Chapter 711: Report Falls Through

Li Huaide held his teacup, looking at Xu Damao with a chuckle, his eyes carrying a hint of admiration: "Damao, I truly admire you. So many years have passed, and you have been defeated time and again, yet you fight on after every defeat. I don't even have the heart to wear He Yuzhu down anymore, but you are more invested than I am, set on nothing but bringing him down."

Xu Damao gritted his teeth until they creaked: "He is the obstacle in my path! As long as he is here for a single day, I won't have a moment of peace! Take that business with the steel bars—Liu Haizhong could have gotten more, but because Liu Shi Trading had to build so many houses, we could only pick up the scraps others left behind!"

"How do you intend to take him down? Without solid evidence, you can't topple him at all. The people behind him carry more and more weight." Li Huaide took a sip of tea and couldn't help but shake his head.

"This time I will definitely be able to topple him! I have obtained earth-shattering news!"

Li Huaide raised an eyebrow: "What news?"

Xu Damao smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits: "Factory Director Li, you know Xiao E, right?"

Li Huaide nodded.

Xu Damao leaned forward and lowered his voice: "The reason Xiao E left here back then wasn't for any other reason—she was pregnant with He Yuzhu's seed! That kid is all grown up now, and he looks like he was carved from the same mold as He Yuzhu! Tell me, can we 'utilize' this properly?"

Li Huaide's eyes lit up instantly: "There's such a thing? Then let's hurry and write a report letter, accusing him of having issues with his personal conduct!"

"Exactly!" Xu Damao slapped his thigh, "I heard that Zhou Hao didn't get sent down this time, but instead got promoted a level and even joined the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Ministry of Electronics Industry! Isn't this a heaven-sent opportunity?"

Li Huaide rolled his eyes and pressed: "Where did you get this news?"

Xu Damao chuckled: "A few days ago, I ran into Liu Yahui at Panjiayuan; he was taking people to buy antiques and paintings. That kid has entered the cultural system now and still has contact with Zhou Hao. Let's invite him to a meal another day and establish this connection."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide beamed and nodded repeatedly: "Excellent! This time, with both human and material evidence, the proof is as solid as a mountain! Let's see where that He Yuzhu runs to this time!"

The two looked at each other and burst into loud laughter.

Fuyou Street, guesthouse.

The room was quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock.

He Yuzhu and Secretary Liu sat facing each other, a freshly brewed pot of tea on the coffee table, steam rising in wisps.

Secretary Liu lifted the teapot and poured a cup for He Yuzhu; the tea was golden and clear, its fragrance pure and mellow.

He Yuzhu picked it up and took a sip, the scalding tea sliding down his throat, when suddenly his nose stung, and tears fell without warning, splashing onto the table one by one.

Secretary Liu was stunned on the spot, still holding the teapot, unable to collect his thoughts for a long time.

He had known He Yuzhu for so many years and had never seen this man shed a single tear.

"Zhuzi, what has happened to you?" Secretary Liu hurriedly put down the teapot and pulled out a tissue to hand to him, "I've known you for so long, I've never seen you like this."

He Yuzhu took the tissue and wiped his face hard, his eyes red and his voice hoarse: "I want to resign."

Secretary Liu's hand shook, the teacup nearly slipping from his grasp, and he widened his eyes: "Why?"

He Yuzhu gave a bitter smile, his expression full of exhaustion and helplessness: "I have exhausted all my abilities; staying in this position any longer will only cause you trouble."

Secretary Liu frowned and probed: "Is it because Liu Rusi is coming back? If it's because of this, I can take the responsibility for you."

He Yuzhu shook his head and let out a long sigh: "There are many reasons, both at home and outside. Most importantly, my position is too conspicuous, and too many people are watching it. As long as I am here for a day, I am blocking the path of countless people. I suggest splitting the factory into two parts: communications and electronics. Let Liu Siman manage the electronics side; she is the most suitable. As for the communications side, I'm not too worried..."

Secretary Liu was silent for a moment, not responding, but instead asked: "After you resign, what do you plan to do?"

He Yuzhu's eyes suddenly lit up: "I want to focus on chip manufacturing. This industry not only doesn't make money for the time being, but it might even lose money. Many people say that building is not as good as buying, and buying is not as good as renting. But I want to try. I can make big money doing other things, and I'll use the profits from there to subsidize this!"

Secretary Liu stared at him for a long time; the room was quiet enough to hear their breathing.

Finally, Secretary Liu nodded slowly, his tone carrying a hint of indescribable emotion: "Since you have thought it through thoroughly, I will not stop you."

He reached out and patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder: "However, I hope you will continue to serve as my Consultant, without an official title."

He Yuzhu looked up abruptly, his eyes reddening again, and he nodded heavily: "No matter if I am at the ends of the earth, one phone call from you, and I will return immediately."

The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Half a month later, Hongbin Building.

The gold-lettered sign shone brightly in the sun, and Xu Damao and Li Huaide had been waiting at the entrance early on.

A black sedan pulled up slowly, the door opened, and Zhou Hao stepped out, dressed in a dark jacket, looking full of energy.

Xu Damao immediately put on a face full of smiles, trotting forward with small steps, his waist bent almost ninety degrees: "Leader Zhou, your presence today truly makes this place shine!"

Zhou Hao smiled faintly and waved his hand: "We are all old acquaintances, no need for this superficiality."

Li Huaide and Xu Damao flanked him on both sides like personal bodyguards, trotting along and nodding and bowing as they led Zhou Hao into the reserved private room.

The private room was elegantly decorated, the rosewood tables and chairs polished until they gleamed, and a landscape painting hung on the wall, giving it a touch of refinement.

Li Huaide was quick-witted, hurriedly pulling out the main chair, and only after Zhou Hao sat down did he take a seat next to him: "Lao Zhou, I heard you were recently promoted; I've been wanting to visit you, but I was afraid of disturbing your work."

As he grew older, Zhou Hao had become much more peaceful: "You're being too formal. The place I'm at now is also a 'clear water yamen'—nothing much to see. But you two—now that there is reform and opening up, you've come out to start companies; you must have made quite a bit, right?"

Li Huaide hurriedly waved his hands: "How could we! Our connections aren't strong enough; we just pick up the scraps others don't want, barely making a living. If we could get products from the Hongxing Electronics Factory, we would definitely strike it rich. But with He Yuzhu blocking the way there, we really have no choice!"

After listening, Zhou Hao suddenly smiled: "You've come to report He Yuzhu, haven't you?"

Seeing that the matter had been laid bare, Xu Damao stopped hiding it: "Leader Zhou, since you still consider us your own, we won't hold back. We have our eyes on those communications products from the electronics factory; if we could get our hands on that stuff, we would definitely make big money. But that brat He Yuzhu keeps having Liu Shi Trading send everything abroad, and we can't even get a sip of soup..."

Zhou Hao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked unhurriedly: "Tell me, what cards do you have in your hands now?"

Xu Damao pulled a stack of photos from his bag and slapped them onto the table with a "thwack": "He Yuzhu has a son in Hong Kong! He definitely has issues with his personal conduct! Look at these photos; the child looks exactly like him, carved from the same mold!"

Li Huaide followed up by pulling a stack of report materials from his bag and handing them over respectfully.

Zhou Hao took them and flipped through a few pages, then couldn't help but shake his head: "You are a step late."

Xu Damao was stunned, the smile on his face instantly freezing: "What?"

Zhou Hao took a sip of his tea and said slowly: "He Yuzhu has resigned, and the Hongxing Electronics Factory has been split up into two—Red Star Communications Company and Red Star Electronics Company."

Xu Damao widened his eyes: "You're not joking with me, are you?"

Zhou Hao put away his smile and said sternly: "Why would I have the time to joke with you? To tell you the truth, this was decided half a month ago."

He pointed his finger at the photos on the table: "If you have evidence of He Yuzhu's economic crimes, feel free to report it; even if he has resigned, I can still investigate. But if you only talk about personal conduct, it's too late. He is a jobless vagrant now; even if he had one more son, or even eight more, it would only mean his character is flawed."

After hearing this, Xu Damao slapped his thigh hard: "We went through so much trouble, thinking we could topple him this time, but I never expected this grandson to quit on his own first!"

Li Huaide reacted quickly, immediately leaning toward Zhou Hao and probing: "Lao Zhou, can you help us get some things out of the communications factory and the electronics factory?"

Zhou Hao shook his head: "Now is not the time; let's talk about it after a while."

Although Xu Damao hadn't toppled He Yuzhu and felt stifled, upon hearing this, his mind became active again, and he secretly winked at Li Huaide.

Li Huaide understood, hurriedly pulling a gold watch from his bag and quietly pushing it toward Zhou Hao.

Zhou Hao looked down and glanced at it, his fingers not moving at all: "I cannot accept a reward for no service. When I can truly be of help to you, I naturally will not stand on ceremony."