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

Jia Family Courtyard

"Huai Ru, when exactly are you being transferred?" Madam Jia asked, wiping the table while glancing at her daughter-in-law.

"It should be in the next day or two, Mom." Qin Huairu put down the enamel mug in her hand.

"You never give a definite date! Several groups of people have asked me to reserve rooms for them these past two days, but I haven't dared to accept any of them. Have you even calculated how much money I've lost?" Jia Zhangshi said, wiping the table with obvious pain on her face.

Qin Huairu smiled, not annoyed at all: "Mom, you did the right thing. If we took the money and then couldn't get things done, it would look bad to the neighbors."

Madam Jia hummed in agreement, then leaned closer as if remembering something: "Huai Ru, you said that transferring there would really be better than what you're doing now? That First Guesthouse you mentioned, can't it book rooms for outsiders? Wouldn't that mean a huge chunk of our income would be gone?"

"Mom, didn't I already tell you?" Qin Huairu said patiently, her voice still gentle. "The First Guesthouse is exclusively for leaders from our own system and people coming to Beijing for meetings; it doesn't accept outsiders. But think about it, when those leaders from other places come to Beijing, who doesn't bring something back with them? They're all wealthy people. We can easily make money by dealing with receipts there, which is much better than booking a room. Besides, there's a shop in the guesthouse. With our relationship with Li Jing'an, wouldn't it be convenient to get some in-demand items? All things considered, it's definitely better than what we're doing now."

"Besides, we don't even know this new director. Who knows what will happen in the future? If he removes me from my position as squad leader, we won't get anything."

Hearing this, Jia Zhangshi's face gradually relaxed, and her eyebrows and eyes brightened: "Alright, alright, now that you say that, I'm relieved. Are you still going to Li Jing'an's house to tidy up later?"

"Go ahead." Qin Huairu straightened her clothes. "His sister-in-law is the daughter of a high-ranking official. She hasn't done much housework. If we visit her often and build a good relationship, it will only bring benefits."

"Alright, you decide. Go ahead, I'll take care of things at home." Madam Jia waved her hand, a smile finally appearing on her face.

---

Inside the maternal and child health hospital, the paint on the benches in the corridor was peeling, and the smell of disinfectant wafted into the nostrils.

Zhou Yufei clung tightly to Li Jing'an's arm, her knuckles turning white.

"Don't be nervous, Yufei, it'll be fine soon." Li Jing'an patted the back of her hand, his tone reassuring. "I've already made arrangements to have the best doctor at their hospital do it for you."

"Brother Jing'an..." Zhou Yufei looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, "Will it be done well? Will it leave any aftereffects? Will I... will I still be able to get pregnant in the future?"

"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Li Jing'an lowered his voice and leaned closer. "Lots of people come here for abortions, how many of them end up with problems? Besides, I've already told the doctor that we'll get you an IUD while we're at it."

Zhou Yufei was stunned, and tears almost welled up in her eyes: "Ah? Brother Jing'an, I... I've recovered, and I even want to have a child with you..."

A fleeting, almost imperceptible coldness flashed in Li Jing'an's eyes, before he quickly reverted to his usual gentle and considerate demeanor. Give birth? What a joke! Is this child even a child? This is Lei Zi!

He sighed and put his arm around her shoulder: "Yufei, how could I not want to have a child with you? But you know my family's background. I'm not afraid; they can't do anything to me. But what about you? If they wanted to deal with you, it would be a piece of cake. Don't be silly."

As Zhou Yufei listened, her shoulders trembled, and tears finally streamed down her face, but she bit her lip, afraid to cry out loud.

"Yufei," Li Jing'an softened his voice even more, "if there's a chance in the future, I'll definitely give you a child. But not now, we need to think about it carefully, okay?"

"Zhou Yufei—is Zhou Yufei here?" A female doctor in a white coat leaned out halfway, waving the medical record folder in her hand.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Jing'an quickly responded and helped Zhou Yufei stand up.

"Someone has already spoken to them," the female doctor said, looking them up and down. "Zhou Yufei, just come in with me."

"Thank you for your help, doctor." Li Jing'an helped Zhou Yufei take two steps forward, and while supporting her, he slipped his hand down and quietly stuffed a red envelope into the side pocket of his coat.

"What are you doing?" the female doctor said, but her hand didn't even reach into her pocket, acting as if nothing was wrong. "We're all family, no need to be so polite."

"Just so you can have peace of mind," Li Jing'an said with a satisfied smile.

The female doctor didn't say anything more and led Zhou Yufei inside. Li Jing'an was left alone in the corridor. He took out a cigarette, looked at the "No Smoking" sign on the wall, put it back, leaned against the wall, stared at the ceiling, and seemed lost in thought.

---

In the back seat of the car, Zhou Yufei leaned softly against Li Jing'an, her face as white as paper. The car drove steadily towards the guesthouse.

"Yufei," Li Jing'an looked down at her, his tone tinged with pity, "you'll stay at the guesthouse for the next few days. I've booked a private room for you. Take good care of yourself."

"Thank you, Brother Li..." Zhou Yufei's voice was weak, her eyes half-closed, like an extremely tired cat.

"What are you thanking me for?" Li Jing'an pulled her closer to him. "You're mine, isn't this what I should do?"

Zhou Yufei didn't say anything, but just gripped his collar tighter.

"Oh, right," Zhou Yufei suddenly remembered something, "Could you transfer me to another job? My colleague... already knows about Chen Qing."

"Okay, that's exactly what I was thinking too." Li Jing'an nodded, his gaze falling on the locust trees flashing past the car window. "I just arrived at the First Guesthouse, and I don't feel at ease without anyone of my own around. Transferring you here will be perfect for helping me. Once you've rested up, you can officially start work."

A slight smile appeared on Li Jing'an's lips as he thought to himself:

I need to transform this guesthouse, from top to bottom and inside to outside, into an impenetrable iron plate.