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

In the afternoon, on the third floor of the guesthouse, in Li Jing'an's office.

Li Jing'an leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, held a cigarette between his fingers, and slowly exhaled smoke rings.

He watched Zhou Yufei take a rag, bend over, and wipe the sofa and coffee table one stroke at a time, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Did the sun rise in the west today?" He flicked his cigarette ash, his tone teasing. "Why were you so proactive just now? Are you... addicted?"

After saying that, he chuckled twice, his gaze lingering on her bent-over back for a couple more seconds.

Zhou Yufei didn't say anything. She lowered her head, folded the rag, picked up the ashtray on the coffee table, emptied the cigarette butts into the trash can, wiped it clean carefully, and put it back in its place.

Only after everything was tidied up did she straighten up, walk to the desk, her fingers gripping a rag. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke softly:

"Brother Li... I want to ask you something."

"Hmm?" Li Jing'an raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Well..." Zhou Yufei glanced at his expression, then lowered her eyes again, "Do you know any managers at the department store?"

Li Jing'an paused, his cigarette hanging in mid-air: "Department store? Why are you asking that?"

Zhou Yufei tightened her grip on the rag. "I...I have a relative who works at a department store and wants to transfer to a counter position. Last time...didn't you help someone contact someone at the food company? I was thinking, since we're all in the same system, maybe you have some connections..."

Li Jing'an put a cigarette in his mouth, squinted at her for a while, and didn't say anything. Zhou Yufei felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and lowered her eyes to stare at the tips of her shoes.

"Relationships..." Li Jing'an slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, "There are some. But this isn't something that can be done just by saying a few words. I have to treat them to a meal, I have to give them something, I can't expect to pay for it myself, can I?"

Zhou Yufei's eyes lit up, and she took half a step forward: "Then...how much will it cost?"

Li Jing'an stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, reached out and pulled Zhou Yufei to sit on his lap. His hand naturally lifted the hem of her clothes and slipped inside. Zhou Yufei stiffened slightly but didn't pull away.

"Two hundred, I guess." Li Jing'an's hand rubbed inside her clothes. "Have your relative bring two hundred yuan. Once the money arrives, I'll contact them."

Zhou Yufei hesitated for a moment: "Why...why do we need to pay first? Can't we do it after it's done..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her front. She hissed, frowned, and bit her lip, not daring to cry out.

Li Jing'an said in a nonchalant tone, "Have you ever seen a business that only charges after the job is done? I only agreed because you begged me. If it were anyone else, even if they offered three hundred, I might not do it for them."

Zhou Yufei lowered her head, her eyes a little red. After a long while, she nodded gently: "...I understand."

---

After Zhou Yufei left, Li Jing'an lit another cigarette, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and swung them back and forth, a satisfied look on his face. Two hundred yuan. Treating someone to a meal only costs a few dozen yuan at most; the remaining hundred-plus yuan is his. The people at the department store are eager to connect with him; this deal is a sure win.

He smoked a cigarette and hummed an off-key tune.

---

In the switchboard room, it was almost time to leave work. Zhou Yufei sat at her desk for a while, then saw Sister Wang packing up her things to get some water. She stood up and followed her.

In a secluded corner of the corridor, she gently called out to Old Wang, "Sister Wang."

Sister Wang turned around and noticed that Yufei's expression was a little unnatural. She asked in confusion, "Yufei? What's wrong?"

Zhou Yufei pursed her lips and lowered her voice, saying, "What you mentioned this morning... about your sister-in-law's situation, the job transfer..."

Sister Wang was taken aback, then her eyes lit up: "What? You have connections?"

Zhou Yufei neither nodded nor shook her head, but simply said, "I know someone, and I asked him this afternoon. He can talk to people at the department store. If you trust me..."

Sister Wang's face showed a mixture of surprise and delight. She grabbed Yufei's hand and asked, "Yufei, are you serious?! Which leader do you know?"

Zhou Yufei shook her head: "Don't ask me about this. If you don't trust me, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Sister Wang quickly waved her hand, her tone becoming sincere: "I trust you, I trust you! We work in the same room, how could I not trust you?" In her opinion, Zhou Yufei's lover had made such a big mess, so he went to the countryside to help farmers. From this, it was clear that Zhou Yufei's family must have some connections.

Zhou Yufei lowered her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice, "It can be done, but... I have to pay."

Fearing that Sister Wang might misunderstand, she quickly added, "It's not what I wanted! It was just now... I just went to ask around, and someone else wanted it."

Sister Wang patted her hand, looking understanding. "Yufei, I understand! There's no such thing as getting someone to do something for free. Don't worry, I get it!" She paused, then lowered her voice and asked, "How much do they want?"

Zhou Yufei lowered her eyes, remained silent for two seconds, then slowly extended five fingers, her voice very soft: "Five hundred."

Sister Wang's eyelids twitched, but she quickly gritted her teeth and nodded forcefully: "Fine! Five hundred it is! I'll go back to my parents' house tonight and send the message over, and I'll bring you the money tomorrow!"

Zhou Yufei's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. She quickly said, "No rush, these two days are fine."

Sister Wang said urgently, "We can't delay! This position is in high demand; if we wait even a day, someone else might snatch it up! Any delay could lead to unforeseen problems!"

Zhou Yufei nodded and didn't say anything more.

---

It's been a long time since I got off work, and the factory area is quiet.

Sha Zhu, carrying two bulging lunchboxes and humming some unknown tune, walked towards the factory gate under the moonlight. The kitchen staff had made braised pork today, and he had made extra, thinking he could treat Qin Huairu's children to some.

Just as he reached the factory gate, several figures emerged from the guardhouse and blocked his way.

Sha Zhu was taken aback. By the light from the gatehouse, he could see that it was a few people from the security department. The leader was an old acquaintance, surnamed Sun.

"Hey guys, working the night shift tonight?" Sha Zhu greeted with a smile. "What's up? Were you waiting for me?"

Captain Sun forced a smile: "Master He, I'm sorry, but I need your help with something. Could we take a look at your lunchbox?"

Sha Zhu's smile faded slightly: "Looking at lunchboxes? Guys, there's no such rule in our factory, is there? We've never done this before."

Captain Sun chuckled dryly, his eyes fixed on the pocket in his hand: "Things are a little different now, Master He, please bear with me."

Sha Zhu narrowed his eyes, a figure suddenly flashing through his mind, and his voice deepened: "Was it Xie Hui who ordered you to do this?"

Captain Sun didn't say anything, but the dry smile on his face disappeared, and his eyes glanced at the lunchbox.

Sha Zhu stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly laughed and handed the bag in his hand forward: "Look around, feel free to look."

He was very confident; bringing his lunchbox back was tacitly approved by the factory leaders. He didn't ask for overtime pay, he was just bringing some food. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he would still be in the right, and he wasn't afraid.

A security guard took the bag, opened the lunchbox, and shone a flashlight inside—the lunchbox was full of braised pork, glistening with oil and still steaming; the other lunchbox was filled with white steamed buns, packed tightly together with no space between them.

Captain Sun peeked inside, straightened up, and smiled at Sha Zhu again, this time with a meaningful smile: "Master He, would you please come with us? We need to explain where this came from."

Sha Zhu took the lunchbox, stuffed it into his pocket, and walked away without looking back towards the security office: "Let's go, lead the way. Explain yourself? Perfect, I also want you to explain yourself, who gave you the order to check my lunchbox?"