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

Saturday evening.

Outside Jinxiu Residential Area, the Shudu Hot Pot restaurant was packed with people.

Two large fans were set up at the entrance, blowing loudly and making the red plastic curtain billow.

The restaurant was bustling with activity; the aroma of the beef tallow hot pot wafted out through the cracks in the door, and could be smelled from half a street away.

Lin Yucai parked the car and got out, only to see Su Qingyan already standing at the store entrance.

She wasn't wearing a white shirt and business skirt today; instead, she wore a light-colored short-sleeved shirt and jeans.

The usually stern and aloof Vice Principal Su was now less sharp and more approachable than usual.

But his facial expression remained tense.

"You're three minutes late."

"Vice Principal Su, do you want to send this watch to be calibrated? I'm two minutes earlier than the agreed time."

Lin Yucai raised his hand to look at his watch and chuckled.

"That's because I arrived early."

"Your logic is perfect for working in the education bureau."

Su Qingyan glanced at him, then turned and walked inside.

"Stop being silly, it's my treat today, just shut up and eat."

Lin Yucai followed behind, readily agreeing verbally.

"Fine, tonight I'll just be a heartless tripe-cooking machine."

The two sat down at a small table by the window.

The waiter handed over the menu, but before Lin Yucai could even touch it, Su Qingyan had already taken it.

"Didn't you say it was a hot pot with two broths?"

"yes."

"You eat the spicy broth, I'll eat the tomato broth."

"You don't eat spicy food?"

"I can eat a little, but I don't want to pretend to be strong like you."

Lin Yucai leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"Vice Principal Su, you're starting to sound more and more like one of our own."

"When have I ever stopped being one of us?"

After saying this, Su Qingyan paused for a moment.

"You said it yourself, I didn't force you."

Lin Yucai was stunned for half a second, then his smile deepened.

"Beef tripe, beef aorta, fatty beef, shrimp paste, duck intestines, romaine lettuce, enoki mushrooms, tofu skin..."

Su Qingyan's ears burned slightly. She lowered her head and checked the names of the dishes, her tone a little harsher than before.

"Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"Add some pig brains."

"You really do get what you eat?"

"Then you should have one too. The vice principal uses his brain a lot."

Su Qingyan almost threw the pen in his face.

After ordering, the hot pot base was served quickly.

The buttered red broth was bubbling and steaming, while the tomato broth was also releasing fine wisps of heat.

It was a bit noisy inside the store.

At the next table, a young couple who looked like students were arguing over who got the last piece of tripe, while at the next table, construction workers were chatting about their wages over beer glasses—the atmosphere was just right.

"Honestly, I thought you were going to renege on your debt."

Lin Yucai picked up the blanched duck intestines and put them into his own bowl, then blew on them.

Do I look like that kind of person?

"picture."

"Lin Yucai!"

"Alright, alright, it doesn't seem like it. You're the most trustworthy Vice Principal Su."

Su Qingyan stared at the bubbling red oil in the pot, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly spoke.

"Actually, I couldn't believe it the night the results came out."

Lin Yucai looked up at her.

"Afraid you're dreaming?"

"More or less."

Su Qingyan placed a slice of fatty beef into the tomato broth, making a slightly slower sound.

"Over the years, No. 13 Middle School has had several principals and many people who shouted slogans."

"Everyone who comes here says they want to reform, to turn things around, and that they will never give up on the students."

"And then?"

Later on, you either had to accept your fate or be transferred.

"To put it more bluntly, they are using No. 13 Middle School as a stepping stone to gain some experience and then leave."

The steam from the hot pot rose up, fogging up her glasses.

She took off her glasses, pulled out a tissue, and wiped them.

"So when you first came, I didn't believe you at all."

"Not only do you not believe me, you also think I'm mentally ill."

"I still feel that way sometimes."

That's going too far.

Su Qingyan's lips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to laugh, but she held it back.

"But you're different from them."

"How are they different?"

"You really dare to throw money into it, you really dare to go head-to-head with the Education Bureau, and you really dare to gamble with your own position."

"More importantly..." she paused, looking at him, "you don't do these things just for show."

Just then, someone in the shop shouted, "Add more soup!" and the waiter replied in a drawn-out tone, "Coming!"

The sound, mixed with the noise, made the sentence sound even softer, yet also clearer.

Lin Yucai didn't reply immediately. He picked up a piece of tripe and dipped it in the hot pot.

"Vice Principal Su, I'm not as noble as you think."

"I know."

"Um?"

"A noble person would not act like a commoner like you."

"In your eyes, am I just an ordinary commoner?" Lin Yucai laughed.

"Just kidding, I feel like you're someone who's really good at pretending to be frivolous."

Su Qingyan looked at him, her gaze softening for once.

Others might see you as carefree and irresponsible, but now I know you're just too lazy to show your stress on your face.

Lin Yucai paused for a moment.

The tripe in the pot almost got overcooked.

He quickly scooped it out, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and suddenly said, "I'm not used to what you're saying."

"Isn't praising you enough?"

"Great, that's perfect."

"If you praise me a couple more times, I can eat three more plates of fatty beef tonight."

"You're so shameless." Su Qingyan finally laughed.

"It's better to be thick-skinned; someone who's too thin-skinned can't be the principal of No. 13 Middle School."

The atmosphere at the hot pot meal changed noticeably in the latter half.

In the past, when the two of them sat together, they would talk about nothing but schools, accounts, construction periods, the education bureau, and student grades.

We'll still talk about these things today, but there'll be a lot more small talk in between.

For example, Su Qingyan learned for the first time that Lin Yucai had played in the college basketball tournament and even won the department's three-point king title.

For example, when Lin Yucai first learned that Su Qingyan could actually cook, and was quite good at it.

I'm just too busy with work, so I rely on takeout most of the time.

"Didn't you say you live downstairs from me?" Lin Yucai asked earnestly. "Could we start a neighborhood mutual aid project sometime?"

"What project?"

"You cook, I'll wash the dishes."

"Dream on."

"Then I can buy groceries."

"You should just stick to eating in the cafeteria; at least you won't starve to death."

The two were bickering back and forth, which made the waiter glance at them a couple of times.

I probably mistook them for a young couple who were bickering and just starting to fall in love.

When it was time to pay the bill, Su Qingyan stood up and went to the front desk.

Halfway there, the receptionist gave her a professional smile.

"Excuse me, miss, that table has already paid."

Su Qingyan stopped and turned to look at Lin Yucai, who was slowly following behind.

"You bought it?"

"As a noble gentleman, how can I let you pay?" Lin Yucai shrugged.

"Lin Yucai! You said it was my treat."

"You've already invited me, so inviting me out to dinner is also an invitation."

Lin Yucai looked completely innocent.

"Besides, you're the loser, so why would I actually let you pay up?"

"I've already won, it would be so ungentlemanly of me to make you bleed again."

Su Qingyan was so angry she wanted to glare at him, but her anger dissipated halfway through.

"Did you do this on purpose?"

"What do you mean, intentional?"

"You're deliberately making me owe you even more."

Lin Yucai was slightly taken aback.

The two stood at the entrance of the hot pot restaurant. The streetlights outside cast a warm yellow glow, and the wind carried the aroma of butter and Sichuan peppercorns.

He looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"If that's how you understand it, that's fine too."

"I'm going back." Su Qingyan's face flushed, and she turned to leave.

"I send you."

"No need, it's just a few steps."

"We live in the same building, we can't possibly take two different routes back, can we?"

The two walked side by side into the residential area.

Su Qingyan stopped at the entrance of the building.

"Thanks."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Hot pot, and..." she paused, "and this time."

Lin Yucai put his hands in his pockets, his expression unusually serious, and his jokes subsided.

"Su Qingyan".

"Um?"

"Don't keep thanking me like that; it makes us seem distant."

The light from the stairwell fell between the two of them, and they were quiet for a moment.

Su Qingyan looked away first and softly hummed in agreement.

"understood."

After saying that, the two entered the elevator.

"Don't be late for school tomorrow, those guys at the e-sports arena are waiting for you."

"Don't worry, the principal will be ready to go at any time."

Su Qingyan didn't say anything more, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly as she turned and walked out of the elevator.

Lin Yucai had just stepped out of the elevator when his phone suddenly vibrated.

He took it out and saw that it was a message from Zhang Yang.

"Principal, there's an internet cafe league going on these days, can we sign up? A few of us would like to give it a try."

Lin Yucai paused, his eyes lighting up.

"sure."

The other party replied almost instantly.

"Then come early tomorrow, don't dawdle."

Lin Yucai looked at this urgent message and replied with a smile, saying just two words.

"Wait."