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

"Old Zheng, do you think... we can stay?"

Chu Hanjiang's voice was extremely low, like a trembling sound squeezed out from between his teeth. He shivered and shrank into the shadows, his eyes darting around like a frightened quail, before finally fixing on the profile of the man beside him.

"Why not?" Zheng Wenjie's voice was cold and hard. "We'll go straight to the police station in a bit. I've found out there's one near the hotel. We'll just barge in, apply for political asylum, and we'll definitely be able to stay here." He paused, his tone becoming more ruthless. "I'm telling you, Lao Chu, at this point, you can't back down."

Chu Hanjiang swallowed hard, cold sweat trickling down his temples. "I'm just scared. What if they don't agree and won't let us stay? Then we're all finished..."

His future, his life and fortune, all hang on this thread.

Zheng Wenjie noticed the wavering in his tone and quickly tried to encourage him, more like bolstering his own courage: "Old Chu, you can't let me down! Whether we can live like Europeans in the future depends on this. You saw it for yourself the other day!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice filled with an almost fanatical envy: "The assembly line workers in those machine factories, the lowest-level workers, earn three thousand Swiss francs a month! I've calculated it, that's five or six thousand yuan! And they can even afford private cars! What kind of life do you think they live? I don't want to go back to that kind of life! Why can't we, with our skills and education, live that kind of life!"

Zheng Wenjie gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot: "You know I was knocked down when things first started to get tough a few years ago. I was really scared... I worked my butt off, and I finally got this opportunity. I won't give it up!"

He abruptly turned his head, staring intently at Chu Hanjiang: "Of course, if you want to turn back, you can now. But think it through. There are only the two of us in the room. I've already come out. If you go back, I don't need to tell you what awaits you, do I?"

Chu Hanjiang froze.

Zheng Wenjie's words pierced his heart like a knife, each word carrying both threat and temptation.

"I'll risk it!" Chu Hanjiang shouted, his fingers clenched tightly, and he slammed his fist down hard.

At that moment, he completely forgot about his wife and children back in China.

-

The shadows of the trees at the hotel entrance were heavy.

Li Jing'an hid in the shadows behind the tree trunk, coldly watching the two people sneaking out of the hotel.

One was Zheng Wenjie from the National Commission for Discipline Inspection, and the other was Chu Hanjiang, an engineer from a design institute under the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry.

He had no idea what those two guys were doing out in the middle of the night. Nobody would give them permission to go out at night; they were completely disorganized and undisciplined.

Li Jing'an thought bitterly.

But the next second, he suddenly realized—they had no money.

If you have no money, what are you doing out in the middle of the night? You can't possibly be like him, trying to "connect" with the locals, right?

Li Jing'an's face suddenly darkened, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold glint flashed in his pupils.

Is he trying to defect?!

Holy crap! You two are trying to set me off?! If you run away, how am I supposed to get away with this?! I'll be in deep trouble when I get back!

That's fucking inconsiderate!

Li Jing'an's gaze grew colder and colder.

He watched as the two stealthily moved to the front door, and Zheng Wenjie began to look around anxiously, as if searching for something.

Just as they were still searching around, a faint voice sounded beside them:

"What are you two doing?"

Zheng Wenjie and Chu Hanjiang both shuddered and turned around abruptly—

Minister Li Jing'an of the Ministry of Metallurgy was standing behind them, staring at them with a half-smile.

Chu Hanjiang was so frightened that his legs went weak. If Zheng Wenjie hadn't grabbed him, he would have knelt down on the spot.

Zheng Wenjie's face turned ashen; he never expected that they had been targeted by the minister.

"What? Aren't you going to talk to me?" Li Jing'an paced closer, his tone growing colder with each step. "Coming out for a run this late at night, are you planning to exercise?"

"Minister, minister, minister... I, we..." Chu Hanjiang was so frightened that he could not speak properly and subconsciously tried to find an excuse.

Zheng Wenjie tugged at him, pushed him back, and took a step forward, deliberately straightening his body as if to instill some courage in himself.

He looked around and confirmed that Li Jing'an was the only one there. He breathed a slight sigh of relief and regained some confidence.

"Heh, Minister Li, you've come out too, haven't you?" Zheng Wenjie retorted coldly, not giving an inch.

"Of course I had to come out," Li Jing'an said with a forced smile. "Two of my team members sneaked out in the middle of the night, completely unfamiliar with the place. I have to be responsible for your safety. After all, I'm the team leader."

Zheng Wenjie retorted sharply, "It seems Minister Li understands what we're up to. I hope Minister Li will be kind enough to go all the way and pretend we didn't see us, okay?"

"That won't do." Li Jing'an said earnestly. "I can't just stand by and watch you walk into a pit of fire and live such a miserable life."

"Minister, where's the real trouble? Where's the real danger?" Zheng Wenjie's tone grew increasingly sharp. "Can you honestly say with your hand on your heart? We're out here, we have eyes, we can see what's really going on outside! Can't you just do us a good deed?"

"No." Li Jing'an's voice suddenly turned cold. "I must stop you. Don't forget, you are cadres trained by the country! The country has sacrificed so much for you, and you betray it after just one trip? Betraying the country, betraying the Party, betraying the people—who do you think you are to face?!"

"Minister Li, that's not very helpful," Zheng Wenjie said calmly. "I don't owe the country a single penny. Everything I have today is the result of my own hard work. Haven't you seen my file? I was just released from the May Seventh Cadre School two years ago. I don't want to live that inhuman life again."

Li Jing'an took a deep breath, his voice filled with hatred: "Comrade Zheng, don't be fooled by the facade of capitalism! Do you really understand them? They appear prosperous on the surface, but they're all slaves to money! They have no humanity whatsoever—are they even human? They're just walking corpses! What do people live for? For their beliefs, for their spirit! What's the point of living like that? All they talk about is money!"

As he finished speaking, recalling the money he was forced to pay that night, his anger almost overflowed.

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together." Zheng Wenjie sneered, no longer addressing him as "Minister" but calling him by his first name. "Li Jing'an, I don't know why you insist on stopping us. But you're too naive. We've already set off; do you think you can stop us?"

He had a confident expression on his face.

"Oh? Is that so?" Li Jing'an curled his lip, his tone becoming increasingly unfriendly. "Looks like you're very confident. I wonder what gave you that confidence to say something like that. Really... mischievous."

He quickened his pace and rushed to the two men in two strides.