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

Needless to say, the Xu family was behind the scenes pulling the strings, and even the people Yang Zhengde used to rely on had long harbored deep resentment towards him. After some secret weighing and exchanging of interests, Yang Zhengde couldn't even make a dignified exit and had to pack his bags and leave in disgrace.

Taking advantage of the situation, Niu Dali was promoted to the position of director, rising from deputy director to the new director.

His past grievances with Li Wenguo were nothing new in the police station. But with Yang Zhengde keeping an eye on things, even if Niu Dali's men were dissatisfied, they could only grit their teeth and keep quiet, not daring to touch a hair on Li Wenguo's head.

Now that Yang Zhengde has fallen, the entire police station has become Niu Dali's backyard. It's easy to guess that those who want to climb the social ladder will immediately rush to step on Li Wenguo to get ahead; and Niu Dali himself will probably not let go of this fat piece of meat to vent his anger—Kong Wu, Sha Qiang, and Tie Dan have probably already been targeted by him, and he is preparing to recruit them as henchmen.

Therefore, Li Wenguo took the initiative to invite Niu Dali to the banquet. On the surface, he was being obsequious and seeking peace of mind, but in reality, he had already laid out a plan—waiting for Niu Dali to expose his true colors so that his clone could take over naturally.

This matter had been on the agenda from the moment Yang Zhengde retired successfully.

Li Wenguo raised his glass, beaming as he offered a toast. Niu Dali leaned back in his chair, his gaze like a knife scraping across Li Wenguo's face. He slowly crossed his arms and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Manager Li, weren't you quite arrogant a while ago? How come you're bent over like a shrimp today?"

"Are you afraid I'll come after you?"

Li Wenguo put down his cup, his expression hardening as he stared directly at him: "I act with integrity, I stand firm, I lie upright, and I wouldn't feel guilty even if someone knocked on my door in the middle of the night—tell me, what leverage could I possibly have that you could use against me?"

"Wow, your bones are pretty strong?"

"Kid, this world isn't a place where you can live peacefully just by having a clear conscience. I said you're hiding contraband at home, and that's a done deal. Dare to come with me for a test?"

Niu Dali wasn't annoyed; instead, he laughed. He'd seen plenty of stubborn guys like this before. In the end, they all ended up kneeling in the interrogation room, their faces covered in snot and tears, begging for mercy.

"Test? I don't want to get tested."

Li Wenguo wasn't in a hurry to turn hostile; instead, he became interested—he wanted to see for himself just how thick-skinned Niu Dali really was, and also to consider how much of his own anger he could swallow.

To put it simply, it's about testing your own capacity to see just how broad it really is.

"Ha, that's the right thing to do."

"I heard that your concubine is an opera singer? Her voice is so clear and bright... I happen to love listening to opera. I'll have her come to my house and sing a couple of songs, and that will put the matter at hand."

Niu Dali crossed his legs, his eyes flashing with malice, and sneered inwardly: Let's see how long you can hold out!

Li Wenguo's face darkened instantly, and a fire ignited in his heart—women were a bottom line he could never cross.

But Niu Dali changed the subject and said, "Someone has filed a formal complaint that you are openly accepting bribes and enriching yourself in the foreign firm."

"Tsk tsk, if I told your foreign boss all this... tell me, would you lose everything, or just get fired?"

"Want to give it a try?"

I'll test your ancestors for eighteen generations!

Old swindler!

I'll kick your dog's head to pieces!

Li Wenguo was cursing inwardly, but on the surface, he simply stood up slowly and said calmly, "I don't want to try."

"Oh—" he drawled, "By the way, those shares in Weifeng Machinery Factory, they're in your name, aren't they?"

"Transfer everything to me, and this matter will be considered settled."

Li Wenguo stepped forward slowly, his voice unhurried: "You should know that Boss Dong is my father-in-law."

"I know," Niu Dali scoffed. "But so what? The rules of the West are the real rules."

His words were not an ultimatum, but a test—if Li Wenguo loosened his grip even slightly, he would pounce on him and devour him whole, skin and bones.

"You want my woman, you want my money... Why don't you just say you want my life, my fortune, my wife and kids?"

Li Wenguo had already stopped in front of him.

Niu Dali suddenly stood up, jabbing his index finger hard into the other man's chest, his face trembling with rage: "Li Wenguo, you can try and see how many days you can last!"

In fact, from the moment Niu Dali uttered the words "Hongyu," Li Wenguo couldn't be bothered to listen any further.

That face had already made his stomach churn.

But the other person was like a stinking ditch with its dam opened, talking non-stop, so he patiently listened and said a few more words.

He suddenly grabbed the finger that was poking him and said coldly, "Do you know what I hate most? I hate it when someone points a gun at me—no, I mean, pokes me here with their finger."

Before the words were even finished, he twisted his wrist—

Click!

The finger bone broke instantly.

Niu Dali's facial features instantly contorted, and he barely managed to squeeze out half a roar before Li Wenguo pulled him into his personal space.

Outside the door stood his two trusted confidants.

"Alas... a pure heart cannot bear to hear such vile words."

Li Wenguo sighed softly.

Then, he summoned his clone.

At this moment, the clone had already changed into Niu Dali's skin, and even his eyebrows and eyes exuded that domineering aura.

"Haha, real body, were you so angry your liver hurt just now?"

The moment the clone appeared, it grinned and mocked.

"Absolutely! They're disgusting—these officials are all wolves in sheep's clothing, devouring people without drawing blood and chewing bones without making a sound."

"If you don't have some skills, you'll really end up with your wife and children separated, and your family destroyed."

Li Wenguo shook his hand, as if trying to shake off something dirty.

"That's just how it is these days: if you're not ruthless, others will step on you to get ahead; if you're not tough, you'll be overthrown before you even get comfortable in your seat."

The clone "Niu Dali" sighed, his tone filled with deep pain.

These words were hard-earned lessons he learned while working his way up in the government office under the guise of Yang Zhengde.

How many of your boss's extended family members come knocking on your door? They're either forcing you to sell your ancestral home, snatching innocent girls, or using your power to settle personal scores and kill off rival businesses... The most insidious schemes are truly chilling.

However, most of them would try to postpone or delay their actions if possible, and if they really couldn't avoid it, they would only do some superficial work.

After all, he couldn't bring himself to do things like wiping out entire families and destroying homes.

It was precisely this "lack of understanding" that made many people in higher positions secretly grit their teeth in resentment.

This time, as soon as the Xu family made their move, they immediately went with the flow and removed him from the list.

What they want is a hawk that draws its sword and draws blood;

He's not some sluggish bum who pretends to be deaf and dumb and sits around waiting for a mess to fall apart.

Indeed, in their eyes, Yang Zhengde had been completely "doing nothing" for the past few months.

Now that Niu Dali has taken over, he's doing everything he's supposed to do, from cutting to crossing lines.

Li Wenguo knew exactly what was going on.

He lowered his voice: "This time we have leverage over a few big fish, and we have all the photos. If anyone dares to force us to do anything immoral again, we'll either smash the negatives in their face or hand them over directly to the Party Investigation Department—and let them count stars behind bars."

"Great! Let's do it this way!"

The clone "Niu Dali" rubbed his hands and laughed.

"By the way, were you really angry just now? Want me to find you something to cheer you up?"

He glanced sideways at the main body, who was devouring a beggar's chicken, and a sly smile appeared on his lips.

"Sir, where are we going?"

"Stop arguing, we'll be there soon."

The clone "Niu Dali" linked arms with a heavily made-up woman and walked straight into Li Wenguo's garden villa.

"Lord Cow!!!"

"Lord Cow!!!"

Ding Xiaoqi and Agui were already waiting outside the iron gate, their backs ramrod straight. As soon as they saw people, they bowed and scraped, and then deftly pushed open the gate.

Xiao Jie has been transferred to the Lixingshe as a secret agent, and A Gui has become Li Wenguo's close shadow; the other guards, according to regulations, are stationed outside the embassy boundary marker.

"Wow, this place is just like a painting!"

The woman looked around, her eyes lighting up with envy.

She secretly calculated: if she could stay here for one night, her life would be worthwhile.

"If you like it, that's fine."

"What? This mansion...you really bought it?"

She suddenly turned her head and stared at "Niu Dali" with a mixture of surprise and delight.

"Hurry up!"

He frowned, his tone full of impatience.

The two stepped into the villa one after the other. The woman was immediately dazzled by the magnificent gold and glittering interior, and didn't even notice the intense gaze scrutinizing her from behind.

The gaze came from Li Wenguo on the sofa.

He glanced over without making a sound—an oval face, fair skin, a head of fluffy curly hair, wrapped in a dark green cheongsam, with a slender waist and long legs, and a full chest that seemed to burst the fabric; although not as breathtaking as He Shuting or Hongyu, she was still better than ninety percent of women, a veritable bewitching vixen.

Her name is Hu Meier. She is Niu Dali's newest concubine this year. She just turned twenty and is so tender that you could squeeze water out of her. But she was dragged into the old ox's den.

Anyway, once "Niu Dali" is stripped of his skin, none of his family members will survive unscathed—it's a good opportunity for Li Wenguo to vent his anger.

"Go up to the second floor first, wait in the first room on the left, I'll give you a few instructions and then I'll be there."

The clone casually pointed.

"Alright~ I'll be waiting for you... Don't keep me waiting too long~"

Her eyes sparkled, her voice was as soft as honey, and she swayed as she floated up the stairs. As she passed Li Wenguo, she didn't even lift her eyelids, only letting out a slight snort of disdain.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Li Wenguo stared at the swaying waist and hips, and slowly smacked his lips.

"This little chick is really sexy."

"Don't just look at her promiscuity—her heart is more venomous than a snake's gall." The clone sneered. "I heard she was already engaged to someone else, but after having an affair with Old Niu, the two of them plotted to get her fiancé drunk, and before dawn, they were caught in the act, falsely accused of rape. The man's entire family was forced to hand over all their assets, their reputation was so bad that the neighbors dared not mention their names, and in the end, the whole family hanged themselves from the roof beam to end the matter."

This matter was revealed by Niu Dali's confidant after drinking. Originally, they wanted to use torture to pry open his mouth, but they didn't expect him to spill even such a filthy secret.

"Ha... It really is a venomous snake that flicks its tongue."

"I wouldn't even blink if I killed that kind of vicious and despicable person."

Li Wenguo let out a cold laugh.

"Ha, when a vicious wolf meets a hungry tiger, they're bound to tear each other apart."

The clone lazily replied.

"Bullshit! I'm not some hungry tiger!"

"No? Can you even count the blood on your hands?"

"The Flying Eagle Gang has hundreds of members; just because of one sentence from you, they're all sent to the gates of hell?"

The clone glanced sideways at the main body, a sneer playing on its lips.

"Stop talking nonsense, I was acting on behalf of Heaven!"

"I'm too lazy to argue with you—the main character is about to appear."

Li Wenguo grinned, a hint of malice in his eyes, and turned to stroll upstairs.