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

Meanwhile, Chen Qing, who was far away at the construction site in Huairou, finally boarded the bus back home. The construction site had given him two days off, and this was the first time he had been home since Li Jing'an had sent someone to take him back to the construction site.

At first, Zhou Yufei would visit him once a week, but from some point on, she started coming less and less often, until finally, she didn't see him at all for a whole month. Every time Chen Qing called, she would make excuses about being busy with work and having to work overtime.

Chen Qing's mind was in complete turmoil, with countless bad thoughts churning in his head, making it hard for him to breathe.

After a bumpy journey, Chen Qing finally returned to his familiar home. He took out his key, opened the door, and the tables, chairs, and cabinets inside were still the same, clean and familiar. But a glance around revealed a series of abruptly new items that instantly felt like sharp knives piercing his heart—

A brand-new sewing machine sat in the corner, a stylish radio sat on the cabinet, the old wooden table had been replaced with an exquisite dressing table, and two fashionable and high-quality women's coats hung on the wall, clearly worth a lot of money. With their wages, after deducting receipts and living expenses, it would take them several years to afford them.

All the unease and speculation vanished at that moment, and Chen Qing's heart died completely.

He stood frozen in place, his blood seemingly freezing instantly, his face ashen, and his eyes terrifyingly empty.

Just then, a clear bicycle bell rang out from outside, followed by a neighbor's enthusiastic call: "Yufei's back! Come home quickly, Chen Qing's back!"

"Oh? Really! Thank you so much!" Zhou Yufei's voice came from a mix of surprise and panic.

Chen Qing stood by the window, coldly watching downstairs. Zhou Yufei hurriedly parked a brand-new women's bicycle against the wall, her movements swift, with a hint of barely perceptible panic on her face.

"Chen Qing!" The door opened, and Zhou Yufei's voice was full of feigned joy. "Why are you back? You didn't even tell me beforehand, so I could have gone to buy some meat to nourish you!"

She walked into the house excitedly, but when she saw Chen Qing sitting in a chair with a horribly gloomy face, she panicked instantly, stopped in her tracks, and her smile gradually froze.

She walked quickly to Chen Qing and reached out to touch him, but Chen Qing slowly raised his head. His eyes, which were once full of tenderness, were now red and filled with heartbreak, anger and despair.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yufei felt guilty, her voice trembling as she asked cautiously, "Why...why are you like this?"

Chen Qing smirked, letting out a cold, mocking laugh, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping: "What's wrong? Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

He abruptly raised his hand, pointing to the valuables in the room that didn't belong to them, his words dripping with anguish: "These things—sewing machines, radios, dressing tables, new overcoats…which of these could we afford? Which of these could we have obtained with our wages and ration coupons?"

Zhou Yufei froze, her face turning deathly pale. Completely losing her composure, she stammered, "Ah... these are all... I... I bought them myself after you left..."

"You bought it?" Chen Qing stood up abruptly, staring intently at her, his eyes reddening, his voice trembling with anger. "Where did you get the money? Where did you get the industrial coupons, sewing ticket coupons, and radio coupons? I know the factory's reward rules better than anyone! Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I'm easy to fool!"

Zhou Yufei was so enraged by his shout that she could no longer make up any lies. She could only stand there blankly, her eyes dim, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

The air was eerily still.

Suppressing his turbulent emotions, Chen Qing asked in a terrifyingly low voice, enunciating each word clearly, "Who is it? Do I know them?"

Zhou Yufei lowered her head, nodded gently, and said in a voice barely audible, "Mmm..."

"I want to know, who is it?" Chen Qing's heart sank deeper and deeper into an ice cave, her voice trembling with despair. "It hasn't been that long, and you've already changed your mind?"

Zhou Yufei remained silent, her shoulders twitching slightly.

"What? You've all done it, and now you don't even dare to say it?" Chen Qing's eyes were red as she pressed closer, her voice filled with a heartbroken scream.

Forced into a corner, Zhou Yufei finally broke down and cried out that name: "Li Jing'an!"

"Who?" Chen Qing was startled, as if he hadn't heard clearly. He stood there, stunned, his mind blank.

"Li Jing'an..." Zhou Yufei's tears welled up instantly, streaming down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably, "It was when I got you out of the police station last time... I really had no other choice, Chen Qing! He was the only one who could save you. I was desperate, I really had no other options! You have to believe me!"

Chen Qing stood frozen in place, motionless.

Yes, he should have thought of that a long time ago.

Li Jing'an and he were complete strangers, so why should Li Jing'an save him for no reason? Why should Li Jing'an help him resolve his troubles?

Overwhelmed by immense guilt, despair, anger, and helplessness, Chen Qing was instantly engulfed. He abruptly raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face. The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the room, and his cheek instantly swelled up.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

He frantically tried to slap him a second time, but Zhou Yufei, seeing this, rushed forward like a madwoman, grabbing his arm tightly and crying out, "Don't do this, Chen Qing! Don't do this! I'm sorry, please don't torture yourself!"

Chen Qing could no longer hold on. Like a child, she curled up in Zhou Yufei's arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Her sobs were suppressed and desperate as she repeated, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm useless, I wasn't able to protect you..."

Zhou Yufei hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her face, her whole body trembling as she cried. The two of them held each other in the small room, crying until the sky darkened, as if they wanted to cry out all their grievances, despair, and resentment.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky outside the window became completely dark. The room was dark, with no lights on, and only the suppressed sobs of the two people could be heard.

Zhou Yufei gradually stopped crying, gently stroking Chen Qing's hair. Her voice was choked with sobs and helplessness, carrying the deepest despair of ordinary people: "Chen Qing, don't cry... What can we do? We're just ordinary people. We have no power or influence. What can we do? Li Jing'an has been promoted to deputy director level, and he's even dating the daughter of a municipal leader. In the entire steel rolling mill, who doesn't give him face? Who dares to offend him? We... can't afford to offend him..."

Chen Qing, who was sobbing in her arms, suddenly froze.

Zhou Yufei thought he had listened, and continued to soothe him gently: "When you go back, behave well and try to come back as soon as possible. When you come back, we'll slowly distance ourselves from him and never have anything to do with him again. We'll live a peaceful life, okay?"

There was a moment of silence in the room.

"Yufei, some people from other companies who went to the countryside at our construction site have already been recalled to the factory... Could you... ask Li Jing'an to recall me too?"

Zhou Yufei froze instantly, looking incredulous, thinking she had misheard.

Without waiting for her response.

"If I could stay in the office doing design work instead of going to the factory after I come back, that would be even better..."