After sitting down again, Ye Chen's question prompted Gao Shouyi to explain without hesitation.

"It's just those officials coming up with ridiculous ideas, making arbitrary decisions. They want to build a so-called 'Three Halls Civic Project' at our school, Seventh High. The three halls refer to a library, an archive, and a planning exhibition hall. Not only do they plan to construct it here, but they also want to take part of our school's land for it. This will occupy part of our basketball, volleyball, soccer, and badminton courts. Once this plan was announced, not just the school leadership but even the students were against it!"

"But since it's an official document with red seals, after multiple fruitless negotiations, the school leadership had no other choice. The district authorities, treating trivial orders as absolute mandates, demanded our school cooperate without resistance. They kept saying this was a civic project and that we were obligated to comply. This infuriated the school leaders, so they left it to the staff and students to handle the situation themselves."

"Every time they came, we obstructed them. This is the third time now! Honestly, it feels like they think Seventh High is easy to bully. In terms of location, our school isn't even in a prime spot. Transportation isn't that convenient either. Yet, for some reason, they insisted on building the halls here. If that's not targeting us, I don't know what is!"

Gao Shouyi's indignation was evident, but more than that, there was helplessness in his voice.

As Gao finished, Huang Wenliang chimed in. "If they really proceed with the Three Halls Project, aside from the issue of losing sports grounds and the inconvenience for teachers and students, the impact of the construction itself is hard to quantify. Who knows if the project will take one year, two years, or even longer? Not to mention the constant noise during construction—how are we supposed to continue teaching as usual? Lao Gao is right. They think we're easy to push around. If this project goes through, I can't imagine the disruption it will cause for our school."

Ye Chen furrowed his brow as he listened.

In his previous life, he knew nothing about this incident involving Seventh High. At that time, he was struggling through life's hardships and couldn't have been aware.

It wasn't until he returned to his alma mater to give a speech after achieving success that he learned about the Three Halls.

However, by then, the Three Halls were essentially useless. From the day they were completed, they had been nothing but a burden.

Due to the poor location, the halls didn't serve much of the local population. Few citizens went out of their way to visit.

As time passed, the project became a symbol of wasteful spending, drawing public criticism. Some even cursed the decision-makers behind it.

Ye Chen hadn't delved into the details back then, so he hadn't known the backstory behind the project's construction.

He asked in confusion, "Didn't some of our alumni achieve significant influence? Why haven't any of them spoken up about this?"

"We contacted a few, but it was useless. In the end, nothing came of it. Those bastards still came anyway... Honestly, no matter how much we resist, it feels futile. I'm already preparing myself for the suffering that the noise will bring," said Teacher Yan with a bitter shake of her head.

"We've been at Seventh High for over a decade and will probably stay until retirement. Our bond with this school is like home. Seeing the school suffer from all this nonsense while being powerless to stop it is frustrating. I even thought of calling the chairman of Wan'an Group to see if his influence could help us," said Teacher Chen Qiu with a wry smile.

"What's the point of those unrealistic ideas? You're just putting him in a tough spot. This is a matter between the school and the authorities—how can he intervene? Even if he wanted to help, it might not make a difference, and it could just lead to embarrassment," Huang Wenliang retorted.

"I was just saying... If I thought it could work, I'd have swallowed my pride and called him already," Chen Qiu muttered.

As the teachers shared their frustrations, Ye Chen fell into thought.

Moments later, he seemed to make a decision.

"Teachers, leave this to me," Ye Chen said.

"You? You think you can fix this?" Gao Shouyi was startled.

"I'll do my best to find a solution and give it a try. Seventh High was my home for three years, and I met all of you here. If there's even a slim chance of changing things, I don't want the school to suffer. More importantly, if the school is affected, so are all of you," Ye Chen replied.

Truthfully, he was confident he could resolve this issue.

But in front of the teachers, he didn't want to appear overly certain. Being too confident could sometimes seem unreliable.

"If you can actually pull this off, it would be a huge blessing for the school," Gao Shouyi said.

"Let's not talk about blessings. I'll do my best," Ye Chen replied with a smile.

As he finished speaking, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Pulling it out, he saw it was Liu Xi—founder of Jianghu Hotpot.

A faint smile crossed Ye Chen's lips.

After informing the teachers, he stepped outside to answer the call.

"Mr. Liu, have you decided to accept my investment?" Ye Chen asked with a smile.

"Mr. Ye, shall we meet somewhere to discuss it?" Liu Xi replied.

"Sure. Pick a place."

"How about Jianghu Hotpot's flagship store at Baiyun Fangda Plaza, fourth floor? I'd like you to experience the hotpot firsthand," Liu Xi suggested.

"Alright. What time?"

"If you're available, how about 1 PM?"

"That works."

"Great, I'll be expecting you."

Ye Chen ended the call with a smile and returned to the room.

"Got something to handle?" Gao Shouyi asked with a grin.

"It's nothing urgent," Ye Chen said casually.

"Go take care of it. Don't waste time on us. Focus on your business. We'll still be here for another twenty or thirty years. We'll have plenty of time to catch up," Meng Wanrou said with a warm smile.

"Yes, work is important! We need to manage the students' emotions too. If any conflicts break out, it could become a real problem," Gao Shouyi added.

The other teachers agreed.

However, none of them brought up the Three Halls project again, perhaps to avoid pressuring Ye Chen.

Ye Chen smiled and nodded. After exchanging a few more words, he left the teachers' building with them.