Ceaseless screams of agony echoed throughout the private room.

In just a few moments, Liu Dan was barely breathing.

If Su Qingning hadn't called a stop to it, those men might have beaten her to death.

Seeing Liu Dan lying on the ground like a dead dog, the three members of the Qiu family felt the suffocating anger in their hearts finally dissipate.

Leopard, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now approached Lin Xiao, his heart pounding with fear. "Sir, I'm so sorry about today," he stammered. "It was all that bitch Liu Dan's fault! She instigated me! I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Please, spare me!"

Lin Xiao smiled. "Leopard, listen to yourself. I'm just a little beggar. What could I possibly do to you?"

To be honest, Lin Xiao certainly didn't want to let this scumbag off the hook. But Su Qingning, her mother, and her uncle's family were still present. If he killed him outright, it would scare the living daylights out of them. That was why he said what he did.

Leopard, however, took this to mean that Lin Xiao was truly letting him go.

He said excitedly, "Sir, thank you for your generosity! Don't worry, I'll never do such a despicable thing again!"

"Alright, then. Take Liu Dan with you," Lin Xiao said.

Leopard nodded quickly.

In fact, even if Lin Xiao hadn't said that, Leopard would have taken Liu Dan anyway. This bitch had nearly cost him his life. There was no way he was going to let her off easy.

Without another word, Leopard barked, "Drag her away!"

A few of his henchmen wordlessly dragged Liu Dan out of the private room.

Leopard then gave Lin Xiao a deeply respectful bow and hastily departed, as if lingering for another second would spell doom.

Seeing that the disturbance was finally over, Jia Meng smiled and said, "Mr. Lin, I'll take my leave as well. I won't disturb your meal any longer!"

Lin Xiao nodded.

Jia Meng smiled at the group, stood up, and quickly left.

The room instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at Lin Xiao as if he were an alien, especially Qiu Jianping's family and Su Qingning's mother. They couldn't help it; the events that had just transpired were simply too overwhelming.

They had thought they were all doomed. Who could have predicted such a dramatic turn of events?

But that wasn't the real reason for their shock. What truly stunned them was the attitude everyone showed toward Lin Xiao. Their reverence was unbelievable, as if he were some incredibly powerful figure.

Although Su Qingning wasn't as shocked as the others, she was still quite surprised. She could understand Jia Meng's respect for Lin Xiao, since Lin Xiao was a client who had bought a car from him. But the complete one-eighty in Leopard's attitude upon seeing Lin Xiao was something Su Qingning couldn't comprehend.

Seeing them all staring at him with puzzled expressions, Lin Xiao laughed. "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

"Lin Xiao, why did Leopard's attitude change so drastically when he saw you?" Su Qingning asked in a serious tone.

As soon as she spoke, the gazes of Qiu Jianping's family and Su Qingning's mother all snapped back to Lin Xiao. It was clear they were just as curious.

"Oh, that," Lin Xiao explained with a smile. "Leopard once saw me talking with Xiao Shixiong. He probably assumed I have a decent relationship with him, so he got scared."

Lin Xiao didn't want to lie, but the truth was, he also had no idea why that scumbag's attitude had changed so dramatically upon seeing him.

Everyone's expression seemed to say, "I see."

Lin Xiao continued with a smile, "As for Jia Meng, I bought a car from his dealership, so we know each other. You know how businessmen are; they always treat their customers with a bit more humility."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Qiu Jianping suddenly remarked with admiration, "I never expected you to have such deep connections, Lin Xiao. Qing Ning, you've married a good husband! Not like your cousin, who dated that piece of work for three years!"

At his words, the mood in the room instantly soured.

But Lin Xiao said, "Uncle, you can't really look at it that way. While it's a shame that Jingfeng invested so much over the last three years, it's a good thing he cut his losses in time. It's much better that he saw Liu Dan's true colors before they got married. If he'd only found out after the wedding, the losses would have been far more severe!"

At these words, everyone's eyes lit up.

Lin Xiao had a point.

The previously gloomy mood of the Qiu family instantly brightened. Even the way Su Qingning's mother looked at Lin Xiao had softened, losing its previous disdain.

"You're right, Lin Xiao. I'll drink to that!"

"Sure!" Lin Xiao laughed.

The earlier commotion had ruined everyone's appetite. After a few quick drinks with Qiu Jianping, the group decided to leave.

When it was time to pay, Su Qingning and Qiu Jingfeng began to argue over who would get the bill. The waiter, however, informed them that someone had already paid for them.

Lin Xiao knew immediately it must have been Jia Meng.

The others seemed to guess as much too, and they all showered Jia Meng with praise.

After leaving the restaurant, Su Qingning's mother said she needed to go help care for Su Qingning's grandfather, so she left with the Qiu family.

Lin Xiao drove Su Qingning back toward the villa.

As Qiu Jianping drove toward Jinling City, his mind replayed the events at the restaurant.

He couldn't help but praise, "Lin Xiao is really a good kid!"

He said this for his sister to hear. Of course, he knew his sister didn't like Lin Xiao; she had complained about him before.

Before Su Qingning's mother could speak, her aunt chimed in, "He really is. He may be young, but he handles things with great composure. He's never rash or flustered—not at all like most people his age."

Hearing their words, Su Qingning's mother sighed softly.

She said, "I know Lin Xiao is a good person, but his background and status are lacking. You all know that Ning'er is a prime target right now, with so many people watching her. I want them to divorce not because I dislike Lin Xiao, but because he simply can't protect her. In fact, he not only fails to protect her, but he also brings trouble upon himself!"

"But I think he *can* protect Ning'er," Qiu Jianping argued grimly. "Look at what's happened these past two days. If it weren't for Lin Xiao, our family might have been destroyed!"

Su Qingning's mother countered gravely, "That's only because he happened to run into problems he was equipped to solve. In the business world, he'd be useless. Take Ning'er's bar getting smashed, for example. If Lin Xiao were truly powerful, no one would have dared to touch it in the first place. And even if they did, if he could help on the business side of things, Ning'er wouldn't be struggling so much. I really don't have anything against him. But you all know Ning'er is determined to win back the Su Corporation. The pressure she's under is unimaginable. I can't help her, so she has to bear it all alone."

Qiu Jianping fell silent. His sister had a point.

"Dad, when did Jinling City get a Myth Corporation?" Qiu Jingfeng, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly asked.

"Oh, that's the company belonging to the King of the Southern Town, Xiao Shixiong," Qiu Jianping replied. "It was just established recently, but it's expanding at an incredible speed. At this rate, it won't be long before it becomes the most valuable and profitable company in all of Jinling City."

As he finished speaking, everyone in the car gazed out the window with envy at the skyscraper towering into the clouds.

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