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

An hour or more later, Li Jing'an suddenly sat up on the bed in the lounge.

He was shirtless, sunlight streaming through the gaps in the curtains and illuminating his sweaty skin. He stared blankly into the bed—Lin Wan was curled up in the corner, clutching the blanket, sobbing with her shoulders shaking. The blanket only covered half of her body, and a few red marks were faintly visible on her exposed skin.

Li Jing'an stared at her for a few seconds, his expression gradually darkening.

"What's going on? Lin Wan, what are you doing here? Could it be...?" His voice was hoarse and hypocritical.

Lin Wan hugged the blanket, saying nothing, but buried her face even deeper, tears dripping from between her fingers onto the sheets.

Li Jing'an sighed. He lowered his head and said in a heavy tone, "Sigh, Lin Wan, I never expected this to happen. You know what kind of person I am... I don't know how to make up for my mistake. Don't worry, I will go to the police station to turn myself in. I just don't know how to make it up to you... I know that nothing I say or do can make up for it." As he said "turn myself in," he remained firmly seated on the bed, without moving an inch.

Hearing this, Lin Wan finally made a move. She loosened the blanket, grabbed Li Jing'an's arm, and leaned against him, her wet face pressed against his arm.

"Brother Li, no... You've been drinking too, I don't blame you. Please don't do this, Brother Li." Her voice was choked with sobs.

"I won't feel at ease if I don't do this," Li Jing'an said with a face full of guilt, then solemnly promised, "Don't worry, I will make it up to you."

Lin Wan looked up at Li Jing'an, her eyes blurry with tears, a hint of emotion in them: "Brother Li, I don't need you to make it up to me. You've already helped my family so much. I know you're an upright person, so please don't do anything against your principles for my sake. I don't blame you at all, really, I only feel gratitude towards you."

Li Jing'an hooked Lin Wan's chin with his fingers, gently lifted her face, and gazed at her with deep affection—his gaze was like a deep pool, but with undercurrents hidden beneath.

"Lin Wan, let me tell you the truth—for you, I would do anything, even break my principles or the law." His voice was deep and gentle, each word like honey. "Actually, from the first moment I saw you, you were already etched in my heart."

He looked into Lin Wan's bright, teary eyes and kissed her fiercely again. Lin Wan let out a soft moan, her body going limp. The two continued their passionate embrace, the bed creaking slightly.

---

evening.

A black sedan was parked in front of the courtyard house. A thin figure had been pacing back and forth, craning his neck to look around. When he saw the car stop, he quickly walked over.

Lin Wan got out of the car, and only then did the man let out a deep breath, his tense shoulders relaxing. This man was none other than Xiao Lin.

"sister……"

"Xiao Wan, you're back? Are you done with your business? Why did it take so long?" Xiao Lin grabbed his sister's hand, looked her up and down, his eyes full of worry.

Lin Wan smiled, a smile that looked exceptionally bright, even a little radiant: "Don't worry, Sister, Brother Li has taken care of everything. I'll tell you the details tonight." She paused, her tone light, "Oh, right, Brother Li also cooked two dishes at the guesthouse and asked me to bring them back for dinner." She picked up the food box in her hand and shook it, her smile as beautiful as a flower.

Xiao Lin wanted to press for more information, but Lin Wan quickly changed the subject: "Sister, I'll go check on my younger siblings first." With that, she carried the groceries into the courtyard, her steps as light as a deer's.

Just as Xiaolin was about to ask for more details, she saw Li Jing'an emerge from the other side of the car. He straightened his collar, a satisfied smile on his face.

Li Jing'an told the driver, "Drive to the alley entrance and wait for me."

The driver nodded and drove away.

Li Jing'an turned his head, waved to Xiao Lin, and gently hooked his finger.

Kobayashi hesitated for a moment, but still went over.

As soon as she approached, Li Jing'an pulled her into his arms. Before Xiaolin could react, she felt two large hands pinching her buttocks, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy, clearly teasing. Xiaolin gasped and quickly looked around to see if anyone she knew was passing by. The alley was empty, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Don't do this, Brother Li, someone saw us..." Xiao Lin lowered his voice, his face flushed red, feeling both ashamed and scared.

"So what if I saw it?" Li Jing'an laughed nonchalantly, but his hands didn't stop moving. "I've helped your family so much today, how are you going to thank me?" His voice was mocking.

Xiaolin bit her lip and whispered, "Brother Li, thank you. Whatever you say, I'll do it." Her eyes were lowered, and she didn't dare to look at him.

"Hahaha." Li Jing'an suddenly leaned in and kissed her hard on the lips, his tongue prying open her teeth, kissing her until she could barely breathe. After a while, he released her, grinning, and said, "Xiao Lin, do you know how I treated you? Do you know my heart now? For you, I even went to the police station and made such a big fuss." As he said this, his eyes gleamed with smugness.

He paused, leaned close to Xiaolin's ear, his breath hot on her earlobe, and said in a low voice, "I originally got you a position at one of our factories, but you're really lucky—who can blame you for having such a beautiful and sensible younger sister?" He deliberately dragged out the words, "Today I've changed my mind. I'll let you all work at my guesthouse. How about it? Aren't you happy?"

Xiaolin's face turned pale instantly, and her pupils contracted sharply. She understood the meaning behind Li Jing'an's words.

Seeing her expression change drastically, Li Jing'an continued, his tone light and casual, as if discussing something trivial: "I'm not afraid to tell you, Lin Wan is now mine, just like you. From now on, we're family, and no one can bully your family. Don't worry, your brother Li will treat everyone equally." He touched Lin Wan's face, his fingertips tracing her cheek, and smiled meaningfully.

Tears welled up in Xiaolin's eyes instantly, her voice trembling with sobs and pleading: "Brother Li, my sister is still so young, please..."

"Hey, what are you saying?" Li Jing'an interrupted her, his smile widening. "She's not young anymore. Don't look at people with old eyes. She's even older than you." He patted her shoulder, as if soothing a disobedient child. "Besides, it's not like I didn't give anything in return. When you get home, ask your family what they actually got, and you'll know—everything comes at a price."

"Brother Li..." Xiaolin's tears fell involuntarily, one after another, hitting the ground. Her voice trembled, filled with desperate pleading.

Before she could finish speaking, Li Jing'an pressed his finger to her lips. The finger, reeking of tobacco and alcohol, was cool and pressed against her lips.

"Shh, don't make a sound." He gazed into her eyes, his gaze as gentle as a pool of spring water, yet sending chills down her spine. "Promise me, okay?" He ran his fingers along her lips, the movement as gentle as caressing a piece of porcelain. "Don't say it out loud, use it where it's meant to be, okay? After all, I'm the protagonist in these episodes."

Li Jing'an looked down into her eyes, which gleamed with an unusual light—the excitement of a hunter seeing its prey fall into a trap, the cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.

"Hahaha." He suddenly turned around and laughed, slapping Xiaolin's butt hard with his hand, so hard that she stumbled forward. Then he strode towards the car parked at the alley entrance without looking back.

Xiaolin watched Li Jing'an's retreating figure in despair, tears blurring her vision. After all, she couldn't fight city hall. The Lu family alone had driven them to the brink, and now they were in the hands of Li Jing'an, who was even more powerful than the Lu family. What could she do? What could she possibly do?