dognovel Chapter 1573 Offering the Knife
Chapter 1573 Offering the Knife
Chapter 1573 Offering the Knife
"Hey, Baosen, you look really energetic!" Old Liu from the factory's general office smiled and looked Ma Baosen up and down, teasingly saying, "Hmm, like a new son-in-law."
"How about I be your son-in-law?" Ma Baosen didn't blush at all, and retorted with a smile, "I'm only ten years older than your daughter."
"Get lost—" Old Liu couldn't help but laugh and scold, "My daughter is still in school!"
He pointed at Ma Baosen, then at Wang Min who was carrying documents as he came out of the office, and said, "You weren't like this before. You've been corrupted by them."
"Hey! Director Liu, that's not fair!" Wang Min protested, glaring at him. "What do you mean by 'learning bad habits from us'?"
"If I didn't learn it from you guys, who else could I have learned it from?" Old Liu was used to joking around with them, and now he smiled and pointed at them, saying, "Your office is the liveliest on the whole floor, you guys are all so..."
He pointed at Ma Baosen, Wang Min, and Zhou Linghua, who had just come out, and laughed, "They're all bad boys!"
"Look, you're not being rigorous enough."
Wang Min, being the quickest-witted, turned his head and gestured towards the office, reminding him, "There's a female colleague in our office. According to you, then Comrade Pei Lan is a bad girl, right?"
"You're the bad girl—"
Zhou Peilan kicked him in the butt from inside the door and urged, "Hurry up and move it. You have to finish moving it this morning, or you won't get lunch."
"Hey! You're my boss now!"
Wang Min said this, but handed the documents in his hand to Lao Liu. Before Lao Liu could react, he found himself carrying a large bundle.
"Director Liu, don't you think she's being a bit unfair? We're all comrades, after all."
Wang Min didn't give Lao Liu a chance to speak, grabbing his arm and pushing him out, while emphasizing, "Shouldn't comrades help each other? If they shirk responsibility and make excuses, are they still comrades? You're an older comrade, don't you think what I'm saying is right?"
"Right? You little brat, my foot!"
Old Liu cursed and tried to throw the file bag back at Wang Min, but Wang Min dodged it and refused to take it, while repeatedly emphasizing that comrades should unite.
"Hey, it's really lively here!"
Li Xuewu came up from downstairs and saw them performing a monkey show in the corridor. He couldn't help but laugh.
When the leader came up, Lao Liu was so angry that his face turned red. He was about to explain, but Wang Min reacted faster than him.
“Boss, Director Liu is about to help us move.” Wang Min really dared to say that. He grabbed Lao Liu’s arm and explained, “I told him we didn’t need it, but he insisted on moving it. He said it’s just something that comrades should do.”
"Really--"
Li Xuewu sized up the red-faced Old Liu and said with amusement, "Doesn't look quite like it?"
"We're all comrades—" Old Liu cursed Wang Min's ancestors eight generations back in his heart, but since he was being held up, he could only laugh awkwardly and accept this explanation.
"That's good, you should be able to finish moving everything in one morning, right?"
Li Xuewu glanced at the office behind them and said, "If you're too busy, ask people in other offices for help. Don't delay the work."
"Don't worry," Wang Min said with a smile, "I'll definitely be able to finish moving everything by noon."
He tugged at Old Liu's arm and said, "We have someone here to help us now."
"Right, Director Liu?"
"Hmm... Ha... Cough cough..."
Old Liu was in a bind; he couldn't take back what he had just said, but he was expected to help out all morning, and he wasn't prepared at all.
He had just responded with a shout because he wanted to finish the move and leave quickly, but he didn't expect Wang Min to block his escape route.
That bastard is absolutely wicked.
"Boss, we'll be moving your office this afternoon." Zhou Peilan heard their voices and poked her head out of her office to remind him, "Deputy Director Zhang has already made the arrangements, don't forget."
"Okay, I see."
Li Xuewu smiled and nodded, "You guys go ahead with your work," and then went to his office.
As soon as I entered the house, I was surprised to find someone already waiting for me and had even made me a cup of coffee.
"You don't even need to say hello before coming into my office?" He walked to the desk, put down his bag, glanced at the other person, and said, "What kind of airs are you putting on?"
"You're really rude—"
Wang Yajuan glared at him and said, "You're such a big leader, can't you be a little more cheerful?"
"Then shall I sing you a happy song?"
Li Xuewu sat behind his desk, looked her over as she seemed a bit off, and asked, "What's wrong now? You've been acting so strangely, did someone cook you?"
"You're the one who got cooked!"
Wang Yajuan pursed her lips, opened the notebook she had brought, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it over.
"What's this?" Li Xuewu glanced at her and said, "A self-criticism?"
“I didn’t do anything wrong, why should I apologize to you—” Wang Yajuan gestured to him and said, “Look.”
"Hmm, a transfer order?" Li Xuewu glanced at the document in his hand, looked up at her expression in surprise, and then carefully examined the transfer order in his hand.
"Why were you suddenly transferred back to Beijing?"
He finished reading the document in his hand; it didn't have many words to begin with. After putting it down, he asked, "Have we already spoken with you?"
“If we were to talk beforehand, would I not tell you?” Wang Yajuan stared into his eyes and said, “Do you… have any objections?”
"What objection could I possibly have? This is a good thing—" He picked up the teacup on the table, blew on the tea leaves floating on top, and said, "You don't want to?"
"Why shouldn't I?" Wang Yajuan replied coldly. But judging from her expression, she seemed quite dissatisfied with Li Xuewu's answer, or rather, his nonchalant attitude. Yes, attitude.
"I was transferred back to the publishing house from the branch office, and I'll be working for the group from now on. People would kill for that."
Wang Yajuan pulled back her transfer order, talking as if it were someone else's business, her eyes lowered, clearly dissatisfied, as if she had been presumptuous.
"Although you have only been working at the metallurgical plant for less than a year and a half, my colleagues and I can see your hard work and dedication."
Li Xuewu put down his teacup and commented: "He is conscientious and responsible in his work, strives for excellence in his profession, is loyal to the organization, and unites with his colleagues."
He glanced at Wang Yajuan's expression and said, "Since the organization needs you to take on a more important position to give full play to your talents, my colleagues at the metallurgical plant and I still support you. We also wish you success in your new position and a prosperous career."
"That's all?" Wang Yajuan looked up at him and asked, "Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
She twitched the corner of her mouth, looked directly into Li Xuewu's eyes, and said bluntly, "Didn't you ever think about keeping me here?"
"What, you really don't want to go back to Beijing?"
Li Xuewu had no intention of playing along with her emotional appeal; that's just how women are—they feel empathy for even the smallest things.
He pointed to the transfer order she had just put away and said, "If you're not willing, then I'll tell your publishing house to keep you. You can work for another three years."
"You have no conscience—"
Wang Yajuan stood up, let out a long hum, stopped drinking her coffee, and turned to leave.
Li Xuewu watched her retreating figure with amusement. She would be twenty-five years old after the New Year, but she still looked eighteen.
Zhang Enyuan walked in from outside, looking dazed. He glanced at him and asked hesitantly, "Boss, is Section Chief Wang... alright?"
"It's nothing, I'm just too excited." Li Xuewu shook his head with a smile and said, "It's a transfer order from the publishing house, to let her go back and take over the art troupe."
"Ah! This is great news!" Zhang Enyuan was stunned for a moment, glanced at the doorway in confusion, and muttered, "But why does he not look happy?"
"Have you communicated with the audit team?"
Ignoring his skepticism, Li Xuewu looked at the study documents and asked, "If you can't trust him, you can transfer an accountant from United Energy."
“The working group didn’t say whether they could be trusted or not,” Zhang Enyuan reported. “However, the accountants drawn from various units haven’t been exposed to the core content; the summaries are all done by the accountants from the finance department.”
"Whatever, we don't need to worry about it."
Li Xuewu calmly said, "Xu Sinian and his team know what they're doing; they won't make a mistake."
He looked up at his secretary and said, "Go and tell Comrade Zong Fang that the newly integrated supervisory working group is coming down to conduct research, and ask him to receive them."
"Could it be that Deputy Director Zhou came down in person?" Zhang Enyuan asked with a strange expression. "I heard those rumors in Beijing that seemed quite plausible."
"What are you afraid of?" Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, "If you're upright, you have nothing to fear. Let them investigate. The factory shouldn't do anything unnecessary."
"I reckon Deputy Factory Director Yang will be furious too."
Zhang Enyuan said helplessly, "It's such a simple case, why make it so complicated?"
"Well, let them do as they please."
Li Xuewu really didn't want to say much about this matter. Whether it was Su Weide or Zhou Wanquan who had just arrived, it seemed that they were all here for Dong Wenxue. Did they really think that there was some secret hidden in Furnace No. 4?
What's in Furnace No. 4?
He still trusted the investigation results produced by the metallurgical plant itself. If Liu Yongnian hadn't had problems that couldn't withstand investigation, he really wouldn't have wanted to waste manpower and resources by letting the other party tear such a big hole in the metallurgical plant.
The bloodletting was supposed to be for fishing, but instead of catching any fish, it attracted a group of great white sharks.
Although the more fish the better, the wound can't be stopped and seems to be tearing bigger and bigger.
Zhang Enyuan has been involved in this project from the very beginning, and now he has some concerns.
"How about we produce another investigation report? Just pick a few less important ones..."
Do you think this is feasible?
Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, saying, "Either admit nothing or admit everything; there's absolutely no distinction between what's important and what's not."
"Do you think they're here to save face?"
He put down the documents in his hand, turned to look at the early spring sunshine outside the window, and said calmly, "This is a situation that can't be resolved without a fight to the death."
“Aren’t you worried…” Zhang Enyuan couldn’t help but remind him, “The metallurgical plant is at a crucial stage of development. It has just completed a technological transformation and is at a critical juncture in mastering the technology. If…”
"One move affects the whole body."
Li Xuewu turned around and looked at him, explaining, "Don't worry, Deputy Director Zhou won't come. He won't fight a battle unprepared."
"I just don't understand."
Seeing that the leader was in a good mood today, Zhang Enyuan walked to the desk and asked softly, "What is this Deputy Director Zhou's relationship with our factory...?"
He glanced at Li Xuewu's expression, hesitated, and then used the words that were taunting him: "Is it a public feud or a personal grudge?"
"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, looked at him, and asked, "Why do you ask that?"
That's how I feel.
Zhang Enyuan shook his head and said with a puzzled look, "I talked to Gu Cheng in Beijing, and he felt the same way. It seems like this Deputy Director Zhou came with a mission?"
Who doesn't have tasks to complete when they work?
Li Xuewu took a sip of hot tea, put the cup down, and said calmly, "Perhaps. He came with a secret mission."
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it?"
Zhang Enyuan's tone was somewhat meaningful. He smiled, gathered the documents on his desk, and left.
What are you thinking?
He hadn't thought of enough.
However, given his position, it's enough for him to think this far; thinking any further would be futile.
This is what it means to have a sense of propriety.
-
"He won't even come himself, and you expect me to carry his burden? You really don't treat us like human beings, do you?"
Zhao Yong threw the documents aside in dissatisfaction and said in an unfriendly tone, "Whoever wants to do this can do it, I'm not doing it."
He also pointed to the main managers who had accompanied him and emphasized, "If any of you want to curry favor with him, go ahead, I won't stop you."
"Manager Zhao, we..."
The director of the temporarily formed working group office wanted to explain something, but Zhao Yong had already stood up.
That's what I mean.
He glanced at everyone in the conference room and said, "I don't mind if you pass these words on to him, whatever, I'm not going to cater to him anyway."
After saying that, he turned around and left the office without caring about the attitudes of the others.
Yu Ning, deputy director of the General Cadre Department, glanced at Li Xue, the head of the Finance Department, at the end of the conference room, refrained from speaking, and then looked at the person diagonally opposite.
Sitting diagonally opposite him was Feng Xiaolin, the deputy director of the personnel department, who didn't seem to be about to speak either.
"How about... we send a message to the group saying..." the office director hesitated before asking, "that we have too many tasks and can't handle them all?"
"Or maybe it's just a lack of manpower," Feng Xiaolin said calmly, tidying up her notebook and the documents in front of her. "But it's all the same, it's all fake."
“It’s okay if it’s fake, just don’t make it real.” You Ning said meaningfully, “When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. We are all small fish and shrimps, supporting characters, so there’s no need for us to make a big scene.”
Li Xue, as if she hadn't noticed their sarcastic remarks, packed her things and left.
As You Ning watched her leave, she reached out and pressed down on the conference table, reminding Feng Xiaolin, who was just about to get up, "I don't care, what about you?"
"What about me?" Feng Xiaolin looked him up and down and said, "What does this have to do with me?"
"Stop hiding it, everyone knows." You Ning raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "You're going to be transferred to the Inspection Department after this mission, right? Inspection Department Two or Three?"
Hearing him say that, everyone who was packing up to leave slowed down their actions.
Feng Xiaolin narrowed her eyes and stared at You Ning diagonally across from her for a while before saying, "As long as the organization doesn't follow up, I'll remain the deputy director of the personnel department."
"Yes, of course I know."
You Ning withdrew her hand and smiled slightly, saying, "I just wanted to remind you of something."
"No, thanks."
Feng Xiaolin stood up, looked at him, and said calmly, "No matter where I go in the future, I will only be responsible for my own job now, and I will not care about anything else."
"But it is you, Director You."
She glanced at the other person up and down with a scrutinizing look before saying calmly, "If you have any ideas, feel free to express them."
"What should I demonstrate—"
Yu Ning, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shrugged with amusement and said, "I have no further plans, nor any opportunity to go any further."
"What if?" Feng Xiaolin had already reached the meeting room door when she heard him say this. She turned back and smiled dismissively, saying, "What if you perform well this time? You'll have a chance."
You Ning remained silent, staring intently as she left. The others in the conference room, having had their fill of the spectacle, glanced at him casually before departing as well.
He sat alone in the conference room, his expression changing several times as he hesitated whether to make a move.
But he didn't dare, nor did he have the right.
Zhao Yong was the team leader. When the office director delivered the document, the director rejected the request without even giving him a chance to hint at it. What could he possibly say in the meeting? Was he going to overstep his bounds?
Reversing the Heavenly Stems is a major taboo in the workplace, and he wouldn't risk it.
However, they were also unwilling to give up. If the working group could uncover some problems while they were at it, it would provide an opportunity for the working group to be formed by the inspection team next.
When they come down to check the accounts, it will be a good opportunity to verify some issues from the sidelines, or rather, to deliberately create some issues so that they don't have to take action.
What You Ning was thinking about was a pledge of allegiance.
He knew, of course, that Feng Xiaolin had already completed the organizational interview and the transfer order had been issued; all that was left was for the other party to complete this temporary mission.
It will take at most twenty days, at least half a month. As long as the asset integration of the property service management company is completed, the other party will be the director when we return.
Feng Xiaolin joined the factory a year later than him, so it's impossible not to be jealous.
He started preparing as soon as the news came out at the beginning of the month, and even visited several leaders' homes, all for these few suddenly available positions.
The city sent a deputy director named Zhou, and he wanted to visit him, but he couldn't find a way to do so.
The existing Supervision Department will be expanded by drawing personnel from the group and its various units, and a Second and Third Supervision Department will be established.
This adds two directors and four deputies to the organizational structure; who wouldn't be envious?
Since the group completed its major organizational restructuring, human resources work has basically settled into a fixed form.
If he wants to make further progress, he can only rely on grades and opportunities. Now that an opportunity has come, he wants to seize it.
It would be best to get Zhao Yong to take the lead; if someone else could take the blame, he wouldn't have to be the one to stick his neck out.
Even if Zhao Yong neither admits nor denies it, giving them a vague answer, he would still dare to pull off a heist.
To say he fabricated something would be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's easy for him to make something out of the existing ledgers; it's not a difficult task for him.
But Zhao Yong made his stance clear and even said some rude things, so what could he do?
Since there was no one to take the blame, they naturally had to find a scapegoat. The sentence he said to Feng Xiaolin was a scheme to prevent her from taking the bait and to frame her.
If Feng Xiaolin just laughs it off as a joke or ignores the warning, he could easily spread the word that she was the one who did it.
After all, he had already made it clear that Feng Xiaolin would be working in the Supervision Department, and he couldn't go against his superior's decision.
To his utter surprise, Feng Xiaolin reacted quickly, saw through his scheme, and directly retorted.
What's wrong with everyone? Are they willing to break ties with him just to distance themselves from this dangerous relationship?
He knew Li Xue's identity, which was why he waited until she left before speaking.
However, he underestimated how much everyone cared about that person, and overestimated his own intelligence.
He was the only one left in the conference room; he was already in a bind, and his chance to make a move was gone.
-
Sizzling—sizzling—
After a burst of piercing noise, the radio finally began to broadcast clearly.
"...A man-made Earth satellite was successfully launched. 'Dongfanghong-1' successfully entered orbit and soared into the sky. The melody of 'Dongfanghong' is resounding throughout the land of China via radio waves..."
The radio host delivered the news with great emotion, accompanied by the background music "The East Is Red".
Banggeng walked over curiously, looked up and asked, "Auntie, what is an artificial Earth satellite?"
"Do you even know what 'artificial' means?" Li Xue turned her head and glanced at him, asking, "A man-made Earth satellite is called an artificial Earth satellite."
"..." Bang Geng was taken aback, then twitched the corner of his mouth and praised, "Your explanation is really... good."
"Dinner's ready—" Yu Li placed the third dish in the dining room and greeted them with a smile, "Your second brother just called and said we don't need to wait for him, he won't be coming back for dinner, let's start eating now."
"Does he have a business dinner tonight?" Li Xue asked, looking towards the restaurant. "Is this a frequent occurrence?"
"I've only been here for a month, and you're asking me?"
Yu Li smiled and pointed to Bang Geng, saying, "Ask him; he's lived here longer than I have."
"I don't know anything about it."
Banggeng raised his hands and emphasized, "I didn't bring my glasses or my mouth when I stayed here."
"You didn't bring your mouth?" Li Xue looked at him and said, "Then you won't be eating dinner tonight."
"That won't do!" Banggeng almost panicked. He could stop him from sleeping, but he couldn't stop him from eating.
He entered the restaurant first, and even knew to be polite, serving Yu Li her food before sitting down to eat.
“I’ve been here for over a month and I haven’t seen him go out at night more than a few times. He’s always been resting at home.”
When Yu Li saw Li Xue come in, she smiled and explained, "Perhaps there's some urgent work to be done."
“It can’t be a work unit’s entertainment.” Li Xue thought for a moment and said, “The work group is not qualified to be entertained by him. If there is any entertainment, it should be outside.”
After she sat down, she took the rice bowl, glanced at Banggeng, and said, "Alright, you've improved, Banggeng. Now you've even learned how to keep secrets. Recite a section of the secrecy regulations for me."
“I don’t call this secrecy work, I call this knowing my limits.” Banggeng picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and said, “I haven’t made any money yet, I’m eating and drinking Uncle Wu’s food, if I betray Uncle Wu again, would I still be a human being?”
So you're just freeloading here.
Li Xue deliberately tried to scare him, saying, "You've made money, so just save it all up."
"What would I do with that little bit of money?"
Banggeng shook his head helplessly and said, "I can't save much in a year, not even enough for my own expenses."
“But I won’t take advantage of Uncle Wu for nothing.” He looked at Li Xue and raised an eyebrow as he assured her, “I’ll also keep his secret.”
"Hmm, I think you've gone astray."
Li Xue rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Yu Li, who had sat down, and said, "Sister, what are you usually busy with? Just housework?"
"Household chores are just a side job; I also manage the recycling station's business in Steel City." Yu Li smiled slightly, offering only a brief explanation before refusing to elaborate further.
In the recycling station system, only Zhao Yafang was in charge of the ledgers; the rest of her family members were unaware of the specifics, and Li Xuewu never intended for them to get involved.
Even the eldest grandmother was only nominally employed; she was basically retired and no longer needed to do carpentry. Most of the time, she cooked in the back room.
It's a very simple reason: Sister-in-law Zhao Yafang manages the accounts because she has professional knowledge, and Li Xuewu trusts her enough.
The rest of the family members are either working or elderly and frail; why are they getting involved in the recycling station's business?
Grandma is still in good health, but she is not very talkative. She doesn't like to manage things at the recycling shop, and there's no work to be done in the backyard, so she's been idle.
Sometimes I go to the warehouse for a stroll, and sometimes I just watch the children in the backyard and cook them three meals a day.
It's normal that Li Xue didn't know. She knew that the projects her second brother and his sworn brothers were involved in were illegal, but they must be very profitable, otherwise they couldn't support so many people.
However, when it comes to money, she had never seen any, and her second brother hadn't given her much money to spend as she pleased.
Does my second brother have any money?
That's for sure, whether it's the properties she knows in Beijing, the cars and bicycles at home, or the family's living conditions in the Haiyuncang villa.
All of this shows that her second brother's wealth has exceeded her imagination, but she has never paid attention to it.
The family seems to have split up now, but it also seems like they haven't split up at all, and nobody has even noticed this.
If you say they've separated the family, then the second brother's family lives separately, and the third brother and his wife also have their own house, and they even contribute to the family's food expenses.
Even after she started working, she began paying for her own meals. Isn't this a separation of the family?
But if we say that the family hasn't separated, and that the eldest brother and sister-in-law are supporting their parents, then their parents aren't even old yet.
After my sister-in-law took over the household management, she only charged for meals and didn't ask for a penny more, not even my father's salary.
Everyone else keeps their own wages from work, but my second brother provides the family with rice, flour, oil, meat, and vegetables.
This was sent by Shen Guodong. Eggs, chicken, duck, fish and meat have been provided continuously throughout the year. If it wasn't arranged by my second brother, how could it be a gift from Shen Guodong?
Although they seem to have a clear division of responsibilities, they actually take care of each other. She also knows that her sister-in-law manages the accounts for her second brother.
Did she and her third brother both know?
Is it possible for Third Sister-in-law to be so successful at work without Second Brother's support?
Even the car that belonged to the third brother was given to him by the second brother, so how can you explain it clearly?
She didn't use her second brother's money, but he had been taking care of her since she started working, so it was hard to explain.
The elders in the family never said anything about harmony bringing prosperity to the family, nor did they say who should give more or who should remember whose kindness. These are all things that should be considered.
Today, her second brother arranged for his secretary to invite her to his house for dinner, which is why she came.
I just didn't expect that when she came, my second brother didn't come back. It was still a bit awkward to meet Yu Li in Gangcheng.
Thank goodness for Bang Geng; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to get along with him.
As for Yu Li's kindness to her, she certainly knew it; she knew that Yu Li's kindness extended to Yu Li's family.
In some ways, she couldn't comment on her second brother because she simply had nothing to say.
With so many romantic entanglements and so many women willingly doing things for him, why is she being so nosy?
However, while enjoying this kindness, I always felt uneasy and sorry for my second sister-in-law.
"Do you feel that the steel city is colder than the capital?"
Yu Li tried to find topics to talk about, and she noticed Li Xue's embarrassment, which made her feel a little awkward herself.
There's a difference between living in the courtyard and living here; Li Xue knows they live together without needing to hide or explain.
Keeping things private and making them public are two different things. She didn't know how to describe their current situation. If she made things clear, it would only make things harder to get along.
"It's alright, the temperature in the capital has dropped recently too."
As Li Xue ate the delicious food, she knew that her second brother was always enjoying a life of luxury wherever he went.
She had met Zhou Yamei when she went to the club, and knew that this was Zhou Yamei's house.
Her second brother used to treat her like a child, but she knew exactly who was who.
Zhou Yamei is definitely suspicious. Even if she brought a child to Beijing, there's still something wrong with her.
Without needing to ask how she figured it out, she could sense the certain signal in the way her second brother's women looked at her.
Just as they were eating and chatting, Li Xuewu's car pulled up in front of the door.
Hearing the car, Banggeng pricked up his ears, put down his chopsticks, and ran out.
Li Xue was still unaware of what was going on when she looked out the living room window in surprise and saw car headlights shining towards the street.
"Is it my second brother who's back?"
She asked a question, but Yu Li wasn't sure. She stood up and said, "Maybe so. You eat first, I'll go check."
Li Xue, no longer able to eat in peace, also stood up and went into the living room. At this moment, Li Xuewu exchanged a few words with Yu Zhe, then pushed open the courtyard gate and entered the courtyard.
"Uncle Wu, you're back."
Banggeng greeted him, then looked at Yu Zhe outside the courtyard gate behind him and waved with a smile, saying, "Why don't you come inside, Uncle?"
"You're annoying, don't talk to me."
Yu Zhe ignored him, opened the car door, got in, and drove off.
Li Xuewu rubbed the big-faced cat's head, walked into the entryway, and asked, "Have you had dinner?"
"We were eating when my aunt said we didn't need to wait for you, so we ate first," Banggeng explained, offering to help him take off his coat.
"It's alright, eat your food, I've already eaten." Li Xuewu smiled and waved his hand as he saw Yu Li and Li Xue come out to greet him, explaining, "Don't worry about me."
"Why did you suddenly come back?" Yu Li asked him from the entrance hall. "If we had known you would come so early, we would have been waiting for you."
“The group sent over some urgent confidential documents. I waited for a while and then asked Zhang Enyuan to get me a lunchbox.”
Li Xuewu offered an explanation, then looked at Li Xue and asked with a smile, "How did you get here? Did you get a ride?"
"I came by bus myself."
Li Xue looked at him and said, "It's not that far."
"It's not far," Li Xuewu said as he walked into the living room. "It took me almost half an hour to get there by car."
"I told her to send a car to pick her up, but she refused," Yu Li explained with a smile before pulling Li Xue back for dinner, also calling the fawning Bang Geng.
Bang Geng even made him some tea before returning to the restaurant.
Li Xuewu didn't linger in the living room; instead, he took his teacup into the study, not to read, but to make a phone call.
"Did you receive the file?"
Li Huaide's voice came through the phone, sounding somewhat tired as he said, "The group received it yesterday afternoon."
"I don't understand, how did it suddenly..."
Li Xuewu hesitated for a moment at this point, as there were some things that were not easy to say over the phone.
The reason he made this call from home was that he didn't want to say these things in the office.
"If you trace it back further, it's not entirely unexpected."
Li Huaide sighed deeply and said, "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. Some people just can't stand peace and have to cause chaos."
“I remember there was something like this two years ago, and it even made the newspapers,” Li Xuewu said, frowning. “Once two years ago, and once the year before that.”
"What's the reason this time?"
"What else could it be, huh?"
Li Huaide sneered, "If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext. You just made up a plausible reason. I'm in a hurry to let you know about this because I want to remind you to be more careful lately."
"Well, things are relatively calm on my end."
Li Xuewu thought for a moment and asked, "In that case, the pressure on you from the group side will be greater."
"What can we do? Just tough it out."
Li Huaide snorted and said, "I'll see who's causing trouble this time."
“I have already sent Wenxue to Gangcheng. He is responsible for coordinating the technology transfer work in East Germany.”
His attitude suddenly became somewhat forceful, and he said, "If all else fails, let him go to East Germany. It's a work requirement anyway, and I refuse to believe it."
"It shouldn't be that bad." Li Xuewu thought for a moment and then asked, "Deputy Director Zhou said he would arrange for an investigation team to come down, but why haven't we heard anything yet?"
“Him—” Li Huaide sneered, “Perhaps he’s finally realized he can’t be used as a pawn, a complete fool?”
"However, there's something you need to know."
He said calmly, "Our group has made some outstanding achievements in economic and technological fields, which may have attracted some criticism recently."
"I've already spoken to the publicity department. We don't need to respond to any controversies or criticisms. Silence is golden. Let's just put up with it this time."
"Does that include the Northern Industry Daily?" Li Xuewu reminded him, "I'm afraid they might not want to let us off the hook."
"There's nothing we can do about it, they've gone mad."
Li Huaide gritted his teeth and said helplessly, "Let's deal with whatever comes our way."
“Let’s also put some unnecessary activities on hold,” Li Xuewu suggested. “Theaters, cinemas, and radio programs are all on hold.”
"Yes, I've already arranged for the publishing house to make adjustments." Li Huaide's voice sounded tired again. "This storm should pass quickly, maybe three or four months at most."
"Let's start with something affordable."
Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said, "Pay more attention to technology import and engineering construction. I will complete the integration of Liaodong's industry as soon as possible..."
"Yes, speaking of this."
Li Huaide interrupted him, saying, "What do you think about Lü Yuanshen of Steel Company?"
"Do you have any opinions or suggestions about his upcoming arrangements? Feel free to speak up."
"Is it about adjusting his position?" Li Xuewu hesitated for a moment, but still spoke frankly: "He has done a good job at Steel & Auto these past few years. He has made an indispensable contribution to Steel & Auto's current scale."
“I know,” Li Huaide said with a hum, “merits are merits, and demerits are demerits.”
“I didn’t say that he was being reassigned because of a production accident, after all, it’s been three years.”
Li Huaide said in a slightly calmer tone, "The group attaches great importance to industrial production units and is very careful in arranging the positions of those in charge."
"I am only now proposing adjustments to him, and he is the first one to be adjusted, which is also to protect him."
A cough came from the phone. Li Huaide paused for a moment before continuing, "I believe he should be mentally prepared to move around."
"Go to another branch or go back to the group?"
Li Xuewu asked a question first, and without waiting for the other person to speak, he continued, "He was previously the head of the finance department, and later became the head of the economic management group..."
There shouldn't be a position in the financial control department.
Li Huaide understood what he meant, thought for a moment and said, "Comrade Yu Nong mentioned to me that we should try not to touch the finances."
"Even if there is to be a change, it will probably be a transfer to the finance department of a branch, or to a joint savings bank, with the person in charge still mainly below them."
"Then..." Li Xuewu asked hesitantly, "Does the Quality and Safety Department have any openings?"
“Quality and Safety Department…” Li Huaide paused suddenly when he heard him say that, and then said, “The current manager of the Quality and Safety Department is Yu Decai, right?”
"Isn't the Inspection Department going to be separated out?"
Li Xuewu explained over the phone, "Even if we were to reinstate the supervisory system, we would still need cadres, wouldn't we?"
"Hmm, you mean..."
Li Huaide thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Should we put Yu Decai in charge of the Supervision Department?"
After speaking, he hesitated and said, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate for Lü Yuanshen to be the main person in charge."
“That’s the deputy.” Li Xuewu said directly, “The Supervision Department hasn’t been fully established yet, so Yu Decai will be in charge for a period of time. With an extra deputy manager in the Quality and Safety Department, he will have more energy to handle the affairs of the newly established department.”
"Oh, well, let me see."
Li Huaide neither agreed nor disagreed, but said he needed to think about it. After a few words, he hung up the phone.
"Is Lü Yuanshen going to the Quality and Safety Department?"
Li Xue had been standing at the study door listening for a while. Seeing her second brother put down the phone, she asked, "What kind of work is he in charge of at the Quality and Safety Department?"
"Security Department." Li Xuewu glanced back at his sister and explained frankly without hiding anything: "When a gambler runs out of money, he can't be without a knife either."
“But he—” Li Xue frowned and reminded her second brother, “Everyone in the organization says he once went to Deputy Director Su’s house.”
“Well, that’s perfect.” Li Xuewu stood up and said with a smile, “When this knife is in his hands, he has no choice but to turn it inward or outward. If he doesn’t choose, someone else will make the choice for him.”