Early the next morning, Xie Zhitan went to the university.
The staff at the Academic Affairs Office had arrived early. When the director saw him, he hurried over and said anxiously, "Professor Xie, this matter is still under investigation. Of course the college trusts you. It's hardly that serious! Why would you need to resign?"
The letter of complaint had been sent directly to the higher authorities, who had then forwarded it to the university.
Having worked at Imperial University for years, the director knew exactly how these things went.
The usual approach, regardless of whether the allegations were true, was to suspend the teacher's classes, drag things out for a while, and eventually let the matter fade away.
If the complainant pushed hard and had solid, credible evidence, the university would remove the teacher from their position to protect itself.
But Xie Zhitan was different.
As Imperial University's youngest professor, Xie Zhitan was already the face of its finance program.
The university had never even considered suspending his classes, yet late last night, the director had received the news.
Xie Zhitan had actually submitted his resignation.
The director had been so anxious that he hadn't slept all night. The circles under his eyes were darker than ink.
"Director Feng, I've actually been considering resigning since last year. You know I still have several academic reports to finish, and I need to fly to Y Country frequently. This is a good opportunity for me to finish those reports there."
The director knew this was only an excuse, but he seized on it as a way out. "Yes, yes, you do need to go. How about this? I'll apply for leave on your behalf. Paid leave! Come back whenever you've finished your projects."
Xie Zhitan smiled and declined. "That won't be