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

After getting dressed, Li Jing'an looked at Wei Jialing, who was still in bed and unwilling to get up, and said helplessly, "Jialing, it's time. If we stay any longer, we'll be too late. Let's go."

"Ugh...it's so noisy, I'm not going today, don't call me anymore." Wei Jialing kept her eyes closed and grumbled unhappily.

"Fine, go if you want, it's the same whether you're there or not. Your department is really dispensable, everyone's just freeloading." Li Jing'an snorted and turned to leave the bedroom.

Just then, a little boy darted past his legs and burrowed into the blankets. Wei Jialing reached out and scooped him up, pulling him into her arms. The little guy rubbed against her, giggling. Wei Jialing nestled her head against the little boy's, a look of contentment on her face, her eyes still closed, and hummed softly in comfort.

Li Jing'an reluctantly closed the door, letting the mother and daughter sleep in. He finished his meal slowly, checked his watch—it was almost nine o'clock—and prepared to go downstairs to work. Before he even reached his car, he heard a series of thumping sounds coming from the stairwell behind him.

Kobayashi followed from behind, calling out, "Chief... no, brother, wait a minute."

Xiao Lin stood in front of Li Jing'an. Li Jing'an frowned at him, wondering what was wrong. Xiao Lin hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Brother, something's happened to my family, and I'd like to ask for your help."

Li Jing'an frowned, inwardly displeased, thinking to himself: This person has no sense of boundaries, asking for help right away, what right does he have? But aloud he merely snorted and asked, "What is it?"

"Our house is being demolished because of the subway construction, and our neighbor, whose son is a leader in the housing management bureau, has taken over five square meters of our space. Yesterday, his son even threatened to demand 300 yuan in compensation from us. I'm really at my wit's end, and I wanted to ask if you know anyone who can put in a good word for us." Xiaolin's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, her head bowed, avoiding Li Jing'an's gaze, filled with embarrassment and trepidation. She didn't even have the courage to finish stating all of Lu's eldest son's demands.

Li Jing'an's anger flared instantly, and he cursed inwardly: What nonsense is this? What does it have to do with me? I even went out of my way to secure a job for you, and you're taking advantage of me, coming to me for everything. What do I owe you?

He was about to refuse outright, but then changed his tone and said calmly, "Oh dear, I'm afraid I can't help you with this. I'm not familiar with the people at the housing management bureau. Besides, I have a ton of work to do at my office, I'm so busy I don't have time to deal with these things."

Upon hearing this, Xiaolin's hopeful expression instantly changed. Her hands, gripping the hem of her clothes, trembled uncontrollably. She panicked, her lips quivered, and she couldn't utter a single word. Her face turned deathly pale, and her eyes were filled with despair.

Li Jing'an didn't look at her again, turned around and reached for the car door. Just as he was about to bend down and get in, a hurried and anxious young voice called out from behind: "Sister! Sister!"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Jing'an instinctively stopped what he was doing and turned around to look.

A young girl was seen running towards them.

Li Jing'an stared intently at her, thinking to himself: This girl has a pretty face, somewhat resembling Xiao Lin, but with an added touch of elegance. Especially her flustered expression, which instantly aroused his interest.

"Sister! The eldest son of the Lu family is blocking our door with his men, saying they want to finalize the house deal today!" Xiao Lin's younger sister looked at Xiao Lin anxiously, panting.

Xiao Lin was extremely embarrassed at this moment. She had just been rejected by Li Jing'an and really didn't know how to start the conversation.

"What?! Lawless! How can people be so evil and so arrogant!" Li Jing'an's expression changed drastically. He turned to Xiao Lin and said, "Xiao Lin, don't worry, your brother Li will handle this!"

Kobayashi never expected him to suddenly change his attitude, and was momentarily stunned, unsure how to react.

Xiaolin's younger sister turned her gaze to Li Jing'an, who was standing beside the car. Li Jing'an understood and gave her a gentle smile.

"Xiao Lin, and who is this?" Li Jing'an asked casually.

"Brother Li, this is my sister, Lin Wan."

"Oh, nice name, Lin Wan, right? Very good." Li Jing'an nodded, then said to Lin Wan, "You must be exhausted after running all this way."

He turned to Xiaolin, his tone resolute: "I'm going to take care of your family's affairs. After all, you've been working for my family for almost two years, so this little thing is within my capabilities. Come on, get in the car, I'll go with you now to see what's going on!"

Seeing Xiao Lin about to walk to the back seat, Li Jing'an quickly reached out to stop her, saying, "Xiao Lin, the driver doesn't know the way. You sit in the passenger seat and show the driver the way." After saying that, he turned to Lin Wan, his face full of smiles and his tone particularly concerned, "Lin Wan, right? Come on, let's sit in the back. You look tired after driving all this way, take a good rest."

Along the way, Li Jing'an subtly inquired and learned that Lin Wan had just graduated from high school and hadn't been assigned a job yet, remaining unemployed at home. His gaze frequently fell on Lin Wan, who stood silently beside him with her head down, and as he looked at her charming profile, he had already begun to make his plans.

After a moment, Li Jing'an looked at Xiao Lin in the passenger seat and said with feigned emotion, "Xiao Lin, you've worked for my family for so long, it's really been hard work. After I've settled this matter for you, I see your sister is getting on in years, and it's not good for her to stay at home all day. I'll find her a temporary job so she can earn some money first. What do you think?"

Xiao Lin quickly turned around from the front seat, her face full of surprise. Lin Wan, sitting next to her, also looked up at Li Jing'an, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Thank you, Brother Li, thank you so much!" the two sisters said in unison. Li Jing'an waved his hand, smiling to reassure them, and then casually chatted about other topics. The car soon arrived at the entrance of the courtyard house.

As Li Jing'an stepped into the courtyard, he heard a commotion inside. The third sister of the Lin family was wiping away tears, stubbornly guarding the entrance, while her younger brother behind her clenched his fists, staring intently at the people inside. "My sister went to find someone, and our family knows leaders, we're not afraid of you!" the little girl's clear voice trembled with tears, yet she still refused to back down.

A burst of mocking laughter erupted in the courtyard. The eldest son of the Lu family spoke with extreme arrogance: "What important figures could your family possibly know? You probably found some stink bug in some back alley and are treating it like a treasure! Let me tell you, you should take a good look at yourselves. Even if your family knows someone, they're just like a boil on a rat's tail. How much pus could they possibly produce? What waves could they possibly make?"

The eldest son of the Lu family's mocking voice still echoed in the courtyard, and Li Jing'an's anger instantly flared up. He cursed under his breath:

Damn it, who is this talking about? Could it be me?