Chapter 30: Real and Fake Universities (Completed)

After wiping the mud off his face, He Changyi finally recognized the disheveled young man as the international student she had met on the train before.

"Xiao Zhao, you should still be in school, right? What are you doing at the train station instead of staying at school?"

Xiao Zhao wiped his face and said, feeling wronged:

"The ruble is falling too fast, and the money I brought from home isn't enough..."

Some middlemen didn't trust the black porters, so they hired these poor international students to help move goods at the train station, paying them 100 rubles per bag.

However, the train station was a mixed bag of people, and these young, inexperienced individuals were quickly targeted by the local Gypsy pickpockets.

If He Changyi hadn't happened to pass by, they would not only have had their goods robbed, but they would also have been taken to the police station and locked in a small dark room by biased police officers.

However, He Changyi made it clear that she wanted to get involved in this matter, so the corrupt police didn't dare to go too far. After all, she was a guest of Director Brok and his dear "old friend Zhong Guo".

Without the backing of corrupt police officers, the Gypsy thieves are no longer as arrogant as before.

Seeing that they couldn't gain any advantage, they exchanged a glance, then suddenly scattered and disappeared into the crowd.

Several young people sat blankly on the muddy ground, not quite realizing what had happened before it was all over.

The owner of the goods, who had been hiding in the crowd, then showed himself, pointing at the leather jacket on the ground and shouting.

"I hired you to move this stuff, and this is how you move it? Look at this! Look at this! What a mess these brand new leather jackets are in now! How can they even sell?! You're going to lose money!"

Xiao Zhao hurriedly offered his explanation:

"It wasn't us, it was those robbers who tore the bag apart..."

The cargo owner persisted, saying:

"Why don't you catch them? They've all vanished without a trace. Who am I supposed to look for? I don't care. I paid you to do this, so you have to take responsibility! Either you pay me three thousand rubles for each leather jacket, or you buy all of these jackets!"

Xiao Zhao and the others were almost in tears.

They came to the train station to do manual labor because they had no money. Where would they get the money to compensate the cargo owners?

They wouldn't be carrying heavy loads in Oros if they weren't so desperately poor.

After all, before going abroad, some of them were soon-to-be college students with writing skills, while others were junior leaders in offices. Their families were all quite well-off, and they had never done this kind of physical labor before.

"You're bullying us! It's clearly those bad guys' fault, so why are you insisting we pay compensation? If we hadn't fought so hard to get the package back, these leather jackets would have been stolen long ago..."

The cargo owners, however, ignored all that and only bullied the weak and feared the strong.

"Are you going to pay me back or not? If you don't, I'll report you to your school and make sure none of you can stay in school!"

Hearing this, Xiao Zhao and the others said, feeling wronged:

"We're all from China, how could you do this..."

The cargo owner said fiercely:

"What about me? Paying back debts is a matter of course. You'd better pay up and stop wasting my time!"

He Changyi couldn't listen any longer and raised his voice to ask:

Why didn't you step forward just now?

The cargo owner didn't react immediately and subconsciously asked:

"What?"

He Changyi asked him:

"These young people were fighting tooth and nail with the thief for the package, and it was full of your goods. Why didn't you join them in the fight?"

The cargo owner was speechless.

"I...I...didn't I already pay?"

He Changyi abruptly interrupted him.

"You paid for moving the goods, but not for protecting them. Logically speaking, if even you, the owner of the goods, value your life and are unwilling to protect your own goods, then these temporary movers have even less reason to protect your goods for you."

The shipper opened his mouth and tried to explain:

"I handed the goods over to them, so they should deliver them to the destination! Do you think 100 rubles is so easy to get?!"

He Changyi smiled contemptuously.

"One hundred rubles? That's a lot of money. But as far as I know, foreign porters at the train station charge at least two hundred rubles for each package they move. Why are you only taking advantage of your fellow countrymen?"

Before the cargo owner could offer any further excuses, He Changyi's face turned cold, and he said loudly:

"It was the Gypsy thieves who stole your goods, they tore your duffel bags, and they got your leather jackets dirty, not these international students who got covered in mud and bruises trying to help you get your goods back! Unless you want to stage a story like the farmer and the snake or the farmer and the wolf in Oslo, your behavior is utterly ungrateful!"

The cargo owner looked extremely upset, while Xiao Zhao and the others showed expressions of grievance that could no longer be contained after being understood.

He Changyi paused briefly, then continued:

“You want compensation? Fine, that’s only natural—but you’ve got the wrong target. Look around, the Gypsy thieves are hiding in the crowd. You can ask them for compensation right now. You can even call the police, of course, provided you don’t end up like these unlucky little guys who get punched by the cops.”

The cargo owner, feeling guilty, muttered a complaint:

"Do you think I'm stupid? Going to these thieves for money... If you're so capable, why don't you go and ask them for it yourself..."

He dared not approach the Gypsy thieves, much less the police; those guys were local bullies at the train station, and they were very difficult to deal with.

If he gets registered with them, he can forget about ever entering and leaving the train station peacefully again.

I was originally going to blame this on those silly students, but it seems like that's not going to work now.

The sucker flew away like a cooked duck. The owner wondered to himself, where did these poor international students get to know this formidable woman?

I've never heard of such a person hiding among international students...

While pondering He Changyi's identity, the cargo owner ordered Xiao Zhao and the others to move the remaining goods to the designated location.

To his surprise, Xiao Zhao glanced at He Changyi, then exchanged a look with his companions. As if they had reached a consensus, they all threw the package on the ground at the same time.

The cargo owner cried out in distress:

"Hey, what are you doing? My goods!"

Xiao Zhao said loudly:

"We quit! Go find whoever you want, we can't afford that 100 rubles wage!"

The cargo owner is now really worried.

"Don't go! We can talk this over. I'll give you 150 rubles... 200, 300! Any more than that would be going too far. We're all compatriots; you can't take advantage of our misfortune!"

Xiao Zhao and the others ignored him, walked up to He Changyi, and bowed to her in unison.

"Sister He, thank you! If we hadn't met you today, we would have been in big trouble."

The cargo owners behind her widened their eyes in surprise when they heard the name "Sister He".

Sister He?

Is she the incredibly awesome, capable, and high-earning woman he had heard about before?

He had always wanted to befriend this legendary female speculator, but had never had the chance to meet her. Today, he finally met her in person.

But wait, did he just offend someone...?

"Sister He, Sister He, wait a moment, there might be a misunderstanding between us, that's not what I meant..."

He Changyi pretended not to hear and said with a smile to Xiao Zhao and the others:

"Alright, let's go, I'll take you back to school."

He Changyi hailed a taxi on the roadside, and the group took the taxi to Moscow State Linguistic University.

Upon seeing He Changyi again, the group chattered excitedly, pouring out everything that had happened since they parted ways.

The school sent a car to pick up the international students and take them to the campus located in the suburbs.

Under the guidance of Teacher Cai, the international students completed their enrollment procedures with anticipation and excitement, and met Sherikovsky, the Emirati counselor and head of international students.

The school is a typical Eiffel Tower-style building, with a quiet birch forest, open meadows, and a huge lake where swans roam.

However, the international students' excitement lasted only until the moment they opened the dormitory door.

Even though more than half a year has passed, Xiao Zhao is still furious when talking about this matter.

"The school's recruitment advertisements said that the dormitory environment was exceptionally good, with two people per room, a color TV, carpet, and sofa, a hundred times better than university dormitories in China. But when we arrived at the dormitory, there was no color TV or sofa at all; it was all a lie!"

Another young man added angrily:

"The dormitory environment was terrible, like a large dormitory with one broken wire bed for each person. The desks were covered with uneven marks, the stools only had three legs, and there was a lot of cobwebs in the corner. I don't know how long no one has lived here."

Faced with a terrible dormitory environment that was completely different from what was advertised, the international students went to Mr. Cai, the admissions officer, to demand an explanation.

However, after sending the person to the language university, Teacher Cai seemed to disappear, and it was rare to find him in his office.

With no other option, the international students went to their Emirati counselor, Sherikovsky.

Sherikovsky was extremely impatient and dismissed the students with the high-sounding question, "Are you here to study or to enjoy yourself?"

The international students could only console themselves by saying that they came here to study, so it didn't matter if the conditions were tough. As long as they could get their diplomas from the university in Japan, they would have plenty of time to enjoy life back home.

In such a difficult environment, the international students encouraged each other.

"If you feel bitter, think of the Long March; if you feel tired, think of the revolutionary veterans!"

But the problem isn't just the dormitory environment.

The school cafeteria only allows international students to eat lunch every day; they are responsible for their own breakfast and dinner.

Fortunately, there was a communal kitchen in the student dormitory, where more than twenty international students took turns cooking every day to barely fill their stomachs.

Unfortunately, the ruble has plummeted recently, and prices in Russia have skyrocketed. They can only afford the cheapest potatoes and cabbages. Apart from the occasional treat in the canteen, they haven't had a proper meat meal in more than half a year.

Xiao Zhao said, "Sister He, it's not that we can't endure hardship, but we can't let people lose all hope. We came here to learn, but the school doesn't teach anything, and the teachers are just there to collect their salaries. Moreover, the textbooks the school gives us are not only old, but everyone has a different version. For so long, we've been almost entirely on our own."

The other young people were also quite frustrated when this was mentioned.

"My parents sold their house to pay for my studies abroad, but I didn't learn anything..."

"If I had known that foreign countries were like this, I would have preferred to stay in China and attend a technical school. At least I wouldn't have had to spend so much money, and I could have gone home to have a reunion dinner with my parents during the Spring Festival."

“If the school hadn’t refused to refund my tuition, I would have gone back to China long ago. But for the sake of 10,000 yuan, I’m determined to get this diploma.”

He Changyi felt sorry for them; the young people were so thin and pale from hunger that they looked completely different from when they parted ways at the train station.

He Changyi thought of the round-faced girl in the same private room and asked her how she was doing.

"You mean Yuan Yuanyuan? She's gone from having a round face to a V-shaped face from starving. Before coming to Eros, she said she wanted to lose weight and become as slim as the cover girl of Popular Cinema. Now she doesn't mention that anymore. She just stares at the swans in the school lake every day, drooling, and dreams about stewing goose in an iron pot!"

He Changyi chuckled upon hearing this and said that when they arrived at school, they should have their classmates come out, and she would treat them to a good meal.

Several young people on the bus cheered and shouted, "Sister He, hooray!"

The Eguo driver looked over in surprise in the rearview mirror, probably not understanding why "hejie" was added before "Ula". Was this some new trend among young people?

The taxi finally stopped in front of a twelve-story building. He Changyi glanced at it and saw the name of the university, "Mosk State University," on the sign in front of the building. He then paid the fare and got out of the car.

The young people were stunned.

"Sister He, this doesn't seem to be our school..."

"Did the taxi driver take the wrong route?"

“Our school is in the suburbs, and we don’t have any teaching buildings that tall…”

He Changyi pointed to the sign at the entrance and said, puzzled:

"This sign says 'Mosk State Linguistic University.' Is it because you've never been to this area before that it feels a bit unfamiliar?"

The young people followed He Changyi into the campus with some skepticism.

The school covers a large area and has a quiet environment. Students of all skin colors come and go, and some of the older teachers look scholarly, elegant and reserved.

He Changyi looked around the campus and wondered if he should take a short-term language course when he had some free time.

She is self-taught in Ethnic language; she can listen and read but not write, and her grammar is a mess. Although she can communicate fluently with Ethnic people, if she had the opportunity to learn it systematically, she wouldn't be embarrassed in any big situation.

"He, Sister He..."

Just as He Changyi was pondering the details of the class, Xiao Zhao's anxious words interrupted her thoughts.

"This really doesn't seem like our school..."

Several young people wore expressions of panic that they themselves were unaware of.

It's like reaching the end of a misty forest, only to find a bottomless cliff in front of you.

He Changyi asked him:

Are you sure?

After discussing it with his companions for a while, Xiao Zhao finally gave an affirmative answer.

"Yes, I'm sure."

He Changyi's expression changed slightly; she knew what was going on.

Several young people looked at her uneasily. They probably realized the problem, but were unwilling to expose it.

"Let's go, we'll go to your 'school' now."

After hailing several taxis, one driver finally knew the location of the National Language University in the suburbs that Xiao Zhao had mentioned.

On the way, the driver asked curiously:

"That's a branch campus of a language university. All the students are local students on tuition. I haven't heard of any branch campus recruiting foreign students. Why do you want to go there?"

The young people only half understood what He Changyi was saying, and He Changyi sighed silently in his heart.

Those unlucky kids.

When the taxi arrived at the so-called "National Language University," it seemed much older and had a sense of decay from a bygone era compared to the previous universities.

The students coming and going were indeed mostly Slavs with high noses and deep-set eyes; it was rare to see international students of different skin colors.

Xiao Zhao and his friends hurriedly led He Changyi to the dormitory. As soon as they opened the door, the students inside, who were engrossed in studying their old textbooks, all looked over.

"Why are you only getting back now... Sister He?"

"It's Sister He!"

"Come here quickly, everyone! Sister He is here!"

It felt like they were back on the train, with the meerkats happily surrounding He Changyi, chattering away.

Yuan Yuanyuan, the round-faced little girl—right, now she's an oval-faced little girl—squeezed to the front of the crowd and affectionately took He Changyi's arm.

"Sister He, it's great to see you! I thought I wouldn't be able to see you again until I returned to China!"

He Changyi touched her braid, which had clearly turned yellow and brittle, and said in a loud voice:

"Is everyone here? Close the door, I have something to tell you all."

The meerkats, without a second thought, slammed the door shut, nearly trapping someone who had missed their chance in the crack.

He Changyi gestured with his chin to Xiao Zhao, indicating that he could speak.

Xiao Zhao couldn't wait to shout loudly:

"Students, we've been fooled! This isn't a real language university at all!"

The meerkats froze, then turned to look at He Changyi in unison.

He Changyi didn't speak, but simply nodded in confirmation.

The crowd suddenly erupted into a clamor.

"What? It's not a language university? Then will our diplomas still be useful back in China?"

"Are you crazy? They're all fake schools, so their diplomas are definitely fake too. How could they possibly be useful?"

"So all our tuition fees went to this fake school? But Teacher Cai said it's the Moscow Language University..."

"What good could that guy surnamed Cai be? Have you forgotten how he tried to extort money from us in various ways on the train?"

"No wonder we've been in school for half a year and haven't learned anything. We were tricked into coming to a fake school!"

"The recruitment advertisements were incredibly enticing, and I told them I couldn't believe them. But my parents insisted that everything in the newspapers was true, and they even borrowed money to send me here. Now look what's happened, it's all gone to waste..."

The international students were in chaos; some were cursing, some were crying, and some refused to believe it.

"Impossible! I'm going to find Teacher Cai. I want to ask him in person whether this is really a language university!"

The speaker was a tall, strong young man. Ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, he yanked open the door and ran out.

Xiao Zhao asked He Changyi anxiously:

"Sister He, what should we do?"

Amidst the panicked gazes of the crowd, He Changyi was the first to step out the door, turning to ask:

Where is the principal's office?

A group of twenty people arrived at the principal's office in a grand procession, startling the secretary at the door.

As the best person in Emei language, He Changyi was responsible for negotiating with the principal.

The principal was a serious and stubborn middle-aged man, as thin as a bamboo pole, and his suit looked loose on him.

"This is of course the Moscow State Language University. Although it is a branch campus, it is not much different from the main campus. Since you are students, you should focus on your studies instead of complaining about the campus environment."

He Changyi listened patiently to his long-winded explanation and then asked:

Are you familiar with the South Korean students at the school?

The principal frowned and said:

"International students? Aren't they here for a mid-term training course? I remember these students can only stay until March; they should be preparing to leave the school now."

Xiao Zhao understood a few words of Emei language and said eagerly:

"But your recruitment advertisement said it was a one-year program, and we were supposed to receive our graduation certificates in June before we needed to leave school!"

The principal was very displeased with the young man from Zhongguo who had interrupted him. He glared at him and said rudely:

"A graduation certificate? You only paid 70,000 rubles in tuition; you can't even get a certificate of completion, let alone a graduation certificate!"

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving the international students present completely stunned.

"What? You don't have a graduation certificate?"

"Then all my schooling was for nothing?"

"Without a diploma, does that mean we can't go to the public university in Moscow?"

“But we paid $1,000 plus 3,000 RMB in tuition fees, so it can’t possibly only be 70,000 rubles!”

Even at an exchange rate of 1:300 USD to ruble, the tuition fee would be nearly 430,000 rubles, far exceeding 70,000 rubles.

The principal was already very impatient and said curtly:

"Only the mid-term training course costs 70,000 rubles! If you have any questions, go find the person who brought you here, instead of blocking my office door!"

The international students, of course, refused to leave. They were determined to get to the bottom of this today: how did the promised one-year program with a graduation certificate turn into a mid-term training course without a certificate of completion?

Amid the chaos, the principal angrily made a phone call. A moment later, several burly school security guards arrived and ruthlessly expelled the international students from the office building.

Standing in the cold outdoors, the international students were pale-faced, unable to believe the devastating news.

"My family is still heavily in debt because of my going abroad..."

"How am I going to tell my parents that ten thousand yuan is just gone like that? If I had known... if I had known, I shouldn't have come!"

He Changyi was surrounded in the center of the crowd, and the panicked meerkats regarded her as their only savior.

"Sister He, what do you suggest we do?"

Just then, the tall, strong boy who had gone to find Teacher Cai returned.

"Professor Cai isn't in his office, and no one's in his dorm either... I just ran into Sherikovsky on the street. He said he'd help us find Professor Cai and told us to go back to our dorm and wait there, and not go anywhere else!"

The international students got excited.

"Why wait? What if that guy surnamed Cai runs away? Let's go find him; he must know the truth!"

"Yes, if he doesn't give us a clear explanation, we'll call the police and have him arrested!"

"Let's go, let's go to the police station right now!"

He Changyi suddenly spoke up:

"Wait a moment."

The meerkats asked curiously:

"Sister He, what are we waiting for?"

He Changyi looked at the several burly men from Emei who were approaching from not far away, and who seemed to have ill intentions.

"I don't think we'll be able to leave the campus today."

A Chinese man of medium build strode over aggressively, pointing at the international students and hurling insults in broken Chinese:

"Sukabul! You bunch of Zhongguo bastards, who gave you permission to cause trouble in the principal's office?! All of you get back to your dorms, or you'll regret it!"

Xiao Zhao said angrily:

"Mr. Sherikovsky, how can you say that? Mr. Cai lied to us, and we're going to settle accounts with him. This has nothing to do with the school, and it has even less to do with you. Please get out of my way!"

Sherikovsky said somberly:

"If you dare disobey me, don't even think about surviving in Mosk. I have connections in the underworld; killing you is just a matter of a word! Now, get back to your dorms right now! And then obediently go back to China in March, or else I'll show you just how deep the Mosk River is!"

The international students were shocked and frightened upon hearing this.

They had never seen such wicked people before. The greatest danger they had ever faced in their lives was almost being robbed on a train, but now someone was openly threatening their lives, saying they would kill them.

The person speaking was an acquaintance. Although Sherikovsky was not usually very friendly and often bossed them around, his current appearance, like a demon revealed beneath a painted mask, made him even more unacceptable.

Sherikovsky did more than just talk.

He brought along several Slavic thugs who looked menacing, and they shoved and pushed the international students back to their dormitories.

If anyone tried to resist, they would brandish knives and pretend to stab them.

He Changyi stood in front of the reckless young man, grabbed the thug's wrist holding the knife, and slowly pressed his hand down.

"Don't be impulsive, we'll go back to the dorm."

Sherikovsky was drawn to the commotion, but he didn't recognize He Changyi and impatiently said in Ethnic language:

"Don't let anyone die here. I don't want to explain this to the police."

The international students were herded back to their dormitories like sheep. With a bang, the door was slammed shut, and several thugs stood guard at the entrance.

The atmosphere in the dormitory was bleak. Some people sighed incessantly, some sobbed in despair, and others kicked the corner of the wall angrily, only to be threatened by the thugs to keep their voices down.

Yuan Yuanyuan asked, sobbing:

"Sister He, are we going to be locked up until we can go back to China?"

He Changyi touched her back; she was so thin that she was just skin and bones.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

She pulled a brick—no, a cell phone—from her coat pocket and slowly dialed a number.

"Hello, I need to order a 'Mafia Meal'."

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Author's Note: Hugs and spins all the lovely commenters~ Love you all~