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

"Sigh, little sister, there's really no way out." Su Ge sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Weihao Ge said something harsh: you absolutely cannot marry him, and you absolutely cannot ruin his and Cao Ying's good time—from now on, you'll have to help serve tea and water, and carry plates to support him."

"Why? Why didn't you explain this a couple of days earlier? Now even the child..." She suddenly stopped, not finishing her sentence, only biting her lower lip until it turned white.

"Who would have thought he was Li Jiacheng's uncle?" Brother Su shook his head. "Weihao and the others aren't afraid of him personally, they're afraid of the Li family."

"I'm not reconciled!" Su Leilei suddenly raised her voice, her nails digging into her palms. "Two years! I've stayed by his side, chased after him, waited for him... I've given him even the most precious thing in my life!"

Su Ge was silent for a moment before whispering, "There's nothing we can do even if we're unwilling. We still have to eat, rent a place, and find jobs here. If we anger Weihao and the others, forget about getting married and having children; we might not even be able to leave the subway station."

He paused, then added, "At least you keep your job. From now on, if you want to dance, teach, or travel abroad, Weihao won't stop you from saying a word."

The last sentence was as soft as a sigh: "Find an honest and law-abiding man, and live a peaceful and quiet life."

After saying that, he turned and left without stopping.

"Find an honest man?"

"No."

She stared at her reddened eyes in the mirror, her voice soft, yet like nails hammered into the floor.

In the past two years, she has long since immersed herself in Li Guoxuan's rhythm—she leaves the light on when he works overtime and comes home late, she makes a strong cup of tea when he frowns while looking at documents, and she quietly deletes the photos of them together that he has saved on his phone when he occasionally mentions Cao Ying's name.

Now that she's given herself away, can she turn back? She can't do it.

She knew better than anyone the significance of Ke Weihao and his group.

Not daring to confront them directly, they could only go around them.

Li Guoxuan arrived that evening.

He was carrying two boxes of bird's nest. He stood at the door and didn't knock. He took a deep breath first.

He planned to first gauge her opinion: if she was willing to accept compensation, the matter would end there; if not, then he would have no choice but to marry her.

"Leilei, I've been thinking about this for days." He sat on the edge of the sofa, his hands resting on his knees, his knuckles slightly tense. "There are some things between us... that are really not suitable. How about this? I'll give you some money, and I'll transfer the house to you. If you have any difficulties in life in the future, just come to me anytime."

Su Leilei didn't respond.

Tears fell first, one after another, landing on the folds of her skirt and spreading into dark spots.

His crying only made him seem like a scoundrel who would just eat and leave without a care.

But that is indeed the case—if he really wanted to take responsibility, the only way was to marry her.

Otherwise, how is it any different from deception?

"But I love you," she gasped. "It's not money I want."

Li Guoxuan felt a tightness in his chest, and his throat bobbed. Those suppressed thoughts, like spring water breaking through ice, gradually surfaced, growing heavier and hotter.

Ultimately, he wasn't a cold-blooded person.

"Then... what do you want?" His voice was hoarse.

Su Leilei looked up at him, her lips moved, and she almost blurted out, "Marry me."

But her brother's words still echoed in her ears: "I told you, it's a dead end."

She swallowed those three words, changed her posture, lowered her head and twisted the ribbon of her skirt, her voice softening: "Guoxuan, I know my family isn't well-off, and my education isn't strong enough, so I'm not good enough for you... but I don't want to hold you back. How about... I just be someone you can be by your side? When you're busy, I won't say anything, but when you have time, I'll cook a bowl of noodles and sit with you for a while, okay?"

She is not unaware of what is important.

The people behind Li Guoxuan are even more powerful than Wei Hao and the others combined.

Should I really marry an honest, hardworking man? A 9-to-5 job, squeezing onto buses, grabbing discounted groceries, and worrying about school district housing for my child?

That's not living life, that's accepting your fate.

Being by his side—without a marriage certificate, yet wielding real power; not called "wife," yet enjoying tangible benefits.

When she steps forward in the future, who won't respect her?

"what?"

"lover?"

Li Guoxuan was stunned, his brows furrowing as if he had misheard a word.

He had expected her to cry, force him to marry her, or storm out... but to his surprise, she smiled and offered him an even narrower path.

"No, absolutely not." He waved his hand, his voice firm and resolute, repeating it three times.

He was taught from a young age to follow rules and be mindful of boundaries, even when drinking at social events, he would only drink half a glass. The moment the word left his mouth, he felt his phone burning hot in his pocket, as if his father was about to summon him home for a lecture.

"You won't accept me as your mistress?" She looked up, her face still wet with tears, but her eyes shone with an astonishing light. "Then... will you marry me?"

Li Guoxuan felt a surge of heat in his chest, his mind went blank, and he blurted out, "I'll marry you!"

Rather than letting her live a life of humiliation and shame, he preferred to get the marriage certificate.

Su Leilei's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips trembled slightly—she really wanted this man.

But she couldn't nod.

Once she marries him, Weihao and the others will immediately break off all pretense and reveal the whole story to Li Guoxuan: how they plotted against you, how they pushed Su Leilei, how they used you as a pawn...

At that time, Li Guoxuan will not hate them, but only her—a woman who has been acting from beginning to end.

But what if it's a lover?

It wouldn't be offensive, wouldn't break the rules, wouldn't interfere with Cao Ying's affairs, and wouldn't cross the Li family's bottom line.

Li Guoxuan was angry, but at most he would ignore her for a while; but did he hate her? Not really.

After all, she never held him back, nor did she ever create any obstacles in his path.

"Marry me?" She chuckled softly, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes. "And what about Cao Ying?"

After a pause, he asked again, "Would your family really allow you to marry a daughter whose parents died young and whose household registration only lists one person?"

Li Guoxuan opened his mouth, but ultimately no sound came out.

The living room fell silent, with only the rustling of sycamore leaves outside the window.

"Guoxuan, from now on I'll be your lover."

Su Leilei's voice was soft, yet like a wisp of smoke, slowly drifting into Li Guoxuan's ears. Her eyes were lowered, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. "I know my family situation very well—either a single-parent family or one with limited resources. Ordinary good families wouldn't even agree to marry into one. If I really want to force my way into a high-class family, I'd rather choose someone I feel comfortable with and live a few years with them. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Li Guoxuan didn't respond immediately. He gazed at the clouds drifting by outside the window, his Adam's apple bobbing: "But if I marry Cao Ying... there will be no way I'll have any contact with you anymore."

He spoke frankly and earnestly. It wasn't an excuse; his sense of duty was ingrained in his bones—he couldn't bring himself to start a new family outside.

"Then we'll call it a day after your wedding."

Su Leilei looked up and smiled, her smile as gentle as spring water flowing over a stone bank. But the smile didn't reach her eyes; a thought had already quietly surfaced in her mind: "The thread of a person's heart can't be severed so easily with a single cut."

"...Alright then."

He finally nodded. Not because he was tempted, but because he had no other choice.

"Guoxuan, let's go inside."

She reached out and took his hand, her palm slightly warm, neither too tight nor too loose. He paused, and just as he was about to pull back half an inch, she softly added, "You promised to let me be your lover."

Before he could finish speaking, the person had already taken his hand and led him into the room.

On the other side, Xu Damao sat early in a window seat at the state-run restaurant, with two glasses of baijiu in front of him. The clear liquor reflected the darkening light outside the window.

As soon as Li Guobiao entered, he cheerfully raised his glass: "Guobiao, let me drink first!"

With a "tsk," the wine went down, and his Adam's apple bobbed—it felt incredibly refreshing.

Li Guobiao didn't mince words, picked up his glass, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then wiped his mouth: "Brother Da Mao, we're like brothers, let's just say what we want to say, no need for all this formalities."

The two have known each other for almost ten years. Back then, Xu Damao was Li Guobiao's assistant, running errands, keeping accounts, dining with the boss, and even shielding him from drinking. When Li's father was hospitalized, Xu Damao stayed outside the ward for three nights straight. Their friendship wasn't made of paper; it was forged day by day.

"In that case, I won't beat around the bush."

Xu Damao leaned forward and lowered his voice: "Guobiao, you must have heard—the policies have been relaxed, and ordinary people can do business legitimately now."

He picked up a peanut, crunching it loudly: "Look at Xiushui Street, Xidan, Houhai, Wangfujing, the streets are packed with stalls, people are crammed together, money is flowing in like water. That's not selling goods, that's making money!"

His eyes gleamed, not out of mere enthusiasm, but because he was genuinely interested. He used to dream of getting a job as a manager in the factory, but now, seeing others making a fortune, that ambition for officialdom had long been overshadowed by the allure of money.

"That's why I want to recruit you. If we join forces, we're sure to make something of ourselves!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guobiao paused with his chopsticks in mid-air, slowly moving the shredded green peppers to the side of the plate before saying, "Brother Da Mao, I don't lack that little bit of money. Doing business? It's too much trouble and worry; I find it exhausting."

Laziness was written all over his face; he couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids.

Xu Damao had anticipated this reaction and smiled as he refilled his glass: "Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility. You just sit there and count your money."

What he was after was never money—it was the dense network of relationships behind Li Guobiao.

Originally, he planned to open a movie theater with his second uncle, and he also considered partnering with the director of the steel rolling mill to trade goods. But right now, Li Guobiao's brand is stronger, more stable, and more well-known.

"But I'm just taking money for nothing, and I feel ashamed."

Li Guobiao shook his head, his tone plain and straightforward, without any formalities or probing, "It's cleaner if you do it yourself."

"Hehe, Guobiao, how could I let you sit here for nothing?"

Xu Damao swirled his wine glass, his eyes bright and frank: "I'll take care of all the troublesome and time-consuming tasks; but there's one thing I can't do without you."

"What?"

"Relationship".

He smiled naturally, as casually as if he were talking about how many bowls of rice he had eaten that day. "The most important thing, and the easiest thing for you, is the word 'relationship'."

Upon hearing the word "relationship," Li Guobiao frowned slightly: "Brother Da Mao, what line of work are you planning to get into? Don't get involved in anything you shouldn't."

"Electrical appliances".

"Electrical appliances?"

"That's right! From small items like digital watches, Walkmans, and juicers, to large items like color TVs, refrigerators, and air conditioners—we sell them all."

Xu Damao gestured with his eyes shining, "Other shops only sell one type of item, but I'm going to have them all. Customers can come in and get whatever they want without having to run around to five different places to buy five different things."

He originally wanted to go through smuggling, but after hearing that Li Guohang had already taken the lead, he turned to focus on high-profit, high-demand electrical appliances.

"Oh... an appliance."

Li Guobiao nodded, his tense shoulders relaxing a little.

"I'm familiar with the local channels, but for big-ticket items like TVs and refrigerators, I still have to go through Hong Kong."

Xu Damao's gaze was sincere. "I heard your brothers are running a factory over there. I wonder if you could lend them a hand?"

"No problem," Li Guobiao replied readily. "I'll make a call later and arrange a time to meet."

"Okay! I'll make the list in the next couple of days and send it to you."