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No matter how much his head ached or how heavy his worries were, the son still had to be brought back first.

Li Huifeng and Qin Xiangrong shared one common trait: they both achieved success late in life. When they were young, they weren't wealthy, and their social standing was mediocre. Back then, they couldn't afford the over-quota birth fines, nor did they have the means to obtain special permits or green cards, so they ended up with just that one precious son.

Although he had kept mistresses and a side partner outside over the years, neither of the two women had yet borne him any heirs. And even if they had, he couldn't just abandon the child he had raised for over twenty years.

When Li Huifeng arrived at the property management office of Jin'an Residential Area, Guan Yingying wasn't there. Wang Zhuo had complained that the fight had wasted time, causing his lengmian (cold noodles) to become too soft from the soup, ruining their chewy texture, so he had sent her home early to start cooking.

Yuan Xinyu had even specifically dispatched the two security guards who hadn't been beaten to escort her home. These two escorted the young mistress all the way until she entered the elevator, not daring to utter a single complaint along the way—truly treading on thin ice.

When Li Huifeng walked into the property management office, only a few police officers were sitting idly in the lobby. Two of the security guards beaten by Wang Zhuo were more seriously injured, so after consulting with Wang Zhuo, the property management leadership allowed them to go to the hospital for treatment.

The lightly injured helped support the heavily injured; the security guards proceeded to the hospital in this manner. However, the two young masters who were supposed to have their backing did not receive such treatment. Li Runqian’s nose and face were already grotesquely swollen, and the teeth Qin Zeyu had lost were almost completely dried out. It was likely that even the best dentist couldn't save them and put them back in.

Seeing Li Huifeng enter, a police officer quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Mr. Li, follow me first."

He escorted Li Huifeng into the room where Yuan Ye, Li Runqian, and Qin Zeyu were located, and the police silently closed the door, standing guard outside.

Little did they know that this entire scene had already been clearly observed by Wang Zhuo through his X-ray vision. The reason he acted oblivious was simply to let Li Huifeng first witness the miserable state his son was in, forcing him to recognize the gravity of the situation.

Seeing his son covered in blood, Li Huifeng, who had initially intended to beat him severely, immediately deflated. Li Runqian's nasal bridge was now swollen to match the rest of his face. Li Huifeng decided that once this matter was settled, he would send his son to South Korea for reconstructive surgery and have him study abroad there at the same time.

What needed to be discussed had already been covered over the phone. Li Huifeng sighed, quietly left the room, and asked the police to take him to the office where Wang Zhuo was waiting.

To have to force a smile and offer apologies after his son was beaten into such a wreck, the feeling of suppression Li Huifeng experienced was beyond measure. Yet, he never considered that he acted the same way when bullying others; today, the roles had simply reversed—from bully to bullied.

Upon entering, Yuan Xinyu stood up to introduce the two men. Wang Zhuo showed no intention of shaking hands, instead smiling and inviting Li Huifeng to sit down before speaking.

Li Huifeng had been in business for many years. After accumulating significant wealth, he always sought to enhance his cultural standing, frequently attending lectures by masters or participating in elite exchange meetings. Somewhere, he had learned a set of office Feng Shui principles, requiring that all reception sofas in his company must not exceed fifty centimeters in height. Sitting on such a low sofa naturally placed one a head lower than the person seated in the main position, causing one’s presence to drop by a third immediately.

And now, Wang Zhuo was seated in a high-backed swivel chair behind the desk, while Yuan Xinyu had somehow fetched a plastic stool for himself. Li Huifeng dared not sit in the large executive chair behind the desk, so he had no choice but to settle onto the sofa beside them, a head shorter—truly reaping what he had sown.

Only after he was seated did Wang Zhuo smile and say, "Mr. Li, I hear your Huifeng Group is doing quite well, creating considerable tax revenue in recent years?"

Smiling dagger.

Nakedly obvious threat.

Wang Zhuo's casual remark made Li Huifeng break out in a cold sweat. In this day and age, everyone knew that only the poor were subject to this tax and that tax. The wealthy had their own means of tax avoidance; the richer they were, the more sophisticated their methods, almost becoming an unwritten rule between the tax department and the rich. Yet, Wang Zhuo mentioned Huifeng Group creating significant tax revenue—wasn't this an indirect accusation of tax evasion?

Even within his own conglomerate, Li Huifeng was an imposing and autocratic figure, yet in front of this young man, Wang Zhuo, who wasn't even as old as his son, he didn't dare raise his voice. He knew this was a big figure he couldn't afford to offend, perhaps even a future son-in-law to a national leader. Handling him now was effortless, and in the future, it would be as simple as crushing an ant.

Apologizing and speaking softly, Li Huifeng pleaded for a long time, but Wang Zhuo refused to relent on letting Li Runqian go to the hospital for treatment.

This threw Li Huifeng into a panic. After wasting so much breath, the other party wouldn't budge. Did he have to be the one to propose a compensation package first to show sincerity?

How much sincerity should he offer? Li Huifeng found this extremely difficult. Offering too little would be humiliating, compounding his misery; offering too much would sting financially. Moreover, how much constituted "too much"? There was no reference point; who knew how big this man's appetite was?

What he didn't know was that Wang Zhuo was deliberately delaying, specifically to make those two young masters suffer a little longer.

While Li Huifeng was stuck between a rock and a hard place, the late-arriving Qin Xiangrong finally appeared.

Qin Xiangrong had left earlier than Li Huifeng, but because the distance was vast—spanning two major districts—combined with traffic jams and other delays, he arrived much later.

However, he hadn't been idle on the journey, making countless phone calls to subordinates, relatives, and friends.

He instructed his accountant to prepare the books, his wife to transfer cash, and warned his cousins, nephews, and brothers-in-law to keep a low profile and avoid trouble recently. He even sent a text message to his mistress, asking her to check which countries China had not signed extradition treaties with.

The so-called extradition treaty meant that if a criminal from Country A fled to Country B, Country A could request Country B to arrest and return the individual to face criminal prosecution. The famous smuggler Lai Changxing, after escaping to Canada over a decade ago, had been able to remain there to this day precisely because there was no extradition treaty between China and Canada.

Qin Xiangrong was well aware of Qin Xue's iron fist, and his own affairs were far from clean, so he had to plan for the worst while doing his utmost best.

His loyal driver was unaware that his boss was already preparing for an escape. Qin Xiangrong's earlier directives had all been given verbally, leading the driver to only sense his boss’s seriousness and caution. But the inquiry about extradition treaties was sent via text message, deliberately to guard against the driver himself.

Upon entering the Jin'an Residential Area property management office, the police recognized Li Huifeng but were unsure of his status. After he stated his name, they quietly asked if he wanted to see Qin Zeyu first.

Hesitating for a moment, Qin Xiangrong shook his head. "No need. Where are Director Yuan and the others?"

The police led him to the office door, knocked, opened it a crack, and nodded to him.

As Qin Xiangrong entered, Yuan Xinyu quickly stood up and introduced them: "Wang Zhuo, this is Qin Zeyu's father, Qin Xiangrong, the General Manager of Daming Group, a renowned enterprise in the city."

"Mr. Qin, this is Wang Zhuo, Chairman of Shengshi Wangchao."

Yuan Xinyu's introduction sent a jolt through Qin Xiangrong’s body. Daming Group was in the most critical phase of seeking an Initial Public Offering (IPO). As the General Manager, how could he not have heard of Shengshi Wangchao? Qin Xiangrong had absolutely never imagined that Shengshi Wangchao was connected to Wang Zhuo, let alone that he held the title of Chairman.

A twenty-year-old Chairman of a publicly listed company.

Qin Xiangrong immediately pegged Shengshi Wangchao as Qin Xue’s enterprise, with Wang Zhuo merely being a figurehead—which proved Wang Zhuo's relationship with Qin Xue was even tighter than he had anticipated.

Wang Zhuo, as usual, did not shake hands with Qin Xiangrong. Li Huifeng, however, gave up his previous spot on the sofa and shifted backward.

Before Li Huifeng and Qin Xiangrong arrived, Wang Zhuo had already questioned Yuan Xinyu extensively about the two men. Yuan Xinyu answered almost everything he knew, holding nothing back. He recognized this as a rare opportunity to impress, knowing that if he didn't seize it, Wang Zhuo might distribute punishments evenly, leaving Yuan Xinyu to bear an undeserved disaster.

In his view, this was truly an unprovoked disaster—sitting at home when trouble came from the sky. Wang Zhuo, however, disagreed. If Yuan Xinyu, his uncle, hadn't provided backing, would Yuan Ye have dared to be so arrogant? And without Yuan Ye's friendship with the police superintendent, would Li Runqian and Qin Zeyu have dared to use dogs to injure people?

Tracing the chain of cause and effect, if Yuan Xinyu hadn't been indulgent, the young masters’ dog kennels probably wouldn't even have been built. As the saying goes, the beam is crooked, so the rafters lean sideways; the younger generation caused the trouble, but the elders could not escape responsibility.

Sizing up Qin Xiangrong, Wang Zhuo suddenly made an unexpected discovery.

He paused in thought, obtaining only vague associations, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Mr. Qin, I hear your Daming Group is also close to listing soon. Have you set a specific date?"

Like Li Huifeng, Qin Xiangrong was momentarily stunned, surprised that Wang Zhuo would suddenly bring up an unrelated question. A thought flickered in his mind, and he replied composedly, "There's a possibility within the year, but the certainty is low. In contrast, your company’s listing pace can be described as rapid progress; it is truly efficient and enviable."

Wang Zhuo chuckled. Qin Xiangrong also smiled faintly, "It's a pity that our Daming Group lacks the assistance of noble patrons, so this sort of efficiency is truly enviable."

On the surface, Qin Xiangrong's statement sounded like sour grapes, but it carried a subtle flattery, implying that Daming Group lacked noble patrons while Shengshi Wangchao had one.

To Li Huifeng and Yuan Xinyu, Qin Xiangrong was clearly flattering Wang Zhuo and the Qin Xue behind him. But Wang Zhuo heard a different nuance. Qin Xiangrong's words were not mere compliments; they were an attempt to probe for information.

Wang Zhuo believed this because, at the moment Qin Xiangrong turned to sit down, his X-ray scan revealed that his mobile phone was set to Airplane Mode and recording was activated—clearly having ulterior motives to keep a recording as evidence.

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