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

That evening, in a private room at the guesthouse.

"minister!"

"minister!"

As soon as Li Jing'an entered, seven or eight people stood up. They were all heads of key factories under the Ministry of Metallurgy in the Beijing area.

There was a meeting today, so we got together afterwards to eat, drink, and catch up.

Li Jing'an is increasingly enjoying these kinds of occasions, mainly because everyone speaks so pleasantly. He's been hosting parties at the guesthouse every few days, and all the guests are his subordinates.

It only tastes good when you eat with your subordinates. If you eat with your peers or superiors, who will flatter them?

Looking back, he used to hate these kinds of occasions, but now the tables have turned. He knew in his heart that it was all because of power; now it was his turn to be in charge.

The meal went well, both host and guests—at least the host seemed quite happy, though he didn't care whether the guests were. Amidst the compliments of the crowd, the dinner finally ended, much to his reluctance.

This is practically poison. Li Jing'an felt himself becoming increasingly intoxicated. Now, he not only enjoys organizing dinner parties, but also likes going to the grassroots level for inspections.

Every time he arrived at the noodle factory, seeing the welcoming crowds and witnessing his confident and skillful performance in an unfamiliar field, with the technical staff bowing and scraping attentively, writing and drawing furiously in their notebooks, and displaying expressions of sudden enlightenment, he felt—this feeling was truly wonderful.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. When the wind first picked up, he had planned to rely on Zhang Qiuqiao's influence to fight against Wang Moumou. But after thinking it over, he decided to keep a low profile, since that would be too close to the unspeakable, and it wouldn't be fun if he climbed over the internet cable.

Looking back now, I feel a bit regretful. If I had really been determined to challenge that guy surnamed Wang back then, maybe he would be in that position now. If it were him, could he have succeeded?

It's a pity. There's no going back in life, and Li Jing'an can only accept his fate, after all, he chose this path himself.

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.

Just as Li Jing'an was about to go upstairs to rest, Lao Huang hurried over to report: "Minister, Master Yi Zhonghai is here again. He's been waiting and wants to see you."

Li Jing'an frowned, his tone full of impatience: "Why is he here again? He's like a piece of chewing gum, once you step on him, you can't get rid of him."

Yi Zhonghai retired a few years ago, but he only enjoyed a period of glory for two or three years, as he had reached the age limit. He wasn't a cadre; he had always been a worker, and he had to retire when he reached retirement age.

I thought he'd finally settled down after retiring, but little did I know he was still obsessed with his position and never truly resigned himself to his fate. Every few days, he'd come to see Li Jing'an, first begging the factory to rehire him, but Li Jing'an wouldn't budge, offering a plausible reason—Master Yi had worked hard for many years, making significant contributions to the factory and the revolution, and should be allowed to enjoy his retirement. He'd only been quiet for two years, so why was he back at it again?

"Tell him I'm busy and not to bother me again." Li Jing'an waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.

Old Huang turned to leave, but Li Jing'an called him back: "Old Huang, go and call Qin Jingru over, I need to ask her something."

Since Qin Jingru gave birth, Li Jing'an arranged for her to work as a purchasing agent at the guesthouse—a lucrative job, which could be considered compensation for her.

Not long after, Qin Jingru, who was on night shift, arrived. Li Jing'an told her about Yi Zhonghai's situation, and Qin Jingru revealed everything she knew.

It turns out that Yi Zhonghai rushed to the door this time because he wanted to use Li Jing'an's connections to see if he could get Bang Geng into the factory so that Bang Geng could return to the city and go home as soon as possible, thereby easing his relationship with Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu.

Back when Yi Zhonghai was still alive, Qin Huairu had asked him for help. He then turned to Li Jing'an, but was flatly refused. That's when Bang Geng went to the countryside, just like in the TV series.

At the time, Yi Zhonghai still considered himself a leader, so what if he didn't help? But he retired not long after, and life after retirement wasn't easy—during his years working in the personnel and special investigation teams at the steel rolling mill, he had criticized many people and offended many others. After retirement, many people took the opportunity to retaliate. During that period, he frequently visited Li Jing'an, ultimately for self-preservation.

But this time, he was destined to be disappointed. Yi Zhonghai was no longer of any value to Li Jing'an, and Li Jing'an would not offer any help.

He instructed Qin Jingru: "Jingru, when you get back to the hospital, tell Yi Zhonghai directly that it was me who said this, and make him give up on that idea. He doesn't have children, so he can only take the place of his own child. How can he give up his position to an outsider? Tell him to stay home and retire peacefully, and not to meddle in other people's business."

"I understand, Brother Li. I'll talk to him when I get back," Qin Jingru replied, then hesitated, "But I'm afraid he won't listen right now—he's a bit obsessed. Aunt Yi is gone, and he's all alone, relying entirely on Sha Zhu and my sister. But Sha Zhu has a lot of complaints about what he did in the special task force, and even my sister's advice is useless. He's clinging to this as his lifeline now. I'm afraid he won't give up and will bother you again."

"Heh, it's nothing." Li Jing'an sneered. "I'm giving him face, considering he contributed to the factory back then. Otherwise, I would have arrested him long ago. Just tell him. I'll let him think about his own worth; he's a smart man."

He paused, then changed his tone: "By the way, how's work these days? Is everything alright at home?"

"Hey, Brother Li, the job is great." Qin Jingru smiled. "You transferred me to the guesthouse's logistics and purchasing department, which is easy and free. My daughter is in elementary school now, so it's much less of a hassle. I come in a little late and leave a little early every day, and no one says anything—Director Huang turns a blind eye because of you."

"Oh, really? Haha, that's good." Li Jing'an nodded. "By the way, how's Da Mao? Is he doing well at the movie theater?"

"It's the same old story, showing movies, and getting a fixed salary. The advantage is stability, but he's not content with that. He keeps going on and on about how glorious he was when he was with you all those years." Qin Jingru sighed.

"Isn't it all his own fault? He's so useless! I gave him so many chances, and he didn't seize a single one." Li Jing'an said, exasperated. "By the way, how is he treating his daughter?"

"Oh, we spoil her rotten! She does whatever our daughter says. We take her around the yard all day, and she loves hanging around Sha Zhu. It's just that he keeps complaining about not having a boy." Qin Jingru said, then lowered her voice, a hint of melancholy in it. She wondered if it was because of his health, but after all these years with him, she hadn't conceived.

Li Jing'an looked up at Qin Jingru, who had shed her youthful naiveté and exuded the charm of a mature married woman. Suddenly, he stared at her and changed the subject: "Sure? How about this, I'll help him out sometime, okay?"

Qin Jingru was taken aback, her face suddenly turned red, and her eyes darted around nervously, as if afraid of being seen.

"What? You don't want to?" Li Jing'an pressed.

"no……"

"Aren't you going to thank me?"

"Thank you~"