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

Xu Damao went to the factory early in the morning and returned with a guestbook in his hand. He went straight to Wang Defa.

"The reception bill is here, Officer Wang. Would you like to have it signed by the director, or should I do it?"

"I'll go."

Wang Defa casually agreed, took the form, and glanced at it indifferently. The number of people, their levels, and the number of days were all listed, and the factory's bright red official seal was stamped at the end, with his name signed below. But when his gaze fell on the signature, he paused slightly; the strokes looked somewhat awkward, unlike his usual handwriting.

However, he didn't think much of it and hurriedly headed to the director's office with the receipt.

"Knock knock—"

"De Fa, what's the matter?" Li Jing'an looked up, a gentle smile on his face.

"Director, this is the invitation list I got from the factory this morning." Wang Defa handed it over with both hands.

Li Jing'an took it, glanced at it casually, picked up a pen, signed his name, and handed it back to him: "De Fa, please take this document to the accountant."

"Okay."

Wang Defa turned and went to the accounting office, handing the form to Lin Xiaomei. Watching the young girl carefully check the accounts and sign her name stroke by stroke, he didn't linger and left.

"Xiaomei, the deputy director wants to see you."

A young woman pushed open the door to the accounting office and called out inside.

Lin Xiaomei looked up in response: "Okay, I'll be right there."

She quickly tidied up the ledgers and receipts on the table, got up, and left the office.

In the afternoon, the delegation arrived at the guesthouse as scheduled. Li Jing'an did not personally meet them, but arranged for Deputy Director Huang to receive them.

After counting the number of guests, Qin Huairu, the head of the housekeeping team, felt uneasy. She quickly found Song Yun, the head of the housekeeping section, and whispered, "Section Chief Song, something's not right. Weren't fifty people supposed to check in today? How come only thirty have arrived so far?"

Song Yun frowned slightly: "Perhaps they will arrive in batches. Let's wait a little longer."

But another hour passed, and still not a single person was in sight at the guesthouse entrance. Song Yun grew increasingly uneasy. She made an excuse to go around to the inspection team's rest area and subtly inquired with the team leader. The answer she received was straightforward: everyone had arrived, and no one else was coming.

Her heart tightened, and without daring to delay, she immediately turned around and rushed to the director's office.

As soon as she entered, Song Yun said urgently, "Director, something's not right. The actual number of people staying with the inspection team doesn't match the previous guest list!"

Li Jing'an leaned back against his desk, his face instantly darkening. He looked up at her and said, "What happened? Explain yourself."

"The clear notification I received yesterday was for fifty people, but only thirty members of the inspection team showed up today. I kept waiting for the rest of the group, but when I asked the leader of the other team, he said everyone had arrived."

Li Jing'an tapped his finger lightly on the table, his tone grave: "That's impossible. We wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Please wait a moment."

After saying that, he picked up the phone on the table and shook the handle: "Hello, Da Mao? You and Wang Defa come to my office immediately. Don't ask any questions, just come over."

After hanging up the phone, he then notified Deputy Director Huang and Zhou Yufei, the restaurant manager.

Before long, several people arrived one after another, and the office was instantly packed with people.

Li Jing'an's gaze fell directly on Wang Defa, his brows furrowed: "Defa, how many people did you receive the notification for yesterday? And how many were registered on the reception list?"

Wang Defa was bewildered when he was suddenly summoned, and the question from the station chief made him even more flustered. He quickly replied, "Chief, it's fifty people, that's right."

"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?" Li Jing'an stared at him sharply, his tone carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.

Wang Defa glanced around, then nodded stiffly, "It's definitely fifty people, I can't be wrong!"

"But the inspection team clearly stated that there are only thirty people."

"What? This is impossible!" Wang Defa's eyes widened suddenly, and he subconsciously turned to look at Xu Damao.

Seeing his expression, Li Jing'an immediately slammed his hand on the table, the sound not loud but carrying an air of authority: "I'm asking you a question, what are you looking at him for?"

"Director, I didn't answer the factory's call yesterday; Comrade Xu relayed the message to me," Wang Defa hurriedly explained.

Li Jing'an turned to look at Xu Damao and said in a deep voice, "Damao, you speak."

Xu Damao stood ramrod straight, his face open and innocent: "Chief, I heard it clearly when I answered the phone, it was thirty people, and when I relayed it to Officer Wang, I also said thirty people."

In an instant, everyone's eyes in the office were focused on Wang Defa.

Wang Defa immediately became agitated, pointing a finger at Xu Damao, his voice rising several decibels: "You're lying! You clearly told me yesterday that there would be fifty people! I notified the guest rooms and the restaurant, and they all arranged for fifty people!"

"Shut up, all of you!"

Li Jing'an slammed his hand on the table, interrupting the argument, his face extremely serious: "This matter must be thoroughly investigated! Adding ten extra guest rooms is fine; they can just stay empty. But the food supplies prepared for those twenty people have already been purchased. This is a loss of state property, and someone must take responsibility!"

"Chief, you must believe me! He really told me there were fifty people!" Wang Defa said anxiously, pointing his finger at Xu Damao, his eyes full of grievance and urgency, as he kept explaining to Li Jing'an.

"I really meant thirty people. How could I possibly forget something like that? I told you right after I hung up the phone!" Xu Damao said innocently, spreading his hands in protest, his tone sounding aggrieved and helpless.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing!" Li Jing'an slammed his hand on the table impatiently again. "Where's the reception form we got from the steel rolling mill this morning? Go get it and check it!"

"Yes! I have the receipt!" Wang Defa replied hastily, as if grasping at a straw. "I picked it up myself this morning, signed it, and then gave it to the accountant!"

He was about to run out when Li Jing'an stopped him sharply: "Defa, don't go! You and Da Mao haven't cleared things up yet, so stay put. Yufei, go and call the accountant over."

"Yes, Director, I'll go right away." Zhou Yufei didn't dare to delay and turned to walk quickly out of the office.

Inside the room, Wang Defa squinted at Xu Damao out of the corner of his eye, his anger surging: This old bastard must have deliberately set me up! He's jealous that I'm a college graduate and a cadre, so he's trying to trap me! I clearly heard it was fifty people, but he insists it was thirty. Luckily, I have the reception slip as proof. Once I get the slip, let's see how you try to deny it then. I won't let you get away with this today!

Xu Damao stood aside, looking completely innocent, as if he had truly suffered a great injustice.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yufei rushed to the accounting office and said to Lin Xiaomei, "Xiaomei, something happened at the office. The director wants you to come over immediately."

"Oh, okay, I'll be right there." Lin Xiaomei quickly packed her things and got up to leave.

"Don't panic, I haven't finished yet." Zhou Yufei pulled her back and lowered her voice, "Today, only thirty people from the steel mill's inspection team came, but Wang Defa, the liaison officer, reported fifty people to the guest rooms and restaurant yesterday. Now the two of them are arguing fiercely in the director's office. This is a serious matter. The country is facing difficulties right now, and extravagance is a major problem. The director wants you to find today's reception list and take it to the office to verify."

Lin Xiaomei's heart tightened: "Okay, I'll look for it right away."

"No rush, take your time looking, don't panic," Zhou Yufei instructed. "This is a serious matter. If it gets out of hand, the steel mill might get involved in the investigation. Be careful. Once you find it, just go there directly. I'm heading back now."