The city was forming a kindergarten association for all kindergartens in the area.
Shen Wei was specially invited to attend at the convention center's banquet hall.
Shen Wei had always known about the large WeChat group for city kindergartens, which included many school operators.
But she had never been invited, nor was she in the group.
Initially, it was because her kindergarten was too new, and the others looked down on it.
Over the years, many kindergartens had opened, and many had closed just as quickly.
So the kindergarten group had set a rule: no one could join unless their school had been open for at least two years.
This kept a large number of people out.
There were even cases of people who invested over a million yuan but closed down before two years were up.
Who knew that Shen Wei would turn out to be such an anomaly in this situation?
Most kindergartens in the city tended to use foreign-sounding names, like "bilingual kindergarten" and such.
Some even named themselves after famous foreign universities.
Or they would simply call themselves "Noble Kindergarten."
Starry Sky Kindergarten sounded rather plain in comparison.
But in just two years, it had become the industry leader.
The other kindergartens had mixed feelings about this.
This was the first time the city was taking the lead to form a kindergarten association.
Both the city leaders and the other kindergarten owners felt that Starry Sky Kindergarten should participate.
If she didn't participate, the whole project would seem rather amateur.
Shen Wei came with Gu Qingyan.
Shen Wei wore a long dress. She was already naturally beautiful, but having put in extra effort to dress up, she looked absolutely stunning.
Gu Qingyan wore a suit. As a young gentleman from high society, he was already quite handsome without any effort. With a bit of grooming, he was simply breathtaking.
They were the perfect picture of a talented man and a beautiful woman.
Their relationship was already common knowledge.
It seemed some people were truly born to be the center of attention.
The moment they appeared, it felt as if the entire convention center had brightened up.
Being good-looking certainly had its advantages.
The other kindergarten principals all felt inadequate in comparison.
They had dressed up for the occasion, but they simply couldn't compete with the youthful charm of this couple.
As soon as the organizer saw Shen Wei arrive, he immediately stood up and walked several steps forward to greet her, shaking her hand.
He exchanged pleasantries, saying, "Oh, your Starry Sky Kindergarten is quite the sensation. Our colleagues in the new district all say that since Starry Sky moved in, the area has been booming. Colleagues from other districts are so envious, they're all hoping you'll open a branch in their area someday."
Shen Wei replied, "We'll see about that in the future." Mainly because their current resources were limited.
The organizer added, "Yes, if you were to open a kindergarten, people would flock to it in droves."
The other kindergarten owners listened intently.
At that moment, they felt a bitter taste in their mouths.
It was true, they struggled to recruit students, with no new enrollments coming in.
But when Starry Sky opened its second branch, they had over 200,000 applicants during their live stream enrollment event, slapping everyone else in the face.
It wasn't that there were no potential students; it was that the students weren't choosing them.
This realization dejected many of them.
But it was precisely that incident that made them truly respect Starry Sky.
Now at the meeting, they rehashed familiar topics: "We must continue to strive for excellence. Kindergartens are the smallest unit of education. Children are not only the hope of their families but also the hope of our nation!"
Suddenly, they were elevating the importance of their role.
The hope was that they would take comprehensive care of every child.
Beyond that, those with the ability should take on more responsibility. If they didn't have that sense of responsibility, they shouldn't be in this business.
Being in the same circle, they had heard through various channels about the recent incidents at the welfare institute.
They were all quite shaken by it.
Since then, waves of inspections had been initiated from the top down.
Welfare institute kindergartens, in particular, were key inspection targets.
As well as various charitable organizations.
There were strict inspections from top to bottom, to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Everyone had originally thought this kindergarten association meeting would just be about chatting and socializing.
They didn't expect to be severely lectured by the organizers in the end.
But sensing the change in atmosphere, the organizer added, "Of course, I'm just laying out the hard truths upfront. But I believe that everyone who has been in this business for so many years must be full of passion and love for the kindergarten industry."
"Next, I plan to elect a president for the kindergarten association, and then we'll go have dinner."
Shen Wei had thought she was just here to make an appearance.
When it came time to elect the president, she didn't even participate in the campaign. But everyone unanimously voted for her, wanting her to be the president.
Starry Sky Kindergarten was their competitor.
But gradually, it had already transcended their league.
They were running far ahead of the others.
Moreover, for an official association, if Shen Wei wasn't the president, it would be awkward for anyone else to take the position. Who else could manage Starry Sky?
Shen Wei was completely taken aback: "I'm not up to the task. I believe there are many who are more capable, and I'm currently focusing on charity work. There might be times when I can't give full attention to kindergarten matters."
The organizer laughed heartily and said, "It's precisely because your previous charity work has inspired many others to start doing charity as well. This is a very good phenomenon."
"Besides, our association isn't that busy. We just have a meal together once a year. Since everyone trusts you so much, you shouldn't refuse anymore."
Others chimed in, "That's right, that's right."
"If Starry Sky doesn't become the president of the kindergarten association, who else has the ability to do it?"
Perhaps Noble Kindergarten might have had a fighting chance before, but now they were also in decline.
"Yes, yes, this position can only be filled by Starry Sky."
The people from Noble Kindergarten turned pale, but the tide had already turned.
Struggling against it would only invite ridicule, so they could only quietly try to hide in the background.
The rival they once looked down upon had now crushed them and become an even more formidable existence.
It really gave people an indescribable feeling.
So, under the persuasion of all her peers and the leaders, Shen Wei reluctantly accepted the position.
The organizer, as if afraid she might change her mind, quickly took photos. They had material to write about for this issue.
Shen Wei unexpectedly became a leader.
When she got back, she told Liu Chef.
Liu Chef looked proud. He had a filter when it came to Shen Wei.
He felt that Shen Wei excelled at everything she did.
In his opinion, they had found the right person by choosing Shen Wei as the president.
Shen Wei was both amused and exasperated by his confident attitude.
