Wang Hao stepped onto the elevated marble landing outside the Faculty VIP Lounge, waving the official university scholarship roster above the heads of three hundred students crowded onto the stone steps of the century-old library.
The students held worn notebooks, thick binders of lab measurements, and published research papers with crumpled edges. Many wore frayed cotton hoodies, thin winter jackets patched at the elbows, and worn canvas sneakers stained with chemical reagents. These three hundred young men and women were the academic backbone of Jiangcheng University, scholars from impoverished mountain villages and struggling industrial towns.
Wang Hao wore a tailored charcoal blazer with gold buttons. Around his wrist gleamed a fifty-thousand-yuan gold Rolex watch. Beside him stood three students dressed in designer silk shirts, casually twirling the remote keys to European sports cars on their index fingers. None of the three had attended more than four lectures that semester, yet their names sat prominently at the top of the official document.
“Why did the twenty National Poverty Scholarships go to Class Monitor Wang Hao and kids wearing Rolexes?” a female graduate student shouted from the third row.
Her name was Zhou Li, a brilliant young electrochemist whose hands were rough from washing test tubes twelve hours a day.
“Lin Xiaoxiao published three papers in top international energy journals!” Zhou Li cried out, her voice breaking with indignation. “Chen Yu achieved ninety-eight percent efficiency in solid-state thermal conduction! Neither of them received a single yuan of poverty assistance! Wang Hao drives a brand-new BMW to campus every morning! How can he qualify for a national hardship grant while orphans who live on cold steamed buns get nothing?!”
“That is right!” shouted a young agricultural researcher named Xiao Liu, holding up a binder of drought-resistant grain data. “We worked twenty hours a day in unheated basements! We skipped meals to buy experimental reagents! Why are our names crossed off the financial aid list?!”
Wang Hao adjusted his gold Rolex with an oily, contemptuous smirk. He raised a red plastic megaphone to his mouth and looked down at the three hundred scholars.
“Because scholarships are not handed out to stubborn peasants who only know how to read textbooks,” Wang Hao sneered into the megaphone. “They reflect overall institutional loyalty and civic cooperation. Vice-Dean Ma made the university criteria completely clear. Students who refuse to cooperate with Young Master Zhao Kai’s technology enterprise don’t deserve a single copper coin of financial assistance!”
The heavy oak doors of the VIP lounge swung open. Vice-Dean Ma stepped out onto the marble landing, holding a ceramic cup of steaming black coffee.
“Quiet down, all of you!” Vice-Dean Ma barked, his face dark with irritation. “The Academic Affairs Committee has already ratified the selections. The scholarship allocations are final. If anyone continues to incite disorder on campus before tonight’s Centennial Alumni Gala, campus security will cancel your academic registrations and expel you before sunset!”
A heavy, suffocating chill settled over the courtyard.
Several young researchers lowered their heads, tears dripping onto their frayed sleeves. For these students, losing the five-thousand-yuan annual poverty grant meant facing immediate eviction from their dormitories and dropping out of graduate school after years of brutal sacrifice.
“A university that hands hardship aid to boys wearing Rolexes while starving honest scholars has lost its soul.”
A calm, even voice broke the silence.
The three hundred students turned their heads toward the stone pathway.
Lin Mo walked slowly into the courtyard, hands resting loosely in his jacket pockets. Beside him walked Su Wan and Shen Qiaoqiao, while Tie Niu and ten Iron Guard veterans formed a firm perimeter, keeping campus security guards from advancing.
Behind Lin Mo walked Professor Xu, Lin Xiaoxiao, and Chen Yu. The elderly professor held his head high, his eyes burning with sorrow for his students.
Wang Hao lowered his megaphone, his brow furrowing in disdain. “Lin Mo? You graduated six months ago as a broke undergraduate. What gives you the right to trespass on university grounds and interfere with faculty administration?”
Lin Mo stopped at the base of the library steps and looked up at Wang Hao with a deadpan expression.
“When I was an undergraduate here, people like you stole meal cards from the cafeteria,” Lin Mo said in a dry, calm tone. “Now you steal state hardship grants to buy sports car tires. Some petty thieves never change their habits until someone tears their stage down.”
Wang Hao’s face flushed with fury. “You broke courier! How dare you call me a thief?! I am the Student Council President! My father is a senior director of the municipal commerce chamber!”
“Your title means nothing to me,” Lin Mo replied coldly. “And neither does your counterfeit authority.”
In Lin Mo’s mind, a magnificent golden chime resonated with immense power.
[Ding! Detected Host encountering 300 Unjustly Suppressed Impoverished Scholars!]
[Host Rank 2 Mid Martial Qi Sense Active: 500-Meter Moral Integrity Scan Initiated!]
[System Module Unlocked: [Talent Benevolence Grant]!]
[Module Description: Real-time biometric and moral scanning of students. Direct tax-free educational wire transfer bypassing corrupt administrative committees.]
Lin Mo felt a warm current course through his dantian. The 500-meter qi sense of his Rank 2 Mid Martial realm allowed him to perceive the physical condition and emotional state of every young scholar in the courtyard. He could sense their low blood sugar from skipped meals, their aching shoulders from manual lab work, and their unyielding dedication to science.
“Su Wan,” Lin Mo called out softly. “Link the Taichu Academic Cloud Server directly to the national higher-education banking gateway.”
Su Wan stepped forward, her fingers tapping rapidly on her tablet screen. “Gateway linked, Chairman Lin. High-speed cryptographic clearance granted. All three hundred student bank cards have been verified against university research registries.”
Lin Mo turned toward the three hundred students standing on the cold stone steps.
“Vice-Dean Ma told you that you don’t deserve assistance because you refused to sell your patents to corporate parasites,” Lin Mo spoke in a clear, resonant voice that echoed across the entire quadrangle. “He lied. Honest research and clean hearts are the true wealth of our nation. Today, Taichu Group is establishing the Taichu Talent Benevolence Grant.”
The entire courtyard fell completely silent. The autumn wind seemed to hold its breath.
“Every single one of the three hundred honor students standing here today will receive a direct, tax-free cash grant of fifty thousand yuan,” Lin Mo declared. “No faculty committee approvals. No fake political evaluations. The money will be deposited directly into your personal bank accounts to fund your research, buy your equipment, and support your families.”
Wang Hao froze for a second, then burst into hysterical, mocking laughter.
“Fifty thousand yuan each?!” Wang Hao cackled, clutching his stomach as he pointed down at Lin Mo. “Three hundred people times fifty thousand is fifteen million yuan cash! You deliver wontons and parcels on a scooter, Lin Mo! Do you think we are idiots?! Who could possibly wire fifteen million yuan to three hundred personal accounts in the middle of a campus courtyard?!”
Wang Hao pulled his smartphone from his pocket, opened his banking app, and held the screen toward Lin Mo with a sneer.
“If you’re really handing out free millions, why don’t you wire fifty thousand to my account first, Chairman Lin?” Wang Hao sneered. “Come on! Show the whole school what a billionaire you are!”
Lin Mo pulled his Black-Gold Card from his coat pocket and tapped it against the satellite terminal held by Su Wan.
“System scan initiated,” Lin Mo whispered.
A soft, invisible wave of golden qi rippled outward from Lin Mo’s chest, washing over the library steps in a brilliant five-hundred-meter radius.
The wave passed through Wang Hao.
BUZZ!
A sharp, ear-splitting red siren sounded from Su Wan’s terminal, broadcast at maximum blast through the courtyard speakers:
[Scanning Target: Student Council President Wang Hao.]
[Goodness Score: 16/100.]
[Integrity Evaluation: Severe Moral Depravity, Embezzlement of Hardship Grants, Academic Extortion, Driving Luxury Vehicles on Poverty Subsidies.]
[Talent Benevolence Eligibility: ZERO! Application Rejected Permanently!]
The flashing crimson text was projected directly onto the giant LED display screen mounted on the library facade for all three hundred students and faculty members to witness.
Wang Hao’s smirk collapsed. His phone nearly slipped from his numb fingers as blood drained from his face.
Before Wang Hao could utter a single excuse, three hundred smartphones in the pockets of the impoverished students began to chime in unison.
DING! DING! DING!
A cascade of digital banking chimes echoed across the stone courtyard like an anthem of victory.
Zhou Li pulled her cracked phone from her pocket with trembling hands. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the glowing screen:
“Your ICBC account ending in 8842 has received an instant wire transfer of ¥50,000.00 RMB from Taichu Talent Benevolence Fund. Note: Academic Excellence and Personal Integrity Grant.”
“Fifty thousand yuan!” Zhou Li screamed, tears streaming down her face. “It came through! The money is in my account right now!”
“Mine too!” Xiao Liu shouted, jumping into the air and waving his bank confirmation. “Fifty thousand yuan! My family doesn’t have to sell our harvest to buy my seed testing equipment!”
“Fifty thousand! Every single one of us got fifty thousand!”
The courtyard erupted into thunderous, joyous pandemonium.
Three hundred students wept, laughed, and threw their research papers into the air. Young men embraced each other in tears of sheer relief. Girls clutched their phones to their chests, sobbing as years of poverty, hunger, and humiliation were washed away in a single moment.
A magnificent celestial chime sounded deep within Lin Mo’s consciousness:
[Ding! Detected spending of ¥15,000,000.00 RMB on 300 Impoverished Top Scholars (Avg Goodness: 91/100)!]
[Target Integrity Verified: Protecting national scientific talent, funding underprivileged research scholars.]
[Triggered 100x Pure Benevolence System Refund!]
[Received Cash Refund: +¥1,500,000,000.00 RMB!]
[Funds deposited directly into Host Personal Liquid Vault!]
[Personal Liquid Vault: ¥52,500,000,000.00 RMB!]
[Personal Wealth Milestone: Vault Reaches ¥52,500,000,000.00 RMB!]
[Benevolence Merit Points: +1,500,000 BMP | Total BMP: 145,449,528 BMP!]
[Good People Network Expanded: 8,710 Verified Righteous Allies (+300: top research scholars and future scientists)!]
One point five billion cash refund, Lin Mo thought, watching his liquid balance reach fifty-two point five billion yuan. Spending fifteen million to liberate three hundred brilliant minds from corrupt exploitation, and gaining one point five billion in profit. Doing good is the most unstoppable economic power in existence.
The three hundred students suddenly turned as one body toward Lin Mo.
Led by Zhou Li and Xiao Liu, they bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, their voices joining together in a resounding chant:
“Thank you, Chairman Lin! Thank you, Taichu Group!”
The chant rolled across the campus, echoing through the trees and shaking the glass facade of the administrative building.
Vice-Dean Ma stood frozen on the landing. His hands shook so violently that his coffee cup slipped from his fingers, shattering onto the marble steps. Dark coffee splashed across his expensive shoes, but he didn’t even notice.
“Fifteen million... cleared in ten seconds...” Vice-Dean Ma stammered, his eyes glazed with sheer terror. “Who... who is backing this boy?!”
Wang Hao backed away in disgrace, hiding behind a stone pillar as three hundred students glared at him with righteous disdain.
Professor Xu wiped tears from his eyes, placing a hand on Lin Mo’s shoulder. “Xiao Mo... you have done what I could never do. You gave these children back their future.”
“They earned it with their own hard work, Professor,” Lin Mo said gently.
Shen Qiaoqiao stepped forward, holding an encrypted digital tablet. She leaned close to Lin Mo and whispered in a sharp, confident tone.
“Chairman Lin, our forensic accounting team has finished the trace,” Shen Qiaoqiao reported. “Vice-Dean Ma embezzled thirty-two million yuan in state battery research grants over four years, funneling the money through a Cayman Islands entity co-owned by Zhao Technology Holdings. We have the complete wire ledgers and forged signatures.”
Lin Mo smiled coldly. “Where is Zhao Kai now?”
“He and Liu Yan are backstage at the Centennial Grand Auditorium right now,” Shen Qiaoqiao replied, checking her watch. “The formal donation ceremony begins in five minutes. Upright University President Gu, five thousand faculty and alumni, and inspectors from the Ministry of Education are already seated in the main hall.”
Lin Mo straightened his shirt cuffs. “Then let us take our seats in the front row. It is time for Young Master Zhao and Vice-Dean Ma to present their grand donation to the university.”
Deep chimes rang out from the auditorium clock tower, announcing the start of the ceremony.
The bronze double doors of the 5,000-seat Centennial Auditorium swung open.
Inside, Zhao Kai and Liu Yan preened backstage, gripping their six-foot gilded foam check.
They had no idea that their ten-million-yuan fraud was about to detonate before five thousand witnesses.