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

But in Song Caidie's eyes, the beauty of this place lies in its charm, atmosphere, and sense of story.

She had even imagined that he had chosen her on purpose, that he had put thought into it, and that he had considered her carefully!

Just as the steak was being cut open, two slender figures walked in hand in hand, their skirts swirling gently, drawing all eyes to them.

One of them had a slightly protruding belly, indicating she was pregnant, about five months along.

"Butterfly, Mr. Li, what a coincidence!"

It was Xu Wanqing who spoke.

The other person—Li Wenguo's pupils shrank suddenly, and he almost dropped the knife and fork in his hand: it was his own wife, Dong Haitang.

I rely on!

How did she get involved with Xu Wanqing?

Is this wretched place perhaps his destined calamity?

Dong Haitang glanced at him, her smile not reaching her eyes, but a thin layer of warning floating in them, like a knife sheath wrapped in cold light.

I ran into one last time, and I ran into another one this time, and each one is more eye-catching than the last—are you getting more and more organized in your womanizing ways?

But she ultimately didn't expose him on the spot; she was still willing to tolerate this lack of decency in a man.

"Oh my, Sister Wanqing, what a coincidence! This Sister Haitang has such an amazing temperament, and her belly is already so obvious. Your husband is truly blessed."

Song Caidie smiled broadly, her tone so sincere that there was no fault in her words. Her gaze lingered on Dong Haitang's slightly protruding belly, her eyes filled with genuine envy.

"Sigh... I'm not exactly blessed at all." Dong Haitang sighed softly, her fingertips unconsciously tracing her abdomen. Her eyes were downcast, and her tone was tinged with bitterness and resentment. "My husband is a womanizer by nature. He has seven or eight 'sisters' both inside and outside the house, and he's always running off. My belly is getting bigger every day, and he's hardly ever seen... Tell me, how can I not be miserable?"

Before she finished speaking, her eyes had already swept lightly towards Li Wenguo, like a silent nail, making no sound, yet piercing one's spine.

Song Caidie froze, her mind going blank—in her eyes, Dong Haitang was an exceptionally beautiful woman, with exquisite features and a graceful figure, yet she possessed a cold, aloof aura that made her impossible to look away from at first glance. Who would have thought her husband…

"This...this is outrageous! He married a wife as beautiful as you, and he still dares to do this? It's really...really..."

The word "vulgar" stuck in her throat; she didn't dare utter it, afraid of offending the other person.

"That's right, Haitang is so wronged."

Xu Wanqing also frowned, her tone full of indignation on behalf of others.

Li Wenguo was seething with anger, and secretly glared at Dong Haitang—you just wait and see!

In a blink of an eye,

The romantic dinner that Song Caidie had meticulously prepared came to an end.

When he went to pay the bill, he casually paid for Dong Haitang and Xu Wanqing's table as well.

His posture was elegant and decisive.

Those who saw it couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill.

At least that's what Song Caidie and Xu Wanqing thought.

As for Dong Haitang? Ha, she didn't even lift an eyelid—if it weren't for her husband's pride, she would have exposed how exaggerated his acting was in public long ago.

Although she and Xu Wanqing have been close friends for many years, due to the confidentiality of their work, they never reveal the news of their marriage to anyone other than their closest relatives.

If she hadn't bumped into her today, Xu Wanqing would have had no idea that her good friend was already wearing a wedding dress and had a big belly.

However, knowing Dong Haitang's background, she wisely refrained from asking who her husband's family was. Naturally, she never expected that her elusive "brother-in-law" was sitting diagonally opposite her, holding popcorn and smiling innocently.

"How about we go see a movie?"

Stepping out of the restaurant, Song Caidie felt cheerful and took Li Wenguo's arm, suggesting that she didn't want to go home so early.

"Great, the timing is perfect, let's go right now!"

Xu Wanqing immediately echoed her agreement. The Xu family was currently relying on the Song family's support, and she followed Song Caidie's wishes in everything, doing so appropriately and without leaving a trace.

The licking was natural, yet there was no hint of obsequiousness.

Dong Haitang suddenly lowered her eyes and smiled, her tone slightly sour: "In the two years of our marriage, my husband has never taken me to the movies even once."

Before she finished speaking, her gaze swept lightly over Li Wenguo, making Li Wenguo's ears burn and almost choke.

To be honest, we've never been—when we had free time, the two of us would be in bed by now; but now we're surrounded by our little darlings day and night, so how could we have time to watch a movie?

"Sigh, Sister Haitang, your husband is really clueless!"

Song Caidie couldn't help but spit.

"Let's go, let's go! If we dawdle any longer, we might miss the start!"

Li Wenguo urged him on, afraid of hearing another hurtful word.

In the blink of an eye, several cars sped towards the cinema.

Leading the way was Li Wenguo's shiny black SUV, followed closely by Dong Haitang's silver sedan. Further back, Xu Wanqing's two cars, one in front and one behind—a family car and a rugged SUV painted in military green—drode on the road, their presence so imposing that the entire street became quiet.

Even a stray dog ​​wouldn't dare block the way.

They arrived at the cinema shortly after. Li Wenguo quickly bought tickets, carried popcorn, and handed out Cokes, running around busily before leading them into the theater.

When choosing seats, Xu Wanqing suddenly noticed something unusual: Dong Haitang had taken the initiative to sit next to Li Wenguo, while she herself was squeezed to the very edge.

Logically, since it was their first meeting and Dong Haitang was pregnant, they should have avoided each other. However, she sat down with a calm and unwavering expression, as if the seat was rightfully hers.

Xu Wanqing's heart stirred slightly, but she didn't delve into it further.

After the movie started, she quickly became engrossed in it and didn't think about it anymore.

This is a romance film about the tug-of-war of love and hate, and the unpredictable coming together and separation within a feuding family.

Song Caidie was engrossed in watching. On the screen, as the male and female leads met for their first date, she immediately leaned close to Li Wenguo's ear and whispered, "Look how good he is at flirting. I wish someone would treat me like that."

This isn't a hint; it's a blatant invitation.

Xu Wanqing felt a chill run down her spine and immediately understood—Song Caidie had truly fallen in love.

Dong Haitang naturally saw it clearly as well, and secretly smiled: Master's move was truly steady, accurate and ruthless.

The scene cuts to the forced separation, where Song Caidie's eyes are slightly red, and she clutches Li Wenguo's sleeve and whispers, "They're so pitiful... I don't want to end up like that."

In the end, after overcoming numerous obstacles, the two finally became a couple, and she finally smiled and said, "See, they're together after all."

Li Wenguo kept nodding with a smile, responding in a gentle and perfunctory manner.

Others assumed he was being considerate of the occasion and didn't want to say anything.

But just as the end credits were about to start—

Two gunshots suddenly rang out outside!

boom! ! !

boom! ! !

The entire theater fell silent instantly; everyone's spine tightened and their breathing stopped.

Just then, three men dressed in coarse cloth, carrying guns, burst in, looking back repeatedly as they rushed in, as if they were being bitten on the heel by hunting dogs.

Upon seeing this, the entire audience panicked, and many people's palms started sweating as soon as they got off their seats.

What the hell!

Could you really stumble upon a real gunfight while watching a movie?

This is absolutely outrageous!

Li Wenguo's heart tightened, and he subconsciously stepped aside to shield Dong Haitang—his wife was heavily pregnant, much more precious than Song Caidie and Xu Wanqing, and could not afford the slightest mishap.

With a flick of his finger, he pulled out several pistols and grenades from his personal storage space and quickly stuffed them into his pocket; he then quietly slipped two pistols to Dong Haitang.

Dong Haitang glanced at her husband sideways, and without saying a word, quickly tucked the bag into her sleeve.

"Don't panic. If they try to force their way in, my men will block the entrance soon..."

Li Wenguo lowered his voice and gave instructions to the three girls.

"Yes, I believe you can protect me."

Although Song Caidie was so frightened that her face turned pale, she gripped his arm tightly, and her voice remained steady.

She felt at ease when she was by his side.

In front of a black and white screen.

"Charge into the stands! Let everyone evacuate on their own—the exit is narrow, we'll slip out in the crowd, maybe we can shake them off."

One person shouted, panting.

"wonderful!"

The three of them immediately turned around and rushed to the back seats.

Li Wenguo squinted and observed that their clothes were faded from washing, and their hands did not tremble or their eyes were fierce when they raised their guns. They did not aim at anyone at all, so he made a judgment in his mind: they were most likely underground party members; and the ones chasing them were probably from the Special Service Department.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them had darted to the last row. Seeing this, several timid audience members in the front row jumped up and ran towards the exit.

The remaining people didn't have time to think it through and got up to run, like waves surging towards the mudflats when the tide recedes.

Li Wenguo and his group were sitting in the VIP seats in the middle when suddenly a crowd of people poured towards the entrance like a burst dam, creating a chaotic and disorderly scene.

For Li Wenguo, Song Caidie, and Xu Wanqing, squeezing was nothing; but for Dong Haitang, whose belly was bulging high, the slightest bump or imbalance could endanger the baby.

"Hey! There's a pregnant woman here, be careful!"

"Don't push! Are you blind?!"

"Damn! The one behind is even pushing forward?!"

Li Wenguo wrapped one arm around Dong Haitang and waved his other arm while shouting and cursing.

Unfortunately, the crowd was so large and chaotic that it was like a pot of porridge. Those in front could still hunch over and make way, but those behind couldn't see what was happening at all. They only knew that they were being pushed and shoved forward, all of them being crushed in their direction.

"Oh shit!!!"

Seeing the crowd surging towards them like a black wave, Li Wenguo, fearing he might hurt Dong Haitang, hastily grabbed his pistol and fired a shot into the air—"Bang!!!"

The entire room froze instantly, even their breathing paused for a beat.

The three men in the back row immediately became alert and simultaneously raised their guns to aim at them.

"Could it be one of our own?"

"It's hard to say. Let's keep an eye on it and make sure the civilians aren't harmed."

"OK!"

"Get out of here!!!"

Li Wenguo swerved his gun, pointing it at the left side against the wall, and the crowd parted to make way. He grabbed Dong Haitang's wrist and dragged her away.

"Let's go that way! We'll go out after everyone's left."

Xu Wanqing and Song Caidie were both momentarily stunned when they saw him protecting Dong Haitang like this.

Logically speaking, pregnant women should indeed be given priority care; however, Dong Haitang was completely unprepared, letting a strange man she had only known for a little over three hours lead her around without any hesitation or suspicion—this was too abnormal!

The simple-minded Song Caidie quickly came up with a solution: She must be terrified and her soul hasn't returned to her body yet, which is why she was so dazed and let him do whatever he wanted.

Xu Wanqing, however, didn't think so. She knew Dong Haitang's background well—an intelligence officer who had walked a tightrope countless times. This kind of situation wouldn't frighten her at all. The two must be old acquaintances.

Could it be... that there was a prior connection?

She recalled the subtle pause and the familiarity in Li Wenguo's eyes when they first met, and the more she thought about it, the more certain she became.

After spending time together, she had figured out Li Wenguo's temperament: to put it nicely, he was witty and affectionate; to put it bluntly, he was a womanizer—openly flattering her while secretly still pursuing Song Caidie.

Looking at Dong Haitang, she spent the whole day complaining about her husband, her tone full of resentment. It's hard to say she wasn't just taking the opportunity to vent her anger and find another way out.

Xu Wanqing became more and more certain that this was most likely true.

As for their marital relationship? She didn't even consider that possibility—given the Song family's social standing, if Li Wenguo had married earlier, he wouldn't have been Song Caidie's fiancé.

"Let's wait here until everyone's gone before we go out."

Li Wenguo stood in front of the three women, his gaze sweeping across the entire scene like a hawk's, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable force.

At this moment, Xu Wanqing felt relieved and even her breathing calmed down; Dong Haitang leaned against him, her fingertips slightly hot, but she was not flustered at all—he stood there like an impregnable fortress.

Song Caidie gripped his arm even tighter, burying her face in his embrace. Although her heart was pounding, she felt no fear whatsoever.

Outside the screening room, chaos reigned.

A group of men in Zhongshan suits blocked the entrance, making it impossible for them to move forward as the crowd surged out like boiling water. Only a few burly secret agents managed to break through the throng and squeeze in.

"Secret agents on duty! Get out of the way!"

"Secret agents on duty! Make way immediately!"

"Get out of here—!!!"

In desperation, they had no choice but to raise their guns, the dark muzzles pointing directly at the throng of people at the door. What were they afraid of? They were afraid that the local Communists might slip away in the chaos.

"Don't shove me from behind!"

"Don't put your hand on my back!"

"Who pushed me in the back?!"

But no matter how bright the gun was, it couldn't suppress the urge to escape—those in the back couldn't see what was happening in front at all; they only knew to push, squeeze, and run forward.

"You lot, guard the gate to the death! Don't let a single spectator out!"

Xiao Hui, the team leader, gave a stern order: Since we can't stop people from entering the screening room, let's lock the entire movie theater!