MMB Chapter 1597 The Demand is Great
Chapter 1597 The Demand is Great
Chapter 1597 The Demand is Great
"Deputy Secretary-General, would you like one?"
Wu Jiafu, the secretary of the General Office, was standing at the corner of the stairs smoking when he saw Deputy Secretary-General Ji Jiuzheng coming over and greeted him politely.
He was a secretary who had worked for the group for three years and had just been promoted to a staff member this year. However, he was still a long way from becoming the deputy secretary-general, but he was not afraid of Ji Jiuzheng.
To put it nicely, this Deputy Secretary-General Ji is approachable and down-to-earth; to put it bluntly, he lacks ambition, especially after being transferred back.
Compared to Deputy Secretary-General Bu, this guy is really no match for him; even a clerk would dare to joke with him.
Of course, it must be in private, and within certain boundaries; I wouldn't dare use foul language or rude remarks.
This is the group's recognized smoking corner, where staff members usually gather to smoke and chat for a while.
Ji Jiuzheng has his own private office, but he prefers the more relaxed environment here.
He felt that smoking should be a state of mind, not an action, so he often came here.
"Wow—you're smoking such good cigarettes?"
Ji Jiuzheng didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and took the cigarette from Wu Jiafu, glanced at it, and laughed, "Daqianmen, huh?"
He held the cigarette in his mouth, refusing the other person's offer to light it, and instead lit it himself with a match.
"What? You and your partner won the battle to protect your wages?"
Just as Wu Jiafu was familiar with him, he also had a general understanding of the situation of these people in the corner.
So, as he exhaled a smoke ring, he cracked a joke, teasing Wu Jiafu, who often argued with his wife about wages—it was a sort of opening remark.
Wu Jiafu didn't feel embarrassed at all. He had also teased Ji Jiuzheng before, and the two were now evenly matched.
"What's wrong with Daqianmen cigarettes? I don't have any other hobbies, I just like a smoke—"
He said with some grievance, "I didn't compare myself to others. Look at Gu Cheng, he doesn't even bother with Daqianmen cigarettes anymore. Every time he pulls out a Zhonghua cigarette."
"You still want to compete with him?" Ji Jiuzheng glanced at him amusedly and said, "What are his conditions? Don't you know?"
“I know, that’s why I’m not like him.”
Wu Jiafu shrugged, took a puff of his cigarette, and said, "But I just don't like smoking economy cigarettes. They cost eight cents a pack. I'd rather smoke tree leaves."
"Hehehe—" Ji Jiuzheng chuckled and said, "Your lover is quite ruthless to you."
“That’s right—” Wu Jiafu, as if he had received support, raised his eyebrows and argued, “Look, didn’t the Secretary-General love Daqianmen the most back then?”
"Ha—" Ji Jiuzheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard him mention Li Xuewu, "But the Secretary-General quit smoking a long time ago, why don't you quit?"
"And another thing, you saw the secretary-general smoking Daqianmen cigarettes, and he also likes to smoke Zhonghua cigarettes, didn't you know?"
“Impossible—” Wu Jiafu shook his head with certainty and said, “Gu Cheng and Peng Xiaoli said here that the Secretary-General basically doesn’t touch Zhonghua cigarettes. According to Gu Cheng’s guess, the Secretary-General smokes Zhonghua cigarettes because he is coughing.”
“Nonsense—” Ji Jiuzheng scoffed, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and said, “He doesn’t want to provoke you guys and hopes to blend in with you.”
"Like you?" Wu Jiafu looked at him meaningfully, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Go deep into the masses, take root among the masses, and understand the masses?"
"No, no, no, I wouldn't dare compare myself to him. He genuinely wants to hear your voices."
Ji Jiuzheng raised his hand, gesturing towards the cigarette, and said, "I simply like this kind of thing."
"Hahaha—" Wu Jiafu took a deep drag on his cigarette, and this time he was really amused and coughed.
"Oh, right." Wu Jiafu tilted his head, glanced at the passageway door, and seeing that no one was coming, asked in a low voice, "Why did the Secretary-General suddenly come back?"
"How would I know that—"
Ji Jiuzheng glanced at him and asked, "Don't you have any inside information?"
"If you don't know, then our rumors become false information."
Wu Jiafu shook his head with a wry smile and said, "They studied it for a while but couldn't figure it out. I was hoping you knew."
"Why bother researching this? It has nothing to do with you." Ji Jiuzheng narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Do you think you're planning to use this to scheme something?"
"Are you kidding me? Us?"
Wu Jiafu patted his belly self-deprecatingly and said, "The amount of knowledge we have in our bellies is far from enough."
“But they did say something.” He raised an eyebrow at Ji Jiuzheng and lowered his voice to explain, “They said the Secretary-General came back to confront Director Li about Gangfei’s matter. You should know about that.”
"Hmm, and then?" Ji Jiuzheng nodded slightly and asked, "What did you figure out?"
"We don't know anything else, but we do know that Deputy Secretary-General Chen is going to be in trouble."
Wu Jiafu's eyebrows twitched as he said softly, "Someone heard it. The Secretary-General gave him an ultimatum: if he doesn't go to Hong Kong, he's not going at all."
"Is that so?" Ji Jiuzheng shook his head slightly and said, "I haven't heard this news."
"You can forget about it—" Wu Jiafu smiled nonchalantly, took one last drag of his cigarette, tossed the butt aside, and said, "You just wait to take charge of the work."
"Hehe—" Ji Jiuzheng shook his head slightly and said with a light laugh, "Preside over the work? Nonsense—"
"How can this be nonsense!"
Wu Jiafu emphasized, "The Secretary-General can't get away from the steel city for the time being, and Deputy Secretary-General Chen has been sent to the port city to weather the storm. Who else can take charge of the work if not you?"
"You haven't heard any news, have you? Are they going to send another deputy secretary-general?"
"I don't know." Ji Jiuzheng exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "I just knew I wouldn't be in charge of the work."
He lowered his head and said calmly, "Furthermore, who told you that your secretary-general was unavailable?"
"Huh?" Wu Jiafu was taken aback for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Is the Secretary-General going back to the group now?"
"He hasn't left yet." Ji Jiuzheng looked up, took out his own cigarette from his pocket, flicked one out, handed it to the other man, and asked with a smile and raised eyebrows, "Why don't you go ask him yourself?"
"Hahaha—" Wu Jiafu couldn't help but laugh and said, "If I dared to ask him, would I need to waste my breath on this nonsense with them?"
He lit another cigarette, exhaled smoke from his nostrils, shook his head slightly, and said, "Our group has been really busy lately, one thing after another."
"So what? If the sky falls, someone taller will hold it up." Ji Jiuzheng looked out the window and said calmly, "We should go to work and smoke as usual."
"You're really optimistic," Wu Jiafu said with a smile. "If it were me, heh—"
He didn't dare say the rest aloud; what man hasn't dreamed of being in power?
-
"Wang Xin has come to the capital. Do you want to see him?"
Gao Yaqin pushed open the door to his office, holding a notebook in her hand, walked over to him, and asked, "If you want to see him, let's go together."
"I'm not going to see him; I can't be bothered with him."
Li Xuewu was looking at the materials in his hand when he shook his head slightly and said, "I don't want to see anyone from Shen Fei."
"He has really offended you."
Gao Yaqin shook her head slightly, took a piece of candy from the jar on his desk, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth, saying, "Are you blaming him for kicking me when I'm down?"
“You know me,” Li Xuewu looked up at her and explained, “What are soldiers most afraid of?”
"I am not afraid of the hail of bullets ahead."
He shook the jar, took out a chocolate-flavored one, placed it in front of her, and nodded, saying, "I'm most afraid of bullets from behind."
"Was that an overreaction?"
Gao Yaqin picked up the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth, saying indistinctly, "Didn't you say that this is just a game, and everyone who comes has to follow the rules? You can't be so sensitive."
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled and shook his head, saying, "It's not that I'm overly sensitive, I just want to make an example of them. Honggang can't afford to be betrayed by a partner of this level right now. If we let it go unchecked, it will be a disaster sooner or later."
"No matter what, they've arrived."
Gao Yaqin looked at him and reminded him, "Director Li said there's no reason to keep people out."
"So you can avoid him, but I have to see him. That's why I came back from Yingcheng."
She reached out and tapped on Li Xuewu's desk, looking at him seriously as she said, "It's not just you and me, almost everyone, including those in the team, even Shen Fei and Wang Xin himself, in the end, this matter will only have a result if the two of you sit down and talk, right?"
"There's no point in dragging it out."
Gao Yaqin clenched the candy wrapper in her hand and said, "Instead of wasting everyone's time, we might as well be open and honest about each other's terms. What's done is done; can you just stand by and watch the cooperation fall apart?"
"These are partners you went through so much trouble to bring in; you can't just kick them out yourself, can you?"
"Did Director Li send you to say that?"
Li Xuewu glanced at her suspiciously, leaned back in his chair, turned to look out the window, and didn't want to answer her.
Gao Yaqin let out a long sigh, threw the candy wrapper in the trash can, and said calmly, "It doesn't matter who said that, what matters is that everyone understands the truth, so why bother—"
"Yes, why bother—"
Li Xuewu crossed his arms in front of his lower abdomen and said with a smirk, "You can't just break off the cooperation, can you?"
"I suspect they thought the same thing before making this decision, don't you think?"
He turned to Gao Yaqin and said, "It is precisely because they are certain that we will not fight to the death that they dare to be so treacherous..."
"Comrade, this is not called breaking faith and betraying trust."
Gao Yaqin helplessly spread her hands and reminded him, "I know you're under a lot of pressure right now, but you should know that they have countless reasons to explain the pressure they're under."
"After all, they were under the management of the Third Ministry of Machine Building."
She tilted her head and looked at him, emphasizing, "Their budget comes entirely from departmental allocations. They don't have the same say as us. How much can you blame them for?"
"Yes, I admit that what they did hurt our brotherhood, so what?"
She frowned and asked, "But what can you say besides condemning them for not informing us beforehand?"
"If you really want to destroy our cooperation with your own hands just to warn other partners, then I have nothing more to say."
Gao Yaqin raised both hands and said, "From a comrade's perspective, I unconditionally support you."
"However, you need to think it over carefully."
She nodded slightly and said, "You are the most outstanding manager in the group and the one in charge of Liaodong Industry. The group needs you to make the right decision."
Did Wang Xin promise you anything in return?
Li Xuewu turned to the side, picked up his teacup, looked at her, and said, "They deserve your support."
"Hehe—" Gao Yaqin chuckled wryly and pinched her brow, saying, "Stop fooling around. You should make a decision sooner rather than later. You can live without anyone, can't you?"
“Tell Wang Xin to bring sincerity and go to Steel City to talk.” Li Xuewu stood up, picked up his teacup, and walked to the tea cabinet by the door. He said calmly, “Also, I’m giving them a chance because of you.”
"Otherwise, I will never accept their surrender."
"Keep pretending—" Gao Yaqin walked over and slapped him from behind before leaving helplessly.
Li Xuewu didn't seem to care and refilled the hot water; he had plenty of time to play with the other person.
However, Gao Yaqin brought the consensus of the management committee, so he had no choice but to compromise, since at this stage, the target of his attack, or rather, the target of his counterattack, was not Shen Fei.
He holds grudges, extremely so, to the point of being described as vindictive, but there are also times when he compromises.
Shoji itself is an art of compromise.
If he were still the head of the security department, he could easily pull out his weapon and engage in a standoff with the other side. In the end, he wouldn't lose anything anyway, and he could just start over.
But now that he's in this position, he must learn to use political thinking to solve problems and conflicts.
Because some problems cannot be solved with a pistol, even if he still owns one.
***
Wang Lu became his temporary secretary and arranged an appointment for him with the deputy director of Beijing Chemical Plant in her office.
Bai Changmin was prepared to see him, but he didn't expect him to suddenly return to Beijing without any prior notice.
Why are you suddenly thinking about the fertilizer plant?
The two met at a fertilizer plant under the Beijing Chemical Industry Group. Bai Changmin chose the location, which was quite fitting, as Li Xuewu was looking forward to seeing the chemical production process.
"This really came as a surprise." Li Xuewu was looking around the chemical production workshop when he turned back to look at him and explained with a smile, "It was Hu Ke, the head of the Liaodong Industrial Bureau, who personally came to me and said that we needed a fertilizer plant."
"You should know him, right? He used to be the deputy director of the Liaodong Liaison Office in Beijing, the one who was quite talkative."
"I don't really remember." Bai Changmin shook his head slightly and asked, "What do you think?"
"What are your thoughts on the tertiary sector now?"
Li Xuewu waved his hand, refusing the cigarette offered, and gestured towards the workshop, asking, "Does your chemical plant still allow smoking in the yard?"
"Oh, I forgot about that." Bai Changmin casually put away his cigarette and explained, "We have a new leader now, you should know that."
"I had a talk with the new Director Zhang."
He pondered for a moment and said, "He is not against the tertiary industry, after all, you paved the way."
"However, he held a conservative opinion on whether our factory's existing size could adapt to this model of transformation."
"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu was confused and frowned as he asked, "It's just a tertiary industry project of setting up a factory in another location, how did it get involved in the transformation of business models?"
"Let me make this clear in advance: I'm just a middleman, I'm not responsible for the business operations."
He emphasized very seriously: "Honggang Group has nothing to do with this, nor do I have anything to do with it."
"Then what's the point of talking?" Bai Changmin looked at him bluntly and said, "Without any endorsement, do you think we have any reason to convince Beijing Industry to agree to the goal of setting up factories in other locations?"
"What if we create another Honggang Group right under their noses? How am I supposed to report that to Director Zhang?"
"Damn it—" Li Xuewu slapped his forehead in exasperation and asked, "So what do you guys want to do?"
"Do you want to drag us into creating some kind of hybrid mess?" he said helplessly, reminding the other party, "We have no plans to expand into the chemical industry this year."
"There won't be any in the future. At least I can guarantee that we won't be involved in the chemical industry for the next five years."
“We do not reject Honggang.” Bai Changmin’s words surprised Li Xuewu. He said bluntly, “We even welcome Honggang into the chemical industry. This is a broad industrial sector where there is no competition, especially between us.”
"Let me be blunt—"
He looked at Li Xuewu and nodded, saying, "Director Zhang means to introduce your management model and transformation experience to support the transformation of Beijing Chemical Industry."
"Transformation? In which direction?" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and asked, "You also want to get into heavy industry?"
"Hehe—stop joking—" Bai Changmin calmly brushed aside Li Xuewu's deliberate disruption and attempt to change the subject, and looked at him seriously, saying, "We also want to become a group company, a corporation."
"Why?" Li Xuewu asked, spreading his hands. "Aren't you doing just fine now?"
"Weren't you two doing just fine before?"
Bai Changmin asked calmly, "Then why do you want to transform into a group company?"
“We…” Li Xuewu hesitated, rolled his eyes, and could only make up a story when he couldn’t find a suitable reason: “We were just bored and messing around.”
"Hehe—" Bai Changmin really knows how to play tricks. He chuckled and said, "Unfortunately, our balls have been hurting a lot lately, so we also want to have some fun and play the same way as you guys."
"You've been waiting for me all along, haven't you?" Li Xuewu snorted twice and asked, "You planned this all along, didn't you?"
"Say what you will." Bai Changmin sighed, gazing into the distance, and said calmly, "This is our choice, isn't it?"
"And another thing." He turned back to Li Xuewu, raising an eyebrow, and said, "I heard you've been having some trouble at work lately? Have you considered developing a career in the chemical industry?"
"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu smirked and glanced at him, asking, "Trying to seduce me?"
"Don't put it so harshly." Bai Changmin smiled and said bluntly, "Director Zhu admires you very much. During the handover, he mentioned your work, work ability, and adaptability to Director Zhang quite a bit."
"If you are interested, I can pass on your message: Beijing Chemical is undergoing a transformation, and you should know how rare this opportunity is."
He made no attempt to hide his true feelings, saying, "Now that you're here, you should at least be a vice president, no less capable than me."
"Damn it—" Li Xuewu was amused by him. He turned around speechlessly, leaned against the front of the car, and said arrogantly, "You should really say this in front of the leaders of our group, so that they will know what it means to be blind and not know what is important."
-
"Li Xue—" Jing Yunong called out to his former secretary after finishing the meeting.
Li Xue was taken aback, then stood up and replied, "President Jing."
"Come on." Jing Yunong didn't intend to talk to her in the conference room; it was too noisy with people coming and going.
The two walked to the office on the ninth floor. Jing Yunong casually tossed his notebook onto the desk, leaned against it, crossed his arms, and looked Li Xue, who had followed him in, and asked, "You should know by now, right?"
"Uh—" Li Xue was a little confused and looked at her in confusion, asking, "Boss, what are you talking about...?"
"Aren't your brother and sister-in-law teachers at Tsinghua University? You should have known that already."
Jing Yunong reached for a newspaper and handed it to her, saying, "Didn't your brother and sister-in-law tell you about the news that Yenching University and Tsinghua University have resumed enrollment?"
"Oh, you mean this?"
Li Xue took the newspaper but didn't read it much, because she had already read every word of the report.
But the more complicated her feelings became, the calmer she appeared.
What's that saying again? Beneath the calm surface of a lake, there always lies a turbulent sea, a tempestuous storm.
"what are you thinking?"
Jing Yunong looked her over and asked casually, "Have you thought about going to school?"
“I know you’ve always had a regret in your heart, which is that you didn’t get into university, right?”
"Yes." Li Xue lowered her head, her gaze falling blankly on the newspaper, unable to concentrate on a single word.
"And then?" Jing Yunong turned to look at her expression and asked, "Any thoughts?"
“No—” Li Xue looked up at her and said, “This requires a recommendation from the public, and I don’t have much of a public support, so I’m definitely not qualified.”
"That's it?" Jing Yunong looked at her and said, "Didn't you look closely? This requires approval from the leadership and review by the school."
She pointed to the newspaper Li Xue was holding with both hands and reminded her, "I won't go into how rare the opportunities are for Yenching University and Tsinghua University. You can tell me if you have any ideas."
Li Xue looked up into her eyes, and hesitated before saying, "I...I..."
"What's so difficult about this?"
Jing Yunong smiled and looked at her, saying, "If you want to go to university, then you should prepare well."
"Of course there's no problem with me, and with your brother and sister-in-law on top of that, the chances are pretty good."
“Of course.” She nodded slowly and emphasized, “If you go to study, you will need to give up your current job and accept the conditions for being reassigned when you come back.”
"Yes, I've looked at the relevant information."
Li Xue lowered her head again and explained in a timid voice what she had done for this matter over the past few days.
What's your second brother's opinion?
Jing Yunong looked at her for a while before asking, "Does he support you going to study, or does he hope you stay and continue working?"
“My second brother…” Li Xue squeezed the newspaper in her hand and said, “He’s busy enough right now, I don’t want to bother him anymore.”
"Even if you're busy, you still have time to offer suggestions, right?"
Jing Yunong raised an eyebrow and asked, "He hasn't discussed this with you before?"
"Yes, he did say that," Li Xue explained hesitantly. "He told me to wait a few more years and see."
"Actually, it depends on what you think about this." Jing Yunong tucked his chin in, frowned slightly, and looked at her, saying, "Your second brother's opinion is very important, but this is your life, and you should make your own choice."
"Hmm—" Li Xue responded, but still looked hesitant as she stood there.
Jing Yunong found it amusing and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Would you like to hear my opinion?"
“President Jing…” Li Xue looked up at her.
"Perhaps my opinion is not comprehensive enough, but it can serve as a reference for your decision."
With his older brother Li Xuewu around, Jing Yunong acted very modestly, speaking in a caring tone.
"Actually, I don't approve of you going to school now."
She reached out and tapped the newspaper in Li Xue's hand, saying, "Although I'm not as accurate in grasping the situation as your second brother, I know that experiments always carry risks."
"Worker-peasant-soldier students, going to university with righteous purposes?"
She raised an eyebrow, looked Li Xue up and down, and said, "This is unnecessary for you, isn't it? You don't lack the soil and environment to learn management thinking, right here, right in the group headquarters."
"You mean..." Li Xue is twenty years old this year, not a child anymore, so of course she can understand what she means. She frowned slightly and asked, "I don't need to go to... or rather, to this kind of teaching environment..."
"Some things you have to figure out for yourself."
Jing Yunong reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him, and gently reminded her, "A university education doesn't mean anything, especially in the current environment, you have more choices."
"To be realistic, if you go to university, what are your thoughts after you graduate in three years?"
She raised an eyebrow and said, "You're a deputy section chief now. You'll need to be re-evaluated when you come back. If the policy changes, you'll need to start over from your internship. Are you willing to do that?"
"Even if you are reinstated, what are the chances that you'll be assigned a place by then?"
Jing Yunong patted her arms with both hands and said earnestly, "You were promoted to deputy section chief last year. You will have the opportunity to be promoted to section chief in three years. Think carefully about the gains and losses involved. It's not something that can be decided in a few words."
"Even if you are a college graduate, how does Zhou Yao from the security department compare to you? She is still your second brother's right-hand woman, someone he promoted single-handedly. Are you sure that such an opportunity will be waiting for you in the future?"
"Oh..." Li Xue looked at her blankly, blinked, and responded hesitantly.
"Do you think your second brother will arrange things for you?" Jing Yunong smiled and saw through her little thoughts, saying, "Don't think like that. No one can guarantee what things will be like in three years. Maybe he will have been transferred long ago."
"Do you know how many organizations and how many people are thinking about him right now? I can tell you a lot."
"And what about you?" Li Xue looked at her and said, "I never thought my second brother would help me in any way."
“Hehe—” Jing Yunong laughed, a very happy laugh, even a little gratified, because she heard Li Xue regard her as someone who could offer help.
“I have even fewer options than your second brother.” She explained bluntly to Li Xue, “He might be chosen to be groomed as the successor of Honggang Group, but I don’t have that opportunity, absolutely not.”
“So you have to choose carefully.” Jing Yunong pursed his lips, reached out and patted her shoulder, saying, “Like I said, you have the right to make the choices you believe are right for your life, and don’t regret them.”
"Thank you, President Jing—" Li Xue was very moved and even reached out to hold her hand, a gesture that had never been made before, which made Jing Yunong feel very gratified.
For Li Xue, Jing Yunong was both her leader and her teacher. It was Jing Yunong who taught her step by step how to go from a clerk to a deputy section chief.
Even now, it's a generally accepted fact within the group's finance system that General Manager Jing has a terrible temper and often scolds people, but he has never scolded Li Xue, never.
So gradually, people's impression of Li Xue changed from the secretary-general's sister to President Jing's former secretary.
No one in the group's finance system dared to give her a hard time, because even the top management had never done so.
Thinking back on her smooth-sailing career, she realized that without the support and care of her current leader, she would never have been able to reach her current position.
Sometimes, Li Xue even mistakenly felt that what she was being cared for was an excessive amount of affection, so meticulous that it felt like she was being treated like a... sister-in-law?
"What are you doing? Blocking me?"
As Li Xuewu emerged from the headquarters building, he encountered Wang Xin, who was leaning against his car smoking.
Former employees were secretly observing this unusual cadre. He was dressed in black and white, but didn't seem to be one of the group's employees. Was he there to provoke them or to perform an imitation show?
"Whoosh—" Wang Xin exhaled a puff of white smoke, threw away the cigarette butt, stood up straight, and stomped it out.
He took off his sunglasses, looked at Li Xuewu, and said bluntly, "That's right, President Gao told me you're in Beijing."
"So what?" Li Xuewu smirked and looked him up and down, saying, "You've come to show me up?"
He glanced back at the building and asked casually, "How did the talk with our Director Li go?"
"Not very good." Wang Xin put away his sunglasses and said casually, "He's not very professional."
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled as he walked over, preparing to get into the car, but was stopped by the other party.
"How about we talk?" Wang Xin reached out and pressed on the car door, speaking very seriously: "As friends, perhaps we can still be friends."
"What do you want to talk about?" Li Xuewu asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "About what happened in Steel City?"
"Okay, let's not argue about this."
Wang Xin waved his hands and shook his head slightly, saying, "Let's talk about Gang Fei, okay?"
"Didn't Mr. Gao convey my message to you?"
Li Xuewu frowned and looked at him, asking, "Or do you think I'm a person without principles?"
"You don't need to make veiled accusations; you can simply point your finger at me and call me a treacherous and despicable person."
Wang Xin was quite frank, placing his hand on the car and saying bluntly, "You said that about me, huh? I admit it, I am such a bastard."
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled and shook his head, saying, "You're wrong. I never target individuals. If you don't understand this, you're mistakenly shifting the conflict to our relationship."
He reached out and tapped Wang Xin's chest, reminding him, "Perhaps you don't need to come to Steel City with sincerity anymore."
"Hey!" Wang Xin, like a persistent scoundrel, reached out and blocked the car door again. Seeing Li Xuewu's expression change, he quickly said, "Cooperation, cooperation, how about it?"
Before Li Xuewu could get angry, he quickly explained, "How about we coordinate the matter regarding Gangfei and those planes? It's on our end, it's on our shoulders."
"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu suppressed his anger, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked, "What do you mean by 'considering it as yours'?"
"You wanted the paperwork, didn't you?" Wang Xin explained helplessly, "We'll provide the paperwork for you; it's a temporary transfer."
He pulled a document from a bag on the roof of the car and handed it to Li Xuewu, saying, "Shenyang Aircraft Corporation has borrowed ten helicopters from Xi'an Aircraft Corporation for scientific research, establishing a cooperative relationship with Xi'an Aircraft Corporation."
Fearing that Li Xuewu might not understand, Wang Xin pointed to the key parts of the document and explained, "The aircraft will be sent through our internal channels with Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group, and then Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group will entrust the flight squadron with its experimental use."
"We've come full circle." He shrugged, looking at him and asking, "Are you satisfied now?"
"What do you mean I'm satisfied?"
Li Xuewu glanced at the document, returned it to the other party, and frowned as he asked, "Tell me, who gave you this idea? It couldn't have been General Manager Gao, could it?"
“Mind your own business—” Wang Xin handed the document over again, emphasizing, “As long as you agree, I can get the R&D team back to Gangfei right now.”
"If I ask you what price the other party paid, you certainly won't tell me, right?"
Li Xuewu squinted at him and said, "Besides, you didn't suffer any losses, did you?"
"You hate us that much?" Wang Xin looked at him helplessly and said, "You're only upset if we suffer a loss?"
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu glanced at him, took the pen handed to him, and signed his name on the document while holding it against the hood of the car.
“I don’t care.” He handed the pen back to the other person and said calmly, “This is not the end, this is the beginning.”
"Sigh—" Wang Xin put away the documents and helplessly advised him, "Let bygones be bygones."
"You can walk him around like a dog, and he'll know that you, Uncle Li, are not someone to be trifled with, that's all."
He was good at persuasion, turning to Li Xuewu as he acted as a mediator, "Just consider it giving me face?"
"You?" Li Xuewu looked at him suspiciously, then asked with a sneer, "You don't actually think we'll still be friends after this, do you?"
“You—” Wang Xin said angrily, “You wouldn’t be such a petty person, would you?”
"No, I never target individuals."
Li Xuewu tapped him again with his finger, reminding him, "Remember this, I will never give you another chance to make such a wrong decision."
Ignoring what the other person was saying, he climbed into the car and slammed the door shut.
Wang Xin tried to persuade him again, but the driver had already started the car and left him at the entrance of the group's building.
Why would you do this?
He helplessly reached out his hand, as if he could pull Li Xuewu back, but he knew it was futile, just as he couldn't persuade Li Xuewu to give up revenge.
"Why did you provoke him?!"
-
"There's still no news from Peter." Upon receiving Li Xuewu's call, Shangguan Qi rushed over immediately.
The tea restaurant at the newly built and trial-operated Liangmahe Unity Hotel is quite delicious.
It must be said that Qin Huairu is an ambitious woman. Although she has passed the peak of her career advancement, she has won the trust of the group's leaders through hard work and meticulousness, and has been able to continue to manage the headquarters guesthouse.
In the Group's plan for its hospitality services business, it will build Unity Hotels with ordinary consumer prices in major cities across the country, as well as international hotels in major cities to undertake important hospitality tasks.
The construction of the Beijing International Hotel has now reached the 40th floor, which has already attracted much attention.
No matter how vast the future market for hospitality services may be, the first international hotel and the first Unity Hotel in the entire country were both established in Beijing.
Unlike He Yushui, the head of the International Hotel, Qin Huairu did not have a high level of education. Coming from a rural background, she achieved a leap in her career solely through the bits and pieces of knowledge she had acquired over the years and the work experience she had accumulated.
The Liangmahe Industrial Zone Guesthouse is now far superior to the original small guesthouse. If she weren't so outstanding, the group leaders wouldn't have kept her in the position.
The tea restaurant, which shares the same core brand as the International Hotel's Western restaurant, was created by her.
The name has a distinctly old Hong Kong feel, but the core focus is on business, not breakfast.
This place offers a variety of pastries that have been preserved in Beijing for many years, excellent teas from all over the country, and local specialty snacks. Relying on the sales company's network of relationships, she has truly made this brand bigger and stronger, becoming a must-have and first choice for wealthy families who come to the riverside park on weekends.
When Li Xuewu walked in, he was also taken aback by the lively atmosphere of the restaurant and wondered why there were so many people.
He was there to discuss business and wanted to find a quiet place. He hadn't yet visited the Unity Hotel, so he chose this location, but he didn't expect it to be so quiet.
It was Xiao Jin, who was in charge here, who first noticed him. Instead of asking him to leave, she invited him into a private room and introduced him to the operation of the tea restaurant.
Shangguan Qi had been here a few times and was quite familiar with the place, but she had no appetite for the delicious food right now.
“If he is in danger, you will definitely hear the news.” Li Xuewu took a sip of Longjing tea. This pot of tea was not expensive, but it was not cheap either; it was indeed very business-like.
“But—” Shangguan Qi frowned and said, “Not only has the work of the Institute of Optoelectronics been delayed, but people are also in a state of panic. Our efforts to recruit foreign researchers have also been hit hard. Who would dare to work here in the future?”
"Yes, indeed." Li Xuewu frowned slightly and looked at her, asking, "Has anyone come to ask you anything?"
“No.” Shangguan Qi shook her head and said, “That’s what I’m worried about. I can prove his origin.”
“Heh heh—” Li Xuewu sneered, “Perhaps they don’t want to know how Peter got here.”
"Then—" Shangguan Qi asked worriedly, "Will he be in danger? Or do you know something?"
“I haven’t heard from him either.” Li Xuewu sighed and said, “Director Li has already handed this matter over to Deputy Director Zhou. I believe there will be results.”
"Deputy Director Zhou?" Shangguan Qi frowned. "Didn't they say that Deputy Director Zhou is..."
"What is it?" Li Xuewu glanced at her and reminded her, "This has nothing to do with you. Don't put yourself in danger."
“Peter’s situation is simple. He won’t die as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid. Now it depends on his decision.”
“He is my friend.” Shangguan Qi looked into his eyes and emphasized, “I persuaded him to come.”
“You don’t need to remind me, I tricked him into coming here.” Li Xuewu stood up and said bluntly, “I will try my best to do the work, that’s all.”
"You—" Shangguan Qi reached out and grabbed his arm, mustering her courage to ask, "Are you leaving now? Can you sit with me a little longer?"