Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"Oh my, Mr. Li, that young lady is truly outstanding."

Yang Yuerong sat in the main seat and could see Dong Haitang clearly at a glance.

She herself is not bad either, but she dresses too plainly. Her elegant cheongsam covers most of her exquisite figure, unlike Dong Haitang who dares to dress, show skin, and manipulate people's hearts.

"Yes, it is indeed standard."

Li Wenguo didn't deny it, but then changed the subject, saying with a grin, "However, being too flamboyant and intense seems a bit superficial and doesn't suit my taste. I still prefer someone as gentle and refined as Yue Rong."

Yang Yuerong's cheeks flushed slightly, her fingertips secretly tightened the handkerchief, and her heart felt as if it had been gently tickled by a feather.

Over there, Dong Haitang and a man in a sharp suit whispered a few words to a waiter at the top of the stairs before walking to a table not far from them and sitting down.

Upon closer inspection, Li Wenguo realized that the man in the suit was actually Wen San.

When Dong Haitang and Wen San turned around, they immediately spotted Li Wenguo.

Wen San remained expressionless, merely nodding slightly as a greeting;

Dong Haitang, however, seemed a little flustered, her eyes darting around, clearly feeling guilty.

When her gaze fell upon Yang Yuerong at the same table, her brows furrowed instantly—

That bastard, is he thinking of taking a concubine again?

"Yuerong, I'm going to the restroom."

Li Wenguo stood up with a smile, glared at Dong Haitang as he passed by, and then nodded with his chin toward the end of the corridor.

Dong Haitang quickly glanced at Yang Yuerong, who had her back to her, and only after seeing that she didn't turn around did she get up and follow her.

The two turned into a secluded corridor, and Li Wenguo pinned her against the wall, his breath almost on her ear, his voice deep and hoarse: "Dong Haitang! I put you in charge of the office, and you're looking for fun? Stalking suspects? Do you think I'm a rag you use and then throw away?!"

"Dressed so provocatively—it's enough to make your bones melt, isn't it?"

Before he finished speaking, his hand had already pinched the junction of her waist and hips hard and twisted it mercilessly.

"We're really short-handed!" she sighed, her voice bitter. "We've expanded to two new squads, but Wu Xiaogou and two other brothers got injured while arresting someone last time. Now, the whole team is down to just Wen San and me, the two pillars. What choice do I have?"

She longed to have a peaceful pregnancy, but with her life hanging by a thread, how could she be picky about the job?

"Cold dish? Ha!" Li Wenguo sneered. "Is the child in your belly a member of the Li family, or is a mere job more valuable?"

"They're all precious," she answered crisply.

"you--"

He felt a lump in his throat, gritting his teeth: "I'll settle the score with you when we get home!"

Time is of the essence; we cannot afford to waste any more time.

"Sir, can you do me a favor?"

Dong Haitang suddenly raised the corners of her mouth and gave him a bright smile.

She had always been aloof and cold, never smiling once before or after marriage. But this smile was like spring water breaking through the ice, or a crabapple blossoming for the first time; even the air seemed to soften.

Li Wenguo was stunned on the spot, and it took him a full three seconds to come back to his senses.

"Damn it! When they need my help, they're all smiles; when they don't, they're as hard as tofu—did I owe you eight hundred strings of cash in my past life?!"

He cursed fiercely, but inside he felt as if a warm breeze had caressed him, making him feel soothed and itchy.

"Sir, could you please slip this bugging device into their private room for me?"

Dong Haitang opened his palm and revealed a small, inconspicuous object, about the size of a copper coin, which exuded a ruthless aura.

"Ouch, they're all targeting me?"

Li Wenguo immediately understood his wife's plan—Liu Sheng was familiar with him, and it would be easy to strike up a conversation, exchange a few pleasantries, and slip the listening device into the private room. In short, it was a simple matter of lifting a finger.

But he refused to agree readily.

"I'm not going."

"Sir, weren't you here on a date today? What, are you planning to cut in line at the last minute and take a fifth concubine? I'll go over there right now and reveal your identity to that young lady—you are her rightful wife!"

Fuck!

I forgot to check the almanac before I left the house!

They capsized in the gutter!

"You win!"

Li Wenguo glared at her, then snatched the thin, cicada-wing-like bugging device from his palm.

"Just you wait until tonight, I'll show you what I'm made of."

"Do whatever you want, as long as I'm not afraid of unstable fetal movement or the baby being irritable, I won't even blink."

Having just uttered those harsh words, Li Wenguo was met with a smiling retort from Dong Haitang. He had no choice but to grit his teeth, pinch her waist again, and turn to leave.

Dong Haitang gasped in pain, baring her little tiger teeth as she rubbed her reddened skin and laughed.

"Make sure it's firmly attached, under the table legs or chair legs is fine, and Wen San will take it away when you're done."

She added a sentence.

Li Wenguo shrugged without turning his head, and then casually gave the middle finger behind him, as if venting his anger.

He turned back to Yang Yuerong's table, his expression was normal, he was chatting and laughing, but his chopsticks never stopped, and he finished the rice and food in his bowl in a few bites.

"Yuerong, wait a moment. I just spotted an old acquaintance downstairs and thought I'd go up and say hello."

After settling the bill, he smiled and gave a word of advice.

Then he strolled up to the second floor and headed straight for the private room where Liu Sheng was.

"Knock knock knock!"

The door opened, and sure enough, it was Yagyu himself.

"Haha, Boss Liu, I just saw you come in downstairs. I was wrapping up a dinner party here, so I came up to say hello!"

"Oh, Manager Li, it's an honor to have you here! Welcome, welcome!"

Liu Sheng's round face smiled like a lucky Buddha, his belly slightly protruding, exuding an air of wealth and nobility.

"This is a newly arrived Lafite, the vintage is perfect, it's incredibly rich and smooth. Please have a taste!"

As Li Wenguo spoke, he stepped into the room, his gaze sweeping over the room without making a sound. Besides the man who had come up with Liu Sheng earlier, there was also a young woman sitting there. She was in her early twenties, wearing an off-shoulder dress, with skin as smooth as jade and a clear collarbone, exuding a captivating charm.

This scene seems familiar...

Li Wenguo's heart skipped a beat: Another attempt to turn them against him?

What the hell!

Do those Japanese devils really want to wipe out our top leadership all at once?

"Manager Li, you're too kind. Please have a seat!"

"I'm so sorry, we have distinguished guests today, I've neglected you. I'll definitely host a banquet another day and have a few drinks with you!"

With a broad smile, Liu Sheng apologized repeatedly and even asked the waiter to bring him a wine glass, which he then filled himself and toasted him.

The other two kept their heads down and talked the whole time, not even glancing at him.

Li Wenguo took a sip of his glass, and with a flick of his finger, the bugging device was quietly stuck to a hidden spot on the chair leg, remaining perfectly still.

With the wine gone and the cup empty, he rose to take his leave, his steps brisk.

"Oh shit!"

As soon as he closed the door to the private room, he felt a layer of fine sweat on his back, which felt cool and refreshing.

As he passed Dong Haitang's table on his way downstairs, he nodded slightly and raised an eyebrow, indicating that everything was settled.

"Take care, Mr. Li!"

Wen San lowered his eyes and whispered, his voice as light as a feather.

After watching the movie with Yang Yuerong, it was already late at night.

A typical date consists of four steps: shopping, eating, watching a movie, and going home.

Of course, that's the standard for couples—they haven't reached that level yet.

Watching Yang Yuerong's figure disappear around the street corner, Li Wenguo turned back, but his mind was still calculating how to "deal with" Dong Haitang.

But just thinking about her outfit today makes me feel hot and bothered. Tsk, what a bewitching little vixen!

Upon further reflection, the thought of her personally staking out the location caused her brows to furrow.

"We're short-staffed at Haitang's place; we need to bring a few more people over as soon as possible."

"What if the child bumps or falls and gets hurt... then we'll have nowhere to turn to complain!"

The thought came to him immediately, and he dialed his clone's number, saying decisively, "Prepare more people, trustworthy ones, the more the better—ten or twenty, bring them all over, money is no problem."

"Mr. Li, there seems to be a familiar face up ahead."

Ding Xiaoqi, who was pulling the cart, suddenly lowered his voice to remind him.

"Who?"

Li Wenguo had his eyes closed to rest, but upon hearing this, he opened them and looked out the car window.

……

"It's Miss Yao Yao, whom Yan Ming introduced to you. She just came out of that photo studio over there."

Li Wenguo glanced up and saw that it was indeed Yao Yao, the one who always kept him in suspense with her aloofness—her pitiful yet sharp appearance was exactly the same. Beside her stood a man: a dark green velvet vest paired with matte black trousers, his hat pulled low, obscuring half his face, revealing only his sharply defined jawline. The two were speaking in hushed tones, their manner familiar, yet it didn't seem like a typical conversation.

"Tsk, it's almost midnight, and you're still dawdling here?"

The fire in his heart had been burning fiercely for some time. They had met three times, each time igniting a surge of passion, but each time he would back down at the last minute. Li Wenguo was never one for slow, deliberate tactics; he believed in striking at the heart of the matter and seeing the true strength of the enemy.

And what about Yao Yao? This seasoned "tea master" who has been in the game for many years plays her tricks very well—each time she loosens her bottom line a little, she gives a little more sweetness, as if she can really start over next time. But by the third meeting, she had almost let down all her guard, leaving only the last barrier to hold firm.

How could she dare leave Li Wenguo, a man with resources at his disposal and a strong backbone, hanging in the balance indefinitely? Dragging it out too long would only turn him into an enemy. She probably already had it all planned out: if she pushed it out again, she'd have to really go all out.

"Mr. Li, shall we go over and say hello?"

Ding Xiaoqi slowly braked the car into the shadows at the street corner and asked in a low voice.

"Let's hold back for now."

Intuition, like a taut string, buzzed in his mind—this photo studio called "New Sun" was definitely not as clean as it seemed. Who would come to take photos so late at night? It was bustling with customers during the day, but at night the lights were on and the doors were open, giving off an abnormal vibe.

He had seen it in old movies; some Japanese spies liked to disguise themselves as photographers, secretly sending and receiving coded messages and taking pictures of military defense maps. Of course, there were also our people mixed in among them; in the future, who knows how many skilled individuals are lying in wait in the shadows of the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau.

Grit your teeth and persevere for the sake of some so-called ideal? Not only will you live in constant fear, but you'll most likely end up losing your life.

Li Wenguo only wanted to earn enough money, marry a few kind-hearted girls, and live a comfortable life—wasn't that more practical than being a hero?

……

"Yeah, that guy is probably a nail too."

He suddenly had a strange sense of certainty: he seemed to be born with a "spy radar," having recently uncovered several secret identities. Was fate truly about to place a burden on his shoulders?

A savior? He doesn't have that kind of interest.

Before she finished speaking, Yao Yao had already climbed into a rickshaw in her high heels, and the wheels creaked as they drove away.

The man turned around, locked the bicycle with a click, hopped on, and turned into another narrow alley. His back view was so agile that it didn't seem like that of an ordinary person.

"Xiao Jie, keep an eye on him! Find out his address, his background, leave no stone unturned!"

Xiao Jie, sitting in the back, jumped out of the car and ran after it.

"Mr. Li, what are we doing?"

"You guard the door, I'll go in and take a look around."

Li Wenguo strode towards the new Rizhao Photo Studio.

He didn't want to alert anyone, so he decided to investigate himself.