At once, the scene quieted down, and everyone’s eyes, whether they had been chatting or gossiping earlier, fell on Su Hui. Their expressions were varied and extremely complicated.

Having written six papers in two years, three papers in one year, with an average of four months per paper, Lu Junchi didn’t feel like this was a particularly high quantity of papers. He didn’t know why the room suddenly fell silent, and looked up at Su Hui standing on the stage.

Even Su Hui was a little confused as to what he had said wrong.

They had arrived late and missed the first half of the meeting.

Everyone was surprised because of the fact that it was so difficult to publish papers in core journals.

When teachers publish papers, there are two types of journals they can submit to: core journals and ordinary journals.

Core journals generally refer to the major journals in a particular discipline, with strict requirements for professionalism, information content, and quality. The channels for submission mainly consist of three methods: self-submission, submission through school relations, and submission through paper agencies.

In Huaxia, there are very few core journals in the field of criminology, especially those related to criminal investigation, and there are only nine in total, commonly known as the “Nine Journals,” including “Huaxia Public Security Research,” “Huaxia Criminal Psychology Science,” “Huaxia Police Technology,” …….. Today, Dean Wang personally invited the chief editors of five of the nine journals, which is already considered a top-level event in the professional field.

*Huaxia is an old name for China

Ordinary teachers who want to publish papers in these nine journals must conduct innovative research, scour for materials, and stay up late to the point of losing their hair, and even then, they can only submit a paper once or twice a year at most.

Sometimes, when they really couldn’t get it done, several teachers would work together, and the most well-known person with the greatest chance of passing would become the author, while the others joined in as co-authors.

Moreover, passing the initial review was only the first hurdle; there was also a waiting period of three to six months to finally get published, and sometimes there were setbacks due to layout issues, which could cause further delays.

Because publishing in core journals was too difficult, the requirement for faculty members in the criminology department was to publish at least three papers in regular journals within two years, with no strict requirement for publishing in core journals.

This was indeed how the standard was written, but most faculty members still tried to publish at least one paper in a core journal every two years in order to get promoted and earn a higher salary.

Otherwise, if they have not published in any core journals, they would feel embarrassed even if others didn’t say anything.

Before Su Hui’s arrival, young faculty members were required to report their work, and most of them had published at least one paper in a core journal, eight had published two papers, and two had published three papers.

Among the others, Director Liao had published the most papers in core journals, with four papers published in the past two years. However, he was both a director and a professor, and two of his papers were co-authored, so it was not that many.

When Su Hui spoke up, he surprised everyone by saying he had published six papers in two years.

Director Liao was the first to react and frowned as he asked Su Hui in front of everyone, “Professor Su, are you confusing core journals with regular journals?”

The editors were also sitting in the audience and they couldn’t allow false information to be spread.

Director Liao’s questioning was followed by more skeptical voices from the audience. “Who do you think you are, publishing six papers in two years? A famous expert in China?”

“That’s an exaggeration. Anyone who has published papers knows that it’s impossible to publish that many.”

“It’s difficult to even publish six papers in regular journals, let alone in some random campus publication.”

Whether this claim was true or false, some people’s eyes turned red at the mention of six papers.

The editors also looked up at the young, handsome, and seemingly mild-mannered teacher in front of them, who seemed very familiar.

If someone published six articles in various core periodicals over the course of two years, how could the editors-in-chief not know about them?

Therefore, before Su Hui could even respond, the audience had already assumed that he was bragging and lying, and their eyes were filled with doubt.

When Dean Wang saw the situation in the room, he frowned. Director Tan often asked him to take care of Professor Su, but now Professor Su had clearly incurred the public’s wrath, and he didn’t know how to maintain the situation.

Lu Junchi looked at the chaotic scene and Su Hui’s stunned expression on the stage. The feeling was like his precious treasure was being questioned. He hesitated for a moment on how to salvage the situation. Should he go up and pull Su Hui away?

Wouldn’t that be too awkward? Would Su Hui get angry?

In the end, he didn’t do anything. That was Su Hui, the consultant he had picked for the Major Crimes unit. He could definitely handle this small situation, right? Despite thinking this way, Lu Junchi’s palms still sweat involuntarily.

Su Hui was still confused. He had a slight fever and his mind wasn’t working properly. He lowered his head and counted the number of articles he had written. There were six, no mistake about it…

The questioning from the audience grew louder, and seeing that some people were supporting him, Director Liao’s confidence grew even stronger: “Professor Su, I carefully read every issue of those core journals. Which articles were written by you?”

Su Hui was too lazy to argue with him and immediately spoke up: “Those articles are ‘A Deep Analysis of Cybercrime Psychology,’ ‘Concrete Measures for Crime Prevention in China,’ ‘Research on Domestic Serial Killers,’…”

Su Hui had just finished speaking when Director Liao’s expression changed drastically, and he interrupted him, saying, “I remember these articles, but they couldn’t have been written by you. They are Mr. Wu’s works…”

This journal, which specializes in criminal investigation and public security, is one of the few journals that allows anonymous publication in order to protect a small number of police officers and researchers.

He had read these articles, all of which were written with great depth, but the pseudonym used to write this article was “Mr. Wu.” Mr. Wu had started publishing papers in core journals many years ago, and those articles could not have been written by Su Hui.

Su Hui continued calmly, “I used a pseudonym to publish, and that pseudonym is Mr. Wu.”

Mr. Wu?

He is Mr. Wu?

The teachers at the scene became quiet, and even the editors-in-chief couldn’t close their mouths.

Mr. Wu is a recognized leading expert in criminal psychology research in China and has been publishing articles in journals for a long time. Many of his articles are written from a new perspective, with solid theories and high productivity.

Others kneel and beg to have their articles published, but those editors kneel to solicit Mr. Wu’s articles. They even have to wait in line to see when he will be able to publish their articles.

The articles mentioned by Su Hui were indeed written by Mr. Wu, but those editors were still somewhat incredulous for a while. How could Mr. Wu be so young?! How could he be an obscure lecturer at Huajing Academy?!

Director Liao directly asked the question, “I saw Mr. Wu’s articles in the journal several years ago. At that time, how old were you?!”

Su Hui replied, “I used the pseudonym Mr. Wu in my freshman year, and my advisor was Weng Yuhua…”

Upon hearing this, the editors believed Su Hui to some extent because Mr. Wu’s earliest article was co-authored with the renowned Chinese criminology expert Professor Weng Yuhua, who intentionally recommended his student to be the first author. The article hit the key points and caused a sensation in the relevant research field after it was published.

Mr. Wu became an academic benchmark in the field of criminology since then, and “Mr. Wu” became his title.

Someone pulled Director Liao’s sleeve, but he continued to question, “Professor Su, how do you prove that you are Mr. Wu without any evidence?”

Su Hui thought for a moment and asked, “Can I show you a screenshot of the email from the editor?” Then he suddenly remembered, “I think I added a few editors on WeChat…”

Although he added them, he did not really interact with them.

One middle-aged chief editor among them stood up excitedly and said, “Oh, I remember Mr. Fog’s WeChat ID had the character ‘回’ (Hui) in it. Professor Su, it’s really nice to meet you.”

At this point, Director Liao still found it hard to believe, feeling that his own face couldn’t be saved. “Impossible, this… Let’s not rush into conclusions. Something must be wrong somewhere. Perhaps it’s a case of impersonation.”

Dean Wang saw the chaos and said, “Professor Su claims to be a student of Professor Weng. Why don’t we ask Professor Sui and find out?”

“Where’s Professor Sui?”

“He just went out to take a call.”

“Professor Su hasn’t even come up to speak, and he’s already gone?”

Just then, a middle-aged man in his fifties walked in from outside. He was Professor Sui, the expert everyone was talking about earlier.

Someone exclaimed excitedly, “Professor Sui is back!”

Su Hui gradually realized that the expert invited for the event was Sui Liangyi.

Sui Liangyi was a professor in the criminology department at the Huaxia Capital Public Security University and a consultant for the Capital Police Bureau. He was also Professor Weng’s shidi(younger disciple of the same master). In terms of seniority, Su Hui had to call him shishu (Master uncle).

When Su Hui was studying at school, he had met with this senior professor a few times. However, this professor was much older than him and there was a generation gap between them. They didn’t communicate much. In Su Hui’s impression, this senior professor was also a very talented person. In addition to teaching and serving as an consultant, he also cooperated with Professor Weng to research some related topics, and the two of them were long-time partners.

As Sui Liangyi walked back, he apologized, “I’m sorry, I took a long time to answer that phone call.”

Director Liao pointed to Su Hui on the platform and asked directly, “Professor Sui, this professor said he is a student of Professor Weng. Do you know him?”

Sui Liangyi turned his head and looked at the front of the platform, adjusted his glasses, and smiled, “Ah, Xiao Su, I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from you in these few years. So you came to teach at Huajing?”

Su Hui nodded and greeted him. He hadn’t seen Sui Liangyi for several years, so seeing him again felt a little strange.

It turned out that he really was Professor Weng’s student.

Professor Sui Liangyi had spoken, so the matter was definitely not fake.

Director Liao’s face turned ashen, and he fell silent.

The editors couldn’t hold back anymore, “Professor Su, can you consider publishing your next article in our journal? You haven’t published anything with us for a year.”

“Professor Su, do you have time to be a review expert for our magazine?”

The meeting turned into a family gathering for a while.

The young professors were all excited and discussing in a frenzy, “So, he really is Mr. Wu.”

“How did this Buddha statue end up nesting in our college for two years?!”

“He’s a student of Professor Weng, that counts as coming from a prestigious background.”

“Is it really that exaggerated?”

“Of course. Professor Weng is one of the earliest experts and professors to research criminal psychology, and he’s considered one of the best in the country.”

“No wonder he’s qualified to be a consultant for the Major Crimes Unit!”

“Damn! If only I had known to attend Professor Su’s lectures…now I probably won’t even be able to get in.”

Among those knowledgeable about the college, there was a bit of a commotion, but this commotion was limited to those studying criminology.

Others who were listening in looked confused, but they all remembered the name Su Hui and began to inquire about his accomplishments.

Finally, Dean Wang stood up to smooth things over and said, “Um, let’s let Professor Su finish his report first. The editors here have arranged for a dinner later, and as for anything else, feel free to ask him questions. Everyone here is a teacher, so let’s maintain discipline, okay?”

The report finally proceeded normally, and someone stood up to ask Su Hui about some theories in his paper.

Seeing that order had been restored, Lu Junchi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had long known that someone as excellent as Su Hui couldn’t be an ordinary person, but the fact that Su Hui was a student of Professor Weng was a huge surprise to him.

If Su Hui’s mentor was really Weng Yuhua, then he definitely wasn’t a student of Yu Yan’s. Could he be Prophet?

TN: NO! HE’S POET! YOUR POET!

Someone got up to ask Su Hui some related questions about his report.

Su Hui answered each one patiently, explaining in detail as he stood with a serene and otherworldly air, looking aloof and detached from the mundane world.

不食人间烟火 lit: not eating the food of common mortals – fig: placing oneself above the common populace.

In fact, at this point, Su Hui felt like he was dreaming. His chest still hurt a bit, as if the effect of the fever-reducing medicine was about to wear off, and he was starting to feel a little feverish again. He didn’t even feel warm in his suit, and it felt like he was walking on cotton under his feet. He was sharing his thoughts and talking about his achievements, but it felt like he was talking about someone else’s business.

Su Hui looked at the people below the stage and felt like he was an actor brought in to save the show. He couldn’t even hear what he was saying, and the job report had turned into a silent black and white film.

Suddenly, Su Hui lifted his head and saw Lu Junchi sitting in the back row. They were separated by several rows of seats, gazing at each other from afar. Lu Junchi was holding a water cup, and in that instant, Su Hui remembered the warmth of Lu Junchi’s hand when he had pulled him away during the explosion.

In this black-and-white silent film, this moment was colored.

Su Hui finally felt that everything had become more real.

His voice came back and he continued to talk about those theories.

Lu Junchi listened attentively, knowing that Su Hui had a good understanding of the criminal mind.

When facing those extremely brutal killers and robbers, Lu Junchi often felt like he couldn’t catch his breath. Did Su Hui feel pain or take pleasure in researching these things?

Su Hui’s presentation finally ended, and he was led to the front row by Secretary Lin.

Sui Liangyi took the stage and gave a short speech.

He praised the young teachers of the Huajing Criminal Academy, then said, “As teachers, writing papers and doing academic work is important, but educating students is equally important. Regardless of what we do, we must remember that as teachers, we are responsible for disseminating academic knowledge and putting it into practice to prevent the occurrence of crime. That is the meaning of studying criminal science.”

Dean Wang nodded repeatedly as he spoke.

The presentation was finally over, but the crowd didn’t want to disperse.

Many people gathered around Su Hui, who was already feeling dizzy and short of breath. He had trouble hearing what they were saying and couldn’t make out their faces, so he could only nod his head in response. He looked pale, barely holding on, and his body was shaking.

Lu Junchi walked over from the back row and politely pushed aside the crowd, standing next to Su Hui and handing him the water cup.

Su Hui finally felt like he could catch his breath and took a few sips from the water cup. He was sweating profusely, and his hands were so heavy that he could barely hold the cup. He was afraid of dropping it, so he handed it back to Lu Junchi.

The people around him kept talking, their cold and unfamiliar faces like fish swimming in water.

Dean Wang and several other leaders had a meeting with the bureau before and knew about Lu Junchi. They knew that he was the head of the Major Crimes Unit and that he was an elite trained under Director Tan.

Lu Junchi explained to Su Hui, “Sorry, Professor Su was helping me with the work in the Major Crimes Unit, which is why we’re late.”

Dean Wang said, “Oh, I see. I heard there was an arrest operation last night.” Since knowing that Su Hui was Mr. Wu, except for Director Liao who was still sulking, everyone else spoke a little more politely.

Lu Junchi nodded and said, “Professor Su and I were both on the scene.”

Sui Liangyi also said, “Thank you for your hard work. Let’s have dinner together tonight. Several editors want to chat with you…”

Dean Wang nodded and said, “I haven’t seen Captain Lu in a long time. Let’s go together tonight.”

Lu Junchi turned back to Su Hui and found him looking at him for help.

He immediately understood the look and helped him decline, “No thanks, we still have a case to solve in the Major Crimes Unit. We have to work overtime later, and I still need to borrow Professor Su’s help.”

Several editors wanted to say something more, but Sui Liangyi laughed and helped them out, “Let’s meet up later when we have time. Let’s exchange contact information and chat online. Work is important, and we shouldn’t delay the Major Crimes Unit’s work.”

Su Hui took out his phone and let the editors who hadn’t added him scan his QR code. Only then did Lu Junchi take him away from the crowd.

Su Hui had just felt like he was going to be trapped by those people. He was never good at socializing. In his view, Lu Junchi was like a godsend, heroically leading him out of danger.

It was a little cloudy and dark outside at around 5 pm.

A cold wind blew, and Su Hui couldn’t help but shiver. He had been holding on since the second half of the review meeting, and now it was even worse. His whole body was extremely uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to collapse. He tried to hold his breath and didn’t dare to relax.

On campus, Su Hui was walking a little too fast.

“Su Hui…” Lu Junchi called out to him and ran a few steps to catch up with him. When he looked to the side, Su Hui’s eyes had lost focus, as if walking forward was just a mechanical action.

Lu Junchi felt that Su Hui’s delicate side face looked pale and haggard. He instinctively grabbed his arm and tried to support him.

Su Hui raised his head and felt as if the voice came from a faraway place.

The tie was too tight, making him feel suffocated. Su Hui’s slender fingers tightened around his collar, and cold sweat kept pouring out, even sliding down his temples, making him feel unable to breathe.

Everything became blurred before his eyes, and the whole world seemed to be spinning.

Suddenly, a sharp pain ran through his body, as if a knife had been plunged into him and was twisting relentlessly. Su Hui couldn’t tell if it was memory or reality. His chest hurt as if a steel saw was grinding against it, and the smell of blood kept rising up.

Around him was an endless chorus of crying and wailing, as if trying to tear his only eardrum apart.

Su Hui’s long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood. His vision went black, and he fell forward.

His last memory was falling into a warm embrace.