An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

In fact, Wu Zhong had long seen through Jiang Baowu's true nature—he was all show and no substance, and utterly incapable of shouldering any responsibility.

Unfortunately, his beloved daughter was bewitched and fell for his good looks.

He only has one daughter, who has been spoiled since childhood and he has no way to deal with her.

How could a young lady understand that even the most beautiful appearance becomes tiresome after a few years?

What men compete on is whether they have real skills and whether they can bring real money home.

Under the heavy pressure of life, all the romance and sweet nothings end up only as a wry smile.

As soon as the matter came to light, Jiang Baowu was immediately exposed.

So dull-witted, yet he dares to dream of a career in government? He wouldn't even realize he's been sold out.

Indeed, Jiang Baowu, who had initially felt quite confident, had now lost his composure:

"Dad, could Director Zhao really have taken a liking to my sister?"

"That's easy." Wu Zhong felt resentful, but his face remained impassive.

"Why don't you just test him? Don't tell me you don't even know how to test Zhao Zhibang?"

Jiang Baowu, distracted, said, "No, Dad, I can, I can do this."

Wu Zhong waited for a while, and seeing that he still hadn't left, he asked with slight impatience:

"What? Is there something else?"

Jiang Baowu, steeling himself, asked, "Dad, Director Zhao, what do you think I should do about this?"

Wu Zhong remained silent at this question, not because he didn't know how to answer, but because he disdained to.

To say I'm not angry would be a lie.

There's an old saying that you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog. Zhao Zhibang's bullying of Jiang Baowu shows that he doesn't respect his father-in-law at all.

But what can we do? We don't have as much power or as high a position as them, unless we fight to the death.

However, Zhao Zhibang was certain that he wouldn't do that, which is why he was so aggressive.

The key issue lies with Jiang Baowu; if only he had a stronger will and some resources...

It doesn't have to be this frustrating!

Even though his father-in-law ignored him, Jiang Baowu had to keep talking.

In his view, this was his lifeline; if he couldn't grasp it, he would be finished.

"But Director Zhao is over forty, as far as I know."

"His wife is still alive, and he has already married four concubines."

"His eldest son is the same age as me, this is just too mismatched..."

Wu Zhong listened patiently—at this moment, he couldn't appear too cold; the kid was clearly panicking.

That cowardly bastard has absolutely no courage to stand up to Zhao Zhibang, so he's just wasting his time.

After rambling on and on, Jiang Baowu looked at Wu Zhong with a pleading expression:

"Dad, could you talk to Director Zhao and ask him not to..."

Wu Zhong interrupted him without hesitation:

"Do you think Zhao Zhibang didn't consider my perspective? But he still did it!"

"If you still have a brain, think about it carefully, and you'll understand!"

That was a rather harsh statement. Wu Zhong's implication was that Zhao Zhibang was confident of victory.

What will happen to me if I'm foolish enough to stick my neck out?

It's not enough that your Chiang family has already lost face; do you want to drag me down with you too?

Jiang Baowu hesitated for a long time before stammering, "Then, Dad, could you find a way to transfer me to another branch office?"

Then, she cried and said, "I really can't explain this to my family. My little sister isn't even fifteen yet."

"But if I don't agree, Director Zhao will definitely not let me off the hook!"

Wu Zhong had no choice but to patiently explain to him: "Of course it can be adjusted."

"Although Zhao Zhibang is a prominent figure, the police station is not a monolithic entity."

"But you need to think this through, especially given that Zhao Zhibang is deliberately making things difficult for you."

"Transferring jobs costs a lot of money. Do you have the money?"

"I..." Jiang Baowu suddenly stammered.

Wu Zhong sneered inwardly: If they are truly willing to help, I certainly have a way.

But as I said before, is it worth using so many resources just to save face for a good-for-nothing son-in-law?

In the end, what benefits will I gain?

Conversely, what if this guy's sister really became Zhao Zhibang's concubine?

He'll inevitably reap some benefits as well.

Whether it's a promotion or a fortune, won't his daughter benefit in the end?

Everyone looks out for themselves! When it really matters, of course, people will side with their own people.

As for his sister, haha, she's not my daughter, so what does it matter to me whether she lives or dies?

Having failed to get the desired result from Wu Zhong, Jiang Baowu left dejectedly.

He couldn't tell anyone about this frustrating situation, so he had to keep it to himself.

Subsequently, he lived in dire straits:

First, he mustered his courage and tested Zhao Zhibang's true intentions.

Seeing that he finally understood, Zhao Zhibang immediately changed his attitude.

He was kind and amiable and took good care of him, so he was given a lucrative job that very day.

However, three days passed, and Jiang Baowu still hadn't taken any further action.

Zhao Zhibang reverted to his old ways and relentlessly suppressed him.

Jiang Baowu was never a responsible person; he was the type to back down at the first sign of trouble.

When his delaying tactics failed, he ran back to his parents' house for help.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were immediately at a loss upon hearing this.

For a high-ranking police chief to deal with a small fry like his own family is like a tiger eating a bean sprout—a piece of cake.

Jiang Baobin has been busy with the company's sale these days.

Because we need to answer calls from all over the country and receive businesspeople who come to our door for business negotiations.

As a "laborer," he was often forced to do errands by Rose or Elizabeth—to be their driver.

He was so busy leaving early and returning late every day that he didn't even have time to flirt with Liu Ling'er, let alone do anything else.

When he returned home late that night, he found that Jiang Daya was still at home and had not gone back to the East Courtyard.

Moreover, her eyes were swollen from crying, and the look in her eyes when she looked at herself was filled with despair mixed with a last glimmer of hope.

After hearing her tearful account, Jiang Baobin exploded!

Is this person even human? Isn't this pushing their own child into a fire pit?

After spending a month together, Jiang Baobin developed a very good impression of his adopted sister.

She is kind-hearted, hardworking, and devoted to her family and relatives.

Is this how the child is treated after all their sacrifices?

I was absolutely furious!

Without saying a word, Jiang Baobin ran to the east courtyard in a few steps, only to find that the gate was locked from the inside.

He didn't care about anything else and started kicking the door loudly.

"Who is it? Who is it?" came Yan Bugui's soft, sweet voice from inside.

"I am Jiang Baobin!"

"Hey, it's Binzi! You scared me! What's wrong in the middle of the night?"

"I have an urgent matter, please open the door quickly."

"Hey, hey, they're already here and have started driving."

As they were talking, the door opened.

Jiang Baobin, with a gloomy face, nodded to Yan Bugui and rushed over.

"What's going on? They're acting like they've been poisoned." Seeing that the situation was not good, Old Man Yan didn't dare to stop him from asking and muttered to himself.

Jiang Baobin rushed straight to the east wing and pounded on the door with great force...