Another scandal has erupted in Chinese universities. Following the case of Song, the associate dean of the Environmental College at Nanjing Normal University, who had an extramarital affair with one of his doctoral students, a vice professor at Shandong First Medical University has been reported by his ex-wife for having an affair with his female assistant after the birth of their child, with the school’s response being passive and perfunctory.
On February 26th, a video exposing the extramarital affair of Xu, an associate professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Shandong First Medical University, gained attention. The whistleblower, Ms. Cao, claimed that her ex-husband Xu had an affair within their marriage with a female assistant from her company. The school authorities requested her to keep the matter confidential, prohibited from taking photos, recording, or making the information public before announcing the handling of the situation.
Ms. Cao told “Dawano News” on the same day that in September 2023, she married Xu, and they had a child the following year. Shortly after giving birth, Xu frequently brought a female assistant home as a guest, raising Cao’s suspicions, though she did not inquire further at the time.
When their child was six months old, a man claiming to be the ex-boyfriend of the female assistant contacted Ms. Cao, stating that Xu had an unusual relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Subsequently, Ms. Cao discovered ambiguous chat records between Xu and the woman on Xu’s phone.
In November 2024, Ms. Cao reported the situation to Shandong First Medical University and reached an agreement with Xu on their divorce in January this year.
Ms. Cao stated, “On the night of February 20th, the leaders of Xu’s college met me in a small grove in the park and read me a punishment document sealed with the school’s official stamp,” which included measures like “suspending all research activities, clocking in from nine to five on weekdays, and engaging in ideological reports,” and regarding the document’s contents, the college leadership stated no photos or recordings were allowed and there would be no public disclosure.
On the morning of February 27th, Ms. Cao informed reporters from “Zhengshi Live” that she had not received a direct response from Xu or the school yet. “So far, I have only been able to contact him through the school, but no one has reached out to me yet.” She hoped the school would provide a clear response soon and “hoped the school could respond positively.”
On February 27th, reporters from “Dawano News” reached out to Xu. Xu stated that he had commissioned a lawyer to sue Ms. Cao for infringing on his reputation and spreading false accusations. “I don’t know what evidence she has, it must be all fake, but if she had real evidence, wouldn’t the school take action?”
Xu admitted that the college had orally conveyed arrangements to temporarily suspend his teaching duties, but research and other related tasks were still ongoing normally, claiming it was merely a regular work adjustment.
However, reporters from “Dawano News” found that Xu’s profile had been removed from the official website of Shandong First Medical University. Reporters from “Zhengshi Live” also discovered that Xu’s position information had been removed from the list of full-time faculty members in the School of Biomedical Science, and his personal page was inaccessible.
A staff member of Shandong First Medical University’s publicity department stated that they were aware of the situation online, and Ms. Cao had previously made complaints. Currently, various departments are conducting investigations.
This incident has sparked widespread attention online.
Netizens commented, “If it’s false, would the original wife dare to report it with her real name?” “Just this sentence, ‘but if she had real evidence, wouldn’t the school take action?’ sounds suspicious.”
“A man with a Harvard Ph.D., maybe he’s fine academically, the school might want to protect him. Besides, he’s only a contract vice professor at the school, not a regular faculty member. Even if it reaches the school’s level, at most, he would be dismissed. They have been divorced for more than a month, the woman might just want to make it difficult for him without a place to stand, but the man has a company outside, even if he loses the position at the school, his life wouldn’t be greatly affected. The man should not have messed around with students, and indeed, there seems to be a situation of shielding at Shandong First Medical University, so they should just fire him.”
The CEO of Zhuhai Hengqin Huajun Bamboo Media Co., Ltd., posted on Weibo, “In comparison, the vice dean of Nanjing Normal University was dismissed within 24 hours after being reported for infidelity, while Shandong First Medical University has not yet announced a clear conclusion, and the efficiency of the handling is being discussed by the public. The incident is still under investigation, and both parties are resolving it through legal means. Sincerely hope the school conducts a fair investigation, announces the results soon, and provides a satisfactory response to the public.”
The headline article author and Weibo influencer, “Commentator Hua,” said, “We must investigate thoroughly, give both parties a fair hearing, not let a bad person go, and not wrong a good person.”