I See through Everything

Everyone raised their hands.

"Then, according to the vote, we’ll handle this quietly," Xia Yanbing continued. "All those in favor of suspending Du Bolun, raise your hand."

A third of the attendees raised their hands; the rest remained motionless.

These people were either connected to the Du Family or didn’t want to offend the family’s patriarch.

After all, while the incident had seriously damaged the university’s reputation, it wasn’t severe enough to force them to take a side, so many chose to remain silent.

"Since it’s not a majority, we won’t take action against Du Bolun for now." Xia Yanbing’s tone shifted as she looked at the balding old man.

"Old Yang, I want you to speak with Du Bolun. Tell him to sort out his PhD students as soon as possible. Those who can graduate should do so immediately. Those who can’t graduate in the short term should all be transferred to other advisors. Do you have a problem with that?"

"None at all. I will inform him and ensure he cooperates fully with the university’s arrangements." The balding old man knew perfectly well, ’This is Xia Yanbing’s way of mitigating future risks.’

Xia Yanbing looked at the others. "What’s done is done, and that student isn’t coming back. From now on, we must do our utmost to prevent such incidents from happening again. When you all return to your departments, I want you to check on all the PhD students under every advisor. See if any have been in their program for more than five years. If so, investigate the reasons thoroughly. You need to speak not only with the advisor but also with the student."

"Yes, ma’am."

"I’ll arrange it as soon as I get back."

The meeting concluded quickly.

After the meeting, the balding old man made a beeline for Du Bolun’s office.

"Bolun, this situation is serious. The university wanted to punish you, but I stopped them. You’d better watch your step from now on. Our mentor’s reputation isn’t some magic pill that can solve everything."

Still shaken, Du Bolun let out a sigh of relief. "Yang, thank you so much for this."

"Don’t thank me just yet. You need to graduate your current PhD students as soon as possible. Those who can’t graduate must be transferred to other advisors."

"But..."

"What? You want to keep these ticking time bombs around?" Yang Chengguang’s voice dropped, laced with pressure.

"No, no, of course not. I’ll follow the arrangements." Du Bolun’s heart was bleeding. ’Without these research peons to exploit, a few of the projects I was planning will have to be shelved.’

Only then did Yang Chengguang’s expression soften. "I’m not being hard on you; the situation demands it. Just try to keep a low profile for a while. Don’t cause any more trouble, and that goes for your son, too."

"Yes, yes. Thank you for the warning."

That afternoon, the previous announcement about Lin Shuya’s expulsion was quietly removed from Handong University’s official website.

However, the move was spotted by netizens who had been keeping a close watch.

But Handong University, having already decided to play dead, had no intention of responding. It ignored all online news reports, attacks, and vitriol, acting as if nothing had happened.

Inside the doctoral program’s office.

Du Bolun had summoned all six of his PhD students to his office.

Although the six were all gloating internally, none of them dared to show it, opting for a silent response.

"I called you all here today to announce something. I’ve been having some health problems recently, so I may not be able to continue supervising you." Du Bolun was just making excuses, refusing to admit the real reason.

One of the male PhD students, who was usually a sycophant, quickly feigned concern. "Professor, is it serious?"

The other PhD students all had their own thoughts, but they kept their expressions neutral, waiting to see what Du Bolun was planning.

"The doctor said I need to rest for a while." Du Bolun’s expression was grim. He continued, "Hanwen, Li Ming, Lu Lan, the three of you are ready to graduate. Complete the graduation process as soon as possible this month; the university will give its full support. Of course, that’s on the condition that you also cooperate with the university’s work. Understand?"

"Understood, Professor." Huang Hanwen was the sycophantic male student from before.

The other two students whose names were called were overjoyed, completely caught off guard by this wonderful surprise.

"Yes, thank you, Professor."

"Professor! I will cooperate with the university completely."

As for Lin Shuya, they could only apologize to her in their hearts. Compared to stepping forward to backstab Du Bolun, they chose their own futures.

The three PhD students whose names hadn’t been called started to get antsy.

"Professor, what about us?" one of them, a male student with thick glasses, asked anxiously.

Du Bolun naturally had to placate the three. "You will be transferred to another advisor at the university, Professor Shi Mingli. He was my junior under our mentor, and he will take good care of you."

He heavily emphasized the words "my junior under our mentor."

The few who had just been harboring their own ideas immediately reined them in. It was obvious Du Bolun was warning them not to say anything reckless.

"We will definitely study hard under Professor Shi."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Thank you, Professor." The last student’s expression was a bit sour, his tone perfunctory.

Du Bolun didn’t want to escalate the situation either, especially since he had "borrowed" several of this student’s papers. He said, "Song Lei, I know you’ve contributed a lot. I’ll instruct Professor Shi Mingli to give you special consideration and try to get you graduated within two years. After all, this situation was something I couldn’t have foreseen. If you don’t think that’s fair, you can voice your own thoughts. I’ll respect your choice."

"..." Song Lei was filled with resentment. ’You old bastard,’ he cursed silently. ’If you hadn’t exploited me, I would have graduated long ago. Why would I need to wait another two years?’ However, he knew that if he made a scene, he’d pay a heavy price. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree.

"Thank you for your consideration, Professor. I will definitely graduate within two years."

Likewise, Song Lei put heavy emphasis on the words "within two years."

Du Bolun was tired as well. He waved a dismissive hand. "All of you, go back now. Prepare for graduation and the handover."

"Thank you, Professor!"

"Goodbye, Professor!"

"Take care of yourself, Professor."

The six students left the office with forced smiles.

Just after the PhD students left, Du Bolun grew angrier the more he thought about it. He snatched a cup from his desk and hurled it against the wall.

CRASH!

Du Bolun clenched his fists, muttering to himself, "Bitch! This isn’t over by a long shot."

But he was completely unaware that the camera and recording program on the laptop on his desk were running.