Chapter 609: All Her Secrets Chapter 609 by Chestnut

Chapter 609 The Agricultural Sciences Institute

After wrapping things up in Casier, Catherine tagged along with Branden back to Loxton. Catherine couldn’t stay away from Styre University too long. There was schoolwork waiting for her.

Unlike the others, Catherine went straight to the lab upon her return. She just needed to check back in at the lab.

At Styre University, only Catherine could do this. After all, not everyone could get pulled into the lab during their freshman year like Catherine.

As Catherine stepped into the lab, everyone looked at her.

Marshall’s assistant and his proudest student, Zac Pearce, was the first to greet her. He asked, “Catherine, got everything sorted back home?”

With a gentle smile, he was polite and warm.

Catherine replied politely, “All sorted. I’m here today to sort out my leave.”

Zac nodded and then said, “Come on. I’ll take you to the professor’s office. I’ll help you out.”

As the two left, conversations bubbled among those in the lab. Someone clueless about the situation asked, “Why does Zac, usually so indifferent, seem different toward Catherine?”

Another one immediately replied, “Do you have any idea how precious Catherine is? Ever since she showed her skills last time, the computer science professor from the next department has been eyeing our lab, waiting to snatch her away. Professor Hartley even said it’s on the whole lab if she gets taken!”

Hearing that, the first one replied, “No one’s taking our people!”

At that moment, one belief echoed throughout the lab. That was to protect Catherine and prevent the other professor from taking her.

Marshall had worked hard to bring Catherine into the lab. They couldn’t let the computer science professor easily sway her. They believed that a precious gem like her needed protection.

As for Catherine, she wasn’t aware of the shift in attitudes among her lab mates. She just felt that after two days away, everyone in the lab seemed oddly eager when looking at her.

During lunchtime, Catherine was engrossed in her data and hadn’t gone to get food.

Zac asked, “Catherine, I’m heading to the cafeteria. Want me to bring you something?”

Glancing at her work, Catherine realized she might need more time if she went out. She was about to agree when a senior colleague chimed in, ” Zac, cafeteria? I’ve got something cooking here. I’ll make extra for Catherine!”

This senior colleague was a good cook. It was a skill honed from years of cooking for herself.

Lazy as she was, she complained about cooking for just herself. Only Marshall had the honor of tasting her cooking once or twice. Others never had that privilege.

Unexpectedly, she invited Catherine today, which spoke volumes about Catherine’s standing in the lab.

“Catherine, forget about the cafeteria today. I made some beef cutlets. Let me get you a serving!”

Catherine nodded gratefully and said, Thank you!” 11

Half an hour later, the senior colleague had prepared the meal and personally placed it in front of Catherine’s stool.

Just as Catherine was about to express her thanks, another senior colleague brought over some fruit.

“This is a new breed from our Agricultural Sciences Institute. You can’t find these outside. I used my charm to get these from the institute. Give it a try, Catherine!”

The fruits developed by Styre University’s Agricultural Sciences Institute were typically reserved for lab experiments.

Even when a slightly larger harvest could be sold, those were top-tier fruits auctioned off. They were so exclusive that they were hard to come by, even with money.

Now, a large bowl was placed in front of Catherine. It was a testament to these senior colleagues’ fondness for her.

From the moment Catherine stepped into the lab until she finished her work and left, in just a few short hours, she lost count of how many delicious treats the senior colleagues had pampered her with.

And it wasn’t just food. They even offered her some to take away. Before leaving, the colleague with ties to the Agricultural Sciences Institute handed Catherine more items.

“Catherine, these are all products developed by our Agricultural Sciences Institute. Try them out, and if you like them, let me know, and I’ll sort you out.

With his overwhelming generosity, Catherine left with a pile of goodies for her dorm. Catherine rushed back to the lab right after arriving at the school. Until this time, she finally stepped into the dorm.

Seeing Catherine carrying all these things, Amelia quickly pitched in. ” Catherine, why do you bring back so much stuff from your trip?”

In college, when someone returned from home, it was almost customary to bring back some local treats.

Seeing Catherine with all these items, Amelia and Isabella weren’t surprised. After Catherine put the items down, she calmly explained, “These were given by a senior lab mate.”

Amelia hadn’t been in the lab that day, and she didn’t know what happened.

She got excited upon hearing that it was from a senior colleague. “Let me take a look!”

Catherine casually nodded. “Feel free.”

Given permission, Amelia hurried over to check and then exclaimed, “Wow! Catherine, we hit the jackpot!”

Startled by her sudden outburst, Catherine furrowed her brow. Isabella, who had been studying at her desk, also came over and then asked, “What jackpot?”

Amelia handed what she held to Isabella and said, “Bella, look at this. All these products are from our Agricultural Sciences Institute. Look! This is zero-calorie, zero-fat fruit cereal, and this is super low-fat roasted chicken, and this…”

Catherine didn’t recognize these items, but Amelia knew each one like the back of her hand. She enthusiastically displayed them all.

Seeing this, Catherine quietly asked, ” Are these famous?”

Amelia might have jokingly scolded them if anyone else had asked that question. But this was Catherine, so she let it slide. After all, legends didn’t keep up with everyday things like these goodies.

Noticing Catherine’s confusion, Amelia decided to explain things clearly to her. She said, “These aren’t just famous. They’re incredibly precious. They’ve been selling out online. Take this cereal, for instance. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack! You’ve got all these things here and quite a lot of them. Aren’t you making us all jealous?

Amelia was a foodie and had no resistance to anything tasty.

Catherine knew that. Seeing Amelia’s enthusiasm, she generously said, ” Since these are good stuff, let’s share them. You and Isabella can split them together.”

“Catherine, you are so great!” Amelia couldn’t contain her excitement. She realized that she could benefit a lot from being around Catherine.

“You two go ahead and divide them. I’ve got a few things to attend to,” Catherine said. Then she opened her laptop and headed up to the second- floor bunk.

When she worked, she preferred no interruptions. Both Amelia and Isabella understood and respected Catherine’s habits.

Just as Catherine drew her curtain shut, Ronin’s call came in immediately.