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

The journey wasn't long to begin with, and in no time at all, the car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the alley.

Li Jing'an chuckled softly, released his grip, and got out of the car first. He then walked around to the other side, opened the door, and called to her softly:

"Let's go, Liting. I have a secluded courtyard here. I'll show you around and help you sober up."

As he spoke, he half-pushed and half-pulled Su Liting into a small courtyard deep in the alley.

After entering the room, Li Jing'an gently closed the door from the inside.

In the house next door, Jia Zhangshi was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), stitching cloth shoe soles.

Suddenly, faint noises came from the other side of the neighboring courtyard wall, intermittently reaching my ears.

As the sound grew clearer, Jia Zhangshi's face instantly darkened, filled with disgust and resentment.

She spat fiercely towards the west wall, silently cursing Li Jing'an as a bastard.

He spends his days having a good time outside, harming other people's women, and behaving recklessly and lawlessly. Why doesn't God strike him down with a thunderbolt and take him away sooner?

Jia Zhangshi had long harbored resentment towards Li Jing'an.

For the past three years, Qin Huairu has been forced by Li Jing'an to work in the laundry room. It's tiring and hard work, and she doesn't earn much money. All her benefits have been cut off, and the family is struggling to make ends meet again. They have suffered for three whole years.

She kept cursing, but listening to the noises coming from next door, a thought suddenly came to her mind.

This thought had been swirling in her mind since yesterday.

She secretly planned that after the New Year, she would have Qin Huairu bring her cousin Qin Jingru from the countryside to the city, ostensibly to arrange a marriage for Sha Zhu, but secretly to see if she could let Qin Jingru and Li Jing'an meet.

Qin Jingru is young and beautiful, with a pretty face and a good figure; she is at the age where people are very fond of her.

She refused to believe that Li Jing'an, who was naturally lustful, could remain unmoved and fall for such a vibrant and beautiful girl.

If Qin Jingru could really get involved with Li Jing'an, not only would Qin Huairu be freed from his clutches, but the Jia family would also benefit from it in the future.

The more she thought about it, the more excited Jia Zhangshi became, her mind filled with plans and her whole being eager to try.

As for Sha Zhu, she immediately forgot about him.

East room of the small courtyard.

Li Jing'an put his arm around Su Liting, looked into her eyes, and said earnestly:

"Liting, from now on, this place will be just for the two of us. If I miss you, or if you miss me, I'll drive to pick you up, and we'll come here together."

"Brother Jing'an... this isn't right, is it? You keep coming to pick me up, and if this goes on for too long, my husband might find out."

"Liting, listen to me. Don't worry about him. Even if it's Engineer Wang, he can't stop my love for you. My love is selfish. I won't give you up to anyone, and no one can stop me."

Su Liting felt Li Jing'an's burning gaze and domineering statement, and for a moment she felt dizzy and mesmerized.

Her face felt like it was on fire, whether from his gaze or from not yet recovering from the exercise, she didn't know.

She didn't know how to answer, so she just gave a soft "hmm" and nestled back into Li Jing'an's arms.

Li Jing'an stroked her hair and said:

"Liting, you're my woman now. Tell me anything, I'll back you up. No matter what difficulties you encounter, remember, I'll always be there for you."

As he spoke, he rolled over and pinned her beneath him, lifting her face with his hand, staring intently into Su Liting's eyes, his gaze aggressive, and asked:

"Do you understand, Liting?"

Under Li Jing'an's intense gaze, Su Liting could only softly reply, "Mmm..."

Li Jing'an chuckled and stuck it on again.

Night fell completely, and the pitch-black night enveloped the entire courtyard.

---

Downstairs in the tenement building, Engineer Wang had been pacing back and forth by the roadside for quite some time, waiting.

He waited patiently at home all afternoon, but as the time to get off work had long passed and the sky gradually darkened, Su Liting still hadn't returned home.

He grew increasingly uneasy and could no longer sit still, so he went downstairs to the roadside and waited aimlessly.

Su Liting left without saying anything, nor did she tell him where she went or which restaurant she went to. He could only stand by the roadside, anxiously looking back and forth.

Just then, a car's headlights pierced the night and slowly drove towards them.

Wang squinted and looked into the distance in the direction of the car lights.

As the car slowly approached, he immediately recognized it as Li Jing'an's official car.

His heart tightened, and he quickly took two steps forward, his eyes fixed on the stopped car.

The car door opened, and two people got out of the back seat one after the other; they were Su Liting and Li Jing'an.

Engineer Wang quickly stepped forward, his voice filled with worry and anxiety:

"Liting, why are you so late? Where did you go this afternoon?"

Su Liting merely glanced at him indifferently, remaining silent with a cold and aloof expression.

She turned to look at Li Jing'an, who was walking around from the other side of the car, and spoke in a gentle tone:

"Brother Li, thank you for today. I'll head back now."

"Liting, you don't need to say these polite things to me."

Li Jing'an looked at her with a smile, his tone carrying a unique sense of dominance:

"From now on, you are not allowed to say thank you to me again."

As he spoke, he completely ignored Engineer Wang standing to the side and casually put his hand on Su Liting's shoulder.

He looked at Su Liting tenderly, but out of the corner of his eye he kept a close eye on Wang Gong's every expression and reaction.

When Engineer Wang saw this intimate gesture, his face changed drastically, turning pale and then flushed, his eyes filled with shock, embarrassment, and resentment.

He stood frozen in place, not daring to say a word or make any move to resist, and could only endure it.

Li Jing'an withdrew his gaze from his side and continued to gently instruct Su Liting:

"Go upstairs and get some rest. You've had a hard day. In the future, no matter what happens, just call me anytime. You can contact me directly."

Su Liting nodded gently in agreement.

She turned her head and glanced at Engineer Wang, who was standing to the side, motionless like a wooden statue. Her eyes were full of disdain. She rolled her eyes and curled her lips in contempt.

She didn't say a word to him, not even a greeting, and turned around and walked straight into the building.

"Liting!" Upon seeing this, Engineer Wang instinctively wanted to take a step and chase after her.

"Engineer Wang, please wait a moment."

Li Jing'an called him over directly, "Come here, I have a few words to tell you."

As he spoke, he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it himself, and only lit one cigarette for himself, without paying any attention to Engineer Wang standing next to him.

He held a cigarette between his fingers, took a deep drag, and then raised his other hand to put it on Engineer Wang's shoulder.

Startled by his sudden action, Wang looked down at the hand resting on his shoulder, his lips moved, but in the end he didn't dare to say anything and silently endured it.

Li Jing'an took in his submissive, cowardly, and rebellious appearance and was extremely satisfied.

"Engineer Wang, I've completely sorted out and resolved everything for Liting. You can rest assured that all the previous turmoil, troubles, and entanglements are as if they never happened. I've also smoothed over any accountability issues you might have been involved in. All you need to do is submit a written self-criticism and go through the motions; the factory won't pursue any further responsibility against you."

As he spoke, he gently squeezed the shoulder of Engineer Wang with his hand.

Wang Gong looked up and met Li Jing'an's deep and intimidating gaze. All the grievances, resentment, and embarrassment he felt were suppressed deep inside.

"Director Li, I understand."

Li Jing'an looked at his timid and submissive appearance and chuckled softly.

"Good. Alright, go back upstairs now and take good care of Liting. She's been busy all afternoon, she must be tired, make sure she drinks plenty of water. I'm telling you this now, if you don't take good care of her, I'll be angry."

After saying that, he raised his hand and patted Engineer Wang's shoulder heavily, the force sharp and full of warning.

Li Jing'an then said no more, smiled, turned around, and bent down to sit in the back seat of the car.

The car started slowly, its headlights sweeping across the dark night, driving away and gradually disappearing at the end of the road.

Wang stood frozen in place, his face extremely pale, his heart filled with a mix of emotions, a myriad of feelings churning within him.

His hands, which had been clenched tightly with white knuckles, slowly fell to his sides and relaxed slumped down.

He looked up at the lit window upstairs, remained silent for a long time, and then exhaled a long, suffocating breath.

With a conflicted expression and feeling utterly powerless, he could only hunch over, head down, his steps heavy and numb, as he slowly walked into the tenement building.