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

"These are the words I want to say before I graduate."

Chen Yu handed over the paper and began to explain in a low voice.

Lin Yucai reached out to her, took the money, and put it in his pocket without opening it on the spot.

"I'll check the results when they come out."

Chen Yu nodded, and as she sat back down, the suppressed expression on her face finally relaxed.

As the class meeting progressed into its second half, the atmosphere became less tense than it had been at the beginning.

Some students mentioned the fifteen buses on the road today and asked if they could take a few more photos as souvenirs.

Some people said the air-conditioned shuttle bus outside the exam hall was so comfortable that they would send photos home later.

"Stop talking about cars, have you answered all the questions?"

Chen Yu was sitting in the first row. At first, she was still holding back, but when she heard what was said later, she finally couldn't help but chime in.

Upon hearing this, several boys in the front row laughed.

Su Qingyan stood to the side, watching the group of students chatting and laughing under the lamp, her gaze slowly softening.

Lin Yucai didn't interrupt them.

He knew that this was what the last night of his senior year should truly be like.

When the class meeting ended, Zhou Dahai brought in a bowl of sweet soup and gave each student a small bowl.

The sweet soup wasn't too hot; the temperature was just right, and it felt comfortable in my stomach after drinking it.

After finishing his soup, one boy muttered to himself, "This soup tastes better than the one I had two days before my college entrance exam."

"That's right." Zhou Dahai raised his chin smugly. "The principal never hesitates to spend money."

At the entrance of the auditorium, a breeze blew in from the playground, carrying a hint of grass and trees.

The senior high school students walked back to their dormitories in twos and threes, and no one immediately dispersed.

Some people stayed by the playground to take group photos, some squatted on the steps to look at exam photos on their phones, and some stuffed their exam admission ticket bags into the innermost part of their backpacks, reluctant to take them out.

Lin Yucai stood outside the auditorium, watching them leave, and suddenly realized something.

These kids aren't saying goodbye to the college entrance exam.

They are saying goodbye to a phase where they always felt they didn't deserve to be taken seriously.

This time, they were actually caught.

Just then, his phone vibrated slightly in his pocket.

It was a group notification from the Education Bureau.

The title consists of only one line.

"The admissions meeting has been moved up and will be held tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM."

After reading it, Lin Yucai paused his finger on the screen for two seconds before putting the phone back in his pocket.

Liu Jianguo finally released the next step.

……

The next morning, several unfamiliar cars were parked in front of the No. 13 Middle School.

There were parents, reporters, and two admissions consultants with folders, all of whom were trying to peek inside.

On short video platforms, clips of the No. 13 Middle School sending off students taking the college entrance examination and holding a closing ceremony have begun to surface.

The first thing to become famous was those fifteen buses with identical serial numbers.

The second thing that went viral was the phrase spoken in the auditorium: "You have handed in the first exam paper of your lives."

The third batch of images that went viral were of students bidding farewell to their school with tears in their eyes.

The comments section was packed with parents asking about admissions and accommodation.

Xiao Chen from the Academic Affairs Office received more than a dozen phone calls in one morning, and his notebook was almost worn out from flipping through it.

"Principal, another parent asked if we will accept transfer students next year."

"Sure, we'll take anyone who comes."

"Some people are still asking if Zhou Dahai is in charge of cooking in the cafeteria."

"Yes, we'll renovate the cafeteria next semester. A better environment will make students happier eating there."

"They also asked if the dorms would continue to have air conditioning."

"Open it up, our school isn't short of that!"

They also asked, "Can students really go to study peacefully at night?"

Lin Yucai looked at the parents standing at the school gate outside the window and smiled: "Let them see for themselves."

Su Qingyan sat across from the desk, holding a newly printed admissions information session notice in her hand, but her expression didn't relax much.

"Liu Jianguo moved the meeting to today, which clearly indicates that he wants to make a fuss about student recruitment."

"We all know what he's up to."

"But if he uses policy statements to block people, parents will still be affected if they hesitate."

Lin Yucai flipped to the last page of the admissions materials and stopped at the school's recent college entrance examination data.

"He's anxious because he can no longer directly challenge No. 13 Middle School."

"Then let's move into the shadows."

"right."

Su Qingyan stared at him: "You were prepared?"

"A little."

Lin Yucai closed the documents and looked up at her: "We'll have an open house for parents this afternoon. They can see the auditorium, the cafeteria, the playground, and the extracurricular classes."

"The college entrance exam scores haven't been released yet, but they can judge for themselves what the schools are like now."

"Don't they always talk about 'comprehensive education'?"

"Then I'll show them the comprehensive school program."

Su Qingyan did not respond immediately.

After a few seconds, she put the notice back on the table: "Liu Jianguo will be here today too."

"He can come whenever he wants."

"Are you going to talk back to me face-to-face?"

"Let's see how he performs."

Lin Yucai stood up and casually pulled the curtains open a little.

Temporary sunshades have been set up outside the playground, and students from the photography class are running around with their equipment, preparing to take pictures of the school grounds for several parents.

"Let's not argue today."

Let the facts speak for themselves today.

……

At 9:30 a.m., the first group of parents had already entered the school gate.

The security guard at the entrance led people inside, and Xiao Chen from the Academic Affairs Office handed out materials and the tour route.

"This is the display area for the newly changed school uniforms."

"This is the cafeteria."

"That's the sports area and e-sports experience center."

"If you have any questions after reading this, you can go directly to the auditorium to find the principal and vice principal."

A middle-aged man who had come with his daughter glanced at the cafeteria first, and his expression quickly changed.

"Is this really a high school cafeteria?"

"Yes."

"What's stewing in that pot?"

Chicken soup and braised pork.

The man's daughter stood beside him, her eyes lighting up.

"Dad, the food at this school looks better than what we had in junior high. I don't want to go back to a school where the cafeteria serves pig swill."

The parents behind them also began to whisper among themselves.

Some people were initially hesitant, but waited until they saw the students walking by the playground in their neat new school uniforms.

They all stood with their shoulders and backs very straight, chatting and laughing as they discussed learning issues.

Liu Jianguo entered the school at this time.

He was accompanied by Zhao Hongliang and two people from the admissions office, carrying a stack of policy documents, his face still bearing that usual businesslike demeanor.

But as soon as he entered the door, he saw several parents surrounding Lin Yucai and asking him questions.

"Principal Lin, can No. 13 Middle School really guarantee that it will stop offering unauthorized extra classes?"

"We don't offer tutoring; we teach everything we can in class, and we can cultivate children's interests for free during evening self-study sessions."

"Does that child have to live at school?"

"Either is fine, I'm not insisting."

"Are the cafeteria and dormitories really up to the standards shown in your videos from a few days ago?"

"Not according to that standard..."

The parents were taken aback when they heard this, but then they saw Lin Yucai speak with a smile.

"I plan to renovate again during the holidays so our students can sleep comfortably!"