If Li Muen’s father, Li Kai, knew about it, he would probably be delighted.
Unlike Wang Jiawen, he was not a person who tended to overthink. He found it quite good to be able to ride on someone’s coattails. He would not behave importunately and just wanted to gain some benefits from Mengmeng. With Mengmeng’s presence, he would feel rest assured, be it about his daughter’s safety or something else.
There was no doubt that Li Kai was shrewd.
He seemed to have forgotten that when they met for the first time, he called Zhang Han “Zhang” to show his seniority.
As soon as Luo Shan knew about the choices of these parents, he held a meeting.
The patriarch of the Luo family, Luo Chengwen, sat in the host seat, and Luo Shan sat next to him.
“Everyone knows that Shan’s kindergarten has provided many connections to our family. With these connections, our family has faintly become the head of the top three families. We can benefit most from Mr. Zhang. You all know about the destruction of the Li family, so I don’t want to say too much about that. Now, Mr. Zhang’s daughter is going to attend Dongli Elementary School. Our family has to spend money to buy it. I’ll leave it to Shan. You can do that, right?” Luo Chengwen asked.
Luo Shan answered with a smile, “Yes, I can. I’ve already connected with the boards of directors of these primary schools. The biggest shareholder of Dongli Elementary School is Ma Dong from the Ma family. It’s a bit troublesome, but I’m sure he won’t refuse if I drop a hint that it’s what Mr. Zhang wants. As for the rest, some of them have never heard of Mr. Zhang and can be bought.”
Someone retorted, “That’s not what Mr. Zhang wants. It wouldn’t be nice if he knew we were acting in his name, would it? Our connection is vital, but we will have something to worry about if it’s self-defeating. Besides, the other two families are also focused on it. If they learn the news, the competition will be too fierce. We have plenty of money, but we can’t afford to spend it like this.”
“Uncle Fang’s words make sense, but since Miss Zi told me her choice, it must be something decided by Mr. Zhang and her,” Luo Shan said with a smile, “I’ve gained a lot from teaching for so many years. They trusted me. That’s why they told me. Therefore, it’s not a big deal to act in their names.”
“That’s right. What matters is that we have to buy Dongli Elementary School before anyone else learns the news.”
Luo Chengwen frowned and added, “Mr. Zhang acts according to his will. If someone from the other families uses his connections to ask about it, I don’t think Mr. Zhang will conceal it. Hence, this is a top priority. The Mount Yuhu Project should be suspended for the time being, and the funds should be at Luo Shan’s disposal. We must settle this as soon as possible.”
As soon as he finished, another powerful elder in his 50s was displeased with it.
“Patriarch, I’ve been following the Mount Yuhu Project. After a lot of effort on my part, the project is finally a success. How can it be put on hold like this? It’s quite rash to do so. Our relationship with Mr. Zhang is important, but it’s not worth losing so much money. Patriarch, I hope that you will not stress the incidental over the fundamental. We are a business family, not a martial arts family. The Zhang family is destined to leave.”
“Although you don’t think so, that’s not the case.”
Luo Chengwen shook his head and continued, “Everyone knows Liu Qingfeng. He was worth 70 billion previously. He made it because his personal strength was already very powerful. Currently, he is worth 150 billion. He has done a lot of things for the Mengmeng Group, but his value has increased instead of fallen. Why can’t we follow his example? Don’t fixate on the short-term profit. It’s settled.”
The patriarch had a decisive demeanor, so he was unwavering in his decision. On that day, Luo Shan began to mingle with others.
As the saying goes, chance favors the prepared mind.
In a week, Luo Shan owned a relative majority stake in Dongli Elementary School. By the time the other families discovered it, it was already too late.
In two weeks, Luo Shan owned a 100% stake, and the entire Dongli Elementary School belonged to him.
However, he didn’t make it public. The previous board of directors remained unchanged, and many teachers were not aware that the boss had changed. Yet some of the managers knew about it, and they were in a panic. Fortunately, the new boss didn’t do anything after buying it.
Luo Shan didn’t spend a large sum of money on recruitment. He worked personally, ready to lure some extraordinary teachers from other schools with money. His subordinates offered him a series of names. He ran all over the place to search for excellent teachers for the new school.
Just when he was occupied, Dongli Elementary School ushered in the new school season on August 31st.
It was a special reception for the first-grade students.
Nearly 300 students were standing on the playground, and their parents were standing next to them.
“Dongli Elementary School was established 30 years ago. We focus on children’s education and developing their interests. Our school has an excellent faculty and a comfortable environment. We aim to create a good learning environment for students…”
The previous principal of Saint Kindergarten had become the principal of Dongli Elementary School at this point, and the vice principal of Saint Kindergarten had been promoted to principal. He had been on cloud nine for many days.
After a long speech, the class division began.
The lead teachers had gotten the name lists long before.
They stood in the front, each holding a board. There were a total of six classes in each grade, and each class had more than 50 students.
Mengmeng was put into Class One this time.
The lead teacher was a 1.6-meter-tall woman in her 40s with a thin face.
It was said that she was proficient at teaching, so the principal placed Mengmeng in her class. The three people recruited by Luo Shan were all teachers. There was no suitable person for the lead teacher at the moment, so he continued recruiting.
The principal was now observing whether this female teacher was suitable or not, but he gave her no warning or hint. He and Luo Shan wanted teachers who were genuinely nice to children, not those who pretended to be. Just like when Mengmeng newly went to Saint Kindergarten, no one warned Lu Guo, but he was later found to be a nice lead teacher.
Of the five lead teachers, three were women and two were men. Only one man was in his early 30s, and the others seemed to be in their 40s.
“Haha, Mr. Zhang, Muen and Mengmeng are in the same class again. What a coincidence.”
Li Kai grinned from ear to ear when he chatted with Zhang Han.
“Yeah, what a coincidence.”
Zhang Han smiled.
Zi Yan, who was wearing sunglasses, pursed her lips.
She could tell that it must have been arranged by the principal. With a good friend, a child would be more receptive.
That was the advantage of having acquaintances.
It was also the reason why Zi Yan chose Dongli Elementary School.
“Mengmeng, we have so many classmates here this time.” Li Muen looked around. About 300 students, coupled with their parents, made the playground seem crowded.
Mengmeng pouted and said, “Yes, but Yihan, Martin, Stefen, and the others are not here.”
In fact, the little fellow wanted to be with those good friends.
“I miss them and Mr. Lu Guo, too,” Li Muen said. “Mengmeng, look over there. That student is so tall.”
“Huh? He’s tall.”
Mengmeng took a look and found that there was a little boy not far ahead of her, who was taller than her.
Mengmeng was now 1.22 meters tall, which was considered very tall among her peers. The boy in front of her looked to be about 1.27 meters tall. In addition, he was podgy and his eyes were small. Beside him, his father was short and stout. Obviously, his mother was relatively tall.
“Now, please follow me back to the classroom, everyone,” said the lead teacher of Class One calmly. Then she took the lead to head to the teaching building.
The group walked into a classroom on the first floor.
Each table and bench was shared by two people. Li Muen and Mengmeng did not share the same seat. There were a total of 55 people in the class. Mengmeng was in the sixth row, and Li Muen was in the eighth row, which was more or less in the back.
After the parents took seats, the students sat on their legs, but Mengmeng and Zi Yan each sat on one leg.
Zi Yan didn’t know if the school or the lead teacher hadn’t arranged a place for her.
Nevertheless, she only needed to stay here for a short while because she didn’t think the lead teacher would say a lot.
To her surprise, she was especially criticized at the very beginning.
“If I remember correctly, I told each student to bring one parent here, but some student has both parents here. It’s good to accompany children in daily life. The school will come up with the best way to educate them. Remember to follow the rules next time.”
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!”
Hearing the lead teacher’s words, many people turned to look at Zi Yan.
Apparently, only Mengmeng had both her parents here.
When they saw Zi Yan, who was well-shaped and glamorous in sunglasses, they were all somewhat confused.
They seemed to have seen her somewhere else before.
“What do you mean by ‘one or two’? A school is a place to learn, and there’s no need to have so many rules.”
Li Kai didn’t exercise self-restraint and directly retorted.
The lead teacher’s face darkened.
“Sir, you mean we can disobey the rules, right?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s up to you how you interpret my words. Hurry up, let’s get started,” Li Kai said with a smile.
This caused the lead teacher to take a deep look at Li Muen.
Li Kai knew that kind of look, but he was not afraid at all. With Mengmeng here, how could she be capable of making trouble for him?
Zhang Han and Zi Yan could also tell that this teacher was not as enthusiastic as Lu Guo, and she seemed a little strict.
Although she preferred Lu Guo’s type, the lead teacher might be unique in education.
Therefore, Zi Yan pursed her lips and touched Zhang Han’s leg with her left hand, motioning for him to say nothing and see what the lead teacher was going to do.
Yan Ying said, “I’m the lead teacher of Class One, Grade One. My name is Yan Ying. I’m responsible for the education of all the students in the next six years.
“I’ve been engaged in education for 20 years. I’ve taught two groups of students in Dongli Elementary School, and those with the worst academic performances were all admitted to Haoran Middle School. If students want to get good grades, the cooperation of their parents is needed. I am a straightforward person who pays attention to the rules. I hope that the parents present can show some understanding for me. Meanwhile, I also hope that in the future, we can make progress together to create a good learning environment for these children, so that they can achieve satisfying academic performances.”
It was a simple parents’ meeting. After a few words, Yan Ying smiled and said to the father of the tallest student, “Next, please go to the third floor to get the textbooks for the first grade, and then go to the school cafeteria to apply for a meal card. Our school implements closed management. At noon, every student shall have lunch in the school cafeteria. There are six classes a day, three in the morning and three in the afternoon. Students have to arrive at school at 8:00 a.m., and school gets out at 4:00 p.m. That’s it for today. School officially starts tomorrow. You can lead your children to study the knowledge in the books in advance when you go back.”
After the meeting, everyone went to the third floor to get the textbooks.
Once out of the teaching building, Li Kai took Li Muen’s hand and followed Zhang Han.
“Why does Yan Ying look like she’s having an irregular period?”
Li Kai grumbled to express his position, and then added, “Mr. Zhang, are you going to prepare a meal card for Mengmeng?”
