Chapter 64: Do You Want It? It's Gone

The naming of the scholarship was a special request from Wang Jinquan.

Upon hearing the name, the entire student body erupted once more.

“What? A scholarship named after Gu Xiangnan?”

“Did Gu Xiangnan donate that much money?”

“Who was it that called him a poor kid before?”

“And someone even spread rumors he was a gigolo? With that much money, how could he possibly do such a thing?”

It wasn’t just the students who were shocked—even the department head and vice principal stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Meanwhile, the viewers in the live stream flooded the comments:

“Someone clearly spread slander with malicious intent!”

“Looks like everything in those posts was a lie.”

“But there’s photographic evidence, they looked very close in the pictures.”

“Photos can be taken from certain angles. As a seasoned entertainment reporter, trust me—don’t believe everything you see.”

“The rumor-monger must be severely punished—this is outrageous!”

Seeing everyone demanding the culprit be brought to light, Cao Guang’s palms broke out in a cold sweat.

He was desperately thinking of how to avoid being discovered as the person who started the rumors.

A voice snapped him back to reality:

“Cao Guang, please come to the stage to accept your award.”

Only then did he realize he’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t even heard his name being called from the stage.

“Cao Guang, please come to the stage immediately to receive your award,” the announcer prompted again.

His classmates, noticing his odd expression, assumed he was simply overwhelmed by excitement and said enviously,

“Class monitor, hurry up and get your prize! The first-class scholarship is a lot of money!”

Cao Guang bowed his head and walked slowly to the podium.

The microphone sounded again:

“The first-class scholarship, 100,000 yuan! Everyone should learn from Cao Guang!”

A jolt ran through Cao Guang’s heart.

He knew most scholarships were just a few thousand yuan, but this one was a staggering 100,000.

Gu Xiangnan’s scholarship was unbelievably generous!

“Now, let us welcome Professor Gu Xiangnan to present the scholarship to Cao Guang.”

Amid a round of applause, Gu Xiangnan rose slowly.

He took from the ceremonial tray a thick stack of cash—ten bundles in all—and walked toward Cao Guang.

It must be said, the school certainly knew how to motivate its students.

They had deliberately chosen to distribute the prize in cash, letting the cold hard money spark the students’ enthusiasm for learning.

Below the stage, classmates could barely conceal their envy, some even swallowing hard with jealousy.

Cao Guang’s face had gone deathly pale.

He was torn inside—if he accepted the money, it would mean bowing his head to Gu Xiangnan.

He had always excelled academically, always at the top among his peers before university. When had he ever bowed to anyone?

But to refuse the scholarship was a real loss. Even with both his parents being teachers, it would take them months to save up that much money.

Gu Xiangnan had already reached him, holding out the thick wad of cash.

He looked at Cao Guang meaningfully and asked slowly,

“Cao, may I come to the University of Traditional Medicine today?”

Cao Guang bit his lip and nodded, not daring to meet Gu Xiangnan’s eyes.

“Then am I a gigolo?”

Cao Guang clenched his fists and shook his head.

Gu Xiangnan was about to say more when a sudden exclamation arose from the audience.

On stage, no one knew what was happening. Some of the officials began to ask what was going on.

All the students were pointing at the big screen. Gu Xiangnan turned to look.

The live feed that should have been broadcasting the awards ceremony had somehow changed.

The staff managing the live stream were frantically trying to fix the equipment, but the broadcast could not be restored.

The comment section was dominated by a single message:

“I’m a hacker. I traced the IP address of the post and found the author’s information. He’s a student at the University of Traditional Medicine named Cao Guang. I’ve posted his personal details on the livestream screen.”

The livestream had been hacked.

Cao Guang felt his heart plummet.

All eyes in the hall were glued to the screen as all of Cao Guang’s information was exposed.

The students began to whisper among themselves:

“So it was Cao Guang! That’s despicable—how can anyone just make up rumors like that?”

“He doesn’t deserve this scholarship.”

“Yeah, why should he get the scholarship?”

Those who had already been envious of Cao Guang’s huge prize now seized the chance to pile on, hoping to see him stripped of the opportunity.

Hua Hongwen, after reading what was on the screen, exchanged a few quiet words with the other officials.

He then announced in a stern voice, “Our university values not just academic achievement, but also the character of our students. If this is true, Cao Guang’s scholarship eligibility will be revoked.”

“Cao Guang, I’m sorry, but the award is on hold pending further investigation.”

Gu Xiangnan, still holding the money, simply walked away.

Cao Guang had no idea how he managed to get off the stage.

The whispers, the accusations, the scorn from all around left him utterly humiliated. In the end, he bowed his head and hurried out of the auditorium.

The conference was over, and as the students streamed out of the hall, they were surprised to see a police car parked at the entrance.

Everyone stopped to watch.

Two officers stepped out of the car.

They approached the crowd and asked, “Excuse me, where is your vice principal?”

The vice principal happened to be coming out of the side door just then, and the students pointed him out.

The officers walked straight up to him.

“Are you the vice principal?”

The vice principal’s expression changed, and a trace of panic and unease flickered in his eyes. “I am. And you are...?”

“Is something the matter?” He tried to maintain his composure.

“We’ve received a report that you have violated regulations. Please cooperate with our investigation.” The two officers stepped forward, one on each side, ready to escort him away.

“Me? Violations? This is a misunderstanding!” The vice principal tried to resist.

Hua Hongwen emerged from the auditorium just then and rushed over when he saw what was happening.

“Officers, what’s going on here? Are you sure you have the right person?”

“Principal, help me!” the vice principal pleaded pitifully.

“We don’t make mistakes. Please cooperate with our investigation. If he’s innocent, he’ll be released,” the officers replied, forcing the vice principal into the car.

The night before, after returning home, Xu Chenyi had recounted in detail to his father, Xu Feng, how Gu Xiangnan had been expelled.

Xu Feng was deeply moved.

He hadn’t expected that the twists and turns of his own political career would ripple out to affect his son.

Even more surprising was that Gu Xiangnan, in defending his son, had lost his own studies and future.

To topple a great tree, one must uproot it completely.

That night, Xu Feng contacted some old friends and, through them, reached out to relevant authorities, hoping to investigate the vice principal’s background.

And what they found was telling—the vice principal’s grandson had a notorious reputation.

He had repeatedly harassed female classmates, bullied peers, and had even been reported to the authorities.

The vice principal had used his grandson’s academic prospects to threaten other parents, leading the victims to drop their complaints.

Worse still, the investigation uncovered evidence of embezzlement and bribery.

With this information in hand, Xu Feng was confident.

He filed a formal complaint against the vice principal.

And so, the vice principal was taken away for investigation.

After the meeting, Gu Xiangnan returned to the class where he had once studied.

Cao Guang sat alone at his desk.