Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 400 - Chapter 400 Chapter 387 The Meddlesome Angry Youth with

Chapter 400: Chapter 387: The Meddlesome Angry Youth with Delusions of Persecution Chapter 400: Chapter 387: The Meddlesome Angry Youth with Delusions of Persecution Actually, in this year’s annual selection for young teachers, another teacher nearly edged out Mr. Jiao. After all, there were a limited number of slots and so many schools in the province, not just among colleges and universities but also including middle and elementary schools. Even though some people looked down on the award, the competition was still quite fierce–how could it not be, when it came with a certificate and a spot in one’s official records?

As for why that teacher was eliminated, Zheng Tan later learned the reason on his way to Mr. Jiao’s office when he overheard a conversation among several students from the Life Science Institute. That young teacher had powerful connections; his father was a well-known professor, his mother a successful businesswoman, and they had relatives active within the system. Normally, with such a background, his chances of securing a slot should have been high with just a little networking. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky. Moreover, having accumulated too much animosity among his students over time, he was finally betrayed by them.

During the voting period of the selection, that teacher had been overly high-profile and had an altercation with one of his graduate students over some issues. The next day, the graduate student turned on his boss, exposing the professor’s money laundering and his facade of decency on a well-known internet forum with substantial influence.

The graduate student, presumably skilled at composition, wrote with a hint of humanities flair. His words conveyed a strong sense of grievance and indignation that drew sympathy. One could understand why, as nobody would be pleased after having their graduation delayed for two years.

In truth, the character of each supervisor was well known to their graduate students, whether they were master’s or doctoral candidates. They were often involved in various expense reports and money movements and had some understanding of their supervisors’ backgrounds. Just as Yi Xin and his juniors once gossiped about Professor Jiao, students under other supervisors gossiped about their own mentors. Never underestimate the students’ capabilities; once they took action, the consequences could be significant.

This time the young professor was severely stabbed in the back by his own student. If his family hadn’t intervened to suppress the matter, it would probably have become nationally known. Even though the issue was contained, his slot was forfeited, giving Mr. Jiao an opportunity to step in. Otherwise, Mr. Jiao really couldn’t compete with that teacher in terms of connections, networking, visible achievements, and political influence.

Because of the incident with that teacher’s money laundering being exposed, the university leadership had a special talk with Mr. Jiao. Whether he laundered money was not what mattered–what was important was whether he would cause trouble at critical moments, such as being stabbed in the back by his own student. In a nutshell, laundering money was fine, but one had to be clean about it. Otherwise, it would not only embarrass the teacher but also the university, compelling the leadership to take the matter seriously.

Although Chuhua University had always prided itself on being the leading institution in the province, in recent years, another university in Chu City had risen to prominence. With one dazzling achievement after another, excellent public relations, spreading plenty of positive energy, and receiving high public praise and increasing application rates, a sort of rivalry akin to the “Chu City Derby” gradually emerged when people mentioned these two universities. The other side was keen on finding opportunities to step on Chuhua University a few more times. They didn’t use the money laundering issue as a talking point because they were insecure about it as well.

In fact, money laundering was something many teachers at various universities had done, whether at third-rate or top-tier institutions. There were many ways to launder money, such as transferring national research funds abroad for personal gain, reporting the purchase of equipment for five million when only three million was spent and pocketing the difference, or using insurance, dining, and entertainment expenses for reimbursements, among other methods. To use teachers’ private expressions, why are applications for project funds so important? For laundering money and getting rich, of course!

Liu Geda from the Life Science Institute, whose dark history was the subject of private student gossip, laundered money through collaborative research. For example, he would report a multi-million project as a joint effort with others but privately agree to let his partner quote a high price, transfer the funds, and then split the profits and kickbacks.

Beyond that, some massive research funding approvals were in the hands of a few non-technical administrators. To use a highly controversial phrase, it was a case of “amateurs leading experts.” They held the power of life and death over projects, and research funds obtained by institutions could become a source of bribes for both officials and certain “experts.” Therefore, there was a popular adage in universities, “lobbying money into the department,” with “department” referring to the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Science and Technology, and other relevant agencies.

Fortunately, Mr. Jiao had never used money laundering to get rich. Most of his money came not from project shares but from Yuan Zhiyi’s company. When the company was founded, Mr. Jiao had played a role and had shares. Over the years, as the company grew and opened a branch in the south, Yuan Zhiyi’s appearance at the provincial annual gala was telling.

Mr. Jiao gained a lot of experience from Professor Qin and other teachers with relevant expertise, and Jiao Ma even went out of her way to buy a suit for him to wear to the awards ceremony. As for the suit, it couldn’t be too luxurious, or it would be difficult to explain if investigated, possibly leading to being labeled with “suspected money laundering.” Yet, it couldn’t be too casual either; it needed to hold its own among the many notables present. Although there was no expectation to dominate the scene, it was important not to appear too insignificant.

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