MMB Chapter 1564 Putting the Facts Away
Chapter 1564 Putting the Facts Away
Chapter 1564 Putting the Facts Away
"What are you doing? Filming a movie?"
He had just made a phone call home when Zhang Songying, as if passing by the door, suddenly turned and walked into his office.
Seeing her suspicious look, Li Xuewu couldn't help but ask with amusement, "Is it a spy movie?"
“It wasn’t me—” Zhang Songying blurted out, then pulled her head back from the doorway and pursed her lips, saying, “It’s like someone’s watching me.”
"Are you sure they're watching you?" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, glanced at the phone beside him, but didn't pick it up.
"It wasn't me, it was..."
Zhang Songying was about to retort when she suddenly remembered something, frowned, and asked him, "Is someone watching you?"
"I don't know, I didn't see it." Li Xuewu smiled faintly, picked up his teacup, and asked, "Is there something you need from me?"
"I'm afraid to contact you now, because something might happen."
Zhang Songying spoke in two parts, muttering with displeasure, "Have all these people gone mad—"
She walked to the side of Li Xuewu's desk, frowned and complained, "It's such a trivial matter, is it really worth making a fuss about?"
"Hmm, it seems you haven't slacked off lately and have been sticking to your studies?" Li Xuewu said with satisfaction, looking at her. "Your awareness has improved quite quickly."
"You still have the mind to joke around?"
Zhang Songying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I saw you pass by the hall, but I didn't have a chance to say hello."
"You saw me downstairs?" Li Xuewu's eyebrows twitched. "Why didn't you just say hello?"
“This is already causing trouble—” she glanced at the door and said, “If I greeted you in the lobby, who knows what kind of rumors would have spread.”
“You haven’t been at the company lately, so you don’t know—” She shook her head slightly with a serious face and said in a low voice, “All sorts of monsters and demons have come out. They exaggerate the smallest things like the sky, and they’re just short of actually fighting.”
"Is it really that bad?" Li Xuewu was neither in Beijing nor at the company. He knew the wind was strong, but he had never experienced it firsthand.
Today I really felt it; although the spring breeze has started to blow, the weather is even more unpredictable.
How many days will you be staying this time?
Zhang Songying raised her eyebrows and said, "If you could stay a few more days, you'd know it's even more awful than what I'm saying."
"Gritty?" Li Xuewu looked at her suspiciously, then asked with a smile, "Is that a word you can use to describe it?"
"Han Lu, you know her, right?" She glared at her and said softly, "She's the lover of your former driver. Now people are saying she's worse than a used shoe."
"Huh?" Li Xuewu tilted his head, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, asking, "What's going on?"
"Would you believe me if I said someone did it on purpose?"
Zhang Songying said confidently, "People have no shame now, they're digging up each other's secrets."
As she spoke, as if remembering something, she leaned slightly closer to Li Xuewu through the documents and whispered, "Director Li doesn't go dancing anymore, think about it—"
"Oh—" Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and said, "Then the situation must be very serious."
"Phew—" Seeing his expression, Zhang Songying almost burst out laughing. She raised her hand and covered her mouth tightly, giving him an amused look.
Li Xuewu chuckled lightly and shook his head slightly, not feeling that he had overreacted.
If you can make Old Li stay away from home for a month, that's fine, but if you can't make him dance for a month, you might as well kill him.
The club used to be right next to the office building. The metallurgical plant originally had only a few thousand employees, but it gradually grew to more than ten thousand.
In fact, when the total number of employees in the main factory and branch factories exceeded 10,000, the small building of the club was no longer sufficient.
Later, the club was moved to the auditorium, and a portion of the auditorium was freed up for daily activities.
Later, the university study activities began, the club activities stopped, and the small building that originally belonged to the club was handed over to the newly transferred cultural troupe for use.
When Wang Yajuan and the others first arrived, Lao Li didn't go there often. It was only after Zhou Miaomiao took the initiative that Lao Li became a regular visitor.
That's right, you could describe them as regulars.
Old Li didn't have much dancing skill or talent, but he had the perseverance to grind an iron rod into a needle. Over the years, he traded his hair for quite good dancing skills.
How obsessed was he with "dance"?
To put it simply, the new group building is on the 10th floor, which is the floor above where the group's management is located. There is a small dance hall there, and the club often organizes activities there.
Li Xuewu knows a little waltz, but he's not very good at it, and he doesn't like the ambiguity on the dance floor, especially when people are watching him.
Therefore, he has never participated in such activities, except for the trip to Tianjin and the business dinner at the International Hotel.
He doesn't dance and doesn't understand why Lao Li likes dancing so much, but that doesn't stop him from knowing Lao Li's passion for it.
The fact that Lao Li can hold back now is enough to prove that Zhang Songying's description was not an exaggeration.
"Han Lu is causing trouble?" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Is there any situation with the cultural troupe?"
"How would I know? All I know is that there was such a commotion." Zhang Songying curled her lips and said, "It seems that her husband blocked someone and slapped them a few times."
She nodded and said, "It was quite a scene at the time. It was only after the security department intervened that the matter was brought under control."
"Oh, it was Nie Xiaoguang who made the move." Li Xuewu lowered his eyes and took a sip of hot tea, saying, "That was certainly quite a spectacle."
"Yes, his name is Nie Xiaoguang."
Zhang Songying straightened up, placed her hand on the document, and said, "I only inquired because I heard from them that it was related to you. It turns out it was your former driver."
“His father is Nie Chenglin,” Li Xuewu explained casually, “the former deputy director of the steel rolling mill.”
"Ah! Isn't that Deputy Factory Director Nie, the one in charge of production?" Zhang Songying gently patted the pile of documents, her eyes widening as she said, "The one who jumped off the train."
Li Xuewu nodded. It hadn't been many years. Zhang Songying just hadn't inquired in detail. Otherwise, knowing Nie Xiaoguang's name and thinking of his driver, she should have been able to recall him.
"Han Lu has been exposed, but is Zhou Miaomiao alright?"
He flipped through the documents in his hand, chuckled, and asked, "That's a smart guy, isn't he?"
"You said she's smart—"
Zhang Songying raised her eyebrows and said, "They're cadres now, but they don't work for the group anymore, so they've already avoided it."
"Her lover is actually quite smart too."
Li Xuewu looked up at her and said, "Your name is Zhou—Zhou Tan, um, from the design department."
"She's been transferred to a vocational college now." Zhang Songying didn't know much about Han Lu, but she knew quite a bit about Zhou Miaomiao.
Because Zhou Miaomiao was also in the sales department, and was in charge of brand management in the international business division, they often interacted.
"The last time I met her was in Tianjin. When we talked about this, she even asked me if I wanted her apartment."
Zhang Songying raised her eyebrows and said, "Even without the fur, this couple is smarter than monkeys."
"The house? Is she going to sell the house?"
Li Xuewu looked up at her and asked, "I remember when they got married, they went through a lot of trouble to buy it, right?"
"Their family is quite well-off."
Zhang Songying went to the tea cabinet, made herself a cup of coffee, and then came back to explain, "Zhou Tan's family is well-off; both his parents work."
"The house they're selling was mostly funded by Zhou Tan's family, and now they're not happy with it."
"Huh? Houses in the workers' new village?"
Li Xuewu asked with amusement, "If the houses here aren't good, where are the houses good?"
"The riverside garden, I suppose—"
Zhang Songying said meaningfully, "Who knew back then that the group would actually build staff quarters in the park?"
"Even without thinking, just by looking, you can tell that the houses in Riverside Garden are better than those in the Workers' Village."
“That’s true.” Li Xuewu smiled, looking down at the document, and said, “But she has to be eligible to buy it.”
"Maybe he is qualified."
Zhang Songying raised her eyebrows and said, "She's not only smart, but also well-behaved and sensible. Who wouldn't like her?"
She drew out the last syllable, "Who doesn't like it?", making her meaning all too clear.
"Besides, you probably haven't seen her in a long time." She put her coffee cup on the desk and stood there introducing her: "She's wearing makeup, has permed her hair, and dresses very stylishly. She's so much prettier than before, and incredibly charming."
"Really—" Li Xuewu looked up and sized her up, then said, "More stylish than you?"
To be fair, Zhang Songying, who is in charge of the group's cosmeceutical industry, especially the cosmeceutical brands that are exported, looks much more glamorous than before, both in terms of her clothing and makeup.
If we were to describe it using a flower, it used to be incompletely blooming, but now it's in full, vibrant bloom.
"Me? I'm old and faded."
Zhang Songying chuckled self-deprecatingly, but the gesture of raising her hand to fix her hair betrayed her inner joy.
A man dies for a man who knows himself, and a woman looks good for a man who pleases her.
Li Xuewu was the man who changed her destiny and life, and the praise from him meant a great deal to her.
"Didn't you say that before?" She looked at Li Xuewu with amusement and said, "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones."
"Did I say that?" Li Xuewu shook his head with a smile and said, "I don't remember."
"It's okay, I'll remember it for you."
Zhang Songying picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, her eyes filled with affection and delight.
Even without poetic or picturesque scenes, just having a cup of coffee and chatting with him can make her overjoyed and happy for a long time.
Li Xuewu knew what she meant, which is why he chatted with her about gossip that he wasn't really interested in.
This is what women like.
dong dong——
The knocking on the closed door startled Zhang Songying.
Li Xuewu glanced at her amusedly and said, "Come here."
The door opened, and Jing Yunong walked in carrying a laptop. When he saw Zhang Songying standing there, he raised his eyebrows.
"Deputy Director Jing, what a rare guest."
Li Xuewu stood up with a smile and took the initiative to come out and greet them.
"Hello, Mr. Jing." Zhang Songying had just come to her senses, her face pale with nervousness, and she greeted him with a forced laugh.
"I need to talk to you about something." Jing Yunong nodded, glanced at her, and then asked Li Xuewu, "Will you come back later?"
"No need, no need, I've finished reporting my business."
Zhang Songying quickly put down her coffee cup, only to find that there was still a little left. She felt embarrassed and wanted to drink it, but was too shy to do so, so she could only purse her lips tightly and leave the room.
It wasn't that she was afraid the other party would misunderstand her relationship with Li Xuewu. She wasn't as flamboyant as Han Lu, and Li Xuewu wasn't as reckless as Li Huaide.
Therefore, it wasn't uncommon for people to speculate that she, Qin Huairu, Han Yating, Zhou Yao, and others had a relationship with Li Xuewu.
However, Han Yating later married Li Xuewu's good friend, and Zhou Yao even married Li Xuewu's brother-in-law.
He introduced all the female colleagues he met at work, especially the young ones, to people he was close to.
With Han Yating and others countering them, she and Qin Huairu became inconspicuous, especially after Qin Huairu got married.
She now works at Baicaotang United Pharmaceutical Sales Corporation, which is a long way from Li Xuewu, and no one would try to bring her to Li Xuewu's side.
So even though she said the atmosphere in the group has been bad lately, no one has started gossiping about Li Xuewu yet.
After all, Li Xuewu is too young. Even if something happened, who can tell whether it happened before or after marriage?
She was nervous when she met Jing Yunong because of his identity and the "conflict" between him and Li Xuewu.
It's no wonder she reacted this way; Li Xuewu and Jing Yunong's acting was so realistic that even she was fooled.
Back in the old factory area, the finance manager even witnessed Deputy Director Jing arguing with Li Xuewu in the office, and a cup being smashed. Furthermore, someone else witnessed Deputy Director Jing slapping Li Xuewu. These are all facts.
The two barely spoke to each other at the company, and when they met, they wouldn't even glance at each other, so no one suspected their relationship.
Even the group's general manager, Li Huaide, tried to mediate the conflict between the two multiple times, but ended up losing face.
Now that Jing Yunong has come to her, if they start arguing again, she wouldn't dare be there. If something gets out, she'll be the scapegoat.
"Pretty stylish, huh?"
Jing Yunong glanced at the coffee cup Zhang Songying had just left behind, and for reasons unknown, said something like that.
Li Xuewu glanced at her amusedly and asked, "How about I make you a cup too? It's quite delicious."
"If it's so delicious, why aren't you drinking it?" Jing Yunong squinted at him, then sat down opposite him with a smirk.
He said, "I'll make you a cup too," not "I'll make you a cup as well."
So she didn't pay attention to the way Zhang Songying was standing in front of the desk with a coffee cup in her hand; she was just thinking about the wrong thing.
"They've come to you to mediate a dispute?"
She placed her laptop on her desk and asked casually, "You came to my door as soon as you got back?"
"Huh?" Li Xuewu was taken aback, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "What kind of relationship are you coordinating?"
Upon hearing this, Jing Yunong first looked at him suspiciously, then frowned and said, "It's nothing. I thought she came to ask you about personnel matters in the Jinling area."
"Heh—" Li Xuewu seemed to realize something, stood up and asked with a smile, "You've been under a lot of pressure lately, haven't you?"
"Yeah, I'm starting to get paranoid." In front of Li Xuewu, she had nothing to pretend about and complained wearily, leaning back in her chair, "I'm going to get wrinkles soon."
“What’s wrong with wrinkles? They’re the most beautiful gift that time gives to women.” Li Xuewu came back with a cup of tea, smiled, and placed it in front of her, raising an eyebrow as he said, “It proves that your charm and temperament have withstood the test of time.”
"Huh?" Jing Yunong looked at him with surprise and amusement, and asked with a smirk, "Are you running a fever? What nonsense are you talking about?"
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Li Xuewu sat back down behind his desk, picked up his teacup, and asked with a smile, "Didn't you take this course when you were in school?"
"What class?" Jing Yunong looked at him, puzzled.
Li Xuewu put down his teacup, tilted his head slightly, and said with a smile, "Romantic, huh?"
"Ha—" Jing Yunong chuckled, looking at him speechlessly and said, "You're really—seriously ill."
"Haha, as long as you are happy."
Li Xuewu smiled faintly, nodded, and asked, "Is the matter in the Jinling area causing you trouble?"
"What do you think?" Jing Yunong glared at him with displeasure.
This matter has nothing to do with Li Xuewu. Even if there is something that makes things difficult for her in the Jinling area, it is not something that should be blamed on him.
The reason for his dissatisfaction was that he had just managed to let down his guard and was delighted by the joke, only to be dragged back to reality by a single sentence from him.
The reality is that she still has to face all this mess.
"Who is in charge of the Jinling area?" Li Xuewu asked bluntly, "I just talked to Deputy Director Gao, but she was very reluctant to talk about it."
"Deng Yuanneng, do you know him?" Jing Yunong didn't hide anything from him. Even though this person was still a secret, Li Xuewu was not outside the scope of the secret.
"Previously, he served as the deputy general manager of Tianjin United Trade Management Center and was also the head of the Tianjin branch."
“Yes, I know him.” Li Xuewu nodded and said, “He was transferred from the Beijing Industrial Zone two years ago, and he performed very well.”
"Yes, he is related to Suvid."
Jing Yunong spoke quite frankly, looking at the person opposite him and saying, "At the beginning of last year, someone reported him, but Su Weide helped him suppress it."
"Oh—" Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and said, "I see."
After saying that, he looked at Jing Yunong, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Did you push it up?"
“Yes, I told Lao Li that this person was pushed forward by Su Weide.” She raised her eyebrows and said, “Lao Li is very angry.”
"And then?" Li Xuewu asked, a twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Actually, that didn't happen, right?"
“Hehe—” Jing Yunong picked up his teacup and said casually, “This Deng Yuanneng visited my house a couple of days ago.”
"You saw him?" Li Xuewu seemed to not understand her, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Let me remind you, Old Su is not that simple."
"He's much simpler than you—"
Jing Yunong gave him a meaningful look, put down his cup, and then explained, "I didn't let him into the house, nor did I accept his gifts."
“He left the gift in front of my house. I called Lao Li, and it was Liu Bin who brought people to take the gift away.”
"..." Li Xuewu's eye twitched involuntarily. To be honest, when a woman gets ruthless, what does a man's strength matter?
If someone brings him a gift, he will at most give them a cold shoulder and reprimand them. Even if they insist on keeping the gift, he will arrange for his secretary to return it. He would never be so ruthless.
Now look what's happened; Old Su's mess is impossible to clean up.
Think about it, Jing Yunong has already told Lao Li that Deng Yuanneng was pushed over by Lao Su.
She was in charge of the group's personnel work, so she couldn't ignore Su Weide, who was also a member of the group's management committee. Even Lao Li couldn't stop the recommendation.
Old Li might have had some doubts after hearing her words, but when Deng Yuan came to visit, all of Old Li's doubts disappeared.
Especially when Jing Yunong refused to receive the other party and accept gifts out of "anger," Lao Li could even feel the resentment emanating from her.
That's right, HR work isn't something anyone can just dabble in. You can offer suggestions, but you can't resort to force.
Jing Yunong was furious at the other party's domineering attitude, and his decision to confront Lao Li directly with the issue made perfect sense.
Even if Su Weide knelt down and explained to Lao Li that it was all a misunderstanding, Lao Li would not believe him.
If Su Weide hadn't forced it on her, why would Jing Yunong be angry? And if it had nothing to do with Su Weide, why would Deng Yuanneng have come to her with gifts?
Even if Lao Su finds out about this, what reaction can he possibly make?
He couldn't very well ask Deng Yuan how he got the position, otherwise he would lose face in front of his subordinates.
Deng Yuan must have firmly believed that he got this position because of his help. What can Lao Su say? That he didn't arrange it himself?
One link after another, a series of deadly techniques.
They hadn't completely fallen out yet, but now, Jing Yunong has taken their pants off and they're ready to fight each other with bayonets.
Li Xuewu raised his hand and touched his face, looking at her and asking, "I heard the company has been quite lively lately, could that be your doing too?"
"Do you think I'm particularly vicious?" Jing Yunong frowned and asked him, "More vicious than Empress Dowager Cixi?"
“How could that be—” Li Xuewu smiled and said, “I was just asking.”
Jing Yunong was not satisfied with his answer, glared at him and said, "What is your evaluation of Lü Yuanshen's work?"
"Did Old Li ask you?" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "So fast?"
"I was just asking." Jing Yunong, having picked up some bad habits, mimicked his tone from before and said this.
"Fine, I admit I was wrong."
Li Xuewu raised his hands in surrender and said with a smile, "You are a magnanimous person and don't hold a grudge against me. Let's turn the page and talk about Lü Yuanshen's matter."
“It’s not that Li Huaide has a problem with him.”
Jing Yunong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "He walked right into the line of fire."
After saying that, she looked up at Li Xuewu and asked, "Do you know who he's close to?"
“How would I know to go—” Li Xuewu shrugged and said, “There’s such a big mess, we can’t possibly keep an eye on everything.”
"I don't believe a single word you say." Jing Yunong glared at him, put down his teacup, and asked, "Does Gu Cheng have anything to do with you?"
"Gu Cheng? What happened to him?"
Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms in front of his lower abdomen, and looked at her with a puzzled expression and an innocent look on his face.
Jing Yunong observed him for a while before finally relaxing and calmly nodding, saying, "It really is you. I knew that kid couldn't be that bad."
"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu puffed out his cheeks and said, "Putting aside the facts, do you think I'm a big bad guy?"
"Otherwise what?" Jing Yunong raised an eyebrow and said, "What facts do you want to ignore?"
“You don’t believe me.” Li Xuewu refused to discuss the facts and instead said with a stern face, “You think everything I do is premeditated, that I’m a schemer.”
“Oh ho—I didn’t say that.” She pointed at Li Xuewu and emphasized, “You said it yourself.”
"So you're here to cause trouble today, right?" Li Xuewu tilted his head and looked at her, asking, "Looking for a place to vent your anger?"
"You're even better at arguing than I am."
Jing Yunong glared at him and said, "So what if I'm a little angry? Do I have to hold it in?"
"Fine, I'm a pushover, anyone can bully me." Li Xuewu spread his hands and said, "Who told you to be the deputy director? I'll shut up, okay?"
"So you mean I'm being too long-winded?" Jing Yunong said, glaring at him. "Did I come here to argue with you? You overestimate yourself."
"Ha—" Li Xuewu spread his hands and asked in return, "Did you come here to talk about love?"
“You’re such a jerk,” Jing Yunong said, standing up and pointing at him. “No wonder Director Li said you’re not trustworthy.”
"Oh, so Director Li said that about me to you?" Li Xuewu stood up without backing down and stared at her, asking, "Then why didn't you let him say it to my face?"
"It's because he doesn't trust you."
As Jing Yunong walked to the door, he suddenly opened it, but someone almost slipped in before he could react.
The atmosphere in the office was extremely tense, with two pairs of eyes focused on Su Liyang, who staggered to his feet, his face full of embarrassment.
"Well... I'm here to see the secretary-general." He chuckled dryly and pointed into the office. Seeing Jing Yunong glare at him with a cold face, signaling him to get out of the way, he didn't dare to make up any more explanations.
He stepped aside and watched Jing Yunong leave. He grinned, stiffly reached out and knocked on the door, saying, "Secretary-General, I'm here to report on the investigation results of the steel company."
"Come here." Li Xuewu gave him a dark look, nodded, and sat down again.
"Secretary-General, this is the investigation report issued by the Supervision Department. Please take a look." He walked to the other side of the desk, handed over a document, and reported, "Deputy Director Su specifically requested to hear your opinion."
"Have you found out the truth?" Li Xuewu didn't make things difficult for him. He looked at the documents in front of him and said, "Just handle it according to the actual situation."
“What Deputy Director Su means is…” He observed Li Xuewu’s expression before hesitantly explaining, “After all, the steel plant is in Liaodong, so your opinion…”
“What’s wrong with my opinion?” Li Xuewu looked up at him and asked, “Do you think I would show favoritism or take sides?”
"No, Secretary-General, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant—" Su Liyang waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I meant that your opinion should be respected..."
"My opinion is based on facts."
Li Xuewu picked up his pen and wrote a note on the document, which was indeed the four words he had said: "Seek truth from facts."
"Okay...okay, Secretary-General."
Su Liyang glanced at him and replied, "After the report is completed, we will inform the general manager's office. We will also ask Liaodong Industry to provide their handling opinions."
"I understand." Li Xuewu was not surprised by the result, after all, Su Weide was there.
Around the end of the year, a safety production accident occurred at the steel and gas plant. After being upgraded to a higher level, the Liaodong Industrial Leadership Office assigned personnel to the steel and gas plant to supervise and investigate the incident.
After the investigation results are obtained, they will be submitted to the Group's Quality and Safety Department according to procedures. The Quality and Safety Department will then review the results and form the final investigation report.
This investigation report will serve as the basis for handling this matter, and will determine the accountability and punishment of those responsible.
Li Xuewu had already read the first draft, but it was certain that the first draft would be changed after it reached the group, and he was mentally prepared for that.
Su Weide will certainly not propose any disciplinary action against the responsible parties at the group level, because he doesn't want to offend anyone.
Even if it means offending someone, he should at least gain enough benefit; he would never do something that harms others without benefiting himself.
That would fall on Li Xuewu's shoulders, forcing him to "execute Ma Su with tears in his eyes."
No matter what opinions he offered, they would hurt the feelings of some people, and Suvid was quite happy to see his influence diminished.
He appears magnanimous, but in reality harbors malicious intentions.
Su Liyang was transferred from the ministry after Su Weide was dismissed. At first, they weren't very close, but now it's obvious they're starting to take sides.
Just as the other person nervously picked up the documents on the table, Li Xuewu put down his pen and casually reminded him, "About what just happened..."
"Understood, Secretary-General, please rest assured."
Su Liyang's heart pounded, and he raised his hand to assure you, "I'm here to report to you on my work."
"Hmm." Li Xuewu snorted, not even looking at him, and said, "Go."
"Okay, Secretary-General, please go ahead with your work."
Su Liyang turned and walked out as if he had been granted a pardon. He was afraid that if he walked too fast, he would appear guilty, and he was also afraid that if he walked too slowly, his leader would say something scary.
It wasn't until he stepped out of the office that he realized his back was damp and his forehead was even sweaty.
The sunlight streaming through the corridor windows, in particular, gave him a feeling of seeing the sun after the clouds had parted, of having narrowly escaped death.
He finally understood how Fu Yutang, the finance manager at the time, felt; whoever was in that situation was doomed.
However, he was in a good mood after surviving a near-death experience, even somewhat smug, because he had heard something extraordinary.
Not daring to delay even a moment, he first circled around before finding an opportunity to enter Deputy Director Su's office. He couldn't wait to report what he had heard.
That's fucking amazing!
Deng Yuanneng was Su Weide's man, arranged by Jing Yunong.
-
"Don't you have anything to eat at home?"
Li Xuewu searched the kitchen and then rummaged through the drawers and cabinets in the living room, asking helplessly, "Isn't there even anything to eat to appease my lips?"
"Didn't you eat lunch?" Jing Yunong's anger subsided, and even his voice became gentler. He came out of the room, smoothing his hair, and said, "It's only a few o'clock, and you're already hungry."
"I only ate breakfast, okay?" Li Xuewu turned around and glanced at her, saying, "Hurry up and get me something to eat, I'm starving."
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Jing Yunong frowned. "If I had known, I would have brought it for you from the cafeteria."
"Didn't you say you were in a hurry?" Li Xuewu was hungry, so he picked up a cup of warm tea, took a sip to fill his stomach, and put down the cup. He sighed, "My help is too far away to quench my immediate thirst. If I don't lend a hand when there's a fire going on, would I be a good person?"
“I’m not wrong, you are a bad guy.” Jing Yunong pointed at him before turning and going to the kitchen.
Li Xuewu turned to look at her and emphasized, "I didn't hold it against you for saying that in the office, but now that we're at your home, you're still saying that. Isn't that the way to treat a guest?"
"You really think of yourself as a guest."
Jing Yunong's voice came from the kitchen, "I've never seen a visitor to someone's home go to bed with someone else."
"I didn't know, you should have said so earlier."
Li Xuewu picked up the family photo on the cabinet, looked at it, and replied with a pout, "You can sit on the sofa next time too."
“Sure, as long as you don’t mind the cold.” Jing Yunong was more relaxed than him, poking his head out from the kitchen and asking, “You still haven’t told me how you found out there was someone at the door.”
"Keep your eyes open and your ears open."
Li Xuewu put down the family photo in his hand, looked up and gestured, "Why haven't I seen your son?"
“At his grandfather’s house,” Jing Yunong said casually. “He comes back twice a year, I guess.”
"She looks like you." Li Xuewu smiled and walked to the kitchen doorway, watching her back as she walked away. "Especially her eyes."
“I’ve noticed you’ve changed.” Jing Yunong spread the noodles out in the pot, turned to look at him, and said, “You’ve become glib and slick.”
"Can't I even praise you?" Li Xuewu asked, arms crossed. "Have I changed, or have you changed?"
"It must be you." She took two eggs from the cupboard, cracked them open, and asked, "Do you want the egg sauce saltier or less salty?"
"Keep it light, don't use too much sauce."
Li Xuewu walked into the kitchen, looked around, and asked, "Is this what you usually eat at home?"
"Otherwise what?" Jing Yunong asked back while stirring the eggs with chopsticks, "Do you expect me to stir three eggs and fry two for you?"
"That's only right," Li Xuewu said with a smile, picking up his chopsticks and stirring the noodles. "I haven't tried your cooking yet."
"How many women do you have?" Jing Yunong suddenly turned to him and asked, "Can't you even count them all?"
"Huh? What do you take me for!"
Li Xuewu emphasized with dissatisfaction, "It's only because of you that I didn't fall into this trap. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have fallen into it."
"..." Jing Yunong twitched the corner of his mouth, leaned on the kitchen counter and looked at him, asking, "Then tell me, whose house did you eat at last time with 'three stir-fried with two'?"
"Hey! I was talking about outside!"
She pointed at Li Xuewu, glaring at him and emphasizing, "It's not at your house, nor at a relative's house. You know where I'm talking about."
"Uh—" Li Xuewu suddenly remembered that once when he came to her house, she cooked a table full of dishes and waited all night, but he arrived in the morning.
"Shouldn't you pour cold water on the noodles once they're boiling?" He was only surprised for a moment before his gaze fell back on the pot, as if the previous topic had been moved on.
Jing Yunong squinted at him for a while before taking some cold water from the tap and pouring it into the pot, saying, "That Zhang Songying and you..."
"Where did you buy these noodles?" Li Xuewu asked, flipping through the paper packaging of the noodles. "They're not expired, are they?"
"Sure, whatever you like."
Jing Yunong seemed very magnanimous, and stopped pursuing the topic. Instead, he said calmly, "Wouldn't it be better to give you expired food? It would poison you."
"They say nothing is more venomous than a woman's heart, but I don't believe that." Li Xuewu used his chopsticks to stir the noodles. "Men and women are the same. When someone can be ruthless, does it discriminate between men and women?"
"If you think I'm malicious, just say so. No need to beat around the bush." She glanced at Li Xuewu and asked, "You came to help in the kitchen, not because you're afraid I'll drug you, are you?"
"Come on." Li Xuewu picked up the cold water she had just filled and poured some more into the boiling pot. He turned to her and said, "I've only ever heard of Pan Jinlian drugging Wu Dalang, never of Pan Jinlian drugging Ximen Qing."
"Who are you calling Pan Jinlian?!" Jing Yunong gripped his chopsticks, ready to stab him, and glared at him, emphasizing, "You provoked me first!"
“It’s only March now,” Li Xuewu said, pointing out the window. “If it were June, it would definitely be snowing heavily.”
He stirred the noodles that had been boiled three times, turned off the gas, and said with a pout, "According to you, my nickname should be Dou E."
"You can just call him Goose then—"
Jing Yunong glared at him irritably, picked up another pot, lit it, and gestured to the noodles, saying, "Serve yourself."
"Do you want to eat it after it's been boiled?" Li Xuewu didn't argue with her. He scooped out the noodles and took them to the tap, saying, "I still prefer them a bit chewy."
Seeing that Jing Yunong was only focused on making egg sauce and didn't say anything, he turned around and raised his eyebrows, saying, "Someone like you."
"I didn't poison the noodles."
Jing Yunong glanced at him sideways and snorted, "You put poison on your mouth."
"Okay, let's leave this topic at that."
Li Xuewu picked up his chopsticks, took the rinsed noodles to the dining room, and to be honest, Jing Yunong's house was not small, but it was a bit cold and quiet.
“Actually, the canned goods made in our food factory are not bad.” During the meal, Li Xuewu reminded her, “If you don’t want to cook, you can buy some canned goods to keep on hand.”
“I don’t like canned food,” Jing Yunong said casually. “I ate too much of it when I was younger.”
"You got sick of canned food?" Li Xuewu asked, amused. "When you were studying abroad?"
"What? Are you curious about my past?" she suddenly looked at Li Xuewu and retorted, "You wouldn't be developing feelings for me, would you?"
"See, it's a misunderstanding."
Li Xuewu smiled, gestured to the noodles in his bowl, and said, "I was suddenly moved and wanted to chat with you."
"No need, don't ask too many questions."
Jing Yunong ate his noodles and said, "I haven't finished talking to you this morning. You still haven't told me your opinion on how to deal with Lü Yuanshen."
"Well, it's hard to say." Li Xuewu took a bite of noodles and said, "You should know that I don't really care about this."
"Whatever." He looked at Jing Yunong and said, "Liaodong's industry can't be decided by me alone. I don't think there's any need to make things too tense."
"Is this your idea, or everyone's idea?" Jing Yunong looked at him and said, "You may be benevolent, but they may not all be gentlemen."
"Who is a gentleman?" Li Xuewu asked her with a smile, "Do you think I am a gentleman?"
"Isn't that right?" Jing Yunong raised an eyebrow and said, "Haven't you always said you were a good person?"
“I never said I was a good person,” Li Xuewu shrugged and emphasized, “I only said I’m not a bad person.”
He ate quickly, put down his rice bowl, looked into Jing Yunong's eyes, and said earnestly, "As long as you are a human being, there is nothing you can do that is against your will, but there must be a bottom line."
"My bottom line is not to have a guilty conscience."