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

Just as Li Jing'an placed his hand on the car door, preparing to go home after get off work, a strange voice suddenly came from behind him: "Director Li, do you have some time now? I'd like to talk to you."

Hearing the sound, Li Jing'an turned his head and saw a middle-aged man of about forty standing to one side of the office building entrance. The man was bowing and smiling broadly at him. Li Jing'an sized the man up and down, noticing he was wearing a steel rolling mill uniform, then closed the car door and put on a gentle smile again: "Sure. May I ask which workshop this gentleman is from? What can I do for you?"

"Director Li, I'm from the forging workshop, my surname is Xia." The middle-aged man rubbed his hands together, forcing a smile. "I've come to see you because of my daughter. I heard she offended you today, I'm so sorry!"

Li Jing'an's eyes widened, and the absurd scene he had encountered in the office immediately flashed through his mind. He blurted out, "Huh? That god who came to my office today..."

He abruptly stopped speaking, swallowing back the words "crazy," and instead asked, "That Xia Meiqin, is she your daughter?"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes! It's my daughter." Master Xia nodded repeatedly, his face full of shame, bowing and apologizing repeatedly. "I'm so sorry, Director Li, I never expected this to happen. If someone hadn't notified me, I wouldn't have known she went to your office and bothered you. She's my only daughter, and we've spoiled her rotten since she was little. I'm so sorry!"

Li Jing'an was speechless for a moment, cursing inwardly: "Damn it, how did you raise this spoiled daughter of yours? She went straight to the boss's office asking for a position, and even lifted her shirt to volunteer! Which boss could take that kind of provocation? If I weren't young, an older guy would have slapped her on the spot!"

Despite his inner grumbling, Li Jing'an cleared his throat and adopted a superior demeanor: "Master Xia, it's alright. Just have a good talk with Comrade Xia Meiqin when you get back, and tell her not to be so careless and reckless. After all, she's a girl, a recent graduate, and not yet mature. What if she makes a serious mistake in the future, or accidentally slips down? She was lucky to run into me today; if it had been another leader, who knows what might have happened?"

Li Jing'an didn't make his intentions clear. After all, he had only kicked her out that afternoon; he couldn't really lock Xia Meiqin up, could he? He certainly couldn't go around shouting, "Xia Meiqin barged into my office, lifted my clothes, and tried to slap me"—if that got out, the biggest joke wouldn't be about Xia Meiqin, but about him, Li Jing'an.

He still vividly remembers the scene when Xia Meiqin was carried away, still yelling at him to "think it over, I won't give up." Countless heads popped out from every office in the corridor to watch the spectacle, leaving him utterly exasperated. Being a director is damn tough; you encounter all sorts of weirdos, and he almost ruined his reputation in his later years.

"Director Li, please tell me what Meiqin did wrong, and I'll teach her a lesson tonight!" Master Xia hurriedly declared. "I'll bring her to my office tomorrow to apologize to you personally. Is that alright?"

Why are you still looking for me? Li Jing'an was startled by these words. He just wanted to get as far away from that "plague god" as possible. Looking at the sincere-looking middle-aged man in front of him, Li Jing'an pondered for a moment and decided that he should reveal the truth—it would be beneficial for both Xia Meiqin and himself.

"Master Xia, come, come, let's talk in private." Li Jing'an took two steps to the side, pulled Master Xia aside, and lowered his voice, "Since we've come this far, I'll be frank. Don't be upset after you hear it, don't blame me, and don't feel burdened."

"Please speak, I'm listening." Master Xia nodded repeatedly, indicating that he could handle it.

"Master Xia, I'll be frank then, please don't be angry." Li Jing'an stared at him, afraid he wouldn't be able to handle the shock. "This is what happened today: Comrade Meiqin barged into my office, saying she wanted to fight for the lead role in the dance troupe. It's good to be ambitious, but you have to be careful about your methods. She wants to use her body to get this position... Did you hear me clearly? She wants to use her body to get this position."

Master Xia was stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

Seeing this, Li Jing'an quickly tried to calm her down, saying, "Master Xia, please calm down. I don't think this is entirely Meiqin's fault. It's very likely that your family spoiled her too much since she was little, which led to her being so tactless and carefree. Think about it, it's lucky she met me today. If it had been someone else, wouldn't Meiqin have ruined her whole life? This one wrong step will lead to endless regret!"

He paused, then continued earnestly, "I hope you can go home and carefully guide her. Girls must love and be independent; they can't always be thinking about taking shortcuts. Even if outsiders don't know, how can you, as parents, get over this hurdle in your hearts? Tell me, if I hadn't stopped her today, how would she live her life? How would your family cope?"

Seeing Master Xia standing there blankly, motionless, Li Jing'an assumed that the father had lost his composure due to his daughter's behavior, so he reached out and patted his shoulder to comfort him.

To everyone's surprise, the slap brought Master Xia back to his senses. He composed himself, stared intently at Li Jing'an, and his first words were:

"Director Li, how about... you give Mikoto a chance?"

"Huh?!" Li Jing'an's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, his face full of astonishment, he simply couldn't believe his ears.

"Director Li, Meiqin genuinely loves dancing. She's doing this to prove her determination to you." Master Xia rubbed his hands together, looking at him expectantly. "Why don't you do her a favor and grant her wish?"

……

In the car heading to the Ministry of Metallurgical's residential compound, Li Jing'an slumped in the back seat, his face so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water.

He felt that everything that had just happened was utterly absurd. He had been patiently explaining things to that man surnamed Xia, trying to reason with him and impart his values, but he never expected that the man's final intention would be for him to take Xia Meiqin as his concubine.

Damn, this whole family is insane!

He's only a few years older than me, yet he wants to be my "dad"?