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

The next morning at nine o'clock, at the gate of No. 13 Middle School.

Lin Yucai stood at the door, surrounded by Su Qingyan, Ma Desheng, and several key teachers.

Everyone was dressed neatly, and Lin Yucai even changed into a dark blue suit.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were going to a wedding. This is way too formal for you."

Su Qingyan couldn't help but laugh when she saw his expression.

"What's that saying again? A principal should act like a principal!" Lin Yucai straightened his tie. "What if the leaders take a liking to me and allocate more funding?"

"Stop talking, I'm coming, I'm coming."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a black sedan pulled up outside the school gate.

The license plate number was unusual; it was clearly a government vehicle.

Two more cars arrived shortly after and parked at the school gate.

The door of the first car opened, and Liu Jianguo got out.

He was dressed impeccably today, in a dark gray suit, his hair neatly combed.

But his complexion wasn't good, and there was a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.

A man in his fifties, tall and composed, got out of the second car.

He was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a badge pinned to his chest.

Liu Jianguo hurriedly went to greet him, bowing and smiling apologetically.

"Mr. Liu, this way please."

Old Liu?

Lin Yucai's heart skipped a beat.

"You're Lin Yucai?"

Old Liu glanced at the school gate and his gaze fell on Lin Yucai.

"Yes, hello Mr. Liu." Lin Yucai stepped forward and extended his hand.

"Little Liu, I already told you that I could just sneak a peek, so why bother waiting for me under this scorching sun?"

Old Liu grasped his hand and squeezed it firmly.

"I heard your school did well in the college entrance examination this year."

"Thanks to everyone's good fortune, the children have done a great job." Lin Yucai smiled. "Mr. Liu, please come in."

The group entered the school gate.

Liu Jianguo followed closely behind Old Liu, occasionally leaning over to say a few words.

"This teaching building must be quite old, right? But you guys have kept it very clean."

Old Liu didn't pay much attention to him, he just looked at the campus environment.

"We don't have many students, but every student loves the school very much."

Lin Yucai added a sentence.

As he walked to the edge of the playground, Old Liu stopped and looked at the row of brand-new fences.

"Was this fence newly installed?"

"Yes, it was just installed yesterday," Lin Yucai answered truthfully.

"For today's inspection?"

"Not entirely," Lin Yucai laughed. "It's mainly because the old ones are too rusty, and I'm worried the students might bump into them."

Old Liu nodded and continued walking forward.

"It smells so good, is this the cafeteria?"

As he passed by the canteen, Old Liu glanced inside.

"Yes, it's our school cafeteria." Lin Yucai pushed open the door. "Would you like to go in and take a look, Mr. Liu?"

Old Liu went inside.

The canteen was clean and tidy, with tables and chairs arranged neatly, and the kitchen windows were also polished to a shine.

Zhou Dahai was busy in the kitchen when he saw Old Liu come in. He quickly put down what he was doing and came out.

"Hello, leader," Zhou Dahai greeted with a simple smile.

"Are you a cook in the cafeteria?" Old Liu asked.

"Yes, my name is Zhou Dahai."

"Your chef's uniform looks quite neat," Old Liu glanced at him. "Where did you work before?"

"Jinlan Grand Hotel," Zhou Dahai puffed out his chest, "the five-star one."

"Wow, a five-star chef is cooking in the school cafeteria?"

Old Liu raised an eyebrow, turned around and smiled at his secretary.

Zhou Dahai smiled and said, "Principal Lin's offer is good, and we're here to serve the students, so I came."

Old Liu turned his head and looked at Lin Yucai.

"Our school's philosophy is that students need to eat well in order to learn well."

Lin Yucai shrugged.

"So I spent some money to hire a good chef."

After a moment of silence, Old Liu smiled and said, "You're quite generous, aren't you, Principal?"

"It's worth it for the students," Lin Yucai said.

Liu Jianguo stood to the side, his face growing increasingly grim.

He originally thought that Professor Liu would find fault with him, but Professor Liu has not uttered a single criticism since he entered the school.

Instead, they nodded in approval of Lin Yucai's actions.

This made him feel very uncomfortable.

After leaving the cafeteria, Professor Liu went to the teaching building.

When they reached the second floor, Mr. Liu pushed open the door to a classroom.

The classroom was empty, but the blackboard still bore the writings from a few days ago.

Old Liu walked to the blackboard and looked at the contents.

"Is this a math class?"

"Yes." Lin Yucai walked to his side. "Our math teacher, Zhao Jianjun, used to teach at the No. 3 Middle School in the city."

"Zhao Jianjun?" Old Liu was taken aback. "I've heard of that name before."

"He teaches very well," Lin Yucai said. "Our school's average math score improved by more than forty points this year, and Lao Zhao deserves a lot of credit for that."

Mr. Liu nodded, turned around and walked out of the classroom.

In the stairwell, Old Liu suddenly stopped.

"Principal Lin, I have a question for you."

"Please speak."

"Your school's undergraduate admission rate was 5% last year, and 91% this year. That's quite an improvement..." Old Liu looked at him, "There are some voices outside saying that there might be some irregularities in your teaching practices. What's your opinion?"

Lin Yucai had long anticipated that someone would ask this question.

He wasn't flustered at all; instead, he smiled.

"Mr. Liu, I understand this skepticism." Lin Yucai's tone was calm. "Such a significant improvement in a short period of time is indeed quite unusual."

"But I can assure you that our school has not engaged in any irregularities."

"Every student's grades are the result of their own hard work."

"If you don't believe me, you can check the invigilation video, you can check our teachers' exam grading records, and you can talk to the students individually."

"We can withstand any form of scrutiny."

Old Liu stared at Lin Yucai for several seconds.

Then he turned his head and looked at Liu Jianguo.

"Director Liu, what's your opinion?"

Liu Jianguo's face stiffened, and he opened his mouth, but it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence.

"I...I think Principal Lin makes a good point."

"Oh?" Old Liu's tone held a hint of amusement. "Didn't I hear the other day that someone wanted to launch a compliance review of the teaching practices at No. 13 Middle School?"

Cold sweat broke out on Liu Jianguo's forehead. "That's probably just the routine procedure..."

"Routine procedure?" Old Liu interrupted him. "A school ranked third in the city, and you're conducting a routine inspection?"

"I think some comrades just don't want to see others doing well."

"Old Liu, I..." Liu Jianguo's face turned pale.

"Alright." Old Liu waved his hand. "I'll have the supervisory team come down later to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the education work in Tomato City."

"At that time, we will investigate everything that needs to be investigated."

After saying that, he turned around and continued walking forward.

Liu Jianguo stood there, his face ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly.

"Director Liu, remember to cooperate with the supervisory team later."

As Lin Yucai passed by him, he whispered something.

Liu Jianguo glared at him fiercely, but said nothing.

The inspection continued.

Mr. Liu then visited the dormitory building, the e-sports arena, and the library.

Wherever he went, he would ask a few questions, and Lin Yucai would answer them fluently.

When they arrived at the entrance of the e-sports arena, Mr. Liu stopped.

"Where is this place?"

"Esports Experience Center." Lin Yucai pushed open the door. "It's a space we provide for students to cultivate their interests."

Old Liu went inside and looked at the rows of brand-new computers.

"Esports on campus?"

"Yes, but there is a strict admission system," Lin Yucai said. "Students must pass all subjects in the weekly tests and have no disciplinary record in order to apply for the service."

"And you can only come once a week, for two hours each time."

"After that, you have to go to the gym on the second floor for half an hour of physical training."

After listening, Old Liu nodded thoughtfully.

"This model is good; it satisfies students' interests without affecting their studies."

"The key is that you have combined the reward mechanism with the constraint mechanism."

"That's right." Lin Yucai smiled. "Our philosophy is that students are not learning machines; they also need relaxation and entertainment."

"But the premise is that we have to do the things that need to be done well."

Old Liu turned around and looked at Lin Yucai.

"Principal Lin, your approach to running a school is quite unique."

Lin Yucai said, "Professor Liu, you flatter me. I am simply following your original direction, respecting the needs of students, and respecting the laws of education."

"Well said."

Old Liu looked at Lin Yucai, patted him on the shoulder, and smiled.

It was almost 11 o'clock when the inspection ended.

"Principal Lin, I've come here today and seen a very different school."

Mr. Liu stood at the school gate and glanced back at No. 13 Middle School.

"Your facilities aren't the best, but the students have a great attitude."

"Your teaching staff may not be the strongest, but the teachers are very passionate about teaching."

"This is what education should be like."

He paused, then continued.

"After I get back, I will suggest to the province that a special fund be allocated to No. 13 Middle School."

"Used to improve teaching facilities and faculty development."

Lin Yucai's heart skipped a beat. "Thank you, Elder Liu."

"No need to thank me." Old Liu patted him on the shoulder. "This is what you deserve."

"Keep going, don't let those who doubt you succeed, and don't let those who believe in you down."

"Xiao Liu, I'm not feeling well, so I'll head back first. Could you check me over again and see if there's anything you don't like?"

Liu Jianguo was taken aback. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Old Liu get into his car and leave.

Turning his head, he saw the sinister gazes of Lin Yucai, Su Qingyan, and Ma Desheng.