I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Zhou Weiguo hung up the call, not even bothering to find a secluded place. He immediately activated the time-space teleporter in the room and instantly teleported back to the East Courtyard of Beijing.

As soon as he appeared, Tian Zao's voice reached his ears.

He scanned the courtyard with his divine sense and only felt a little relieved after confirming that everyone was safe.

"I don't care who you are! With the country gone, no one can take Xiao'e and Yuechang away!"

Tian Zao's voice carried a stubborn sharpness, "Don't give me any nonsense. If anyone dares to use force, Xiao Qi, Xiao Ba, just do it. Don't give anyone face!"

Zhou Weiguo felt a surge of anger, but even more so, he was filled with doubt.

I was picked up by Elder Qin just two days ago, and I haven't been home for two nights. Why are the people from the Political Security Office coming to my door demanding my return? What went wrong?

Was it Qin Huairu? Song Dahua? Xu Damao? Or was it that person surnamed Lan behind it all? One name after another flashed through his mind, his face clouded with suspicion.

He reached out and opened the door, then strode out.

Tian Zao was seen blocking the entrance to the east courtyard, where four uniformed police officers stood solemnly.

Long Shiqi and Long Shiba, the two most outstanding female members of the Jiaolong Squad, stood on either side of Tian Zao with wary expressions, their eyes fixed on the outside of the courtyard, their hands on the gun handles at their waists, as if they would immediately draw their guns to protect their master if the other party made the slightest move.

The courtyard was packed with people, and it was incredibly lively.

Almost all the "beasts" in the courtyard were present. Even the deaf old lady, who usually stayed at home, was staring wide-eyed and standing on tiptoe, looking over as if she was afraid of missing a good show.

But the moment Zhou Weiguo appeared from inside the house, everyone's expressions changed dramatically, ranging from surprise and fear to terror and disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.

Xu Damao, especially, who was mixed in with the crowd, turned deathly pale instantly. His eyes wide with terror, he tugged at Qin Huairu beside him and asked urgently in a low voice, "Qin Huairu! Didn't the police say Zhou Weiguo wouldn't be back for months? Didn't you say he might never come back? How come he's still at home? Are you crazy? You dare drag me into this to fight him while he's still at home?"

Qin Huairu trembled with fear, staring intently at Zhou Weiguo as if she had seen the King of Hell.

She glanced at the police officer at the front in a panic, then suddenly lowered her head, burying it almost in her chest, not even having the courage to look at Zhou Weiguo again.

The others in the courtyard erupted in commotion. Song Dahua grabbed Qin Huairu's arm and demanded sharply, "Huairu! Didn't you say Zhou Weiguo was in trouble? How come he's perfectly fine at home? You said before that he was almost certainly not coming back. What happened?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied. Even Yi Zhonghai and the old lady hid in a corner and lowered their heads. The deaf old lady pretended not to have seen anything and turned back to the backyard.

Standing at the very front of the police force was the same older policeman who had visited a few days earlier.

He rubbed his eyes hard, wiping them repeatedly, as if Zhou Weiguo in front of him was a hallucination, his face full of disbelief.

Zhou Weiguo took in all of this and understood that this matter was definitely not simple.

But he didn't lose his temper on the spot. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, "Tian Zao, what exactly is going on? Tell me. What are you trying to do with all this fuss?"

Upon hearing Zhou Weiguo's voice, Tian Zao's tense expression vanished instantly, replaced by a look of deep grievance.

She turned around abruptly, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls. Sobbing, she walked up to Zhou Weiguo, her voice hoarse as she accused him, "Weiguo, they're bullying us!"

"They just showed up suddenly, without saying a word, and tried to take Xiao'e and Yuechang away. I explained the situation to them, but they wouldn't listen at all, and they even tried to force their way in! If Xiaoqi and Xiaoba hadn't stopped them, I don't know what I would have done..."

After listening, Zhou Weiguo gently patted Tian Zao's shoulder and softly comforted her, "Alright, alright, don't cry. Your husband is back, I'll take care of everything. You go and rest over there, I'll handle things here."

After calming Tian Zao down, he took two steps forward, looked at Lou Xiao'e who was holding Xiao Nana, and Bai Yuechang who was standing beside her, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I'm here, everything will be fine. This was my oversight, and I will give you an explanation."

The two women nodded slightly. Although they still looked worried, they didn't say anything more and simply stepped aside.

Zhou Weiguo walked to the gate of the courtyard, his gaze falling on the older policeman, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "What? You're surprised to see me?"

The policeman looked dazed, hurriedly shook his head, and stammered, "No, no, Chief Engineer Zhou. I... I just received orders to take Lou Xiao'e and Bai Yuechang in for questioning. Please, please don't misunderstand."

Zhou Weiguo raised an eyebrow, looked him up and down, and asked in a calm tone, "What's your name?"

For some reason, the middle-aged man suddenly trembled, his voice trembling noticeably: "I...I'm called Wang...Wang Kui."

"Oh? Wang Kui?"

Zhou Weiguo's voice instantly turned cold, the chill in his eyes almost freezing one's vision. "I'm asking you, who gave you permission to bring a team of men to my house to arrest people?"

Wang Kui's eyes darted around quickly, his voice trembling even more: "Chief Engineer Zhou... I came with Deputy Director Li..."

Before he could finish speaking, a man in his early thirties suddenly interrupted him sharply: "Old Wang, if you can't speak properly, then shut up!"

Wang Kui quickly lowered his head, as if he had just realized that he had misspoke, and hurriedly shut his mouth, not daring to say anything more.

The man who had spoken earlier forced a fake smile and stepped forward, saying, "Chief Engineer Zhou, right? I'm Li Fei, Deputy Director of the Political Security Department. I received instructions from my superiors to come and take Lou Xiao'e and Bai Yuechang to the bureau for questioning."

Zhou Weiguo, too lazy to beat around the bush, coldly retorted, "Ask me? What if I don't agree?"

To his surprise, Li Fei was either completely ignorant or genuinely stubborn.

The man named Li Fei said with a forced smile, "Chief Engineer Zhou, I know you are the chief engineer of the steel rolling mill and a department-level cadre. But we are just conducting a normal investigation within the public security system. Please do not obstruct us from performing our duties."

"Otherwise, we have the right to take you back for questioning as well. Chief Engineer Zhou, I don't think you'd want to sit on the sidelines in our Political Security Department's small, dark room, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Kui's eyes trembled uncontrollably, but inside he was secretly overjoyed: "Good! Good! Good! Damn Li Fei! I was hoping to use you as a scapegoat, but I didn't expect you to actually dare to rush in!"

"You just got transferred here and you're already trying to steal my credit? Well, look what you've done! You brought this on yourself! If I'd known Zhou Weiguo, that big shot, was here, I would never have come! I'd rather stay home and sleep than get involved in this mess!"