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

Inside the guesthouse's private room, after several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was quite lively.

"Come on, everyone, let's drink!" Li Jing'an raised his glass to invite everyone.

Among those seated at the table were Huang, the former deputy chief prosecutor of the procuratorate and now deputy director, and Meng, the deputy director of the public security bureau. Although both of them have now entered the Revolutionary Committee and their titles have changed to "deputy director," they are considered lucky compared to those former leaders who were completely overthrown.

"Oh, I should be toasting you this time!" Deputy Director Huang stood up sincerely. "If it weren't for Jing'an, you'd have pulled me out of the game, and I'd be stuck on the sidelines like everyone else, writing self-criticisms and getting criticized all the time. You have no idea how much our system has been impacted. We're in meetings every day explaining the problems. If I were in that situation, I definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on!"

Deputy Director Meng, standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "Yes, Jing'an, it's all thanks to you! Otherwise, we would have been in deep trouble. Look at all those former leaders in the institute, aren't they all sidelined? We're so lucky to have kept our positions."

"Haha, isn't this just a matter of cause and effect?" Li Jing'an laughed meaningfully. "The main thing is that we're all on the same side, how could I not lend you a hand?"

He had previously given these two men specific instructions, urging them to maintain a positive attitude towards the movement, actively align themselves with it, and absolutely avoid any resistance. However, he didn't extend this "care" to his former superior, Vice Minister Gao, and Director Sun of the Second Commerce Bureau. He still thought that once the storm had passed, these two would still protect and assist him. He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket; he had to preserve some resources, couldn't he?

Although Huang and Meng's power has been greatly reduced and they have only been admitted to the Revolutionary Committee as "old comrades", they are now worlds apart from their miserable colleagues.

Slightly tipsy, Li Jing'an suddenly changed the subject: "Old Huang, how's Xie Hui from your procuratorate doing these days?"

"Oh, don't even mention it," Deputy Director Huang sighed. "With his stubborn temper, he suffered the most. He was criticized and struggled against every day, but he just wouldn't admit his crimes and still hasn't come to a proper understanding. He's completely worn down."

"Is that so?" Li Jing'an said calmly. "Young people are hot-blooded, inflexible, and stubbornly stick to their ways; they don't end up well. Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

"Yes, yes, he brought it on himself." Deputy Director Huang nodded repeatedly.

"What about his wife, Li Xin?"

"She's not allowed to teach anymore. She was originally from a capitalist background, and with Xie Hui's situation, she can only spend her days at school writing reports and making self-criticisms."

After finding out the current situation of the two people he cared about most, Li Jing'an stopped talking and started to think that he had to get revenge.

After seeing the two off, he walked towards his office, slightly drunk. He saw Qin Jingru standing guard at the door.

"Hehe..." Li Jing'an chuckled, reached out and pinched her cheek, then let out a hiccup. "Not bad, you're quite perceptive. You knew I wasn't going home today, so you came all this way to serve me?"

Qin Jingru hesitated, her expression strange. Li Jing'an, however, didn't notice her expression and pushed the door open. Qin Jingru followed him into the room and closed the door behind her.

Li Jing'an didn't go back to the lounge. Instead, he plopped down on the sofa and ordered, "Pour a glass of water."

Qin Jingru poured the tea as instructed and handed it to him, but he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. His hand skillfully slipped inside her collar.

Qin Jingru seemed to have made up her mind, and timidly whispered, "Brother Li... I have something to tell you."

Li Jing'an took a sip of tea with one hand, put the cup down, and said casually, "Speak, what is it?"

"It's like this... Brother Li, I... I think I'm pregnant."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an instantly sobered up by half.

"What did you say?!" He stared sharply at Qin Jingru.

"Brother Li, I think I'm really pregnant..." Qin Jingru repeated hesitantly, not daring to look him in the eye.

"When did this happen? Has it been investigated? Most importantly—whose is it?"

"Brother Li, I haven't had anyone else! I've only ever been with you!" Qin Jingru's eyes reddened with anxiety. "I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days, so I went to see a doctor. The doctor said I might be pregnant, but I haven't dared to get tested yet..."

"Bullshit! I didn't give you any that time." Li Jing'an's eyes grew increasingly dangerous, and he suddenly tightened his grip on her neck. "There's no way you could be pregnant with my child! You're trying to fool me?"

"No! Brother Li!" Qin Jingru was choked and couldn't breathe, desperately grabbing his arm to protest, "I really haven't been with anyone else! A while ago you were drunk... that time..."

Looking at Qin Jingru's terrified and aggrieved expression, Li Jing'an thought to himself: Judging from her appearance, she probably wouldn't dare to lie to me.

He loosened his grip slightly, staring coldly at her: "So, what do you want to do?"

"I...I don't know, Brother Li, I really don't know..." Qin Jingru was on the verge of tears, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly, at a loss for what to do.

"Then let's do it. I'll have someone arrange for you to go to the hospital tomorrow." Li Jing'an made the decision directly, his tone icy.

But just as he glanced up and saw Qin Jingru's submissive appearance, a thought suddenly struck him.

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning—

Xu Damao!

Qin Jingru should have married Xu Damao. If this incident hadn't happened, Xu Damao wouldn't have divorced Lou Xiao'e. Then who would have seized Lou Xiao'e's assets? That's all the people's hard-earned money! How can such a large sum of capitalist wealth be wasted?

No, absolutely not!

Li Jing'an instantly had an idea. The gloom on his face vanished, replaced by a cheerful expression, and he put his arm around Qin Jingru's waist again.

This sudden change startled Qin Jingru, causing her to shudder.

Li Jing'an leaned close to her ear and said gently, "Jingru, you and I have known each other for a while now, and I'm quite satisfied with you. I was just kidding, trying to scare you."

He paused, then continued, "I've already thought of a way out for you. I'll find you a husband, okay?"

Seeing Qin Jingru open her mouth as if to refuse, he raised his hand to stop her: "Don't rush to refuse, let me finish. You know the candidate, it's Xu Damao from our institute, the same one as your sister. He's a good catch, isn't he? Although he's a bit older than you, he was a prospective cadre working in lieu of a cadre position. Even though his cadre status isn't relevant now, he's still one of my men, and I'll still give him important responsibilities in the future. If you marry him, you'll both be my people, how could your future be anything but wonderful?"

He stared into Qin Jingru's eyes, coaxing her gently, "So? Has Brother Li thought it through for you?"

This time, Qin Jingru truly listened. She knew in her heart that Li Jing'an would never marry her, while Xu Damao... did indeed sound like a good match.

But she still had doubts: "But Brother Li, didn't Xu Damao get married?"

"You don't know, their marriage has been broken for a long time, they can't even have a child," Li Jing'an said confidently. "With just one word from me, he can divorce his current wife immediately. Then you can marry him with your baby in your belly, saving him a lot of trouble. It's a win-win-win situation, isn't it? You'll have a home, he'll marry a young wife, and the child will have a father, no more worries about not being able to have children. Don't worry, I'll definitely get this done for you!"

After saying that, he didn't give Qin Jingru a chance to think anymore, got up, put his arm around her, and walked towards the lounge.

"Let's go and rest, I'm tired."