Fang Yunbao seemed particularly interested in gossip, and through her words, Cheng You learned about the school from beginning to end.
Ten years later, the school was rebuilt, which was like starting from scratch, but slightly better than zero.
The school not only focused on students' academic performance but also planned to establish extracurricular interest clubs, which required students to organize themselves voluntarily.
As for how to operate them, they needed to figure it out themselves.
So, many students were eager to try.
"Cheng You, is there any club you'd like to join?"
Cheng You twirled her pen and asked, "What clubs does the school have now?"
"Piano, choir, art..."
They were indeed all interest-based hobbies.
Cheng You shook her head. She didn't know how to do any of them.
"Forget it, I don't want to join any."
She didn't have time to learn these things right now.
"You don't, like me, know how to do any of these, do you?" Fang Yunbao asked.
Cheng You nodded, "I don't know how to do any of them, I've never learned."
Fang Yunbao seemed to have found a companion and happily held her hand.
"It's okay, if we don't know how, we can learn together. Clubs aren't just for people who already know how. We who don't can learn by paying the fee. Most students don't know how. Unlike Feng Xue, she sings, dances, plays the piano, and paints. She seems to know a little bit of everything. She's clearly the daughter of a capitalist."
Cheng You refused, "Sorry, Yunbao, I don't have time to learn this, so I can't join a club with you."
Although Fang Yunbao was a bit disappointed, she didn't say anything.
"It's okay, I'll go learn by myself."
However, she was still curious about what Cheng You was doing that kept her so busy.
After a morning of classes, everyone headed straight to the cafeteria.
Fortunately, this time, Cheng You didn't uncharacteristically refuse and went to the cafeteria with them.
The university subsidies were too low; it was good enough to eat your fill, and very few people could eat well.
Cheng You was among the few who could spend several meal tickets to get dishes.
She wasn't accustomed to sharing the food on her plate, so she took another bowl and served some braised pork to Fang Yunbao and the other two roommates, and brought it over.
"Let's eat together." She placed the bowl of braised pork in the middle.
Only after Fang Yunbao took the first piece did the other two students follow suit.
Those who had been hesitant to talk to Cheng You now became more talkative.
One was named Lin Yutian, and the other was Cao Yanyan.
Lin Yutian came from a less well-off family and often just got a meal to eat with preserved vegetables brought from home.
Such a diet over the long term was bound to take a toll on her health.
"Cheng You, are you going back to the dorm later?"
Cheng You shook her head, "Probably not. If I have classes in the afternoon, I usually go back to rest."
Fang Yunbao was a little disappointed. She wanted to have a good chat with this generous and wealthy new roommate.
After finishing her meal, Cheng You left the school and went to the Agricultural Research Institute.
She mainly wanted to ask about the handling of Zhou Qi's case.
The gatekeeper at the Agricultural Research Institute was already familiar with her and knew she was Professor Zhao's honored guest. He didn't dare to stop her and let her in directly.
Cheng You walked in unimpeded and, halfway through, saw Zhou Qi coming out with some items.
His face was ashen, and it looked like he had been kicked out.
At the same time, he saw Cheng You and gritted his teeth, striding towards her.
With a bang, he threw the box in his hand onto the ground.
"Cheng You, are you satisfied!"
Cheng You clasped her hands in front of her, looked at him calmly, and shook her head slightly.
"Not satisfied."
Just expelling him wasn't enough to satisfy her.
Zhou Qi shouted angrily, "Then what else do you want! Qi Chengyan is such a coward. He didn't dare to retaliate against me himself, so he sent a woman to do it."
If Cheng You had water in her hands, she would have splashed it on his face by now.
Zhou Qi didn't look like someone who admitted his mistake at all.
"You stole my ginseng, shouldn't you pay the price? It seems the Agricultural Research Institute only expelled you and didn't impose any other punishment, which truly disappoints me."
Then she would have to report it to the police herself.
"No, no! Cheng You, don't misunderstand. We explained it to him. If the ginseng isn't returned, it must be compensated at market price." Li Meiqi ran in from outside.
But Cao Jingui was worried about affecting the reputation of the Agricultural Research Institute and intended to let Cheng You report it to the police herself.
By then, Zhou Qi would no longer be their staff, and it would be up to him whether he went to jail or not.
Cheng You nodded, "Then I'll report it to the police? Your Agricultural Research Institute will cooperate with the investigation, right?"
Li Meiqi nodded heavily, "Yes, Professor Zhao said that this is not only your property but also national research achievements, and it must be taken seriously."
"That's good then."
Hearing their conversation, Zhou Qi realized they intended to send him to jail.
He had initially thought that expulsion was the biggest punishment.
"Cheng You, you... you can't do this! If you dare to report it to the police, Mom won't let you off!"
Cheng You really didn't want to talk to this idiot anymore. She said goodbye to Li Meiqi and walked out on her own.
She would go home and make a call to report the crime as soon as possible.
Zhou Qi, not even bothering with his things on the ground, quickly chased after her.
"What do you mean? We're family, how can you make such a big fuss? Don't you think it's embarrassing?"
He reached out to grab Cheng You's arm, but she slapped him with her backhand.
She had had enough!
After the slap, she glared at Zhou Qi, her words sharp, "If a thief like you doesn't feel ashamed, why should I? Don't talk about going home to find your mother. Even if you hadn't said it, I would have proactively told your parents! You stole my ginseng and then blame me for making a fuss. Didn't you feel like you were breaking the law when you were stealing?"
She wondered how Song Qinglan had raised her child to produce someone like Zhou Qi.
He was rotten to the core!
"If you don't return the ginseng, you'll pay! Oh right, I forgot to tell you, Professor Zhao appraised my ginseng. It can sell for at least ten thousand. If you don't have the money to compensate, then go to jail. I won't go easy on you."
Cheng You strode out of the Agricultural Research Institute.
She kept her word and went directly to the police station to report it, and no one could stop her.
Zhou Qi, with nowhere else to go, could only "go home to find his mother" as Cheng You had said.
Besides Song Qinglan, he really didn't know anyone else who could help him.
He ran as fast as he could, afraid that if he was a moment slower, he would be handcuffed by the police, and he wouldn't even have a chance to ask for help.
By the time Cheng You came out of the police station, Zhou Qi had already disappeared.
The gatekeeper also reminded her, "Zhou Qi probably went home."
Cheng You nodded, "I know. The police will come to understand the situation later. Please cooperate and let them in to see Professor Zhao."
"No problem."
After giving the instructions, Cheng You left and went home.
There was nothing more she could do. She just had to wait for the results at home.