Liu Zhiya and Zhao Han exchanged a glance and saw surprise in each other’s eyes.
In their impression, university professors, especially esteemed experts like Zhang Qiming, should have a lucrative income.
"Related to his son? Lack of money? Those two claims seem drastically different."
Zhao Han spoke first, furrowing her brow into a knot, "Senior brother, didn’t you inquire more?"
Xu Yongrui shook his head helplessly, "I wanted to, but Professor Zhang has always kept tight-lipped about family matters. Even those in the lab are hesitant to ask, and who can say if any of this family stuff is true or not."
"However, during that period, Professor Zhang indeed seemed often distracted, even zoning out in the lab to the point of nearly causing an accident." He added.
Liu Zhiya rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
After a while, she spoke slowly, "If it’s because his son encountered trouble, it’s understandable for Professor Zhang to be in a poor state. But if it’s due to lack of money, and then collaborates with a dubious company, that’s too much of a gamble."
"Perhaps he’s really at the end of his rope."
Zhao Han speculated, "The multimillion subsidy is gone, perhaps affecting research projects as well. In urgent need of money, he had no choice but to grasp at straws."
"But Professor Zhang is a pillar of the school, so famous in the industry. If he really faced financial difficulties, surely the school and other major companies would lend a helping hand." Liu Zhiya questioned, "He didn’t have to collaborate with Xin Neng."
"But there’s one thing that’s certain." Xu Yongrui said.
"Since then, Professor Zhang became taciturn, rarely communicated with us. Moreover, he started frequent contact with some enterprises." Xu Yongrui provided a key piece of information, "It was during this time that he associated with Xin Neng."
Liu Zhiya and Zhao Han fell into contemplation.
Two sources of information pointed to two starkly different possibilities, yet vaguely linked somehow.
"Professor Zhang’s research projects have always been promising; if he truly needed money, he could apply for research funds through formal channels or seek collaborations. There’s no need to collaborate with a company of bad reputation, risking tarnishing his own name." The source of this content ɪs ⓝovelFire.net
Zhao Han spoke softly, "These teachers often value their own reputation. Unless..."
She didn’t continue, but she and Liu Zhiya understood the unfinished implication: Unless he had truly reached the end of his rope, Professor Zhang wouldn’t resort to such measures.
Liu Zhiya tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her thoughts in a tangle. Lack of money, his son, a company of bad repute, frequent enterprise contacts...these fragmented pieces of information churned in her mind but couldn’t assemble into a complete picture.
"Could it be..." Liu Zhiya suddenly spoke, "Could these two claims not be contradictory?"
Zhao Han and Xu Yongrui looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
"Assuming Professor Zhang’s son encountered trouble, requiring a large sum of money, so large that normal channels couldn’t solve it, like...huge medical expenses, or..." Liu Zhiya paused, her tone somewhat heavy, "Or entangled in some illegal situation, needing money to cover it."
"And to quickly gather this sum, he had to abandon some principles, opting to collaborate with Xin Neng, even though the company had a bad reputation and posed significant risks." Liu Zhiya supplemented, "This could explain why he suddenly lacked money and why he collaborated with a company of bad reputation."
Xu Yongrui realized, "Right! How did I not think of that? It explains everything!"
Zhao Han nodded, finding Liu Zhiya’s deduction very sensible.
"But," she raised a new question, "if that’s the case, why didn’t Professor Zhang seek help from the school or other institutions? Even if it’s inconvenient to openly explain the reason, he could privately seek assistance."
Liu Zhiya pondered for a moment, then said, "Perhaps because the nature of the matter is quite special, not convenient to disclose. Or maybe he didn’t want others to know about his son’s situation, afraid of affecting his future."
"Or perhaps," Xu Yongrui added, "he feared that escalating the matter would worsen the situation."
"Senior, do you know your mentor’s son?" Zhao Han pressed.
Xu Yongrui adjusted his glasses, "I’ve met him a few times, his name is Zhang Yang, usually during summer breaks."
"He left me with the impression of just an ordinary young man,"
Xu Yongrui recalled, "Tall and thin, wears black-framed glasses, doesn’t speak much, appears gentle and refined. Each meeting we exchanged mere polite greetings, I really don’t know him well."
"Did you notice any unusual behavior? Like signs of depression, or excessive anxiety?" Liu Zhiya asked eagerly.
Xu Yongrui furrowed his brow, trying to remember, "Seemed...nothing out of the ordinary."
"But once, I took documents to Professor Zhang’s home and encountered his son at the door, he was holding a thick envelope, looking rushed, appeared flustered upon seeing me, exchanged greetings and hurried off. I didn’t think much then, now looking back, something seemed off."
"Could it be that the contents of that envelope...are problematic?" Zhao Han speculated.
Liu Zhiya nodded repeatedly, "I also think that could be what compromised Professor Zhang’s principles."
"Hey? I think I remembered something." Xu Yongrui’s eyes lit up.