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

With a "whoosh," the lighter's flame flickered, casting an orange glow on Li Jing'an's face.

He leaned over and lit a cigarette for Vice Minister Gao, who was sitting on the sofa. He also lit one for himself and leaned back with a smile: "Hey, what's up, old leader? You can rest assured now that you're here with me."

Vice Minister Gao took a deep breath, a smile on his face tinged with caution, his voice unconsciously lowered: "Jing'an, stop calling him 'old leader.' If someone hears it, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause."

Despite saying that, his body language betrayed him—he sank deeper into the sofa, his shoulders visibly relaxing. He felt a sense of relief upon learning he had been relegated to the steel rolling mill.

"Hey, old boss, you're underestimating me." Li Jing'an patted his chest, his voice booming. "In the steel rolling mill, my word still carries weight. Don't worry about me."

Vice Minister Gao shook his head, his smile undiminished, but his tone became more serious: "Jing'an, you also need to be careful. Especially now, nothing is safe to do. So many people are watching."

Li Jing'an tilted his head and glanced at him, then suddenly laughed, pointing at him with his finger: "I can see that you've been through quite a bit. Here with me, you're just staying put. You've only been sent down for labor, you haven't been beaten. Why are you being so careful?"

"Better safe than sorry." Deputy Minister Gao flicked his cigarette ash into the ashtray on the coffee table.

"Hey, okay." Li Jing'an put a cigarette in his mouth, squinted one eye, and said, "You'd better be careful. Oh, right, there's something important to do."

He stood up, walked to his desk, bent down to pick up a stack of files, took a form, turned around and put it on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Vice Minister Gao looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Li Jing'an chuckled as he met that gaze: "Old leader, haven't all the division-level cadres from the Ministry of Metallurgy come to our factory? These are their files, a total of eighty or ninety. I still have some relatively easy positions here, enough to accommodate a dozen or so people. I've reserved them for you—how do you think we should allocate them? You can give me a suggestion."

Vice Minister Gao did not speak immediately.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the stack of brown paper file folders on the coffee table.

He certainly understood Li Jing'an's meaning. A person who could reach his position couldn't possibly be without his own people around him. Even if he didn't actively build cliques, plenty of people would attach themselves to him—those who were easy to use, trustworthy, and whose backgrounds he knew would naturally form a force.

He did not refuse.

He reached into the file and took down the list, a densely packed list of everyone transferred from the Ministry of Metallurgy. His gaze slowly slid down from the first name, paused, then continued down, and paused again.

Finally, he picked up his pen and gently circled seven or eight names.

Li Jing'an watched from the side, not urging him, and began flipping through the files on his own. He quickly pulled out the names from the stack one by one, stacking them to the side.

As he flipped through the pages, his hand suddenly stopped.

He pulled out a file, and was about to throw it into the stack next to him after glancing at it, but when his eyes fell on the contents, he put it back.

"Former boss," he said, handing over the file, his voice now more serious, "who is this? Are you acquainted with him?"

Vice Minister Gao squinted at the file in Li Jing'an's hand and read aloud, "Luo Tianyou."

He thought for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing and nodding. "I remember him. He was an expert in mining technology from the Ministry of Metallurgy, who had studied abroad."

"I saw it says that his parents are overseas?" Li Jing'an leaned closer and pointed to a line of text on the file.

"Yes, he was a well-known capitalist in Southeast Asia." Vice Minister Gao sighed, placed the file on his lap, and ran his fingers along the edge of the parchment. "He studied in the United States, and after completing his studies, he was full of enthusiasm and wanted to come back despite his family's objections. Unexpectedly, he got himself into trouble."

He looked up at Li Jing'an, his tone tinged with emotion: "I'd completely forgotten about it if you hadn't brought it out—let's give it to him too. We've let him down."

Li Jing'an took the file without saying a word, his gaze sweeping over it once more.

This guy might be useful later.

"Alright, old leader." Li Jing'an stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, stood up, and said, "I'll definitely assign you jobs. You'll be working as a librarian at the Workers' Club. I'll also get you a room at the guesthouse; if you're not going home, you can rest there. If you need a car, the guesthouse will take you directly."

Vice Minister Gao quickly waved his hand, "Jing'an, let it go. It's too conspicuous. I'll just go to the library. Don't arrange a car or room for me anymore. It's not good for either of us."

Before Li Jing'an could say anything more, Vice Minister Gao stood up, grabbed his arm, shook his head, and his attitude was very firm.

Unable to refuse, Li Jing'an had no choice but to nod: "Alright then. If you need anything, just come and find me."

Vice Minister Gao then sat down again, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke up: "Jing'an, look at the other leaders in the Ministry of Metallurgy... they're all getting on in years. If you can, please take care of them."

Li Jing'an laughed heartily: "Since you've spoken up, how could I not refuse you? Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, walked to his desk, picked up the phone, dialed a number, said a few words into the receiver, and then hung up.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

Xu Damao pushed the door open and came in.

"Da Mao," Li Jing'an pointed to the stack of files and lists on the coffee table, raising his chin, "See? I've written down the assigned positions for all the people marked on them. Take this to HR."

"Hey, Brother Li, don't worry, I'll go right away."

He strode to the coffee table, bent down, and picked up the stack of files. As he straightened up, he nodded to Vice Minister Gao, who was sitting on the sofa, and said, "Good morning, sir."

Vice Minister Gao nodded slightly in return, his face expressionless.

Xu Damao turned and walked towards the door. As soon as he opened the door, Li Jing'an followed him out and grabbed his arm in the corridor.

"Da Mao".

Xu Damao quickly stopped in his tracks.

Li Jing'an pulled out Luo Tianyou's file from the top of the archives and handed it to him, tapping the file folder twice with his finger: "Pay close attention to this one. He has overseas connections. Put it together with the one I told you about a couple of days ago—and examine it carefully."

Xu Damao took the file, quickly glanced at the names on it, his eyes darted around, and then he nodded heavily, a knowing look on his face: "I understand, Brother Li. I will keep them in mind."

"Go."

Li Jing'an patted him on the shoulder and turned back to his office.

The door wasn't closed properly, and a voice came through the crack: "Old leader, let's go. I've prepared a welcome dinner for you at the guesthouse. Let's set off—"

Immediately following was the sound of Vice Minister Gao declining, mixed with Li Jing'an's carefree laughter, the two voices, one high and one low, echoing in the corridor for a while.

In the corridor, Xu Damao, who had overheard the conversation, didn't go far. He held the stack of files and waited for a while, but still didn't receive an invitation from Li Jing'an.