MMB Chapter 1502 You Are My King
Chapter 1502 You Are My King
Chapter 1502 You Are My King
What the hell do you mean, you come to me, or I come to you?
Would Li Xuewu do something so brainless while he was in a foreign country?
Even Lao Li wouldn't do something like "learning a foreign language" on a last-minute trip with a delegation, right?
He slapped Catherine's unbelievably beautiful, longing face, his words as firm as steel.
"I'm a respectable person!"
"Who isn't an upright person?"
Having learned Chinese, Catherine seemed to have a sudden enlightenment, even understanding metaphors, and glared at someone as if she wanted to bite.
Ahem, the biting mentioned here is also a metaphor; she's gone astray.
"Not today, I have an important speech tonight, I'll make it next time."
Li Xuewu twitched the corners of his mouth. He was still not used to a blonde, blue-eyed, pretty and dignified Italian girl communicating with him in a thick, thick accent.
"Oh my god, this is so noisy!" Can you stand it?
"Don't forget your promise!"
Catherine leaned against him, looked up into his eyes, and said definitively, "I'm going all in with you—"
"What did you bet on?" Li Xuewu asked, amused, as he looked her over. "How come I don't know?"
"Are you going to renege on your debt?" Catherine exclaimed anxiously, glaring at him and emphasizing, "I haven't even contributed anything to you yet!"
"So what?" Li Xuewu spread his hands and said, "What exactly did you bet with me?"
"You have to explain clearly."
He shrugged and said, "If it's too precious, I'll feel pressured."
"Don't worry, it's not about happiness for the rest of my life, and besides, you can't give me that."
Catherine crossed her arms and glanced at him up and down, humming softly.
She coveted this man; he was both useful and domineering, and possessed great strength. Such a good man was hard to find even in Italy, and she certainly hadn't met one in Hong Kong all these years.
“I took out my share from the family estate fund.”
"Does your family have an inheritance fund?" Li Xuewu's focus was clearly not what Catherine wanted. He raised an eyebrow with interest and asked, "How much is it?"
"What are you trying to do?" Catherine looked at him cautiously and reminded him, "Even if you can fool me, not everyone in my family is like me. Don't get any funny ideas."
"I didn't say anything."
Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, saying, "You're just trying to find fault with someone; you can always find a reason."
"But you think this way—"
Catherine pointed two fingers from her own eyes to Li Xuewu's eyes and said, "I can see into your heart. Your greedy eyes have already betrayed you, driven by self-interest."
"A Gypsy witch?"
Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "If you can really read my thoughts from my eyes, then you should trust me."
"If I really wanted to deceive you, do you think you could tell?"
He twitched his eyebrows and asked with a strange smile, "Are you so sure your father hasn't been taken advantage of or cheated by me before?"
"I knew it—" Catherine exclaimed, slapping his arms and scolding him playfully, "You're a big liar! You cheat me out of money and then seduce me!"
“If that’s the case, then I’m somewhat interested in your inheritance.” Li Xuewu looked her up and down and asked, “How much money have you taken out, and what do you plan to do with it?”
“550 million US dollars, available anytime.” Catherine looked at him with a slightly arrogant expression, waiting to see his surprised reaction.
Li Xuewu was indeed startled. "So little?"
He asked incredulously, "Your dad was bragging to me!"
"He said your family has a long history of shipbuilding, how many ports and shipyards you own in Italy, and how many affiliated companies you have, but the direct heirs' estate is only this little?"
"That's all?" Catherine blushed completely, glaring at him as she asked, "Are you mocking the historical heritage of a ducal family?"
"Huh?" Li Xuewu was slightly taken aback, then asked with amusement, "Do you know what the surname of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty was?"
He looked at Catherine with a half-smile and asked, "Are you questioning the judgment of an imperial family?"
"..." Catherine was speechless, and looked at him suspiciously, asking, "Did your family really produce an emperor?"
"So your family really produced a Duke?" Li Xuewu looked at her with the same suspicion, the two of them acting like kindergarten children.
“Of course, the Giarold family, the Duke of Draist during the Habsburg dynasty.” Catherine looked at him proudly and confirmed, “My family still has portraits of our ancestors.”
“Hahaha—” Li Xuewu chuckled and said, “That must be 14th-century history, right? My family’s history dates back to the 6th century.”
He glanced at Catherine and said, "But I never publicize this, because in China, it's nothing special for a family to produce an emperor. Which family hasn't been wealthy in the past? A couple of dukes are worth mentioning."
"You're fucking inhuman!"
Catherine gritted her teeth in anger, punched him hard, and said, "I don't care, I've brought the money, you have to take me with you to make money!"
"Don't forget, we're all in the same boat now!"
She grumbled and reminded him, "What's that Chinese saying again?"
"Oh, right, we're sharing a pair of pants now—"
"Chinese language and culture are profound and extensive. Can't you learn some better things?" Li Xuewu looked at her speechlessly and said, "These kinds of words are usually spoken by men. It's not so elegant for women to say them."
"I don't want elegance, I want knives and music!"
Catherine craned her neck and stared into his eyes, emphasizing, "The business at Yingcheng Port is payment for the Jili Star team that came to provide support this time. You haven't agreed to my payment yet."
"How about it? Shall we collude and make a fortune together?"
"Tsk—" Li Xuewu couldn't bear to look at the girl anymore and reminded her, "Colluding with each other is a derogatory term. If you don't know how to use idioms, you'd better not use them."
That's basically the gist of it!
Catherine squinted her left eye and looked at him softly, saying, "We'll split it 20/80, and I'll never let you suffer a loss."
"You only want 20%?" Li Xuewu asked, feigning surprise. "Then what's the point of all this trouble?"
"I hate you—" Catherine wanted to beat him to death. Even Grandet wasn't this stingy, actually letting the capitalist make 20%.
Don't be fooled by her current arrogant and coquettish demeanor; she's not a pampered young lady fresh out of school, nor is she a delicate, manipulative woman.
The fact that she was favored by her father Andrew in the competition among the family's children and gained access to the best resources in the Far East shows that she was no pushover.
However, she couldn't project the seriousness and authority of a general manager in front of Li Xuewu; her delicate demeanor was more of a protective tactic.
Weak when facing the strong, kneeling before wolves – this is the survival rule of capitalists.
She didn't know that Li Xuewu was bragging, saying that he came from an imperial family and was a member of the royal family. That was in the 6th century, so how could it be considered true?
The portrait in the patriarch's study was something the old man had dug out from somewhere decades ago; it certainly wasn't her ancestor.
However, Europeans don't feel guilty about tracing their ancestry; even surnames that are completely unrelated can be linked to noble lineage.
What if, by chance, the surname doesn't match?
It's okay, they can change their surname.
All roads lead to Rome, but that doesn't mean Rome is necessarily in Rome, right?
Let alone how many dynasties Italy has had, even in the mainland today, where is there still a place for nobles to survive?
The joke about having an ancestor who was an emperor is something Li Xuewu would never dare to say in China.
She knew Li Xuewu quite well; his family had been practicing medicine for generations, and he came from a middle-class family in her hometown in Europe.
Indeed, in Europe, doctors' families are generally perceived as middle class.
If this were in Italy, she would never have known him, because he would have had no right or opportunity to appear before her.
However, the reality was that she met Li Xuewu in China, who was the head of a trust company in that ancient land.
This is like a pampered noblewoman from the Renaissance meeting a British merchant who made a fortune trading wool in India.
Forget about matching social status; even noble families are struggling to make ends meet, and the daughters of dukes are having trouble finding husbands.
What she was certain of was that Li Xuewu's family didn't have much wealth; he was just a man with many crooked ideas and some underhanded methods.
What means?
She has been operating in Yingcheng Port for three years. She may not be very familiar with the changes that have occurred on the mainland, but how could she not know about things at sea?
The speedboats that come and go from the port aren't all carrying legitimate cargo; she can calculate exactly how much money she can make on a round trip.
If these speedboats weren't controlled by experts, there would have been more speedboats than fish and more law enforcement vessels than speedboats on the sea long ago.
Even now, if you ask Catherine to estimate Li Xuewu's value, she really can't say.
At least on the surface, this "decent person" is a staunch proletarian fighter, but in reality, he is certainly not middle class.
However, she was certain of one thing: no matter how much trouble Li Xuewu caused, he couldn't match the vast and substantial wealth her family had accumulated over generations.
Why then did she still pretend to be friendly with Li Xuewu, or even actively try to curry favor with him?
It couldn't be simpler; what she needed wasn't just the interests and opportunities of Geely Star Shipbuilding in the Far East, but also a powerful backer.
Her ambition was not in the Far East, but rather, like her father, to become the head of the family, or in the underworld, the person in charge.
Catherine was well aware of her inherent disadvantages as a woman, and that she was not just one dimension behind her brothers.
But she was not discouraged and did not feel that the gap between herself and the head of the family was huge.
Her father, Andrew, had been running businesses in the Far East for a long time, so entrusting this place to her shows that he had high hopes for her potential.
There were some voices within the family mocking her for being demoted to the Far East, saying that it was her father who loved and protected her, keeping her away from the family's conflicts and vortex of interests.
The most direct proof is that she was placed in the mainland, which is the best barrier against assassination attempts.
The hidden arrows from the succession struggle can never pierce the high walls of socialism; at least she is safe there.
Catherine had endured for three years, accumulating enough experience and confidence to take a gamble.
$550 million is her current net worth, and also the maximum amount of start-up capital she can get from her father.
Her father had warned her that she only had one chance, and if she failed this time, a grand wedding would await her.
In fact, she wouldn't be able to hold the position of general manager of Geely Star Ship for long. As she got older, she couldn't get more resources, so she had no choice but to get married.
The difference lies in how much benefit she can generate for her family and how much confidence she has, which determines how many opportunities she has to choose a suitable spouse.
This is also the main reason why she was so eager to bet all her wealth on Li Xuewu.
Without taking a chance, given her current achievements, she can only passively choose her life path. She doesn't want to marry and become a decoration for a capitalist family.
She had long understood the melancholy in her mother's eyes; a woman from an aristocratic family, beneath her dignified and elegant exterior lay a heart that had long since withered.
The father probably doesn't even know how many illegitimate children he has, but thankfully, she is not an illegitimate child.
Don't assume that Westerners like to face Jesus in church and solemnly swear loyalty to one another in front of the priest. How many of them can truly do that?
She grew up in such a family, and none of the men she had ever met had been faithful to her. A man who was loyal and devoted was a rare breed indeed.
Coincidentally, she seemed to have met someone in the Far East.
Li Xuewu is a humorous and witty person with superb skills, absolute strength, and a happy family.
If you ask why having a family could still be her choice, then you don't understand the power games played by capitalist families.
With Li Xuewu's connection, no one can take away her control over Jilixing Shipbuilding; at the very least, she can keep her position as general manager.
Furthermore, if she could deepen her cooperation with Li Xuewu and share common interests and goals, she would no longer simply be the head of the family in the Far East, but an heir with independent capital.
Is it important that a powerful force in the Far East would never covet her inheritance, nor would it affect or interfere with the men she competes with in the family?
Li Xuewu has a family, but she will always maintain her independent identity, both towards Li Xuewu and towards her family.
This means you can attack when you want and defend when you want.
What? Italians can't learn idioms?
What do you want? What do you want to do?
Li Xuewu could read the ambition in the girl's eyes. He wasn't afraid of not being able to afford it; he was just afraid that she was too greedy.
"Capital, and the identity that complements capital."
Catherine spoke to him without hesitation or concealment about her true core objective.
She has to contend not only with competition for the family heir, but also with societal and traditional pressures.
She knew in her heart that achieving this goal would be harder than climbing to heaven.
Reaching for the sky is difficult, but Yuri Gagarin has already taken to the skies, proving that there is still room for effort in this endeavor.
What about her?
There is an old Chinese saying: A wise person should leverage external resources.
She was about to rely on the man in front of her.
"And then what? Give me 20%?" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Is that all you've planned?"
“No plan is as good as yours,” Catherine said bluntly. “I trust you, just as I always have.”
"Oh—" Li Xuewu looked her over again and said, "So you don't have a plan?"
“No, I do,” Catherine said frankly. “This trip to East Germany is not only an opportunity for your group, but also for you personally.”
"Of course, I also know that what you are pursuing is not wealth, and your understanding of wealth is different from mine."
She shrugged understandingly, because Catherine knew that having too much wealth in the mainland was not a safe option.
On the contrary, career advancement is the true measure of hidden wealth.
She had a full understanding of wealth and knew the principle that misfortune would surely follow if one's virtue did not match one's position. Therefore, she told Li Xuewu that one should also have a social status that matches one's wealth.
Even if she gave Li Xuewu 80% of her wealth, she wouldn't get the promises he deserved, because wealth was useless in mainland China.
Two-tenths is just right; it preserves the friendship between them and binds them to the same boat.
She believed that what Li Xuewu valued was not the 20% profit, but her as a person, and the opportunities and future she represented.
“Whether you obtain technology transfer from East Germany, build a factory in Hong Kong, or build a factory in mainland China under my name, I will support you.”
Catherine said earnestly, "If you need to build a sales channel here, I will cooperate with you unconditionally."
“You don’t need to spend a single penny. My money is your investment capital. If I make a profit of 20/80, I’ll go home and get married if I lose.”
"You're betting on your happiness for the rest of your life."
Li Xuewu suddenly withdrew his sharp, penetrating gaze and said with a faint smile, "I'm suddenly under a lot more pressure."
"One of the reasons I'm here is to help you relieve stress."
Catherine licked her lips and looked at him bluntly, saying, "Make me successful, make you successful, you are my king."
Li Xuewu sized up the exotic woman trying to seduce him and suddenly laughed, saying, "Considering your $550 million net worth, I'll count you in."
"However, I'll set the rules."
“Okay, what are the rules?” Catherine agreed readily. “Should we lie down or crawl?”
"Anyway, it's not like I'm kneeling—"
Li Xuewu had already witnessed the frivolity of Italian women, and said with amusement, "Keep your 20% as part of your dowry, I don't need it."
He glanced at her up and down again and said, "Transfer the money to the Oriental Trade account, and then contact Selena."
"It's her!" Catherine's eyes widened in surprise. Seeing him about to leave, she took two steps after him and said with a hint of displeasure, "I knew it!"
"She's your lover too, isn't she?"
"Don't talk nonsense—"
Li Xuewu turned around and glared at her, emphasizing, "She's already married. You're just ruining her reputation."
"Hey—" Catherine squinted at him and said, "Human 7, aren't you even more excited now?"
"Stop talking nonsense, I'm not that kind of person." Li Xuewu turned around and walked forward without looking back, waving his hand and chuckling, "Get to work, you don't want to come back empty-handed, do you?"
"Hmph—bad man—"
Catherine stood there and muttered to herself, "I knew you'd have a backup plan, but I didn't expect it to actually be her."
Back when they met in Gangcheng, she felt the situation was a bit complicated. Why would Li Xuewu meet with them for no reason?
It seems that it wasn't entirely the port city's layout; during a private conversation, he also turned his attention to East Germany.
So, is it only East Germany?
Li Xuewu spent less than half an hour meeting with the working group, and then talked with Catherine for another ten minutes. By the time he arrived at the conference room on the 7th floor, Li Huaide was already there.
"I just met with the general manager of Geely Star Shipbuilding." He walked up to Li Huaide and whispered something in his ear, without saying anything more.
Old Li nodded and continued to convey the requirements and instructions from the leaders at the meeting that had just ended.
The delegation reacted swiftly after the high-level meeting that began at the same time.
Li Xuewu returned a few minutes late, but the key points could be gleaned from his serious tone and expression.
It seems that Deputy Director Li's concerns were not unfounded; the reality is likely more difficult than he imagined.
Indeed, although East Germany had established diplomatic relations with the mainland as early as after the founding of the Republic, the changes in the international situation in recent years had exceeded the scope of their respective foreign affairs efforts.
You can't imagine that East Germany's relationship with the Chinese mainland was even more cautious than that of West Germany, whose first face-to-face contact with the Chinese mainland was in 64.
The two sides signed a trade agreement and held their first high-level talks in Switzerland.
Although the negotiations ultimately failed due to pressure from the United States on West Germany, trade relations between the mainland and West Germany were not severed.
According to Li Xuewu's understanding, the trade volume between the two countries was already maintained at around 10 billion marks at this time.
With their exchange rates essentially equal, this level of trade volume already qualifies them as important trading partners.
What about East Germany?
The initial form of trade between the two sides was mainly industrial equipment and technological cooperation, with the mainland mainly importing its machinery and chemical products and exporting textiles and agricultural products.
The purpose of this visit to East Germany by Deputy Director Li reveals that East Germany sided with North Russia and became estranged from the mainland, resulting in a severe cooling of trade relations, which had even reached a point of solidification.
Otherwise, this visit wouldn't have been called a "breakthrough operation."
The accompanying executives from the group below the stage also looked grim, and a tense expression could be seen on Sha Qizhi's face.
Li Xuewu did not show any surprise or panic; this situation was already within his expectations.
If trade negotiations with West Germany were hampered by the relatively lax US administration, how could meetings with East Germany be complete without the rigid and stubborn North Germans?
"Prepare well for tonight's speech."
After the meeting, as they were leaving, Li Huaide emphasized to Li Xuewu, "Deputy Director Li attaches great importance to this trip, especially given the difficulties we have encountered."
"The pressure comes from within the country?" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes, already understanding Li Huaide's tone—it was one of worry.
"Whether you make it into the newspapers or not depends on you." Li Huaide gave him a serious look, patted his arm lightly, and left.
Before catching up, Liu Bin whispered to Li Xuewu, "When the meeting ended, Director Du talked to the leaders for a few minutes."
He only said that one sentence before hurrying off to catch up with Li Huaide.
"Leader—" Sha Qizhi came to see Li Xuewu after they left, and his first words were filled with worry.
Li Xuewu turned his gaze away from Liu Bin and calmly said to him, "What's there to be nervous about? The sky isn't falling down."
As he said this, he strode forward, and Sha Qizhi followed.
"If you really don't want to cooperate, then why bother pretending?"
He said calmly, "That's just the kind of person who wants to have his cake and eat it too. They've never had any principles."
“I understand.” Sha Qizhi chuckled dryly and said, “The Russians’ attitude is their stance.”
Li Xuewu glanced back at him and said, "Don't think of the Russians as so vicious, and don't think of East Germany as so stupid."
"We're here to cooperate, not to compete for loyalty. Let's focus on getting things done, make some preparations, and leave tomorrow morning."
"Understood, I'll go prepare now."
Sha Qizhi didn't know why, but his panicked mood calmed down after listening to a few words from his leader.
Perhaps it was the leader's calm demeanor, or perhaps it was the habit of following his orders, but in any case, the influence that Director Li had just brought had completely dissipated.
That's right, the sky hasn't fallen yet.
Besides, even if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up.
The pressure conveyed by Director Li was nothing more than the expectations from above, and the Secretary-General's confidence at this moment represented an attitude.
Whether it works or not is not up to Director Li to decide. Everyone in the group knows that Director Li is utterly useless when it comes to business operations.
It's absolutely true that East Germany was fickle and hypocritical, like a prostitute trying to maintain a virtuous image.
Wanting to sell confiscated goods to prolong their lives and patch up the holes in the false social prosperity, yet fearing to offend the master above them, it's normal to be hesitant and indecisive. Even if you can't stand it, you have to put up with it for now.
The Secretary-General is absolutely right. This trip isn't about arguing for any title, but about spending money to buy technology. What's the point of arguing about those trivial matters?
The pressure from above stems from the possibility that trade agreement negotiations have broken down or encountered unforeseen circumstances, leading to the collapse of major trade channels, which will inevitably impact subsequent cooperation negotiations.
However, this impact depends on how you look at it. At least in the Secretary-General's eyes, a crisis can sometimes be an opportunity.
If the main communication channels cannot be established, the higher-ups want to find alternative ways, and the pressure naturally passes down to the lower levels.
Li Xuewu didn't want his subordinates to bear this unnecessary pressure. Even if he told them, what difference would it make?
We'll just continue doing what we were doing before.
Decision-makers should never share pressure with those in charge, because those in charge are more concerned with direct gains and losses, and psychological incentives have little effect.
They don't need to understand the pressure from the decision-makers; they just need to work hard in the established direction.
When to call a halt or to cheer on the team is entirely up to the decision-makers, leaving Old Li in a state of utter confusion.
Li Xuewu had wanted to remind him in the meeting room, but since Lao Li was the most powerful person there, he couldn't do that.
However, he is the one who needs to calm people down. If he panics, people will lose heart, and no one will be able to do anything but wait to die.
Li Xuewu understood the pressure Li was under, but he didn't care and didn't want to take responsibility for it because it had nothing to do with him.
Does the wind or thunder in the sky have anything to do with your eating and sleeping?
We must acknowledge that we are just ordinary people, and the best way to protect ourselves is to not pay attention to or participate in such matters.
Old Li is still too naive and irrational in some ways. Why should he take sides at this time?
Just because you went out with Deputy Director Li once, you feel like you've been branded with some kind of mark? Isn't that just wishful thinking?
According to Li Xuewu's understanding, at this time, people should continue to do what they are supposed to do. If he didn't say these things, the enthusiasm of the staff would not have diminished. But if he did say these things, it would only cause panic.
Sometimes he strongly opposes the interference of ideas in business operations, believing that maintaining the independence and purity of business is still very necessary.
***
When Li Xuewu came out of the meeting room at 6:30, he had only met a few deputy heads of units through Bai Changmin, and it was already 7 o'clock.
The East German side organized a welcome banquet on the third floor of the hotel, which was quite large and of a high standard.
When Li Xuewu and Bai Changmin walked in together, they were photographed by reporters at the entrance, but he deliberately avoided the camera.
Bai Changmin noticed this and asked a question in a low voice.
"It's nothing, I'm just not used to it."
Li Xuewu gave a brief reply, and after showing his identification, the security guard at the entrance let them in.
The banquet hall was very large, and instead of the typical Western-style buffet, it featured a rare round table setting with traditional Chinese elements.
The menu was on the left-hand side of the table, labeled in both Chinese and German. Li Xuewu glanced at it and then ignored it.
Who eats heartily at a banquet of this caliber? It's not about being pretentious; there are more important things to focus on.
Guided by the foreign affairs secretary, Li Xuewu parted ways with Bai Changmin and went to his seat.
"Is there any particular rule?" He looked at his seat in front of him and asked his secretary.
The secretary glanced at him and shook his head slightly. Just when Li Xuewu thought he wouldn't say anything, he replied, "For convenience when going on stage."
It seems there's no shortage of smart people everywhere. They even pay such close attention to details like answering questions. Their work environment must be incredibly complex.
Did you notice?
He was clearly going to answer Li Xuewu's question, so why did he shake his head?
hehe--
This time, the delegation consisted of about a hundred people. The banquet hall tables were spaced out, with ten people per table, making the scene look very grand.
"Hello, are you Secretary-General Li from Hongxing Steel?"
Just as Li Xuewu was observing the situation on the small stage not far ahead, he heard a soft greeting from beside him.
"I'm from Shanghai Electromechanical University, my name is Shao Kang."
The newcomer smiled and gestured to the seat next to him, saying, "I've been wanting to get to know you for a long time. It seems we are destined to meet."
"Director Shao, hello." Li Xuewu stood up and took his hand before the other man could sit down, explaining with a smile, "I didn't notice just now, I'm sorry."
"Don't do that, sit down, sit down and talk."
Shao Kang hadn't expected him to be so cunning. He smiled wryly, shook his hand, and patted Shao Kang's elbow to signal him to sit down together.
Just as they were greeting each other, some people had already noticed the "fun" taking place.
It wasn't that the two were speaking loudly, but rather that the atmosphere was relatively quiet and serious, making the conversation somewhat inappropriate.
Li Xuewu didn't care about that. He let go of Shao Kang's hand and waited for him to sit down first before sitting down himself, which made Shao Kang very troubled.
I had long heard of the other party's "reputation," but I never expected to be tricked by them as soon as we met.
He was alert and cautious enough when he came over.
It's not his fault; it's just that the other party is cunning and treacherous, and difficult to deal with.
“We’re in the same industry.” After sitting down, Shao Kang paused slightly and introduced himself to Li Xuewu in a low voice: “I used to work in the security department before I transferred to the business department.”
"Then you are my senior."
Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I will learn a lot from you."
Shao Kang wanted to curse because the other person's curses were really nasty!
"You're going to give a speech on stage in a bit, right?"
Shao Kang is no saint either; what kind of simple character could sit in that position?
Since Li Xuewu isn't being sincere enough, then don't blame him for being inhuman.
"The leader's notice is to give a speech." Li Xuewu didn't fall into the trap he dug. This little pit wasn't even as deep as the one he had pissed on, so what was there to be afraid of?
"I wasn't prepared either, I'm trying to figure out a solution."
He really knows how to stir things up. Hearing Shao Kang say that, he took the initiative to suggest, "You must have a lot of experience in this area. After all, Shanghai has a more international perspective than us."
"Oh—no, no—"
Shao Kang glanced at Li Xuewu and thought to himself, "This isn't the little fox of legend at all; this is clearly an old silver coin."
I dug a hole just to get back at you, but you're really going to go all out now. I didn't offend you!
“Our leader has some connection with your Director Li,” he said, trying to establish a connection. “I heard they were classmates in a training program for middle-level cadres.”
“Is that so? I didn’t hear the leader mention this before.” Li Xuewu nodded, feigning surprise, and said, “I haven’t heard the leader mention this before.”
"You may not know this, but our Director Li is reserved and meticulous in his work." He smiled meaningfully and said, "He usually doesn't talk to us about this kind of relationship."
This conversation is going nowhere!
Shao Kang really wanted to flip the table in front of him. "Listen to what he's saying! Is he even human?"
"The menu tonight is pretty good."
He wasn't going to waste any more time arguing with Li Xuewu; he could tell that the kid was quite hostile.
Li Xuewu nodded with a humming and a laugh, saying, "Indeed, it's quite good."
Bullshit, he hasn't even glanced at the menu since he sat down, so where does his sense of satisfaction come from?
Besides, they've only had a few local meals since they got off the plane, so what right do they have to say it's good?
Actually, Shao Kang hadn't even looked at the menu in front of him; he was still angry.
"Secretary-General Li, what a coincidence!"
People started walking into the hall one after another, and some even came to their table under the secretary's guidance.
"Beijing Automotive, Wang Youhan."
"Hello, this is Shao Kang from Shanghai Electromechanical Co., Ltd."
After greeting Li Xuewu, the newcomer reached out his hand to Shao Kang. What the hell was he trying to do?
Li Xuewu glanced at the two of them and snorted to himself: I'm supposed to be Ip Man of Wing Chun.
"Secretary-General Li, what are you looking at?"
Wang Youhan sat down diagonally opposite the two men and greeted them with a smile, "I saw you as soon as I came in; you are truly dazzling."
"When you came in, I was also dazzled by your charm." Li Xuewu returned the compliment with a faint smile and said, "I just didn't expect that we would be so destined to meet."
"Hey—I knew it!"
Wang Youhan said with a smile, "If I didn't have some ability, would I be sitting here with you?"
"Then it seems I'm out of your league?"
Li Xuewu glanced at his table card, reached for it, and said, "I think I'll change seats. I feel a bit uneasy here."
"Look, this joke has gone too far."
Shao Kang, who was watching the commotion, reached out and stopped Li Xuewu, saying with a smile, "You two are from the same hometown, you can't do this."
He wasn't trying to reconcile us; he was clearly trying to make things worse.
What was originally not a joke was still a joke, but after he said it like that, it wasn't a joke anymore, and it turned into Li Xuewu being stingy and Wang Youhan being difficult.
Wang Youhan glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, and asked with a smile, "I saw you guys chatting quite animatedly just now. What were you discussing? Count me in."
"Director Shao said that Shanghai Electromechanical aims to achieve at least ten small goals this time, and asked me how much Hongxing Steel has prepared."
Li Xuewu is truly a ruthless schemer. He turned to Wang Youhan and said with a smile, "I said we only have one goal, and that is the automobile industry."
Ganlin Niang——
When you're out and about, do you even care about teamwork? Is this how people chat?
"The menu tonight is pretty good."
Wang Youhan didn't want to respond, so he looked down at the menu and uttered this sentence.
Sitting next to Li Xuewu, Shao Kang smirked. He thought Li Xuewu didn't seem like a good person, and Wang Youhan across from him was even worse.
"Indeed, indeed." He was quite capable, immediately putting his newfound knowledge to use as he spoke: "It's really good."
Li Xuewu glanced at him speechlessly, then, seeing Wang Youhan looking over, he shrugged helplessly and turned to look to the side.
He used all my words!
The banquet began after the guests of honor entered. When Vice Director Li walked in, accompanied by Willi Stoff, Chairman of the East German Council of Ministers, the room erupted in enthusiastic applause.
The German delegation included the head of the Economic Committee, Barzel Christer, and the secretary general of the Economic Committee, Felix.
The dishes were served one by one by the waiters; they weren't plated, but served individually, with each person having their own set of dishes.
Despite living a frugal life, the banquet was a resounding success.
Li Xuewu looked at the menu next to him and saw that tonight's dishes included Black Forest ham, caviar, sour beef, steak tartare, German bean soup, German sashimi, sauerkraut, German apple tarts, pancakes, and a special German pork knuckle hot pot.
"How is this thing made?"
Shao Kang looked at the oily stuff in the bowl and asked curiously.
He didn't ask Li Xuewu alone; he was just curious.
Li Xuewu glanced at him and whispered a reminder: "This is raw."
"Tartar steak? Raw?"
Shao Kang looked at him in surprise and asked, "Why?"
"Because this is a Mongolian dish."
Li Xuewu explained casually, "In ancient times, there were no convenient cooking environments for soldiers on the march, so eating raw food was a common practice."
How are we supposed to eat this?
Shao Kang, who had never experienced hardship, had become picky about beef.
Li Xuewu didn't touch that thing either; it looked unappetizing, let alone something he could actually eat.
However, the ham and caviar are not to be missed. The ham must be from Germany, and the caviar is definitely not.
It goes without saying where they came from; East Germany, following its elder brother, was able to eat some good food.
Speaking before Li Xuewu was Barzel Christel, Director of the German Economic Council, who offered insightful remarks on the necessary environmental factors for Sino-German economic development.
When he came down, he still had a smug smile on his face.
At the host's invitation, Li Xuewu stood up and strode onto the stage with a vibrant and energetic air.
"Good evening, comrades. The topic I will be sharing is 'The Reconstruction, Challenges and Opportunities of the International Industrial Order in the New Era: The Responsibility of a Major Power.'"