Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"Hehe... I've put the hat on him very securely. The day he hugs his son and calls him 'Dad,' and finds out that his flesh and blood are all mine—he'll probably vomit three liters of blood on the spot."

Liao Zhihua hated Li Guojiang from the bottom of his heart: Li Guojiang was handsome, academically excellent, and yet he had such an aloof attitude. He had been plotting something bad for a long time, first getting close to him as a brother, then dragging him into trouble, making him hang out in nightclubs, skip classes, and get into fights, pulling this top student into the mire.

Now they've set their sights on the workstation in Li Guojiang's hands, plotting and scheming against him.

If it weren't for the Li family's solid foundation, Li Guojiang would have been crushed into a crack in the ground long ago, never to rise again.

"Hey—why are you all pushing?!"

"Who do you think you are to run wild in this place?!"

A sudden uproar erupted at the west end of the small square.

Liao Zhihua and Liu Shujuan suddenly looked up.

"Hold!!!"

"Dare to lay a hand on me? You're asking for trouble, aren't you?!"

Several young rollerbladers were shoved to the ground, and the rest of the group immediately surrounded them and started yelling.

It was Li Guoxian, Li Guojiang, and Xiao Fo and a few others who came.

They arrived first, while others are still on their way.

But when those young men in their early nineteens saw that Li Guoxian was twenty-eight and Xiao Fo and the others were in their thirties, with their fleshy bodies and cold eyes, their hearts skipped a beat—these were real gangsters, not just students pretending to be tough in school.

If it weren't for the fact that we had more people, we would have already shrunk our necks and hidden.

"Huh? Isn't that Li Guojiang?"

Liu Shujuan had sharp eyes and spotted him in the crowd at a glance.

"Damn it, what's he doing here?"

"They can even find help?!"

Liao Zhihua's brow twitched, clearly surprised.

When he was in school, Li Guojiang was very well-behaved and never even tarded. If he hadn't been led astray by me, he would still be a model student in the eyes of his teachers. Who would have thought that he would also get involved in this mess?

"Zhihua..." Liu Shujuan's voice tightened, "Could it be... that he knows everything? Did he bring people here specifically for revenge?"

Judging by their posture, they're clearly here to tear each other apart.

"What's the panic?" Liao Zhihua sneered, raising his chin slightly. "Just these few small fry? If we really fight, we'll beat them to a pulp."

He was confident that with their superior numbers, victory was assured.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar—seven or eight burly young men strode over, heading straight for Li Guojiang and his group, forming an even heavier, dark mass of people.

Liao Zhihua's face turned ashen instantly.

Immediately afterwards, the group of people advanced towards them. Leading them was Li Guojiang.

"Li Guojiang!" Liao Zhihua roared, his neck stiff, "What do you mean by bringing so many people?!"

Even if you lose the fight, you can't lose face. Even if you feel guilty, you can still stick your tongue out like a rock.

Standing behind him was Liao Daqiao, the office director of the Second Garment Factory—his own father.

"Guojiang, is this the grandson?" Li Guoxian asked, turning his head.

"Yes, it's him." Li Guojiang nodded.

"Take him down. Everyone else, disperse." Li Guoxian waved to Xiao Fo and the others.

"Let me go!!" Liao Zhihua was pinned to the ground by two men, his arms gripped tightly. He watched helplessly as his cronies were quickly dispersed, leaving him all alone and limp. His throat tightened, and he blurted out, "My dad is Liao Daqiao, the office director of the Second Garment Factory! If you dare touch a hair on my head, you'll all be in jail!!"

Liu Shujuan froze on the spot, her hand tightly covering her mouth, not daring to even breathe.

"Smack!!!"

"Smack!!!"

Li Guoxian raised his chin at Xiao Fo, who then swung his arm and delivered two slaps to Xiao Fo's face.

The slap was thick and powerful; as soon as it touched his face, blood seeped from the corner of Liao Zhihua's mouth.

pain!

That fucking hurts!

Liao Zhihua, who had never been hit hard since childhood, felt dizzy and his stomach churning.

"Kid, Guojiang is my own brother—you dare to betray him? You're asking for trouble!"

Li Guoxian stared at him, his voice not loud, but like a hammer striking ice.

What...did I give myself away?

How did he know?

Could it be... that Liu Shujuan let something slip?

Liao Zhihua's heart skipped a beat.

But I absolutely cannot admit to this.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Besides, my dad is the office director of the Second Garment Factory. If you lay a finger on me today, you'll be in jail tomorrow."

"Smack!!!"

"Smack!!!"

Li Guoxian gave another signal, and Xiao Fo swung it twice as usual.

But as soon as he stopped, Li Guoxian stretched out another finger and pointed.

"Smack!!!"

"Ouch—stop hitting me! Please stop hitting me!!"

Liao Zhihua screamed, and a back molar mixed with blood and foam sprayed onto the ground.

"Look carefully—if you mention your father again, he'll slap you another time. Next time, it'll be four slaps."

Li Guoxian spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about how many bowls of rice he had eaten that day.

They are so unreasonable and domineering that they don't give you a chance to reason with them.

"I won't say anything more! I really won't say anything more!"

Liao Zhihua nodded repeatedly, his forehead hitting the cement floor with a thud.

He understood—these people weren't intimidated by his father's official rank at all.

In his eyes, they were all ruthless characters who didn't care about their lives.

He was filled with regret: if he had known that Li Guojiang had such an elder brother, he would never have gotten involved in this mess.

"Liao Zhihua, who do you think you are? You dare to scheme against me?"

Li Guojiang took a step forward, pressed his knee against his abdomen, and kicked him hard.

Liao Zhihua curled up like a shrimp on the spot, felt a sweet taste in his throat, and almost vomited.

You dare hit me?

Just wait! This isn't over yet!

The more intense the pain, the stronger the inner rage.

He gritted his teeth and mentally tore his two brothers to pieces inside his stomach.

"Stop pretending to be a virtuous and chaste woman. You've already slept with him, and now you're trying to pin this on me—how shameless!"

Li Guojiang was so angry that he laughed and slapped Liu Shujuan across the face.

"Smack!!!"

"ah--!!!"

She screamed, tears and snot streaming down her face: "No! Really! I blacked out that day, I don't even know how you..."

"Was that bloodstain on the sheets yours?"

Liu Shujuan rolled her eyes but didn't reply.

Without evidence, and certainly not someone to be trifled with, why would she willingly walk into a trap?

"this……"

Li Guojiang paused, speechless.

The scene that night felt so real—bloodstains, disheveled bedding, her family bursting in at the last minute…

Even if Dad says it's a setup, can that touch of red really be faked?

All I can say is that her acting was incredibly detailed; she even timed it down to the millisecond.

"Guojiang, stop talking nonsense. We're here today to teach him a lesson. Let's beat him so badly he can't get up first."

Li Guoxian is more composed than his younger brother.

First, get rid of Liao Zhihua, and Liu Shujuan will naturally be terrified.

"Crackling and popping!!!"

They say they "beat him half to death," but they actually target the thickest parts of the body, making the swelling look frightening, but not a single bone is broken.

After all, his father is a department head. If he really causes internal injuries, they will be the ones going to jail.

"If you go to the police—your dad, the office director of the Second Garment Factory, right? I'll remember that."

Xiao Fo swiftly drew a dagger, its tip flashing coldly, and pressed it against Liao Zhihua's neck.

That look was as cold as a snake's tongue licking the skin—it wasn't a bluff, it meant they really dared to stab.

Liao Zhihua originally wanted to rely on his father's backing to send them all to jail.

But now, with the knife pressed against his neck, he even held his breath.

Of course, he couldn't swallow this loss.

"The office manager's son? Is that so great?"

Li Guoxian suddenly squatted down, forcefully grinding the sole of his shoe against Liao Zhihua's cheek, dragging it back and forth.

Humiliation, naked humiliation.

Dignity was trampled into the mud, and bones were crushed and creaked.

angry!

It wasn't anger, it was a raging fire that burned through my very internal organs!

People like Liao Zhihua would rather die than be trampled on like this.

He trembled like a piece of paper in the wind, his fingernails digging into the cracks in the cement.

ah--!!!

(A silent roar exploded in the skull)

Damn!

Damn it!!

You bunch of beasts!

Why should I?!

Why should I?!

I want you all dead!

I want you all dead!!!

Face pressed to the ground, dignity shattered into pieces, pride burned to ashes—

It hurts more than killing him.

He lay sprawled on the ground, his knuckles white, veins bulging on his forehead, and his face a frighteningly pale blue.

His body trembled uncontrollably, like a flame about to go out in the wind.

"Let's go."

Once the matter was settled and their anger had subsided, the group turned and left without lingering for even a second.

"Zhihua! How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Seeing that they were about to leave, Liu Shujuan rushed forward and squatted down to help the man who was slumped on the ground.

"Damn it! You bitch—you're your brother's girlfriend now, and you still dare to flirt with other men? Are you tired of living?!"

"Smack!!!"

Li Guoxian suddenly turned around and before he could finish speaking, he slapped Liu Shujuan hard across the face.

He didn't acknowledge her as his sister-in-law; rather, he simply couldn't force the issue to be resolved.

Even if she insists that she was "defiled" by Li Guojiang, he can still use money and power to shut her up;

But it was her family members who caught her red-handed—her parents and brother were all present.

If she can't appease her parents and older brother, this matter simply can't be covered up.

If things really escalate to the police station, Li Guojiang will definitely end up in jail.

Therefore, the only way to suppress this is to bring up the father's influence; there is no other way.

"Huh? No...no, I...I didn't..."

Liu Shujuan covered her burning cheek with one hand and staggered backward, keeping a distance from Liao Zhihua.

"Listen carefully—if I or anyone else sees you getting involved with him again, when Guo Jiangteng makes his move, he'll break both your legs first."

Her face instantly lost all color.

For the first time, I started to have doubts: Should we still push this matter forward?

The other party had clearly seen through their scheme, but for the time being, they still believed that she had truly been taken advantage of by Li Guojiang, so they held back for the time being.

But once the truth comes out... Li Guojiang has Li Guoxian behind him, who is ruthless and can turn on you in an instant. She doesn't even dare to think about the consequences.

"ah--!!!"

Once all the footsteps had completely disappeared, Liao Zhihua raised his head and roared like a wild beast towards the gray sky.

When he dragged his bruises back to his doorstep, it was already dark.

With each step he took on the road, his anger burned even hotter.

With each breath he took, his hatred deepened.

That hatred burned so intensely that his eyes turned red, and his internal organs ached terribly.

Li Guoxian's arrogance and Li Guojiang's smugness were constantly being scrutinized in his mind.

"You're tough? You're not afraid? Fine, I'll see who ends up begging for mercy on their knees."

He gritted his teeth, his voice as cold as if it had been carved from an ice cave.

He didn't want Liu Shujuan to marry into the Li family.

He wanted to smash Li Guojiang's rice bowl first, and send him to the ** to eat dirt and suffer.

He wanted to personally hand that position to Liu Shujuan—to let her experience firsthand what it meant to "get something for nothing."

He had to get back at Li Guoxian tenfold for the humiliation he suffered from that slap.

And those people who surrounded him, punching and kicking him... he would remember them all, one by one.

As dusk deepened, Liao Daqiao, the father, stepped through the door.