TITCFRIBN 12

Chapter 12

The headline was simply too striking. Once it appeared on the media homepage, it immediately drew the attention of the majority of people.

When readers clicked on it, they quickly realized that the headline barely scratched the surface. The wrongdoings of the Chen Hao couple were far worse than what the title suggested. It wasn't just about stealing their graduate students' research achievements. They also skimmed off the students' stipends. What was supposed to be full compensation ended up as only fifty percent in the students' hands.

Moreover, when they needed to wine and dine to maintain connections, their handsome and attractive graduate students were called upon to attend the events, tasked with drinking on their behalf.

Initially, most readers had clicked on the article just for entertainment. After all, it seemed like rumor-mongering, and no one could be certain of its authenticity. However, the more they read, the more they realized how true it all felt, and outrage began to grow.

In addition to making their students attend events, taking care of their children and even doing household chores had become routine duties for the graduate students. When Chen He was younger, the students were responsible for picking him up, dropping him off, and feeding him.

As Chen He grew older, his desires expanded beyond basic needs. His appetite for designer goods grew, but instead of asking his parents, he turned to the graduate students. If anyone dared refuse, they would be left without a project for a long time, denied any guidance, and face the grim prospect of delayed graduation.

If it had only been this, it might still have been bearable. A graduate student without a project could always seek help elsewhere, and if not getting guidance, they could try to get support from other mentors. The worst part was that the laboratory equipment was old and barely functional, making cutting-edge research impossible. Even access to important literature and databases was incomplete, leaving students helpless. Without their advisor's support, they had nowhere to turn.

Public outrage grew rapidly. It became clear that this wasn't just an inconvenience — it was a career dead end for these students.

The news spread like wildfire, and soon some media outlets tried to debunk the story. Certain influential figures quickly called the relevant media platforms, demanding that the article be taken down.

Upon receiving the order to delete the post, the backend editors found the page behaving as if it had crashed. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't successfully remove it.

This was, of course, the handiwork of 007.

The system inside An Cheng's head was gleefully rolling around, thrilled: "This move of yours is truly ruthless, Host. Once they're dismissed from Finance University, they won't be able to threaten you or Bai Qing anymore."

An Cheng shrugged. "I didn’t wrong them, after all."

He had already learned the night before that 007's cheat-like abilities involved data manipulation, using technology centuries ahead of the current world. Putting something on the headline and preventing its deletion was just basic stuff for 007.

Meanwhile, Wang Qimeng, unable to access the administrative system after repeated attempts, decided to take a break and opened the campus forum.

What he saw stunned him. The top post was shocking. He clicked through and read it over and over, realizing that the news was so big, he couldn't process it all at once.

He rolled his chair back, stopping near Bai Qing's desk. "Brother Bai, you need to see this—what’s going on?"

Bai Qing had been lucky enough to complete his course selections and had already saved his schedule on his desktop. Hearing Wang Qimeng, he walked over to look at his screen. Seeing the name Chen Hao on the post, his eyes widened in surprise.

Wang Qimeng spoke excitedly, "Isn’t this our math professor? I’ve heard he’s pretty well-known, and that he usually doesn’t teach undergraduates. I was so excited when I found out he would be teaching us this year, but it turns out he's that kind of person!"

Bai Qing wasn’t focused on that. He grabbed Wang Qimeng’s phone and quickly walked over to An Cheng. "Cheng, Chen Hao’s been exposed. Does this mean...?"

He didn’t finish the sentence, but An Cheng understood. Stretching lazily, An Cheng replied casually, "I don’t know."

Bai Qing felt a bit disappointed that his guess wasn’t confirmed, but then An Cheng added, "Probably."

Bai Qing's eyes lit up. He returned the phone to Wang Qimeng and excitedly wrapped an arm around An Cheng's shoulders, shaking him a bit. "That’s great news!"

Bai Qing’s body exuded a faint citrus scent from his body wash, and along with his warmth, it passed over to An Cheng. However, An Cheng, dizzy from the shaking, didn’t notice the details, only feeling overwhelmed by Bai Qing’s sudden enthusiasm.

An Cheng’s tone remained mild. "Bai Qing, I’m getting dizzy."

This wasn’t something worth being overly excited about—Bai Qing would have to deal with many more people like this in the future—but that didn’t stop An Cheng from enjoying Bai Qing's happiness.

Realizing he was being too enthusiastic, Bai Qing sheepishly let go. "Sorry, Cheng, I got too excited."

After calming down, he tapped his forehead in embarrassment. "Was I being too happy about someone else’s misfortune?"

Wang Qimeng: "..."

To be honest, Wang Qimeng had no idea what Bai Qing and An Cheng were so happy about, but Bai Qing actually had the guts to shake An Cheng’s shoulders... That took some serious courage!

Once the administrative system became less congested, the three of them finished their course selections, leaving no time for a proper lunch break. It was time to head to the field for military training.

Bai Qing asked An Cheng and Wang Qimeng to wait for him while he changed into his military uniform. He felt energized, as though he could take on anything, buoyed by the good news.

An Cheng, on the other hand, didn’t quite understand the source of Bai Qing’s newfound vitality.

While waiting, An Cheng unscrewed a water bottle to take a sip. His phone lit up, accompanied by a notification sound.

It was a message from Wu Meng.

Wu Meng: "Was that online news your doing?"

Inside her air-conditioned office, Wu Meng felt an inexplicable chill. The story about Chen Hao had exploded across the internet, making it impossible to suppress. She could already foresee the inevitable downfall of the Chen family.

But who could have orchestrated such a move? The graduate students? Unlikely. If they had the power to do so, they would have done it long ago. So who could it be? In this tightly-knit academic circle, everyone’s interests were connected.

For some reason, her mind wandered to An Cheng, the freshman who had just entered the university.

With a sense of disbelief, she sent the message, hoping for an answer to her nearly impossible suspicion.

Back in the dorm, An Cheng lowered his water bottle. In the dim room, his dark pupils reflected the glow of his phone screen. He casually typed a few words.

An Cheng: "You're joking, Professor Wu."

Looking at this brief reply, Wu Meng felt an unexplainable shiver run down her spine.

As the three of them walked toward the training field, they overheard people discussing Chen Hao's scandal. Despite the official attempts to quash the rumors, saying there was no solid proof and urging people not to spread it further, nothing could stop the gossip.

Online opinion was also shifting. Some accounts began claiming to be the "rational ones," saying that the accusations were just words without hard evidence, asking if it was that easy to slander people nowadays.

Initially, there were mixed reactions—some agreed, some opposed. Those who supported the "rational" view felt the argument made sense, while the opposition pointed out that if all the media outlets had picked up the story, would they risk their reputations for a lie?

Soon enough, the tide of opinion shifted dramatically when undeniable evidence was posted.

A user named "Miserable Graduate Student" came forward, claiming to be one of Chen Hao's students. He had been stuck in Chen Hao’s research group for six years, forced to delay his graduation multiple times. Dozens of other students were in the same situation, treated like beasts of burden.

He posted chat logs between himself and Chen Hao and even revealed his own name. Someone quickly matched his name to the author list of one of Chen Hao's published papers, confirming the credibility of his claims.

"Miserable Graduate Student’s" post was heart-wrenching: "I’ve been surviving under his control for six years, unable to escape or break free. My degree, my qualifications—they’re all in his hands. I’ve written so much for him, done so much for him, and only by sacrificing my dignity was I promised graduation next year. But if I don’t speak out today, how many more people will be harmed by him in the future? I’ve already lost everything, except for the sudden burst of courage I’ve found today."

When Bai Qing read those words, his smile faded completely, and his brow furrowed in anger. "They’re truly despicable."

Wang Qimeng nodded furiously. "They're not even human. Can you imagine them doing any meaningful research?"

As the situation continued to escalate, An Cheng and 007 executed their next move. Soon, another explosive headline dominated the front pages of major media outlets: Professor Chen Hao and his wife had falsified experimental data and results to fraudulently obtain national research funds.

The internet immediately blew up.

By the time An Cheng, Bai Qing, and Wang Qimeng arrived at the training ground, their squad was already deep in discussion. Everyone had seen the latest news and was shocked—no one had expected the usually respected and amiable Professor Chen Hao to be involved in something like this.

Although Instructor Wang had seen the news too, their squad was already behind in their training compared to the others, so he didn’t give them a chance to gossip. He blew his whistle and ordered them to start practicing.

Everyone was anxious, eager to know the latest updates, especially since the instructor of the squad next to them had no interest in training and was clearly engrossed in the unfolding drama. From time to time, gasps of shock could be heard coming from their side.

Luckily, a cloud drifted over the campus, and soon it started to drizzle. The rain put an end to the training, and everyone moved to the gym to take shelter.

Even on the way there, the students were glued to their phones, devouring the latest gossip.

Bai Qing, scrolling through the various media outlets as he walked, accidentally tripped over someone next to him and instinctively grabbed An Cheng’s sleeve. An Cheng caught him and didn’t let go until Bai Qing had steadied himself.

A nearby male student noticed Bai Qing was also reading about the scandal and quickly caught on. "You're following the gossip too? Have you seen the part about Chen He’s private life?"

Bai Qing was puzzled, still focused on the research funding scandal.

Feeling curious, Bai Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Cheng, can I hold on to you? You can lead me while I catch up on this.”

An Cheng didn’t refuse.

Having spent so much time with An Cheng, Bai Qing knew this was his way of agreeing, so he held onto An Cheng's sleeve as they walked.

Raindrops fell on Bai Qing’s phone screen, but he didn’t bother to wipe them away. He opened a post and saw what the other student had been talking about—Chen He’s private life.

"I’m one of Chen He’s many ex-girlfriends."

The post detailed how Chen He had pursued the poster, but not long after they got together, he started openly cheating on her—sometimes with women, sometimes with men—without any regard for her feelings. The worst part was, he never used protection. Once, the poster accidentally took expired birth control pills and became pregnant. Even though Chen He flaunted his wealth with designer clothes, he refused to pay for her abortion. The post ended with a warning: "He’s a disgusting person. It's only a matter of time before he catches something. Whether you're a guy or a girl, stay away from him."

Bai Qing gripped his phone tightly, his lips pressed into a thin line as he read. He felt waves of nausea rise in his stomach.

If An Cheng hadn’t arrived in time that day, Bai Qing didn’t even want to think about what could’ve happened.

His grip on An Cheng’s sleeve tightened even more.

It wasn’t An Cheng who had exposed Chen He’s private affairs. While An Cheng had initially considered it to make sure Chen He couldn’t stay at the university, after Chen He had dragged his parents into the mess, such trivial moral scandals no longer seemed enough.

The reason this information had come to light was likely because Chen He had wronged too many people. Now that he had become a target of public scorn, everyone was coming forward to kick him while he was down.

As a result, beyond the first post Bai Qing saw, many more followed, detailing Chen He’s involvement in affairs, harassment, and other questionable behavior.

The university's pathways were wide, and a neighboring squad was marching past An Cheng's group. Among them was Qi Le, who had spotted An Cheng from a distance—his senior was always so eye-catching, no matter where he was.

Qi Le finally managed to catch up and was about to greet him when he noticed something shocking: Bai Qing was holding An Cheng’s hand.

Well, technically, Bai Qing was only holding An Cheng’s sleeve, but from Qi Le’s angle, it looked like their hands were intertwined.

No way. That’s An Cheng! There’s no way he’d walk so patiently with someone like that!

But the scene before Qi Le's eyes left no room for doubt.

It was as if he had been struck by lightning. Qi Le was devastated.

How could this be? My straight-as-an-arrow senior… Could he have turned gay after coming to university?

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