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

The atmosphere in the carriage was somewhat quiet throughout the journey.

Li Jing'an kept his eyes on the road ahead, occasionally turning his head to say a few words to Chen Qing in the passenger seat, his tone revealing concern.

"You can't be this foolish again. You've already experienced the serious consequences of returning to the city without a letter of introduction."

Chen Qing quickly straightened his posture and sincerely admitted his mistake, saying, "Yes, yes, Director Li, I remember! I promise that I will never come back without official leave or approval! I will work hard in Huairou and try to make up for my mistake as soon as possible so that I can go back to see Yufei."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an smiled and patted him on the shoulder, his tone full of approval.

"That's right. Making mistakes isn't scary; what's scary is not having the attitude to admit your mistakes and not having the determination to correct them. If you can understand this, that's better than anything else."

He paused, then subtly changed the subject, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the rearview mirror, where Zhou Yufei's head was reflected in the lowered position in the back seat.

"You can focus on your work there and don't worry about things at home. I'll take good care of Zhou Yufei."

This statement was made frankly and naturally, and it sounded entirely well-intentioned.

Chen Qing was deeply moved and repeatedly clasped his hands in thanks.

"Thank you so much, Director Li! You've gone to so much trouble for me... I really don't know what to say!"

He was so excited that he turned around immediately and urged Zhou Yufei in the back seat, "Yufei, hurry up and thank Director Li! If it weren't for Director Li, our family really wouldn't have made it this far!"

Zhou Yufei sat in the back seat, leaning lightly against the car door, staring blankly at the trees rushing past outside the window, her face deathly pale.

Hearing her husband's words, she remained silent for a few seconds, her lips moved, and finally she managed to squeeze out a soft, almost inaudible sound from her throat.

"……Thanks."

The sound was light and airy, without a trace of warmth, like a fallen leaf landing on the cold ground.

A faint smile appeared on Li Jing'an's lips. He glanced at her again in the rearview mirror, his eyes deep and with a hint of barely perceptible amusement.

The car continued forward, leaving the smooth highway and entering a bumpy dirt road.

After driving for a few more minutes, they were less than two hundred meters away from Chen Qing's construction site.

It wasn't time to leave work yet, and the surroundings were deserted; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Li Jing'an gently pressed the brake, and the jeep came to a steady stop.

"I'll leave you here." He turned to Chen Qing and said, "This car belongs to my company. Driving it directly to the construction site entrance will create a bad impression and people will gossip. It won't be good for you either."

Chen Qing immediately nodded, indicating her understanding: "I understand, I understand, Director Li, you've thought of everything so thoroughly!"

"Remember what I told you." Li Jing'an's expression turned slightly serious, his tone becoming more stern. "From now on, pretend that being arrested by the police station never happened. Don't mention it to anyone, not even your closest friends. The police station didn't notify the factory or this place, understand?"

Chen Qing's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly and solemnly promised, "Don't worry! I'll keep it a secret! I won't tell anyone! Thank you so much, Director Li..."

Li Jing'an waved his hand, interrupting Chen Qing's words of thanks.

"That's good." Li Jing'an released the brake. "I'll wait in the car. Go down and say goodbye to your wife. Don't take too long."

Chen Qing exclaimed "Hey!", pushed open the car door, jumped out, went around to the other side, and opened the back door.

Because Li Jing'an was still sitting in the driver's seat, Chen Qing didn't dare to do anything too intimate. She simply reached out and gently grabbed Zhou Yufei's arm, her eyes filled with tenderness and reluctance.

"Yufei, I'm going in. Take good care of yourself at home, don't worry about me." He paused, his tone unusually serious, "If anything happens in the future, don't try to handle it yourself, just go to Director Li. He's a good man, he genuinely wants to help us, he'll definitely take care of you."

Zhou Yufei looked at him, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up again.

She didn't say anything, but suddenly lunged forward and hugged Chen Qing tightly again, burying her face in the crook of his neck, sobbing uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling with each sob.

Chen Qing thought she was just reluctant to part with him, so he softened and gently patted her back, softly comforting her.

"Don't cry, it's only a few months, it'll be over in the blink of an eye. Once I behave well, I'll go back soon, and we'll never be apart again, okay?"

He coaxed her for a while before gently pushing her away, wiping away her tears, glancing at her one last time with reluctance, before turning and walking toward the construction site gate.

Zhou Yufei stood by the car, motionless, quietly watching his figure recede into the distance, her eyes empty and filled with despair.

Li Jing'an, who was in the driver's seat, kept looking at her through the car window.

After Chen Qing had walked a little further away, he slowly spoke, his voice low and deep.

"Get in the car."

Zhou Yufei trembled, hesitated for a moment, her legs felt like lead, and slowly walked around to the car, opened the back door, and got in.

She had barely settled down when Li Jing'an's voice rang out again, still calm, but carrying an undeniable command.

He stared at the rearview mirror inside the car, speaking each word carefully.

"Come to the front."

Zhou Yufei gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with her fingers, her face pale, but she dared not disobey.

She bit her lip, carefully squeezed through the middle of the car seats, lowered her head, and sat silently in the passenger seat, trying to shrink her body towards the door and stay as far away from the people around her as possible.

Li Jing'an turned his head and looked at her, who kept her head down and trembled the whole time, like a frightened little bird.

He suddenly reached out and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips, wanting to touch her pale, cold skin.

Zhou Yufei was so frightened that she shrank back instinctively, her eyes filled with fear and resistance.

It was this one dodge.

The gentle expression on Li Jing'an's face vanished instantly.

His expression suddenly darkened, and his eyes instantly turned cold and fierce.

Before Zhou Yufei could react, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of her neck tightly, so forcefully that she was instantly unable to move and could only tilt her head back, forced to look at him.

Zhou Yufei's face turned pale with pain, her breath hitched, and tears of terror welled up in her eyes.

Li Jing'an remained silent, raising his other hand to point to Chen Qing, who was not far from the window and had not yet fully entered the construction site gate. His voice was as cold as ice.

"What, now that Chen Qing is out, you're not listening to me anymore?"

He tightened his grip on her fingertips, squeezing her even more firmly.

"I can get him out of the police station, and I can also send him back with just a word. Do you believe me?"

Zhou Yufei trembled violently, feeling as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by a hand.

She looked in the direction he pointed and saw Chen Qing stop at the entrance of the construction site, turn around, wave vigorously in the direction of the car, and have a relieved smile on his face.

That scene was like a knife, piercing her heart.

She looked into Li Jing'an's cold eyes, her voice trembling, and asked with despair.

"I've...done what you said...what more do you want...?"

Looking at her tearful, fearful, and helpless appearance, Li Jing'an's cold expression suddenly faded, replaced by a strange smile.

He loosened his grip and gently pulled her a little closer to him.

"What do I want?" He chuckled softly, his voice laced with obsessive possessiveness. "I, Li Jing'an, can do whatever I want. Don't think that this is the end of it after just one time."

"It's not that easy."

"From now on, you'll have to cooperate with me whenever I want. Do you understand?"

Zhou Yufei completely broke down, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with desperate pleas.

"Please... please let me go... please let Chen Qing go... I beg you..."

Li Jing'an's eyes darkened slightly as he looked at her tear-streaked face.

He suddenly leaned closer, pressing his entire face against hers, so close they could feel each other's breath.

He stuck out his tongue and gently licked away the tears that had slid down her face, a gesture that was both frivolous and cruel.

"Don't cry." His voice was low, with a morbid gentleness. "If you cry, you won't look good."

"I love you so much, I cherish you so much, how come you don't understand my heart?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he gave her no chance to struggle, pressed down on the back of her head with one hand, and pressed her down without saying a word.

He was still speaking slowly and gently, but every word he uttered was piercing.

"Don't worry, I'll be good to you."

"I will always take care of Chen Qing. He is so ambitious and eager to get ahead. Don't make a mistake and ruin his life."

Zhou Yufei's body suddenly stiffened.

All the struggle, all the resistance, all the strength, vanished completely at this moment.

She was like a puppet that had lost its soul.

Outside the car window.

At the construction site gate, Chen Qing was still waving at the car, his face filled with pure gratitude and relief, assuming that his wife was just reluctant to leave.

He waved again, finally turned around, and walked into the construction site gate with peace of mind.

in the driver's seat.

As Li Jing'an watched Chen Qing's disappearing figure, the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, revealing a smug and satisfied smile.

He closed his eyes, tilted his head back slightly, and let out a deep, contented sound.