Southeast University "Academic Fraud" Report 5
Every night at 11 o'clock, I go to bed but wake up suddenly between one and two in the morning and then can't fall back asleep.
A few days ago, he was still known as "Song Deliang" to everyone. Now, he prefers others to call him "Little Zhang" - his real name is Zhang Lubo, with a former alias of Zhang Xiaoran.
Recently, Zhang Lubo has been under immense pressure. After the truth about the academic fraud came to light, he has been pondering over which path to take in the future. "I made a mistake in this matter, but actually, I am also a victim," he said yesterday afternoon on the Jiangning campus of Southeast University after talking for three hours with the reporter, reflecting on his journey over the past three years.
Reporter Zhu Junjun
Zhang Lubo revealed his inner thoughts to the reporter:
Being admitted to Southeast University only made me happy for half a day before my mother was diagnosed with cancer.
I am very strong, and my dreams will not change. The road ahead is long, and I will walk it well.
- Zhang Lubo
He comes from a rural area, from a poor family, and he just wanted to attend a better university.
He made a mistake and paid the price.
His fate has changed direction.
Perhaps, we should now give this child some tolerance.
"What should I call you now? Song Deliang? Zhang Xiaoran? Or Zhang Lubo?" When the reporter met Zhang Lubo, they didn't know what to call him.
Zhang Lubo smiled: "Just call me Little Zhang." Whenever Zhang Lubo leaves the dormitory, a roommate always follows closely behind. This is arranged by the school to prevent Zhang Lubo from being unable to handle the pressure and doing something extreme. However, Zhang Lubo told the reporter that although he is under pressure, he is actually very strong.
Since the "academic fraud" was reported in the media, Zhang Lubo has been avoiding journalists. But yesterday, he suddenly sent a text message to the reporter saying that he wanted to have a serious talk and clarify some facts. What Zhang Lubo wants to clarify is not whether the academic fraud is true or false; he no longer denies impersonating Song Deliang. He just wants to say that he is also a victim in this matter, and some things are not entirely as Song Deliang claims.
Yesterday's Zhang Lubo was still wearing a black coat, with a dark complexion. When he saw the reporter, he tried to smile, but the smile seemed forced.
"I've read every report you've written," Zhang Lubo said. "Regarding the nature of this incident, I violated the rules and was wrong. But the truth of the matter is not exactly as described by the parties involved. I am under tremendous psychological pressure! Therefore, my family and friends suggest that I must express my own views because, regarding this matter itself, I am also a victim!"
Every day, he goes online to check the news about himself.
"At the time when my parents made this decision, their reasoning was simple - they just wanted me to attend a better university," Zhang Lubo said. In 2007, he once took the college entrance exam in Shandong Province. His score exceeded the first-tier undergraduate line in Shandong and was accepted by Shandong Agricultural University. However, his family hoped he could attend an even better school, so they decided he should retake the exam.
However, Zhang Lubo's family was very poor. They lived in a village in Liaocheng, Shandong Province. His father suffered a stroke in 2001, leaving the right side of his body paralyzed. He had to eat with his left hand, had no ability to work, and relied solely on his mother farming four mu of land to sustain their livelihood. So, for them, Zhang Lubo attending a better university in the future, finding a good job, earning more money, and improving the family's living conditions was the best choice.
Thus, Zhang Lubo decided to retake the exam. During the Spring Festival of 2008, Zhang Lubo's mother Luo Chengying returned to her hometown - Longjing Township, Shiqian County, Guizhou Province. After returning, she told him, "This year, you should take the college entrance exam in Guizhou."
Mother informed Zhang Lubo that during her visit to her maternal home, through her "grandfather," she borrowed a household registration for him, allowing him to take the exam under someone else's identity. This "grandfather" was Zhou Qiming, a committee member of the Kema Field Village Committee in Longjing Township, who had a distant relative relationship with Luo Chengying's family. Zhang Lubo said that the family discussed it, and borrowing Song Deliang's hukou (household registration) was with their consent. He would return the hukou to Song Deliang after graduating from university and revert to his original name. In March 2008, under his mother's guidance, Zhang Lubo went to Shiqian, Guizhou, holding Song Deliang's household registration book and registered at Shiqian Middle School.
In recent days, Zhang Lubo has been reminiscing about the scenes of March 2008. "If it weren't for the act of borrowing the hukou, I would definitely be in some university now, free from any worries." Zhang Lubo's heart was filled with regret, but there was no resentment. "I don't hate my mom, I don't hate anyone. After all, she did it for my good."
"I respect my mom's decision."
"When I first arrived at Shiqian Middle School, others called me Song Deliang, and I couldn't react immediately."
Although he borrowed "Song Deliang's" identity, deep down, Zhang Lubo was very conflicted about the name "Song Deliang." If someone called him Song Deliang, he would simply respond with an "um" as acknowledgment.
"Even after entering university, I never got used to others calling me Song Deliang." In the dormitory, since Zhang Lubo was the oldest, everyone referred to him as "Big Brother." And this title truly made Zhang Lubo feel like himself again. "They call me Big Brother, and I respond loudly. I don't want to hear the name 'Song Deliang.'"
Before the college entrance exam, Zhang Lubo had to obtain Song Deliang's ID card because taking the exam required an ID. Thus, Zhang Lubo applied for Song Deliang's temporary ID card at the Longjing police station. Besides the ID card, Zhang Lubo also fabricated his three-year examination records at Shiqian Middle School. "Before the exam, the homeroom teacher handed out a form for all the students to fill out," Zhang Lubo explained. The form he mentioned was the high school student registration form. "Before filling it out, I also asked the teacher how to do it." The teacher replied that wherever you studied, fill it out accordingly. Originally, Zhang Lubo intended to write Shandong, but eventually, he wrote Shiqian Middle School instead, "perhaps fearing exposure even more." After completing the form, Zhang Lubo submitted it. Southeast University failed to detect Zhang Lubo's flaws due to this certificate.
Great conflict with the name "Song Deliang"
Zhang Lubo successfully entered a key university as desired, but looking back, the true joy lasted only half a day after receiving the admission notice.
"I remember getting the notice in August 2008," Zhang Lubo said. After receiving the notice, the whole family was delighted, especially his mother, whose health was consistently poor. Due to lack of funds, she only sought treatment at a local small hospital. Taking advantage of this auspicious news, his mother decided to get checked at a major hospital. Zhang Lubo's sister accompanied her mother to Liaocheng People's Hospital, but at 8 PM, the sister called crying uncontrollably - their mother had cervical cancer, and it was already in the late stages.
While speaking with the reporter, Zhang Lubo's emotions remained stable, but when talking about his mother, his voice became slightly choked: "I took her to see a doctor in Jinan, then brought her to Nanjing, and finally took her to Shanghai, but all the experts said there was nothing more they could do." To treat his mother's illness, Zhang Lubo's family sold their house, rented out their four mu of land, and borrowed 70,000 yuan from relatives and friends, but a year later, his mother passed away. Zhang Lubo always hoped to make his mother happy through his efforts. "In the three years of university, I only went home once, which was when my mother passed away," Zhang Lubo said.
After entering university, Zhang Lubo never asked his family for a single cent. "Whenever I had time, I went out to work. But many units wouldn't hire temporary workers, so Zhang Lubo pretended to be a high school student, saying he was working and could stay for a long time, making these units willing to hire him. This way, he could earn a fixed income of four to five hundred yuan per month. "I don't buy clothes, snacks, or go shopping; this money is enough for me to live on."
Getting into Southeast University brought happiness for only half a day.
Clarification:
Song Deliang concealed some facts.
Zhang Lubo never expected that the real Song Deliang would report him.
"I always thought he was willing to lend me his hukou," Zhang Lubo said. "I called him and promised to give him some compensation, but currently, I don't have money. I'll compensate him after I graduate." However, because Zhang Lubo didn't know Song Deliang's specific intentions, he gave the pseudonym "Zhang Xiaoran" during their phone conversation.
"I called him many times, asking him not to report me." Zhang Lubo found that negotiations over the phone were useless, so at the beginning of the summer vacation this year, he went to Shiqian once, but since Song Deliang was working in Guangzhou, they didn't meet. During the National Day holiday, Zhang Lubo's father, despite his disability, went to Song Deliang's house. However, Zhang Lubo said that Song Deliang's father demanded 10 million yuan, saying he would let him continue using the hukou if given 10 million yuan, and later the price dropped to 1 million yuan. "My father is honest, even 1 million yuan he dared not agree to because we really don't have the money," Zhang Lubo said. He also told Song Deliang over the phone that even if given 1 million yuan, it would have to wait until after he graduated.
"If they hadn't agreed to lend the hukou at the time, I definitely wouldn't have done it this way," Zhang Lubo said. "Taking the college entrance exam for a key university isn't difficult for me. There's absolutely no need to take such a big risk."
To allow Song Deliang to move his hukou as soon as possible, Zhang Lubo also told the Xuanwu Public Security Bureau that he wanted to move his hukou back because his family was undergoing demolition compensation and could receive more money. "I went there dozens of times, telling them how poor my family was, moved the officers, and helped me move my hukou back to Guizhou."
Dialogue:
I hate no one.
Reporter: Have you felt a lot of psychological pressure these past few days?
Zhang Lubo: After this incident happened, it had a huge impact on me, and for several days, I barely communicated with others. These days, I've been constantly thinking about the causes and consequences of this event.
Reporter: Many people who care about you worry whether you might do something extreme after the incident.
Zhang Lubo: I am very strong.
Reporter: Where do you think the problem lies?
Zhang Lubo: Yes, I violated the rules, and I was wrong. My family and I were wrong. However, from another perspective, I am also a victim.
Reporter: Why are you also a victim?
Zhang Lubo: Since entering Southeast University, I have been studying hard and diligently because I know that a child from the countryside yearns for university education. In the city, only going to university can change one's destiny, improve one's family's economic situation, allow family members and oneself to live a better life, and hopefully realize one's dreams. This was also my mother's lifelong wish. I have let them down.
Reporter: Did you ever think about the graduation certificate being in someone else's name?
Zhang Lubo: Yes, so I am also conflicted and don't know what to do in the future. Making one wrong step leads to more wrong steps.
Reporter: Do you hate your mother?
Zhang Lubo: No, I don't hate her. She did it for my good.
Reporter: What about Song Deliang?
Zhang Lubo: I don't hate him either because ultimately, it was me who made the mistake.
Reporter: If you had to choose again, would you still use this method to attend university?
Zhang Lubo: Never again. Actually, it was gambling.
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