Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Li Huaide glanced around, and seeing that no one was nearby, he moved closer and replied in a similarly low voice:

"It's basically done. The report has been submitted. It's just a formality; the factory office will review it. I don't think there will be any major problems. Just wait for our news."

Liu Jianguo understood immediately, smiled and thanked him, "Alright, I owe you another drink, I'll make it up to you later."

The two exchanged a knowing smile and then went their separate ways.

After returning to his office and handling some routine matters, Liu Jianguo waited until the end of the workday bell rang and most of the workers had left before leisurely getting on his bicycle and riding towards No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

As soon as the bicycle was pushed through the gate of the courtyard house, a commotion of chickens flying and dogs barking came from inside.

In the courtyard, He Yuzhu, his eyes red, grabbed a broom from the corner and chased Xu Damao, who was running away with his head in his hands.

Xu Damao dodged awkwardly while cursing under his breath.

In the courtyard, several elderly men, including Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui, appeared to be trying to mediate the fight, but in reality, they only talked and didn't actually fight.

Some neighbors, however, were simply there to watch the drama unfold, pointing and laughing amongst themselves.

In the blink of an eye, He Yuzhu, caught up in the chase, seized an opening and used an extremely underhanded move in street fighting—a fast and ruthless groin kick that landed squarely on Xu Damao's crotch!

"Awooo—!"

Xu Damao let out a dissonant, mournful howl. In an instant, he curled up and knelt on the ground like a boiled shrimp, his hands tightly covering his vitals. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his face turned from red to purple. He opened his mouth but could only let out "hoarse" gasps and painful whimpers, with tears and snot streaming down his face.

Even Liu Jianguo, who was watching the show by the moon gate, instinctively clenched his legs and his lips twitched. He thought to himself, "That bastard Sha Zhu really went for it. That's a kick that could kill a child!" Xu Damao was probably in for a rough time this time. This kind of firsthand experience of watching the drama unfold was much more exciting than just hearing rumors.

Seeing Xu Damao lying paralyzed on the ground, Yi Zhonghai rushed forward, grabbed He Yuzhu who was about to hit him again, and scolded him sternly:

"Zhu Zi, why are you hitting people again? You're completely out of control! Da Mao just said a few things about your father. It's his fault for being so talkative, but you can't hit him so hard."

His words sounded like a criticism of He Yuzhu, but in reality, he casually attributed Xu Damao's beating to his loose tongue and gossip, even specifically mentioning his father, implying that Xu Damao deserved it.

After saying that, he directed the two young men beside him: "What are you all standing there for? Quickly help Da Mao up and see where he's hurt!"

Liu Jianguo watched coldly from the sidelines, inwardly clicking his tongue in admiration: Brilliant, truly brilliant. Yi Zhonghai's skill in mediating and taking sides had reached a level of perfection. He clearly wanted to protect Sha Zhu, yet his words and actions completely clung to the moral high ground.

After He Yuzhu was pulled back by Yi Zhonghai, although he was still glaring angrily at Xu Damao on the ground, he did not show any obvious resistance to Yi Zhonghai's persuasion. He seemed to have returned to the state of being obedient to the old man.

Seeing this, Liu Jianguo sneered inwardly: He'd just been enlightened yesterday, and today Yi Zhonghai had easily swayed him back to his old ways. It seems Yi Zhonghai's brainwashing skills are truly impressive. And the nickname "Silly Zhu" is well-deserved; he never learns from his mistakes, his brain really isn't up to par. It seems he still needs to bring He Daqing back.

Liu Jianguo's nascent hope that He Yuzhu might be able to correct things vanished instantly.

He shook his head inwardly; there was no hope for him, he was beyond redemption.

Yi Zhonghai only needs to offer a little so-called concern and uphold justice to make Sha Zhu forget his previous deception.

Such people can only be used, not truly supported.

At this moment, Xu Damao, who was curled up on the ground, caught his breath slightly, but the intense pain and humiliation made him tremble all over.

He looked around and saw that Yi Zhonghai was clearly biased towards Sha Zhu. The other neighbors either watched the show or dared not offend Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu. He felt completely isolated and helpless.

Just as he was in despair, he caught a glimpse of Liu Jianguo, dressed in a cadre uniform and pushing a bicycle, under the moon gate!

Xu Damao, as if grasping at a straw, used all his strength and cried out in a sob, "Director Liu, Director Liu, you must do justice for me! He Yuzhu... he beat people to death, you saw it, didn't you?"

Upon hearing Xu Damao's shout, Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

What he least wanted was for Liu Jianguo to get involved in these disputes in the courtyard.

Liu Jianguo was a leader in the factory, and he had a tough style of doing things. He didn't buy into Liu Jianguo's old-fashioned mediation.

Once Liu Jianguo gets involved, it will be difficult for him to smooth things over and protect Sha Zhu.

The nature of the incident could escalate from a neighborhood fight to a worker violently assaulting a colleague, with a very negative impact.

Liu Jianguo was taken aback by Xu Damao's shout.

His original intention was to watch the excitement and leave, not wanting to get involved in this mess.

But at this moment, everyone's eyes, including Yi Zhonghai's nervous gaze and Xu Damao's expectant look, were focused on him.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, as the deputy director of the security department of the steel rolling mill and a prominent cadre in the institute, if he pretended not to hear and turned away, what kind of image would that have?

Doesn't that mean he's admitting he's afraid of trouble or irresponsible? Thinking of this, he knew he had no choice but to wade into this mess.

Liu Jianguo pushed his bicycle and walked calmly into the courtyard.

He ignored Yi Zhonghai and He Yuzhu, walked straight to Xu Damao, who was still curled up on the ground, squatted down, and asked in a businesslike tone...

"Comrade Xu Damao, how are you feeling? How serious are your injuries? Do you need to be taken to the hospital for a check-up immediately?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept meaningfully over Xu Damao's still tightly clutched crotch, and he added in a serious tone, "Especially that area. If it gets injured, it's no small matter. It's a matter of life and death, and it can't be delayed."

When Xu Damao saw that Liu Jianguo had actually come, he felt as if he had seen a benevolent magistrate. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his lower body, he began to cry and plead his case, tears streaming down his face.

"Director Liu, you must give me justice! He Yuzhu beat me without cause, he really hurt me badly. Look how badly he beat me... If I get seriously injured, the Xu family line will end! You must punish him severely."