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

Li Jing'an leaned lazily against the chair behind his desk, one arm around Lin Wan's waist, the other hand idly caressing the back of her hand. The two laughed and joked, Lin Wan occasionally turning her head away from his close face, her eyes full of coquettishness.

"Lin Wan, don't worry." Li Jing'an leaned close to her ear, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of smugness, "You can work as a temporary clerk in the guesthouse for now. When there are openings next year, your brother Li will definitely put you on the list first." After saying that, he smacked his lips as if he hadn't had enough, and his eyes lingered on Lin Wan's face.

Lin Wan's cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling, and she said softly, "Brother Li, I know you're good to me. You don't need to be in such a hurry, and please don't break the rules for my sake." She paused, lowered her head, then looked up at him earnestly, "I know how good you are to me." As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly kissed Li Jing'an on the cheek, then blushed again.

Li Jing'an was overjoyed by the kiss and reached out to pinch her chin. "You know that's enough." He sighed, his tone tinged with emotion. "Originally, I was planning to find a job for your sister in one of the companies under our steel mill. It was because of you that I hired her and transferred the original secretary to another position. Actually, I originally intended to keep this secretary position for you. I'd let your sister hold it for you, and then when you come next year, I'd have her move you to a different position."

Lin Wan gently shook her head, her tone sincere: "Brother, there's no need to go to such trouble. My sister can handle this secretary position too; you can just find me someone else."

"Hey." Li Jing'an waved his hand, giving him a "you don't understand" look. "Being a secretary isn't easy. Besides, your sister only has a junior high school diploma; her education level is just not high enough. Do you know what people will say about me if I become a secretary because of my sister's education level?"

He deliberately lowered his voice, mimicking the tone of gossip, "They'll definitely say I have some kind of improper relationship with your sister." He shook his head and smiled helplessly, "Do you think I'll have to endure so much gossip for you in the future? I'm still a role model now, and I've given you my all."

Lin Wan's eyes reddened slightly, and her voice was so soft it was barely a whisper: "Brother Li, I know. Don't worry, I'll repay you in the future..."

"Don't talk about the future, let's talk about now." Li Jing'an's eyes became ambiguous, and a wicked smile appeared on his lips. "We'll go to the inner room in a bit. I need your performance right now—you have to satisfy me."

Lin Wan's face flushed crimson, all the way to her ears. She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and finally murmured, "Brother Li, I'll do whatever you say."

Li Jing'an chuckled and reached out a finger to gently stroke Lin Wan's lips.

---

At noon, in a small private room inside the restaurant

The private room was filled with the clinking of glasses and a lively atmosphere. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang, all smiles, held a glass of wine in both hands and said to Li Jing'an, who was seated at the head of the table, "Director Li, thank you for your hospitality today! We'd like to toast you!" Section Chief Han, who was standing next to him, also quickly raised his glass and stood up, his face full of respect.

Li Jing'an waved his hand with a smile, his tone somewhat polite: "Hey, what are you doing? I should be the one respecting you! Your investigation has proven my innocence. If it hadn't gotten out, people would have thought I was abusing my power and forcing others to change my house." He laughed heartily, looking completely at ease.

"Hehe, you're actually innocent!" Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang quickly chimed in, his tone becoming increasingly ingratiating. "It's that family, they're making baseless accusations, they haven't changed their capitalist ways. We were just handling things impartially, we shouldn't hear you say that. Besides, you're a model citizen! The fact that you didn't pursue the matter shows your character." Xiao Han, standing nearby, immediately echoed, nodding vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes! In Beijing—who doesn't know that Comrade Li is a model citizen who doesn't succumb to power and always stands up for justice!"

Li Jing'an waved his hand, a humble smile on his face: "You don't deserve to say that. I just happened to be there. It's mainly because you did a good job." He picked up his wine glass, "Let's raise a glass together again. Come on, Director Zhao, let's drink together!" He stood up and greeted Director Zhao of the Housing Management Bureau, who hadn't said much, with a smile.

Everyone drank their wine in one gulp before sitting down. Xiao Han, quick-witted as ever, immediately got up and poured wine for everyone in turn, his movements swift and efficient.

Director Zhao put down his wine glass, looking ashamed, and said, "I should be thanking the comrades from the procuratorate for finding out the situation so quickly. Otherwise, because of my mistake, I don't know how much trouble it would have caused Comrade Li! I'm truly ashamed." He paused, gritted his teeth, and said, "How about this, I'll punish myself with three drinks to apologize to Comrade Li and for taking up the time of the procuratorate comrades." As he spoke, he reached for his wine glass.

"Hey, Lao Zhao!" Li Jing'an gestured to stop him, his tone relaxed. "It's not your fault. You didn't want this to happen, did you? Besides, let me tell you, I'm treating everyone to lunch today. Don't use that as an excuse to drink more of my wine!"

Everyone burst into laughter at Li Jing'an's words. Director Zhao also laughed, the shame on his face fading somewhat. Li Jing'an didn't mean to blame him—after all, this was unexpected, and he had already done very well, even knowing to find a family with a bad class background to exchange houses with him.

After laughing, Li Jing'an turned to Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang, still wearing a warm smile: "Chief Prosecutor Huang, I want to ask you about something."

"Hey! Comrade Li, please don't call me that, it's too formal!" Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang quickly waved his hand, looking flattered. "Just call me Old Huang!"

"Is this a good idea? Wouldn't that make me seem impolite?" Li Jing'an raised an eyebrow, his tone probing.

"Oh! Just call me that, it sounds so friendly!" Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang said with a big smile. "You can call me just like you would Director Zhao, just call me whatever you want."

Li Jing'an laughed heartily: "Alright, alright, then I'll call you Lao Huang from now on. Section Chief Han, I'll call you Xiao Han from now on, okay? From now on, we're on the same side, so just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you for thinking so highly of us!" Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang and Section Chief Han, their faces flushed with excitement, raised their glasses almost simultaneously. "We'd like to toast you again!"

Li Jing'an toasted them again before changing the subject: "Old Huang, I have a feeling something's fishy about this. How can a capitalist suddenly change his mind?"

"Hehe, you don't know," Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang said in a low voice, mysteriously, "There is indeed something going on here, and it even involves the internal affairs of our procuratorate."

"Oh?" Li Jing'an's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly, intrigued. "Tell me about it!"

"That's right. This capitalist has a daughter, and her boyfriend is a leader in our procuratorate. That's why he dared to retaliate."

Hearing this, Li Jing'an's heart skipped a beat—could it be such a coincidence? A daughter with a bad family background, and the girlfriend of a prosecutor… He asked calmly, "Old Huang, what's the name of that prosecutor in your procuratorate?"

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang hadn't expected Li Jing'an to be interested in this, and casually replied, "His name is Xie Hui. You may not have heard of him. He was just transferred back from the south."

"Hahaha!" Li Jing'an slammed his hand on the table, his eyes narrowing. "What a coincidence! Let me tell you, Lao Huang, I not only know him, I'm quite familiar with him."

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang and Section Chief Han exchanged a glance, both showing surprise. Li Jing'an didn't explain the situation to them, but continued with a smile, "By the way, I heard Xie Hui is about to marry that woman?"

"We didn't know that," Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang and Section Chief Han shook their heads in unison.

"Hahaha, he probably hasn't notified your procuratorate yet." Li Jing'an picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said confidently, "They're getting married after the New Year. You all have to go! We can't let this cause any rift between you and Comrade Xie Hui."

"Of course, of course!" Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang nodded hurriedly. "We have no connection with Comrade Xie Hui. As colleagues, we'll go too."

"Alright, alright! Come on, everyone, let's start eating!" Li Jing'an called out.

Under Li Jing'an's invitation and with everyone's deliberate flattery and ingratiation, the meal was very successful, and both host and guests enjoyed themselves.

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