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

The steel rolling mill's guesthouse.

The smoke lingered in the third-floor office.

Zhou Yufei sat on the sofa, her cheeks soaked with tears, her voice choked with emotion: "Brother Jing'an, you have to help Chen Qing. He only came back from Huairou a few days ago, and he was arrested last night."

Li Jing'an walked over from behind his desk, placed his hand on her shoulder, and gently patted it. His tone was gentle, yet deep: "Don't cry. You're newly pregnant; crying will harm your health and the baby. I found out about Chen Qing this morning; I called my friend at the Public Security Bureau."

Zhou Yufei suddenly looked up, forcing back the tears in her eyes: "What did they say? What did they say?"

Li Jing'an looked at her and sighed, "I don't know if I should tell you. This matter... is too complicated."

"Tell me," Zhou Yufei said, clutching his sleeve. "I want to hear whatever it is."

"Okay. But you have to promise me you'll take good care of yourself after you hear this." Li Jing'an paused, took out a cigarette from the box on the table, lit it, and took a deep drag. "Ultimately, this whole thing is because I sent him to Huairou to work for me."

The smoke cleared. He said, word by word, "In Shimo Village, Chen Qing used my name to oppress the masses and seize women—he took a widow and coerced the former secretary's daughter-in-law. The former secretary was also driven to his death by him."

Zhou Yufei's crying stopped abruptly. She stared at him, her eyes wide open, as if she didn't recognize the words.

"Jing'an..." She suddenly grabbed his hand, her knuckles turning white. "This can't be true. I know Chen Qing best. There must be a mistake. Is he being framed?"

Li Jing'an patted her back, a heavy sense of guilt weighing on his brow: "I didn't want it to be true either. But I sent the person there, and if something happens, I can't escape responsibility. I've questioned the Huairou Commune and the Dongcheng Branch Bureau—Chen Qing can't escape."

Zhou Yufei froze. The color drained from her face layer by layer, like the tide receding, leaving only a blank sheet of paper.

Li Jing'an quickly pulled her close, his voice softening even more: "Yufei, you have to take care. You're not alone; you're carrying a child. When we hear from you in a couple of days, I'll have someone take you to see Chen Qing and hear what he has to say, okay?"

Zhou Yufei just shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She murmured, as if asking herself, "Brother Jing'an, is it true? Did he really do these things?"

Li Jing'an looked at her and sighed, "It's true. Don't be too sad, maybe he was just confused for a moment. Don't worry, I'll ask someone to try to get a lighter sentence. Prepare some money, and after we see him, we'll go to Shimo Village to apologize and try to get his forgiveness—it will be good for his sentence."

Zhou Yufei looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes were empty, devoid of anything. She gently shook her head: "Forget it, he's like this already, what's there to see?"

"Yufei." Li Jing'an hugged her tighter. "No matter what, you're husband and wife. You have to meet and talk things out."

She closed her eyes and remained silent.

After a long while, she opened her eyes, looked at him, and said in a trembling voice, "Brother Jing'an, could you try to pull some strings for me at the hospital?"

"Who are you looking for?" Li Jing'an was taken aback. "Tell me, I can find anyone, no matter what kind of connection you have."

"I want to abort the child."

Li Jing'an's expression changed: "Yufei, this is no joke. You're just saying this in anger. Chen Qing is already like this; if you abort the child, how will he live?"

Zhou Yufei's eyes reddened, and tears welled up again, but her voice turned cold: "He's done such a thing, what am I supposed to do? Give birth to the child, and when he grows up, what will he tell him about his father? Will the neighbors be pointing fingers at us all the time? Brother Jing'an, what am I supposed to do? How will the child live in the future?"

Li Jing'an didn't speak. After a long silence, he pulled her closer to him and lowered his voice: "Wait until you've seen Chen Qing before making a decision. Rest well at home for the next couple of days and don't come to work. No matter what happens, your brother Li is your support."

He called Captain Chen of the convoy and asked someone to send a car to take Zhou Yufei home.

The door closed. The office fell silent. Li Jing'an sat back in his chair and lit another cigarette. The smoke rose slowly as he stared out the window and took a deep drag.

the phone is ringing.

"Feed?"

"Ah, Dad, it's you." He sat up straighter, his expression tightening. "Yes, I certainly can't tolerate this kind of thing. Chen Qing has been running rampant in Shimo Village under my name, bullying men and women, and even causing someone's death—I called the police immediately after I found out. I can't cover for him just because he's my subordinate and works for me; I wouldn't do something like that. I'll take responsibility for what I'm supposed to do without hesitation. It's just... I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

After listening for a while, he said, "Please don't praise me, I'm ashamed. It's just a matter of taking remedial measures after the fact; it's a human life at stake. I've already spoken with Director Meng of the Dongcheng Branch Bureau, and he'll definitely handle this seriously. This kind of scum must be dealt with severely and swiftly. I'm not afraid of affecting myself, but I'm afraid of tarnishing the reputation of our cadre team—we absolutely cannot let this matter escalate."

"well."

He hung up the phone. Li Jing'an leaned back and slumped into his chair. Amidst the swirling smoke, he squinted and remained motionless for a long time.

After a long pause, he muttered to himself, his voice as cold as if it had been tempered by fire:

"Chen Qing, your performance is making me very worried."