For a university, issuing a public apology is clearly more challenging than expelling a student.

But that was no longer an issue for Li Qing to consider.

His thoughts on the matter had always been clear.

Lin Andong must pay for pursuing evidence with such fervor while disregarding human life.

"Mr. Li, I hope that this matter has now truly come to an end and there will be no further issues,"

Professor Yu suddenly said with implied meaning after both parties had signed the settlement agreement.

A hint of hostility appeared in Li Qing’s eyes, "What do you mean? Are you suggesting that I am nitpicking and looking for trouble, Professor Yu?"

Professor Yu shook his head, "I didn’t say that. I’m just saddened that such a small incident has ruined a student’s future."

"Your words make me worry about the students you teach," Li Qing said unhappily.

"A child in his teens had his foot impaled by a steel bar as thick as a finger. Your student, whose future is supposedly bright, forcibly kept people from tending to the injured for over an hour to preserve some so-called evidence. You teach law; I’d really like to hear your take on whether his actions constitute reckless endangerment of life."

"Don’t give me any crap about no loss of life; that child was lucky to be saved in time."

"What if he hadn’t been saved? Whose life would that have been, and wouldn’t the primary responsibility still fall on my head?"

"What’s even more ridiculous is that my construction site fully met the safety standards he kept harping on about."

"Professor Yu, you’re a law professor. If you disagree, why don’t you explain it to me again?"

Professor Yu’s face turned from pale to flushed as he stared at Li Qing for a long moment before suddenly rising to his feet and saying, "The money will be transferred to your account within twenty-four hours, as clearly stated in the contract, with the bank receipt as evidence. If there are any problems, feel free to contact me."

"Take care, no need to see you out. I’ll certainly look for you if the money doesn’t come through," said Li Qing coldly.

Li Qing had never had a good impression of the balding man, and there was no need to be polite to him.

A professor who teaches law—Li Qing didn’t believe he would fail to understand such a simple truth.

If that child had indeed died on the construction site, Lin Andong would have been deemed only secondarily liable.

And he, as the person in charge of the construction site, would have assumed the principal liability, facing endless trouble.

Li Qing didn’t feel at all that he was being too harsh.

"Mr. Li, even professors who teach law can’t avoid having absolute bias," Zhang Chuan spoke calmly, "The objective facts laid before our eyes are one thing, but what we as lawyers really need to do is to skew those objective facts in our favor."

"Professor Yu’s advocacy for his school and student is not wrong, but he does not hold the gavel of judgment, so his stance can only be just his personal view and won’t change anything."

Li Qing looked at Zhang Chuan with some surprise.

His words made Li Qing realize something all at once.

The principle was indeed simple and easy to understand.

It all came down to these two words: personal bias.

"Lawyer Zhang, now that this case has also come to an end, I will take my leave," Li Qing gathered the three copies of the settlement agreement and stood up, "I will come over in ten days, and we can discuss how to improve my sister-in-law’s trauma."

"Okay, thank you so much for your efforts, sir. I truly appreciate it," Zhang Chuan said, unable to hide his emotion.

Li Qing shook hands with Zhang Chuan and left the hotel.

The sky was still bright at this point, so Li Qing took a stroll around the medicinal herb market to get a feel for the prices.

Now that he had some capital at his disposal, he could afford to take on a certain degree of risk.

Lately, Li Qing had also been considering whether to expand the scale of his planting next year.

Having money on hand is one thing, but the hustle to make money can’t stop, and neither can we.

After wandering around for a while, Li Qing was genuinely tempted by what he saw.

The price of lemon seeds, which were just one or two yuan in previous years, soared to thirty yuan per kilogram this year.

The price spikes were nothing short of magical.

As for other slightly rarer Chinese herbs, their prices were climbing as if on a plane.

It was foreseeable that those who planted medicinal herbs this year would definitely make a fortune.

After coming out of the herbal market, Li Qing stopped by Yu Baishuo’s place for a look.

The warehouse door was tightly locked, and all the curtains upstairs were drawn.

She had already left.

Li Qing casually took a photo and sent it to Yu Baishuo before riding his bike to the Lü Family Restaurant.

At around four or five in the afternoon, the restaurant was at its quietest.

Li Qing, familiar with the place, went straight upstairs, where Lü Zong’s office door was open, so he walked right in.

"Qingzi, come, come, take a seat. We just got some good tea today, you’ll have to try some," Lü Zong greeted him with a smile, fiddling with his prayer beads behind the tea table, seemingly a little bored.

Li Qing’s expression stiffened slightly, "Lü Zong, what happened to you?"

Just a few days away, and Lü Zong had turned into a mummy.

His arm was bandaged and slung around his neck, and half of his head was also tightly wrapped.

"It’s nothing, just got hit with a couple of sticks, but I’m almost healed now," Lü Zong said nonchalantly. "Have a seat!"

Li Qing sat down across the tea table, "Lü Zong, with your status, who would dare lay a hand on you?"

Lü Zong laughed self-deprecatingly, "What status do I have? I’m just a small business owner who runs a restaurant, an entertainment club, and a hotel."

"Between us brothers, let’s not talk about such nonsense. When you call me Lü Zong, I’m happy, but I’m really not a ’boss’."

Lü Zong was being modest, but Li Qing couldn’t take his words at face value.

"Lü Zong, I’m serious, it wouldn’t have anything to do with the Qi Family, would it?" Li Qing asked seriously.

Considering Lü Zong’s stature, there wouldn’t be many who could do this to him.

Before anyone could harm Lü Zong, Brother Gong and the others would have already dealt with the would-be assailants in the same manner.

"Stop asking, it’s really nothing," Lü Zong said, waving his hand.

Li Qing felt a sink in his heart; it seemed he had guessed right.

"When did this happen?" Li Qing asked solemnly.

"Now why do you need to know all that?" Lü Zong said somewhat helplessly. "It happened a few days ago. You can’t guard against everything, and I got caught off-guard that time."

"It’s manly for a man to have some scars. It’s nothing serious."

"Plus, the beating I took was more than worth it. I heard you gave the Qi Family a good shake, leading to a major restructuring within their ranks. I took the opportunity to take over three of their entertainment venues. With our current strength, we’re definitely number one in Tongcheng."

"I have to say, Qingzi, you’re incredible, handling big things without making a sound!"

"You should have given me a heads-up, so at least I could have witnessed it. I only found out about the Qi Family’s internal shakeup after I heard that you had paralyzed their people."