I'm back in 1990

Chapter 575: Anonymous Report

One day in late May, an uncontrollable gasp came from the vice principal's office.

"Anonymous whistleblowing?"

Hong Yongze held a thin sheet of paper in his hand, his knuckles white, his face a mixture of astonishment and barely contained anger.

He suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing as he stared at his colleague Lao Zhang sitting opposite him: "Reporting Huang Xiaochuan for abusing his position to amass wealth? That's utter nonsense! How much research funding can an associate professor handle in a year? To put it bluntly, that little bit of money isn't even enough for a few meals at a fancy restaurant! Amass wealth? What kind of wealth are you talking about!" Hong Yongze's voice trembled slightly with excitement, and the last sentence was almost a growl.

Old Zhang frowned, his voice low and serious: "Old Hong, calm down! You're a high-ranking official, mind your place. This letter of complaint was sent directly to the relevant departments in the city and the Education Bureau. They're taking it very seriously. The investigation team will arrive this afternoon."

Hong Yongze felt his head buzzing. How could his junior brother have made a mistake? Those research funds were hardly any money at all. Huang Xiaochuan didn't lack that much, and he knew that Huang Xiaochuan had some businesses outside of school. But at that time, there were no regulations prohibiting faculty members from engaging in business, so this wasn't illegal or against any rules!

He abruptly stood up, grabbed the teacup on the table, and was about to smash it on the ground, but his arm froze mid-air. He slammed the teacup down and picked up the phone to dial.

Old Zhang reacted quickly, grabbing the phone receiver and sternly reminding, "Vice Principal Hong, please be sure to abide by the rules and don't make any mistakes."

Hong Yongze seemed to have all his strength drained away, and slumped back into his chair.

Then, with a mocking grin, he lightly pinched the piece of paper and said to Old Zhang, "Before, an eight-cent stamp could ruin a person's life. Now it's gone up a bit; postage's up to twenty cents! Twenty cents!"

That afternoon, the Education Department's investigation team quietly moved into the University of Finance and Economics. This sophisticated and cold machine began to operate silently in a small conference room that the university had set aside.

The investigation team set up camp and summoned different people for questioning each day according to the list. At the same time, a transfer order was sent to the school's finance department, and a massive amount of financial vouchers and project funding receipts were continuously sent into the temporary command center, soon piling up like a mountain on the conference table.

Rumors were rampant on campus, and an invisible tension and speculation permeated the air.

The news quickly reached Sang Weihong and Ma Yifeng, who rushed to find Huang Xiaochuan.

"Xiao Chuan, what's going on? We heard that people from above have come to investigate you, saying things like huge amounts of unexplained assets, embezzlement of research funds, and improper gains outside the university. What does that have to do with anything?" Sang Weihong had known Huang Xiaochuan the longest and knew a little about his rise to power, so she naturally didn't believe those rumors. But when she learned that he was being investigated, her heart was still in her throat.

Huang Xiaochuan had heard the rumors circulating on campus. However, his worries were completely different from Sang Weihong's: Sang Weihong was worried about him getting into trouble, while he was concerned that some of his hidden wealth might be exposed—once revealed, it would be enough to shock countless people. Even more troublesome was the fact that fame brings its own set of problems; he might find it difficult to stay in Shanghai.

Despite this, he remained calm and even reassured the worried couple with a hint of relief: "Don't worry! True gold fears no fire. Go about your business! Don't believe everything you hear and scare yourself unnecessarily."

The couple's worries remained undiminished. Huang Xiaochuan said nothing more, and saw them off, half comforting and half urging them on.

In the days that followed, Hong Yongze endured immense psychological torment, visibly losing weight. Due to his position, he couldn't speak his mind, and couldn't reveal any information to Huang Xiaochuan, leaving him suffocating with frustration.

Every time Hong Yongze saw Huang Xiaochuan calmly walking through the crowd pointing and whispering about him towards the classroom, he felt an urge to rush up and have a deep talk with his junior, but he ultimately suppressed it.

He could only watch helplessly as his junior brother faced the onslaught of rumors and the coldness of the investigation alone.

Huang Xiaochuan, on the other hand, seemed detached from the situation, preparing lessons, teaching, and grading homework as usual, his life proceeding smoothly without any disruption. He didn't even tell anyone in his family about it—it would only cause more trouble and wouldn't help the matter, so it was better to keep it a secret.

But all of his students were worried about him.

Soon, the investigation team and auditors approached Huang Xiaochuan himself.

Team leader Zhao, his face stern and his tone cold, said, "Professor Huang, I'm sure you know very well why we're here, right?"

Huang Xiaochuan's expression remained calm: "No need to guess, it's already spread throughout the school. Team Leader Zhao, if there's anything you need to know, please just say it, and I will cooperate fully."

Team Leader Zhao felt like he had punched cotton with all his might, and he scrutinized Huang Xiaochuan with sharp eyes.

Upon seeing this, a staff member from the Discipline Inspection Commission slammed his hand on the table: "Huang Xiaochuan! Straighten your attitude! Do you think we're here to chat with you without solid evidence?"

Huang Xiaochuan, not wanting to waste words on such a person, simply stood up and gestured for him to leave: "Excuse me, I have work to do. If there are no other questions for now, please go back."

Team Leader Zhao and his group had no choice but to leave dejectedly. The next day, they summoned Huang Xiaochuan to the small conference room filled with account books.

Team Leader Zhao slammed a printed list heavily in front of Huang Xiaochuan.

"According to our information, you have staggering amounts of deposits and stock holdings in multiple banks and securities firms. Could you please explain the source of these enormous assets?"

Upon hearing this question, Huang Xiaochuan already had a plan in mind. He calmly dialed the number and summoned his assistant, Gao Song.

"Gao Song, please help these comrades organize the materials I have prepared and provide them to them."

Gao Song replied crisply, "Understood, Mr. Huang!"

The investigation team members looked at each other, momentarily stunned—could an assistant really explain something like this? This was truly the first time they had ever encountered such a situation.

With a professional smile and an attitude that was neither humble nor arrogant, Gao Song carried out the tasks assigned by his boss meticulously. He provided any information requested by the investigation team promptly and completely, and his level of cooperation was so high that no one could find fault with him.

Huang Xiaochuan continued to bury himself in his lesson plans and student assignments, knowing full well that his university professorship was probably nearing its end.

With Gao Song's full cooperation, detailed documents were submitted to the investigation team. The face of Zhao, the team leader of the Education Department's investigation team, who wore black-rimmed glasses, grew more and more gloomy each day.

When he first arrived at the University of Finance and Economics, he came with the sharp edge of "presumption of guilt"—a university professor possessing such a huge amount of wealth must be up to something! However, after more than a month of meticulous investigation, his sense of confusion grew day by day.

At the end of June, he approached Hong Yongze again, requesting a list of all the research projects Huang Xiaochuan had participated in since he stayed at the university to work.

This was not difficult; Hong Yongze made a phone call and someone delivered a detailed list.

Team Leader Zhao carefully reviewed each item in front of Hong Yongze.

Finally, he adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, carefully choosing his words, and said with difficulty, "Vice Principal Hong, based on our current investigation results, verified bank statements, financial documents, and the information provided by Professor Huang, we have encountered a very perplexing situation!"

Hong Yongze's heart tightened, and he felt his heart leap into his throat.