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

"Excuse me, we have guests coming over tonight, so I have to leave early."

Cao Ying smiled and refused, her tone soft but leaving no room for negotiation.

Actually, she and Lin Guosheng were related in a roundabout way—his wife's cousin was her aunt's goddaughter. They weren't related by blood, but there was a connection, and proper etiquette couldn't be broken.

"How about we reschedule for another day?"

Lin Guosheng maintained his composed demeanor, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, his tie loosely slanted, like a meticulously painted picture.

The next second, Cao Ying picked up her bag, stood up, walked through the corridor, and headed straight for the archives.

At the top of the stairs, the two walked down side by side. Li Guoxuan listened with his head down, while Cao Ying smiled and spoke in a clear voice as they walked to the second-floor window.

Lin Guosheng was standing behind the glass of his office, a half-smoked cigarette still between his fingers, ash falling onto his suit trousers.

His face immediately darkened.

Li Guoxuan wasn't an obstacle—he was a bluestone across the threshold, uncomfortable to step on, impossible to move or kick. If he wasn't moved, Cao Ying would never give him a second glance.

He stood there for a moment, then turned and left, his steps both hurried and steady.

As he pushed open the door, his voice suddenly softened: "Sister-in-law!!!"

Li Jingye was bent over her desk signing documents when she heard this. She looked up and frowned slightly. "Guosheng, how many times has this happened? We don't call you that in the bureau."

She is Wen Keren's eldest daughter, born in 1937, and is thirty-five this year. She grew up in the Western-style buildings in the embassy district and only recognized the Li family's house. She had no idea that there was another father, another family, and a group of brothers she had never met in the courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang.

Li Guoxuan was a new younger brother she had never even heard of. She hadn't met many of her cousins ​​in the Li family either. Besides, Li Guoxuan had just graduated and hadn't even attended a single family banquet for the younger generation, so naturally she hadn't seen him.

"Oh, Director Li."

Lin Guosheng immediately changed his tune.

He was Li Jingye's husband's cousin, a legitimate relative. He was able to rise to the position of deputy section chief entirely thanks to Li Jingye's support.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her pen still nibbling.

"Um... Li Guoxuan, who just arrived, could you move around a bit more? Maybe we could find another place?"

He was certain of this: if Li Guoxuan wasn't touched, Cao Ying would never have a thing for him.

"I've already put her in the archives, isn't that enough?" Li Jingye put down her pen. "A person who's been sidelined, are you still worried she'll go with him again?"

She scoffed inwardly—this cheap brother-in-law couldn't even handle a girl; all he had was a pretty face.

"Sigh..." Lin Guosheng sighed, "But guess what? Cao Ying still goes home with him every day, chatting and laughing, just like nothing happened."

He rubbed his hands together, his face full of frustration.

He had no idea that Cao Ying had no feelings for him at all. But since the two families were related, it would be too embarrassing to reject him directly, so she just left him hanging, hoping he would realize his mistake and leave on his own.

Cao Ying did not date Li Guoxuan; just like before, she only had a slight liking for him.

"I don't have the ability to transfer him away; I've already done my best to get him into the archives."

"If you can't catch up with Cao Ying, there's nothing I can do to help you."

Li Jingye spoke in a flat tone.

Lin Guosheng's eyes darted around, and he blurted out, "Then... what if we fire him?"

"Expulsion?"

Li Jingye immediately understood her brother-in-law's scheme, and her brows furrowed.

Her father, Li Wenguo, taught her from a young age to act with integrity and that she would never tolerate anyone using underhanded tactics against an ordinary employee. However, Lin Guosheng was, after all, her husband's cousin, so she had to give him face.

She paused, her tone turning serious: "If someone really made a mistake, I can naturally handle it. But—"

Her gaze sharpened as she stared directly at him: "Let me give you a piece of advice: don't entertain any shady thoughts. If this didn't involve your life's most important matter, I wouldn't have indulged you."

"Understood, understood!"

"Then I'll be leaving first."

Lin Guosheng was startled by his sister-in-law's expression, quickly responded, and turned to leave the office.

As soon as the door closed, he immediately started thinking about how to make Li Guoxuan stumble so that he could kick him out legitimately.

"Sh-!"

A soft call suddenly rang out from outside the window.

His thoughts were interrupted. He looked up and saw a woman with delicate features winking at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, giving him a meaningful look before gracefully walking away.

Lin Guosheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart and immediately followed quietly.

This woman was his lover, and she also worked at the bureau.

Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, his eyes darted around, and a sinister smile slowly crept onto his lips.

Not long after, Li Guoxuan noticed that his colleague Huang Xirou was always getting closer to him unintentionally—pausing for half a second when handing him documents, chatting a few more words when they bumped into each other in the break room, and occasionally smiling down with her soft eyes drifting towards his face.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt: the girl was pretty, but she was at least twenty-four or twenty-five years old, six or seven years older than him, and he couldn't muster any interest in her at all.

But since they worked in the same company and were acquaintances who saw each other all the time, he was too shy to say something like, "Don't do this, I don't like you."

If you say that, the other person will be embarrassed, and it will be difficult to maintain even a nodding acquaintance in the future.

So he used the simplest method: you greet him, he nods; you ask him a question, he answers and then falls silent; not a single extra word, not a single extra glance.

He thought that if he continued to be so indifferent, she would eventually know when to back down.

But Huang Xirou was personally sought out by Lin Guosheng, so how could he give up so easily?

She's a reckless person, thick-skinned and resourceful, and not afraid of setbacks at all.

That evening, at Wen Ke's home.

"You damn fool! The wedding's next month, and you have to mess this up now! How am I supposed to clean up your mess?!"

"I'm your father, not your wet nurse! When it's your turn to take care of yourself in your old age, I'm not the one to bail you out!"

"..."

Li Wenguo was so angry that his fingers trembled, and he pointed at his third son Wen Keren's face and cursed loudly.

Wen Keren quickly and gently pressed her fair, smooth legs against her husband's calves through the slit of his cheongsam, placing one hand on his back and gently patting him to the back, softly comforting him:

"Grandpa, please calm down. Guoxin is so old to be engaged so lately, and he's been holding back his anger all these years, so it's understandable that he's become a bit lax. This was an accident. Why don't you apologize properly, give that girl a house, and send her some money as a settlement fee, and the matter will be settled?"

She glanced at her son sideways, her eyes full of urging.

Li Guoxin immediately lowered his head, his voice becoming soft and sincere:

"Father, it was my negligence, it's all my fault. Please help me, give her an apartment and some living expenses, and keep her here."

He is Wen Keren's third son, born in 1943, and is 29 years old this year.

Because his mother insisted on one rule: she would not marry anyone who was not the son of a high-ranking official in a government compound, he dragged his marriage out until this age.

It wasn't until last month that Li Wenguo asked someone to act as a go-between and arranged for him to marry the granddaughter of an old leader in Buweili. The wedding date is set for next month.

But having remained single all these years, Li Guoxin, full of youthful vigor, had secretly taken a pretty girl as his mistress—he arranged a formal position for her, on the condition that she stay with him.

To put it bluntly, it's about being kept by a sugar daddy/sugar baby.

Just last night, after the girl finished serving Li Guoxin, she lowered her head and said, "I'm pregnant, three months along."

These days, abortion is not without risks. She was determined to give birth to the child and even asked Li Guoxin for a house and a fixed monthly allowance.

"A house? And you still have to pay monthly installments?"

"Are you really planning to keep her as a mistress? To hide her away right under the noses of the Li family?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo's eyes narrowed, and he immediately raised his voice, yelling at his son.

"No, no, no, Dad, don't worry. As soon as I give her the things, I'll cut all ties completely. I'll never see her again, and I'll have absolutely no connection with her whatsoever!"

Li Guoxin quickly waved his hand, his tone full of urgency.

"Broken? Broken my foot!"

"She's carrying your child, and you're trying to pretend nothing's wrong?"

Li Wenguo sneered, not buying it at all.

Blood is blood, the umbilical cord cannot be cut, and the heart cannot be severed—how can a few harsh words erase the past?

"Then... then what do you suggest we do?"

Li Guoxin's voice was weak, and his shoulders slumped down.

A 29-year-old man is decisive and efficient in public, but in front of his father, he is like a 15 or 16-year-old again, even his breathing becomes lighter.

"Send her to Hong Kong."

Li Wenguo uttered five words with unwavering resolve.

This is the most appropriate path at present.

After all, the woman being discussed for marriage with the Li family is the granddaughter of that leader from the Ministry of Public Security, whose status and influence are comparable to He Shuting's. This marriage was arranged by Li Wenguo himself, and he absolutely cannot allow the other party's granddaughter to suffer any grievances. If anyone finds out anything amiss, he will be the one who loses face, and the entire Li family's reputation will be ruined.

"But... what if she refuses?"

As soon as Li Guoxin asked the question, he met his father's piercing eyes and his tongue immediately tied in knots.

"Useless thing! She won't agree? Then we'll talk until she does! Do I have to teach her this step by step?"

"Or—why don't you just marry her, and next month I'll choose another younger brother to marry Minzhi?"

Before she could finish speaking, Wen Keren couldn't sit still any longer.

She quickly interjected, "Don't worry, Master, Guoxin will definitely be able to persuade her. We absolutely mustn't replace her!"

What a stroke of luck! The granddaughter of a high-ranking official has entered the family. Not only will her career be smooth sailing, but her position within the Li family alone will surpass that of all the other branches.

Moreover, this wife is a precious treasure that she has endured for many years and carefully pried out of her husband's mouth. How could she give her away so easily?

At this moment, she was both angry and anxious, blaming her son for being so useless, causing such a mess on the occasion of their joyous occasion, leaving her unable to even catch her breath.

"Get out of here now!"

Li Wenguo slammed his hand on the table and pointed to the door, growling.

Li Guoxin turned and left, the sound of his leather shoes frantically losing their rhythm.

As soon as the door closed, Li Wenguo immediately turned to stare at Wen Keren: "Tell me, how did you become such a mother?"

"Isn't this spoiling them rotten?"

"Your son is causing trouble outside, disgracing the family, and you, as his mother, just turn a blind eye?"

He wasn't unaware that his son was having an affair—men, he too had strayed from the right path when he was young.

But this time is different: the woman has a powerful background and significant influence. If there is any mishap, the entire Li family will be shamed and find themselves in a difficult position.

"Sir, I only heard about this today!" Wen Keren hurriedly explained, "Guoxin is twenty-nine years old, he's not a child anymore, and he has his own ideas. I'm more furious than anyone else about what he did! You know how many years I've been hoping he'd marry into a high-ranking official's family. How could I let him ruin this marriage?"

Aren't you annoyed?

"What are you so angry about!"

"I've slept with you for over thirty years. I can count every mole on the back of your neck and every scar on your ankle!"

Li Wenguo rolled his eyes.