professional-grade microphones are installed on the commentary table.

"It's more professional than many esports hotels I've been to."

Xu Jianfeng stood to the side, sighing with genuine admiration.

"Because this place will no longer be just a place to play games."

Lin Yucai's tone was calm, but there was a light in his eyes.

"What about the second floor? When can we see it?"

"You'll know when it's finished."

Xu Jianfeng shrugged.

Lin Yucai locked the door of the e-sports arena and walked towards the teaching building.

As he passed by the playground, he saw Zhang Yang sitting alone under the basketball hoop, spinning a basketball in his hand.

"Why aren't you back in the dorm?"

Zhang Yang looked up and glanced at him.

"Principal, are the rules for the esports arena the same as the previous computer lab rules?"

"It's largely the same, but there will be some adjustments. The results will be announced at the flag-raising ceremony on Monday."

Zhang Yang slammed the basketball to the ground twice.

"Could we... add one more clause?"

"What clause?"

"Those who improve by more than ten places will also be admitted."

Lin Yucai looked at him.

"Some people have a weak foundation, so passing the exam is too difficult for them."

"But if he improves by ten or twenty places, it means he's working hard."

"People like this should also have a chance."

Lin Yucai remained silent for a few seconds.

This suggestion... surprised him even more than Li Daqiang's suggestion about an e-sports arena.

"I'll think about it."

Zhang Yang didn't say anything more, dribbled the basketball, stood up, and walked towards the dormitory building.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long and thin.

Lin Yucai stood on the playground, watching his back, a smile appearing on his lips.

This kid has changed.

He has transformed from a troublemaker who slammed his fist on the table in front of the suggestion box to someone who actively fights for opportunities for others.

He wrote a line in his phone's notes app.

Zhang Yang suggested: Students who improve by more than ten places should also be eligible to enter the e-sports arena. This suggestion should be adopted.

……

The flag-raising ceremony on Monday morning.

Lin Yucai stood on the flag-raising platform once again.

The five hundred students in the audience were in a completely different state of mind than they had been a month ago.

The rows of people stood in neat rows, their backs straight, their eyes fixed on the stage.

Although the school uniform is still that old, drab gray style, the person wearing it is different.

"Good news, students!"

Five hundred pairs of eyes stared at them simultaneously.

Since Lin Yu-tsai became the principal, the words "good news" have become an energizer for No. 13 Middle School.

Every time he says those three words at the flag-raising ceremony, it's followed by good things like a free meal or an air-conditioned shower.

So the moment he opened his mouth, the audience's expectations were immediately raised to the maximum.

"After two weeks of construction, the No. 13 Middle School e-sports experience center was officially completed."

"The configuration is a full Alienware R15 with a high refresh rate screen, professional-grade peripherals, gigabit fiber optic cable, and eighty seats."

The air on the playground seemed to freeze for about two seconds.

Then, the cheers almost knocked the national flag off the flagpole.

"Eighty units! Eighty aliens!"

"Did I hear that right? Aliens? Not a custom-built machine?"

"My God, I never even dared to dream of such a thing!"

Lin Yucai raised his hand, signaling for silence.

The noise gradually subsided, but everyone's eyes shone like searchlights.

"I'll explain the rules, listen carefully."

"First, the e-sports arena is open every weekend from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM."

"Secondly, there are two conditions for obtaining the e-sports experience voucher; you only need to meet one of them."

He held up one finger.

"Condition 1: All subjects' in-class quizzes for the week must achieve a passing grade."

Raise your second finger.

Condition 2: The overall ranking for the current week has improved by more than ten places compared to the previous week.

The atmosphere on the playground subtly changed.

For high-achieving students, passing all subjects isn't too difficult.

But for students whose foundation is too weak and who find a score of 60 unattainable, the second rule is like a door tailor-made for them.

"An improvement of ten places?" someone in the crowd began to mutter.

"I came in last place in the class last time. If I'm even one person ahead of you, that's progress."

"More than ten people doesn't seem impossible?"

"Those who are at the bottom have more room for improvement!"

Lin Yucai looked at the students whispering below the stage and knew the weight of this second rule.

Zhang Yang's suggestion is correct.

The passing grade is a fixed benchmark.

However, the rate of progress is a dynamic benchmark.

No matter how low your starting point is, as long as you strive to climb up, you are entitled to a reward.

This rule gave everyone hope.

"Third," Lin Yucai continued.

"Esports arenas are not internet cafes; you can't just go in and play casually."

"There will be an internal friendly match every week. Those who perform well will be selected to form the No. 13 Middle School e-sports team to represent the school in competitions throughout the city and even on a larger scale."

"Esports team members are entitled to extra training time during their school years, provided that... their academic grades cannot be lower than the class median."

This last line calmed the previously heated atmosphere down a bit.

Class median.

That means you have to achieve at least the middle level of the class.

For most schools, this requirement is not high.

But for the students of No. 13 Middle School...

It's not difficult, but it's not easy either.