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

cough cough-

A cough.

"Did you take your medicine today?" Jiang Yuebai looked up at Xu Wangshu, who was coughing beside her, and asked.

Xu Wangshu was repairing a bench leg when she looked up and replied, "I ate. Don't worry, Yuebai, I'm fine."

Jiang Yuebai then lowered his head and continued sewing the garment in his hands—it was his son's. The child's clothes were often torn; he was too mischievous. Today was their day off, and Xu Wangshu had switched shifts with someone. They discussed going out for a meal at a street stall or small restaurant after the child got out of school that evening. Their living conditions had improved considerably in recent years. Although Xu Wangshu was still a temporary worker, both of them were employed, and Jiang Yuebai was now a permanent employee. They had some spare money and wanted to take the child out for a meal—after all, opportunities for both of them to be home together were rare, and they cherished them. After dinner, they discussed taking a stroll.

However, this heartwarming moment was interrupted by an uninvited guest.

"Haha, everyone's home!"

Li Jing'an walked in from outside with a big smile, his face flushed, clearly having drunk quite a bit.

His sudden appearance startled both of them, and they both put down what they were doing.

"Director..." Xu Wangshu quickly stood up to greet him.

Jiang Yuebai stared at Li Jing'an, clutching her son's clothes tightly until her fingers turned white, a sudden panic rising in her heart—this beast.

"Haha, it's been so long since you've been here. Well, I was having drinks with some buddies at a restaurant not far from your alley today, and I just happened to come over to your house." Li Jing'an wasn't lying. He had just had dinner with Deputy Director Meng of the Public Security Bureau, the director of the detention center, and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang of the Procuratorate. After seeing them off, he went straight to Jiang Yuebai's house.

Li Jing'an chuckled as he looked around the room. "Not bad, not bad at all. I almost didn't recognize it. Look, I remember back then, none of the benches were good, the table was missing a leg, and it was damp and gloomy. Look at it now, isn't it great! They've installed new cabinets and replaced the tables and benches."

Then he turned to look at the bedside where Jiang Yuebai was sitting, his eyes lighting up: "Look, look, especially this bed, I remember it best. It was made of two planks of wood, right? It creaked and shook a lot back then, hehehehe..."

He was staring at Jiang Yuebai as he said this, his tone carrying a hidden meaning.

"Thank you, Director Li. Without you, we wouldn't be where we are today," Xu Wangshu said from the side.

Li Jing'an's gaze was drawn to him. He looked at Xu Wangshu, chuckled, and immediately put his arm around her neck, leaning closer to say, "Okay, you know how to be grateful. So tell me, how are you going to thank me? Hmm?"

He stared intently at Xu Wangshu's face. Xu Wangshu's lips turned white under his aggressive gaze, and she didn't know what to say.

Seeing his reaction, Li Jing'an was serious at first, then suddenly laughed and patted Xu Wangshu's shoulder hard: "Just kidding! Okay, I'm very happy to see your lives getting better and better. As long as you follow me, I definitely won't treat you unfairly."

"Thank you, Director..." Xu Wangshu said with difficulty.

Li Jing'an released his grip on Xu Wangshu and turned to walk towards Jiang Yuebai, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He let out a burp and plopped down next to Jiang Yuebai.

"Yuebai, are you sewing? By the way, where's your child? I haven't seen the child."

Jiang Yuebai lowered her head and replied, "They're all at school."

"Time flies, both kids are already in school. You two have really made it through..."

"Director Li, please have a seat here. I'll pour you some tea." Xu Wangshu pulled out a chair and went to get a cup and water.

Li Jing'an waved his hand: "Never mind, I just had a drink, I'm not thirsty. We're not strangers, no need to be so polite."

He didn't look up at Xu Wangshu when he said this, but stared straight at Jiang Yuebai, who was looking down.

Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Jiang Yuebai stood up and said, "I'll go boil some water."

Li Jing'an grabbed her arm: "I already said I'm not drinking, where are you going?"

Then he turned to Xu Wangshu, who was standing in the middle of the room looking bewildered: "Wangshu, I just remembered I'm out of cigarettes. Those smokers at lunch smoked them all up. Hahaha, go find a convenience store on the street and buy me a pack."

"I'll go." Jiang Yuebai tried to break free from Li Jing'an's hand and walk out, but Li Jing'an tightened his grip even more.

"Where are you going? Did I tell you to go? Sit down."

He forcefully pulled Jiang Yuebai back to sit on the bed, then stared at Xu Wangshu, who hadn't moved an inch in the room. Li Jing'an didn't speak, just kept staring at him.

Xu Wangshu glanced at Li Jing'an, then at Jiang Yuebai's stiff, panicked face with a hint of pleading beside the bed. He was momentarily dazed before struggling to move his legs and walk outside.

Seeing that he moved, Li Jing'an smiled slightly and deliberately called out, "Don't forget to close the door."

Xu Wangshu walked slowly along the road outside, not knowing where he was going or what he was doing out there. He was like a wandering soul drifting through the streets. After an unknown amount of time, he turned back to the entrance of the tenement courtyard—Li Jing'an's car was nowhere to be seen.

He shuffled into the yard like a zombie, and before he even reached the front door, someone called out to him.

"Wangshu, where have you been?"

The person who stopped him was his neighbor, Aunt Ma, who was in her fifties. Xu Wangshu didn't answer. Aunt Ma didn't notice anything wrong with his expression, and just said with her head down, "Wangshu, don't be reluctant to listen to what I'm saying—do you know what just happened? Your wife stayed at home with a man for a long time. I don't know the details, but I have to remind you, you still need to be careful. Just now, your neighbor, Sister Li, secretly told me… Of course, I'm too embarrassed to tell you what she said. I think you should have a good talk with your wife, for the sake of the children…"

Xu Wangshu didn't hear what was said after that. He didn't know how he answered, but he continued to move deeper into the courtyard. As he passed the next room, he caught a glimpse of a woman's face in the window—it was Sister Li, the woman Aunt Ma had mentioned. The woman's face was full of mockery, amusement, and contempt.

Xu Wangshu's fingers were clenched so tightly they had lost all color.

Suddenly, an uncontrollable cough shot up from his throat, making his nose and eyes water, and he even felt a little suffocated.

Hearing the coughing, Jiang Yuebai rushed out and anxiously helped him up.

Xu Wangshu looked at Jiang Yuebai, whose hair was disheveled, and her eyes were filled with apology.