I See through Everything

A cold smile crept onto Jiang Miao’s lips after he finished watching the "live broadcast."

He then opened a folder dedicated to files on Du Bolun and his son, Du Jinxuan.

He found the video clips, audio files, and documents he needed, compiled them, and then routed the package through several overseas proxy servers to Song Lei’s email address.

Song Lei had just returned to his dorm from Du Bolun’s office. Dejected, he threw himself onto his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He was actually in the same year as Huang Hanwen and Lu Lan. Luo Yulin, the student who’d jumped off a building, and Li Ming were in the year below them. Lin Shuya and the other two doctoral students looking to transfer advisors belonged to the newest cohort.

The fact that even Li Ming, who was a year behind him, had managed to graduate while he hadn’t was a testament to just how ruthlessly Du Bolun had been exploiting him.

This was because Du Bolun was an expert at sizing people up. He would run background checks on all his prospective doctoral students.

He was all smiles with students from wealthy and influential families; they could usually graduate in four or five years.

He wasn’t too hard on students from merely wealthy families, either. As long as they were willing to "invest" some money into his research projects, they could also graduate within four or five years.

As for students from poor families, however, Du Bolun showed no such courtesy.

Luo Yulin, Song Lei, Lin Shuya, and Huang Hanwen were all in this boat. Their families weren’t the type that could casually whip out millions, let alone tens of millions.

Lin Shuya’s apartment in Yangcheng was worth over three million, it’s true, but who would be willing to sell their home just like that?

Thus, Du Bolun had complete control over students without financial backing, forcing them to work for him for free. A sycophant like Huang Hanwen, who knew how to kiss ass, might be thrown a few scraps from the table.

Just as Song Lei’s heart was filled with a helpless sense of injustice, an email notification popped up on his phone.

He didn’t pay it much mind and casually tapped it open.

But as the email’s contents and attachments appeared before his eyes, Song Lei shot up from his bed, his eyes wide with shock. He was about to play one of the audio files, but he stopped himself.

He quickly got up and bolted the door. It was a single-person dorm, but other doctoral students lived next door, and he couldn’t risk being discovered if someone barged in.

Still feeling it wasn’t secure enough, he pulled out a pair of wireless earbuds.

Only then did he tap play on the recording.

After listening for over ten minutes and reviewing some of the videos and documents, his expression hardened. His mind raced.

’Who on earth sent me this stuff? First, rule out that guy Huang Hanwen. A large portion of these videos and recordings were secretly filmed from his perspective. He’s about to graduate, so he definitely wouldn’t rock the boat.’

’That leaves Luo Yulin, Lu Lan, and Li Ming. No, wait a minute...’ Song Lei recalled something. ’Lu Lan and Huang Hanwen used to date. Last year, she took a leave of absence for over a month, and they broke up right after she got back. Looks like there’s more to that story. She has to be one of the few people who could have gotten this from Huang Hanwen. So, does that mean *she* sent it to me?’

’It doesn’t matter who sent it. The key now is how to use it. Threaten Du Bolun directly? No, a direct confrontation won’t work. I might even face retaliation.’

Then he suddenly remembered: late last night, a stranger had added him on WeChat. They said they were hoping to get some inside information from him on Lin Shuya, Luo Yulin, Du Bolun, and the others.

The person claimed to be a source collector for the Heart-stopping Report.

After a moment’s thought, a plan formed in Song Lei’s mind.

He made a WeChat call to his younger brother, who was working a summer job.

"Hey, Bro. What’s up? I’m surprised you have time to call."

"Ah Xin, I’m about to push a WeChat contact to you. Add them and tell them you have dirt on Du Bolun. Once you’re connected, don’t let them know who you are—remember to block them from seeing your feed—and then sell them the files I’m about to send you. Ask for fifty thousand yuan."

"Bro? Isn’t Du Bolun your advisor? Won’t this affect your graduation?"

"It won’t. I’m about to go handle the paperwork to transfer to another advisor."

"Okay, Bro. I’ll definitely help you get even."

"You’re a good brother. With this money, our family can finally breathe a little."

"Yeah."

After hanging up the phone, Song Lei immediately called his department’s student counselor to ask about the procedure for transferring advisors.

The counselor said that under the circumstances, the paperwork could be processed immediately if he wanted. Du Bolun had already approved the transfers.

Song Lei was, of course, eager to get it done immediately.

He didn’t want to be associated with Du Bolun for a second longer.

After all, once those files were sold, it was bound to cause a massive scandal. When that happened, the university probably wouldn’t be in any mood to process his transfer paperwork.

He grabbed his ID and rushed off to file the paperwork.

...

「On the other side.」

Heart-stopping Report Headquarters.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. A young man rushed down the hall and burst into the office of Deputy Chief Editor Wang Xiaojia.

"Chief Editor Wang, someone says they want to sell us dirt on Du Bolun."

"Du Bolun?" Wang Xiaojia looked blank for a moment, then, after a few seconds, recognition dawned. "You mean that PhD advisor from Handong University?"