Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

I had originally planned to wait for them at the gate of the compound. Since I was lucky enough to run into them, I decided not to dawdle and followed them.

"Alright! Let's wait for Director Li's instructions!"

Li Hu and the others quickly packed up and followed behind.

Three people went.

Director Li said they were just a bunch of thugs, three would be enough. Besides, they had weapons. The others should stay at the factory, just in case.

I followed Jia Dongxu into the alley.

Beijing's hutongs are winding and labyrinthine. Some are wide enough for a car to pass, while others are so narrow that two people can barely walk side by side. Piles of honeycomb briquettes and frozen cabbages lie against the walls. The snow hasn't been completely swept away, making a crunching sound when you step on it.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu was furious.

He wanted to find Lai Liu and get to the bottom of things—how come Li Jianguo was still doing well after taking his money?

Do you think someone who takes money and doesn't do anything will be able to survive in this area in the future?

Deep in the alley, there is a gambling den that is quite discreet.

A cotton curtain hung by the door, its corners worn smooth and shiny. From inside came shouts and curses.

Jia Dongxu lifted the curtain and went inside.

Lai Liu was gambling with some friends when he saw Jia Dongxu. He paused for a moment before realizing who he was.

"Lai Liu, you come out here!"

Jia Dongxu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his tone was extremely aggressive, calling Lai Liu as if he were calling him his grandson.

There were other people in the gambling den, all of whom were with Lai Liu.

Hearing the noise, they burst into laughter.

"Sixth Master, who is this? Shouting at you like that. Is it that Sixth Master can't afford to offend him? He doesn't seem like it—maybe Sixth Master is no longer capable?"

"Go to hell, you old scarred guy. I'm the boss here. This guy's just a blind bastard."

Lai Liu, a cigarette dangling from his lips, the ash already quite long and about to fall off, strolled over with a nonchalant air, his leather shoes scraping loudly on the cement floor.

Upon reaching Jia Dongxu, without saying a word, he raised his hand and slapped him.

It's on my forehead.

Someone like Jia Dongxu is only good at beating Qin Huairu at home. Against someone like Lai Liu, who's rolled around on the streets, he's just a pushover.

The slap sent him staggering, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"Haha, that won't work!"

"Is this a woman? She looks so weak. Sixth Master, you can't bully the weak."

"Go to hell!"

Lai Liu turned around, laughed and cursed, then turned back.

"This guy's a coward. He's got no sense and dares to act so arrogantly in front of me—he needs to be taught a lesson."

Before he could even stand up straight, Jia Dongxu kicked the man out the door.

The cotton curtain was flung open, and a gust of cold wind rushed in.

"Hey guys, save me a seat. I'll come back and continue after I've finished disciplining my grandson."

The door closed.

Lai Liu coldly stared at Jia Dongxu on the ground.

Jia Dongxu struggled to get up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, his frozen red fingers digging into the cracks between the bricks.

"Lai Liu, you took my money—"

He wanted to stand firm and ask questions.

I got hit on the face again.

People stepped back.

He was so angry that he was trembling all over, and he clenched his fists as if to hit someone.

"You son of a bitch, I'm going to—"

"Who are you calling 'I'?"

Lai Liu went up and kicked the man down.

He kicked him all the way from inside the yard to outside.

Jia Dongxu can't beat him.

He simply sat on the ground and started howling at the top of his lungs.

"You took my money! Li Jianguo is still perfectly fine! You took the money and didn't do your job. Do you even want to live on the streets anymore?"

It would have been better if he hadn't brought it up.

The mere mention of it immediately conjured up the image of Li Jianguo's gaze in Lai Liu's mind—that day, the way that man looked at him, as if he were already dead. It was as cold as ice shards in the twelfth lunar month, seeping into his very bones.

He couldn't help but shudder.

Looking at Jia Dongxu again, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"You're not being honest, you bastard."

He was so angry his liver trembled.

"A hundred bucks, and you want me to kill Director Li? Who the hell do you take me for!"

He cursed as he beat the opponent mercilessly. His fists rained down, targeting the thickest parts of her flesh—killing her was troublesome, but inflicting pain was what mattered.

Jia Dongxu was beaten so badly he rolled on the ground, begging for mercy repeatedly.

"Do you think I can kill someone like that? You almost killed me! If I don't cripple you today, I'm not Lai Liu!"

Jia Dongxu was so frightened that he couldn't utter a single word and could only beg for mercy.

From a distance, Li Hu and his group were furious.

"Director Li, don't worry!" Li Hu lowered his voice, his hand already on his baton. "We'll take those two bastards down right now! How dare they lay a hand on Director Li—do they think our security department is inanimate? Hiring someone to kill someone, bah!"

"Don't rush."

Li Jianguo stopped the person.

"Director Li, you can't be so patient!"

"Exactly," another said, their face flushed red. "We can't let this kind of person get away with it. What would happen if we did?"

"Let them fight like dogs for a while."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu immediately calmed down. He also became bolder and winked at Li Jianguo.

"Director Li, that's quite a clever move."

A few people hid in a corner, watching the show.

Behind the corner, the wind was howling, but no one felt cold.

"Ouch, that 'monkey stealing peach' move looks painful!" Li Hu clutched his crotch, grimacing.

"No, no. That punch should have been aimed at his waist. If it had landed squarely on his kidneys, it would have made him urinate blood for half a month."

"You don't know anything. Getting into trouble there is a real problem. You have to hit the flesh; it hurts but doesn't leave any scars."

……

A few people gathered together, each offering their own commentary on Lai Liu's skills. They were clearly gloating.

Li Jianguo watched from the sidelines, thoroughly amused. He would occasionally chime in with a few words.

The two had almost finished fighting.

Jia Dongxu was lying motionless on the ground, only groaning.

Lai Liu was also exhausted, panting with his hands on his hips, muttering curses under his breath.

"Let's do it."

At a command, several men rushed out.

"stop!"

With a loud shout, the two who were locked in a fierce fight were terrified out of their wits.

Especially Jia Dongxu, whose heart jumped into his throat the moment he saw Li Jianguo's face. His eyes looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Ignoring the pain all over his body, he got up and ran.

His leg was limping, and he staggered when he ran.

Lai Liu tried to run, but before he could, he was pinned to the ground. His face was pressed against the ground, and the cold made him shiver.

"I'll go after them!"

Li Hu uttered a single sentence and vanished without a trace. His shoes slipped on the snow, nearly causing him to fall, but he steadied himself and continued the chase.

"Li Jianguo, you're breaking the rules!"

Lai Liu recognized the person who had grabbed him and started shouting at the top of his lungs. The veins on his neck were bulging.

"Behave yourself."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a security guard slapped him to the ground.

With a crisp snap, a sharp sound.

Lai Liu glared fiercely at Li Jianguo.

Li Jianguo ignored him.

People like that living here are a menace. He's doing this to rid the people of a scourge.

Another person came out of the casino.

"Lai Liu, are you done yet? Are you fucking coming back or not? Can't you handle losing?"

The moment the person peeked out, the security guard on lookout pressed a gun against the corner of the wall.

The man raised his hand, his legs trembling.

That's when they discovered it was actually a casino.

There aren't enough people. We can't hold them all down at once.

Li Jianguo told everyone to retreat a bit and wait until Jia Dongxu was caught before reporting the case to Chief Zhang. The goal was to apprehend them all, leaving no one alive.

Li Hu chased after Jia Dongxu.

Jia Dongxu ran like a stray dog, looking back as he ran, not paying attention to what was ahead.

We're almost at the intersection.

Suddenly, a large delivery truck came rushing towards them.

The screeching sound of brakes—screech—

"Be careful!"

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Dongxu had already been knocked flying.

He flipped over in the air and fell three or four meters away. When he landed, his head hit the curb with a dull thud.