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

"Mom, this fish smells amazing, and it's boneless!"

The bespectacled ninth-grade boy had a dark expression the whole time, looking like he had been dragged there by his parents.

As a result, after the steamed sea bass was served, he ate three bites in a row and even scooped up and drank the fish soup with a spoon.

"Of course, they've already filmed it."

His mother pushed him from the side.

The entire cafeteria was quiet, with only the sound of chopsticks tapping on bowls and the occasional soft exclamation.

Standing at the window, watching the parents burying themselves in their food, Zhou Dahai felt his vanity completely satisfied.

"See? Now that's what real recognition looks like."

"It's much more authentic than those pretentious people sitting in five-star hotels with red wine in their glasses."

The young apprentice nodded vigorously, and scooped the soup with even more effort.

Halfway through the meal, a middle-aged man in a polo shirt put down his chopsticks and looked up at Lin Yucai standing at the door.

"Principal Lin, I have a question."

"Please speak."

"Is this the standard mealtime, or is it only for the one-day experience?"

"It's like this every day." Lin Yucai took two steps in and pointed to the weekly menu on the wall. "The dishes change every day, but the standards remain the same."

"Let me add one more thing: the No. 13 Middle School cafeteria does not charge students a single penny for meals."

The cafeteria fell silent for two seconds.

"Free?"

"It's free, with three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Students on weekends are also provided with the same care."

The man in the polo shirt held his chopsticks in mid-air for a while before putting them down.

"So how does your school make money?"

"Public schools don't make money." Lin Yucai smiled. "The cafeteria's operating costs are sponsored by me personally, and I don't charge the students."

Upon hearing this, the parents exchanged glances, and the doubts in their eyes visibly diminished.

It's free, the food is good, and the conditions are decent.

This deal is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

After the tasting, Su Qingyan took over the subsequent tour procedures.

She wore a light gray suit jacket, her hair was pulled back, and she wore her signature gold-rimmed glasses. Her demeanor was aloof but approachable.

"Dear parents, I will now show you the students' daily learning and activity spaces."

The tour route was planned in advance...

First the teaching building, then the dormitory, then the playground, and finally the e-sports arena.

The corridors of the teaching building are clean and tidy, and the walls are covered with bulletin boards designed by the students themselves and the midterm exam honor roll.

One parent leaned closer for a look, then suddenly pointed to a line of text and read it aloud: "The school's average score increased by 74.7 points?"

"Is this true?"

"The midterm exam data from last semester." Su Qingyan paused and pointed out the table to everyone.

"The average score of No. 13 Middle School was 312 last year, and it is 387 this year, which is the largest improvement in the city."

"You guys came in first place? And who came in second?"

"Second place is No. 4 Middle School, which improved by 12 points."

The corridor fell silent.

The man in the polo shirt didn't ask any more questions this time; he simply took a picture of the honor roll with his phone.

The situation at the dormitory surprised the parents even more.

The rooms are for six people, and each room is equipped with air conditioning.

The bed is a standard bunk bed with a desk underneath. The desk is spacious and also has a small bookshelf.

"This dorm is better than the one I lived in during college," a young mother remarked softly.

"I plan to renovate again this summer and try to make sure that every dormitory room has its own bathroom."

Su Qingyan gave a brief explanation, without saying anything more.

The final stop: the esports arena.

This is the part that all the ninth-grade boys and some of their parents look forward to the most.

The volunteer standing at the door was Skinny Monkey. He had unusually combed his hair neatly today, and immediately puffed out his chest when he saw the parents coming.

"Hello everyone, I'm Sun Xiaotian from Class 3, Grade 11. Now, I'll be introducing our e-sports experience center."

He cleared his throat and pointed to the conspicuous notice board at the entrance.

"First of all, not just anyone can enter this museum."

"The first requirement for admission is that all subjects in the weekly tests must be passed."

"Secondly, no absenteeism, no disciplinary violations, and no long-term overdue assignments."

"The third option is a two-hour time limit, and you can only come once a week."

"The fourth item is that after finishing the exercise, you must go up to the second floor to complete half an hour of physical training."

Upon hearing this, the bespectacled ninth-grade boy's excitement waned by half.

"Passing is the only way to get in? Isn't that just forcing people to study?"

"You're right." Skinny Monkey grinned. "But guess what? Our class's passing rate was 32% last semester, and it's skyrocketed to 78% this semester."

"Everyone's risking their lives to play games... oh no, they're risking their lives to study."

Several parents nearby couldn't help but laugh.

The first floor is filled with Alienware gaming PCs, the configurations of which parents don't quite understand.

But as soon as those ninth-grade boys walked in, their eyes lit up.

"This setup is probably something even internet cafes don't have."

"Touch this keyboard, it has mechanical switches."

"Mom, look at this monitor, it has a 240Hz refresh rate."

The parents looked at each other, each with their own thoughts.

But then Skinny Monkey led everyone up to the second floor.

The scene changed abruptly the moment the stairs turned the corner.

Professional floor mats, floor-to-ceiling mirrored walls, four commercial treadmills, a whole row of dumbbell racks and squat racks.

There's a stretching area and yoga mats in the corner, and a fitness training plan is posted on the wall.

"Is this a gym?" The woman in the plaid shirt stared wide-eyed.

"That's right." Skinny Monkey patted the handrail of the nearest treadmill. "After playing games, you have to come here for half an hour to check in. You can choose one: running, strength training, or Pilates."

"If you don't check in, your esports arena qualification will be revoked next week."

Parents who were initially hesitant visibly softened after seeing this combination of "games + exercise".

"That's a good idea. My son plays video games at home and won't listen to anything I say," a father wearing a gold chain couldn't help but say. "If it's combined with exercise, I really wouldn't object."

"That's right, Uncle, it's better to guide than to block." Skinny Monkey chuckled. "That's what our Principal Lin said."

After the tour, Su Qingyan led the parents back to the auditorium.

A table was placed at the entrance of the auditorium, on which were the enrollment registration forms and contact information registers.

No one pulled the parents to fill out the forms, and no one urged them on.

But the queue in front of the table stretched all the way from the door to the corner of the corridor.

Of the first batch of more than 30 parents, 28 registered on the spot.

The second batch of thirty-one people from the north of the city registered.

The third batch, consisting of 35 people from the east and west sides of the city, registered.

By 2 p.m., fifteen buses had made three trips, transporting a total of more than 360 parents to visit the school.

In the end, more than two hundred parents registered their contact information and clearly stated that they would register.

Two hundred people!

Lin Yucai stood at the entrance of the auditorium, looking at the thick registration book, his palms sweating profusely.

With the inquiries and intentions accumulated previously, the target of recruiting 300 new employees this year is secure.

However, that's not enough; the more students who offer suggestions, the better it is to trigger the task.

We still need to keep working hard!