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

In the director's office of the guesthouse, Li Jing'an sat behind his desk.

"Yufei, I have something to tell you. Chen Qing's case has been decided." Li Jing'an paused, observing Zhou Yufei's expression. Seeing her eyebrows twitch slightly, he continued, "He was convicted of counter-revolutionary hooliganism and sentenced to a full eighteen years. In a couple of days, he'll be transferred to a farm in the suburbs for labor reform. I was thinking, if you have some free time these next few days, why don't you go and see him again in the detention center?"

His words were sincere, as if he genuinely cared about Zhou Yufei and remembered their past relationship. Zhou Yufei looked up at him, gently shook her head, and said firmly without any room for negotiation, "Brother Li, I've already cut ties with him. There's nothing to see here. I'm not going."

Seeing this, Li Jing'an leaned back, sighed, and feigned regret, advising, "Yufei, you can't say that. You two grew up together since you were little, you can be considered childhood sweethearts. With so many years of friendship, how can you just cut it off so easily? Think it over carefully, don't rush into a decision, lest you have regrets later."

"I don't have anything to think about, and I have no regrets." Zhou Yufei interrupted him. "Thank you, Brother Jing'an, for telling me this. I'm fine, and I feel very calm. If there's nothing else, I'll go back to the restaurant first. There's a lot of work waiting for me in the kitchen and the front of house, and I can't leave."

Seeing that Zhou Yufei's attitude was firm and she showed no sign of wavering, Li Jing'an didn't press the matter any further. He waved his hand and said in a magnanimous tone, "Alright, since you've made up your mind, I won't force you. You can go back and get busy now."

Zhou Yufei turned and left the office without the slightest hesitation, her steps crisp and decisive. Watching her disappear through the door, the earnest expression on Li Jing'an's face vanished instantly.

He secretly pondered to himself that he was actually somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Qing's sentence, as he hadn't been able to pin the blame for Jin Fusheng's death on Chen Qing. Eighteen years was far too lenient on the kid. But just now, a friend in the Public Security Bureau had privately confided in him that prisoners like Chen Qing, who had committed counter-revolutionary hooliganism and were also accused of long-term sexual assault and insults against women, had no good life in prison. The inmates there despised such people the most. Whether he would even get out was still uncertain.

Around noon, the guesthouse restaurant was bustling with activity, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks creating a lively atmosphere. Li Jing'an avoided the noisy lobby and ate a simple working lunch alone in a private room in a corner.

The door to the private room was gently pushed open, and Xu Damao poked his head in with a beaming smile, greeting him in a fawning tone, "Brother Li, are you eating?"

Li Jing'an glanced at him, put a piece of beef in his mouth, and replied while eating, "Da Mao, come in, what's up?"

Xu Damao hurriedly entered the private room, his smile widening. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Hey, Brother Li, here's what happened. The batch of sportswear you asked me to order from the sports goods store a while ago is all finished today, and I brought it over for you."

"Oh? It's done so quickly?" Li Jing'an nodded, his tone appreciative. "Okay, thank you for making the trip. Where did you put it? Just take it to my office."

"Okay, no trouble at all. Serving Brother Li is nothing to be ashamed of. It's all my duty." Xu Damao quickly agreed, bowing and scraping, trying his best to please him.

Li Jing'an pointed to the empty seat next to the table and said politely, "Alright, alright, since you're here, sit down and have something to eat with us."

"Oh, no, no, I already ate at home. Brother Li, please enjoy your meal. Don't worry about me. I'll bring the food to your office right away." Xu Damao quickly declined, not daring to linger. After exchanging a few polite words, he turned and left the private room to get his sportswear.

In the afternoon, the corridor of the guesthouse office building was packed with people. A dozen or so young female service staff gathered outside Li Jing'an's office, chattering quietly. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation, and their lively chatter added a touch of liveliness to the otherwise dull corridor.

The office door was tightly closed, and it was completely quiet inside, making one wonder what was going on inside.

Li Jing'an was sitting in a chair behind his desk, a lit cigarette between his fingers, the smoke rising and swirling around him.

The door to the break room next to the office was gently pushed open, and a young waitress walked out hesitantly, her head down, her cheeks flushed, her expression awkward and shy, her hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes, her steps hesitant, as if she was reluctant to walk up to Li Jing'an.

Li Jing'an glanced at her, a smile appearing on his face, and said, "What's wrong? Why are you dawdling? Come out and let me see if this tracksuit fits you."

Upon hearing this, the waitress slowly lifted her foot and walked to Li Jing'an's desk, still keeping her head down and not daring to look him in the eye.

Li Jing'an tapped the table lightly, his tone feigning affability, and advised, "What's there to be shy about? It's just a regular tracksuit. Don't people wear these kinds of clothes for sports competitions? Our institute is holding a badminton tournament in a couple of days, and everyone is required to wear the same professional sportswear. That's the rule. Take your hands away, don't block the view, let me see how it looks overall."

The waitress hesitated for a moment before slowly lowering her hand from her clothes and straightening up. Li Jing'an's gaze fell on her, scrutinizing her closely. The tracksuit was all white, with a simple short-sleeved top made of a light and thin fabric, paired with matching white shorts that perfectly accentuated the girl's figure.

Li Jing'an carefully examined the shirt, nodded slightly, and commented, "Not bad, the size is just right, a little large."

His gaze then shifted to the white shorts, examining them closely before saying, "Hmm, the shorts fit well, the length is just right. How do you feel? Are they comfortable? Come on, move your arms around, lift them up a bit, and then squat down to try them out. See if there's anything that's uncomfortable."

Following his instructions, the waitress slowly raised her arm and then gently squatted down. Her movements were somewhat stiff as she whispered, "Chief, these pants are a bit tight; they're not very comfortable to wear."

"It's normal for sportswear to be a little fitted. That's the kind of fit we need to make it easier to do activities like running, jumping, and bending over. If it's too loose, it will just get in the way," Li Jingan explained calmly. "Try sitting down and bending over to move around a bit, and see if it affects your movements."

The waitress did as she was told, tried sitting down for a moment, then bent down and touched her toes, replying softly, "It doesn't affect my movements, but I'm not used to wearing such tight pants."

"It's alright, just wear them for a couple of days to get used to them." Li Jing'an waved his hand, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority. "Everyone in the institute will wear the same uniform, so we'll look neat and spirited during the competition. Walk around again and let me see the overall effect."

The waitress blushed even more, but dared not disobey. She slowly turned around and circled in front of Li Jing'an. Li Jing'an's gaze swept over her, examining her carefully. A satisfied expression appeared on his face, and he nodded, saying, "It's fine, it fits well overall."

After saying that, he waved his hand, indicating to the waitress that she could change her clothes back. The waitress breathed a sigh of relief, reached out and pushed open the door to the lounge, and went inside.

Outside, the other staff members were chattering: "Hey, I heard they bought us professional sportswear." "Yes, yes, I heard too, the sportswear arrived." "I wonder what color it is."

At that moment, the waiter who had been inside came out of the office.

Seeing someone come out, they immediately surrounded her. Several close friends quickly pulled her aside, lowered their voices, and asked in hushed tones with curiosity, "How was it? What happened inside?" "Yeah, why didn't you take out your gym clothes? Didn't you say you were going to give us new clothes?"

The female waitress who was surrounded glanced at the tightly closed office door, lowered her voice, and said helplessly, "The director didn't let me take the clothes out. He just let me go in and try them on. He said that this batch of sportswear will not be issued to us yet. It will be kept there for unified management. He also said that if it is issued now, it may get lost and we won't be able to find it later."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Jing'an's voice came from the office again, calling out the name of another waiter.

The waitress whose name was called paused for a moment. Her colleagues all looked at her. She nervously straightened her clothes, took a deep breath, and walked towards the office door. She pushed open the office door, quickly went inside, and then, with a soft "click," the office door was firmly locked from the inside.