Chapter 175 Kids Eating Snacks?
Su Yingxue's words were firm and unambiguous, and the parents in the group praised and commented, "Teacher Su is so dedicated. With such solid evidence, we are completely relieved!"
"I was fooled by the rumors before, but now I see that Tongxin is the one who is truly responsible for children. I will never worry unnecessarily again!"
"Support Teacher Su in defending her rights! We can't let bad people bully our kindergarten like this!"
What made things even worse for Principal Li was that several parents who had taken their children to Xingchen Kindergarten for a "3-day free trial" with a "let's give it a try" attitude actually complained in the Tongxin Parents Group, completely exposing Xingchen's false advertising.
A mother shared a comparison photo of her trial meal and regular meal at Xingchen Reading Center. On the left is the Western meal during the trial period, with a pan-fried steak with clear marbling and a rich black pepper sauce. Next to it is an exquisite vegetable salad with fresh green lettuce, plump cherry tomatoes, and a small platter of imported fruits. It is paired with plain yogurt in a glass bottle. The presentation is luxurious and high-end.
On the right is the regular meal: the steak has been replaced with a coarse pork patty with charred edges, the vegetable salad is made with wilted lettuce leaves, the fruit has been replaced with ordinary apple chunks, and the yogurt is unbranded bagged milk with simple packaging. The difference between the two is so great that it is obvious at a glance that the food has been skimped on.
"During the trial period, Chef Zhang personally prepared the meals, which were exquisite and fresh, and my child quite liked them. However, as soon as the trial period ended, Chef Zhang disappeared, and the daily meals were all prepared by another chef. The ingredients were far inferior, and the 'high-end nutritious meals' that were mentioned before were all just gimmicks!"
This mother's complaint instantly resonated with other parents who were also enrolling their children in trial programs. "My child had the same experience. During the trial program, they were given cod rolls, but for regular meals, they were given regular frozen fish rolls. The meat was very dry, and my child didn't like them at all!"
"And the yogurt was imported during the trial period, but it was replaced with some unknown, cheap milk every day. My child had an upset stomach after drinking it once, and when I asked the teacher, they said it was fine. It's such a rip-off!"
"If we had known that Xingchen was such a liar, we shouldn't have gone in the first place. Tongxin is much more reliable; their meals have always been consistent, and the children are happy with their food, so we are at ease!"
Parents' complaints flooded social media, and many parents who were initially hesitant about taking their children to Xingchen for a trial period completely gave up the idea.
Several parents who had been enrolled in the trial program directly messaged Su Yingxue to inquire about transferring their children to other kindergartens. "Teacher Su, we want to transfer our children back to Tongxin Kindergarten. Xingchen Kindergarten is so disappointing. Your kindergarten is much more reliable. Could you please tell us if there are any spots available?"
This whole ordeal turned out to be a complete disaster for Principal Li. She originally wanted to win back lost students by coercing an insider and fabricating evidence to smear Tongxin, but she didn't expect Aunt Wang to turn against her. She also didn't anticipate that the difference between the trial meals and the regular meals would be exposed by the parents. Not only did she fail to ruin Tongxin, but she also exposed her despicable methods and damaged Xingchen's reputation.
In the Xingchen parents' group, after learning that the trial meals and regular meals had different standards, parents raised questions one after another. Some parents even directly requested to withdraw their children from the kindergarten. The number of enrollment inquiries plummeted, and the once bustling kindergarten suddenly became much quieter.
Upon learning of the situation, the investor was furious and immediately called Principal Li, criticizing her sternly: "What did you promise me back then? You said you could retain students, but now you've not only failed to compete with Tongxin, but you've also ruined Xingchen's reputation. Parents are complaining constantly, and fewer and fewer people are enrolling. What exactly are you doing?"
The reprimands over the phone made Principal Li's face turn pale and then red. After hanging up, she looked at the screenshots of the Tongxin Kindergarten parents' group on the table, her eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.
The investors even threatened that if she couldn't recover her enrollment within two weeks, they would remove her from her position as principal and hold her accountable. The immense pressure was suffocating Principal Li. Sitting in her office, she grew increasingly angry, her malice simmering within her. She was unwilling to lose to Su Yingxue like this, and even more unwilling to lose her position as principal and everything she had.
After much deliberation, she gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and her eyes turned sinister. A more extreme and vicious plan slowly took shape in her mind—since conventional methods were useless, she would take a risk and target the children, using food safety issues to completely destroy Tongxin Kindergarten.
Principal Li didn't dare delay. That afternoon, she quietly went around to the entrance of Tongxin Kindergarten and found the inconspicuous little shop at the gate. The shop owner's surname was Zhang. He usually did fairly good business with the kindergarten children and parents. He was greedy for small gains and had a money-grubbing mentality.
Director Li walked into the convenience store, pretended to buy a bottle of water, chatted for a few minutes, and when no one was around, took out a wad of cash from his bag, about five hundred yuan, and quietly stuffed it into Mr. Zhang's hand, saying in a low voice, "Mr. Zhang, do me a favor. After you do it, this money is yours, and I'll give you another five hundred."
Mr. Zhang, clutching the cash in his hand, had a sudden glint in his eye and quickly asked, "Director Li, what's the matter? Just tell me, and I'll definitely help you if it's within my power."
Principal Li glanced outside the door to make sure no one was watching before taking out two simply packaged snacks from her bag. One bag contained high-sugar, high-oil cream sticks, with no manufacturer, production date, or quality certificate on the packaging.
The other bag contained spicy strips with excessive artificial coloring and a pungent artificial flavoring smell, clearly indicating it was an unregistered or counterfeit product.
"Tomorrow morning, when those two little boys from Tongxin Kindergarten who often come to buy things by themselves pass by, give them these two bags of snacks and let them eat them on the spot. Don't let anyone else see, especially the teachers at Tongxin."
Principal Li leaned close to Mr. Zhang's ear and instructed him in a sinister tone, "I know these two children have attended our kindergarten. They are physically weak and often have stomach problems. Eating these things will definitely upset their stomachs. Just pretend you don't know anything and don't give yourself away. I'll give you the money right away after it's done."
Mr. Zhang looked at the unbranded snacks in his hand, then at the cash in front of him. He hesitated for a moment, worried that something might go wrong. But then he thought, why not just give the kids some snacks and make a lot of money? He quickly nodded and agreed: "No problem, Principal Li, don't worry, I guarantee it will be done by tomorrow. No one will suspect you."
Director Li nodded in satisfaction, then repeatedly reminded him to be careful and not to leave any traces before turning to leave the shop. As he left, a calculating smile lingered in his eyes.
After securing the shop owner's favor, Principal Li immediately contacted a local media outlet focused on local issues and community disputes. This outlet often exaggerated stories to grab attention, a tactic Principal Li had identified as a target for.
After the call was connected, she deliberately pretended to be anxious and angry, and said to the reporter: "Reporter, I want to report Tongxin Kindergarten. There are serious problems with the animal food ingredients in their kindergarten. Several children have experienced gastrointestinal discomfort, abdominal pain and nausea after eating them. The parents asked the kindergarten for an explanation, but the kindergarten refused to admit it. It is so irresponsible!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com