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

"By the way, Lee, today is actually Catherine's birthday, so we specially threw this party."

Henry casually added a comment.

"I see! May Ms. Catherine stay young forever."

Li Wenguo raised his champagne glass, Henry touched it lightly, took a sip, and then hurriedly said goodbye to attend to other people.

Now, Li Wenguo was completely at ease.

He strolled slowly through the large hall, his eyes like hooks, choosing only the girls who caught his eye.

Before long, a figure came into view: an oval face, delicate collarbones, straight and long legs under the skirt, and a full and just-right curve in her chest.

"It really is a great place. I've only been around twice and I've already found a place that suits me."

He chuckled softly and stepped in that direction.

Along the way, a glimpse of a waitress caught my eye out of the corner of my eye—her slender shoulders and waist, her gait so familiar it sent a chill down my spine.

But the person disappeared into the crowd in a flash and could not be found again.

He frowned, then gave up: none of the women he knew were in this line of work.

"call--!"

"Thankfully, he didn't recognize me..."

The waitress patted her prominent chest heavily, let out a long sigh, and a sense of relief, as if she had survived a close call, appeared on her face.

Xu Wanqing accompanied her best friend to this party today.

I heard that tonight is the diplomat's wife's birthday banquet, and the grand finale gift is a rare gemstone necklace, which was put on her head on the spot—she came here specifically to see this necklace.

At this moment, a well-dressed man with slicked-back hair stepped forward, a perfectly timed smile on his lips: "Hello, beautiful lady, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Li Wenguo."

"Hello there."

Xu Wanqing glanced up and saw that it was someone trying to strike up a conversation. Although the other person had handsome features and a neat demeanor, he only nodded slightly and spoke in a tone as indifferent as a glass of lukewarm water.

She is the daughter of the Xu family. The Xu family carries more weight, more weight, and is not to be underestimated than the Xu family.

That's right, the young master Xu who was killed by Li Wenguo's own hand was her own brother.

Therefore, for this kind of family, marriage is never about romantic love, but rather a move in the family's chess game.

Xu Wanqing knew perfectly well that she had already rejected more than a dozen suitors, those who showed goodwill, and those who made roundabout attempts to test the waters.

Why start something that will lead nowhere? If you start something and then let it go out, you'll only end up with ashes.

This time, Li Wenguo is destined to run into a wall.

After exchanging only a few pleasantries, she lowered her eyes and smiled, saying, "Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom."

He turned and left without even glancing at the ground.

Li Wenguo could certainly understand the underlying meaning. But he still shamelessly asked her name.

"Xu Wanqing? That name... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before?"

He thought for a moment, and a flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately recognized the name.

"Oh...Young Master Xu's sister! Tsk, no hope."

He shook his head and sighed softly, a hint of genuine regret flashing in his eyes.

They come from the most prestigious families in Beijing's elite circles. How could anyone decide their marriage? Even if the Xu family were to lose their minds and agree, they would never allow her to be a concubine—that wouldn't be marrying off a daughter, it would be ruining the reputation of their own family!

The position of the principal wife is indispensable.

He himself couldn't possibly kick He Shuting aside and demote her to a concubine just to marry her.

...Never mind, let's look for another opportunity.

At the same time.

Inside an unused suite on the second floor, a dark figure was rapidly rummaging through cabinets and prying open drawers.

Until he pulled open the bottom hidden compartment of the desk, and a velvet brocade box popped open with a "click"—he finally breathed a sigh of relief as a smile appeared on his lips.

As he stepped out of the door, the corridor lights shone on him: a snow-white shirt, a dark vest, crisp trousers, and shiny Oxford shoes.

He was a waiter.

He had just taken half a step when someone suddenly pounced on him from behind!

The other person's arm locked around his neck like an iron hoop, while their other hand swiftly reached into his right trouser pocket—pulling out a pair of women's underwear adorned with lace trim!

Holy shit! !

abnormal?!

The man immediately switched hands to choke her throat and tried to reach into her left pocket, but the target had already gathered strength to break free, swung her hand back, and turned to run wildly towards the stairwell!

Once you rush into the hall, surrounded by crowds, the other party will no longer dare to openly rob you.

They chased each other, their footsteps making the floorboards vibrate.

Finally, he leaped down the last step first, still catching his breath, when he saw his pursuers suddenly stop at the corner.

"Damn it!"

The man let out a low growl, gritting his teeth in hatred.

No one noticed that the two figures rushing downstairs were seen by a man in a suit who had just returned from the bathroom.

The man was a patrol officer at the scene, and he immediately pressed his earpiece to report the incident.

The waiter who had succeeded in his attempt walked quickly while frequently glancing back to keep an eye on the waiter—but was caught red-handed.

"I'm so sorry!"

A clear, crisp female voice rang out; it belonged to a waitress in uniform.

He didn't turn his head, but quickened his pace.

I had only taken five or six steps when I suddenly realized something was wrong—I reached into my pocket and it was empty!

When I turned around suddenly, the waitress had vanished without a trace; even the "tail" that had been relentlessly chasing after me had disappeared without a trace.

Baka!

At that moment, two men in black suits grabbed his arms from either side and dragged him away from the scene without saying a word.

On the other side, Li Wenguo, who was looking around, suddenly caught sight of a face that was all too familiar walking toward him.

"moon--"

He had barely uttered half a word when the other person blinked rapidly.

He immediately shut his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the rest of the food.

"Please keep this safe for me!"

Yang Yuerong lowered her voice, flicked her fingertips, and a cold object lay quietly in her palm.

Li Wenguo's fingertips touched her and then withdrew, slipping silently into his inner pocket, his gaze following her retreating figure—the next second, a large hand grabbed his shoulder and forcibly pulled him away.

Depend on!

What kind of absurd drama is this?!

He frowned. He recognized those men in black suits—they were all police officers guarding the premises.

Right now, Yang Yuerong sneaked in as a waitress, handed him some things for safekeeping, and was immediately taken into custody... No need to guess, something bad must have happened at the party.

Could it be that he slipped up while stealing and got caught red-handed?

By the way—let's see what Yue Rong gave me first.

With a thought, Li Wenguo quietly stored the item in his personal space. He then gently tapped the air with his fingertip to unfold and examine it.

After all, this thing can't see the light of day.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a necklace inlaid with sapphires.

He frowned slightly, and the reason for tonight's banquet suddenly flashed through his mind—it was a setup to celebrate the birthday of Catherine, the diplomat's wife.

Could this thing be hers?

They're probably not going anywhere!

But why would Yang Yuerong take it?

The local party has never been involved in theft...

Could it be that this chain was stolen by Americans through trickery and coercion?

So she's recovering lost items for her employer?

Li Wenguo's mind raced, and he began to ponder this idea.

He had already figured out Yang Yuerong's background.

Ever since the night he won her over, he had He Shuting verify her identity and confirmed that the person he had arranged to meet last time was indeed her.

Now that he had her, why would Li Wenguo stop just because of her identity?

In fact, from the moment he first met her as a newspaper reporter, he suspected that she was a member of the local Communist Party.

But as soon as the thought of marrying her popped into his mind, he subconsciously suppressed the urge to investigate—treating her as just an ordinary reporter.

If they do marry in the future, and others find fault with him, he can simply stand tall and say: I had no idea she was a member of the local Communist Party!

After stuffing the necklace into his personal storage space, he had no intention of taking it out again.

Since nothing was found on the waiter, the next step would inevitably be to search the customers' pockets.

Revealing it now would only be asking for trouble.

He remained calm and continued to keep his eyes on the next target.

In the side hall, the patrol officers had already finished their shift.

A man in his early forties was anxiously wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, his face pale and his eyes darting around.

As soon as Williams stepped through the door, the man immediately put away his handkerchief, stood at attention, and gave him a respectful bow.

"Detective, have you made any progress?"

Williams' voice was as cold as frost.

"Not...not yet!"

The detective's Adam's apple bobbed, and beads of sweat welled up on his forehead, causing him to stumble over his words.

"If you haven't found it yet, hurry up and look!"

"Sir diplomat, I suspect... that the item has been secretly transferred to a guest by a waiter."

He hunched over, carefully choosing each word, afraid of stepping on a landmine.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: they had to search all the guests in the hall.

But those sitting in the hall included both foreign dignitaries and local powerful figures he couldn't afford to offend.

"These are my guests, how dare you touch them?"

Williams lifted his eyelids, his gaze sharp as a knife.

The detective shrank back, bracing himself for the worst: "If we don't search, once they leave, the items may never be recovered."

Williams' face was grim, his fingers unconsciously tapping against his palm—the necklace was something he had gone to great lengths to acquire, priceless. Losing it would be a disgrace, and he would have no way to explain it to his superiors.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he waved his hand and said, "Search! But we have to follow the rules—you know what I mean."

The implication is that the investigation should begin with those of the lowest social standing, followed by merchants, gentry, and officials, with foreigners being the last to be investigated.

Li Wenguo and a group of young men and women became the first to be called in and searched.

"Why are you searching me?!"

"My dad's the mayor, you think you're worthy to touch me?"

"Is this how you treat your guests?"

"Don't touch me! Keep your dirty hands away!"

"Miss, please have a female patrol officer come and check."

"..."

Yang Yuerong, who was standing on the innermost side, caught a glimpse of Li Wenguo being dragged away for a body search, and her face turned deathly pale.

Li Wenguo winked at her very slightly—

Don't worry, everything's fine!

Sure enough, they searched him thoroughly, even the hem of his clothes, but found nothing.

Yang Yuerong then slowly exhaled.

An hour later, all the guests had been searched.

The necklace was still nowhere to be found.

The unfortunate detective looked ashen-faced, his forehead sweating repeatedly, as if he could already see the day his badge would be removed.

Things have come to this point; the dance floor is cold, the champagne is lukewarm, and continuing the party would only lead to awkwardness.

The guests rose to take their leave.

Li Wenguo didn't leave; he was waiting for Yang Yuerong.

The once bustling hall was now so empty that you could hear footsteps echoing...

He glanced around casually and suddenly spotted Song Qingzhi—the bank manager Song—still standing beside Williams, the two of them talking in hushed tones. Wow!

So he came too!

At this moment, Song Qingzhi also saw him, and immediately raised his hand to beckon him over.

Li Wenguo had no choice but to straighten his collar and quickly step forward.

"Wen Guo, this is Mr. Williams, a diplomat."

Song Qingzhi introduced them with a smile.

"Oh, we've known each other for a while—Mr. Henry just introduced me to him."

He paused, then added, "Right, Mr. Williams?"

These words sound polite, but they actually contain a hidden meaning.

He knew perfectly well that Song Qingzhi's summons was not just a formality.

Therefore, we need to reveal our specific position.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingzhi immediately lowered his brow slightly.

"Indeed, Mr. Henry did introduce it earlier."

Williams had only felt that the name sounded somewhat familiar, but after Li Wenguo mentioned it, the image of the person instantly popped into his mind.

"Since he's an old acquaintance, that makes things easier."

Song Qingzhi swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he swallowed the rest of his sentence.

But then he changed the subject, his tone turning somber: "Wen Guo, you know that Mr. Williams lost something important—your wife is the head of the Secret Service, and you've heard about it all the time. Tell me, what do you think about tonight's events?"

Oh shit!

It's just like a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken!

Li Wenguo cursed under his breath.

But by sheer coincidence, Song Qingzhi actually guessed right this time—he not only knew what was missing, but also who had done it and where the items were now. Except for the first pair of hands that had been reached out, he had the rest firmly in his grasp.

As soon as Song Qingzhi finished speaking, Williams also became interested and his gaze swept towards Li Wenguo.

He never expected that the wife of this capable young man under Henry's command was actually a renowned female captain in the Secret Service.

"I really didn't notice. I only found out something went wrong when I was called in for a body search. Otherwise, I was completely clueless."

Li Wenguo was determined not to get involved in this mess—it was too troublesome to involve foreigners; besides, he was just temporarily holding onto that thing, and getting involved would only cause more trouble.

It's perfectly reasonable; he shouldn't have interfered in the first place.