Chapter 50
Yancheng University’s announcement was clearly not convincing enough for the public. There was no shortage of conspiracy theories, but the incident was still under investigation, and no more details had been disclosed.
It wasn’t until a video and an audio recording began to circulate online that Weibo exploded, and public opinion was in an uproar.
In the video, Gao Cheng clearly watched Ji Wei paint two pictures. The surveillance footage showed the time as Monday afternoon, while in the audio recording, Gao Cheng directly denied the existence of the other painting.
[Lemon Tea]Shocked. Does this person deserve to be a teacher? If it weren’t for the surveillance footage, would Ji Wei have to bear the label of a plagiarist for the rest of his life? It’s terrifying just to think about.
[Black Sweater]I knew Ji Wei couldn’t have plagiarized. As expected, the tables have turned. Please, Yancheng University, handle this matter seriously! We have a zero-tolerance attitude towards academic misconduct!
[Don’t Eat Pears]Sob sob sob, this mom fan’s heart aches for Weiwei. It’s bad enough that someone plagiarized him, but to be accused of plagiarism in return… oh my god, I’m about to cry just talking about it.
[Yan University Grad School Senior]Ji Wei’s junior brother is quite lucky. The classroom cameras are usually not on, but it’s been exam week recently.
For a time, public sentiment was running high. The comments under Yan University’s Weibo post were all demanding Gao Cheng’s dismissal.
[Iced Lemon Coke]At least give a specific timeline for the investigation. Just saying you’ll investigate and then brushing it off? I bet they’ll just let it die down after the hype is over.
[Braised Pork Rice]+1, it’s just a matter of comparing two paintings. What kind of investigation is needed? Didn’t everyone say before that the two paintings were very similar?
[Kung Pao Chicken]Please, Yan University, fire Gao Cheng as soon as possible!
[Poached Shrimp]Please, Yan University, fire Gao Cheng as soon as possible!
Even Old Sir Ma Liqing, who didn’t have a Weibo account, specially created one to urge Yan University to announce the investigation results as soon as possible, so that the investigation wouldn’t be just empty words on paper.
It wasn’t that Yan University didn’t see the public outcry, but there were different opinions within the university on how to handle Gao Cheng.
“Gao Cheng is, after all, a professor at our university. This is a disgrace to Yan University. I personally suggest we first lower the heat of the incident and then criticize and handle it after the attention has died down.”
“Even for the sake of next year’s admissions, this matter cannot be allowed to fester. We can’t have people thinking of the Yan University Academy of Fine Arts and immediately thinking of a plagiarizing professor. Besides, plagiarism in art is difficult to define. Borrowing isn’t necessarily plagiarism, right?”
***
Listening to the investigation team’s discussion, Teacher Wang stood up from his chair and retorted loudly, “Yan University will not lose its status as a top institution because of one person’s academic misconduct. But covering up and condoning it will.”
However, he was just a lecturer, and his voice was drowned out among the leadership. Principal Fu sighed, “After the hype has died down…”
Before he could finish his sentence, someone in the conference room exclaimed in surprise, “Gao Cheng also engaged in illegal admissions!”
Principal Fu couldn’t sit still any longer.
He took the person’s phone.
—What was exposed was an old story.
In 2002, Gao Cheng’s niece was admitted through special recruitment despite not meeting the minimum score for a single subject.
The country placed great importance on educational fairness. If Gao Cheng’s plagiarism only angered the younger generation, then his illegal admissions angered countless parents.
[Wang Pingping]Yan University is such a good school. Can you get in just because you’re a professor’s niece?
[Yongle Yoga Studio]Special recruitment? The admission regulations clearly state that all score lines must be met. How did a rule allowing admission based on outstanding performance in a single subject suddenly appear?
[Mom Wang Yang]This is so disheartening. Is this what a top university looks like?
A deep sense of powerlessness washed over Principal Fu. He knew who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, but he only had one choice: “Fire Gao Cheng.”
Teacher Wang let out a heavy sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair. His shirt was soaked with sweat from the tension.
He had been at Yan University for twenty years. He loved the students and colleagues here and really didn’t want to see Yan University dragged down by Gao Cheng.
Fortunately, Yan University was still Yan University.
***
Gao Cheng’s phone was on silent as he walked home.
Only people online would believe that Yan University would actually investigate him. His reputation and Yan University’s reputation were intertwined. How could Yan University publicize a scandal with its own hands?
Moreover, he knew Principal Fu as a person. To put it nicely, he was cautious; to put it bluntly, he was conservative and timid. Principal Fu would not make a move against him, at least not for the time being, which meant there was a chance for a turnaround.
Right now, he just wanted to go home to his studio and calm down.
Only by calming down could he think clearly about what to do next.
Gao Cheng walked into the alley he had to pass through to get home. He passed by a row of old residential buildings that were about to be demolished. There was no one around. He inexplicably felt a sense of panic, as if he were being watched by something.
He quickened his pace. Just as he was about to exit the alley, he heard slow footsteps behind him, followed by a sharp pain in the back of his head, and he passed out…
Meng Hao looked at Gao Cheng, who was unconscious on the ground. Blood seeped onto the dirty ground. It seemed he had… hit him a little too hard.
He expressionlessly put on his gloves, took out his phone from Gao Cheng’s bag, looked through the chat history, and took out his own phone to take pictures as he read.
After everything was done, he put Gao Cheng’s phone back in his bag and walked out of the alley.
Not long after he walked out of the alley, he was stopped by a man. The man was in his thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and looked very scholarly. “A student from No. 3 Middle School, right?”
Meng Hao ignored him.
“Don’t do this kind of thing in the future. High school students should study hard.” Ying Guanxiao glanced at the spot where Gao Cheng had fallen and handed him a handkerchief. “Wipe yourself.”
Meng Hao glanced at him. “No need.”
He brushed past Ying Guanxiao, making Ying Guanxiao’s eye twitch. Were high school students these days all so direct? Not even a word of courtesy.
Ying Guanxiao put away his handkerchief and looked at the fallen Gao Cheng. He had originally wanted to follow him and talk to him, but now there was no chance. That blow must have been quite heavy.
Old Lu hadn’t even made a move yet, and this Gao Cheng was already so hated.
He let out a soft “tsk.”
Meng Hao slowly blended into the crowd.
He returned to No. 3 Middle School and made a phone call.
A short while later, a boy with his head wrapped in a school uniform ran panting to the sports field. “Boss, so fast?”
“No surveillance,”
Meng Hao said.
“I slept at your seat all afternoon. No one noticed you were gone.” The boy skillfully took Meng Hao’s schoolbag. “It’s already evening. Are you still going to study? How about we go sing karaoke instead?”
It wasn’t that he looked down on his boss, but Meng Hao really didn’t seem to have any talent for studying. A twenty-three-year-old high school student was probably something no one would believe if you told them.
Actually, for people like them, there was no need to go to university. Once you got involved in some things, it was hard to get clean.
“I’ll study.”
Meng Hao walked towards the classroom.
He had to get into a good university.
He had to get into a good university.
***
In the evening, another piece of news broke. Gao Cheng had been beaten up, had a gash on his head, and was lying unconscious in the hospital.
The police said the perpetrator had strong counter-surveillance ability, and there was no progress in the case for the time being. However, Gao Cheng’s wife seemed unconcerned about the matter and was not as anxious as a normal family member would be.
She looked at the photos of Gao Cheng’s infidelity sent by an anonymous user, wishing Gao Cheng would lie in a hospital bed for the rest of his life.
Yancheng University finally released a statement on how they would handle the matter.
[Yancheng University]After investigation, it has been confirmed that Professor Gao Cheng of our university’s Chinese Painting Department has committed plagiarism and illegal admissions, which has had a negative impact on the relevant victims and society. He is now dismissed and stripped of all titles.
The comments below were all expressions of satisfaction.
[Winter Melon Rind]Satisfying.
[Pineapple Beer]Hahahahahaha, seeing the photo of him lying in the hospital is even more satisfying. What goes around comes around.
[White Marsh]I don’t know what he was thinking. A professor blinded by greed. His bright future is all gone. I wonder if anyone will still buy his paintings.
[Crepe Box]His paintings wouldn’t sell even if they were reduced to a hundred thousand yuan. The person who bought that painting for 1.8 million even said they were going to sue him. A huge loss.
Ji Wei’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense all day, finally settled. His private messages were filled with encouraging and comforting messages from his fans. He posted a Weibo update.
[Ji Wei Who Plays Games]Thank you all for your help and support.
Soon, there were thousands of comments.
[Blue Harbor]Sob sob sob, I didn’t help at all. I just said ‘you can do it’. You need to rest well.
[Lettuce]It’s great that Weiwei is okay. My hands hurt from typing so much arguing with the haters today.
[Little Snail]I must come and apologize. I started cursing about plagiarism before the matter was clear. I’m really sorry.
***
Ji Wei was replying to comments when his phone suddenly rang.
—It was a call from the “Traditional Chinese Painting” publisher.
Ji Wei answered the phone.
“Mr. Ji, we are very sorry for the great trouble we have caused to your reputation and are willing to offer compensation.”
It was the same man’s voice as last time, but his attitude was much more humble.
Ji Wei shook his head. “Compensation won’t be necessary.”
If he hadn’t submitted to “Traditional Chinese Painting”, he might have found out about Gao Cheng’s plagiarism much later, by which time the school’s surveillance videos would have already been deleted.
“May I be so bold as to ask, are you still willing to submit to us?”
Ji Wei thought he was asking if he would be willing to in the future. He nodded and said, “Of course I’m willing.”
“That’s great. Next week, your painting will be used as the cover and for the inner pages.”
Ji Wei mechanically said “okay.” It wasn’t until he hung up the phone that he couldn’t help but feel excited.
It was already very difficult to be published in “Traditional Chinese Painting”. To be on the cover was a hellish level of difficulty. It had been many years since a young painter had been on the cover.
He was the first in ten years.
That night, Ji Wei lay in bed, unable to sleep.
Lu Shenxing seemed to be already asleep.
While the person next to him was asleep, Ji Wei carefully placed his head on the man’s chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, and whispered, “It’s so good to have you.”
If it were daytime, he would definitely be too embarrassed to say it, so he could only say it secretly. Lu Shenxing wouldn’t hear it anyway.
Then he heard the man give a faint “mm.”
Ji Wei was so startled that his face instantly turned red. He comforted himself that it might have been him talking in his sleep, but then he heard Lu Shenxing’s heartbeat—
It quickened.
***
The next day was Saturday. Ji Wei, with dark circles under his eyes, accompanied Lu Shenxing to the hospital for physical therapy. The nurses in the rehabilitation department were already used to Lu Shenxing.
One of the young nurses was very concerned about Lu Shenxing’s condition. “You only came for physical therapy three times this week. People with more serious leg injuries than you are no longer using wheelchairs.”
Perhaps feeling that she had been a bit too harsh, she switched to a gentler tone. “Think about the first thing you want to do after your leg heals. That will give you motivation for physical therapy. The family member should also supervise well.”
Ji Wei nodded in shame. He had been in his exam week recently, so it was Ying Guanxiao who had been accompanying his idol to physical therapy. He would definitely supervise him well after his exams were over.
Another young nurse also chimed in, “That’s right. What’s the first thing you want to do after your leg heals?”
Lu Shenxing was tired from walking and sat down in his wheelchair. He thought quietly for a moment and replied, “I’ve accepted a new role. The character is quite challenging. I want to get back to filming as soon as possible. I’ve been in a wheelchair for too long.”
The surrounding nurses all had stars in their eyes.
“As expected of Film Emperor Lu. He’s so serious about his acting career. No wonder he can win so many awards.”
“I thought it would be things like traveling. Sigh, if I had this kind of passion for my work, I would have been promoted to head nurse by now, instead of being yelled at all day.”
“Ahem… the head nurse is right behind you.”
The head nurse had arrived, and the young nurses no longer dared to gather and chat. They all ran off to see the next patient.
The surroundings suddenly became quiet. Ji Wei felt a little panicked. Suddenly, the man looked at him fixedly and said softly, “I just lied.”
“What lie?”
Ji Wei’s heart inexplicably panicked even more.
The man’s gaze was deep as he said slowly and deliberately, “What your big brother wants to do most is—”
He didn’t finish.
Just as Ji Wei was about to ask, his hand was held by the man. He wrote in his palm, stroke by stroke. Of course, it tickled. He tried to pull his hand back, but it was held firmly by the man.
When the final stroke was finished.
Ji Wei belatedly realized what it was.
—The character for “you.”
His face instantly grew hot.