He is actually the principal?

Howard didn't know what came over him.

Unable to sleep after lights out, he scrolled through his phone, seeing his senior year classmates' group chat bustling with activity.

Most of his classmates had enrolled in vocational schools, and after today's registration, complaints and grievances were rampant.

"Damn, can you believe it? The vocational school I enrolled in is in the middle of nowhere. It took two hours by bus from the high-speed rail station, sixty kilometers from the city. The worst part is, there's a cemetery behind the boys' dormitory. Are they using our yang energy to suppress the yin?"

"I'm also having a hard time. The school website showed beautifully renovated dorms, but when I got my dorm assignment, it was a dump without even air conditioning. I found out from a senior that the dorms on the website are for international students. WTF..."

"My school sucks too. They ban ordering takeout from outside, and if you get caught, you get written up. But the cafeteria food is horrible and expensive. I miss my mom..."

"Getting into a bachelor's program is so much better. Even the worst undergrad school has standards. These vocational schools, especially private ones, are all scams..."

"@Howard, didn't you go to New Star Arts College? Is everything they say on the website true?"

The group chat was filled with complaints. Reading through them, Howard felt the urge to share his own experiences. Just as someone tagged him, he started typing:

"I signed up with Zane and the others. Everything on the website is true. Zane and I are in the same dorm."

"Photo.jpg..."

"The dorms are comfortable, with everything we need."

"Plus, there's a food street just 300 meters away from the school. You can eat wherever you want, no restrictions!"

Howard continued detailing his experiences at New Star Arts College, drawing a lot of attention from his classmates.

Reading Howard's words, many of his classmates felt envious.

"Wow, the latest Midea air conditioner, while we have old oscillating fans. I'm feeling so down..."

"We have eight people in a room. I envy your four-person dorm."

"Our school cuts power at nine, and there's only one socket per dorm. Charging our phones requires taking turns. Thank goodness my Xiaomi has fast charging!"

"My Huawei does too!"

"So jealous! If I had known, I would have applied to New Star Arts College. For me, it doesn't matter what I study. Comfort for three years is the priority!"

Looking at all the envious comments, Howard didn't feel any satisfaction, only emptiness. He typed again:

"New Star Arts College does have great facilities."

"But there's a big problem: there are no girls."

"Can you imagine a school this big without a single female student?"

"Everywhere you look, it's all guys..."

"The joke's on me. I could cry..."

Once Howard sent this message, the previously envious classmates were taken aback. The group chat fell silent for a moment.

Then, the messages came flooding in, even from those who usually stayed quiet.

"Hahahahaha..."

"I take back what I said. Our school isn't so bad after all. We had some very pretty seniors helping with the orientation."

"Compared to a school with no girls, I think I can endure three years without air conditioning!"

"Howard, you somehow picked an all-boys school. Zane and the others better be careful in the communal showers."

"Shivering, Nan Tong is right next to me..."

"Attending an all-boys school, do you have to uphold 'manly virtues'?"

"I can't stop laughing. It's the 21st century, and there's still a school without girls. My roommates and I are dying of laughter..."

After Howard's revelation, the group chat was filled with laughter that wouldn't stop.

Indeed, when you're down, no amount of comfort helps. Only knowing someone else has it worse can make you feel better.

Seeing his classmates' joy, Howard felt even more downcast...

...

New Star Arts College's culinary program offered twelve cuisines for students to choose from.

Howard chose Cantonese cuisine because he didn't like spicy food. After traveling to the Guangdong area with his parents two years ago, he fell in love with Cantonese cuisine.

Within the school, the most popular choices were Cantonese, Shandong, and Sichuan cuisines. Foreign cuisines also had a fair number of students.

Other cuisines had fewer students, but the least popular was Anhui cuisine.

Howard heard that the Anhui cuisine class couldn't even fill a single classroom, with only twenty-four students.

But when Howard thought about it, what is Anhui cuisine? What are its characteristics? What dishes are Anhui cuisine?

Besides hearing about Anhui beef noodles, he was completely in the dark.

It wasn't Howard's lack of knowledge; most people didn't know either.

For a cuisine to be famous, either the region's economy had to be good with high population mobility, allowing it to spread, or it had to meet the rising demand for spicy food, like Sichuan cuisine.

In comparison, Jiangxi, known for its lack of presence, at least had some recognition. Anhui's presence nationwide was negligible.

Few people outside Anhui even knew that its capital is Hefei, let alone its cuisine.

In the eight major cuisines of China, Anhui cuisine was the least prominent.

With little fame, fewer students enrolled.

The first day of school was uneventful. Since the school was reopening this year, Howard and his peers were the inaugural class.

Naturally, there was no welcome party. However, in the afternoon, the principal was to address the new students on the playground.

In most schools, students don't care who the principal is. After all, what does it matter to them?

But the students at New Star Arts College were quite curious about their principal.

No wonder, after experiencing the school's thoughtful facilities.

A principal who genuinely cares about students' needs is rare, making everyone curious.

Howard felt the same.

In the afternoon, all the classes gathered on the playground.

The principal didn't keep them waiting long and soon took the stage.

As the principal stepped onto the platform, the previously quiet playground filled with whispers.

When Howard looked up, he was stunned...

The principal on stage was very familiar.

Not the kindly old man they had imagined, but a young man they had met just yesterday, tall and handsome, looking only a few years older than them.

So young, and already the principal?

No wonder the students were so surprised.

But Howard was the most shocked.

He never imagined that the teacher he viewed as annoying would be the principal?

Just yesterday, he had been thinking about reporting him to the principal. Now...

Young Howard, overwhelmed by this revelation, felt even more downcast...

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