Don't underestimate the poor and elderly; I was thrilled to refuse the class beauty's adva

The senior high school students stormed into the first floor of the cafeteria. The food service windows that had been coldly welcoming them yesterday, saying "We've given you extra food," now seemed utterly vulnerable in the face of their anger.

Someone overturned the tables and chairs, and the tabletops slammed onto the ground with a loud, explosive sound.

Someone kicked open the kitchen door, and the lock flew off and hit the tiled wall.

Someone dug out all the rotten vegetable leaves, expired seasoning packets, and insect-infested rice bags that had been stored inside.

The pot contained chunks of meat that smelled rancid, the bucket contained leftover food with steel wool scraps stuck to it, and the steamer cloth had gone moldy.

These things, which are usually locked away in the kitchen and kept out of sight, were all dragged out by the students and thrown in the very center of the cafeteria hall.

Soaked rice grains and rotten leaves were scattered all over the ground, mixed with overturned jars of seasonings from the kitchen, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili powder flowing into a sticky stream.

The air was filled with a strange smell that was both sour and spicy, mixed with the stench of rancid water rising from the kitchen drain, making people wince.

No one dared to touch Zhou Degui himself.

He slipped out the back door the moment the students rushed in, not even bothering to look back as the collar of his polo shirt was knocked askew by the door frame.

The cooks threw down their ladles and hid in the storage room, while the helpers had long since disappeared.

The news that the cafeteria had been smashed beyond recognition reached the principal's office faster than anyone could run.

Principal Meng jogged down from the office building, his worn-out gray jacket buttoned up incorrectly, and his gold-rimmed glasses askew on one side of his nose.

As he crossed the playground, he witnessed an even more horrifying scene.

At the entrance of the cafeteria, dozens of first and second-year high school students stood in two neat rows. No one spoke or held up any signs. They simply held up their phones quietly, pointing the camera at the cafeteria entrance and at him as he rushed over.

No one stopped him, no one spoke, but that row of silent cameras sent chills down his spine more than any protest.

He rushed into the cafeteria and saw a complete mess.

Broken glass, overturned dining tables, rotten vegetable leaves scattered on the floor, removed cafeteria window partitions, and kitchen ingredients piled up in the center of the hall, emitting a sour smell.

Hundreds of senior high school students, still wearing their blue and white school uniforms, were filled with righteous indignation. Their faces flickered in and out of focus under the dim fluorescent lights of the cafeteria, and every face seemed to say, "This is not over until we get an explanation today."

The person standing on the steps at the entrance of the cafeteria, surrounded by hundreds of senior high school students, was Zhang Yifan.

He stood there, back straight, expression calm yet resolute.

Behind him were students still chanting slogans, and in front of him was Principal Meng, whose face was filled with shock and anger.

He neither retreated nor advanced, but simply asked Principal Meng the same question he had just asked Zhou Degui at the school gate.

The sound wasn't loud, but in the early morning air, mixed with the smell of rotten food from the cafeteria and the whistling of wind, it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Principal Meng, were you drinking tea in your office when your brother-in-law kicked over the old lady's tea egg stall?"

Principal Meng stood at the bottom of the steps in front of the cafeteria, his gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, his chest heaving violently.

He looked at the rotten vegetable leaves scattered on the ground and the overturned dining table, then at the student standing ramrod straight on the steps who was asking him a question. His lips moved a few times, but for a moment he couldn't say a word.

He knew Zhang Yifan.

A student who ranks in the top three in the grade, a potential candidate for Tsinghua or Peking University, is always cited as an example by the academic affairs office at every meeting.

Last night in Fu Kai's office, he patted the student on the shoulder and praised him for being "sensible and considerate of the big picture".

Now, this "sensible" student is standing in front of him, in front of hundreds of senior high school students, asking him a question that he can't brush off with "it's just a joke between students."

"Zhang Yifan,"

Principal Meng's voice was very low, as if he was trying hard to maintain the dignity a principal should have, but the end of his voice trembled slightly uncontrollably.

"You led so many students to storm the cafeteria and vandalize public property; did you think about the consequences?"

"as a result of?"

Zhang Yifan did not back down; his voice was calm and clear.

"Principal Meng, before you talk to me about the consequences, I'd like to ask you a few questions first."

"First, your brother-in-law, Zhou Degui, has been running the cafeteria for two years. We've been eating things like steel wool, insects, hair, expired seasonings, and moldy steamers for two years. As the principal, are you aware of this?"

"Secondly, yesterday when the students were demanding an explanation in the cafeteria, you came down from the second floor, said 'Don't cause any trouble,' and left. Did you do anything about it?"

"Third, this morning Zhou Degui and his helpers kicked over the old lady's tea egg stall at the school gate, witnessed by hundreds of students. Tell me, how do you plan to handle this?"

With each question he asked, the senior high school students behind him would take a step forward.

By the time the last sentence was spoken, hundreds of people had already crowded around the entrance of the cafeteria, surrounding Principal Meng and the few security guards who had rushed over behind him.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Principal Meng's forehead.

He took out his phone, swiped the screen twice, and said to the security guard behind him, "Go and call Zhou Degui here. Now, immediately."

The security guard hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran into the back door of the cafeteria.

Less than three minutes later, Zhou Degui was dragged out of the storage room by security guards. His polo shirt collar was askew, and his face still showed the panic he had felt when he slipped out the back door.

But upon seeing Principal Meng standing among the students, he immediately put on a wronged expression and quickly walked to Principal Meng's side.

"Brother-in-law—no, Principal Meng, these students have gone mad! They stormed in and started smashing everything! Look at the state of the cafeteria! You have to stand up for me!"

Principal Meng did not look at him.

He turned around, faced the hundreds of students gathered at the cafeteria entrance, took a deep breath, and spoke a few decibels louder than before.

"Students, the school will definitely deal with what happened today seriously."

He paused, as if considering his words.

"The cafeteria manager, Zhou Degui, had a conflict with an elderly man selling tea eggs at the school gate. His inappropriate behavior caused a negative impact."

"The school has decided to immediately terminate Zhou Degui's canteen contract, order him to compensate the elderly for the damaged property, and apologize to the elderly in person."

"Starting tomorrow, the cafeteria will be directly managed by the school and will be closed until the rectification is completed. The rectification plan will be made public to all students for their supervision."

A commotion arose in the crowd.

Some people were saying, "It should have been done a long time ago," some were asking, "Is it true?" and others were still holding up their phones and filming, refusing to put them down.

Zhou Degui's face turned deathly pale.

He whirled around to look at Principal Meng, his mouth agape: "Brother-in-law! What did you say? Terminate the contract? Don't you know how much money I've invested in this cafeteria? You just say you'll terminate it!"