Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

The younger man frowned, clearly taken aback by the sudden turn of events. The older man adjusted his hat brim—a habitual gesture—as he pondered. His gaze swung back and forth between He Yuzhu and Li Jianguo like a pendulum, finally settling on Li Jianguo.

"Director Li."

The tone was polite, but carried a sense of detachment, as if it were a business transaction.

"How do you and He Yuzhu usually get along?"

Li Jianguo stood there.

Standing straight, like the old locust tree in the yard, unmoved by the wind.

He glanced at He Yuzhu. Just that one glance, without any emotion, made He Yuzhu instinctively shrink back—the floor tiles slipped, and he almost lost his balance.

"From the first day I moved into this courtyard," Li Jianguo's voice was unhurried, each word like a heavy weight landing on the ground, "the conflicts have never stopped."

He paused for a moment.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly—not a smile, just a very faint upward movement.

"But do you two think," he said, "that I would resort to such underhanded tactics for such a trivial matter?"

Speak softly.

Heavy portion.

The two police officers nodded almost simultaneously—their nodding movements were almost synchronized, as if they had rehearsed it.

Yes.

A national-level engineer at a steel rolling mill, with a future as bright as a light bulb, why would he bother with a canteen cook? Even if they had a grudge, was it worth resorting to such a low-class tactic as stealing women's underwear?

Even a dog wouldn't believe that if you told that.

"He's the one who got me into trouble!" He Yuzhu cried out, her voice rising like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I really don't know how this underwear got into my room! I didn't steal it! Someone must have deliberately put it there to get me!"

Everyone in the room was stunned.

He was stunned, as if someone had acupunctured him.

He was just insisting that Qin Huairu had fallen into his room, but now he's changed his story and said he was framed? He can't even turn the pages of a book this fast.

Xu Damao was the first to come to his senses.

He scoffed, a laugh that carried the chilling pain of a knife.

"Hey, Master He, is your mouth rented or borrowed? Didn't you just say that Sister Qin left it in your room? Now you're saying you were framed? You change your mind faster than flipping through a book, have you had some training?"

"That was—" He Yuzhu opened his mouth.

"What's that?"

Xu Damao took a step forward, his feet stomping loudly on the ground. He was tall, and when he stood there, it was like a mountain pressing down on him.

"You don't want to be seen as a pervert, so you'd rather admit to having an affair? He Yuzhu, He Yuzhu, are you even a man?"

That's a really harsh comment.

It hits where it hurts, it hits where it hurts.

The way the other people in the courtyard looked at He Yuzhu completely changed.

There was disdain in that gaze—like looking at a pile of mud. There was mockery—like watching a monkey show. There was disbelief—how could someone lie so badly, turning themselves into a joke?

"Alright."

The older police officer raised his hand, as if cutting through a tangled mess.

His gaze swept over everyone present, and when it finally landed on Li Jianguo, it held a touch of solemnity—a respect for his status and for the facts.

"Whether this is a frame-up or something else, we will definitely get to the bottom of it."

He paused, then his voice deepened, like a stone sinking into a well.

"This case involves a national-level engineer; it can't be handled half-heartedly. It has to be handled thoroughly."

The young police officer understood and turned to Li Jianguo, his tone much more polite than before—polite with a hint of respect.

"Director Li, what do you think? Please feel free to share your thoughts."

Li Jianguo nodded.

The nod was very light, yet it felt heavy.

"When I came back tonight," he began, his voice as calm as a deep pool, unfathomable, "Comrade Lou Xiao'e told me that He Yuzhu was lurking suspiciously outside my room. I didn't pay much attention at the time—he often goes to the Jia family's house, and I thought he was just passing by."

He Yuzhu and Yi Zhonghai's gazes fell on Lou Xiao'e almost simultaneously.

That look was filled with hatred—naked, like a knife, like a poisoned arrow.

Lou Xiao'e sensed it.

She merely chuckled softly, without even lifting her eyelids. That chuckle carried disdain, contempt, and an arrogant "who do you think you are?" attitude.

"Some people," she said slowly, as if commenting on the nice weather, "have a guilty conscience. They walk right into the trap; who can they blame?"

He Yuzhu's face flushed red, as red as a pig's liver. His lips moved, but he didn't dare to utter a sound.

Li Jianguo continued, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"Later, I was drawing blueprints inside when I heard a commotion outside. People were saying that something had gone missing from Qin Huairu's house. I was busy with something, so I didn't go out to check."

"I'll tell you this part!"

Xu Damao interrupted, gesturing wildly as he spoke, recounting in detail what had happened outside during that time—who said what, mimicking it perfectly; who did what, demonstrating it vividly.

"After a final discussion, everyone decided to search their homes! There were only two bachelors in the yard, so let's search Director Li's house first!"

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at the two police officers, his eyes filled with expectation, like a student waiting for praise from his teacher.

"Comrades, did you catch the meaning in that?"

The older police officer frowned.

His brows were furrowed tightly, like he was wringing out a towel.

Almost instantly, he realized—people in this line of work have a sense of smell that's even sharper than a dog's.

"They were deliberately targeting Director Li," he said with certainty, "and—they were quite sure they would find something."

"That's right."

Li Jianguo smiled slightly.

That smile was as faint as water, yet it sent chills down your spine—even on a hot day, a cold draft would run down your back.

"I'm just curious," he said, "how can you be so sure there's something wrong with my house?"

This problem is like a stone thrown into calm water.

Ripples spread outwards, reaching into everyone's heart.

The group, who had been led by the nose by He Yuzhu and his group, finally started to understand – like rusty machines, they began to creak and groan.

"I knew it!"

The third uncle slapped his thigh, making a loud "smack." He belatedly realized what was happening and his eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets.

"I knew something was wrong. Why did they suddenly target Director Li? So—it was all planned beforehand? You guys are so ruthless! Utterly ruthless!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Yi Zhonghai's voice was strained, like a string stretched too tight. He forced a calm expression on his face—a calmness that was obviously feigned, and anyone could see through it.

"Sir, please don't be so formal."

Second Uncle Liu Haizhong spoke coldly. His voice was as cold as the winter wind, stinging one's face.

"This matter is definitely related to you, isn't it? I remember when Director Li said he wanted to call the police, you stopped him, saying it was a small matter and we shouldn't involve the police station. You're not usually like this—you usually get involved in every little thing, but this time it's considered a small matter?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"I remember now, that old man and Sha Zhu absolutely refused to let me call the police!"

"But when the incident happened, they didn't say it was a small matter; they made sure the whole hospital knew about it!"

Everyone started talking at once, like water bursting from a dam, unstoppable. Details that had been overlooked before were now brought up again—like rummaging through a garbage dump, all the dirty and smelly things were dug out.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Yi Zhonghai's forehead.

Sweat trickled down his cheeks, down his neck, and into his collar. He opened his mouth, but found he couldn't say anything—it felt like something was blocking his throat.

He Yuzhu was so panicked that he didn't know what to do.

Not knowing where to put her hands, she finally gripped the hem of her clothes tightly until her knuckles turned white—a white tinged with blue, like the color of a dead person's hand.

"Officer, don't believe them!"

The voice trembled, like leaves rustling in the wind.

"This was fabricated by Li Jianguo! I'm the victim! The items were found in my house! How did I become the murderer? I'm fucking innocent!"

Li Jianguo didn't even look at him.

That gaze passed over him, landing on the wall, landing in the void.

"As for who did it, I don't know," he said, his voice calm, as if he were talking about someone else. "I'm just curious—why did everyone come after me in the first place?"

That was a perfectly watertight statement.

But it completely stirred up the doubts in everyone's hearts—like fishing, the hook has already been swallowed, and you can't spit it out even if you want to.

A brief silence fell over the room.

The fluorescent lights hummed, like someone whispering in the dark.

The buzzing sound drilled into my ears, into my brain, and into my heart.

The older police officer took a deep breath, his face as solemn as a stormy day.

"This is no simple matter. We'll handle them separately, one at a time. We'll finish the case right here tonight."

Once he made the decision, everyone immediately sprang into action.

Like fallen leaves scattered by the wind, each household was herded back into their own homes. Li Jianguo's living room was temporarily transformed into an interrogation room—the table was moved aside, the chairs were arranged, and the light bulbs were turned on.

To prevent collusion, each person was brought in for questioning individually.

The first person brought in was He Yuzhu.

"Why were you lurking around outside Director Li's house?"

Under the fluorescent lights, He Yuzhu's face was frighteningly white—as white as paper, as white as wall plaster, as white as a dead person's face.

He kept wiping away his sweat. His hands were shaking violently, like a leaf trembling.

"I was just... passing by."

The voice was ethereal, as if it came from a very distant place.

"Her door is locked, what can I do? She's the only one in the whole yard who locks her door every day, who knows what kind of shady things she's hiding inside? Maybe a man!"

He stubbornly refused to tell the truth. He kept repeating "I don't know" and "I'm not sure," like a broken record that only repeats the same few phrases.

The two police officers exchanged a glance.

There's no rush.

After asking the questions, let him leave.

The second person to enter was Qin Huairu.

She sat on the stool, her hands twisted together like braids. Her knuckles were white, tinged with a bluish tinge. The lamplight shone on her face, shattering her feigned composure—like a mirror broken on the floor.

"When did you discover your underwear was missing?"

"It'll be...it'll be tonight."

The sound was so faint it was like a mosquito's buzz; you couldn't hear it unless you strained your ears.

"I was getting ready to change my clothes when I realized they were gone."

"Where do you usually keep your clothes? When you discovered they were missing, were there any signs that the closet had been ransacked?"

Qin Huairu's eyes reddened.

Tears fell in a steady stream, onto the ground, onto my clothes, onto the back of my hand. Whether those tears were real or not, no one could tell.

"How...how would I know all this? I just realized it was missing and started calling out."

The young police officer frowned.

His brows were furrowed tightly, like a knotted rope.

"When you find something is missing, shouldn't your first reaction be to look around? It's just a piece of underwear, your reaction—isn't that a bit off?"

Qin Huairu's body stiffened.

It was so stiff, like someone had acupunctured it, and it couldn't move.

The lights were too bright, leaving her nowhere to hide—like being stripped naked and standing on the street, unable to conceal anything.

His lips trembled, then finally seemed to collapse under the weight of something—something called guilt, fear, and desperation.

"It was...it was He Yuzhu who asked me for it."

The voice was so low it sounded like it was coming from underground.

"I didn't want to give it to him, but he kept saying... I had no choice, so..."

"He asked you for underwear, and you just gave it to him?"

The young police officer's eyes lit up, like a cat smelling fish or a wolf spotting its prey.

"What's your relationship?"

"N-It's okay!"

Qin Huairu hurriedly shook her head, shaking it like a rattle drum.

"It's him... He's always been very considerate of me..."

After saying that, his face turned ashen.

That was the color of despair.

Outside the door, Li Jianguo walked over at some point.

He stood in the doorway, his shadow stretched long by the lamplight, casting a pillar-like shape on the ground. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear—each word like a nail, driven into one's heart.