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

The smoke swirled slowly in the office, gradually dissipating, while the sunlight still slanted in, casting dappled shadows on the polished floor.

Li Jing'an slowly opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the wisps of smoke, quietly settling on Zhou Yufei standing not far away. He stared at her for a full ten seconds, his eyes deep, filled with scrutiny, possessiveness, and a hint of barely perceptible infatuation.

Suddenly, he chuckled softly.

The smile was very faint, almost invisible, yet it carried a sense of certainty and composure, like a hunter watching his prey fall into his trap, without any surprise, only the satisfaction of long-awaited fulfillment.

He slowly stood up, his hands behind his back, and walked leisurely around the large desk, step by step, towards Zhou Yufei. His leather shoes clicked crisply and rhythmically on the floor; each step felt like it was pounding on Zhou Yufei's heart, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.

The distance between them grew closer and closer, until they could clearly smell the faint scent of tobacco on him.

Li Jing'an stopped and stood in front of her, bowing slightly to look at her lowered head. He slowly raised his right hand, his long, slender fingers carrying a cool temperature, and gently reached towards her chin, wanting to gently lift her head so that she would look at him.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch her skin, Zhou Yufei suddenly turned her head away, her movements filled with extreme resistance and humiliation. Her cheeks were pressed tightly against his shoulder, and tears silently slid down, splashing onto her clothes and spreading out a cold, wet stain.

Li Jing'an didn't care or get angry. He simply withdrew his hand gently, his smile deepening. He looked at her, his voice low and slow, as if he were telling a secret he had kept buried in his heart for many years, a secret no one knew. His voice was gentle.

"Actually, I noticed you a long time ago, ever since that dance at the factory."

That night, everyone was wearing gray, black, and blue work clothes, plain, dull, and lifeless. Only you were wearing a red dress, not that bright red, but a gentle, clean red, like the warm sun. You stood on the dance floor, gently twirling to the music, with a faint smile on your face, your eyes shining like stars. Among the crowd, you stood out so much, so dazzling, that you immediately caught my eye and I couldn't look away.

He paused, his gaze growing even more intense, settling directly on her, making no attempt to conceal his possessiveness: "I stood in the corner, watching you dance with your arms around Chen Qing's neck, watching you laugh, watching you spin. At that moment, I secretly swore in my heart that I must have this woman, no matter what method I use, no matter what price I have to pay, you can only be mine."

Zhou Yufei trembled violently, abruptly raising her head. Her eyes were filled with disgust and anger as she looked at Li Jing'an, her voice trembling: "Li Jing'an! You're heartless! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Li Jing'an chuckled softly, a deep laugh tinged with arrogance, disdain, and contempt for so-called divine retribution. He leaned forward slightly, close to her ear, his voice as soft as a whisper, yet carrying a chilling certainty: "Retribution? I've never been afraid."

"In this world, so-called retribution is nothing more than an excuse used by the weak to comfort themselves. If a person is strong enough, has enough power, enough connections, and a stable position, and can control the fate of others and decide their life and death, then so-called retribution will never fall on their head."

"Just like now, Chen Qing is being held in the police station, his future ruined. All I have to do is pick up the phone on my desk, dial a number, and say hello to the police station, and he can be released immediately, come out safely, as if nothing ever happened. Repatriation, punishment, notification, dismissal—all of it can be wiped clean, can all be reduced to nothing."

He straightened up, took a step back, and looked at her again, his eyes calm but carrying an undeniable pressure: "So, Chen Qing's future and destiny are entirely in your hands. As for what to do, that's your choice."

After saying that, he stopped looking at her, turned around and walked straight to the sofa in the middle of the office. He slowly sat down, reached for a cigarette on the table, lit one, leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and looked relaxed and unhurried, quietly waiting for her decision.

He knew she had no choice.

Zhou Yufei stood rooted to the spot, her body ice-cold. Tears streamed down her face like broken beads, shattering on the cold floor. She stared at Li Jing'an's leisurely back, at the gleaming photo frame behind him, at the man who held her husband's fate in his hands, her heart filled with despair and humiliation.

She knew she had no way out.

For Chen Qing's sake, for the sake of this family, she had no choice but to compromise and accept this dirty deal that came at the cost of her dignity.

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, her voice barely audible, broken and trembling: "I... what should I do?"

Li Jing'an didn't open his eyes, still leaning against the sofa, his tone flat, as if he were giving a trivial instruction, yet it carried an unyielding command: "Go and lock the door first."

Zhou Yufei turned around stiffly, and slowly moved to the office door, step by step, as if walking on a knife's edge. She reached out her trembling hand, grasped the cold metal latch, and pushed it down hard. With a soft "click," the door was firmly locked, completely cutting off the outside world and locking her dignity inside this small office.

"Come here and stand in front of me," Li Jing'an's voice rang out again, calm and undisturbed.

Zhou Yufei lowered her head, her steps heavy, and slowly walked to the sofa. She stopped a few steps away from him, her whole body tense, like a string about to break, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Li Jing'an slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on her, slowly scanning her from head to toe. His eyes were focused and infatuated, filled with admiration, possessiveness, and undisguised desire. He spoke, his tone still calm: "Take off your clothes."

Zhou Yufei's body stiffened abruptly, her face turning deathly pale, all color draining from her skin. It was a late autumn afternoon, the temperature already quite low. A chilly wind seeped in through the window cracks, biting cold and stinging her skin like a knife.

She stood in the sunlight, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes tightly until her knuckles turned white. Her body trembled uncontrollably, whether from the cold or from extreme fear and humiliation, it was hard to tell.

Every movement felt like slowly torturing my soul, like tearing apart my last shred of dignity.

She slowly raised her trembling hand, unbuttoned her coat, took off her old coat, and gently placed it at her feet. Then came her undershirt, her close-fitting underwear, which slowly fell off one by one and piled up on the cold floor.

The cold air instantly enveloped her entire body. She instinctively hugged her arms, curled up, her shoulders hunched slightly, and her whole body trembled even more violently.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the window, falling precisely on her, soft, bright, clean, and holy, like a faint halo enveloping her. Li Jing watched quietly, his gaze rapt and focused, as if admiring an angel from a Western oil painting—pure, beautiful, and inviolable, yet inspiring in him a desire to possess and destroy.

He slowly stood up, tossed aside the cigarette in his hand, and walked step by step to her. He reached out his hands, gently cupped her tear-streaked face, and tenderly and slowly wiped away the hot, desperate tears with his fingertips. His movements were gentle, and his tone was full of satisfied sighs: "So beautiful, exactly like you at the ball that day, absolutely gorgeous."

Zhou Yufei kept her eyes tightly closed, her lips trembling, but she couldn't make a sound. Only tears streamed down her face silently, landing on the back of his hand, hot and cold.

"Come here." Li Jing'an lowered his head slightly, leaned close to her ear, and said in a deep and gentle voice with a seductive power, "Hold my neck, just like you held Chen Qing that day at the ball, hold me tightly."

"Let's dance, just like that day."

Zhou Yufei remained motionless, her body stiff as a cold stone, every nerve in her body resisting, every ounce of her dignity crying out. But she knew she couldn't refuse, nor did she have the right to refuse.

After a long, long time, she slowly raised her arm, which trembled violently and her fingertips were icy cold. Slowly, slowly, she gently wrapped her arms around Li Jing'an's neck, her fingertips tightly gripping his collar, neither daring to exert force nor to relax.

A smile of ultimate enjoyment appeared on Li Jing'an's lips. He slowly closed his eyes, one hand firmly around her waist, the other gently supporting her back. He moved his feet slowly, stepping to a gentle rhythm, and began to slowly rotate in the center of the office.

He was humming a vague, soothing, and unknown old tune, which echoed slowly in the quiet office.

The two embraced tightly, and in the sunlight, they slowly spun, spun, and spun endlessly.

The sunlight outside the window fell right on them, like the most dazzling spotlight on a stage.

Zhou Yufei kept her head down, tears falling silently, one drop at a time, onto the floor, onto Li Jing'an's clothes, shattering all her hopes and dreams.

Li Jing'an closed his eyes, his expression one of intoxication, satisfaction, and contentment, as if embracing the most precious treasure in the world and enjoying this long-awaited dance that belonged only to him.

Spin, spin, keep spinning.