dognovel Chapter 1586 Imminent Activation
Chapter 1586 Imminent Activation
Chapter 1586 On the Verge of Eruption
"Among us, only the Secretary-General hasn't suffered much hardship, right?" Ding Zigui chuckled and glanced at Li Xuewu, saying, "You were born in 1946?"
"Yes, my grandfather passed away long ago."
Li Xuewu smiled nonchalantly and explained, "The family pharmacy closed down a long time ago, but back then, we barely managed to survive."
“Your father was skilled.” Feng Xingke shook his head and sighed, “Back in our day, we were all worthless. If we died anywhere, nobody would come looking for us.”
"Even Xiaobai doesn't believe what you're saying."
Ding Zigui sensed that the conversation was getting a bit dull, and Director Li even frowned, so he smiled and pointed to the sofa, saying, "His eyes are full of surprise."
No—I didn't disbelieve it—
Zhou Xiaobai smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I've heard others mention this situation before. My dad and mom also went through those days."
"Having tree bark to eat is considered a good life."
Feng Xingke realized he had gone off-topic, so he smiled and looked at Li Xuewu, asking, "How many generations has your family's medical skills been passed down?"
“My brother is the ninth generation,” Li Xuewu said, reaching for a card. “Among my brothers, only my brother studied medicine.”
“I know that, your older brother is at Tsinghua University, right?” Feng Xingke glanced at him and asked, “Where is he now…”
"They've come to our research institute to provide support."
Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "I don't know what he's researching specifically, and he doesn't tell me about it either. After all, I have the lowest level of education in my family."
"Hahaha—" The group laughed, but as they laughed, they couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Show-off! So what if you're a college student? You got this for free!"
They're very familiar with this routine. If some idiot came up to them and asked, "Oh, you have the lowest level of education in your family, so what is your educational background?"
Fine! He's definitely going to show off to you.
In this day and age, what would you do if he pulled out a diploma from Beijing Iron and Steel Institute?
Watching the leaders joke around, their laughter laced with inflection, Sun Tong had to work very hard to understand them.
That's interesting. Of course she knew what the secretary-general's educational background was; she had done her research before interviewing her.
She found it interesting because the leaders often spoke with great tacit understanding; they didn't even need to finish a joke, just the first half of it was enough for everyone to laugh.
This also proves the saying: you really can't get this far without this kind of brain.
"His father's medical skills are indeed excellent."
Li Huaide and the others wouldn't give Li Xue a chance to fight back. After a knowing joke, from the perspective of a patient, he frankly introduced his condition and the effects of Li Shun's treatment.
Of course, when leaders say something, if one or two out of ten sentences are true, then they are honest people.
"Oh, I really didn't know that."
Ding Zigui naturally had to flatter him. Since Director Li had praised his medical skills, and it was in front of Li Xuewu, could he go against it?
"I only knew that the secretary-general's father worked at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, but I really didn't know what he was good at."
"Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are mostly general practitioners."
As Li Huaide drew his cards, he pointed towards Li Xuewu opposite him and said to the two of them, "If you really want to improve your health, I really suggest you don't pretend."
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled and looked at him, saying, "My dad's house calls aren't cheap."
"Ah, hahaha—"
The group was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Zhou Xiaobai was the one who was completely stunned; she couldn't figure out what these people were laughing at.
Saying nonsensical things and then laughing, is that crazy?
"What kind of journalist do you write about?"
Having finished her meal and feeling bored, she turned to Sun Tong and asked curiously, "Want to write news?"
"Yes, I'm a print journalist."
Sun Tong was listening to the leaders' conversation, which contained a lot of material.
However, she was also very curious about Zhou Xiaobai, so when he spoke first, she was willing to be distracted for a bit.
Are you familiar with the journalism profession?
"I don't know much about it," Zhou Xiaobai said, shaking his head slightly. "I've never been interviewed."
“Hehehe—” Sun Tong found her quite interesting and explained, “There are three types of reporters. The first type is the print reporter I work with.”
"My main job is writing articles for news reporting, the kind you're familiar with."
She smiled and continued to explain, "The second type is photojournalists who primarily report through taking news photos; we cooperate with them."
"There is also a third type of broadcast journalist, who collects and produces audio news for radio stations."
"Is it a news anchor?" Zhou Xiaobai asked curiously. "The third type of reporter."
“No, a reporter is a reporter, and an announcer is an announcer; they are two different professions.” Sun Tong shook her head slightly, smiled as she looked her over, and asked, “Where do you work now? Not in our group, right?”
"No, I'm still in school."
Zhou Xiaobai said with a hint of pride, "I'm a freshman at medical school."
"Ah—really—" Sun Tong cooperated by showing a surprised and envious expression, which instantly boosted Zhou Xiaobai's emotional value.
Li Xuewu, with his ears open, glanced at the two men and thought, "These reporters are quite cunning too."
Sun Tong was genuinely surprised; she immediately understood Zhou Xiaobai's background the moment he spoke.
Being a freshman in medical school, freshman year, this year, think about it, is there any explanation for this?
Combined with what she noticed as soon as she entered the room—the girl's clothes and demeanor—she was definitely not from an ordinary family; she never expected her to have such a background.
At first, she thought she was someone from the secretary-general's faction... or perhaps a naive young girl they'd kidnapped from somewhere. Now, it seemed this person also had connections with Director Li...
"How many years will it take Little White to study medicine?"
Ding Zigui, hearing the two talking animatedly, looked up at them and asked, "Four years?"
“Five years, all medical students study for five years.” Zhou Xiaobai glanced at him and explained, “It’s been like this since 55, there’s never been a four-year program.”
“That’s not right.” Ding Zigui turned to Li Xuewu and asked, “Didn’t your third son graduate from college and start working? Wasn’t he a bachelor’s degree holder?”
“It’s an undergraduate degree, a bachelor’s degree in clinical traditional Chinese medicine.” Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and explained, “There are differences between the education systems of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and the length of study for clinical traditional Chinese medicine and clinical Western medicine also differs.”
"Ah—" Ding Zigui looked at Zhou Xiaobai, as if he was just beginning to understand this knowledge.
Zhou Xiaobai smiled and said, "If you ask me about traditional Chinese medicine, I really don't know."
She shrugged and said, "Our medical school does have a Traditional Chinese Medicine department, but it's all orthopedics."
"That's right," Li Huaide said with a smile. "Traditional Chinese medicine orthopedics is used most often in the military."
"What do you mean by that?"
Ding Zigui is really good at pretending to be confused, and he's even willing to shamelessly play along with Lao Li. It disgusts Feng Xing.
Pooh--
He spat inwardly, determined to speak first before Director Li interrupted.
Anyone can play the straight man; all you have to do is be shameless.
“Director Li is right,” Zhou Xiaobai said with a smile. “The training intensity is high, and there are very few other illnesses, so the orthopedics department of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department is the best at it.”
"This is the first time I've heard of this either." Ding Zigui nodded with a smile, jokingly adding, "I'm just ignorant."
“You’ve never served in the military, so it’s normal that you don’t know this. The Secretary-General must know.”
Li Huaide was pleased by his flattery and even smiled as he helped him out of the awkward situation. The two exchanged a glance, showing a tacit understanding.
However, as soon as he gestured to the other side, Li Xuewu pushed down the cards in his hand and said, "Close the door and bloom."
Ding Zigui: "..."
Feng Xingke: "..."
Li Huaide: "..."
-
What's your take on the recent situation?
Li Huaide picked up his teacup, took a sip, glanced at Zhou Xiaobai who was sitting at the mahjong table counting his money, and couldn't help but twitch his lips. That was all his money.
"Brother, this money is missing a corner."
Zhou Xiaobai had absolutely no sense of propriety; while counting the money, he didn't forget to turn around and complain about Li Huaide.
"I'll have Director Li change it for you in a bit."
Li Xuewu wasn't exactly a saint either. He smiled and tapped her, saying, "We can't let this go unpunished."
“That’s—” Zhou Xiaobai turned his head with satisfaction and continued counting the money, adding, “It was hard to win, how can I spend it if it’s missing a corner?”
"..." Li Huaide's lips twitched even more frequently. Were these two considered a male and female duo?
"I can't say what the situation is like." Li Xuewu comforted Zhou Xiaobai, then turned to look at him with a more serious expression and said, "But it's definitely not optimistic."
He paused, then lowered his voice, leaning forward across the coffee table, and said, "Those two are debating whether or not to set up... and..."
"Hmm, hmm." Li Huaide understood what Li Xuewu meant without him having to spell it out.
"Actually, as you know, this has nothing to do with whether or not we set up that thing; it's a future plan."
He stretched his neck back, looked into Old Li's eyes, and after he thought for a moment, continued, "At this point in time, who would dare to move forward?"
"If you ask me, it's nothing for you to put up with these things. You should think long-term and look to the future."
He pointed outwards with his finger, pursed his lips, and emphasized, "In a year or two, when you look back at this year, you won't be so upset anymore."
"Hmm—" Old Li breathed a sigh of relief. If there was anyone in the group who could comfort him and answer his questions, it was Li Xuewu, whom he regarded as a little Zhuge Liang.
The reason why she risked having her health condition exposed by asking Li Xuewu's father for help to improve her health was because she was very angry and stressed, and couldn't sleep all night. Even dancing became meaningless.
When Honggang Group was still Hongxing Factory, he was the factory director and the director of the management committee, and he was bullied by those people. Now that he is the general manager of Honggang Group, he is still bullied by these people. Then all those years of hard work have been for nothing, and he has been the general manager for nothing.
Li Xuewu left in a hurry that time and didn't have a long talk with him, only telling him to be patient.
He tried his best to endure it, but ended up with internal injuries and had to drink herbal medicine to relieve the internal heat.
In fact, he understood everything Li Xuewu was saying. It was just a case of the devils suffering when the kings of hell fought. But he was so far away, wasn't he being wronged?
"You mean..." Li Huaide hesitated for a moment, then frowned slightly and asked, "Will the Third Ministry of Machine Building do anything underhanded next?"
"Whatever, let them come at me."
Li Xuewu shrugged and said, "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Are we afraid of them?"
"It's not under their jurisdiction. Even if they get really angry, can they really take a hard line against us?"
“I’m not worried about that.” Li Huaide leaned back a little, regaining some confidence, and said, “We’re a corporation now.”
“That’s right, we’re a group company now.” Li Xuewu pointed at the coffee table and emphasized, “We don’t expect them to coordinate resources, so what are you afraid of? Let them come, at worst you can go and fight their leader.”
"Huh, huh?" Li Huaide was caught off guard and almost got pushed into the pit. He looked at him amusedly and said, "What's the big deal? You have to stay calm. It's the right time, right?"
"It's up to you." Li Xuewu chuckled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Actually, it wouldn't hurt for you to visit the industrial parks and the First Ministry of Machine Building in Beijing more often. You can't show off, but you can always play the victim, can't you?"
“You said that after merging with the sixteen factories in Beijing, the company has been under a lot of pressure and can’t afford to support so many workers, so you’re giving them back 30,000.”
He was truly wicked. He raised his right eyelid and continued to instruct Old Li, "Go tell Director Du that we're selling everything we own just to survive. The economic policies have changed so quickly in recent years that we can't keep up."
"But please don't start complaining about being poor right away!"
Li Xuewu pointed to the sofa armrest and emphasized earnestly, "All our belongings are displayed on Director Du's desk. It can't be too fake."
"I understand. I'm not poor, just under a lot of pressure."
Li Huaide grasped the essence of what he had taught him, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Moreover, they are very confused about the future, can't find the right direction, and lack policy guidance and opinions."
"Tsk—" Li Xuewu clicked his tongue, looking like he understood perfectly, and said, "Just think about it, none of them understand the business."
"Even if you tell them this, they won't understand. They understand the pressure of policies better than you do, but they wouldn't dare say they understand. How could they possibly make things difficult for you?"
"What about the industrial sector in Beijing..." Li Huaide understood what he meant, but asked with some concern, "If that's the case, what if they really agree to take in some of the workers? What are we doing now..."
"How could you forget?" Li Xuewu tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest again, reminding him, "Didn't Liu Bin remind you these past few days that the first batch of graduates from the vocational college are about to be assigned jobs?"
"Ah, this—" Li Huaide scratched his forehead and looked at Liu Bin, who was tidying up the house, and asked, "Liu Bin, did you mention this?"
"Um—" Liu Bin looked at him awkwardly and said, "I haven't had a chance to report to you yet."
"Stop talking nonsense—"
Li Huaide immediately saw through his expression, and turned to Li Xuewu with amusement, explaining, "Maybe I forgot, or maybe I was busy with something and didn't listen carefully."
"It's alright, Wei Zaike will be reporting this to you soon." Li Xuewu smiled and glanced at Liu Bin, explaining to Lao Li, "The recruitment and interview process has been finalized, and I've reviewed it."
"Then there won't be any problems once you've seen it."
Li Huaide, with a relaxed air of "I trust you to handle things," waved his hand and said, "Just follow the rules."
"He needs to report to you on the training and placement plans for this batch of newly hired graduates."
Li Xuewu raised his chin and reported softly, "All the units under the group are looking forward to this, so it's not easy for you to treat everyone equally."
“What do you mean by ‘leveling’? How can you level this thing?” Li Huaide said bluntly, “We should assign them wherever there is a need. These graduates are all valuable future talents, and we can’t just assign them randomly.”
"I've reminded you, you should go out less for social events lately." Li Xuewu smiled and patted his arm. Seeing his blank expression, he explained, "Other companies are trying to poach you."
"This—" Li Huaide was about to confidently say that he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but since he was facing Li Xuewu, he held back and nodded, saying, "Okay."
Shengxing agreed with a hint of grievance, but also with no other choice, as if he often made mistakes due to drinking.
But if he actually goes out drinking with someone and they ask him for a few outstanding graduates, what can he do about it?
To avoid falling for this, he chose to abstain from food for a month and refused to eat no matter who invited him.
Generally speaking, apart from universities directly under the Ministry that assign college students to units within their respective systems, the college students for each unit are usually assigned by provincial universities in the locality, with coordination among the various systems.
For example, Li Xuecai studied at a local university in Beijing, so his job assignment would naturally be a local hospital in Beijing, unless he was a student from outside Beijing, in which case he would be assigned to either stay in Beijing or be assigned back to his place of household registration based on demand.
However, in the past few years, the last batch of college students were assigned according to the policy of supporting the frontier regions. Except for a few college students who were assigned as needed, all of them went to the frontier regions.
This has resulted in many industrial enterprises not having recruited college graduates in the past few years.
Despite all the clamor and disdain they showed in those years, when it came to actually needing talent, they still hoped for fresh blood to join the factory.
But if you search all over Beijing, apart from those special universities like medical schools, where else can you find graduates?
Among industrial colleges and junior colleges, the United Vocational and Technical College of Honggang Group is considered top-notch.
With excellent student quality, high-quality teaching, and ample internship opportunities, who wouldn't want to work there?
Graduating in June, Honggang Group, taking advantage of its proximity, began recruiting in May.
Those selected by Honggang Group will be assigned to joint units before graduation in June.
Normally, the children of employees belong to the employer, but the employer that receives the graduates must pay a training fee; Honggang Group does not engage in unprofitable transactions.
Don't say that Honggang Group is mercenary; only with sufficient funds can education be run well.
Of course, Li Huaide knew why he said that, and looked at him with a smile, saying, "I will mention it to Wei Zaike, and industrial talent should still be guaranteed for your Liaodong industry."
"Thank you for your support."
Li Xuewu chuckled and turned to Zhou Xiaobai, who had finished counting the money and was walking over, asking, "Finished counting?"
"One hundred and sixty-nine yuan and fifty cents, that's all."
Zhou Xiaobai held a wad of cash in his hand, flicked it in his palm, and said with a smile, "Give it to me."
"Look, I even ran into bandits." Li Xuewu turned around and said to Old Li with a smile, "Next time you invite me to play mahjong, I definitely won't bring her."
"Hahaha--"
-
What did you guys talk about all night?
Zhou Xiaobai crossed his legs, leaned lazily against the passenger seat, and turned his head to look at him driving.
"I'm so confused, I don't understand at all!"
"That's good, you don't understand." Li Xuewu turned to look at her and asked, "Bored, aren't you?"
"No—" Knowing what he was going to say, Zhou Xiaobai interrupted him to emphasize, "I never feel bored doing anything with you."
"That's right," Li Xuewu said with a smile, "I've worked hard all night for you."
"Hehe—" Zhou Xiaobai said with a smile, "Brother, you're the best. You know I'm short of money."
"Who doesn't need money?" Li Xuewu said helplessly, "How much do I earn in a month?"
"Then you earn more than me."
Zhou Xiaobai chuckled and patted the money in his pocket, saying, "This is enough for me until summer vacation."
"Where's your money?" Li Xuewu tilted his head to look at her and asked, "You didn't have any left from the past few years, it's all gone, right?"
"The more I earn, the more I spend, and I don't save anything."
Zhou Xiaobai said matter-of-factly, "Besides, I didn't waste my money; I even enjoyed it."
"That's right, who's as lucky as you?"
Li Xuewu smirked and said, "Pay me back after you graduate and make some money."
"You wouldn't be so stingy."
Zhou Xiaobai said sweetly, "Even if I don't go to work, you still have to support me."
"Dream on," Li Xuewu scoffed. "If you don't go to work, you'll just starve to death."
"I'm just going to the club, I'm not going to starve, am I?" Zhou Xiaobai wrinkled her nose and mimicked his tone, humming, "You're just a hypocrite—"
Li Xuewu glanced at her and asked, "Are you guys really that free? Coming out at night like that?"
"I took sick leave—" Zhou Xiaobai, looking out the car window, lazily explained, "Lovesickness is hard to cure, it's an incurable disease."
"You've really got some nerve," Li Xuewu said, finally giving in. "You've even learned to lie."
"Lying and deceiving aren't in the nature of beautiful women," Zhou Xiaobai said, turning to look at him. "The most important thing is that someone believes you."
"What about summer vacation? No training sessions?"
Li Xuewu didn't want to engage in her conversation; they weren't on the same wavelength. He thought the girl had something wrong with her head.
"That's what I wanted to ask you too. How did you know I was back? Who told you?"
"Would you believe me if I said I could predict the future?"
Zhou Xiaobai stared wide-eyed, spouting nonsense, a wicked smile playing on his lips, and said, "You'll never know."
Seeing that Li Xuewu didn't speak, she smiled smugly and asked again, "What are you going to do during summer vacation, asking me?"
"Could it be—" she leaned closer and looked into his eyes, "that you want me to come visit you?"
"Sit still." Li Xuewu reached out and pulled her head aside, reminding her, "I'm driving."
"Tell me, do you want me to come visit you in Liaodong?" Zhou Xiaobai pressed on, "How about I take a month off to go to Liaodong and spend time with you?"
"Not good enough, I don't have time to play with you."
Li Xuewu said calmly, "Stay at school and focus on your training. You should cherish your time, study hard, and strive to contribute to the country after graduation."
"Why don't you become a professor at our school?" Zhou Xiaobai curled his lip and said, "I think your political work skills and abilities are much better than our teachers'."
"Getting impatient, huh?" Li Xuewu glanced at her, nodded, and said, "You're right to be annoyed with me. We're several years apart in age, or as you young people would say, there's a generation gap. We can't connect with each other."
"You're only a few years older than me."
Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes and pouted, "You don't expect me to call you uncle, do you?"
"No, it's not that serious. Just call me Big Brother." Li Xuewu drove her to the entrance of the International Hotel, pointed to the courtyard, and said, "I won't go in. You can make your own arrangements."
"Come in with me." Zhou Xiaobai looked at him and said, "I only see you once a month, are you really willing to leave me all alone?"
"Brother—good brother—"
"Oh dear—oh dear—" Li Xuewu couldn't stand her mushy manner, so he stepped on the gas and turned the steering wheel, driving towards the club.
Zhou Xiaobai raised his hands in a victory sign. Although he couldn't have everything of him, getting him was already a victory.
He would take her to the International Hotel, but she certainly wouldn't go inside. It would be a better chance for her to stay at the club.
Do you miss me too?
She tilted her head to look at him and said in a sweet voice, "It must be, otherwise why would you arrange for someone to pick me up from school? It's because you miss me."
"Aren't you going home?" Li Xuewu wasn't going to answer her; this girl was greedy. He changed the subject and asked, "Aren't your parents home?"
"I don't know, he/she is probably not here."
Zhou Xiaobai shrugged and said, "I haven't seen them since the start of the semester. They said they have jobs in the south."
"You should know what happened, right?"
She wasn't completely clueless. She looked at Li Xuewu, blinked, and said, "It's those things my dad and mom don't want to tell me."
"Since you already know they don't want to tell you, why are you still asking?" Li Xuewu turned to look at her and asked, "Do you want to hear this?"
"I don't know." Zhou Xiaobai looked blankly out the window and said, "I don't know if I can understand it."
"Actually, it's a good thing," Li Xuewu said calmly. "Sometimes knowing too much can cause unnecessary trouble."
"Just say I'm clueless."
Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes at him and said reproachfully, "It's not like I don't know anything."
"Yes, you understand." Li Xuewu smiled and said, "There's no need to bother with things that I'm not interested in."
“But you knew it,” Zhou Xiaobai said, looking at him. “Tonight, ostensibly you’re playing mahjong, but you’re actually talking business, right?”
"Hmm?" Li Xuewu looked at her in surprise and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Hmph—" She turned her head away haughtily and said, "That President Feng speaks in a sarcastic tone, who can't tell?"
“He’s not being sarcastic, he’s just resentful.” Li Xuewu smiled and explained to her, “He is very talented, but Li Huaide doesn’t trust him and doesn’t dare to use him.”
“I knew it was like this—” Zhou Xiaobai pointed to the spot in front of him as if he had just spoken, and said, “I always felt that there was something hidden in his words.”
"Do you know what these two at the mahjong table have in common?" Li Xuewu asked her with a smile, "Take a guess."
"They are all..." Zhou Xiaobai raised an eyebrow, tilted his head, and asked, "None of them are people Li Huaide trusts?"
"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled lightly without answering her.
Zhou Xiaobai, however, asked curiously, "Is it true? Am I right?"
"Yes, you guessed right." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "General Manager Feng was transferred to the main plant because of problems at the steel plant."
"Mr. Ding was transferred to the publishing house because he made a mistake."
He explained to Zhou Xiaobai, "The group has completed the formalization process and the organizational structure has been established. Now it's time for personnel allocation."
"Personnel—" Zhou Xiaobai asked curiously, "Are they trying to get a transfer?"
"Yes, I'm thinking about it." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "One is in logistics, and the other is in the publishing house; both are considered peripheral units."
"Honggang Group is, after all, an industrial enterprise. If it wants to achieve results, it has to go to the factory or the business department."
He wasn't worried that Zhou Xiaobai wouldn't understand, so he explained, "The reason he's not convinced is because President Feng is afraid that Li Huaide will have made a comparison in his mind."
"Comparing what?" Zhou Xiaobai asked. "Are they competing for the same position?"
"No, because the number of available spaces is limited."
Li Xuewu parked his car at the club's main entrance. After the security guard came out, glanced at him, and opened the gate, he continued driving inside.
"On the one hand, Li Huaide wanted to use cadres from the Red Star Factory to take charge of the business departments, and on the other hand, he wanted to use cadres from outside the factory to restrain their inflated ambitions."
He parked the car, got out, waved to the security guard standing at the door, and led Zhou Xiaobai to the backyard.
Zhou Xiaobai ran up happily, grabbed his arm, and asked, "And then? What does it have to do with them?"
"They all want to work for Li Huaide."
Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "Especially since a large number of graduates will be joining the workforce this month, there will be no more uneducated people at the middle and lower levels in three to five years."
"Are they under pressure?" Zhou Xiaobai guessed. "They're still far from it, aren't they?"
“It’s not far, because it’s not a matter of rank, but a matter of time.” Li Xuewu led her to the back. The club had its own guesthouse in the backyard. There were doorway lights along the way, so the courtyard wasn’t dark.
The weather was warm, and the security guards patrolled from time to time. At this time, there were still employees reading in the reading room, and their entry did not attract anyone's attention.
"Li Huaide likes to hire college students, even high school students are fine."
He nodded to the security checkpoint he was inspecting and continued walking, explaining, "He's replacing those grassroots cadres in a step-by-step manner."
“Every three or five years, outstanding graduates continue to join the factory, and the cadre team is gradually replaced. People like Feng Xingke and Ding Zigui rarely have the opportunity to advance further and can only wait in place for these young people to replace them.”
"Why?" Zhou Xiaobai asked, puzzled. "Don't grassroots cadres need more experience to grow and advance?"
"What is experience?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "Experience comes naturally with long working hours."
“In the past, there were never workshop directors aged 35 at the Hongxing Factory, but starting in 68, there were workshop directors aged 27.”
Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "That's true at the grassroots level, and even more so in government offices. Young people are more useful in positions that don't require experience."
“That’s true—” Zhou Xiaobai stepped up the stairs and said, “Didn’t he like the original cadres?”
"It's not so much that I dislike him, but rather that I look down on him." Li Xuewu walked to the front desk and wrote Zhou Xiaobai's name in the register.
The receptionist recognized him, but seeing them talking, she simply greeted them silently and handed them the key.
"A new emperor brings a new court; he prefers those who are obedient."
Li Xuewu gestured for her to go first, followed her up to the second floor, opened the door to her room, and let her go in first.
Does he not like you either?
Zhou Xiaobai casually tossed her bag onto the chair, reached out and hugged his neck, asking, "Will he replace you one day?"
“Me? Heh heh—” Li Xuewu chuckled and said, “I’m not a card in his hand at the card table.”
"Hey—" Zhou Xiaobai smiled and kissed him, saying, "Do you really like this kind of job, which is all about scheming and plotting?"
"What do you think? No normal person would like it, right?" Li Xuewu chuckled and patted her bottom, signaling her to behave.
Zhou Xiaobai clung to him, pouting, and said, "Brother, are you annoyed with me? I missed you so much—"
She clung to Li Xuewu, refusing to let go, and looked at him with pitiful eyes, saying, "I don't see you even once a month..."
Are there no male students in medical school?
Li Xuewu looked at her suspiciously and asked, "Isn't there anyone who makes your heart flutter? College is the perfect time to start dating."
“No, that’s not true at all—” Zhou Xiaobai emphasized, “College students are prohibited from dating, especially at our school.”
She swayed Li Xuewu's body and said sweetly, "You're the only one in my heart. I don't care about other boys."
"Heh—" Li Xuewu curled his lip and said, "If you hadn't robbed me, I would have really believed you."
"Hehe, that's called self-reliance!"
Zhou Xiaobai jumped up and down, hugged his neck and kissed him, saying, "How about I thank you with something?"
"Ya-hahaha-"
Before Li Xuewu could react, she took action. Even if Li Xuewu hit her buttocks, she would accept it and stubbornly try to tear off his clothes.
She was right when she said she looked down on the other male classmates. No matter how you looked at it, none of the male classmates in the school could compare to her.
Comparing heights? He's 183cm!
A contest of strength? He could take on ten men at once!
Comparing wealth? He doesn't care about money!
He joked in the car that he would support her even if she didn't work, and that wasn't a lie. If she really didn't work, he would definitely support her.
Because he had supported her before, her parents didn't disbelieve his claim about her salary as the general manager of Tianjin Shunfeng Trading Co., Ltd.
She's just a high school graduate who doesn't know anything, yet she's working as a general manager for someone else, earning so much money every month. Do they really think she's a child?
It's not that no male classmates pursued her; the school rules forbid dating, and the school also prohibits littering. How come someone still violates these rules?
However, the boys who were pursuing her all backed down after finding out about her spending habits from her roommate.
She also knew that she was definitely not someone that an ordinary guy could afford to support.
The hundred-plus yuan that Li Xuewu just won playing mahjong could be spent in no time by her.
She's long past the stage of impulsive and retaliatory spending, and now she knows how to spend her money properly.
The boys who pursued her only saw a small part of her life and gave up, let alone dared to confess their feelings.
Of course, there were also those with ulterior motives who knew who her father was and tried to curry favor with her, but she wouldn't even glance at them.
She wanted someone like Li Xuewu, someone who annoyed her, didn't take her seriously, and could easily find a girl better than her.
Following him, you can see a wider world, learn knowledge you've never encountered before, and even enjoy the feeling of flying.
She had countless reasons to convince herself to enjoy the present moment, to enjoy life, and not to go astray or believe in any bullshit love.
-
"What's wrong with appointing him as deputy director?"
Li Xuewu had just returned from the restroom when he saw Xia Zhongquan sitting in his office smoking.
After hearing his explanation of his purpose, she frowned and asked a question.
“I understand what you mean.” Xia Zhongquan hesitated for a moment, then looked at him and asked, “I was wondering if there might be something wrong with this…”
"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "It's not unprecedented for foreigners to serve as heads of research institutions."
"That's true, but this is the first time in our group." Xia Zhongquan glanced at the cigarette, looked at him, and hesitated before saying, "We've never done this before."
"Bullshit—" Li Xuewu looked at him, both amused and annoyed, and asked, "Who's putting pressure on you?"
He wiped his hands, sat down behind his desk, and said, "Our factory does want a foreigner to be in charge, but we need the resources."
"After so many years, is there anything worthwhile for scientific research at the Hongxing Factory?"
Xia Zhongquan fell silent after being rebuked, seemingly under pressure, and the appointment of the head of the Optoelectronics Research Institute became somewhat ambiguous.
"Don't you understand the saying 'spend a fortune to buy a horse's bones'?" Li Xuewu tapped the table and said, "Don't you understand 'raise a flag as an invitation'?"
"So that means you won't participate in management?"
Xia Zhongquan looked at him and said, "If that's what you're saying..."
"Don't give me that nonsense." Li Xuewu glared at him and said, "It is what it is, don't try to change things up."
“He must have the rights that a deputy director should have, and he must bear the responsibilities and obligations that a deputy director should bear.”
He nodded to Xia Zhongquan and emphasized, "Don't judge people with prejudice. The fact that Peter Gwett chose to work for Honggang Group shows that he has the confidence and determination to stay."
"Now that they've developed the prototype, we must keep our promises to them. That's the essential credibility we need to attract talent."
"How about putting him in charge of scientific research and the recruitment of foreign experts?" Xia Zhongquan wasn't inflexible; he understood what he meant and tentatively asked, "Give him some support in terms of personnel and funding..."
"This is your job, why are you asking me?" Li Xuewu didn't even let him finish speaking before waving his hand to interrupt him, "Alright, stop going on and on about this little thing. I have other things to do. If you don't have anything else, go back and do what you need to do."
Xia Zhongquan stood up helplessly, tapped lightly on his desk, and reminded him, "Deputy Director Zhou doesn't like Peter Gwett."
"Nonsense, I don't even like you."
Li Xuewu said impatiently, "Since when did the Honggang Group start using the group leaders' preferences as the standard for appointing cadres?"
He bluntly stated, "If he doesn't like it, let him do it himself. He just talks nonsense all day long without doing anything else."
"Alright, you go ahead with your work, I'm going back." Xia Zhongquan was sure he was about to get angry, so he quickly turned and left. If he kept talking, he'd be in deep trouble. Did he think he could listen to such things?
Besides, are these words even true?
He would be incredibly foolish to take what his boss says in private as gospel.