dognovel Chapter 1560 20 Transport Planes
Chapter 1560 20 Transport Planes
Chapter 1560 20 Transport Planes
"You should know Zhou Yao."
Seeing that Lü Yuanshen was standing at the entrance of the canteen waiting for them, Li Xuewu nodded after getting out of the car and introduced Zhou Yao, who got out of the car on the other side and walked over.
"Hello, Director Lü!"
Zhou Yao gave a very polite salute before accepting the hand extended to her, and greeted the other person with a smile.
"How could we not know each other?"
Lu Yuanshen smiled and shook her hand, saying, "A model of women who are just as capable as men."
“Secretary-General, this meal is on me today.” He turned to Li Xuewu and said, feigning seriousness, “Not because of you, but because Director Zhou is a distinguished guest.”
"Director Lü, you're too kind."
Zhou Yao walked on Li Xuewu's other side, and said with a light laugh, "If you keep this up, how am I supposed to visit Steel Company next time?"
"Hahaha—" Lü Yuanshen acted very friendly, lightly placing his fingers on Li Xuewu's arm, and said in a deliberately soft voice, "They say that a strong general has no weak soldiers under his command, is that really true—"
For no other reason than his current situation, the fact that Li Xuewu brought Zhou Yao along, and the salute Zhou Yao gave when she got out of the car, shows that Li Xuewu is a truly upright and righteous person, regardless of which side he was on before or which side he will side with in the future.
Looking at the soldiers Li Xuewu trained, each one of them was both literate and skilled in martial arts, capable of wrestling and fighting, deserving of his praise and admiration.
Li Xuewu turned his head and glanced at him, asking with some displeasure, "Are you sober now?"
“Hey—” Lu Yuanshen tugged at his arm with an embarrassed look on his face and said with a dry laugh, “Director Zhou is here, please give me some face.”
"Oh, so you do know how to save face, huh?"
Li Xuewu said something indifferently to him, and then let the waiter push open the door and walk into the cafeteria.
Right in the steel company's cafeteria, the noise level was more than double the moment you entered.
But as soon as they walked in, the noise in the cafeteria suddenly decreased a bit.
Accompanied by the factory director, the group's secretary-general suddenly appeared. Everyone who knew Li Xuewu turned to look in their direction. The group, including his entourage, was quite conspicuous and impossible to ignore.
"I heard you hired a master chef."
Li Xuewu casually said to Lü Yuanshen, "Comrade Zhou Yao and I came here because we've heard so much about you, just to try your master chef's cooking."
"Look at you, you should have said so earlier, so that our master chef could have had a chance to show off his skills on his own."
Lu Yuanshen, of course, knew how to talk. He chuckled and joked, "I can't bring anyone back right now. If you don't mind, you'll just have to make do."
"Who asked you to prepare something special for us? We're here for a private meal!" Li Xuewu turned around, sized him up, and asked, "Where did you find such a good cook?"
Despite Li Xuewu's unfriendly attitude from the moment he got out of the car, it seemed that the secretary-general was not very satisfied with the factory director, judging from the clerks accompanying him.
However, the steel and gas cadres, including Lü Yuanshen, all breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the secretary-general cared about them, especially the factory director.
The superior-subordinate relationship includes both working and personal relationships. If you were to ask whether Li Xuewu bringing Zhou Yao here for lunch today was for work or personal matters, Lü Yuanshen would be the most qualified to answer that question.
With Li Xuewu's appearance today, the pressure on him in the group and in the steel and automobile industry will definitely be much less.
As the saying goes, it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. Li Xuewu's presence today is a timely act of kindness.
Li Xuewu's invitation to Zhou Yao to dinner was naturally a private matter, but the inclusion of Lü Yuanshen carried a different meaning.
"Anyway, it wasn't stolen."
Lu Yuanshen answered the question with a joke, and before Li Xuewu could scold him, he raised his hand to indicate the direction of the dining table and said, "This way, leader, please."
"I have hands and feet, I can do it myself."
Li Xuewu waved his hand, took the steel plate from his secretary, and said, "Let's see what dishes we have. Everyone says you eat well at Steel Plant."
“The food standards at our steel plant are the same as those at the metallurgical plant.” Lu Yuanshen took the tray from his secretary and followed, explaining, “The difference is that ours are more refined.”
"I told the logistics department in a meeting that our automotive industry pursues excellence, so steel and automobiles must be of the highest quality in every aspect."
"Whether it's true or not, we'll only know after we try it," Li Xuewu said to Zhou Yao beside him. "Try to talk to Director Lü more often when you have the chance; you can learn a lot from his knowledge of classical Chinese."
"Look, the boss is looking down on me."
Lu Yuanshen smiled and looked at Zhou Yao, saying, "Director Zhou, please don't stand on ceremony with me. Just say what you need. We're not strangers."
"Thank you, Director Lü, I really mean what you said!" Zhou Yao replied with a smile.
"It's true, it has to be true—"
Lu Yuanshen waved his hand and emphasized, "From the Secretary-General's point of view, we are considered to be on the same side."
He really had the nerve to lower himself. After all, he was the head of a factory. Even if he encountered some setbacks, he wouldn't be so dramatic. While flattering Li Xuewu, he didn't forget Zhou Yao on the other side, because Li Xuewu was acting as a go-between for him.
***
How many times a month do you eat this meat?
Li Xuewu pointed at the pork on his plate with his chopsticks, then looked at Lü Yuanshen across from him and asked a question.
"Just like a metallurgical plant, the logistics support system is managed and allocated uniformly by the group."
Seeing that Li Xuewu was concerned about the staff's meals, Lü Yuanshen put on a serious expression and introduced, "We strictly follow the canteen safety and hygiene management and food supply standards issued by the Logistics Department to ensure the supply of meals."
"Last month, the General Management Department reported that 540 tons of meat products were consumed last year alone."
Li Xuewu glanced at the people at the table, pursed his lips, and said, "On average, each employee consumes half a pound of meat per month. What does that mean?"
"Not to mention local areas, even if you carefully search all the industrial enterprises in the country, none of them have such high food standards as Honggang Group."
He glanced at Lü Yuanshen across from him and said in a calm tone, “The group has increased the total budget for meat supply by 15% on top of the fact that the total number of employees has decreased by nearly half this year. You responsible persons must keep your conscience in mind and ensure that the quota is actually eaten into the mouths, stomachs, and hearts of the employees.”
"Secretary-General, rest assured, even if I, Lao Lü, am a complete scoundrel, I would never take food from the mouths of the employees, and the steel company will not allow such a thing to happen."
"I'm telling you this to remind you," Li Xuewu said, gesturing to Zhou Yao sitting next to him. "There was more than one related case last year."
Seeing that Lü Yuanshen and the steel and automobile cadres sitting at the surrounding tables were looking over, Zhou Yao nodded and introduced, "That's right. Last year, the Supervision Department transferred a total of 17 related cases, all of which were related to pork."
Everyone knows meat is delicious, but you also need to have something to eat, eat well, and eat for a long time.
Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks, picked up his soup bowl, took a sip, and said meaningfully, "If you really let the employees curse you behind your backs, you've ruined their bowls, and the employees will ruin yours too."
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding officials, and said, "Where will you all go to eat meat then?"
These words were spoken in a very ordinary way, but they were powerful enough to make people's faces change.
Regardless of whether they had ever engaged in such behavior or had similar thoughts before, they all became solemn, vigilant, and reflective at this moment.
Similarly, leaders don't say these seemingly irrelevant things without reason; they must have something in mind.
Since the issue of pork spoilage has been raised, it means the problem is already quite serious.
Either they're the ones speaking, or the leaders are using these kinds of words to subtly warn them to be careful of the winds blowing in their direction.
The group is very likely to focus its investigation on corruption in the near future, or in the future. It's always better to conduct a self-investigation than to be caught by others.
Lu Yuanshen first glanced at Zhou Yao, then looked at Li Xuewu and assured him, "Next, we will conduct a self-examination. If there are any problems, we will correct them; if not, we will strive to improve."
Li Xuewu simply nodded, offering no comment on his assurances.
He didn't even emphasize what aspects Lü Yuanshen should examine himself from, or what he should examine.
Lu Yuanshen is the person in charge of Steel & Gas. He should be the one who knows best whether Steel & Gas has any problems and what those problems are. Does it need to be explained in such detail?
"The Quality and Safety Department is probably the largest department in our group, right?" Seeing that Li Xuewu didn't speak, he changed the subject to Zhou Yao.
"Whether in terms of the number of employees or the size of the department, it should be considered the largest."
"If we count the number of people, it should be three brigades." When Zhou Yao came out of Li Xuewu's office, she didn't understand why they had to have lunch at the steel company. It was on the way there that Li Xuewu explained Lü Yuanshen's current situation and the group's view of him, and then she understood a little.
Although she calls Li Xuewu her brother-in-law, and their relationship isn't actually that distant, when it comes to taking care of each other, they're closer because of their superior-subordinate relationship.
Li Xuewu would guide her, but he wouldn't teach her these subtle principles step by step. After all, things were different now; she had to figure it out herself.
Zhou Yao should have her own understanding and judgment abilities, and she should learn and master these abilities; otherwise, she will find it difficult to achieve great things.
Therefore, she still had to accept the topic that Lü Yuanshen brought up and continue the conversation, and have a good chat.
“A large department has five divisions, but the group only has one.” She took a bite of food, nodded, and said, “Are the three brigade-level teams considered to be directly managed by the group?”
She was asking Li Xuewu this question. Li Xuewu turned to look at her and asked in return, "You're asking me?"
"Hehehe—" Zhou Yao and Lü Yuanshen both laughed, and the atmosphere became lively again.
How many people are in the three brigades?
Lu Yuanshen asked, seemingly out of curiosity, "Does being directly managed by the group mean you can't transfer them?"
"How many people... I really don't know, but I do know the approximate number."
Zhou Yao thought for a moment and then explained, "The three brigades combined should have less than a thousand people."
She emphasized, "The number I mentioned includes their headquarters."
"As for whether or not it's possible to transfer people—" she smiled and said, "it needs to be explained from the perspective of management."
"I'm in charge of the security department, so transferring to the security brigade shouldn't be a problem. I just need to report to my supervisor."
She nodded and continued, "The other two brigades, the fire department and the inspection department, are in similar situations to mine. They can just consult their superiors."
"However, many cases nowadays require cooperation. For example, when the Environmental Protection Department conducts surprise inspections, it will cooperate with the Fire Services Department or contact the Inspection Corps. More people means more power."
"Normally, the department is responsible for the investigation, right?" Lu Yuanshen raised his eyebrows and looked at Li Xuewu to explain, "The case before the Lunar New Year was handled by a special task force organized by the Group's Quality and Safety Department."
“I know about what you’re talking about.”
Zhou Yao nodded and explained, "At that time, the leaders contacted us, and the security department also arranged for investigators to come to Gangcheng to handle the case. After the case was closed, we also made a case closure statement and submitted it to the leaders for review."
"Yes, I mean the group's work mechanism is much more standardized now than before."
Lu Yuanshen did not complain about the previous investigation, but calmly said: "Back in the days of the steel rolling mill, the investigation of related cases was done by arresting people on the spot. Most of the time, it was up to the leaders to decide."
"Now there are rules to follow."
Zhou Yao smiled and said, "You may not know, but our security department has many more rules for handling cases now than before. For example, you absolutely cannot go to the scene alone. That was never the case before."
"Hehe, the Secretary-General decided on this, right?"
Lu Yuan smiled and gestured to Li Xuewu and Zhou Yao opposite him, asking, "When was it decided?"
"Hmm, hehe—" Zhou Yao glanced at Li Xuewu and explained with a light laugh, "I'm not complaining to you, I'm just stating the facts."
"Was it useful?" Li Xuewu didn't take her joke seriously and asked about the work's effectiveness.
“It’s still useful.” Zhou Yao nodded and explained, “Sometimes it’s hard to explain.”
She glanced at Lü Yuanshen and said, "Having two or more people working on-site provides at least some assurance in terms of credibility."
"Sometimes both sides have their own reasons, and now the inspection department is also watching us. We can't just say whatever we want or do whatever we want."
“That’s right.” Li Xuewu ate quickly, then put down his chopsticks and said, “Don’t think of the rules and regulations as a constraint; in many cases, they are actually protecting you.”
"Of course, these rules and regulations also form the basis for your security department to carry out security work."
He picked up the soup bowl and drank it all in one gulp. He pursed his lips and then said, "Now it's a group company. With more people and more complicated matters, management is a challenge. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished."
“I can understand that.” Zhou Yao nodded and looked at Lü Yuanshen, asking, “Director Lü, are there many rules regarding business these days?”
"The rules in business have never been lacking—" Lu Yuanshen smiled and gestured to Li Xuewu opposite him to introduce, "The leaders look at results, and real results at that. Our pressure is much greater than yours."
"Lunch today was a great success."
Li Xuewu wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, looked at the two men, and said with a smile, "You've successfully turned this into a 'complaints' gathering?"
"Hahaha--"
-
"I heard that the group intends to make personnel adjustments. Does this include Director Lü?"
On the way back to the metallurgical plant, Zhou Yao asked Li Xuewu a question out of curiosity; she really wanted to know.
Li Xuewu slightly raised his chin and said calmly, "Organizational and personnel adjustments are never targeted at one person or one event, but rather are optimizations and adjustments made by the group from the perspective of overall work."
"Of course, that incident before the new year will definitely have an impact on his future adjustments and appointments."
He turned to Zhou Yao and reminded her, "This is something you need to be careful about. You must be cautious and careful when doing work, and always remember that human lives are at stake."
"It's often said that workplace safety accidents are subject to a veto system. Is that really true?"
Zhou Yao asked curiously, "Doesn't that mean that if a safety accident occurs during the management process, the person in charge will lose the opportunity for advancement?"
"This was a suggestion I made at a work safety meeting. Director Li reiterated it at a later meeting, but it was not formally followed up with a document."
Li Xuewu first explained the origin of the sentence to her, and then said, "Of course, this sentence still carries weight with Director Li and me."
"As you know, I was in charge of the factory's safety management for a period of time."
Looking ahead, he said with a helpless tone, "You probably don't know how backward the factory's safety management was before."
"Before the implementation of the Group's Safety Production Management Regulations, the number of work-related injuries and fatalities at Hongxing Plant was often in the double digits every year."
“I think I’ve heard of this statistic before.” Zhou Yao nodded and said, “Someone has done a comparison.”
“Of course, you can only know the effectiveness of the regulations by comparing them.” Li Xuewu nodded and said, “This proves that workplace safety can be managed.”
He pointed to his head and emphasized to Zhou Yao, "It's still a question of whether or not this string can be tightened."
"We talk about workplace safety every year, but we can't have accidents every year. Who wants to see accidents happen?"
Li Xuewu sighed. To strengthen management in terms of awareness and consciousness, we must be ruthless in personnel matters, making an example of one to deter others.
Zhou Yao seemed to understand his explanation. Although he didn't directly answer her question, he explained the reasons behind Lü Yuanshen's next steps.
Is it possible that he will come to the Quality and Safety Department?
The thought of Li Xuewu introducing the other person to her made Zhou Yao unable to help but doubt the possibility.
Li Xuewu smiled and looked at her, asking, "Do you think I can interfere in the group's organizational and personnel work?"
"But he's now involved in industry in Liaodong."
Zhou Yao still emphasized, "Shouldn't we consult you regarding his next appointment?"
"That's right, they will ask for my opinion."
Li Xuewu crossed his arms in front of his lower abdomen and slowly nodded, saying, "My opinion is actually not important, at least not for his outcome."
“No wonder—” Zhou Yao muttered, then looked up and asked, “So, your reminder to him was also for this reason?”
"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and said, "I didn't mean anything."
"Sigh—" Zhou Yao waved her hand, amused and helpless, and said, "That's no fun."
"Interesting, or not interesting."
Li Xuewu pointed to the metallurgical plant gate as the car passed by and said, "How many more years can I guard this gate? Do you think it's meaningful or meaningless?"
-
"Is this the first time you've asked me out first?"
Instead of taking his hand, Shantal opened her arms and gave him a gentle hug.
Li Xuewu smiled helplessly and patted her on the back, saying, "Welcome to Steel City."
"I am truly flattered."
Xiangtar's behavior was a bit exaggerated. This was not her first time in Gangcheng, nor was it her first time meeting Li Xuewu in Gangcheng.
However, this was the first time Li Xuewu had personally come to the airport to pick her up, so it's no wonder she said that.
“We’re old friends, it’s only right—” Li Xuewu gestured towards the car and said with a smile, “Please don’t be picky about my gift.”
"I'm afraid your demands are too great."
Shantal gave him a deep look before getting into the car with him.
The Volga M24 departed the airport and headed towards the metallurgical plant, accompanied by a second-generation Antelope and a Hongyun bus.
Honggang Group's strength has been fully demonstrated, and it is absolutely unrivaled in Liaodong.
Even the president of the Santayar Group, Shantal, could feel the passion and pressure from Li Xuewu.
In a straightforward manner, the Red Star No. 1 special plane transported her from Beijing to Gangcheng, where Li Xuewu personally greeted her. Even when discussing any difficult issues, she had to carefully consider whether she could find the best way to resolve them.
This was the first time Xiangtar had met Li Xuewu this year, and this meeting was quite different from the previous ones.
To put it simply, as the main person in charge of Honggang Group, especially the helmsman of Liaodong Industry, Santayar Group, which has deep cooperation in the industrial and trade fields, has to pay more attention to this matter.
In the past, when the two parties cooperated, the Santayar Group naturally had the upper hand. Even though the Red Star Factory had certain potential and strength at the time, they still had the final say in trade.
Who are they?
This refers to foreign businesses that have trade cooperation with Hongxing Factory, especially Santay Group, Sanhe Co., Ltd., and Jilixing Shipbuilding Company, which has in-depth cooperation in the shipbuilding field.
In formulating trade rules and projects, they have gained a significant advantage due to their export orders, especially in earning foreign exchange.
The stronger you are, the more say you have. This is the rule of the game, and it cannot be dictated by personal relationships.
Yes, that's right. She and Li Xuewu had a certain level of personal interaction, but that was not enough to form the basis for cooperation between the two groups.
At its most fundamental level, it's still about interests.
In particular, both of them agreed on this point, so that they were able to handle the relationship well every time they met.
It can be said that a certain degree of personal relationship can be a catalyst for promoting cooperation, at least providing some room for maneuver in negotiations.
The reason why Santayana Group attaches more importance to Honggang Group and Li Xuewu is that last year, Li Xuewu, on behalf of Honggang Group, rejected Sanhe Co., Ltd.'s proposal for further in-depth cooperation.
This tough stance, and the subsequent tacit approval shown by Honggang Group, greatly alarmed and made other foreign partners think about whether times had changed.
The fact that Honggang Group participated as a representative in the East German trade delegation is of great interest to foreign companies like Honggang Group.
As they had envisioned, with an absolute industrial base and trade advantages, Honggang Group achieved great success in East Germany thanks to its advanced management concepts and long-term international vision.
Although Honggang Group introduced cooperation with Santay Group during the trade negotiations, Shantal still felt the pressure brought about by this technology transfer.
Their cooperation with Honggang Group was based on technology transfer in exchange for industrial production conditions.
Honggang Group has now made technological innovations, especially in basic industrial technologies, and has received support from East Germany, an industrial powerhouse. The Santayar Group has held more than one meeting to discuss this matter.
While they were arguing over this, Geely Star Shipbuilding, a partner of Honggang Group, took the lead in deepening cooperation.
Just two weeks after Li Xuewu accompanied Li Huaide, general manager of Honggang Group, back from East Germany, Catherine, general manager of Geely Star Shipbuilding, made a request for cooperation in the introduction of a series of production and professional equipment, including mining equipment, medical equipment, and optical equipment.
Honggang Group has also shown sufficient sincerity in response to the goodwill shown by Geely Star Shipbuilding.
First, United Energy Corporation submitted its first batch of mining equipment orders worth 870 million yuan, followed by a professional medical equipment procurement order from Hongxing United Hospital worth 232 million yuan.
These two items alone have provided Geely Star Shipbuilding with procurement projects worth over ten million yuan, and the cooperation request put forward by Geely Star Shipbuilding was signed in less than a week.
This level of sincerity in cooperation goes beyond mere reciprocation; how does the Santayar Group view this?
In any case, Sanwa Corporation couldn't sit still any longer and has been making a lot of small moves lately.
Since they couldn't reach an agreement with Li Xuewu, they have turned their attention to other people in the Honggang Group.
Of course, Xiangtar wouldn't go to such lengths; she knew all too well the influence Li Xuewu wielded within the Honggang Group.
There is only one person who can influence the general manager of Honggang Group; this is a consensus among everyone in Honggang Group.
Why did she abandon her good personal relationship with Li Xuewu and choose to pursue other people?
In mid-February, just after the Chinese New Year, Geely Star Shipbuilding, with the help of Honggang Group, partnered with a Chinese precision instrument factory to begin producing mechanical watches and cameras.
Santayar Group is not the first foreign company to cooperate with Honggang Group, but Geely Star Shipbuilding is the first to establish a new cooperative enterprise in mainland China besides Honggang Group, which is of course different.
The reason we were able to cooperate with Honggang Group was because Honggang Group obtained the so-called market-oriented experimental policy. Jilixing Shipbuilding, including Santaya Group, also enjoys the same policy.
Why can't we expand our cooperation with other companies?
It's very simple, the policy doesn't allow it.
There are currently no plans to approve a second large-scale, market-oriented, experimental industrial group in mainland China.
In other words, they need to explore new collaborations, either through Honggang Group or by seeking out unpredictable partnerships with so-called experimental, market-oriented industrial enterprises, and helping them gain greater influence and achieve industrial conglomeration.
Currently, Honggang Group is the only industrial enterprise that has obtained independent import and export rights and has the ability to connect domestic and foreign funds.
They can find suitable partners, but they cannot be sure whether the other party has the capability.
There are many industrial enterprises across the country that have explored marketization, but only a few can rival Honggang Group.
The Santa Yonex Group's discussions reached a decision amidst these tense changes.
The fact that Xiangtar accepted Li Xuewu's invitation to come to the steel city in person to meet with him was a sign of his sincerity.
***
"A luxury car?"
With a mixture of amusement and surprise, Shantal looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "That car... you accepted it?"
Seeing Li Xuewu shake his head, she rolled her eyes and snorted, "How could they behave so rudely?"
"Not surprising at all, huh?"
Li Xuewu deliberately echoed in a European accent, then shrugged and said, "This is the first time I've encountered this situation, especially something so precious..."
He paused deliberately before emphasizing, "Such a precious gift."
"You like cars? Luxury cars?"
Shantal raised an eyebrow, leaned forward slightly, and asked, "How about I give you one?"
"What kind of car do you like? How about a Citroën? Or a Mercedes-Benz?" she said, feigning seriousness. "The vice president of Mercedes would actually be very willing to pay for this gift."
Seeing Li Xuewu raise his eyebrows slightly, she smiled and explained, "He has always wanted to apologize to you. He knows you don't like him, so he doesn't dare to bother you."
“He’s not a spoiled brat, is he?” Li Xuewu shrugged, put down his right leg, picked up his teacup from the coffee table, and said, “Please tell the Mercedes vice president that I have no problem with him. Honest cooperation is all that matters.”
“I believe he will be very happy to hear this,” Shantal nodded and said. “He has already admitted his mistakes to me and has actually been working very hard these past two years.”
"Of course, I always believe that noble families cannot raise useless people, unless it is done on purpose."
Li Xuewu raised the hand holding the teacup slightly, gesturing as he said, "There's intrigue and power struggles within families everywhere, isn't there?"
"Of course, it's money after all."
Chantal said quite frankly, "Even now I'm making arrangements for what happens after I die."
"Wait a minute—" Li Xuewu chuckled as he put down his teacup and looked at her, asking, "Arranging your funeral?"
"Of course, that's normal."
Seeing his surprise, Shantal smiled and nodded, saying, "Everyone dies eventually. If you don't have money, that's fine. I'm still quite well-off now."
"Perhaps it is unlucky for you Chinese to talk about life and death at such a young age."
She pursed her lips and said, "But at my age, especially with my success in my career, I must be responsible for myself, for my children, and for the future of the group company that I consider my children."
“You have an heir.” Li Xuewu spread his right hand, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “Anything you’re worried about in that regard?”
“Of course.” Chantal picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and explained with a smile, “I have two children, my eldest son is in middle school, and my youngest daughter is in elementary school.”
"In your eyes, they will be the heirs to my wealth and career, right?"
After taking a sip of coffee, she looked up at Li Xuewu and said, "On the contrary, I will not leave this business to them at this stage; all I can leave them is a portion of the wealth."
"Giving the Santayar Group to a child without the ability to manage a multinational trading company would be a disaster."
She stated firmly, "If something were to happen to me now, it would be an even more life-threatening disaster for the GetGroup."
"So I update my will every now and then, which is what the upper class in Europe does."
Shantal calmly recounted his own passing, as if he were talking about someone else.
Li Xuewu could understand her words, and even more so, he could understand how terrifying the disaster she described was.
"So? The manager program?"
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Shantal, asking, "You want to train Mercedes to become a professional manager for your group?"
"He's a promising talent, isn't he?"
Chantal smiled and gestured to the coffee cup in his hand, saying, "I have no reason to deny him."
"Of course, your choice is correct."
Li Xuewu thought for a moment before saying, "If it were me, I would also choose him."
“If you’re willing, I’d rather choose you.” Shantal narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him bluntly, “I’d even be willing to let my children take your surname.”
"Then forget it. My surname is too ordinary. It doesn't sound sophisticated at all." Li Xuewu waved his hand with a laugh and said, "Of course, even if you gave me a Mercedes-Benz, it wouldn't matter. I have no intention of repaying you with my body."
"So those three from Sanhe Corporation are completely wrong—" Shantal sneered, looking at him and saying, "A man who can't be swayed by millions in assets, they actually tried to control you with cars? Don't they have brains?"
"That's not entirely true," Li Xuewu smiled and shook his head slightly. "After all, only a minority of people can resist such temptation."
"But you can resist it."
Chantal put down his coffee cup, placed his hand on the armrest, and looked intently at Li Xuewu, saying, "I hope you won't treat me as coldly as you rejected them."
"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu watched her feign pitifulness and didn't dare to take it to heart at all. Even the word "viper" was not enough to describe this French woman.
"I invited you to the steel city not to complain to you or tell you these jokes."
Li Xuewu adopted a serious expression and looked at her, asking, "Are you interested in shipping?"
"Your airport?" Of course, Shantal had been paying close attention to the Honggang Group's business operations, as it was the foundation of the Santay Group's business in mainland China.
“Of course, Fengcheng Hongxing International (Tadong) Airport.” Li Xuewu nodded and said, “We have now reached the handover stage, and the next step is airport planning and construction.”
He pointed to the sofa armrest and said, "At this point, we should consider the next operational issues."
"Passenger transport? Or freight transport?" Shantal asked, looking at him. "You mean...?"
"Of course there will be a need for passenger transport."
Li Xuewu stood up, took a map of Tadong Airport from his desk, and spread it on the coffee table.
"This is where the airport is located."
He pointed with his finger, then pointed to the city center and introduced, "This is the city center of Fengcheng. There is a train station here."
"Of course, Fengcheng has many railways and plenty of train stations."
"Focusing on freight, right?"
Shantal, of course, understood what he meant, and his gaze fell on the area around the airport, which was not desolate at all.
“That’s right, it’s mainly for cargo transport.” Li Xuewu rested his elbows on his knees, leaned forward, and carefully introduced the main features of the airport and the surrounding major industrial areas.
"And then?" Shantal was still unsatisfied after listening and asked, "What is your plan?"
“The airport has a railway line.” Li Xuewu pointed to the location of the airport and emphasized, “It can be connected to the main railway line, so we have no pressure in freight transportation.”
"Of course, but what about operations?" Shantal asked, arms crossed. "Do you have that market?"
“Of course.” Li Xuewu pulled out a map of Northeast Asia from under the coffee table, marking the major cities in Northeast China and the major trading cities of other Northeast Asian countries.
“There are still many goods that are worth transporting by air.” Li Xuewu pointed in the direction of Japan, and then in the direction of North Korea, and said, “Similarly, we also have many goods that are worth shipping by air to save on transportation costs.”
"But you need to have the channels."
Shantal stopped looking at the map; she had worn it out long ago, ever since the day the Santayar Group partnered with the Red Steel Group.
She knows the specific place name and the relevant city information if you ask her to.
If someone doing international trade doesn't even understand this situation, then what kind of trade are they doing?
"Do you want to buy transport planes through us, or do you want to cooperate to establish distribution channels?"
She was more interested in the latter and said with a smile, "Actually, you don't need to spend your own money at all. I'm telling the truth."
"We don't lack the money."
Li Xuewu wasn't just putting on airs. After all these years of ups and downs, how could Xiangtaer not know how much wealth Honggang Group has?
The 30 million yuan deposited in the Oriental Times Bank in Gangcheng has been almost used up. If it weren't for the continuity of foreign trade, the risk deposit would have been wiped out.
When he heard him say he had plenty of money, Shantal almost burst out laughing, but that would have been too impolite.
Men, including Li Xuewu, care about their pride; she can't do that.
“Of course I know you’re not short of money.” She emphasized very seriously, “I’m saying you don’t need to spend this money.”
"We only need 20 planes."
Li Xuewu ignored her words and held up two fingers to emphasize, "With these 20 transport planes, we can open up the Northeast Asian transport market."
"Similarly, we can also demonstrate that shipping is an essential option in international trade."
He tapped the coffee table with his finger and said, "By then, we will be able to be the first to operate Tadon Airport as an airport for international cargo planes."
"Your ambition has always been this great."
Shantal was not at all surprised that Li Xuewu would make such a plan and request; the Honggang Group was designed and planned by this man himself.
This wasn't something Li Xuewu said to her, but rather a veiled indication from Li Huaide, the general manager of Honggang Group.
"Do you know how much 20 cargo transport planes would cost?" Shantal wanted to give him a breakdown of the costs, counting on his fingers as he spoke: "If we judge based on your budget, even the maintenance costs would probably be prohibitive for you."
"So, what's your opinion?" Li Xuewu sat up straight and looked at her, asking, "20 transport planes?"
"Impossible, I already said that."
Shantal chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Even if I provided you with 20 transport planes, do you have the corresponding business?"
"You told me not to take too big a step, or you'll tear your balls."
"Hmm, what if we're shipping this?"
Li Xuewu reached behind his back, pulled out an M1911 pistol, placed it in front of her, and gestured, "How is it?"