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

In the guesthouse's duty room, Li Jing'an publicly announced the factory's disciplinary decision against Qin Huairu and her team.

"A factory-wide reprimand will be issued, and each member of the work team will be fined five yuan. Qin Huairu, as the team leader, will be fined ten yuan."

Seeing the mournful expressions on the faces of the people in front of him, Li Jing'an simply snorted coldly.

The factory only gave him a verbal reprimand, telling him to strengthen management in the future—after all, he has connections and influence, and no one wants to really offend him.

But he was very angry at the moment, and it wasn't about the matter at all.

This matter had little to do with him; what truly enraged him was the sudden demand from the supervisory office to audit the guesthouse's accounts.

Without a doubt, it's Xie Huiqian, the new guy.

Li Jing'an wasn't afraid of being audited, but Xie Hui's actions clearly showed that he didn't respect him and was deliberately provoking him.

If we don't fight back today, the whole factory will start to think of Li Jing'an as a pushover, someone anyone can take advantage of.

His face darkened, and he said to Qin Huairu, "Come with me to the office on the third floor."

Qin Huairu followed behind with a distressed expression.

What upset her wasn't just the ten-yuan fine, but the fact that after this incident, she knew she would definitely miss out on the next performance review and raise.

Upon entering the office, Li Jing'an asked directly, "Yesterday I told you to find Yi Zhonghai and have him put in a good word for you. Did you go?"

Qin Huairu lowered her head and said, "I went. Uncle Yi accompanied me to see Inspector Xie. But Xie Hui said that if this matter caused any bad consequences for our family, he could apologize to me, but he still did not regret what he did and insisted on handling it impartially. Uncle Yi couldn't do anything about it, after all, Xie Hui's actions were indeed impeccable."

Li Jing'an cursed inwardly:

Yi Zhonghai, that old man without a son, is truly useless.

All they can do is spout grand principles; they can't even apply moral blackmail or mobilize the entire hospital to exert pressure. They're utterly useless.

Suppressing his anger, he said to Qin Huairu, "Go to the cafeteria later and find Shazhu. Tell him everything."

Qin Huairu looked puzzled: "Find Sha Zhu? What help can he possibly offer?"

"He can't help with anything important," Li Jing'an said calmly, "but he can teach Xie Hui a lesson."

Qin Huairu immediately hesitated: "Inspector Xie is a cadre. What if Sha Zhu does something reckless and really offends him?"

Li Jing'an glanced at her sideways, his tone tinged with amusement: "What, feeling sorry for Sha Zhu? Are you two having an affair?"

Qin Huairu's face paled, and she quickly waved her hands to explain, "No, no, Brother Jing'an, please don't misunderstand. Sha Zhu has always helped our family. Wouldn't it be repaying kindness with enmity if I did this?"

"Oh ho." Li Jing'an drawled, "Qin Huairu, you two are really loyal and devoted, aren't you? Now you're not even listening to me?"

Qin Huairu hurriedly shook her head: "No, I didn't."

Li Jing'an stared at her, his tone turning serious: "Stop talking nonsense. Do what I tell you to do. If you don't obey, I don't mind transferring you back to the workshop."

Qin Huairu shuddered and whispered, "I understand, I'll do as you say."

Li Jing'an was satisfied then, and added, "Don't forget to cry then, play the victim."

Qin Huairu left, looking utterly dejected.

Li Jing'an leaned back in his chair and muttered to himself, "Let Sha Zhu teach you a lesson first, Xie Hui."

After leaving get off work early, Li Jing'an went to a state-run restaurant not far from the steel rolling mill.

Pushing open the door to the private room, Li Huaide from logistics, Director Wang from the production office, Section Chief Gou from the security department, and Section Chief Zhang from the personnel department were already there.

As Li Jing'an entered, he asked in confusion, "Brother Li, why didn't you eat in the cafeteria? Why were you specially arranged to eat here?"

He had barely sat down when Section Chief Zhang spoke up first: "Aren't they cracking down hard these past few days? Didn't you just get criticized too? There are too many people and too many eyes in the cafeteria."

Li Jing'an feigned surprise: "Was it Xie Hui who caused this?"

"That's him, isn't it?" Section Chief Zhang said with a displeased look. "This kid just popped up out of nowhere. He's caused a ruckus since he came to the factory, and he has to meddle in everything."

Director Wang chimed in, "He also went to our production workshop, finding fault with everything: violations of operating procedures, passive resistance, waste of materials. There's really no place he can't manage."

Section Chief Gou snorted, "He didn't even spare our security section."

At this moment, Li Huaide waved his hand and slowly said, "You can't say that. He's an official in the inspection office, and factory affairs are indeed under their jurisdiction. It's just that this young man is too impetuous and impatient, and doesn't understand the difficulties of each department. Once he gets to know everyone better, we can invite him for a couple of drinks, and he'll be fine."

Section Chief Gou, standing to the side, protested, "Director Li, you're being too polite to him. You even invited him for drinks? I'm being lenient by not having anyone teach him a lesson."

Li Huaide immediately reached out and pressed down, his voice very low: "Xiao Gou, don't talk nonsense. This Xiao Xie also has connections."

The group of people stopped what they were doing and all looked at Li Huaide.

Li Huaide glanced at the doorway before continuing, "I received information that Xie Hui's father is the deputy commander of the army."

Li Jing'an frowned: "The military can't control the local areas, can they?"

"His father can't interfere," Li Huaide nodded, "but his girlfriend's father is a key leader in the municipal party committee. Their two fathers were brothers who risked their lives on the battlefield."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an's heart sank:

This is bad, this is troublesome.

The original plan has to be changed.

—At the same time, at the entrance of the courtyard house.

Sha Zhu stood with his hands on his hips in the front gate, impatiently tapping his toes one by one. He stood there, his voice so loud that it could be heard halfway down the alley.

He wasn't there to cause trouble; he was just waiting for Xie Hui, who lived in the front yard. But he had only been standing there for two minutes when he bumped into Xu Damao, who was pushing a cart past.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred, and the two started arguing within three sentences.

"Hey Xu Damao, you're always loafing around, full of bad ideas. I can tell what you're up to the moment you stick your butt out!" Sha Zhu glanced at him sideways, his tone full of disdain, his lips curled up so much that an oil bottle could hang from them.

Xu Damao wasn't one to be trifled with either. He immediately parked his car, stiffened his neck, and retorted, "Hey, you idiot Zhu! Stop spouting nonsense! What did I do to you? Why are you insulting me for no reason? Explain yourself clearly if you dare!"

"Explain yourself?" Sha Zhu took a step forward, glaring down at him. "Do I need to explain? Everyone in the compound knows what you're up to. All you do is sow discord and spread rumors. Living in the same compound as someone like you is bad luck!"

"I'm sowing discord?" Xu Damao's face flushed red with anger, and his voice rose several decibels. "Don't try to pin this on me! I think you're the one with a guilty conscience, always meddling in other people's business, your meddling is wider than the Pacific Ocean!"

Soon, a group of residents gathered around to watch the spectacle. Some were eating from enamel bowls, some were holding their children and trying to put them to sleep, and others had just returned with grocery baskets. They all crowded at the doorway, watching the two argue with great interest.

"See, see, you're getting impatient again, aren't you?" Sha Zhu sneered, deliberately trying to provoke him. "Did I hit a nerve? Xu Damao, let me tell you, don't think you're something special just because you've shown a couple of movies. To me, you're nothing!"

The two argued back and forth, their faces flushed and spittle flying, neither willing to give in. The neighbors watched with great interest; some chuckled secretly, others whispered words of advice, but everyone knew that these two were old rivals in the neighborhood, and they couldn't stand not arguing for a day.

Sha Zhu was focused on waiting for Xie Hui and was already impatient. Xu Damao's interference only fueled his anger, and he shouted louder and louder, on the verge of shoving Xie Hui.

Just as the argument was reaching its peak, a bicycle bell rang crisply at the door.