Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Lou Xiao'e walked up to Lin Yang, bent her knees, and was about to kneel down.

Lin Yang flipped his wrist, steadily supporting her arm and pulling her up.

"We don't do that here," Lin Yang's voice softened considerably. "Your father is fine, just a little bit injured. He'll be better after half a month of rest."

"Godfather... thank you. If it weren't for you, our family..." Lou Xiao'e bit her lower lip, trying hard not to let her tears fall.

Lin Yang pointed to the empty seat next to him: "Sit down and talk."

Lou Xiao'e sat obediently to the side, her hands nervously clasped together.

Lin Yang closed the document in his hand, turned his head, and looked at Lou Xiao'e with a deep gaze.

"Xiao'e, you'll be graduating from university soon, right?"

"Yes, Godfather. I'll be getting my diploma in two months. I'm studying Industrial Economics and General Management," Lou Xiao'e replied respectfully.

Lin Yang nodded, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one. The bluish-gray smoke swirled under the corridor lights.

"Today's kidnapping is not a coincidence." Lin Yang's voice turned serious, revealing a cold understanding of the political situation. "Although the winds of change are shifting in Beijing, those radicals hiding in the shadows are still making their last desperate struggle. Since they can't touch me, they want to target the people around me."

"With me protecting your father, they can't cause any trouble in Beijing. But you can't. You have the background of being the daughter of a capitalist and you're a college student. In this sensitive period, if you stay in Beijing, you'll become a sitting duck for them to attack me."

Lou Xiao'e's face paled slightly upon hearing this. Being a clever girl, she immediately understood the meaning behind Lin Yang's words.

"Godfather, I'm not afraid of danger. I can work as a typist or accountant for you in the ministry. As long as I can stay by your side, I can endure any hardship," Lou Xiao'e said eagerly.

Lin Yang shook his head slightly, his eyes revealing a decisiveness that indicated he was in control of the entire situation.

"No. Keeping you by my side as a typist would be a waste of your talents and would only push you into the limelight. I, Lin Yang, never keep idle people, much less hothouse flowers."

Lin Yang stood up, walked to the window in the corridor, and looked at the dark night outside.

"I'm going to arrange for you to leave Beijing and go to the Northeast. Officially, it's in response to the national call to go to the countryside and receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants."

"The Northeast?" Lou Xiao'e was stunned. That icy, snowy, and harsh place was undoubtedly a daunting term for a girl born and raised in Beijing.

Lin Yang turned around, his deep eyes flashing with the sharp glint of an old hunter, a unique brilliance when setting up a grand scheme.

"Don't be afraid. I won't let you go to those remote, impoverished places to suffer meaningless hardships." Lin Yang walked back to the bench and lowered his voice. "The place I'm taking you is the Hongxing Farm of the Heilongjiang Production and Construction Corps. It's the largest logistics warehouse and material transfer hub in the entire Northeast heavy industrial base."

Lin Yang placed the top-secret document in Lou Xiao'e's hand and tapped it gently.

"Xiao'e, do you know what the biggest problem facing the heavy industrial base in Northeast China is right now? It's not outdated equipment or inadequate technology, but rigid management, serious internal bureaucracy, and rampant corruption! A lot of special materials allocated to Ansteel and FAW are mysteriously lost during the circulation process. This is not only a parasite gnawing at the foundation of the country, but also hindering my next plan to reshape the nation's industry."

Lou Xiao'e held the heavy document, her heart starting to race. She vaguely guessed Lin Yang's intentions.

"Godfather, you mean...?"

"I want you to enter the Finance and Materials Coordination Department of Hongxing Farm as an ordinary educated youth sent to the countryside." Lin Yang's eyes turned incredibly cold and determined. "You studied industrial economics. I want you to become a nail, deeply embedded in the bottom-level supply chain of Northeast China's heavy industry. Use your professional knowledge, and your unnoticed, grassroots identity, to investigate and clarify that mess in Northeast China, item by item!"

"Who's embezzling steel, who's reselling coal, who's falsifying production figures? I need you to be my most secretive eyes and knife in Northeast China! When I've fully reformed the Northeast, the ledgers you produce will be my weapon!"

These words struck Lou Xiao'e's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

She had initially thought that Lin Yang was sending her to the Northeast simply to seek refuge. But she never imagined that this once-timid capitalist heiress, who wouldn't even dare raise her voice, would be entrusted with such a significant strategic mission by this man!

This is to go undercover, to become an auditing vanguard, to participate in a shocking covert battle that will determine the fate of the nation's industry!

Lou Xiao'e gripped the document in her hand tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She raised her head, and in her once gentle eyes, an unprecedented ambition and fighting spirit ignited. It was a transformation inspired and motivated by Lin Yang's domineering aura.

She was no longer the pampered young lady who only cried in the courtyard; she wanted to be the sharpest, invisible sword in Lin Yang's hand.

"Godfather," Lou Xiao'e stood up, her posture ramrod straight, her voice clear and resolute, "I understand. Rest assured, I will not let you down. I will investigate the accounts in the Northeast thoroughly! Even if it's a den of dragons and tigers, I will clear it for you!"

Lin Yang looked at the girl in front of him who had transformed so rapidly and nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good. Remember, when you get there, patience is the most important thing. Don't trust anyone. If you encounter real danger to your life, take this."

Lin Yang took out a special metal plaque engraved with a red star from his pocket and handed it to Lou Xiao'e.

"This is the highest-level distress signal from the Special Operations Division of the Central Security Bureau. If you show this, any division commander in the Northeast Military Region will unconditionally bring their troops to save your life."

Lou Xiao'e took the nameplate, still warm from Lin Yang's body, with both hands and carefully hid it close to her body. This was not only a get-out-of-jail-free card, but also Lin Yang's deepest protection and trust in her.

The clock at the end of the corridor ticked away, pointing to three in the morning.

Chen Feng strode over and reported in a low voice, "Minister, it's almost time. The special train in Fengtai has completed its final checks. We can't delay any longer."

Lin Yang nodded slightly. He glanced in the direction of the special care ward and said to Lou Xiao'e, "Take good care of your father. Zhao Lichun will personally send someone to deliver your transfer order to the school first thing tomorrow morning. Your train ticket to the Northeast will also be given to you. Take care of yourself there."