"I want to claim compensation for the loss of my youth!" Song Xiaoling raised her voice, stating her demand. "How much?" Zhou Quanxiong asked on behalf of his son. Under high-lying eye signals, Song Xiaoling lifted both hands and spread out all ten fingers. "Ten thousand? Hah!" Zhou Quanxiong set his price with good intentions. To his surprise, Song Xiaoling shook her head. "One hundred thousand?" Zhou Quanxiong widened his eyes. Just as Song Xiaoling nodded, she saw the look in Gao Liang's eyes and immediately shook her head again. "One million?" Zhou Quanxiong's eyes were now wide open—truly amazed that she was demanding such a sum right before the mayor. Song Xiaoling still shook her head, and Zhou Quanxiong was stunned. At that moment, Song Xiaoling clearly stated a figure: "One hundred million!" "No way! That's too much. I can't give it. I won't accept it. A mere factual case of rape wouldn't typically be judged so severely, let alone with such a high amount. Besides, I have plenty of connections! H Zhou Quanxiang grew more resolute. Zhou Chao, relying on his father's influence, mocked High Light and Song Xiaoling with a smile: "You two are just poor fellows, driven mad by money—how dare you act up before the Mayor! Hah! Come on, bring people! Remove these three right now!" Several security guards came to escort them, only to find that ahead of them stood several strong, well-built individuals, with a group of people following closely behind—each one vigorous and imposing. Zhou Chao looked at this scene and was momentarily stunned. It was High Light's three younger brothers leading the Fenghuo Hall staff. The overconfident security guards immediately wilted, like cabbage leaves turned by frost. "Mayor Zhou," High Light deliberately demonstrated a gesture, took the business card from Zhou Quanxiang's hand, and dialed the commissioner's phone. As soon as he dialed the number, Zhou Quanxiang, feeling pressed, exclaimed, "I accept! I accept everything!" "Deal." Gao Liang held Zhou Quanxiong’s hand tightly, and Zhou Quanxiong felt his fingers squeezed to the point of pain. He noticed Gao Liang’s intense, unyielding gaze—so commanding that it carried a clear sense of authority. As the Mayor of Hanhai City, he had always been proud, commanding and self-assured, yet now he was being intimidated by a young up-and-comer—something he had never imagined. Soon, Zhou Quanxiong arranged for a timely bank transfer, sending all the money he had quietly embezzled and received over several years into the account provided by Gao Liang. In return, Gao Liang immediately destroyed all the evidence on the spot, including the original video recordings. Zhou Chao and Zhou Quanxiong watched as Gao Liang and his team departed with dignity, their faces lengthened with disappointment. Zhou Chao grew furious and exclaimed, “Gao Liang! Gao Liang! How dare you extort us right at our doorstep! Truly bold! It seems our old grievances remain unresolved—and now we’ve added new ones!” Zhou Quanxiong, meanwhile, shattered the teacup handed to him by You've got the cash, but I've got the power. No matter how much money you have, I'll keep eating, taking, demanding, and charging—until you can't even start working! Within a week, heh, you're dead! The topic shifts to Chen Yuting. She has come to Dong Shi Commercial, a major chain supermarket that ranks first in Hanhai City. Dong Jiao's father is one of the most prominent supermarket magnates in the entire city, and his chain holds nearly 60% of the market share in Hanhai. That's a substantial presence. As the class monitor, Dong Jiao has consistently performed well academically and has now been admitted to Jingdu City's Media University—just five subway stops away from the universities of Gao Liang and Zhang Yeping. When Gao Liang and Zhang Yeping enrolled at Jingdu University, Dong Jiao also made a visit. She promised that next time, if Gao Liang came to their university, she would be their guide. Dong Jiao is actually a quite good girl, just a bit reserved and somewhat looks down on people who are less financially well-off. Yet there's one thing—she never looked down on Gao Liang simply because her family was poor. After all, Gao Liang is an outstanding student who achieved first place not only in his school, but actually in the entire city—and even more impressively, in the entire province—in the science stream, earning him a spot at Kyoto University. This truly earns Dong Jiao's respect. For some reason, Chen Yuting began to feel self-conscious. Thinking about her family—her parents were also laid-off workers, just like Gao Qiang—her family was quite poor, and she hadn’t even made it to university. In contrast, Dong Jiao came from a wealthy family, was beautiful, graceful, and elegant. Moreover, Dong Jiao was currently a student at Jingzhou City Media University, where she had reportedly been named the university’s top beauty. Many affluent young men were pursuing her, while she herself… Chen Yuting’s sense of inferiority started the moment she saw Dong Jiao. And Dong Jiao, a proud daughter of a wealthy family, grew more dismissive of Chen Yuting’s humble demeanor. Chen Yuting found it difficult to broach the topic of borrowing money from Dong Jiao. On the other hand, Dong Jiao, with a firm grip on her teeth, said, “Yuting, you’ve become increasingly beautiful!” Chen Yuting smiled and replied, “Miss Dong, please don’t laugh at me! How could I possibly compare to you?” “Yuting, is there anything I can help you with?” Chen Yuting lowered her head, rubbing her sleeve, and said, "Gao Liang has asked me to borrow money from you!" "Oh? Really?" Dong Jiao swept a strand of her flowing hair, feeling somewhat surprised. Gao Liang, by nature, had never once asked her for a loan during his time at No. 1 High School. "How much?" Dong Jiao asked. "Five million! It's more like an equity investment—there will be dividends!" Chen Yuting replied. She then explained to Dong Jiao about the first national cotton mill in Hanhai City. Yet Dong Jiao declined, saying, "That run-down mill—I went to the auction myself, and my father even passed on it!" No matter how much Chen Yuting insisted, Dong Jiao remained firm. Dong Jiao made one request, smiling playfully, saying, "If Gao Liang comes to me personally and explains things clearly, I might just agree—perhaps even convince my father!" Chen Yuting didn't know what to do. At that moment, Dong Jiao presented a challenge, pointing to a cosmetic product on the shelf and saying to Chen, "This is the L'Oréal brand—the most expensive one in this category. If you can purchase it on the spot, I'll lend it to you!" Chen looked at the price tag—18,000 yuan—and was stunned. How expensive! "I knew you wouldn't be able to afford it!" Dong said coldly. "Forget it. I won't trouble you at all. Just go on!" Chen felt deeply disappointed and was about to turn and walk away when a familiar voice called out, "Yuting, don't go! I've bought it for you!"