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

Upon seeing Li Chao arrive, Liu Yuanyuan instantly breathed a sigh of relief, a look of immense relief spreading across her face. She immediately pointed at Zhao Daguo and exclaimed, "This guy has been bothering me the whole time, and I can't get rid of him no matter what I do!"

Zhao Daguo's face turned red with anxiety. He stepped forward and called out to her, "Yuanyuan..."

"Shut up!" Li Chao immediately stepped forward, blocking the two of them, glaring fiercely at Zhao Daguo, his chin held high, adopting a condescending attitude. "Who do you think you are, daring to call her 'Yuanyuan' like that?"

Li Chao secretly plotted. Although he was pursuing Wang Manqi, this was a perfect opportunity to play the hero and save the damsel in distress—Liu Yuanyuan was just as beautiful as Wang Manqi, and no man would pass up a chance to show off his prowess in front of a girl. A smug smile appeared on his lips, but he quickly straightened his face.

He narrowed his eyes, his tone menacing: "You've got some nerve, daring to act like a hooligan in public on campus?"

Zhao Daguo hurriedly waved his hands, his glasses almost slipping off: "I didn't do anything indecent! Yuanyuan and I are dating, don't talk nonsense!"

"What nonsense are you spouting! Who said you're dating someone?" Liu Yuanyuan stomped her foot angrily, her face flushed red, and retorted in a sharp voice.

Li Chao scoffed, then turned to Zhao Daguo and mocked, "Did you hear that? They don't even admit it. How can you be so shameless? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? What kind of person do you look like?!"

His two henchmen joined in the laughter. Zhao Daguo's face turned pale and then red, his lips trembling. But Li Chao was the leader of the school's Red Guards, and he was afraid. He could only look at Liu Yuanyuan with pleading eyes and whisper, "Yuanyuan..."

"I see you won't learn your lesson until you're faced with the consequences! Men, seize him and teach this shameless scoundrel a lesson!"

Two henchmen immediately rolled up their sleeves and grabbed Zhao Daguo's arms, one on each side, with considerable force. Zhao Daguo struggled frantically, his glasses tilting to one side, and the situation became tense for a moment.

Liu Yuanyuan bit her lip, stepped forward, and softened her tone: "Li Chao, let it go. We've been classmates for so long, don't punish him."

It was rare for a beauty to plead for him, so Li Chao naturally wouldn't refuse her request—he was still planning to leave a good impression on Liu Yuanyuan. He immediately waved for his men to release Zhao Daguo, a magnanimous smile on his face: "Alright, for Yuanyuan's sake, I'll let you off this time."

Zhao Daguo rubbed his arm, which was aching from being gripped so tightly, and tried to say something to Liu Yuanyuan. Li Chao frowned immediately, raised his hand as if to strike, and Zhao Daguo was so frightened that he took several steps back, shouting, "Yuanyuan! Yuanyuan! I...I'll write to you!"

Li Chao withdrew his hand, scoffed, and cursed, "What a piece of dog shit, once it's stuck, you can't get rid of it!" He raised his foot to chase after it, but Liu Yuanyuan called out to him.

"Li Chao, stop chasing him." Liu Yuanyuan smoothed her hair, a grateful smile on her face. "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you today..."

Li Chao waved his hand and interrupted her with a smile, "Don't be so polite." He paused, as if remembering something, "By the way, congratulations to you and Manqi, you've both been successfully hired by the steel rolling mill."

"Oh, right, you're one to talk about me," Liu Yuanyuan tilted her head, looking puzzled. "Why is your name on the list? Weren't you supposed to go to the neighborhood committee?"

"What? You guys can go but I can't? Hahaha." Li Chao laughed smugly, hands in his pockets, swaying his body. "Well, I've thought about it, and the factory is still better than the neighborhood office. The benefits are all a level higher."

"You're highly regarded in the neighborhood. What will you say when you go to the factory?" Liu Yuanyuan blinked and asked.

"Hey, you just don't understand." Li Chao took a half step forward, lowered his voice, and said confidently, "Even if I went to the factory, they definitely wouldn't let me start from the bottom. They'd at least give me a small department head position, right?"

"Besides, I wouldn't feel at ease if you and Manqi went to the steel mill, would I? How about this, I'll be there to back you up."

Li Chao, with an air of self-importance, slightly raised his chin and his eyes full of smugness. What he said wasn't wrong—a rebel leader like him would be given a leadership position wherever he went, and the steel rolling mill was no exception. He had every reason to be proud.

She nodded and said goodbye to Li Chao.

Li Chao stood there, staring at Liu Yuanyuan's beautiful figure, his gaze lingering on her slender waist for a long while, a hint of regret in his eyes. Liu Yuanyuan was also very pretty, but her family background wasn't as good as Manqi's—Manqi's father was a minor leader on the railway, while Liu Yuanyuan's parents were just ordinary workers in a small factory. This immediately created a gap between them.

He secretly compared them in his mind: Wang Manqi was stunningly beautiful, with striking features that could instantly catch the eye; Liu Yuanyuan, on the other hand, was the gentle, pleasing type. He still preferred Wang Manqi. But that didn't mean he had no feelings for Liu Yuanyuan. After all, beautiful women are bound to make people want to have something happen with them.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Li Jing'an stood at the entrance of the steel rolling mill's office building. He smiled broadly as he led a group of Revolutionary Committee members to welcome the newly hired art students. A dozen or so stood in a row, their youthful energy palpable. Li Jing'an's gaze swept across their faces, his smile growing even warmer.

Of course, his main target was still those seven or eight ballet dancers. He'd only seen black and white photos before, but seeing them in person today, their beauty had skyrocketed—each one was truly stunning. Especially Liu Yuanyuan and Wang Manqi; standing together, they were equally beautiful, each with their own unique charm. Li Jing'an's gaze lingered on them for a moment longer, then discreetly looked away. No rush; they'd be his sooner or later.

"Song Yun," he called out, turning his head.

Song Yun, the head of the political work group, immediately stepped forward. Li Jing'an casually assigned this group of students to him, instructing him to take them for a walk around the factory area to familiarize them with the environment, and then lead them to the canteen at noon—Li Jing'an wanted to personally welcome them.

After Song Yun led the group away, the remaining committee members also dispersed in twos and threes. Only Xiao Ma remained standing there, waiting for Li Jing'an.

"Director Li, let's go, everyone's been waiting for you," Xiao Ma said in a low voice as he approached.

Xiao Ma was referring to the task of the National Day float. Today was the day all the core components were assembled and ready for test runs, and Li Jing'an naturally had to be present at such an important moment. He nodded to Xiao Ma, who immediately waved to a car in the distance, and the car slowly drove over.

The factory area was too large, and the test site was located at the very edge of the factory, quite far from the office building. There was a large open space there, usually used to store scrap materials, but it had been cleared out today to serve as a test track. When Li Jing'an arrived by car, the entire special production team was already waiting there obediently, craning their necks, indicating that they had been waiting for quite some time. Two tables and a few chairs had been set up in the open space, forming a makeshift platform.

Li Jing'an got out of the car, straightened his collar, and shook hands with each member of the special team.

Upon reaching the first person, Xiao Ma immediately stepped forward to introduce, "Director Li, this is Master Wang, the deputy leader selected by our special team. He not only manages and coordinates production tasks but also personally participates in the manufacture of core components. He's a key player in this project. He's contributed a great deal to this mission."

Li Jing'an, with a friendly expression, extended his hand and said, "Deputy Team Leader Wang, thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all, Director Li, I...I..." Deputy Team Leader Wang was so excited that his face was flushed and he could barely speak. He gripped Li Jing'an's hand tightly and shook it twice. His lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with overwhelming gratitude. He didn't know how to express his feelings.

Li Jing'an, as if he were used to this kind of situation, gently patted his hand and reassured him, "Don't get excited. Deputy Team Leader Wang, if this mission is successfully completed, don't worry, I won't forget you. This also demonstrates your leadership skills." He paused, then added with a chuckle, "At least you'd be more than qualified to be the director of the Revolutionary Committee in the workshop, right? Ah? Hahaha."

Xiao Ma nodded in agreement from behind. Deputy Team Leader Wang was so overwhelmed by this unexpected windfall that he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unable to utter a word for a long time, only nodding incessantly.

Xiao Ma, one of the group members behind, couldn't recall their names, so Deputy Group Leader Wang introduced them on his behalf. Li Jing'an shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each of them, maintaining a polite smile throughout.

When Li Jing'an reached Yi Zhonghai, he paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. But he quickly concealed it, his face showing no sign of surprise. After all, Yi Zhonghai was an eighth-grade worker, which was quite normal in this group. Yi Zhonghai didn't show anything either, shaking hands and nodding like the others.