Surgery Godfather
Chapter 1324: The Secret Love of - 1000_2

Chapter 1324: The Secret Love of Chapter 1000_2

"Wen Ruzheng, I’m telling you, if this matter brings adverse effects to the hospital, you won’t be able to walk away from it,"

Since no video had leaked out, there was no handle for anyone to grab, Director Zhao temporarily set his mind at ease and did not give Wen Ruzheng too much trouble.

---

Lu Xiaolu had several bottles of fluid infused at Nandu Affiliated Hospital One yesterday, just saline to replenish liquids, really. Lu Xiaolu didn’t have diarrhea at all; it was all intentional. Yang Ping sent a WeChat message to Lu Xiaolu, hoping to see him and have a serious conversation.

Lu Xiaolu agreed to the appointment and came to Yang Ping’s office. Now, with only the two of them there, Lu Xiaolu, a smart man, already knew what Yang Ping wanted to know, so he said directly, "Professor Yang, just ask."

"Are Guan Ruyan’s papers and academic achievements yours? Or are they his? I want the truth," Yang Ping got straight to the point, realizing there was no need to beat around the bush with someone as smart as Lu Xiaolu.

Lu Xiaolu didn’t answer. He remained silent, and Yang Ping did not speak either, waiting for his response. The two of them sat opposite each other in silence.

After a long while, Lu Xiaolu finally said, "You have to promise me, to keep this a secret for me."

"Alright," Yang Ping agreed.

Lu Xiaolu sighed and said, "The papers he published in CNS are all written by me, and I designed and completed all those subjects as well. I hope this matter remains between you and me. I don’t want to deceive you, but I really don’t want others to know. Principal Ding has been incredibly kind to me; I can’t destroy Guan Ruyan. But now I must leave him and start my life. I have thought about this, and I plan to go abroad."

"This is academic fraud, and you’re helping him commit it. I also know about your dealings with Principal Ding. He financed your studies, and out of gratitude, you followed his arrangements. But— but this is different. You could repay him in other ways. Why did you have to help them commit academic fraud? Is that fair to those who earnestly pursue scientific research? What is the fundamental spirit of academia? It is to seek truth!" Yang Ping clearly disapproved of his actions.

Lu Xiaolu remained calm: "Do you know how heavy the debt of gratitude I owe is? Without Principal Ding’s help, I wouldn’t have had the money to complete my Master’s studies, let alone go abroad for a Ph.D. Without Principal Ding, I would have been job hunting after my bachelor’s degree, perhaps desperately drinking at dinner tables to make ends meet. Principal Ding’s help allowed me to live the life I have now—I enjoy the life of being able to focus on research, it’s what I want, no one has forced me, just like my decision to leave now and go abroad, made independently without any influence from others."

"Fair?"

"Very fair! If I couldn’t study for a Master’s, that would have been unfair. Why shouldn’t I use my abilities to seek the future I want?"

"What about fairness to others?"

"Very fair!"

"Did you know? Principal Ruo has already suspected this matter, he just hasn’t taken action yet to avoid causing collateral damage. But you can’t hide fire with paper."

"Paper can hide fire, depending on the paper’s capacity. There are many fires you don’t see because you’re too naive. You are a genius, so much so that everyone looks up to you, a genius who doesn’t have to deal with the mundane affairs of life, but I’m not. So you can’t understand my thoughts and feelings."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I’ve already made arrangements for where to go. Of course, when I leave, I’ll have a talk with Principal Ruo. I have a way to dispel his suspicions about Guan Ruyan, then I’ll become the person who is perceived as ruthlessly trying to climb the ladder by framing my bosses in everyone’s eyes."

"You’re deluding yourself."

"No, I am clear-headed. I’ve said I won’t ruin Guan Ruyan, I can’t bring myself to destroy him."

"What a joke, why tell me then? You know I could take him down. Why divulge this to me, when you could have left quietly? Why leave this ambiguous clue at the conference? Do you think I believe you? You just wanted to plant a seed with the conference, knowing that Principal Ruo, Elder Xiang, and I would doubt it, knowing I’d have to talk to you to understand what was going on, right? You planned all this, setting the blaze at my feet, with your cleverness, you must have known that if the fire started with me, I would not let Guan Ruyan go, because I don’t deal in worldly affairs."

Lu Xiaolu gave a bitter smile, leaning wearily against the back of the chair, then slowly sipped his tea.

"In the presence of genius, nothing can be concealed from you."

"You are undoubtedly a person of deep sentiment, but it’s also clear you intend to use someone else’s hand to destroy Guan Ruyan. Since you believe Principal Ding’s kindness to you is as heavy as a mountain, then to also destroy Guan Ruyan is contradictory. There is only one explanation---destroying Guan Ruyan is a form of repaying Principal Ding," said Yang Ping in an even tone, articulating each word crisply.

Lu Xiaolu was taken aback, his gaze clearly drifting off for a moment before he replied, "Your deductive skills are strong, frighteningly so."

"I dare not say that everything in this world must conform to logic, but based on my experience thus far, it certainly seems so. If you come across something that defies logic, then you simply haven’t found the true logic. If I push my reasoning one step further: It’s very likely that Guan Ruyan caused harm to either Principal Ding or his daughter, and that’s why you---"

"Enough!"

Lu Xiaolu slumped on the couch, his hands running through his hair before he looked up and said, "I might as well tell you, Guan Ruyan is truly unworthy of Ding Xinyu. Everything he has was given to him by Ding Xinyu, but he still betrayed her---don’t get me wrong, I have no romantic entanglement with Ding Xinyu. Because she is Principal Ding’s daughter, and Principal Ding is my benefactor, his only daughter is also my benefactor. You know, Principal Ding was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer a few months ago. He doesn’t have many days left to live."

"Wasn’t Principal Ding in the United States a few months ago attending an academic conference? He seemed just fine then."

"Actually, he was using that opportunity to get a check-up in the United States. Knowing he didn’t have much longer to live, he was very anxious to pave the way for Guan Ruyan one last time by pushing him to become Outstanding Young Talent. At least that would have been half a success, but unfortunately, he didn’t anticipate that Guan Ruyan was also secretly planning, ready to divorce Ding Xinyu at any moment. Guan Ruyan has long had someone else on the side, and this person is going to be Guan Ruyan’s new support. He plans to follow the path of ’study leads to civil service’---so I must destroy him."

"I really didn’t guess wrong!"

"Don’t worry, I have a backup plan for myself. Professor Zhang Chunquan, a Chinese-American at the Whithead Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has contacted me several times. I have accepted his invitation and am planning to work in his lab."

"Not staying here?"

"I can’t stay. I’ve always regarded Principal Ding as a father. With his departure, I will lose my spiritual support. Staying in this city will only bring sadness. It was better back when I was studying, when Guan Ruyan, Ding Xinyu, and I were in Germany together. I saw them as siblings. Principal Ding always asked me whether I had enough money and if I was under too much pressure with my studies. In the blink of an eye, more than a decade has passed, and everything has changed."

"Why not expose Guan Ruyan to Principal Ding!"

"It’s too cruel, even now he believes Guan Ruyan is a trustworthy person. I just want him to leave with a smile and satisfaction."

"But now we’re investigating Guan Ruyan, isn’t he suffering just the same? Watching Guan Ruyan fall."

"No, without my stepping forward as a witness, at most you have suspicions, you can’t confirm anything about his actions. The direction and speed at which this matter develops are under my control, and I won’t act on it now. I planted the seeds of doubt, but when to let it ignite depends on me. I will deal with this matter after Principal Ding has passed away. In any case, when Principal Ding leaves this world, Guan Ruyan will still be a good son-in-law, his daughter’s family will be happy, and he will have lived without regrets," Lu Xiaolu’s emotions visibly stabilized again.

"It’s more complicated than I thought!"

Yang Ping took a deep breath, never expecting the world to be so complex, where what people see is always just the surface, and no one can guess the stories behind it.

"This world is like our research topics; what we see is always just the simple exterior, but the intricate complexity behind it far exceeds our initial understanding," Lu Xiaolu said with a touch of sorrow.

"If you can, stay. We need you here too," Yang Ping didn’t want to delve into the complexities behind it all; he simply felt it would be a pity if Lu Xiaolu left.

Lu Xiaolu shook his head: "I would also like to stay, but after this affair blows up, how can I stay?"