I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the hospital room windows, casting a warm yellow glow, and the air still carried a faint smell of disinfectant. Li Jing'an leaned against the headboard, a white bandage wrapped around his forehead.

Before long, the ward door was gently pushed open, and three figures filed in—Deputy Director Sun of the Second Bureau of Commerce walked in the middle, with Director Meng of the Dongcheng Branch beside him, and Director Zhang of the Police Station following behind.

They bumped into each other while parking in the hospital courtyard. A conversation revealed that Deputy Director Sun and Director Meng were old acquaintances. In Beijing, the Second Commercial Bureau controlled the city's food, drink, and daily expenses; it was normal for everyone to have some connections. Director Zhang overheard their conversation and learned that Li Jing'an was actually a soldier under Deputy Director Sun's command.

Director Meng came here today, firstly to express his condolences, and secondly to sincerely thank him. If it weren't for Li Jing'an, they wouldn't have been able to follow the clues and crack a series of major cases in one fell swoop, from a small case of stealing a bag to robbery, harassment of women, and speculation, and even took down a gang of thugs. The achievement is a great one, all thanks to this young man in front of them.

Upon entering the ward, Director Zhang stepped forward first, smiling as he introduced, "Jing'an, this is Director Meng from the Dongcheng Branch. He came specifically to see you."

Director Meng stepped forward, gently shook Li Jing'an's hand, his expression calm and gentle, his tone official yet warm: "Comrade Li Jing'an, your courageous act of fighting the criminals has cleared away a large area of ​​hidden danger for our public security front. On behalf of the branch bureau, I express my condolences and gratitude to you. Rest assured and recover from your injuries; the organization will arrange all medical expenses and follow-up care."

Li Jing'an quickly bowed slightly and said sincerely, "Thank you for your concern, Director Meng. I am also sorry to have troubled you all to make this trip."

Once everyone had found chairs and sat down, the atmosphere in the ward became more relaxed. Deputy Director Sun leaned back in his chair, smiled, and patted Director Meng's arm: "Old Meng, we're all family here, so don't use so many official jargon and formalities. Jing'an is a soldier I trained; he's a straightforward person, so don't be shy."

Director Meng smiled and nodded upon hearing this: "Director Sun is right. Director Sun and I have a long-standing friendship. Jing'an, please don't stand on ceremony."

Li Jing'an glanced at Director Meng. The man, barely in his forties, had already risen to the position of director of the Dongcheng branch. His demeanor was calm and capable, his presence understated yet substantial—clearly a man with a promising future. Li Jing'an's mind immediately raced—this young, powerful, and highly capable leader in the public security system was exactly the kind of person he needed to cultivate a relationship with. If he could bring him into his network, he would have a solid backer in the future, whether it was in the factory, the neighborhood, or when he needed favors.

Deputy Director Sun looked at Li Jing'an, his brows furrowed slightly, and said with concern, "I only heard that you were injured and hospitalized while trying to help someone, but no one has explained the details to me. Tell me yourself, what exactly happened?"

"Alright, then I'll tell you, boss." Li Jing'an cleared his throat, sat up straighter, his eyes narrowed, and he instantly got into character, a look of lingering fear and sternness on his face. "That day, I was passing by the alley entrance when I immediately saw a group of people surrounding a passerby, openly snatching their bag!"

Upon hearing this, both Director Meng and Chief Zhang were stunned. Chief Zhang knew the truth best: it was just a few thieves caught stealing bags. How did Li Jing'an turn it into armed robbery? Director Meng had read the case report; it was all clearly written there. The two exchanged a quick glance, suppressing a smile, but neither exposed him. Instead, they sat up straight, eager to see how Li Jing'an would continue his fabrication.

Li Jing'an, completely oblivious, or rather, deliberately ignoring the expressions of the two men, slapped his thigh, causing the gauze on the back of his head to sway slightly. His eyes widened, and his tone was impassioned, as if he had returned to the scene of the incident:

"You didn't see that! Seven thugs, clutching machetes and thick wooden sticks, each one looking like a monster. The blades were so sharp in the sunlight you could hardly open your eyes; they were clearly going to kill you!"

"I was unarmed at the time, without any weapons to defend myself. But as a former soldier, could I hide from this? No! The leader charged at me with a big wooden stick. I dodged to the side, grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and tripped him. The guy collapsed to the ground in pain, and the stick flew far away."

"Then several guys swarmed around me like madmen, wielding knives and clubs, each strike aimed at vital points. I kept my footing steady, targeting their weaknesses, punching their vitals, elbowing them in the ribs, kneeing them in the stomach—each move swift and decisive. One guy on the left swung his knife, I ducked to avoid it, then punched him in the chin, knocking him unconscious. The guy on the right swung his club wildly, I grabbed the stick, snatched it away, and struck him with my backhand; he groaned and fell to the ground. In just a few minutes, I had taken down five of them, each lying on the ground groaning, unable to get up!"

At this point, Li Jing'an deliberately paused, glanced at Deputy Director Sun who was listening intently, then at Director Meng and Director Zhang, whose shoulders were trembling slightly from suppressing laughter. His tone suddenly turned serious, adding a hint of menace:

"When the remaining two saw that their accomplices were all defeated, they panicked and, in desperation, grabbed two passersby and held them hostage, pressing their knives against their necks, yelling that they would kill them if they came any closer. What's even more insidious is that, while I was distracted by the hostages, one of them sneaked behind me, gripped the knife, and stabbed me hard in the lower back—it was so fast and ruthless that anyone else would have panicked!"

"But I didn't fall! The moment the knife pierced my lower back, I felt a burning sensation, and blood instantly soaked through my clothes, but my mind was perfectly clear. I endured the pain, without turning around or crying out, and suddenly twisted my waist to the side, grabbed his wrist with my other hand, and twisted it forcefully. The knife clattered to the ground, followed by a punch to his face and a kick that sent him flying. Before the other hostage-taker could react, I had already rushed forward, grabbed his knife-wielding hand, lifted it upwards, deflected the blade, and with a push and a trip, flipped him over, dragging and pulling the hostage behind me."

"I only breathed a sigh of relief after the two thugs scrambled away and the hostage was safe. Blood kept flowing from my lower back, I felt like all my strength had been drained, my vision blurred, my legs gave way, and I collapsed to the ground, unconscious."

After he finished speaking, he reached up and touched his lower back, sighed with feigned regret, his brows furrowed, and his face full of remorse: "Alas, in the end, it's because my skills aren't good enough. I trained in bayonet fighting in the army, but now that I don't have a weapon, I can't use it effectively. If I had a stick with me back then, even if there were seven, or even twice as many, I wouldn't have been injured!"

At first, Deputy Director Sun listened with great interest, his brows furrowed, genuinely worried for Li Jing'an. But the more he listened, the more outrageous it seemed—seven armed men, hostages, and a knife stabbing in the lower back.

Turning his head again, he saw that Director Meng's lips were tightly pursed, and Director Zhang had turned his head to the side, his shoulders twitching, clearly trying his best to suppress a laugh. He immediately realized that this kid was just talking nonsense and exaggerating.

Deputy Director Sun immediately rolled his eyes and said irritably, his tone mocking, "Li Jing'an, tell me, was that knife stabbed in the back of your head? I heard you were injured in the head; I hope your brains weren't ripped out?"

Li Jing'an was stunned. The excited expression on his face froze instantly. He scratched the back of his head, gave an embarrassed smile, and his tone softened instantly: "Hehe... I misremembered, I misremembered. It wasn't a knife that stabbed me. I was knocked unconscious from behind by a stick, oh no, a brick."

"Don't give me that crap." Deputy Director Sun exposed him. "I know you too well. You can make up such vivid stories; it's a waste of your talent not to be a storyteller."

Finally, Director Meng couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up with a smile, deliberately putting on a stern face as he looked at Director Zhang: "Director Zhang, I didn't expect Comrade Li Jing'an to encounter such a dangerous situation. Your report is far too brief, completely different from what happened on the scene. I'll have to give you a proper review later!"

Director Zhang immediately cooperated, standing up with a sincere expression: "Yes, yes, Director Meng's criticism is correct. It was my dereliction of duty. I humbly accept the punishment without hesitation!"

The two of them acted out the story so convincingly that Li Jing'an, seeing this, stopped pretending and simply laid his cards on the table. He scratched his head and chuckled, "Alright, boss, I'm not making this up anymore. To tell you the truth—it's just that a few guys on the street were stealing bags, and I caught them and stopped them. I fought with them, knocked down five of them, and then someone hit me on the back with a brick and knocked me unconscious. That's all."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ward erupted in laughter. Director Meng slapped his thigh with laughter, Director Zhang laughed so hard he couldn't straighten up, and even the usually composed Deputy Director Sun couldn't help but shake his head and laugh and scold.

After laughing, Director Meng stopped, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Li Jing'an: "You really weren't bragging, kid. Your fighting prowess is truly formidable. Of the seven thugs, you broke four of their bones, and the remaining three aren't much better off. Some have lost teeth, others have bruises and are lying in the detention center groaning."

Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Sun was immediately taken aback and looked at Li Jing'an: "Is it really that amazing? I thought you were just bragging again."

"Absolutely true." Director Meng nodded. "We just finished reviewing the case. Those who suffered fractures were transferred to this hospital today for treatment; they're in the wards downstairs."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an deliberately frowned, looked at Director Meng, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Director Meng, aren't you afraid that sending them to this hospital will make them hold a grudge and secretly seek revenge on me once they recover?"

Director Meng burst into laughter again, pointing at Li Jing'an, his tone hearty: "Revenge? I'm more afraid that once you've recovered, you'll go down and seek revenge on them! With your skills, they'd run away from you like the plague, let alone dare to come to our door!"

Everyone burst into laughter again, and the atmosphere in the ward became extremely harmonious.

After the laughter subsided, Deputy Director Sun looked at Director Meng seriously, his tone carrying a sense of entrustment: "Old Meng, Jing'an is a soldier I trained. Now he lives in your Dongcheng jurisdiction. In the future, he will inevitably encounter some problems in his work and life. You will have to help him out and take care of him."

Director Meng already had a very good impression of Li Jing'an—brave, honest, eloquent, and tactful. Coupled with his connection to Deputy Director Sun, he immediately agreed, patting his chest and guaranteeing, "Director Sun, don't worry, I've decided to be friends with Jing'an! From now on, whether it's factory matters, street matters, or any trouble you encounter, come to me anytime. A word from me is all it takes; I'll do my best!"

Li Jing'an was overjoyed, but his face remained humble. He smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Then thank you very much, Director Meng. I really won't stand on ceremony from now on. I'm just afraid I'll be troubling you a lot. Please don't find me annoying."

"Don't be so polite, we're all family here." Director Meng waved his hand.

Deputy Director Sun glanced out the window and sighed, "It's a pity we can't have a drink today, otherwise we would definitely have a good drink together."

Li Jing'an's eyes lit up, and he immediately replied, "What's so difficult about that? It's almost noon, and there's a state-run restaurant right outside the hospital. The food is pretty good. Let's go over there now, have a few drinks, and chat while we drink."

Director Meng paused, then looked at the bandage on his head: "With this injury, can you drink alcohol? Shouldn't the doctor stop you?"

Li Jing'an waved his hand dismissively and got up to get out of bed: "It's nothing. I haven't had any injections or medicine these past two days, and the doctor just told me to lie in bed and rest. I'm practically rusting. I might as well go out for a drink to kill some germs and disinfect myself. It's better than lying here!"

All three were straightforward and unpretentious, and they immediately hit it off and got up to leave.

When the nurse guarding the door saw that the patient was about to leave the hospital to drink without permission, she rushed forward to stop him. However, Li Jing'an was a strong man, and he was followed by two bureau chiefs and a director. His imposing presence was undeniable. The nurse tried to stop him, but she couldn't. She could only watch helplessly as the group chatted and laughed and strode out of the hospital building.

The drinking session was very enjoyable, and everyone was happy. Li Jing'an had a good capacity for alcohol and spoke appropriately, neither arrogant nor humble, and knew how to advance or retreat with tact. He took care of Deputy Director Sun's feelings, Director Meng's position, and Director Zhang's hard work in a very considerate way. After the meal, the relationship between the group became even closer.

When Li Jing'an returned to the ward slightly tipsy, he dismissed the caregivers, closed the door, and immediately calmed his mind, focusing his consciousness deep into his brain to examine his cheat system—the invisible network of relationships slowly unfolded, and a brand new name appeared in the blank space: Meng Xiangbin (Director Meng).

To his surprise, the name wasn't a light gray, but a bright light red. This meant that Director Meng's favor and approval of him far exceeded the ordinary acquaintance they had on their first meeting. If they continued to interact, the name would turn dark red, completely binding him into his network of relationships and making him a solid support.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Li Jing'an's lips.