dognovel Chapter 1472 Falling into a trap
Chapter 1472 Falling into a trap
Chapter 1472 Falling into a trap
Li Xuewu wanted to curse, but he pointed to his face and asked, "Do I look like I know about this?"
“That can’t be—” Ding Zhichen said as if deliberately provoking trouble, “Your group got the quota, as the secretary-general, you can’t be unaware of it.”
"Please don't talk about East Germany yet."
Li Xuewu picked up the teapot and refilled the other person's tea, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "How did you guys research the airport? You can't just keep researching how to sell it to us, can you?"
“Let’s talk privately.” Wang Xin gestured to each other and said seriously, “To be frank, you are the only ones who currently have the capability to take over Tadon Airport, have related business, and can still operate it.”
He shrugged and said, "I'm not afraid to be upfront with you. The Third Ministry of Machinery Industry has agreed in principle to our proposal to sell Tadong Airport. We're just waiting for the specific implementation plan. Anyway, we're ready."
"They're just going down a dead-end road, aren't they?"
Li Xuewu didn't touch the food on the table. He tapped the table with his fingers and said, "Since you've said that, I'll tell you the truth: we can accept it."
"Hey--"
"Wait until I finish speaking—"
Before Wang Xin could even utter a word of surprise, Li Xuewu slammed his hand on the table and looked at him, emphasizing, "Just like you said, we have the conditions and the need to take over Tadong Airport, but we don't have much money to spare."
"How is that possible—" Wang Xin's excitement vanished instantly, and he frowned as he said, "Hongxing Steel Group, it has independent foreign trade rights and foreign exchange control. Such a large group, you're telling me it can't come up with much money?"
He stared at him wide-eyed and asked, "Tell me the truth, how much can you offer? You're not going to cut me off like this, are you? Nobody haggles like this."
"Let me tell you why our group can't come up with that much money."
Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and frankly said, "Since last year, the group has been shrinking its capital and reducing the proportion of its shares in the tertiary industry."
"Don't disbelieve me, you can ask around yourself."
Seeing the skeptical look on Wang Xin's face, he smiled and shook his head, saying, "Three years of capital expansion, three years of capital contraction, and five years of infrastructure construction. This is what is written in the current 'Plan' and 'Plan' of Hongxing Steel Group. I can't fool you."
"You mean..." Wang Xin pondered what he had mentioned, then frowned and said, "Your group's recently announced 'Three-Year Plan' includes provisions for reducing investment?"
"You haven't studied it carefully, have you?"
Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "This is a development strategy that our factory designed when it was planning to become a group; it's practically an open secret."
"Then where did all your money go?"
Wang Xin stared into his eyes and counted on his fingers, explaining the assets of the Hongxing Steel Group to Li Xuewu one by one.
From foreign trade to industrial enterprises, from supply chains to technology exchange, which of these isn't a way to make money?
"Yes, that's right. Our group's annual revenue has long since achieved the great goal of doubling year after year."
Li Xuewu nodded frankly, acknowledging that Wang Xin truly understood Hongxing Steel Group, but not too much.
"But we have a Five-Year Plan."
He tapped his fingers on the table and explained earnestly, "Since the decision to implement group-based management in 1966 or 1967, to carry out surgery on the entire factory and achieve the grand goal of comprehensive transformation, we have been pouring money into it."
"In the past three years, we have invested in and built the Liangmahe Ecological Industrial Zone, the Jinmen Trade Management Demonstration Zone, the Yingcheng Shipbuilding and Yingcheng Port Area, the Hongxing Steel City Industrial Zone, and the Fengcheng Machine Tool Plant."
Li Xuewu pointed to the table and listed all the investments made over the years, saying, "We have also invested in many profitable and non-profit projects, including banks, construction, workers' villages, hospitals, schools, supply markets, transportation warehouses, and so on."
"According to the Five-Year Plan, we will basically complete the construction of the three major regional projects and determine the basic standards for employee welfare and safety standards within the first five years."
He spread his hands, looked at the dumbfounded Wang Xin, and asked, "Tell me, where did our money go?"
"They've built something this big in just five years?"
Wang Xin couldn't understand why Hongxing Steel Group was in such a hurry. They had been investing in infrastructure from the very beginning, and the standards and requirements were high. In his opinion, it was a bit nitpicky and far exceeded the normal standards.
If you visit the industrial areas of Hongxing Steel Group in Beijing and other steel cities, you will find that from production to management, everything reflects the definition of advanced and excellent.
The workers here will always tell you with pride that you shouldn't judge Hongxing Factory by industry standards, because Hongxing Factory's standards are far higher than industry standards.
Putting everything else aside, just talking about safety production standardization, which domestic company has truly achieved it?
Even today, the industrial system continues to organize numerous study tours and learning activities every year.
We've come, we've seen, we've answered all the questions, but what was the result?
Is it possible to strictly wear safety clothing and protective equipment for just one workday?
All factory workers at Hongxing Steel Group can do it, because those who can't have been screened out.
No one would open their collar just because it's hot, risking getting caught in a machine and being suspended from work if discovered by their supervisor.
Visitors all say that Hongxing Steel Group has the best machinery and workers in the entire system.
Safety production standardization does not refer to mechanical standards, but rather to the standards required for the people operating the machinery.
"To be honest, we don't have much time left." Li Xuewu pursed his lips and said with great emotion, "We started late, have a weak foundation, and are in the heavy industry sector. Our ability to resist the risks of market changes is too weak, so we have to work hard to change."
Wang Xin was speechless at these words. Whose foundation is not weak? Who is not in the heavy industry sector? So you are the only ones who have a sense of crisis, while we don't?
“You guys are already strong enough.” Wang Xin looked at him seriously and said, “No company I know is more serious about management than you.”
"But it's still far behind large international companies."
Li Xuewu sat up straight, nodded slightly, and said, "Our neighbors, South Korea is doing semiconductor research, Japan is doing the steel industry, and what about us?"
“They aim to set international standards right from the start. Their markets are aligned with international standards, and they receive the most advanced and cutting-edge technologies. That’s the difference.”
"But we can't just smash them all inside."
Wang Xin raised his hand and rubbed his face, then said with a wry smile, "You should at least leave us some."
"Let me tell you something else."
Li Xuewu picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the cold dish, looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "You know about the international hotel our group was working on a while ago, right?"
"I've heard about it, the tallest building in the country—" Wang Xin looked at him curiously and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Of the total investment of over 13 million, our group only took less than 10% in cash."
Li Xuewu shrugged and looked at him, saying, "It's not that we can't come up with 13 million, but since last year, the group has optimized its investment approach. Unless it's a specialized factory like a metallurgical plant or a project with low costs like sales, it's all joint ventures. Large investments are basically out of the question."
"What should we do then? We've already submitted the report."
Wang Xin stared at him with wide eyes and emphasized, "If the higher-ups find out that we can't sell this airport, they'll definitely find a way to take it back."
"This isn't my fault—"
Li Xuewu sat up straight and waved his hand to emphasize, "We never said we wanted to buy the airport."
"You—" Wang Xin pointed at him, looking anxious, and indeed he had reported it.
"Hey, listen to me—"
Li Xuewu reached out and pressed his hand down, glaring at him with feigned impatience, and said, "Look at you, so impatient again."
"How could I not be anxious—"
Wang Xin patted the back of his hand and said, "We need to develop tertiary industries and use the airport to create opportunities. These are all projects that I spearheaded. If they fail here, then I'll basically have no future."
“How about we try a different approach?” Li Xuewu said, feigning difficulty, “Who told you to launch the project without conducting any research?”
"Stop beating around the bush."
Ignoring his complaints, Wang Xin anxiously said, "I've truly reached the end of my rope."
"You're selling the airport to make money, aren't you?"
Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow at him and continued, "What are you going to do with this money?"
"What are we doing? Didn't I just tell you? We're developing tertiary industries to make money and subsidize research and development."
Wang Xin pointed at the table and emphasized, "Because of the tight R&D budget, do you know how many projects we've cut? It breaks my heart—"
“The tertiary industry is not easy to develop. If you trust me, you should do some research before making a decision.”
Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "I can give you the green light here. You can come and have a look at our factory."
"What? What's inside—"
Wang Xin looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Is there a problem? Isn't Hongxing Steel Group developed by raising funds through tertiary industries?"
“That’s right, but our success cannot be replicated.” Li Xuewu looked at him and said, “Those who learn from us will live, those who imitate us will die, do you understand?”
"The end of this road is to control foreign trade and also to have autonomy over foreign exchange. Do you have that?"
He looked at Wang Xin and said, "Even if you could get these, it would take forever."
"If you really need research funding, it has to be the kind of quick and easy investment, or a project with long-term stable profits."
"Where can you find something quick, easy, and effective?"
Wang Xin leaned back and said, "We haven't even received the money yet, and even if we did, it would be troublesome."
"It's hard to find projects that generate stable profits in the long term. If such a project really existed, would anyone be willing to invest?"
"That's hard to say—"
Li Xuewu chuckled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and glanced at him.
Wang Xin was slightly taken aback, then frowned and looked at him, asking, "You mean—"
"You want the tertiary industry, right? We have a lot of factory shares in our hands."
Li Xuewu shrugged and said, "I'll make an application to the group to allocate these shares in the tertiary industry to you for the acquisition payment of Tadong Airport."
"How much money could that be?"
Wang Xin glanced at him and said, "We valued Tadong Airport at 890 million yuan."
"Let's not talk about your valuation yet, let's talk about the value of the shares we hold in the tertiary industry."
Li Xuewu couldn't help but laugh when he heard his quote, and looked at him, saying, "Do you know how many tertiary industries we have?"
"Textiles, packaging, sponge, chemicals, plastics, clothing, yarn, fabric, leather, auto parts, glass, electrical control, decoration, radiators..."
He counted a whole bunch of things on his fingers for Wang Xin, emphasizing, "While the group is undergoing technological transformation, the tertiary industry has received some relatively advanced machinery and equipment, so it can be said that it is fully capable of production."
"You don't need to doubt the profitability of these factories; independent operation and management include financial accounting."
"You should know the specific data, right?"
After hearing Li Xuewu's introduction, Wang Xin became interested. For example, chemicals, plastics, and so on, are all assembly materials needed for aircraft manufacturing.
The original intention of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in developing tertiary industries was to supplement the shortage of raw materials.
It was precisely because the production of raw materials could be replenished that the steel rolling capacity was increased, and the hardware industry was established, which enabled the Hongxing Steel Group to make its first fortune.
As for profitability, Wang Xin had no doubt, because the tertiary industries held by Hongxing Steel Group mainly served the integrated industrial circle centered around it.
These raw material and supporting industries supply products to many integrated industries without needing to find buyers.
In other words, these tertiary industries can make money as soon as they are acquired, with mature management, relatively advanced equipment, and excellent workers... How could he not be interested?
“We started reducing our shares last year,” Li Xuewu explained. “Through profit-for-share swaps, cash purchases, and cross-exchanges, United Industrial Enterprises has already taken more than six million yuan worth of shares from Hongxing Steel Group, and we expect another six million yuan this year.”
"So much?" Wang Xin asked in surprise. "How much is left?"
"No matter how much is left, we have the right to operate it."
Li Xuewu looked at him and emphasized, "This is written into the cooperation agreement and cannot be changed."
"Moreover, when the tertiary industry was first established, Hongxing Factory held the majority of the shares. Even after two years of reduction, it still has a lot left. I'm just afraid you won't be able to take it all."
He waved his hand, signaling Wang Xin to be quiet, and then said seriously, "I can produce the accounting books of the group's tertiary industries from their inception to the present. Can you show me the annual profit accounting books of Tadong Airport?"
“This—” Wang Xin hesitated, because Tadong Airport was not profitable at all, so where would the profit report come from?
If that's the case, it seems a bit excessive for them to trade a loss-making deal for a profitable one for Hongxing Steel Group.
"Did the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry agree to your sale of Tadon Airport, and did it mention personnel resettlement and subsequent funding policies?"
Seeing that he couldn't answer, Li Xuewu let out a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and continued to ask, "We need skilled technical workers, but not too many cadres, and we can't keep operating at a loss. This funding..."
"Secretary-General Li, let's be frank and not try to cheat each other. Forget about the funding."
Before Li Xuewu could finish speaking, Wang Xin waved his hand and said helplessly, "The Ministry of Machinery Industry has given a clear answer: if Tadong Airport is sold to Hongxing Steel Group, the ministry will no longer provide funding."
"Why?" Li Xuewu asked, frowning. "After we take over Tadong Airport, will passenger planes no longer need to use this airport?"
This is a very direct question: without funding, how can commercial airliners expect to land at Tadon Airport?
Even if Shenfei wants to train here, he has to pay a fee; this is the basic standard for operation.
Wang Xin's answer was also difficult, but he still spoke frankly: "The leadership's opinion is that since the airport has been handed over to Hongxing Steel Group for operation, it falls under the jurisdiction of a group enterprise under the First Ministry of Machine Building, and in terms of ownership..."
"Oh—" Li Xuewu gave a light "oh," nodded at him, and said, "Then from now on, all flights landing in Tadong will be charged a separate service fee."
He shrugged and said, "We'll accept what the Ministry of Machinery Industry says. Determining ownership is indeed very important; otherwise, no one will be happy to have an extra intermediary."
Wang Xin could only respond with a wry smile.
This is also why he didn't dare to ask for a high price; without funding, the already unprofitable situation has become even worse.
Don't assume that just because it's an airport, there are flights every day. In this day and age, there aren't that many passenger planes, let alone that many passengers who need to take passenger planes.
"Airport staff can let you stay."
Wang Xin felt guilty and earnestly said, "The personnel decision-making power for these employees lies with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. I can make the decision and coordinate. We will support those who want to stay."
"Let's talk about money so as not to hurt feelings."
Li Xuewu nodded slightly and looked at him, saying, "You can talk to me in Steel City, or you can form a group to go to Beijing to talk to the group, either way is fine."
"Does it make any difference?"
Wang Xin looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's the difference between being in Steel City and going to the capital?"
Of course he knew the difference. In the steel city, it was Li Xuewu who killed him, and in the capital, it was Li Xuewu who killed him in front of the group's leadership. What was the difference?
“No matter who you negotiate with, the price is not determined by you or me.” Li Xuewu looked at him frankly and said, “Shenyang Aircraft Corporation can send a working group to our group to assess the value of its tertiary industry shares, and we will also send a working group to Tadong Airport to assess the airport’s value.”
"This way, both sides will have a clear understanding of the situation. We can decide whether to ask a third-party organization to help with the assessment or discuss it at the negotiating table ourselves."
He spread his hands, looked at the other person, and asked, "Do you think my method is feasible?"
"Well—" Wang Xin hesitated for a moment, he hadn't expected the acquisition to proceed so quickly.
"Can it only be shares in the tertiary industry?"
He looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Could you consider our current industrial and R&D projects?"
“We are also very interested in automobiles, construction, energy, and other fields,” Wang Xin said, looking at Li Xuewu with a probing gaze. “Or… your drone project.”
"Other projects are worth considering, but don't even think about drone projects!"
Li Xuewu looked at him resolutely and said, "That's a huge market worth tens or even hundreds of billions of yuan in the future!"
-
Li Xuewu would swear to God with the heads of 26 alliance leaders that he really didn't mean to frame Wang Xin this time!
He had already said that he could use the tertiary industry shares, which were currently very profitable, to exchange for Tadong Airport, but Wang Xin pretended to know what he was talking about and insisted on taking a big bite.
What are the shareholding companies under Hongxing Steel Group?
In addition to the independently operated and managed tertiary industries, there are also the United Savings Bank, the Steel City Automobile Manufacturing Plant's motorcycle project, car project, and bus project.
In addition to internal cooperation, some branches of the United Construction Corporation, Yingcheng Port Area, Logistics Development Corporation, and Energy Development Corporation also have joint-stock companies in which foreign capital participates in the form of technical support.
There are many research projects, most of which are technology research and development projects shared with Tsinghua University or other universities, and some are projects shared with investors.
The International Hotel Building doesn't count; that's a capital operation project, not a shareholding system.
It must be said that Wang Xin has a good eye; he immediately identified the most valuable research project that Hongxing Steel Group was planning for the future, but it was a bit too early.
Li Xuewu's estimate of a market worth tens or hundreds of billions is conservative; this is for small drones!
Wang Xin is the deputy director of Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. Although he has no experience in professional technical management, it does not prevent him from having a keen insight into aircraft.
If they really acquire a stake in the drone project, it will definitely be a huge boost for Shenyang Aircraft Corporation in the future.
How long until the future?
Li Xuewu dared not tell Wang Xin, for fear that he would cry.
Why not just honestly run a sunset industry? Why insist on taking on such difficult tasks?
It's not entirely accurate to say that many of the tertiary industries under the Third Industry Management Office of Hongxing Steel Group are sunset industries. It depends on who says it. If it's said by the group's senior management, there's absolutely no problem, because these industrial enterprises are indeed marginalized and sunset industries.
Hongxing Steel Group had already divested its simple tertiary industry during past technological upgrades and organizational restructuring, which was essentially being operated as a burden.
Are tertiary industries not profitable?
Of course not. Currently, the tertiary industry holdings of Hongxing Steel Group are performing very well.
Just imagine, the raw materials produced by these factories are directly supplied to the joint venture factories. There is no need for marketing, the management is unified, and there is also support from the parent company. How low must the production cost be?
Given such good profitability, why would Hongxing Steel Group want to get rid of them as a burden?
Low production costs, but high management costs!
The basic condition for profitability in the tertiary industry is the absence of management and marketing costs.
Hongxing Steel Group bore this burden, making the financial statements of these tertiary industries look very good, so that everyone who came would want to take them away.
Compared to management costs, there are several other reasons why the group wants to get rid of its burdens, such as the huge employee welfare system and the increasingly sophisticated organizational structure.
Most importantly, these tertiary industries have fulfilled their original important role and significance in establishing them.
Hongxing Steel Group has developed specialized factories from its tertiary industries, such as hardware factories and food factories, so it no longer needs to maintain tertiary industries.
Take the auto parts industry as another example. When Hongxing Steel Group was preparing to build a factory, it was afraid of being restricted in the supply of auto parts, so it set up its own auto parts factory.
Now that's no longer necessary. Steel and automotive industries have grown significantly, and the steel city's industrial sector is following suit more actively, having already established an integrated auto parts production plant nearby to supply the group's auto parts supply chain.
The auto parts industry in Beijing is somewhat of a liability; it would be good if a willing investor could take it over.
Li Xuewu still had some conscience; he didn't try to cheat the other party. These tertiary industries could at least bring Shenyang Aircraft Corporation a return on investment exceeding that of the Tadong Airport itself.
It's just that the return takes a while, but it's still better than them blindly investing and losing all their money, right?
Tell me, isn't Li Xuewu's approach thoughtful and considerate? Where can you find such a conscientious partner?
After all, Hongxing Steel Group and Shenfei will continue to cooperate in the future, so they can't afford to ruin things too much at once.
They've lost all their goodwill; who would dare do business with them next time?
As for Tadon Airport, that's a complete disaster.
However, Hongxing Steel Group has not yet decided whether to introduce foreign investment to participate in the operation, since airports are not considered high-return projects, at least not at present.
Introducing foreign investment has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that resources can be accessed more quickly, and the airport's service level and shipping capacity can be improved.
The downside is that influence and management power are weakened, and disputes may arise in the future.
To be honest, even Li Xuewu, including Li Huaide, never thought of acquiring an airport.
This is so unexpected. Does owning a business jet mean you have to buy an airport?
That ship would have to buy the entire Pacific Ocean!
Li Huaide asked Li Xuewu for his opinion, and Li Xuewu thought of the personnel changes that the group was currently struggling with.
If the tertiary industry can be divested, the workforce reduction plan will be significantly improved.
Even the tertiary industries that were already planned to be divested can be transferred along with them, which can be considered killing two birds with one stone.
The shares in the tertiary industry sector were previously used as a flood control reservoir, increasing the group's financial resources and providing greater resilience against changing circumstances.
However, given the current size of Hongxing Steel Group, it is impossible to rely on the tertiary industry to alleviate the flood.
This flood control system can't withstand the scale of Hongxing Steel's industry, except for those few large projects.
If Hongxing Steel Group were to face a truly critical situation, releasing its steel gas business would definitely be a huge way to recover its losses.
If all the tertiary industries are sold, what will happen to the raw materials and auxiliary materials needed for the group's production in the future?
It's easy to handle. Just buy the same materials and bedding as before. This is selling the factory, not cutting off all ties.
If we continue to purchase supplies from here, Shenfei will be overjoyed; a good partner will always support you.
As for the joint venture units, they are not responsible for operations; they just receive dividends, so it doesn't matter who comes.
However, they haven't received any dividends over the years; the Hongxing Steel Group has used shares to settle the debts.
Wang Xin's desire for shares in other projects is a classic case of wanting more than he has; he's getting a bit overwhelmed by all the choices.
However, he still knew better, so the topic wasn't discussed further at the dinner table. He would wait until he got back to report.
Li Xuewu has an advantage over him because he doesn't have to worry about what he wants to talk about like Wang Xin does.
Even when they meet in private, he doesn't feel any pressure; they talk as usual.
Anyway, this time Li Xuewu didn't deliberately trick the other party, so it's impossible for him to get shares in Gangqi, unless it's Tundra.
It's also impossible to combine construction and energy, because Shenyang Aircraft Corporation doesn't have the resources in that area.
In the end, only the drone project remained. Li Xuewu was afraid they wouldn't invest, but he was also afraid they would regret it if they invested too much.
-
On November 1, in accordance with the requirements of "strengthening combat readiness" and "digging deeper tunnels", the Liaodong Industrial Leading Group of Hongxing Steel Group issued a clear instruction that all employees should do voluntary labor at the construction site in their spare time.
The soil hasn't frozen solid yet this month, so there will be areas where manual assistance is needed after mechanical excavation.
As Li Xuewu had envisioned, the underground transportation system was designed, some roads were blocked, and construction began.
There's no need to worry about freezing issues during underground construction, but there's a bit of a shortage of building materials.
As required by the command center, all factories of Hongxing Steel Group in various locations need to set up cement plants.
But this thing can't be built up with investment in a short time, so no one really did anything about it.
Hongxing Steel Group has made a move, and a major one at that.
In the Liangmahe Industrial Zone, they continued to explore the potential of underground transportation and fire prevention, while in the Gangcheng Industrial Zone, they started auxiliary projects for the workers' village, planning to build a shopping mall underground.
Li Xuewu's unconventional ideas have garnered widespread attention and reflection from designers.
To put it simply, this kind of thinking is still rare in China; at least, people don't usually build shopping malls underground.
On November 4, the recycling station issued a notice at its renewable energy processing plant, which it had invested in and built in the Gangcheng Industrial Zone, officially recruiting local workers and beginning to expand its operations.
The expansion mentioned here does not refer to the expansion of the business premises, but rather to the expansion of the scale.
The biggest difference between renewable energy processing plants and recycling stations is that workers do not have to collect waste from individuals.
The processing plant has prepared several trucks that go back every day to collect the garbage bins and then put one away.
The recycled waste will be reprocessed in the furnace, while the unrecyclable waste will be sent to thermal power plants as fuel.
Zhao Laosi (Zhao Dezhu) officially returned to the steel city and became the director of the processing plant.
A young man in his early twenties can become a factory director; this company must be incredibly unreliable.
But it's a legitimate company, operating in the Hongxing Industrial Park and registered with the Gangcheng Industrial Park. That's enough to qualify those young people for returning to the city. So, do you think this company is reliable or not?
Forget about whether it's reliable or not; you need to secure a spot first.
The quota of 200 people was gone in just one morning.
That's right. In just one morning, Zhao Laosi reported to Li Xuewu that he had recruited more than twenty high school graduates.
This is unbelievable! Are high school graduates so worthless these days? Even scrap yards are willing to take them.
Of course I'm willing. A year in the countryside made these impetuous young people realize one fact: everyone has their moment of glory, but don't mistake a moment for eternity.
The more arrogant they were back then, the more lost they are now. Their hands are blistered from hoeing the ground, and their faces have lost countless layers of skin from sunburn. They look more than a year older.
They were naturally restless when they went down there, and fights were everywhere, but starving them for a while would calm them down.
The production team had plenty of ways to manage them. Even the most unruly cattle and horses would become obedient once they were put in cages. Just like Zhao Laosi said, the people who came up were all very disciplined and rarely shouted empty slogans.
Li Xuewu hadn't paid much attention to the processing plant until a worker beat up Liu Hongmei, which prompted him to call Zhao Laosi over to inquire about it.
"I really didn't know about this."
Zhao Laosi looked miserable, muttering to himself about his bad luck. He had just finished dealing with the matter in Fengcheng, and now this happened. Why was he always having such bad luck this year?
"Tell me the actual situation, don't hide anything."
Li Xuewu remained calm; he wouldn't have known if the Northern Industry Daily hadn't called the group.
"It's Old Wang, the garbage truck driver."
With a bitter face, Zhao Laosi spread his hands and said, "That reporter Liu has been following Lao Wang for several days. Every time he corners him, he asks the same few questions, which annoys Lao Wang."
"That doesn't warrant taking action, does it?"
Li Xuewu frowned and looked at him, asking, "Are you hiding something? Why did Old Wang make a move?"
"I'm so tired of being asked this—"
Zhao Laosi explained with a vow: "He asked me every day, over and over again. Old Wang said he couldn't hold back anymore, and regretted it as soon as he threw the punch."
"His punch almost killed the guy."
Li Xuewu glanced at him and said calmly, "Knowing the other party was a reporter, you still did this. Didn't you emphasize work discipline to him?"
"What can I do about emotional impulses?" Zhao Laosi said helplessly. "If I were asked those questions every day, I probably wouldn't be able to resist either."
How long have you been working?
"Who is the person in charge of the treatment plant?"
"How did you obtain the rights to dispose of waste?"
……
Listening to his vivid retelling of the scene, Li Xuewu said helplessly, "What can we do now? Reporter Liu is holding onto this matter, saying that he has been retaliated against and that he wants to make a big fuss about it."
We will cover the medical expenses.
Zhao Laosi said proactively, "I'll go to the hospital to apologize to her and ask for her forgiveness later."
"It's time to take this step. Even if she doesn't want to forgive you, we can't be impolite."
Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before instructing, "Go to the propaganda department and find Wang Yajuan. Ask her to arrange for someone to bring a camera and go with you."
"Huh? We need to take pictures too?"
Zhao Laosi hesitated and asked, "Will it be in the newspaper? What if someone sees it...?"
"Is your face that important?" Li Xuewu asked, sizing him up. "What shameful things have you done that you need to keep secret?"
"No, it's just that I'm afraid I won't be able to face anyone afterward, and I'll have to apologize to her..."
"Go quickly—"
Li Xuewu glanced at him, too lazy to waste any more words with him, and emphasized, "Pay attention to Wang Yajuan's arrangements, and stand in the right position to provide the shooting angle."
"I know—" Zhao Laosi replied listlessly, knowing he had been sold out again.
What bad luck! Things have calmed down in Fengcheng, and he's back. That idiot Zhou Changli got a huge windfall and is now in charge of one of the areas.
What about him?
Although he returned to serve as the factory director, this time he was under Li Xuewu's watchful eye.
Leaving aside whether Li Xuewu will come to supervise his work, Zhou Yamei will have to come back often.
Zhou Yamei hasn't left these past few days; she's been guiding him in recruiting workers and completing production.
After leaving Li Xuewu's office, I found Wang Yajuan downstairs, who seemed to have been prepared.
"Don't worry about whether she accepts your apology or not, just kneel down in front of her as soon as you enter the house."
Wang Yajuan led him out and found a secluded spot, whispering, "Don't get up until you hear the flash. It'll be better if you take a few more pictures."
"ah?--"
Zhao Laosi hadn't even reacted yet, "Weren't we going to visit someone? Why do we need to kneel down?"
"How can you drag her down without kneeling down?"
Wang Yajuan glanced at him. How could the person Li Xuewu found be so stupid? Wasn't he supposed to be quite clever and quick-witted? He looks like a complete fool.
Old Zhao wasn't stupid. He suddenly realized something and looked at Wang Yajuan with a pale face, asking, "This—is there any danger to his life?"
What are you thinking about?
Wang Yajuan glared at him and said irritably, "If you have reservations, then don't go, lest you ruin things."
"Go! We must go—"
Zhao Laosi could tell that this idea was probably, most likely, Li Xuewu's.
Imagine, he came into the house carrying fruit and knelt down, and the photographer snapped pictures. Could Liu Hongmei, lying in the hospital bed, bear it?
There are other newspapers in the world besides theirs; Hongxing Steel Group also has its own publicity channels.
If such photos are published, and some unscrupulous reporter writes something inaccurate, she'll be finished.
It was because Zhao Laosi had this in mind that he asked Wang Yajuan if there was any danger to her life during this mission.
If you offend someone so badly, do you think they'll let it go? They might even face retaliation.
But he has no way back. He arranged for Lao Wang to get in, and now that something has happened, how can he hand Lao Wang over if he can't take the blame?
Besides, Lao Wang was taken away by the security department as soon as the incident happened and has not returned since.
So let him kneel, it's not like he's never knelt before. If this kneeling doesn't scare the other person out of their wits, then he's not worthy of the name Zhao Dezhu!
After explaining things to Zhao Laosi and seeing that he understood her instructions and remembered the improvisational techniques, Wang Yajuan called the photographer down to follow him.
After seeing the two off, Wang Yajuan crossed her arms, chuckled, and muttered "bad guy."
I don't know who they're cursing, but neither the one who left nor the one upstairs is a good person.
Liu Hongmei, who was lying in the hospital receiving an IV drip, never expected that Li Xuewu would dig such a big hole for her.
She first conducted an investigation, asking many workers, but didn't obtain much truly useful material.
She finally brought along the vice president of Shouqi, only to be tricked by him and forced to watch him leave.
She has been working very hard on the investigation recently and has given up on tracing Furnace No. 4 because it is too difficult to investigate.
She wanted to use the processing plant as a breakthrough point; once she obtained evidence there, she was certain she could bring Li Xuewu down.
Even if we can't stop Li Xuewu, we can find him something to do. Anyway, he can't go back to Beijing at this time.
bang-
Just as Liu Hongmei was holding her notebook, pondering her next move, the door suddenly opened.
Before she could even ask the other person's origins in surprise, she saw him slide and kneel down in front of her.
Why are you being so polite?
"Reporter Liu, I am the manager of the processing plant. I am truly sorry for this incident. I take full responsibility and hope you will forgive me. We will definitely cover all your medical expenses..."
She doesn't like hearing these meaningless words; she prefers to hear her talk for a whole day and night without repeating herself.
If you're going to apologize, then apologize. Why the hell are you kowtowing on the ground?
Kowtowing and they even brought a photographer?
This isn't an apology, it's trouble!
"Stand up! Do you hear me?!"
Liu Hongmei blushed and pointed at Zhao Laosi on the ground, cursing him, but the photographer managed to capture the best photo.
Photos can't speak, but seeing the photographer run away, she knew she'd fallen into a trap.
(End of this chapter)