The God of Wealth starts with doing whatever you want

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

When Zhou Wenbin was led away from his seat by two people wearing dark suits and work badges, he still had an incredulous look on his face.

His gold-rimmed glasses reflected a blinding light under the harsh white lights of the conference room. His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only let out a muffled sob.

"Comrade Zhou Wenbin, please cooperate with the investigation."

The middle-aged man at the head of the group spoke calmly but with an undeniable air of authority. After presenting the relevant documents, he nodded to the school leaders.

The members of the academic committee looked at each other in bewilderment.
Some people lowered their heads and pretended to organize documents, some had shifty eyes, and others secretly glanced at Wu Jinyan sitting in the corner.

The usually gentle and refined female professor was sitting upright at this moment, her face expressionless, only her slightly clenched fingers betraying the turmoil in her heart.

She really didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Three days ago, Xu Yun said on the phone, "Leave this to me." Wu Jinyan thought it would take at least one or two weeks to get things going.

After all, the academic network is intricate and complex, and Zhou Wenbin has been operating at Jiangcheng University for many years, serving as the vice dean of the School of Economics and Management. It wouldn't be easy to take him down.

But Xu Yun only took three days.

In just three days, a professor with a prominent position in academia was taken away in full view of the public.

"The meeting continues."

Li Guodong, the school party official who chaired the meeting, cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

The nearly sixty-year-old scholar pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and calmly said, "Regarding the allegations of academic misconduct against Professor Ou Jingya, in light of the new circumstances that have arisen, the school has decided to reorganize the investigation team."

I personally served as the group leader, and Dean Wang Mingyuan served as the deputy group leader.

He paused, then continued, "Academic research is the lifeline of a university, and academic norms are the bottom line for scholars."

We must not only seriously investigate and punish genuine academic misconduct, but also protect teachers who are dedicated to their research from being wrongly accused.

This investigation must be conducted in a transparent, fair, and impartial manner.

Wu Jinyan nodded slightly, but she understood the subtext of these words: Zhou Wenbin had fallen, and the things he had promoted before naturally needed to be re-examined.

The meeting continued in a delicate atmosphere.

Two hours later, Wu Jinyan returned to her office, closed the door, and finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

She walked to the window, looked at the students coming and going on campus below, took out her phone, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed Xu Yun's number.

The phone was answered after three rings.

"teacher."

Xu Yun's voice came through the receiver, with some background noise, as if he were outside.

"Zhou Wenbin has been taken away."

Wu Jinyan stated bluntly, "At the meeting this afternoon, the discipline inspection team came in and took him away."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds.

"Ok, I know."

Xu Yun replied calmly, "I just received the message too."

"Are all the documents you gave him... real?" Wu Jinyan asked in a low voice.

"100% true."

Xu Yun’s tone was cold as he said, “Over the years, Zhou Wenbin has taken advantage of his position to accept consulting fees from companies but has not done any work.”
He misappropriated college research funds to buy property for himself.

Even more serious is...

Three of his graduate students were forced to relinquish first authorship to him, one of whom became depressed and dropped out of school as a result.

Wu Jinyan gasped: "How did you find out about all this?"

"Teacher, there are no secrets in this world."

Xu Yun did not answer directly, but said, "Zhou Wenbin thought he had done it perfectly, but in fact it was full of loopholes."

I simply had a professional check his bank statements, property records, and the whereabouts and current status of the graduate students he had supervised over the years.

"That student who dropped out of school..."

"I've already had my lawyer contact her."

Xu Yun said, "If she is willing to stand up and testify, Zhou Wenbin will face more than just academic misconduct issues."

Wu Jinyan held her phone, unsure of what to say.

She suddenly remembered something her daughter, Ou Jingya, had once said.

"Xu Yun may not be able to give me a marriage in the traditional sense, but he gave me respect, understanding and real companionship."

In this fast-paced era, I'm already very lucky to have met a man who is willing to take responsibility for me and face all difficulties with me.

At the time, Wu Jinyan thought her daughter was blinded by love.

But now, she seems to understand a little.

"Does Jingya know?" she asked.

"Don't know yet."

Xu Yun said with a smile, "I want to tell her after things are completely resolved. Teacher, please don't tell her too much yet, just let her wait for the results in peace."

"I see."

Wu Jinyan paused for a moment, then said, "Xu Yun, thank you this time..."

"You're welcome."

Xu Yun's voice softened, and she smiled, "I promised you, protecting her is my responsibility."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Jinyan stood by the window for a long time.

Outside the window, the setting sun bathed the campus in a warm golden light.

She recalled what she was like more than 20 years ago when she first stayed on to teach at the university, the purity of the academic circle in the past, and all the unpleasant things she had witnessed over the years.

Zhou Wenbin is not the first, nor will he be the last.

But at least this time, someone stood up for justice.

Meanwhile, Xu Yun was sitting in a private room at a high-end teahouse in the city center.

Lin Zhengyu was sitting opposite him.

Today, the young master of the Lin family was wearing a light gray casual suit. He looked refreshed and was leisurely brewing Kung Fu tea.

"Well done."

Xu Yun picked up his teacup, smelled the aroma of the tea, and said, "It's faster than I expected."

"These kinds of minor characters don't require much effort."

Lin Zhengyu smiled and said, "I contacted an old classmate from the Discipline Inspection Commission, submitted the materials, and when they saw that the evidence was conclusive, they immediately sent it to their subordinates to file a case."

Zhou Wenbin, this kind of academic bureaucrat, may look respectable, but he's actually easily exposed if investigated.

"He didn't resist?"

"Resist?"

Lin Zhengyu scoffed and said disdainfully, "His legs went weak when he saw those bank statements and property certificates."

I heard that before he was taken away, he tried to call people, only to find that those he usually called brothers were either on phone or said they were out of town on business.

Xu Yun nodded, not surprised.

That's just how the world is; it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow.

When Zhou Wenbin was at the height of his fame, he was naturally surrounded by a group of people, but once something happened, those people ran away faster than anyone else.

Lin Zhengyu said meaningfully, "Professor Ou should be able to restore his reputation soon, right?"

"The school leadership has reorganized the investigation team."

Xu Yun replied, "The result will be a foregone conclusion."

"That's good."

Lin Zhengyu poured himself a cup of tea, then suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, the eldest daughter of the Zhong family asked me about you yesterday."

Xu Yun paused, "Zhong Yan Yan?"

"Who else could it be?"

Lin Zhengyu looked at him with a half-smile and said, "She asked me what you've been busy with these past few days, and I said you were dealing with some personal matters, so she didn't ask any more questions."

Xu Yun rubbed his temples.

He has indeed been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Zhong Yanyan these past few days.

One reason is that I need to focus my energy on dealing with Ou Jingya's matter.

on the other hand……

He didn't know how to deal with Zhong Yanyan's increasingly obvious feelings.

"What did she want to see you about?" Xu Yun asked.

"It seems like her husband's birthday is coming up."

Lin Zhengyu said, "I didn't ask any more questions. You can contact her yourself."

However, I must warn you, Old Master Zhong is no ordinary person. If he really approves of you as his grandson-in-law, then you're in trouble…

"Stop."

Xu Yun raised her hand to stop him from continuing, saying, "I know what I'm doing." The two chatted for a while about the progress of their business in Tokyo, then Lin Zhengyu received a phone call and left.

Xu Yun sat alone in the private room, looking at the city lights coming on outside the window. He took out his phone, found Zhong Yanyan's number, hesitated for a moment, and still didn't dial it.

Let’s talk about it tomorrow.

With that thought in mind, he got up, paid the bill, and left.

The next morning at 10:00 AM, a review meeting regarding the allegations of academic misconduct against Ou Jingya was being held in a small conference room in the administration building of Jiangcheng University.

Unlike the tense and oppressive atmosphere of the last meeting, the atmosphere in the meeting room this time was noticeably more relaxed.

Li Guodong, a party official, sat in the main seat, with Wu Jinyan and Dean Wang Mingyuan sitting on either side. In addition, there were five professors from different colleges who formed the investigation team.

Ou Jingya sat at the other end of the conference table, wearing a simple white shirt and black trousers, her hair neatly tied back.

Her complexion was much better than a few days ago, and her eyes had regained their former clarity and determination.

"Professor Ou, after careful verification by the investigation team, we believe that your paper published three years ago, 'Research on Innovation of Financing Models for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Digital Economy Era,' does not contain any plagiarism."

Li Guodong adjusted his glasses and read out the investigation results: "The parts of your paper that are similar to Professor Zhou Wenbin's earlier papers are found to be standard expressions in the field of public knowledge, and your paper has independent innovations in terms of core viewpoints, argumentation logic, and data support."

The so-called "excessive plagiarism rate" issue, after technical review, revealed that the actual similarity was only 8.7%, far below the school's 15% warning line.

He paused, then looked at Ou Jingya: "Therefore, the investigation team unanimously decided to drop all charges against Ms. Ou Jingya and restore her reputation."

Meanwhile, given Professor Ou Jingya's outstanding performance in teaching and research in recent years, the university has decided to promote her to associate professor, and the appointment document will be officially issued next week.

Applause erupted in the conference room.

Ou Jingya stood up, bowed deeply to everyone present, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Secretary Li, thank you, teachers. I will continue to work hard and live up to the school's trust."

Her voice was choked up.

After the meeting, Wu Jinyan accompanied her daughter out of the administration building.

The July sun was warm and bright, casting dappled light and shadow on the tree-lined paths of the campus.

“Mom, Xu Yun, he…” Ou Jingya hesitated.

“He did all this.”

Wu Jinyan took her daughter's arm and said, "He had someone investigate Zhou Wenbin and dug up all those shady things."

Zhou Wenbin was taken away yesterday because of the evidence he provided.

Ou Jingya stopped in her tracks, her eyes suddenly reddening.

"This child..."

She chuckled softly and said, "He's never said any of this to me. These past few days, when I've messaged him, he's only replied with 'Don't worry, I'm here for you.' I thought he was just trying to comfort me..."

"He is truly protecting you."

Wu Jinyan patted her daughter's hand and sighed, "Jingya, Mom used to have a prejudice against him. I always felt that he had too many women around him and couldn't give you a stable life."

But now it seems... he may not be able to give you marriage in the traditional sense, but what he gives you is something more substantial than marriage.

"Ah."

Ou Jingya nodded, and tears finally fell.

It wasn't a feeling of being wronged or sad, but rather a deep sense of being protected and touched.

She took out her phone, intending to call Xu Yun, but saw a new message pop up on the screen.

It was sent by Xu Yun.

"Have the results come out yet? Let's have dinner together tonight to celebrate."

She burst into laughter through her tears and quickly replied, "Okay, you choose the location."

Almost simultaneously, Xu Yun's phone rang again.

This time it's Zhong Yanyan.

He answered the phone, and Zhong Yanyan's clear voice came from the other end: "Busy Xu, you finally answered the phone?"

"Just finished a meeting."

Xu Yun walked to the window and deliberately asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"

My grandfather is celebrating his 80th birthday next Saturday.

Zhong Yanyan was very direct, and said with a smile, "My family is having a family banquet, and the old man specifically asked you to attend as my boyfriend. Are you coming?"

“Okay, no problem.” Xu Yun was not opposed to this.

Boyfriend is not husband!

He's not afraid of anything.

Besides, he also wanted to meet the so-called top families in advance and see how much foundation they had!
Hearing his quick agreement, Zhong Yanyan smiled and said, "That's fine then. I'll prepare the dress for you. I'll pick you up at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon."

"Ah."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Yun's phone vibrated again. It was a restaurant location sent by Ou Jingya, with the message: "This is a private restaurant that my dad used to take me to. I'd like to take you there to try it."

Xu Yun looked at the message and replied, "Okay."

Six p.m.

Xu Yun arrived at the private restaurant hidden in the alley of the old town right on time.

The shop is small, with only five or six tables. The decor is simple Chinese style, with some calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls that look quite old.

Ou Jingya had already arrived and was sitting by the window, looking down at the menu.

She wore a light blue dress today, her hair was loosely tied up, revealing her slender neck.

The twilight outside the window shone on her, making her look gentle and serene.

"Have you been waiting long?" Xu Yun walked over and sat down.

"Just arrived."

Ou Jingya looked up, her eyes sparkling, and smiled, "I told the boss to make a few signature dishes, all of which my dad used to love."

Xu Yun noticed that when she talked about her father, her tone was no longer as heavy as before.

"Is everything resolved?" he asked.

"Ah."

Ou Jingya nodded and replied, "It was announced this morning. All charges have been dropped, and he was even promoted to associate professor ahead of schedule."

"Congratulations," Xu Yun said sincerely.

"I'm the one who should be saying thank you."

Ou Jingya looked at him seriously and smiled, "Xu Yun, I know it was you who did it. Zhou Wenbin's things... without you, he might still be at large."

Xu Yun smiled and did not deny it: "He deserved it."

The waiter began serving the dishes, which were all home-style dishes: braised pork, steamed fish, garlic greens, tofu soup... but each one was exquisitely made, delicious, and fragrant.

"Taste this."

Ou Jingya picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in Xu Yun's bowl, saying, "My dad used to say that the braised pork at this restaurant is the best in Jiangcheng. It's fatty but not greasy, and it melts in your mouth."

"Ah."

Xu Yun took a bite, and it was indeed delicious.

As they ate and chatted, Ou Jingya recounted many stories of coming to this restaurant with her father when she was a child.

She said her father would always order the same dishes, and that every time she got good grades, her father would bring her here to celebrate; she said that on the day she received her university acceptance letter, her father got drunk here and grabbed the owner, saying, "My daughter has made something of herself."

“I used to think that I had to live up to his expectations in order to be worthy of him.”

Ou Jingya said softly, "But now I understand that his greatest wish is actually for me to be happy."

"Are you happy now?" Xu Yun suddenly asked.

Ou Jingya looked at him and replied, "Of course I'm happy."

"That's good."

The meal lasted a long time, until all the other customers left the restaurant. The owner came over with a smile and said it was time to close, and only then did the two of them get up and leave.

Stepping out of the alley, the night breeze carried the warmth of early summer.

Ou Jingya naturally took Xu Yun's arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Xu Yun".

"Ok?"

"Next week is my birthday."

She said, "Can you make some time? I'd like... just the two of us."

Xu Yun thought for a moment. Next Saturday is Grandpa Zhong's birthday banquet, and Ou Jingya's birthday should be next Wednesday.

"it is good."

He replied, "Where do you want to go?"

"Not ready yet."

Ou Jingya smiled and said happily, "As long as you're with me, anywhere is fine."

...(End of chapter)