This level of trust had reached such a great extent—what could Liu Zhizhong say?

He stared at Ma Xudong, somewhat in disbelief.

Yet Ma Xudong's eyes were misty with tears, looking at him earnestly, almost pleadingly.

Ah, the once Mayor who was the talk of the town, now in such a state, showing such an attitude towards his own secretary—it deeply moved Liu Zhizhong.

Ma Xudong gave a bitter smile, "I know, this puts you in a difficult position. Since Qingqing is still in university, her expenses are quite high, and with your financial capability, it's hard for you to bear. Besides, you have your own family; it's not very convenient."

"But, Zhizhong, her uncle is helpless, and can only ask you for help. You are honest and kind, loyal and courageous, capable of great things—I trust you."

"Between your aunt and me, it's complicated, and I have wronged her. Asking her to take care of Qingqing is also difficult to bring up. Moreover, the last time she came to the Provincial City, our comrades at the City made special arrangements, and the Civil Affairs Bureau helped us get a divorce. She and I are no longer related, alas…"

"I have been in office for many years and have never promoted any relatives. Their qualifications were not good, and I was powerless to help. Now, I have ended up in a state where I'm disavowed by my own family. Wealth and riches have gone to strangers, and my own family probably won't acknowledge me anymore."

"You can imagine how happy they must be that I got myself into trouble. How many of them would really look after Qingqing? So...I'm sorry to trouble you!"

After speaking, Ma Xudong stubbed out his cigarette butt fiercely, stood up, and gave Liu Zhizhong a deep bow, "Please, Zhizhong!"

Liu Zhizhong quickly held him, helping him up, "Uncle, please, don't. Thank you for trusting me so much, Liu Zhizhong will surely take good care of Little Sister Qingqing, not letting her suffer any grievances. In a few years, when she's grown up and graduated, I will also ensure a good path for her life."

"Good, good, good..." Tears inevitably fell from Ma Xudong's eyes as he nodded heavily, patting Liu Zhizhong's shoulder hard, "With your words, even if I have to rot in jail, I'm satisfied."

Saying this, he turned to the compliance officer from the Commission for Discipline Inspection, "Old Li, with my situation, it's basically a life sentence, isn't it? To die in prison?"

Old Li looked somewhat embarrassed but still nodded, "Pretty much!"

Ma Xudong nodded, "Hmm, pretty much, then. Since my daughter is now in good hands, I have no other wishes. And Old Li, you might end up joining me here one day, right?"

Since he was going to be locked up anyway, he cared little about holding back and just said whatever he wished!

Old Li's face became even more awkward, his expression much more stern, he murmured, stepping back slightly and coughing twice, "Let's not go there, right now the prisoner is you, Ma Xudong. Don't drag me into this. Is there anything else you want to tell? Liu Zhizhong's visiting time is almost up."

"No more requests, just to meet Qingqing one last time; Zhizhong will have to find her. Is that possible?"

Old Li paused, glanced at his watch before saying, "Alright, you need to change locations before noon at 12. Liu Zhizhong, could you hurry?"

Without any hesitation, Liu Zhizhong quickly got up, leaving his cigarette behind, signifying he was going off to find Ma Qingqing.

Ma Xudong glanced at Old Li's watch and joked, "Old Li, that Vacheron Constantin on your wrist, how many years has it been?"

That comment brightened Liu Zhizhong's eyes too, who took a moment to admire the watch. Quite a watch indeed!

Old Li's face slightly shifted, extremely embarrassed, he hastily tucked his hands behind his back, stood tall and coughed twice, "You, Ma Xudong, don't talk nonsense, it's just a knock-off!"

Ma Xudong just slightly smiled, shrugged, returning to his room without offering more words.

Liu Zhizhong, meanwhile, was escorted out by Old Li and others, collected his belongings, and directly set off to find Ma Qingqing in his car.

Calling her phone was useless, still switched off, and her WeChat messages, voice clips, and videos remained unopened, obviously not logged in.

But Liu Zhizhong had a way: he headed straight to Ma Qingqing's university to find her.

While driving, Liu Zhizhong considered that since her university had a branch in Yangzhou, and if her major was offered there, she could possibly transfer to study in Yangzhou. It would make looking after her a bit easier, right?

Though, ultimately, it would depend on what Ma Qingqing wanted.

Having been raised in luxury and now adapted to the bustling life and education in the Provincial City, whether she would want to move to a place like Yangzhou was still uncertain!

Upon reaching the university, Liu Zhizhong promptly found out where Ma Qingqing was. Two female students said she was in the library!

Liu Zhizhong thanked them and headed to the library, which wasn't too far, so he ditched the car.

Behind him, the two girls continued to whisper quietly,

"That man is so handsome and charismatic, could he be Qingqing's boyfriend?"

"Maybe! Qingqing is so beautiful, our campus belle; they make a perfect match!"

"Such men are indeed eye-catching, hehe…"

"…"

Liu Zhizhong smiled quietly to himself, thinking, Oh, the interesting world of young college love.

Just wait, I plan to lure your campus belle to Yangzhou, hehe…