The Only Way Out

"It's me."

After a short wait, a slightly hoarse voice came through the phone.

Ma Anguo's heart trembled, but he quickly adjusted his state of mind and explained the situation as he understood it. Finally, he said, "Elder Zeng, it's not that I want to plead for Xu Kaiyu, but he is, after all, one of the top entrepreneurs in our country. If the Xu family really collapses, it will likely trigger a massive butterfly effect."

Elder Zeng was silent at first, then replied, "I naturally understand what you're saying, and I have considered it. But sometimes, there are certain matters where I don't have the final say."

As soon as he said this, Ma Anguo, on the other end of the line, was so frightened he nearly dropped his phone on the ground.

What did that mean?

Even Elder Zeng didn't have the final say?

How could that be possible?

"Actually, this matter could be big or small. The specifics ultimately depend on Qin Ning's intentions. If Xu Kaiyu can earn his forgiveness, then everything can be treated as if it never happened. Otherwise... no matter how Qin Ning wants to deal with the Xu family, I will support him unconditionally."

"Elder Zeng, this Qin Ning..."

Ma Anguo was truly shocked this time.

He never expected that the terrifying influence of this man named Qin Ning would far exceed his own comprehension.

Even Elder Zeng couldn't make the final decision on this matter, and everything depended on Qin Ning's own wishes?

"Do not ask what you shouldn't ask. But I can tell you this: Qin Ning's importance is far above my own. Do you understand what I mean?" Elder Zeng said sternly.

"I understand, Elder Zeng."

After hanging up the phone, Ma Anguo was still somewhat dazed. He really couldn't figure out how a young man could possess such terrifying power.

Just what was his background? And what exactly was so special about him?

As the top official of the Demon City, he was completely unaware that such an important bigshot had arrived in his city.

Yet the Wang family and the Cai family seemed to know everything?

"Hello, Old Xu..."

While still shocked and astonished, he dialed Xu Kaiyu's number again.

"President Ma, how did it go? Did you find out anything?" At this moment, Xu Kaiyu had just come out of the hospital, planning to drag his son Xu Quan back to the restaurant they were just at to see if Qin Ning and his group were still there, so they could personally apologize and seek their forgiveness.

At the same time, he was extremely curious about Qin Ning's background, desperately wanting to know exactly what his identity was.

"Don't ask too much. No one can help you with this matter now. Let alone me, even if Elder Zeng stepped in, the most he could do is put in a good word for you. But do you think you have the qualifications to make Elder Zeng intervene?"

"Your only way out is to earn Qin Ning's forgiveness. That's all I have to say. Look out for yourself."

With that, Ma Anguo hung up the phone. This matter was clearly no longer something he could meddle in. If possible, he wished he had never gotten involved in the first place.

"Dad, what's wrong? Was that President Ma calling? What did he say? What exactly is the background of that Young Master Qin who was with Wang Er and Cai Cheng? Can't even President Ma settle this?"

In the car, Xu Quan, whose face was still bruised and swollen, couldn't help but ask.

He naturally knew who Ma Anguo was, the top official of the Demon City, a true regional heavyweight, someone much more powerful than the leaders of ordinary prefecture-level cities.

In Xu Quan's eyes, as long as Ma Anguo stepped in, there was nothing in the Demon City that he couldn't resolve.

"This time, you've really doomed our family. When we see Young Master Qin later, you must apologize to him properly. Otherwise..."

Xu Kaiyu now wished he could slap this son to death, but after all, he was his only son, so how could he bear to do it?

Soon, the father and son's car parked at the entrance of the restaurant.

They happened to run into Qin Ning and his group, who were just coming out after finishing their meal.

Xu Quan quickly whispered something in Xu Kaiyu's ear.

Then Xu Kaiyu looked at Qin Ning. He was just a young man in his twenties, reasonably handsome, but other than that, he couldn't see anything special about him.

He couldn't understand how such a young man could possess such heaven-defying power.

"Young... Young Master Qin..."

The father and son hurriedly jogged over.

"Xu Quan, you really don't learn your lesson, do you? You just got beaten up, and you still dare to come looking for trouble?" Wang Er and Cai Cheng said angrily.

They had just called their families to explain what happened in the private room, but they had no idea what had occurred afterward.

So they naturally didn't realize that the Xu father and son had come to apologize.

"No, no, no... Young Master Wang... you misunderstand. I came here to apologize to Young Master Qin."

Xu Quan quickly explained, then added, "Young Master Qin, this is my father, Xu Kaiyu. He is also here to apologize to you..."

Only then did Wang Er and the others notice the middle-aged man standing beside Xu Quan. They hadn't expected Xu Kaiyu to come in person.

But thinking about it carefully, given Qin Ning's status, what did a mere Xu Kaiyu amount to?

Cai Cheng, on the other hand, was shocked. He recalled having a similar experience to Xu Quan when he accidentally offended Qin Fei at the hotel entrance. If he hadn't apologized quickly, he might have had to bring his old man, Cai Kun, to bow and scrape before Qin Ning just like the Xu father and son.

Qin Ning was slightly taken aback. In truth, he hadn't taken what just happened to heart. Now it seemed that the incident had alarmed the higher-ups.

A few phone calls were enough to scare the Xu father and son into coming over to grovel.

He glanced indifferently at Xu Kaiyu and said after a moment, "Forget it, it's not a big deal. Let's just let this matter pass."

Through Xu Kaiyu's facial features, Qin Ning could read many things about him, learning that Xu Kaiyu had actually done a lot of charity work in private over the years.

After saying that, he looked at Qin Fei and continued, "Fei, give Elder Zeng a call later and tell him everything is fine."

"Okay, brother," Qin Fei nodded.

Hearing Qin Ning's words, the Xu father and son felt wild joy in their hearts while letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank you... thank you, Young Master Qin!" The father and son bowed repeatedly and escorted Qin Ning's group to their car, watching as their vehicle drove far away.

"Phew!"

It wasn't until the commercial vehicle disappeared down the street that Xu Kaiyu felt his whole body go limp. "Thank goodness this Young Master Qin was much easier to talk to than I imagined. But... how did he know about my charity work?"

Coming back to his senses, Xu Kaiyu was astonished once again.

He had never told anyone about it, not even his son Xu Quan knew. Where on earth did Qin Ning hear about it?