Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Such an Outstanding Student—It’s a Pity to Let Him Graduate

“Squat, squat in the corner…”

He Xiaowei heard this and, despite it already being the chilly season of autumn, broke out in a cold sweat.

Goodness, luckily he thought someone would come pick them up, and didn’t take Duan Yiming and others down the “small path,” or they’d be the ones squatting in the corner now!

Though none of them are exactly big shots, they’re bosses of varying sizes. To be caught squatting in the corner would be utterly embarrassing!

Duan Yiming and Deng Linhui didn’t feel much about it, as they didn’t need to sneak up themselves and weren’t worried about being caught.

On the contrary, Zhu Youfeng mentioned the School Protection Team, which both of them seemed interested in.

“Xiaozhu, when did our university form a School Protection Team? I haven’t even heard of it before!”

“Oh, this School Protection Team is spontaneously organized by the students, under the responsibility of the student council. It was just established yesterday.”

Zhu Youfeng seemed quite knowledgeable about the School Protection Team and explained in detail,

“The main members are students who frequently eat at the Seventh Dining Hall. Their tasks are twofold: one is patrolling various parts of the school, strictly preventing outsiders from sneaking into the school; the second is maintaining the dining order at the Seventh Dining Hall. Previously, no one managed it, and the dining area was chaotic. Now, with the School Protection Team assisting in management, it’s much better.”

He Xiaowei said quietly, “I think catching those sneaking-in outsiders is the key, right?”

“Of course, we can’t let so many outsiders come and snatch our food,” Zhu Youfeng said, holding his ground confidently.

He paused before continuing, “Of course, we’re not saying you can’t come to eat. If that were the case, you wouldn’t have gotten in today either.

We just don’t want it like before, with outsiders increasing day by day, almost outnumbering us students. How can that be okay?

If they eat all the food, what do we have to eat?”

…

Jiangzhou University suddenly intensified campus management, implementing regulations that prohibit vehicles and outsiders from freely entering. This caught many off guard, especially those who traveled from afar just to taste the Seventh Dining Hall’s food.

In frustration, these travelers, unable to accomplish their goal, recorded their experiences on Duoyin, expressing their dissatisfaction:

“Traveled miles hoping to taste the legendary Seventh Dining Hall’s cuisine, only to find we couldn’t even enter the school gate! Disappointed! Helpless!”

“Is the food at the Seventh Dining Hall really that good? I might have believed it before, but after today, I refuse to believe it! How many people have truly tasted it when you can’t even get past the school gate?”

“The so-called Seventh Dining Hall delicacies were exaggerated. Afraid of being exposed, Jiangzhou University doesn’t even dare let us in the gate! It’s ridiculous!”

“Hypocritical school! Welcoming us to visit while slamming the gates shut! No wonder this broken institution is always so unknown!”

“…”

The Duoyin videos accompanying these remarks mostly show the scene at the school gate over the past couple of days, with scores of vehicles parked outside, including those large tour buses that seat dozens.

Hundreds of people are blocked at the school gate, confronting the guards, while police cars with flashing lights are parked nearby, with about a dozen police officers apparently persuading people to leave on the scene.

These images, released through numerous personal Duoyin accounts, along with posts filled with obviously negative comments, quickly attracted the attention of netizens across the web. Some who were already skeptical about the Seventh Dining Hall joined in:

“Haha! I’ve always said the Seventh Dining Hall is just a gimmick, hype to boost the school’s reputation. You folks didn’t believe me and went all that way to taste the food, and now you’re dumbfounded, unable even to pass the gate!”

“Think logically, how good can university dining hall food be? Come on, it’s cafeteria food! With my thirty years of cooking experience, I can tell you, no matter how well cafeteria food is cooked, it can’t beat food made in smaller batches!”

“I can only say, Jiangzhou University succeeded in hyping the Seventh Dining Hall, or there wouldn’t be so many fools wanting to try it. But hype isn’t reality, so it’s understandable the school wouldn’t let you in, otherwise wouldn’t that burst the bubble right in front of you?

The mistake is that the school didn’t let you in, and you should just leave, but instead, you chose to block the gate and cause trouble… Come on, it’s your choice to go, nobody invited you, nor forced you. Blocking the gate is your wrongdoing!”

“…”

Where there are detractors, there are supporters too, like those who truly tasted the Seventh Dining Hall’s dishes:

“There are so many keyboard warriors who don’t even know which way the door of the Seventh Dining Hall swings, yet dare to point fingers! Let me be honest today, I’ve been to the Seventh Dining Hall to try the food. I went there quite early when entry and exit weren’t restricted.

The food at the Seventh Dining Hall is indeed cooked in large pots, but it’s much tastier than the small pot dishes from those high-end hotels charging thousands for a table! There were six of us, and we all ate until we were stuffed!

The person upstairs claiming to have thirty years of culinary experience… Pardon my bluntness, but even if you practice for another thirty years, your cooking won’t be half as good as what Boss Xiao Jiang at the Seventh Dining Hall makes!”

“Haha, those who say the food at the Seventh Dining Hall is bad, I honestly pity you… because you don’t even know what truly delicious food is.”

“These sarcastic online commenters are probably those who are used to ’ignoring the facts to argue about wrong and right,’ and everyone can completely ignore them!

Have you ever considered why the school needs to strengthen campus management? Look at those videos of traffic jams with dozens of cars! There are even some tour buses!

Come on! This is a school, not a tourist attraction! With so many vehicles and outsiders coming and going freely, shouldn’t the school be worried about safety issues? Besides, the Seventh Dining Hall isn’t big, so if everyone rushes in to eat, is this a student cafeteria or a public cafeteria?”

“…”

The two sides argued endlessly, each insisting they’re right, causing quite a commotion that was hard to resolve.

At this moment, the long-silent official TikTok account of Jiangzhou University finally spoke up. It posted a video similar to others, but with a better perspective, showing from above a crowd at the entrance with cars lined up behind them, extending all the way to the road.

The accompanying text read:

“The school has no intention to hype things up, nor has it ever deceived anyone. Those who have tasted the Seventh Dining Hall know its value. The school does not deliberately block external vehicles and visitors, but it has taken necessary measures to maintain a harmonious and stable campus environment.

The school still welcomes students and their parents to visit and explore. Starting today, we will open appointments, limited to 50 people per day. Unscheduled visits are not allowed! The method of appointment is as follows; spots are limited, first come, first served!

Thank you again for your support and love!”

This seemingly expository yet explanatory statement video immediately drew countless netizens to watch:

“Those who previously claimed the school intentionally prevented people from tasting the Seventh Dining Hall’s food, come out and show your faces. Just asking, does your face hurt now? The school has now opened reservations for 50 people each day, so hurry and try it – to prove the food isn’t tasty?”

“Liu Xining and Xie Siqi both ate at the Seventh Dining Hall with big smiles; how could that not be delicious? Whether you believe it or not, I believe it. I’ll hurry up and make a reservation; what if I get the chance?”

“Haha, are you silly upstairs? Here’s a secret, Liu Xining graduated from Jiangzhou University, and the Seventh Dining Hall is run by her junior. How could family say anything bad about each other?”

“I think you’re the silly one. If the Seventh Dining Hall’s food wasn’t good, it would have been exposed immediately. Do you think Liu Xining would risk ruining her reputation by lying just to help a junior?”

“Though I’ve never tried the food at the Seventh Dining Hall, I believe the school wouldn’t fake something like this. So many students have tried it already, surely they can’t silence everyone from speaking out?

Also, for the school to invite people from the public to taste, that takes courage. Most cafeterias wouldn’t dare to do that…”

“Enough talk, I’m making a reservation. When I taste the food at the Seventh Dining Hall, I’m going to stream it live!”

“Count me in! Count me in!”

“…”

This statement from Jiangzhou University came at a perfect time, and with many having already tried the food at the Seventh Dining Hall, those people have now become loyal fans of Jiangzhou University and the Seventh Dining Hall, and certainly won’t allow anyone to deliberately defame the Seventh Dining Hall.

In this situation, Jiangzhou University opened for reservations for 50 people each day to try the food, and gradually, what was initially a one-sided opinion began to turn around. It even increased the follower count of Jiangzhou University’s official TikTok account.

This made the school’s Director of Public Relations, Fan Chuliang, smile from ear to ear. When they first started restricting the random entry of external vehicles and visitors onto campus, he was a bit worried that the public opinion would all be against them. However, to his surprise, most netizens are quite understanding.

Anyway, at the end of the day, all credit goes to Boss Xiao Jiang of the Seventh Dining Hall. Without him, Lao Bear and I couldn’t have come up with the idea to open reservation invitations on TikTok.

With just this one move, they resolved the influx of external vehicles and visitors, alleviating the security risk to faculty and students, while continually enhancing the school’s reputation. Simply brilliant!

“Isn’t Boss Xiao Jiang still a senior student at our school? It’s such a pity to just let such an outstanding student graduate!”

Fan Chuliang pondered this, suddenly realizing a problem, and naturally frowned,

It looks like I’ll have to discuss this with Lao Bear. Regardless, such a talented student must be kept at the school!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep