Fan Linlin looked at the travel-worn old man before her, unable to hide her shock. “You… why are you back?!”
Wasn’t the academic exchange supposed to last fifteen days, followed by an international exhibition with Chinese and foreign physicists?
That would take at least a month!
Xu Kaiqing’s face was cold, his gaze deep. “Tell me what happened with Jiang Fuyue.”
“…Huh?”
Forty minutes later, Xu Kaiqing stormed straight into the president’s office.
He didn’t even knock—just barged in.
“Old Zhou, if you don’t give me an explanation today, then this matter is not going to be let go!”
President Zhou looked at Xu Kaiqing—who by all rights should not be here—shocked. After hearing his words, confusion also surfaced on his face.
“What on earth is this about? Asking for an explanation? Come, come, sit down first, I’ll pour you some tea…”
Xu Kaiqing realized he wasn’t pretending ignorance—he genuinely didn’t know.
Perhaps in his eyes, it was just a lab. Just a student who refused to apply to Q University, trying to freeload off lab equipment.
Nothing serious.
“No need for tea. Let’s make things clear first.”
President Zhou was puzzled. “What exactly is this about? Worth you rushing back all this way, leaving your conference unfinished…”
Xu Kaiqing was blunt: “Why did you kick out Jiang Fuyue?”
The word “kick out” was used without the slightest politeness.
President Zhou of course denied it. “Come now, how can you call it ‘kicking out’? At most…” He paused, “Do you know Jiang Fuyue personally?”
“Hah! I personally invited her into my lab, and the moment I leave for a conference, you pull this stunt behind my back?! What, am I dead to you people?!”
At that moment, a teacher happened to pass by the office. The door wasn’t fully closed, and Xu Kaiqing’s furious roar echoed from inside. She froze mid-step, gossip fire igniting instantly—
Out came her phone, and she began live-reporting in a small group chat:
【Old Xu is yelling in President Zhou’s office.】
【His voice is super loud, his attitude fierce. President Zhou keeps trying to soothe him.】
【But honestly, Zhou’s tone is practically groveling.】
【As expected, Old Xu is still the most formidable.】
The group immediately blew up:
【Wait—wasn’t Old Xu at an out-of-town conference? Why’s he suddenly in Zhou’s office?】
【Clearly, something big is going on.】
【@Zhang Huifen, listen carefully! What exactly are they arguing about?】
By now, Zhang Huifen was practically plastered against the door. Suddenly, she heard the words “Jiang Fuyue” and her eyes lit up. Fingers flew across the keyboard.
Inside—
Xu Kaiqing’s voice thundered: “That Chi Jian is blatantly spouting nonsense! What ‘hindering priority use by our students’? Who’s using it? How come I don’t know about my own lab being in use? Did that Professor Ji get my approval? Just because she wanted to use it, it’s hers to take?!”
“And everyone knows Chi Jian and Ji Xinxin are husband and wife. They could easily collude. What report? It’s a classic case of a thief crying ‘thief’—slander, plain and simple!”
“I carefully invited Jiang Fuyue into my lab, and you lot drove her away. Now tell me—who takes responsibility?!”
“I’ll put it right here: no one’s going to sweep this under the rug. I demand an explanation! Otherwise—”
He suddenly stopped short.
President Zhou frowned, but wasn’t too flustered. He thought: Old Xu’s like firecrackers—he comes in fast, goes out fast. Let him vent and it’ll pass.
So he even joked, “Otherwise what? You gonna cry in front of everyone? Didn’t expect you to learn those internet catchphrases…”
“I’ll leave Q University. Take my lab with me!”
President Zhou’s smile froze. Shock replaced his teasing. “You… what did you just say?”
Xu Kaiqing enunciated each word: “If I don’t get an explanation, I’ll leave Q University—with my team and every single research project!”
“Old Xu—do you even realize what you’re saying?!” President Zhou’s face darkened, old eyes sharp as blades.
“I’m perfectly clear! If Q University has become a den of filth and corruption, shielding and indulging such behavior, then what meaning is there in staying? To wallow with the mud? Sorry—I. Will. Not. Do. That!”
“So now you’re threatening me—threatening the administration?!”
As dean of the Physics Department, a national treasure-level academician, Xu Kaiqing’s departure would shake the entire department like an earthquake.
Not to mention, he held five already-approved national key projects waiting to proceed, plus countless research results and papers.
Losing him would be losing half of Q University’s physics foundation.
The school could never let him go—they’d have to worship him like an ancestor.
If this wasn’t a threat, what was?
Xu Kaiqing nodded openly. “You can take it that way.”
President Zhou: “…”
“I’ve said my piece. How you handle it—think carefully.” With that, he turned to leave.
But after two steps, President Zhou’s hoarse voice sounded behind him.
“…What kind of explanation do you want?”
Xu Kaiqing smiled without turning back. “Of course—thorough investigation, complete reckoning!”
Not a single rat or ghost would escape!
“Do you know what ‘thorough’ means?” The president’s voice shook.
Xu Kaiqing sneered. “I don’t care what it means. Just tell me—will you investigate or not?”
President Zhou was silent for a long time.
“…If we investigate Chi Jian, then Professor Ji will inevitably be implicated. That puts me in a very difficult spot…”
Both palms are flesh—he didn’t want to cut either.
“So, the school intends to protect Ji Xinxin and abandon me?” Xu Kaiqing cut him off directly.
The old president nearly jumped in panic. “You know that’s impossible! You’re just trying to anger me to death!”
Xu Kaiqing and Ji Xinxin weren’t remotely comparable.
A hundred Ji Xinxins couldn’t equal one Xu Kaiqing.
But greed is a human disease—even he wasn’t immune.
He wanted both Xu Kaiqing and Ji Xinxin.
“Old Zhou, some things can’t have it both ways.”
“…There’s no room to compromise?”
Xu Kaiqing tilted his head back. With his back turned, Zhou couldn’t see his expression, only hear a faint sigh slip from his lips—
“You can treat me however you want; but when it comes to Jiang Fuyue—absolutely not!”
He strode out.
President Zhou slumped back in his chair, the white at his temples seeming even whiter.
…
Two days later, an official disciplinary notice appeared on Q University’s bulletin board.
It listed in detail all the crimes committed by Chi Jian during his tenure as Director of Academic Affairs.
Bribery, bullying students, abuse of power, embezzlement, framing colleagues, and more.
Verdict: dismissal, handed over to the Public Security Bureau.
“Oh my god! I can’t believe Director Chi turned out to be that kind of person!”
“He’s not a director anymore, thanks.”
“He never looked like a good person to begin with—greasy, sleazy, always putting his hand on female students’ shoulders. Absolutely disgusting!”
“I heard that a senior two years ago had her credits maliciously deducted by him. She couldn’t graduate or get her degree, and the job she had lined up fell through. That night, she overdosed on pills.”
“That’s terrifying! It’s 2051, and we’re still hearing about things like this? What happened after that?”
“She survived the rescue, but the side effects of the medication caused severe epilepsy. Her life was completely ruined.”
“Good on the school! People like that should be punished!”
“They should just shoot him.”
“Let’s hope they don’t sweep it under the rug. Everyone keep an eye on the case—don’t let certain people pull strings and walk free!”
“The school came out and exposed him themselves. They won’t protect him anymore, right?”
“Don’t forget, his wife’s a professor. With the right connections, a death sentence becomes a suspended sentence, suspended becomes life, life becomes a term, and a term becomes a slap on the wrist.”
“No need to be that cynical. I believe in the country, in the law, and in the police! Bad people don’t get happy endings.”
“Chi Jian’s crimes have nothing to do with Professor Ji. She’s a victim too. Let’s stay rational—don’t drag innocent people into this.”
“Ha! You must be one of her grad students. Righteous speech like that—you missed your calling as a debater.”
“In ancient times, they said ‘the crime does not extend to the wife and children.’ What’s this, guilt by association now?”
“I don’t know about that, but that daughter of his—Chi Shuyuan—she’s no better!”
“Exactly! ‘Bullying under the cover of power’ should be her middle name. I’m in the same department—she’s picked on so many girls!”
“……”
The curses and gossip didn’t stop.
Sometimes, all it takes is one crack for an avalanche to start.
Once news broke that Chi Jian had been arrested, everyone rushed to push him over while he was down.
People who’d suffered under him came forward to expose their stories.
Some even went directly to the police, offering to testify in court—just to seek justice and make sure the man never got back up again.
Public outrage grew so intense that it hit the trending list— though it was quickly taken down.
Q University couldn’t afford to let one rat’s droppings ruin its centuries-old reputation.
——
That afternoon, Chi Shuyuan noticed that every student who passed her in the hallway looked at her strangely, whispering and pointing.
She had no idea what was going on.
She was still waiting for her mom to fix things—to get her dad’s demotion reversed, maybe even teach that Jiang Fuyue a lesson while she was at it.
“Look, that’s her!”
“No wonder they’re father and daughter—they even look alike. Evil must run in the family!”
“If I were her, I’d have gone into hiding already. Who still walks around like nothing happened?”
“Shows you how thick her skin is.”
“Now that Daddy Director’s gone, let’s see how she keeps throwing her weight around!”
“Guess from now on, their family reunions will be in prison.”
“Really though, what was the point? The father had a cushy job, the daughter a top university spot. Why ruin it all with their own hands?”
“If they hadn’t brought this on themselves, they could’ve lived better than most people a thousand times over! What a waste.”
The voices weren’t quiet. The more Chi Shuyuan listened, the more a bad feeling grew in her chest. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. She stormed up to two girls—
“What are you talking about?”
The girls exchanged glances.
“What prison? What crime? Speak clearly!”
“Go check the school’s bulletin board!”
When Chi Shuyuan opened the site and saw the official notice, her eyes widened, and her body started to shake.
“No… no way… impossible…”
She refused to believe it.
He’d only been demoted—how could it suddenly turn into dismissal?
She’d just seen her dad that morning—how could he be transferred to police custody a few hours later?
“Who’s playing this sick joke?”
“Was it you?” She grabbed one girl’s wrist hard. “Tell me! Was it you?!”
“Ugh—what’s your problem?” The girl yanked free and rolled her eyes. Nobody was scared of her anymore.
“The official school site, stamped and signed—does that look like a joke to you? Stop lying to yourself.”
Another girl said coldly, “Your dad did awful things. He deserves to be arrested.”
“Ahhh—!” Chi Shuyuan screamed, clutching her head. “Shut up! All of you, shut up!”
The two girls exchanged a look. “Who does she think she is? Some rich princess? Ordering people around?”
“Without your powerful daddy, you’re not even a dog anymore. Time to wake up.”
Wake up… wake up…
The words echoed like a curse in her ears.
Chi Shuyuan turned and ran.
She ran out of the campus, flagged down a cab— No, this was all fake. It had to be a nightmare! She’d go home and ask her dad herself!
But when she arrived, the house was silent.
Her parents were gone. Not even a servant was around.
“Dad? Mom?!” She searched every floor—nothing.
Her heart sank.
She pulled out her phone and called Chi Jian.
“The number you have dialed is powered off…”
She hung up and tried again—same result.
Then she called Ji Xinxin. After a long, long dial tone—so long she thought it would never connect—finally came a tired voice:
“…Hello?”
Tears streamed down Chi Shuyuan’s face. “Mom! Where’s Dad? Why’s his phone off? The rumors at school—they’re fake, right? Lies, all of it!”
There was silence, then— “…Shuyuan, you need to learn to face reality.”
“No! I don’t believe it!”
“You really don’t know what your father’s done? How many of those things started because you didn’t like some student and wanted him to take care of it? Don’t you have any idea?”
Yes—Chi Shuyuan knew everything.
The bullying, the abuse of power—every single act, she’d been the cause. That was why she couldn’t believe it now. She couldn’t. Because if she did, then she was the one who ruined everything.
“Mom… when are you coming back?”
Ji Xinxin arrived that evening, cutting short a ten-day academic conference.
The moment she opened the door, the smell of alcohol hit her.
Turning on the light, she saw her daughter passed out on the floor, curled up and muttering, “Mom… what should I do…”
That night, Chi Shuyuan woke up to find her mother sitting silently by the bed, her silhouette barely visible in the dark.
“Mom!” She threw herself into her arms, sobbing. “Dad got arrested! Will he go to prison? Why did everything change so suddenly? What do we do?”
Ji Xinxin patted her back gently, her eyes glinting in the dark.
“Don’t worry. There’s always a way.”
And her “way” was to go to the Han family.
——
“What? Say that again?” Han Ke stopped mid-step.
The servant said respectfully, “She said her name is Ji Xinxin. She’s outside, wants to see the young master.”
Han Shen frowned.
“Tell her to get lost. We’re not seeing her!” Han Heng came downstairs with a cup of water. “She hasn’t contacted us in decades. If she’s here now, it’s for something bad.”
Han Ke sneered. “Probably about that Chi fellow.”
Just hearing that name made Han Heng feel refreshed.
Q University had clearly tried to cover things up. Even after the Han family withdrew their donation and scholarship, the school only “demoted” Chi Jian—a slap on the wrist.
A token punishment.
A demotion could be reversed later anyway.
They thought that was the end of it.
The Han family had no special pull in the education world.
But then Xu Kaiqing intervened—using his own career as leverage—just to seek justice for Jiang Fuyue!
The Han family had been stunned to learn Jiang Fuyue knew Xu Kaiqing personally— and even more shocked by how highly the academic titan valued her, to the point of threatening to leave Q University!
Han Heng accepted it the fastest: “Of course he’d do that. My Yueyue’s loved by everyone—what’s strange about that?”
Han Ke nodded. “She deserves it.”
Even Han Shen eventually gave in, sighing to his assistant countless times, “Our Yueyue really is extraordinary.”
The assistant: “……” (If I hear that one more time, I’m going to go deaf.)
——
Now, back to the present—
Han Ke said coldly, “Begging won’t help. Chi Jian deserves everything he gets.”
Han Heng snorted. “She’s got some nerve showing up here after all that!”
Soon the servant returned. “Sir, the lady outside says she won’t leave unless she sees someone! She’s been standing there all this time!”
Han Ke sneered. “Who does she think she is?”
Han Shen paused for a moment. “…Fine. Don’t let Grandfather find out. I’ll go deal with her myself.”
Outside the villa—
The moment Ji Xinxin saw Han Shen, her eyes lit up. Her lips trembled; she was about to say ‘Brother’.
“Miss Ji, what do you want?” Han Shen didn’t give her the chance. The words “Miss Ji” instantly drew a line between them.
Her lashes quivered; her voice was hoarse, tinged with tears. “Could you… please help…”
“No.”
“Why not? If this is about Han Yunru’s daughter, Chi Jian can kneel before her to apologize!”
She didn’t say Jiang Fuyue—she said Han Yunru’s daughter. Her words dripped with resentment and self-pity.
All this, just because of that woman’s child!
Jiang Fuyue got her “justice,” and her husband faced prison.
Just because she was Han Yunru’s daughter.
Han Shen laughed coldly, his tone distant and cutting.
“First of all, it wasn’t us who went after Chi Jian—it was the university. We have no power to interfere.”
“Second, your husband owes apologies to far more people than Yueyue. I read the report. Most of what he did was far worse than what happened with Yueyue. He deserves every bit of punishment he gets.”
“Lastly, Ji Xinxin—” he called her by name, voice glacial— “don’t tell me none of this had your hand in it.”
She froze, eyes wide. “I didn’t—”
He raised a hand, cutting her off. “You know the truth yourself. Don’t waste my time.”
The message was clear: I believe you’re guilty, and nothing you say will change that.
“Leave. We weren’t close before, and we won’t be now. Take care of yourself.”
He turned to go.
Ji Xinxin suddenly screamed after him, “Why?! Just because she’s Han Yunru’s daughter?! Han Yunru was your sister—am I not?! Jiang Fuyue’s your niece—what about my daughter?!”
Han Shen turned coldly, his gaze sharp as a blade.
“What are you? How dare you compare yourself to Little Ru? If it weren’t for your mother, she wouldn’t have been separated from our family all those years!”
“You should repent, not be jealous. You and Ji Lanyue are both guilty!”
“And one more thing—I have only one sister, Han Yunru; and one niece, Jiang Fuyue. As for you, you were a stranger before and will remain one. Take care of yourself.”
He didn’t look back again.
Upstairs, Jiang Fuyue watched it all through the window. She saw every word, every flicker of rage and humiliation on Ji Xinxin’s face.
Sensing her gaze, Ji Xinxin suddenly looked up, eyes sharp as blades.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t flinch—she met that glare head-on, lips curling slightly.
In the end, Ji Xinxin looked away first and left in defeat.
Just when everyone thought the case was over—that Chi Jian was in prison and the storm had passed, including Ji Xinxin herself— a greater blow was yet to come.
Because when Xu Kaiqing said, “We’ll investigate everything, no exceptions”… he meant it.
