Gan Lan bounced out of bed in a panic. She had overslept, only waking up when she received a message from Professor Ye. After the gathering broke up last night, she had gotten addicted to scrolling through the school forum and completely lost track of time.
She didn’t have classes this morning, so she hadn’t bothered getting up on time. She wondered why Professor Ye was looking for her. Shaking her head, she threw on her clothes and hastily fixed her hair. Once she was decent, she headed out the door.
Inside Ye Lanyu’s office.
"Dean, I’ve called Gan Lan over. May I ask what this is about?" Ye Lanyu’s eyes were filled with doubt. She swept her gaze over the several teachers sitting in the conference room, pausing briefly when she saw Liang Cong, before turning back to ask the elderly man seated at the head of the table.
The elderly man waved his hand without a word, gesturing for Ye Lanyu to wait. Then, he fell silent. Seeing this, Ye Lanyu couldn’t say anything more.
When Gan Lan arrived at the office, she was met with this quiet scene. There was a white-haired, stern-faced elderly man she had seen before at the assembly hall plaza. There were also two others she had seen in Professor Ye’s office. One was tall and thin with a pale complexion, looking gentle and refined. The other was slightly plump with a protruding belly; he was smiling and seemed very amiable. She hadn’t seen the other two teachers before, so she reserved her judgment.
Upon entering, Gan Lan greeted everyone one by one, then looked questioningly at Professor Ye, who was sitting next to the elderly man.
Ye Lanyu stood up, took Gan Lan by the arm, and introduced her to the elderly man. "Dean, this is Gan Lan. You’ve met her."
Gan Lan froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected this person to be the dean. Seeing him at the Culinary Department’s assembly hall plaza before, she had made some guesses, wondering which big shot he was. Despite her surprise, a bright smile bloomed on her face. "Hello, Dean! You were looking for me?"
The elderly man nodded, carefully observing the young girl in front of him. She looked malnourished with a slightly sallow complexion and was rather short, but she looked much better than she did in her admission profile.
"I called you here today to ask about your thoughts on how the school handled Zhao Mengru. Are you satisfied?" The elderly man picked up the water cup on the table, took a sip, and waited for Gan Lan to answer.
"...Are you just asking about that? I’m very satisfied—in fact, I’m quite happy. I even invited a few friends over for a celebration party yesterday."
Gan Lan spoke her mind honestly. Pleading for leniency on Zhao Mengru’s behalf was out of the question. People could say she was ruthless for her age if they wanted. After all, Zhao Mengru was responsible for the original owner’s death. Expelling her was getting off easy. However, given Zhao Mengru’s personality, she would probably still try to find ways to cause trouble for her even after being expelled. Just thinking about it was somewhat annoying.
The elderly man hadn’t expected the young girl to answer so bluntly. His stern face softened a bit. "That’s good. There are a few other things I’d like to discuss with you.
"Regarding the video of you publicly sharing the recipes and teaching the cooking methods at the assembly hall plaza yesterday, the school wants to edit your segment and make it available for students who are interested in learning. Of course, if you’re unwilling, the school will lock the video and prevent it from spreading. Every time the video is downloaded, it will cost one Credit Point, and all of it will go to you. What do you think?"
The elderly man looked up. "The school is also willing to offer five million Credit Points as a reward. It’s to acknowledge your selflessness in publicly sharing the recipes and even teaching them live, and to properly reward you. This is the first matter."
Gan Lan... Gan Lan couldn’t quite process it. The amount of information was a bit overwhelming; she needed a moment to sort it out. She would get paid for the video, and there was a five-million reward! Oh my God, was she going to be rich?
Although it was only one Credit Point per video download, there were tens of millions of people in the school. Even if only a small fraction downloaded it, the Credit Points would be substantial.
Gan Lan nodded, a genuinely radiant smile breaking out on her face. "Of course I’m willing! Thank you, Dean!" she said loudly.
The elderly man nodded in satisfaction, feeling somewhat gratified. The Culinary Department at Mingyang Comprehensive School had been in decline for far too long. Now that they finally had a promising seedling, they naturally had to do their utmost to keep her happy.
"Also, do you need the school to help you apply for patents for these recipes you’ve made public using your identity? If you don’t apply, I’m afraid some opportunistic people might beat you to it. By then, these will no longer belong to you. This was mentioned in your Culinary Department classes." Out of appreciation for her talent, the elderly man kindly reminded Gan Lan.
Gan Lan genuinely didn’t know. She had heard of it before but hadn’t paid it any mind. After all, in her original era, everyone knew how to make these dishes, and there were countless ways to cook them.
Pinching her hands nervously, Gan Lan asked, "Then if I apply for the patents myself, does that mean others won’t be able to learn or make them?"
The elderly man wasn’t surprised by this question. Judging from this student’s actions, she didn’t like to hoard knowledge. He replied, "Logically speaking, yes. However, the inventor can also state after applying that others are allowed to learn it, but it cannot be used for commercial operations."
Gan Lan asked again, "Then can the patents be applied for under the school’s name? But I have a condition: it must state that people can learn them and also use them for commercial operations. Is that possible? Furthermore, the origin must be listed as ’Huaxia’. Would that be okay?"
The elderly man was surprised, but all of these requests were permissible. Did this young girl not know how much she stood to gain after applying for the patents? The resulting wealth would be enough for her to live a life of incredible luxury. He proceeded to explain these benefits clearly, afraid she didn’t understand. The teachers, who had previously been acting as quiet background fixtures, also chimed in one after another, afraid that Gan Lan was being foolish.
Hearing this, Gan Lan felt slightly tempted. But as for money, she had the ability to earn it; she didn’t want to obtain it this way. Moreover, these recipes weren’t created by Gan Lan herself. They came from Huaxia, a place with a profound and extensive culinary culture.
"Thank you for the reminder, Dean and teachers, but I have already thought this through carefully. I want to see the presence of Huaxia cuisine all over the Federation Star System," Gan Lan said earnestly.
The elderly man looked at the young girl with gratification, his softened face completely devoid of its earlier sternness.
The other teachers couldn’t say anything more after hearing this. Everyone had their own choices, and Gan Lan’s choice was to benefit the people of the Federation. While this was very noble, they had still needed to fulfill their duty of warning her. This young girl truly possessed great awareness. She was smart, too, knowing that she couldn’t protect such a massive fortune on her own and seeking the school’s protection instead. However, this was also the elderly man’s original goal.
The elderly man stood up and patted Gan Lan on the shoulder in approval. "Alright, we will do as you say."
After thinking for a moment, Gan Lan added, "If I create other recipes in the future, I hope to also apply for patents under the school’s name using the word ’Huaxia’. Is that okay?"
The elderly man nodded in agreement. This young girl had a bright future ahead of her. As for why she wanted to use the name ’Huaxia’, he was somewhat curious but didn’t want to pry. Perhaps it was simply a word the young girl liked.
Gan Lan breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t expected it to be so troublesome, but now that everything was resolved and she was getting paid, she wondered if today was her lucky day.
Looking at the young girl who wore all her thoughts on her face, the corners of the elderly man’s mouth curled up. "There’s one more thing. Are you interested in going to Banan Star to participate in a competition?"
His expression returned to being solemn and somewhat heavy. "The Culinary Department hasn’t updated its recipes in fifty years, leading to fewer and fewer new student enrollments. Now, because of your appearance, several new recipes have suddenly been added. If you’re willing to participate in this competition, I believe that with your skills, you can definitely restore the school’s reputation, which should attract more freshmen next year. Of course, the school has also been researching new recipes over these past few decades, but the results have largely been subpar.
"Naturally, if you’re not willing, that’s fine too. The school won’t force any student," the elderly man sighed, picking up his water cup to take a sip and moisten his throat.
Of course Gan Lan was willing. She could go to another planet, spread Huaxia cuisine, and raise its popularity. Only a fool would refuse such a good thing! It was killing several birds with one stone. She was hitting the jackpot!
Gan Lan nodded quickly, somewhat impatient. "I’m willing, I’m willing! Dean, of course I’m willing. When do we go?"
This answer was beyond the elderly man’s expectations, but he still replied, "In a month. I’ll have Ye Lanyu notify you. For now, go back and get some rest. There’s no rush regarding the competition."
Walking out of the office, Gan Lan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Talking under the intense gazes of several teachers had still made her somewhat uncomfortable.