In the span of an afternoon, Li Qing followed Lü Zong around various construction sites, getting a grasp of the necessary details.

All the workers on these sites were under his responsibility.

Although Lü Zong had people supervising and Tang Jianmin cooperating and assisting, it seemed like no major issues had arisen for now.

But Li Qing still feared potential problems and wanted to understand more.

He didn’t have to be here in person, but he should be aware of the basic situation.

He couldn’t let their future cooperation with Lü Zong be affected, nor could he afford to let his own people suffer.

After returning to the county in the evening, Li Qing couldn’t refuse Lü Zong’s hospitality and ended up enjoying a meal at the Impression Hotel.

As the drinks reached a pleasant buzz and everyone was just starting to enjoy themselves, Li Qing declined Lü Zong’s invitation for a second round and took his leave.

He still had important matters to attend to, otherwise he wouldn’t mind joining Lü Zong to experience more of what the world had to offer.

Lü Zong had taken over quite a few of the Qi family’s entertainment venues, which probably added many new attractions and were definitely more fun now.

After hailing a cab in the city, Li Qing rushed to the town and got out at the entrance of Third Middle School.

The campus of Third Middle School was still brightly lit, with students in the midst of evening self-study.

The somewhat portly gatekeeper was leaning against the window of the guard boottaking a drag on his cigarette and waved at Li Qing from a distance.

A few packs of cigarettes had built a solid rapport between them, and the gatekeeper had a smile ready from afar.

Li Qing smiled back and signaled the gatekeeper to wait, his steps a bit unsteady as he walked into the nearby convenience store and bought two packs of cigarettes.

With the cigarettes in hand, Li Qing approached the guard booth and deftly slipped them into the old man’s hands.

The gatekeeper’s smile immediately grew more radiant and kind,"Go on in quickly, I didn’t see you."

"But I must remind you, the school’s been tight on security lately. A male teacher and a female teacher were doing inappropriate things in a classroom and got caught by a student. It blew up so big that the entire school is talking, even the Education Bureau knows now."

"The entire county is now cracking down on this improper conduct, I completely understand you’re a young man seeing your lover. Just make sure not to get involved with female teachers at school, it could cost you your job."

Li Qing was suddenly embarrassed. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The old gatekeeper might have been advancing in years, but he was sharp-minded.

He had never mentioned why he was here, and yet the gatekeeper had guessed it.

Even if the gatekeeper was right, Li Qing couldn’t possibly admit it.

He asserted emphatically,"Old man, you’re mistaken, I’m here for other business, and it’s not to see a lover."

"Sure, sure," the gatekeeper chuckled and waved his hand,"I never saw you."

Li Qing was left speechless. Well, there was probably no need to say more.

Once inside the school, Li Qing headed straight for Qi Mengru’s office.

He knocked on the door, but the person who opened it made him slightly startle.

It was Guan Lin!

Guan Lin, upon seeing Li Qing standing at the door, was also taken aback.

"How did you find... your way here? I’m about to get off work. I’ll call you," Guan Lin said in a low, nervous voice.

She seemed to have misunderstood, thinking that Li Qing was here to visit her.

Li Qing glanced inside the office,"Is anyone else in there?"

"Principal Qi is inside. This is Principal Qi’s office," Guan Lin quickly whispered,"Wait for my call."

The situation was getting awkward for Li Qing.

Qi Mengru knew he had a girlfriend, but if she found out he was also involved with Guan Lin, who knew if she would explode on the spot?

"I’m here to see Principal Qi," Li Qing whispered back.

Guan Lin was startled for a moment, then her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.

"You and Principal Qi also..."

She gasped, covering her mouth, her expression as if she had been struck by lightning.

Though she didn’t finish her sentence, the implication was clear enough.

Li Qing did not directly admit, nor did he deny, but simply said in a low voice, "I’ll explain this matter later."

Guan Lin looked at Li Qing with a strange expression and stepped aside to let him into the office.

"Teacher Guan, who is it?"

Qi Mengru, who happened to walk out of the restroom, asked. Upon seeing Li Qing, her eyes instantly brimmed with intense affection.

However, catching a glimpse of Guan Lin closing the door, she quickly concealed the affection in her eyes and winked at Li Qing.

Li Qing responded with a mischievous smile, his gaze sweeping over Qi Mengru’s seductively graceful body like a hook.

His unabashed gaze conveyed his feelings plainly, causing Qi Mengru to blush and hurriedly cover it up by running her fingers through her hair.

The aggressive look in Li Qing’s eyes ignited a strong longing in her body, which had been subdued for days.

A difficult-to-describe tingling sensation spread from the depths of her heart to every limb.

"You... why are you here?" She sat down behind the office desk and asked somewhat unnaturally.

Li Qing straightforwardly took out a wooden box of elixirs from his bosom, "Here are ten pills from this batch."

"You’re releasing so many this time?" Qi Mengru asked in shock.

These ten elixirs were worth a staggering eight million, a substantial amount of money.

Li Qing nodded, "This time, there’s a slight difference, there are only six Immortality Elixirs, and the remaining four are Solidifying Spirit Elixirs, for men. You ask your uncle, how much should they be priced at!"

Guan Lin, sitting on the side, had her mouth widening in disbelief, and she was struggling to mask her shock.

This guy had quietly managed to win over Principal Qi, the most reserved and noble woman in the entire school.

Moreover, given this term ’uncle,’ it was clear that he had already gained the approval of her family.

Although Principal Qi rarely interacted with her family, her status as the Qi family’s daughter could not be denied.

For Li Qing, this was a rapid rise to prominence!

Guan Lin was now even more curious about how Li Qing had accomplished this so quietly.

Li Qing’s address as ’uncle’ shocked Guan Lin and also made Qi Mengru blush unexpectedly.

She glanced at Guan Lin nervously and said in a low voice, "Teacher Guan, about this matter... I’d like you to keep it a secret for the time being."

"Ah? I... I will, I didn’t hear anything just now," Guan Lin hurriedly said.

In fact, sitting here, Li Qing felt rather awkward himself.

He was still contemplating whether he should tell Qi Mengru about Guan Lin’s situation.

If she were divorced or unmarried, he could simply tell her; there would be nothing to worry about.

But Guan Lin was married!

This raised moral issues.

And it seemed that Qi Mengru always took this matter rather seriously.

Just then, Guan Lin stood up somewhat nervously, "Well, Principal Qi, you two talk, I’ll be leaving first."

"That’s fine, we can talk about the rest tomorrow," said Qi Mengru as she got up.

Li Qing was still conflicted at this time.

Letting Guan Lin leave like this made him feel uncomfortable.

But he truly didn’t know how to tell Qi Mengru.

If Qi Mengru despised his morals, that would be terribly awkward.

After hesitating for a while, he still chose to put it aside for the moment and stealthily sent a message to Guan Lin.

"Wait for me."

Qi Mengru personally escorted Guan Lin out of the office.

Upon returning, her fervid body eagerly nestled into Li Qing’s embrace.

"Don’t talk, just do it, I’ve missed you so much I’m going crazy, hurry!"