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

With a clang, the iron gate was pushed open.

Chen Qing, huddled in the corner, looked up and saw the person enter. His eyes lit up instantly. He scrambled over, grabbed Li Jing'an's leg, and cried out, "Brother Li! Brother Li, you have to save me!"

Li Jing'an nodded to the police officer who opened the door. The officer understood, went out, and closed the door behind him.

"Chen Qing, get up. Get up and speak."

Li Jing'an broke free from him and looked around. The room was empty, without even a chair. He had no choice but to sit down on the edge of the bed. Chen Qing stood hunched over to the side, his face full of longing and fear.

Li Jing'an frowned, his tone full of disappointment: "Chen Qing, Chen Qing, how could you do such a thing?"

"Brother Li! Brother Li, you have to save me!" Chen Qing knelt down again and hugged his leg tightly.

"How can I save you? You've almost killed someone!"

"Brother Li, that old man Jin died of his own volition, it has nothing to do with me!"

"What do you have to do with those two women? Huh?"

"Well, that was arranged by their village too..."

"Hmph." Li Jing'an sneered, "I truly regret sending you to Huairou. It not only harmed you, but also others!"

"Brother Li, Brother Li, you have to help me..."

Chen Qing would only repeat this one sentence over and over again, pleading with him.

Looking at him like this, Li Jing'an sighed deeply. He softened his tone: "Alright, get up. I'll do everything I can to help you."

He paused, then added, "The most crucial thing right now is your wife, Zhou Yufei. She's making a scene, demanding a divorce and wanting to abort the child. You need to think of a solution."

"Yufei didn't want to come at first, but I dragged her here..."

"Then what should I say to her?" Chen Qing asked, his face full of hesitation.

"When you did this, didn't you think about today?" Li Jing'an stared at him. "After all, you two grew up together, childhood sweethearts. Please beg her. I'll go get her."

He stood up and added, "Also, I'll go see the leaders at the Public Security Bureau to see if there's any room for maneuver in your case."

"Brother Li—" Chen Qing wanted to say something more.

Li Jing'an waved his hand to interrupt him: "Don't worry, I will do my best to mediate. But you have to be prepared—this matter involves human life, and it's not something I can easily resolve by finding someone."

"Yeah, thank you, Brother Li." Chen Qing lowered his head, his voice muffled.

"I'll talk to Yufei about it properly later."

Li Jing'an turned around and walked out the door.

---

In the next room, Zhou Yufei sat in a chair, her eyes red-rimmed.

Li Jing'an pushed open the door and sat down beside her. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Yufei, go and talk to Chen Qing properly later. Don't get agitated; what's done is done, and we have to face it eventually."

Zhou Yufei nodded gently and replied, "Mm."

Did you bring the money to compensate the other party?

Zhou Yufei took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to him, her voice choked with emotion: "Brother Jing'an, here's five hundred yuan. I don't know if it's enough."

Li Jing'an took the envelope, then reached out and patted her head, as if coaxing a child: "Yufei, that's enough. If it's not enough, Brother Li will cover it for you. I'll pay whatever's missing. Don't worry, Brother Li won't abandon you."

"Thank you, Brother Jing'an! Thank you, Brother Jing'an!"

Zhou Yufei could no longer hold back and threw herself into his arms, crying as she tightly hugged his waist.

Li Jing'an gently patted her back and whispered comfortingly, "Alright, stop crying. Go see Chen Qing, talk things out, and don't act impulsively."

He patted her and watched her walk out the door, wiping away her tears, towards the room where Chen Qing was being held.

Then, Li Jing'an turned around and went upstairs.

---

He knocked on a door.

"Director Meng."

The person behind the desk looked up, saw it was him, and immediately stood up warmly: "Oh, Jing'an! You've arrived? Come, have a seat."

Director Meng of the Dongcheng District Branch led Li Jing'an to sit on the sofa. He wanted to ask someone to pour water, but in the end, he picked up the kettle himself and made him a cup of hot tea.

"Jing'an, you're here because of Chen Qing's case, right?"

Li Jing'an took the tea and nodded: "Yes, it's all because of him. What's the situation now?"

Director Meng straightened his expression and said, "What has been confirmed so far is that Chen Qing forced women in Shimo Village, Huairou."

Li Jing'an was taken aback and immediately pressed, "Only forcing women? Didn't he also drive Jin Fusheng to his death in the village?"

Director Meng sighed: "He himself doesn't admit it, and there's no direct evidence to prove that he was driven to his death by him. We can only say that it's related to him. According to our investigation, Jin Fusheng died of anger and resentment out of shame and grief—it's related to Chen Qing, but based on this alone, we can't convict him of a serious crime."

Li Jing'an's brows furrowed instantly, and his tone turned serious: "How can this be allowed? He forced someone's daughter-in-law, causing the old man to die of grief and indignation. Can't he be convicted of that?"

Director Meng was somewhat confused by his words. He couldn't tell whether Li Jing'an thought the crime was too lenient or had other ideas, so he tentatively asked, "Jing'an, what do you mean?"

Li Jing'an's eyes turned cold, and his tone became exceptionally firm: "What I mean is—this kind of scum must not be let off!"

"Although I sent him there, he not only tarnished my reputation, but also that of our entire cadre team! We can't let him off so easily!"

He took a sip of water, then looked directly at Director Meng: "Can he be executed?"

Director Meng was taken aback, then gave a wry smile: "Well... he probably doesn't qualify."

Li Jing'an's face showed obvious disappointment. He pressed on, unwilling to give up, "Didn't he do anything else in Shimo Village? Someone like him is bound to get into trouble."

"Based on our current investigation, there shouldn't be any other possibilities," Director Meng replied cautiously.

Li Jing'an glanced at him sideways, thinking to himself: Why are you being so polite with me? What about the methods you should use? Just go for it!

He gathered his thoughts and softened his tone: "Director Meng, I think you still need to interrogate him thoroughly. These kinds of criminals are usually very cunning and stubborn. We must dig deep and make sure this kind of person is brought to justice completely."

"Don't worry, Jing'an. I will arrange for someone to continue the interrogation."

Li Jing'an nodded. He thought for a moment, then took out a wad of cash from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table: "Director Meng, this is some money. I sent Chen Qing there on a mission, so I also bear some responsibility. Jin Fusheng deserved to die, but those two women were innocent. I don't have much money on hand, so I'm giving each of them fifty yuan as a token of my sympathy and compensation—it's just a small token of my appreciation."

Director Meng looked at the money on the coffee table, then at Li Jing'an, and was speechless for a moment.

He patted Li Jing'an on the shoulder heavily, a thousand words stuck in his throat, but in the end he said nothing.

---

When Li Jing'an came out of the office building, Zhou Yufei was already waiting for him outside the door.

He walked over, casually put his arm around her shoulder, and asked softly, "What's wrong? How did the talk go?"

Zhou Yufei lowered her head, her voice low: "I've already talked to him. I'll have an abortion, and we won't get a divorce yet. Let's see what the final verdict is."

Li Jing'an sighed: "Have you thought this through? Don't act impulsively."

"I've thought it through."

Seeing that she was still in low spirits, Li Jing'an said, "Okay. Whenever you're free, I'll go to the hospital to make arrangements for you, and I'll go with you. Don't go back tonight—I'm worried about you seeing how bad you are. Stay in my office at the guesthouse."

With that, he put his arm around Zhou Yufei and walked out of the police station.

---

Nighttime. Office on the third floor of the guesthouse.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a ray of light from the streetlamp shone through, falling on the desk and the floor.

The makeshift folding bed creaked. Zhou Yufei seemed somewhat frantic, as if venting something. Li Jing'an didn't move. He rested his hands behind his head, staring silently at the ceiling, letting her sit on him...

Rise and fall.