I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

After dinner, the nanny cleared the dishes, and Wei's mother sat in the living room watching TV. Wei's father looked at Li Jing'an and said, "Xiao Li, come with me to the study on the second floor."

"Okay, Uncle." Li Jing'an immediately got up and followed Wei's father upstairs to the second floor.

The Wei family's study was spacious and elegant, with one entire wall lined with floor-to-ceiling solid wood bookshelves filled with all kinds of books and documents, including theoretical works and historical classics, exuding a strong scholarly atmosphere. A large mahogany desk stood by the window, with a desk lamp, a fountain pen, and neatly arranged documents on it. On the other side were two single sofas and a small coffee table. The heavy curtains provided soft lighting, creating a quiet and dignified atmosphere, making it a proper place for business discussions.

The two sat down on the sofa, and the nanny brought over two cups of hot tea. Mr. Wei looked at Li Jing'an with a serious expression and got straight to the point: "Xiao Li, neither her mother nor I have any objections to your relationship with Jialing. We approve of your relationship."

Li Jing'an was overjoyed and quickly stood up: "Thank you for your approval, Uncle."

"Don't thank me yet." Mr. Wei raised his hand to make him sit down. "There's something I need to make clear to you. Jialing's marriage to Xie Hui just ended. If we get engaged again so soon, it won't look good for either of our families. I just hope we can slow things down and not make a big fuss. Please don't mind."

"Uncle, I completely understand. You've thought this through very well." Li Jing'an nodded immediately, his attitude sincere. "Besides, spending more time together and getting to know each other better will be better for both of us. I have no objection."

A look of relief appeared on Wei's father's face: "I'm relieved that you think that way. It's better for everyone if we keep a low profile."

As soon as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and Wei Jialing walked in carrying two cups of coffee, smiling brightly: "Dad, Jing'an, I just ground this coffee, please have a taste." She then handed the coffees to the two of them.

Li Jing'an took the coffee, brought it to his nose and took a light sniff. The aroma was rich and mellow. He smiled and praised, "It smells very good."

Mr. Wei frowned and put the coffee aside with a look of disgust: "Why are you giving me this? It's bitter, like taking medicine. I can't stand it."

As they were talking, Wei's mother pushed open the door and walked in, her voice urgent: "Old Wei, Xiao Han has brought some government officials. They say they have something urgent to discuss with you."

Mr. Wei raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? Let them in."

"Uncle, Jialing and I will go out first, so as not to delay your work discussion." Li Jing'an immediately stood up, preparing to avoid the situation.

"No need, we're all family, there's nothing to hide." Father Wei waved his hand, signaling him to stay.

Soon, a smartly dressed young man in his thirties led two middle-aged cadres in their forties or fifties into the room. The young man was none other than Xiao Han, Wei's father's secretary. Judging from his appearance, he had a very close relationship with the Wei family, so there was no need for any formalities. When the two entered and saw the unfamiliar Li Jing'an and Wei Jialing sitting together, their eyes flickered slightly, but they wisely refrained from asking any questions.

"What is it?" Mr. Wei asked, leaning back on the sofa in a calm tone.

One of the cadres stepped forward, looking troubled: "Sir, it's still about the demolition project of the south city wall."

"What's wrong? Are you having some trouble?" Wei's father asked.

"The demolition of the city wall itself is not a problem. The main issue is the subsequent road construction, which involves relocating residents living near the city wall." The official said with a bitter face, "It's not that the resettlement work has been done poorly, but the residents complain that the resettlement sites are too far away from their workplaces, and they refuse to move no matter what."

"The publicity work was not done well. We need to explain to the public that this is a city construction project that benefits the country and the people," Wei's father said calmly.

"Our people have run themselves ragged and talked themselves hoarse, but most of the people still won't budge," another official said helplessly.

"I think we should ignore them. They have no awareness at all, and they want to stop the city's development?" Xiao Han couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Nonsense!" Mr. Wei's face immediately darkened. "That's not how you do community outreach! They don't want to move because they have real difficulties, they're not deliberately making things difficult!" Xiao Han immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak again. Mr. Wei looked at the two cadres. "What do you want me to coordinate today?"

The two exchanged a glance and cautiously said, "We'd like to ask our superiors to coordinate with other departments to see if we can relocate these residents to a nearby area within the original district..."

"No need to ask, there definitely isn't one." Wei's father interrupted directly, "Housing is in short supply throughout the city right now, where would we find extra houses to resettle people nearby? We can't always think about taking shortcuts when doing our work; we still need to do solid ideological work among the masses."

The two blushed deeply, lowered their heads, and remained silent, creating a somewhat somber atmosphere.

Just then, Li Jing'an, who had been listening silently, suddenly spoke up: "Uncle, leaders, I have an idea, but I don't know if I can say it."

All eyes immediately turned to him. Xiao Han looked puzzled, and the two cadres were also somewhat surprised. Wei's father looked at him, his eyes gentle: "There are no outsiders here. Feel free to speak your mind."

Li Jing'an organized his thoughts and slowly began, "We can't be forceful in our work with the masses; it's easy to create a negative impact. We should focus on persuasion and understanding. First, we'll find the factory managers where these residents work and have their leaders intervene. Second, we'll contact their relatives' and friends' workplaces and ask them to help persuade them. Third, we'll contact their children's schools and have the teachers explain the benefits of the construction to the children, so the children can talk to their parents. With this three-pronged approach, most residents will definitely understand, and the remaining stubborn ones won't budge." He believed that with pressure from all sides, things would work. The most important thing, however, was the children—their Achilles' heel!

Everyone exchanged glances, and Xiao Han muttered softly, "This...is this not a good idea?"

Mr. Wei and the two cadres ignored him, their eyes lighting up as they carefully considered the plan. A satisfied smile slowly spread across Mr. Wei's face, and he nodded repeatedly, "Good! Jing'an's idea is excellent, thorough and feasible, much better than forcing it!" He turned to the two cadres, "What do you think?"

"It works! Absolutely! We'll go back and deploy it right away, and try this method!" The two cadres were overjoyed, thanking him repeatedly. "Thank you so much, comrade! If it succeeds, it will solve a huge problem for us!"

"It was nothing, not worth mentioning," Li Jing'an said modestly, waving his hand with a low profile.

Looking at Li Jing'an, Wei's father became more and more satisfied. Compared to Xie Hui, who was stubborn, rigid, and only knew how to talk about principles, Li Jing'an was quick-witted, resourceful, and adaptable. Such a young man was truly rare and could really achieve great things.

That evening, the Wei family insisted that Li Jing'an stay for dinner. After dinner, Wei's father had the driver take Li Jing'an home.

As the two reached the courtyard gate, Wei Jialing clung tightly to his arm, her face downcast and looking somewhat aggrieved: "I want to go back with you, but my dad won't let me."

Li Jing'an was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek, lowering his voice, "Please don't. You come to my place every day. My body can't take it. You should have some consideration for me."

Wei Jialing rolled her eyes at him and said coquettishly, "Then I'll go tomorrow. I'll have to keep an eye on you to prevent you from going out and doing bad things."

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say," Li Jing'an replied with a smile.

The car slowly drove off. Li Jing'an looked through the window at Wei Jialing standing at the door and waved. Wei Jialing stood there, watching the car disappear into the night.

Sitting in his car, Li Jing'an wondered why his attempt to add Wei's father's name to the social network had failed. Was there some other restriction preventing it?