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

"Heh, Miss Xu travels with her own bodyguards, so she can rest easy." Li Wenguo chuckled twice and scratched the back of his head.

Then, amidst the awe-inspiring yet wary gazes of the crowd, he calmly left the scene.

As he passed Manager Zhang, he pulled a spy ID from Ding Xiaoqi's pocket, waved it in front of him, and gestured to Ding Xiaoqi with his lip: "If you need anything, go find him at Lixingshe."

"I don't deserve it, I really don't deserve it!!!"

Manager Zhang forced a stiff smile, his lips trembling.

Afterwards, he secretly slipped the irrefutable evidence of the two men's collusion with Japanese spies under the doors of the railway bureau chief and Deputy Mayor Wang's homes. The case was thus dropped, and no one mentioned it again.

The two young men's knees and elbows were shattered by bullets, their bones broken. They would never be able to walk upright again—they could only rely on crutches and move shakily with each step.

It's already a great mercy that these arrogant and domineering rich kids who oppress the good didn't die on the spot.

Two months later, Li Wenguo had a sudden inspiration: the Japanese would eventually invade, and Beijing wouldn't be safe. Regardless of whether he was still in Beiping by then, he had to keep his Japanese language skills firmly in his grasp.

Even if he doesn't need it himself, his clones still need to know how to use it!

But how could the clone, wearing the hat of Director Jing, dare to openly learn Japanese? At the slightest sign of trouble, someone would immediately jump out and point their finger at him and yell, "You're learning Japanese, are you trying to become a traitor or a lackey?"—So this job could only be taken on by the real Li Wenguo.

Thinking further, after the Great Invasion, the clones would most likely replace a high-ranking minor character. So Li Wenguo made up his mind: hire a genuine minor character to teach, so that the pronunciation would be authentic.

Coincidentally, there was someone squatting in the trading company—Kamizono Tadako, an informant sent by Mitsui Miri to keep an eye on him.

Uezono Tadako knew that her boss, Mitsui Miri, was trying her best to get close to Li Wenguo, but she quickly declined, saying, "I'm so busy I don't have time to teach anyone." She then recommended her cousin, who had just arrived in Beijing from the mainland and hadn't settled down yet, "She's free, and she teaches very well."

And so, Mitsui Miri and Li Wenguo met smoothly.

……

Holy crap!!!

I really want her to teach "Dumb Butterfly"!!!

Upon meeting her, Li Wenguo was stunned, and a flame of anger ignited in his heart—this woman must be brought into his possession!

Marry? Don't even think about it. Right now, the whole nation is anti-Japanese. Who would dare to marry a Japanese man? Wouldn't that be like holding up a lantern and shouting, "I'm a traitor, come and arrest me!"

"Hello, my name is Kurai Daisora, nice to meet you!"

She wore a sky-blue dress, her back ramrod straight, and bowed deeply to him at a ninety-degree angle, meticulously and respectfully, without the slightest fault.

Hey!

Daisaku Kurai?

What a coincidence!

Their names are like twins!

And... he really does live up to the title more than that Teacher C!

Li Wenguo's gaze swept over her chest, his mind racing.

"Oh, this charming lady, it's a pleasure to meet you! I am Li Wenguo, a gentleman who always observes proper etiquette."

Before he finished speaking, he naturally reached out, lifted her slender, fair wrist, and leaned down to give her a light peck on the back of her hand.

Mitsui Miri: "………………"

What a lecher! He started touching me inappropriately the moment we met, and now he's talking about being a gentleman?

Pooh!

She sneered inwardly, but forced a smile: "Heh, Mr. Li is truly... truly elegant!"

Saying things against my conscience makes my teeth ache and my stomach churn.

"Miss Oozora is not only beautiful, but also has a shapely figure. If I could share a passionate encounter with you, it would be the greatest happiness of my life."

Li Wenguo spoke in a gentle tone, every word carrying a hook, openly flirting while secretly casting bait—he was trying to break down her defenses and invite her to join him.

Unfortunately, Mitsui Miri, being a Japanese writer, didn't understand the burning ambiguity behind the name "Wushan." She simply assumed it was the name of a county in the wartime capital where the Kuomintang retreated after the war, blinking and full of confusion: "Wushan County...is there anything particularly interesting there?"

"Yes, of course! The scenery is beautiful, and the cultural atmosphere is profound. We can open our hearts to each other there, let me assess the depth of your knowledge, and let you judge the breadth of my understanding!"

Li Wenguo spoke with such sincerity, as if he were truly having an academic conversation.

Misaki Mitsui completely missed the hidden meaning, taking it as him showing off his knowledge. She immediately adopted a humble and eager-to-learn demeanor: "Yes, yes, Mr. Li! If I ever have the chance, I'll definitely go with you sometime and truly appreciate the vastness and wonder of Chinese culture!"

"Then it's a deal!"

Li Wenguo's eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled.

Since you've agreed, you can't blame me for what happens between us from now on.

Mitsui Miri has finally managed to get in touch with Li Wenguo, but getting information out of him? That's a long way off. The most important thing right now is to slowly chip away at and warm up that thin layer of trust.

Every day, without fail, Li Wenguo would spend one or two hours studying Japanese. During each class, he would always use the excuse of correcting pronunciation and gestures to get closer, touch her, and smile. Mitsui Miri gritted her teeth and endured it—for the sake of the mission, she could swallow this grievance.

On the other hand, in order to get closer to her family, Xu Wanqing simply transferred all the urgently needed supplies and several large business deals to Saiwai Foreign Trade Company. The two became increasingly familiar with each other, talking about everything and even sharing private matters.

"By the way, what have you been up to lately? Cai Die was just complaining to me the other day that you're even a beat slow to reply to her messages—you two aren't really fighting, are you?"

In the French-owned blues dance hall, Xu Wanqing swirled her wine glass, a faint smile on her face, but her tone was tentative.

"How could that be! The few jobs I have on hand are almost draining me dry, and on top of that, I've enrolled in a Japanese class, which I attend for two hours every day without fail. I don't even have time to catch my breath."

Having spent a long time with Xu Wanqing, Li Wenguo had long seen through her true intentions in getting close to him—to pave the way for the Song family.

Therefore, he cannot be cold or distant; instead, he must firmly grasp this relationship.

When it comes to pursuing women, the key is to have a good sense of proportion and know when to advance and retreat!

"Ha, you're quite adept at drinking with me, but you can't seem to find the time to see your fiancée?"

Xu Wanqing raised an eyebrow and smiled, not believing it at all. No matter how busy someone is, could they be busier than their future daughter-in-law?

"Oh dear, you can see right through me—we had a little argument the other day and are giving each other the cold shoulder right now. But don't worry, little girls' tempers flare up and subside quickly. A little coaxing and a sweet treat will make everything clear up in no time."

Li Wenguo casually made up an excuse, easily dispelling the other party's suspicions.

"But you, you've gotten so thin lately that your jawline is practically sharp. Were you pulling another all-nighter?"

He spoke with concern, but his hand naturally covered the back of her hand resting on the edge of the table. His palm was slightly warm, and his movements were practiced yet respectful.

Xu Wanqing paused slightly, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed gently, then relaxed, letting him hold them.

Since we need to leverage our strengths to gain a foothold, what does this little bit of closeness matter?

Besides, he had a good grasp of the situation, neither frivolous nor stiff—if he were to back down now, it would make him seem petty.

"That's right. With the newly formed reorganized division, there are mountains of tasks: firearms inspection, uniform production, material bidding... even the newspaper advertising has fallen to me."

She sighed, a hint of weariness flashing in her eyes.

If her older brother were still alive, she wouldn't have to worry about these trivial matters at all; but after that accident two years ago, the burden fell entirely on her shoulders.

My second brother is sharpening his sword in the army, waiting to take over my father's position—that's a sure thing, so he has no energy to deal with these trivial matters.

As for those cousins ​​from the collateral branches? Father didn't trust them.

Military spending is a bottomless pit. If it is further intercepted at each level and substandard materials are used, an army may collapse before the battle even begins.

A malfunctioning, substandard rifle could wipe out an entire assault team.

"Miss Xu, if there's anything I can do to lend a hand, please don't hesitate to ask."

Li Wenguo's voice was sincere, and his hand naturally changed from covering to lightly grasping, with distinct knuckles and a warm palm.

Chung-guk Bank lobby front desk.

Song Caidie rested her chin on her clasped hands, her skin was so white it seemed to glow, but her eyes were wandering aimlessly, like a kite swept away by the wind.

Occasionally, for some unknown reason, the corners of his lips would subtly lift, only to fall back down in an instant, as if he had just tasted honey and then bit into a bitter fruit.

"Ring ring—!"

The piercing ringtone suddenly rang out, jolting her back to reality.

"Hello, Chung-Kook Bank, please speak."

His voice was muffled, as if veiled by a thin mist.

"Butterfly, you look so dejected. I think it's time to have someone else stand here."

On the other end of the phone, Song Qingzhi joked leisurely.

"Oh, Uncle, you're teasing me again! I'm already feeling really upset!"

She drew out the last syllable, with a touch of coquettish softness.

"Blocked? Someone just called and asked you out to dinner—I just turned them down."

"Who asked you to set them up? Turn them down, it's so annoying."

She subconsciously thought it was another matchmaking event arranged by some uncle or elder, and waved her hand, intending to give up.

"Okay, okay, I'll do as you say, I'll push it now."

Song Qingzhi readily agreed, but then muttered in a low voice, "Hmph, that kid Li Wenguo is getting more and more unreliable. He doesn't ask you directly to make appointments, but instead comes to me—serves him right for being rejected!"

Song Caidie's fingers had already loosened their grip on the receiver, but upon hearing the name "Li Wenguo," they suddenly tensed up and grabbed the receiver tightly: "Uncle, wait! Who? Who wants to invite me to dinner?"

On the other end of the phone, Song Qingzhi's lips curled into a smile: "Wenguo. Didn't you say you'd turn it down? Then I'll hang up now—"

"No, no, no! Uncle, please agree first. I... I have something urgent to ask him!"

"Alright!"

He smiled and shook his head, then cleanly and decisively hung up the wire.

He knew perfectly well that the girl was probably deeply in love.

Otherwise, why would she be so absent-minded every day, constantly daydreaming—clearly, she is lovesick to the point of obsession.

Li Wenguo seemed to have never cared about this niece—he hadn't visited her once since the night of the ball, nor had he sent her a single message.

Although this situation was not very favorable for Song Caidie, Song Qingzhi was too lazy to get involved: if it succeeded, he would go with the flow; if it failed, they would go their separate ways. In any case, this red thread was not in their destiny.

Of course, if the niece really makes a scene and insists on marrying Li Wenguo, and he still refuses to agree, then it's simple: just bring out the weight of the Song family and force him to agree.

Does he dare to turn against him?

Those who wield real power never engage in empty talk.

Besides, Song Caidie is already stunningly beautiful, and she has the entire Song family backing her up. She can use resources and connections at will, so how could she possibly wrong him?

In Song Qingzhi's eyes, this matter didn't even amount to a ripple.

Song Caidie, the receptionist, had just hung up the phone when she glanced at the clock on the wall—there was still half an hour until she got off work.

She immediately waved to her familiar female colleague at the next workstation: "Hey sis, keep an eye on things for me for twenty minutes, I have something urgent to do!" After saying that, she turned around and ran to the restroom to touch up her makeup and change clothes.

"Hmph! That damn thing, taking so long to show up, he really deserves to be taught a lesson!"

She lightly swept highlighter onto her face while muttering to herself, her ear tips subtly turning red.

Two months later, when they met again, Li Wenguo was still struck by her dazzling vitality.

Seeing his gaze fixed on her face, Song Caidie smiled slightly, secretly pleased with herself: This young lady is born to be seductive, leaving you hanging for two months is too lenient!

"Miss Song is dazzling today..."

Li Wenguo's words were absolutely true.

In terms of appearance, she was indeed more flawless than Xu Wanqing; every time they met, her face was like a ray of light piercing through the dullness, catching people off guard and leaving them mesmerized.

Unfortunately, what stood between them was not distance, but a complex web of calculations—if his only goal was to get Xu Wanqing into bed, he wouldn't have stepped into her sight at all.

Moreover, Mavis Hee has just found out she is pregnant with her second child, and she is currently in need of a long-term partner who can keep things under control.

The women kept outside are all pretty and have great figures, but they lack that composure that allows them to stay in control.

"snort!!!"

Song Caidie raised her chin, her eyes full of reproach: You haven't shown up for so long, and you still expect me to greet you with a smile?

"Ha, putting on airs the moment we meet. Be careful, or one day I might really stop coming to see you."

"Fine, don't come if you don't want to! Who cares about your sour face!"

He was very tough on the outside, but his voice softened a bit, and even the lines of his neck relaxed, his arrogance quietly crumbling.

In the midst of their banter, the car pulled up in front of a French restaurant—the owner was a true Parisian.

Li Wenguo chose this place not for candlelight and roses, but for its quiet environment, excellent food, and the way the pianist's fingers light up the entire hall, naturally whetting his appetite.

The French have never relied on gimmicks to dominate the Western food scene.

Expensive? Of course. But in Li Wenguo's view, money is not like aged wine stored in a cellar, but like freshly brewed water to drink—when it comes to food, you have to eat the very best.