He left Tainan and started work as a teaching assistant in the recently formed Chung Yuan Christian College of Science and Engineering Department of Architecture instead, leaving in 1962 to study in the United States.

By that time, Cheng and his family were moving while he was finding a job, finally settling in 1965 near New York City working for Marcel Breuer.

[9] Huang pleaded guilty in a 1971 trial to charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm,[10] but was granted bail before sentencing, and fled the United States.

[13] That flight was diverted to Copenhagen when the plane developed mechanical issues, and Cheng was taken to the hospital after falling unconscious to receive intravenous fluids.

[13] After a second flight from Copenhagen to London, Cheng again fell unconscious, where he was taken, foaming at the mouth, to the health center in Heathrow Airport.

[3] He later served an additional year-long prison term starting in November 1992 for illegally entering Taiwan without an entry visa, in violation of the 1987 National Security Law.

[21] Cheng ran as a third-party candidate in the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election, alongside running mate Huang Sheng-feng [zh].