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

Drop drop-

A few honking horns startled Xu Wangshu, who was reading a newspaper in the guardhouse. He quickly stood up and looked outside—a black sedan was slowly driving towards the guesthouse, its gleaming front end standing out conspicuously in the drab morning light.

That was Li Jing'an's personal vehicle.

In the back seat of the car, Li Jing'an leaned back, looking relaxed, and casually glanced towards the guard booth. His eyes swept over the guard, and just as he was about to look away, his gaze suddenly froze.

A woman is standing outside the guardhouse.

Su Liting had originally planned to go straight in to find someone today, but she was stopped by the security guard, who said that Zhou Yufei hadn't arrived yet and that she should wait outside. She stood in the early morning chill, wrapped in her white coat, her hands in her pockets, her feet unconsciously stamping back and forth to warm them, and the tip of her nose was a little red from the cold.

Just as she was feeling bored, she saw a luxury car drive in. Its body was shiny black, clearly not an ordinary car. She instinctively shrank to the side, as if afraid of getting something on the car.

Then she heard a screech—the car had stopped.

It stopped less than two meters in front of her.

With a click, the back door opened from the inside.

Su Liting hurriedly took two more steps away, tripped, and almost lost her balance. She steadied herself before daring to secretly look up at the person coming down.

A man stepped out of the car—he had regular features, a tall stature, wore a well-tailored Zhongshan suit, stood ramrod straight, and had an upright demeanor.

Su Liting saw that the man was also looking at her. When their eyes met, her heart skipped a beat—his gaze was so oppressive, like two hooks. She quickly lowered her head, two blushes involuntarily rising on her face, burning from her cheeks all the way to her ears.

Li Jing'an got out of the car, steadied himself, straightened his collar and rolled up his cuffs, then raised the corner of his mouth to reveal a faint smile, and took two steps toward Su Liting.

"Comrade, I noticed you've come to the guesthouse but haven't gone inside, you're just standing outside—is there anything I can help you with?" He had a smile on his face, neither overly enthusiastic nor distant.

Su Liting was taken aback when the person spoke to her first, leaving her momentarily flustered. She pulled her hand out of her pocket and then put it back in, her lips moving slightly, her voice trembling: "Ah, hello, hello, I'm looking for someone... but they haven't arrived yet, I'll... I'll just wait outside for a bit. No... no need to trouble you."

"Hey—" Li Jing'an waved his hand, his brows furrowing slightly, with a "how can this be?" expression on his face. "What are you doing out there looking for someone? Honestly, this gatekeeper is really something." He turned and glared at Xu Wangshu in the gatehouse, and Xu Wangshu immediately lowered his head.

Li Jing'an turned back to Su Liting, his tone becoming earnest: "I have always taught them that they must keep serving the people in their hearts. Serving the people—this phrase must be engraved in their hearts! I didn't even think to invite you in—look how cold it is today!" His voice rose a few decibels, tinged with regret, "Especially in the morning, it's so cold today, I didn't even think to invite you in, to let you warm up in the pavilion and avoid the wind."

He spoke with a sincere expression, his eyes fixed on Su Liting.

"Don't worry, I will make him study harder in the future, and I will also criticize and educate him," Li Jing'an added.

Then he changed the subject, a smile returning to his face: "Um, my name is Li Jing'an, and I'm the manager of this guesthouse. Would it be convenient for you to tell me who you're looking for and what difficulties you're facing?"

Looking at Li Jing'an, who was so sincere and righteous, Su Liting thought it was rare to see such a high-ranking leader being so kind and considerate.

"Oh, I... I'm here to see Zhou Yufei. I need to talk to her about something." Su Liting said, her head down.

"Zhou Yufei? Yufei—" Li Jing'an's eyes lit up. "Hahaha, I thought you were looking for someone else, it's Yufei." He took another step forward, getting closer to Su Liting. "What do you need her for? Why don't you tell me? You should know about her family situation. She asks me for help with a lot of things these days. It's no different whether you're looking for her or me, just be bold and say it."

He was patient and persuasive, his tone gentle, and his gaze concerned.

Su Liting hesitated for a moment, but still told her what had happened. She said that Section Chief Zhang was her neighbor and had a good relationship with her husband. She asked Zhou Yufei to come so she could see if she could use her connections to get Section Chief Zhang's wife released from the security office.

Li Jing'an listened, his eyes darting around, his gaze narrowing slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips before quickly fading. He quickly calculated something in his mind, then smiled again.

"Ha, what do you think!" He clapped his hands, laughing with great ease. "Alright, you don't need to ask Yufei about this anymore, I'll take care of it for you."

Su Liting was taken aback, then her eyes lit up.

"I was the one who registered Yufei for the spot, I never expected this to happen. It was an unintentional act of mine, and it has dragged another family into this. This was not my intention." He shook his head, looking like he was sorry but also innocent.

"You can go back now. Don't worry, I'll talk to the factory leaders about this and see if they can make an exception."

Su Liting was surprised that Li Jing'an was so easy to talk to; it was almost unbelievable how smoothly things went. She was incredibly grateful, thinking that she had truly met a kind person, an incredibly kind person!

"Thank you, thank you so much!" She thanked him several times, almost bending over. "I didn't expect it to go so smoothly, that I would actually meet you—by the way, Section Chief Zhang also said that if there's anything you need, you can let me know and I'll pass it on to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jing'an's expression changed.

"What do you take me for? Huh?" Li Jing'an frowned, his smile vanished completely, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and his tone turned cold. "I just introduced myself, but you probably didn't hear me clearly. My name is Li Jing'an. Hmm?"

As he spoke, he stared at Su Liting, his gaze piercing her like a nail.

Su Liting was startled by Li Jing'an's sudden change of expression. Her heart skipped a beat, and her smile froze. She didn't know how to salvage the situation, and could only instinctively reply, "Ah, you...you are Li..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jing'an interrupted him.

"Yes, it's Li Jing'an. The one you're thinking of—Li Jing'an, who was featured in the People's Daily and received commendation, the model Li."

Li Jing'an's lips twitched into a half-smile.

"Ah? Oh—I know, I know, Model Li." Su Liting quickly apologized, her voice trembling slightly. "I misspoke just now, please don't take it to heart." She said this, but in her heart she was wondering: Which model is Li Jing'an? Hmm—I don't read the newspaper, how would I know? But judging from his demeanor, he must be an important person, right?

Seeing Su Liting's flustered state, Li Jing'an's expression gradually softened. He then asked Su Liting about her family situation—who her boyfriend was, where he worked, and so on.

Li Jing'an watched her departing figure; even her white coat couldn't conceal her alluring gait—her waist swaying gently.

He stood there for a long time, secretly sighing: What a pity about this woman, she was born at the wrong time.

Decades earlier or later, with looks like that, she could easily marry any man and live a life of luxury and leisure, instead of struggling like she does now. She was truly born at the wrong time.

His thoughts shifted, turning into a tingling itch—this little vixen is truly alluring. Even though she's dressed rather provocatively, her delicate voice, that seductive silhouette…

Li Jing'an felt an itch in his heart, like a cat scratching at him. He stood there, his gaze following the white figure until she turned the corner, before reluctantly turning his eyes away.

After a while, he turned his head, looked at Xu Wangshu who was still standing in the gatehouse, and chuckled.

"Wang Shu, how are you feeling?" Li Jing'an walked over slowly.

"Thank you for your concern, leader. I'm perfectly fine," Xu Wangshu quickly replied. "At least I'm safe in this house, protected from the wind and rain. It's all thanks to your care, leader."

Li Jing'an chuckled softly as she looked at his submissive demeanor.

"Okay, I knew it. You're a grateful person. Yuebai just reached the required service time this year, so I made her a full-time employee. Ah? It's all because you two are just what I wanted to do. Yuebai is doing a great job inside, and you're doing a great job guarding the gate outside."

"Thank you... thank you, leader. We will remember this and don't know how to express our gratitude." Xu Wangshu lowered her head, her voice tight.

"Haha—if only someone who's been to school could talk so nicely." Li Jing'an laughed and patted Xu Wangshu's shoulder hard, one pat after another. "You two really want to thank me? Well then, I'll come to your house again in a couple of days and try out Yuebai's kung fu. It's been three years since I've been there, and I kind of miss eating at your house."

Li Jing'an said meaningfully, his eyes fixed on Xu Wangshu.

Xu Wangshu's face froze, and her lips trembled twice.

Seeing Xu Wangshu's embarrassed expression, Li Jing'an was very pleased.

"Hahaha—okay, I'm not kidding anymore." He waved his hand and laughed loudly. "I don't have time, look how busy I am." As he spoke, he looked at the relieved expression on Xu Wangshu's face and found it very amusing.

Then he changed the subject.

"Well then, I'll come after the New Year. I want to have a good taste at your house then, hahaha—" He laughed twice more, the laughter echoing in the early morning courtyard. "You won't be unwelcome, will you? Huh?"

Li Jing'an stared at Xu Wangshu, his gaze coiling around her like a snake.

Xu Wangshu felt cold sweat pouring down her forehead from his stare, and she stammered, unable to understand what she was saying.

Li Jing'an chuckled twice more before turning around and striding towards the guesthouse lobby.

Upon entering the lobby, he looked around and called out to the receptionist, "Yuebai—come to my office."