Chapter 1017: Your Illusion

"Mm, alright, I understand."

Li Xuewu listened to the phone for a while, then nodded and confirmed, "I will coordinate this matter."

After saying a few words, he hung up the phone, called Peng Xiaoli over, and instructed him: "Go to Deputy Director Jing's office and ask if the shipping approval for Wufeng Hong can pass."

"Understood."

Peng Xiaoli seemed to have thought of something and hesitated, but he still agreed first.

When he arrived at the main office building, he did not go to find Deputy Director Jing first, but went to the Committee Office instead.

Because of his work coordination with Li Xuewu, he came here often.

According to the Committee Office's management structure list, Ding Zigui was the director, while Ao Yuhua, Comrade Shi Ruoweng, and Li Xuewu were deputy directors.

However, Comrade Shi Ruoweng had been sent down to Yingcheng for labor due to a case.

Now, only Ding Zigui presided over the work, while Li Xuewu and Ao Yuhua were each responsible for a specific area.

With one person missing, the total workload had not decreased, so it could only be split among the remaining three.

Because Li Xuewu had to preside over the Security Group's work and was also responsible for coordinating trade and tertiary industries, the work pressure at the Committee Office was particularly high.

As the deputy director of the Security Group's Comprehensive Office and concurrently the director of the External Affairs Office, Sha Qizhi actually bore a heavy load at the Committee Office.

Li Xuewu was already handing over trade-related work to him, not just external liaison and reception.

According to the plan, Li Xuewu wanted to arrange for him to transition to the Trade Management Office in the first half of this year.

And as Li Xuewu's secretary, Peng Xiaoli was also completing a portion of the Committee Office's work during the coordination and communication process.

This resulted in more and more of Li Xuewu's subordinates intervening in the core management structure of the Rolling Mill, which was the work of the Management Committee Office.

The Committee Office Director, Ding Zigui, was a broad-minded person and did not care about this.

Saying he was broad-minded did not mean he was magnanimous, indifferent to fame and fortune, or oblivious; rather, it meant he had high aspirations and did not view the Committee Office Director position as his career endpoint.

Knowing full well that Li Xuewu had strong capabilities, a solid background, and a bright future, would he now obstruct the other party from fostering his own trusted forces?

The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are; Li Huai De doesn't even care, so why should he?

At the same time, it must be noted that while it's hard to say what Li Xuewu's future holds, at the current stage, he only does things, and he does practical things, so no one would come to cause him trouble.

But while that is said, how can there be anything absolute in this world?

Peng Xiaoli made a round through the Committee Office and understood the situation within the organization for the day.

Walking to Deputy Director Jing's office, he first took a peek and, seeing the leader wasn't there, only then went in to find Li Xue.

"Yo, so free today?"

"Where would I be? The leader has orders."

Peng Xiaoli laughed and brushed it off, gesturing toward the leader's desk, and asked with a raised brow: "A meeting?"

"An office meeting."

Li Xue didn't treat him like a guest; he came to this main office building at least three times a day. If she had to treat him like a guest every time, she wouldn't be able to do anything else.

"What are you doing here?"

She raised her head, looked at him, and asked: "Does Deputy Director Li have something?"

"Something about foreign trade."

Peng Xiaoli looked at the leader's desk, pointed at the document he had forwarded, and reminded her: "The other party seems to be in a hurry; they called the leader's office."

"No way around it, the leader has seen it."

Li Xue shook her head slightly, walked to the desk, pulled out the document, and pointed at the opinion above: "A two-million-yuan cargo approval isn't something that can be solved with just one signature from the leader."

"I really didn't know that."

Peng Xiaoli took the document and looked at it; Deputy Director Jing's opinion was to approve it in batches, splitting the large application into smaller ones.

He understood the purpose of this; it was nothing more than staged capital preservation and splitting the risk.

"How about I take it back and tell the leader?"

"Are you playing dumb with me!?"

Li Xue shot him a glare, then pulled the document back from his hand, closed it, slapped it onto the pile of documents, and said: "Safe travels, I won't see you out."

"Heh~"

Peng Xiaoli looked at her with amusement and said: "I wouldn't dare talk nonsense about this; if something goes wrong, the leader could tear me apart."

After saying this, he pulled the document from Li Xue's hand again, gestured with it, and asked: "What is Deputy Director Cheng's opinion?"

"You're asking me?"

Li Xue didn't believe this person would come to ask her first.

At this moment, she walked back to her desk and sat down, looking at the document while saying: "You don't even have a chill on you anymore; you must have gone to the Committee Office or the motor pool."

"Hey!"

Peng Xiaoli looked at himself and said with some surprise: "You really have eyes like torches!"

After saying this, he walked to the side of Li Xue's desk, leaned on the desk, and asked in a low voice: "What exactly does Deputy Director Jing mean?"

"Do I even need to say it?"

Li Xue pressed down on the document, raised her head, and looked at him, saying: "Either Director Li does this, or Deputy Director Li pushes it forward."

"That's a bit difficult."

Peng Xiaoli sat on the chair next to her and reminded her in a low voice: "Director Li won't preside over specific operational work; isn't that a joke?"

"Then let Deputy Director Li preside."

Li Xue's words really had an impartial posture, as if it truly had nothing to do with Deputy Director Li.

Peng Xiaoli thought the same, tapped his finger on the desk in front of Li Xue, and reminded her in a low voice: "That's your second brother."

"This is an office."

Li Xue looked back at him and also reminded him: "He's the one who told me to handle official business impartially and to address him by his title during work hours."

"..."

Peng Xiaoli curled his lips in speechlessness, sized up Li Xue, and said: "I think you have more airs than our leader now."

"Go~"

Li Xue rolled her eyes, pointed at the document in his hand, and said: "The leader hasn't signed it, so you can't take it away. If you want to solve it, handle it properly before coming back to take it."

"I really am..."

Peng Xiaoli pursed his lips, then looked at Li Xue seriously and said: "Don't you really understand? If Deputy Director Li wanted to preside over this work, he wouldn't have sent me over."

He pointed at the phone on the desk and said: "It's more useful than me; you know better than I do how the leaders communicate."

"So this is a knot."

Li Xue looked at Peng Xiaoli just as seriously and said: "What Wufeng Hong is anxious about is the business, but the leader's attitude isn't clear. Who do you want to handle this matter?"

She gestured with her chin toward the nearby office and added: "Once something goes wrong, it won't just involve one person."

"I know."

Peng Xiaoli's expression became serious, his brows furrowed slightly, and he said: "But if this matter drags on, it will definitely sour the relationship with Wufeng Hong."

"No way around it."

Li Xue said seriously: "I can't give you an answer, or you can just wait for the leader to return and ask her directly."

"Forget it, no result."

Peng Xiaoli shook his chin and said: "I just went to the Committee Office for a round; Zhang Shicheng, that kid, is sharp-eyed and quick-witted—one look and I knew what was going on."

He put down the document for Li Xue, rubbed his face, and thought while saying: "If that doesn't work, I'll just re-submit the application and include all the leaders."

"Say something useful, are you just spouting nonsense?"

Li Xue took back the document, shot him a glance, and said: "Hurry back and talk about the matter; do you really think you've ascended to heaven and can solve anything?"

"Mm, that's indeed the case."

Peng Xiaoli laughed bitterly and said: "It was my own foolishness to dare to take on this matter."

"Heh~ Courage is commendable~"

Li Xue made a sarcastic remark, then lowered her head to look at the document in her hand and reminded him: "The leader still has to go to the tertiary industry side for an on-site meeting this afternoon; you'd better hurry."

"I know."

Peng Xiaoli stood up; he understood Li Xue's reminder. It was already Saturday; if it dragged on, it could only be handled next Monday.

Work is something that's hard to pick back up once dropped, especially coordination work—it's not just one person's business.

It was also a coincidence; just as he was about to walk out, Jing Yunong returned.

"Deputy Director Jing."

"Mm."

Jing Yunong nodded at Peng Xiaoli's greeting and asked: "Looking for me?"

"No, Li Xue."

Peng Xiaoli didn't need a draft to tell lies; he didn't even blink when he said them.

After greeting Jing Yunong, he left the office and headed downstairs.

In the office, Jing Yunong walked to the desk, picked up her teacup, and took a sip; it was still warm, which showed that Li Xue, this secretary, was satisfactory.

"What did that kid come to find you for?"

She asked pointedly: "It wouldn't be...?"

"Leader~"

Li Xue interrupted with some embarrassment: "Please, stop making fun of me."

"Mm, hehe~"

Jing Yunong nodded with a smile and said: "I say so too; could you possibly take a liking to him?"

While saying this, she walked back behind the desk and sat down, saying: "That kid hangs around the factory office, slippery as an eel; he's unreliable."

Seeing Li Xue walk over, she reminded her, half-jokingly and half-seriously: "You're still young; don't be in a hurry to find a partner."

"It's really not that; it's about Wufeng Hong."

Li Xue was truly embarrassed, placed the document by her hand, and explained: "They are urging us, anxious for the goods, and called Deputy Director Li."

"Mm."

Jing Yunong had expected this; she wasn't surprised at this moment and opened the document in her hand to look at it.

"What did he say?"

"What could he say? It's just that Deputy Director Li had him come to ask about the situation."

Li Xue sat opposite the desk and reported: "I told him briefly, especially about the other leaders; he also looked into the situation at the Committee Office himself."

"Sigh~"

Jing Yunong let out a long sigh, put the document in her hand aside, hugged her arms, looked out the window, and said: "This matter isn't that simple."

After the sigh, she didn't speak for a long time, and Li Xue sat by her side, thinking.

After a while, she took the initiative to ask: "If Director Li were to take the lead..."

"Heh, do you think that's possible?"

Jing Yunong withdrew her gaze, looked at Li Xue, and said: "Even if Director Li wanted to take the lead, in terms of business..."

Speaking to this point, she paused, realizing it wasn't good to speak about Li Huai De in front of subordinates, but the meaning was exactly that.

"Tossing and turning, it will still end up with me; there's no need for that."

"But...!"

Li Xue frowned and said: "If Deputy Director Li pushes this work forward, will there be problems on Deputy Director Cheng's side?"

"That, I don't know."

Jing Yunong shot a glance at the opposite side and picked up the document to read; it was the flow of the upcoming on-site meeting.

Seeing Li Xue opposite her seemingly stuck in a dead end, her face flushed red, she really couldn't bear it.

She raised her head, looked at Li Xue, and said: "It's much more appropriate for Li Xuewu to talk to Deputy Director Cheng about this matter than for me."

"I don't understand."

Li Xue shook her head slightly and asked directly: "If Deputy Director Cheng disagrees or... then even if he coordinates it, there will be problems."

"You'll understand this slowly."

Jing Yunong knew Li Xue was worried about her second brother, but the problem wasn't as simple as she thought.

In other words, Li Xuewu's energy exceeded her imagination.

Since Li Huai De had designated Li Xuewu to be responsible for business coordination at the Committee Office, he must possess this capability and level.

Furthermore, this matter was spearheaded by Li Xuewu in coordination with the Five Fung Hong; as the executive leader in charge of foreign trade and tertiary industries, it is most appropriate for him to step forward and coordinate it.

If it were really led by her, coordinating this matter with Cheng Kaiyuan, how would the cake be divided then?

Don't just look at the side where Li Xuewu's position isn't high; precisely because of this, he could sit in the Committee Office position to carry out work.

Once Li Xuewu really takes over Dong Wenxue's position, you'll see if Li Huai De will still let him be responsible for so much business coordination work.

Regarding the cooperation with Wufeng Hong, the main body of the cargo trade is planned production, and the shell is foreign trade.

This is a different matter from capital operation; the reserve funds of the Oriental Era Bank in Hong Kong have already been signed by her and transferred to Wufeng Hong's account.

It's much faster and simpler than cargo trade, which shows she didn't block Li Xuewu's path.

However, since work must be done, someone has to come forward to lead the matter.

Li Xuewu couldn't watch this project have problems; either Li Huai De presses down, or he pushes up.

The difference isn't in Cheng Kaiyuan, nor in her, Jing Yunong, but in the collision of attitudes between Li Xuewu and Li Huai De.

In tertiary industries and foreign trade, Jing Yunong and Li Xuewu have already reached a consensus and have their own definitions of the cooperative relationship.

Especially regarding the situation of benefit distribution, Li Xuewu is very magnanimous, and she isn't a petty person either.

On this point, Li Huai De is satisfied, especially with the coordination and handling of the relationship between the two.

Therefore, joint trade and tertiary industries are constantly expanding, and one project after another is landing, taking root, and branching out.

Now foreign trade involves the planned production part, which in Li Huai De's view is a forbidden zone.

It's very simple; he can't fully grasp all the business decision-making power of the Rolling Mill.

Why develop tertiary industries, why develop joint trade? Isn't it because Li Huai De doesn't want to clash head-on with Cheng Kaiyuan right now?

Li Xuewu and Li Huai De can sideline him, but they can't take away his pen; production work without his signature would really attract the attention of those above.

The ecological standard of the management team isn't just a casually conceived thought or understanding; it's very complex.

Even now, Jing Yunong wouldn't dare say she could talk to Li Huai De on the same level, and Gu Weijie is even more so.

Everyone can sit together to do work, thinking of nothing more than achieving results so that everyone benefits.

Now business work involves Cheng Kaiyuan, so it's inevitable to communicate with him formally—how to handle this cooperative yet complex relationship.

Li Xuewu wants to talk to Cheng Kaiyuan; he must make Li Huai De satisfied.

Just like the relationship between Li Xuewu and her at the beginning, he cannot act rashly.

Li Xuewu never made a direct move against her from start to finish, which means he had long anticipated the current situation.

At the same time, it was Li Huai De who took the initiative to coordinate the work relationship between the two, which pulled her out of the quagmire of tertiary industries.

What she needs to pay is a portion of the management authority of tertiary industries, and at the same time, she can also obtain a portion of the management authority of joint trade.

As for what happened between her and Li Xuewu in Yangcheng, it wasn't within her plan.

But it also happened naturally.

She couldn't follow Li Huai De's line of thinking to contact Li Xuewu or probe his thoughts.

That way, Li Xuewu would also be on guard against her, or even dig a big hole for her in the future.

To handle the contradictions between the two, one must be open and honest, shedding the mindset of defense and difficulty.

Think about it, what method is more suitable for being open and honest than "meeting frankly"?

What?

Moral bottom line?

Do adults have feelings?

Stop joking; everyone is an adult—who talks about feelings with you?

The occurrence of that kind of thing was just for more convenient communication; even if she appreciated Li Xuewu again, it wouldn't be in this way.

Being able to "communicate" together only shows that she needs Li Xuewu's thinking and ability to handle problems, needs to reach a consensus and cooperation with him, and stabilize the subsequent work state.

And Li Xuewu being able to "cooperate" with her further reflects his own ability and needs.

At the same time, it must be seen that Li Xuewu has made efforts in coordinating business work.

He is more willing to communicate with Jing Yunong, who holds multiple resources, in a posture of win-win cooperation rather than an antagonistic state.

What he gained from that kind of thing happening between the two wasn't just Jing Yunong's trust and the opportunity for equal dialogue, but also frankness on certain key issues that followed.

Just like now, Li Xuewu wouldn't talk to her at all about what should be done about Wufeng Hong; the two already had a tacit understanding about this matter.

It can be said that they bypassed Li Huai De and directly solved the complex relationship related to trade.

On the other side, Li Xuewu could calmly face the conditions put forward by Cheng Kaiyuan.

Her situation is somewhat different from Cheng Kaiyuan's; this time Li Huai De doesn't want to come forward, so it depends on how Li Xuewu handles it.

Li Xue has actually made a lot of progress in her training during this period, but she still lacks mastery and thinking regarding the situation.

What she lacks isn't work ability and thinking ability, but experience.

How should I put it? When cadres are promoted, they all talk about work seniority; this isn't a stumbling block for young cadres to take on heavy responsibilities, but should be a touchstone.

It's a very simple truth: when relatively young cadres first arrive at their posts, they don't lack ability and drive, but their thinking and mindset for handling problems are definitely different from the current management situation.

You can't know whether his thinking for handling problems is right or wrong; only when the result comes out can you see clearly whether he is gold or mud.

But at this time, the result is a loss for the work, which general units cannot afford.

And this kind of experience is precisely the seniority for the growth of young cadres.

Of course, doing well is called seniority, and doing poorly is called experience.

Why does the organization train a cadre step by step from a basic post? Examining seniority is looking at his comprehensive ability to do things.

In extreme cases, look at Li Xue; she has every way to walk to the position of business supervisor, section chief, deputy section chief, etc., as long as Li Xuewu is willing to operate.

But is this really appropriate?

Why do many people say that secretarial work and positions are the best way to train and cultivate talent?

Because they don't have to be responsible for the decisions they make, and they don't have the right to make choices and decisions.

But they can see the leader doing things, being a person, and can even see the leader's methods and thinking applications in handling a matter from beginning to end.

Why is Li Xue's growth so fast, even to the point where her position ability and thinking clearly exceed the limitations of seniority, highlighting the contradictions in her?

It's very simple: Jing Yunong stands too high, so Li Xue sees far.

To put it vividly, a max-level account brings a novice village younger brother to kill the ultimate BOSS, and the experience fills the screen.

Then we have to talk about Li Xuewu; he didn't have a max-level big shot to bring him to brush the ultimate dungeon, so why could he "level up quickly"?

The specific manifestation is even stronger than Li Xue's, especially in work ability and thinking, and the gap in comparison with work seniority is far greater than Li Xue's.

This gap is so vast that no one in the whole factory can match it.

If we really put aside the seniority item, Li Xuewu could now jump directly to the position of deputy director of the Management Committee; he is qualified enough.

This still depends on whether he is willing, or whether he wants to kill Li Huai De and become the director himself.

His excellence in ability cannot be questioned by anyone in the factory; where does his far-sighted thinking ability come from?

This is equivalent to a small account with a cheat, outputting hard when fighting the BOSS, but he only needs to point at the vital point, and the same experience fills the screen.

As for where Li Xuewu's ability comes from, even Jing Yunong can't figure it out.

It can only be said that this person is too monstrous, his mind is clear to the extreme, his vision is terrifyingly broad, and an ordinary family couldn't cultivate him.

But facts have proven that Li Xuewu's family influence is really quite ordinary.

Of course, this ordinariness is also relative to Li Xuewu's outstanding ability.

Putting Li Xuewu aside and looking back only from Li Xue, Li's education is actually very successful.

This is also why Jing Yunong wants to spend effort cultivating Li Xue; she has the value and genes to be cultivated.

It's not entirely because of Li Xuewu; Jing Yunong isn't a paranoid person, and Li Xue can feel the sincerity coming from her.

The two don't have a particularly serious state when talking and working in the office; both sides are very relaxed.

Even Peng Xiaoli can't compare to this point; at least Peng Xiaoli doesn't dare to joke with Li Xuewu.

"Leader, things are a bit troublesome."

Peng Xiaoli arrived at Li Xuewu's place and very quickly explained the situation.

Li Xuewu's fountain pen didn't stop, and he also listened to his report.

When he talked about the attitudes of Deputy Director Cheng and Deputy Director Jing, Li Xuewu didn't have any special reaction.

When he finished reporting and explaining, Li Xuewu just gave an "mm," as if the matter just now wasn't very urgent.

It was truly urgent; otherwise, Wufeng Hong wouldn't have called.

But even if it's urgent, one must endure; this matter must be handled calmly.

"Help me make an appointment with Deputy Director Gu."

Li Xuewu signed his name on the document and instructed Peng Xiaoli.

"... Yes."

Peng Xiaoli didn't react; why would he make an appointment with Deputy Director Gu for work related to Deputy Director Cheng?

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention to his confusion but quickly handled the documents at hand.

Since Comrade Shi Ruoweng left, the documents transferred to the Committee Office had increased.

Li Huai De wanted to play micromanagement and try his best to free up spare time to handle the coordination work from above.

He could neither abandon control of the factory nor delay the realization of the group-based goal.

Under the current complex external situation, the management situation in the factory was also quietly changing.

He didn't trust anyone.

Li Xuewu once suspected that Old Li had a mental illness, severe persecutory delusion.

Although it wasn't obvious, his cautious gaze was full of: "There are always treacherous people who want to harm me."

Clearly, Gu Weijie was a natural ally, and the initial cooperation was smooth and appropriate.

But Old Li, after the situation stabilized, slowly alienated Gu Weijie, including his influence on Xue Zhifu.

Clearly, he started playing micromanagement.

This set of balance, since ancient times, whether it's an emperor or a manager, they all love it.

If he overly relied on Gu Weijie's help, he might very likely fall into a state of self-isolation and being sidelined.

He even had to worry about the consequences of cooperation between Dong Wenxue and the other party, which was easy to imagine.

Wasn't it Li Xuewu who coordinated Gu Weijie's support through Han Shu's relationship at the beginning?

Old Li felt he was still young; he could choose Li Xuewu as his successor, but he absolutely wouldn't allow Gu Weijie to covet his position.

Because Li Xuewu had to progress to his position, he had long had the space and time to complete the next step of progress work.

But Gu Weijie was different; the two were about the same, and anyone could sit in this position.

Gu Weijie, from the college management system, was even more recognized by the leaders than him, who came from a basic background.

You tell me if Old Li's thinking is right or not!

If Li Xuewu were to summarize, right is right, but this is just killing the donkey after it's done grinding, though Gu Weijie would definitely oppose him using this vocabulary.

Gu Weijie clearly saw Old Li's pettiness and wasn't willing to argue with him at this time.

Therefore, for several months, she had insisted on her own work and held the bottom line on the residential area construction project.

This actually made Old Li feel much more at ease with her and also received positive feedback, so before the year ended, Li Xuewu organized a proposal, forming the trend work of personnel reform.

This work seemed to be supported by Jing Yunong, but in reality, it was Gu Weijie who was responsible for and presided over the specific work.

This achievement was handed over to Gu Weijie in a solid way; it was a tacit understanding between Li Xuewu and Gu Weijie, and also a gift of returning the favor from Li Huai De.

It meant that as long as Gu Weijie worked steadily, he absolutely wouldn't be biased, and even more wouldn't fail to give her a chance.

But does Gu Weijie care?

What Gu Weijie wants isn't just the work achievement of the deputy director of the Rolling Mill; she is also a person with ideals and ambitions.

The reason she is enduring and not acting now is entirely because she sees that the Rolling Mill is about to usher in a critical period of great development and great construction.

Li Xuewu could anticipate that the day the group-based goal is truly realized, victory will be the beginning of the struggle.

Gu Weijie will absolutely not be content with dedication and will want to fight for a management position.

You can't say she is greedy, and even more can't say she is reckless; it's just that if Li Xuewu were in her position, he might be even fiercer.

The reason is very simple: no one can stop their own progress; this is the consensus of all cadres.

Gu Weijie can allow herself to obey Li Huai De's leadership during critical periods, listen to his command, and accept his gifts.

But when it comes to turning against him, she absolutely won't be soft-handed; this isn't a personal grudge, but a rule of ecology.

Does Old Li know about this risk?

Of course he knows; sitting in that position and looking down, they are all enemies.

Standing alone at the peak, a lonely person, with no friends around.

So his micromanagement comes from absolute guidance over Li Xuewu, not control; he knows very well that no one can absolutely control Li Xuewu—this is even more impossible to achieve than controlling Gu Weijie.

Li Xuewu's position seems to be linked to Dong Wenxue, and Dong Wenxue connects to Gu Weijie, but he added an uncertain factor to this relationship.

That is Jing Yunong, coordinating the two to reach a cooperative relationship, while at the same time enhancing Li Xuewu's work influence and determining his progress space and future in the factory.

What will Dong Wenxue be like?

What will Gu Weijie be like?

What will the other young cadres below be like?

Do you dare say that the game of chess Old Li is playing makes no sense?

Li Xuewu's evaluation of him is very pertinent: his ability as a salesman is like a dog, and his ability to watch people is like a wolf.

It is very normal for a complex ecology to appear in the factory, because since the development goal is determined, everyone is adjusting their own small goals.

During this period, there must be collisions and friction; it just depends on the scale of coordination and compromise.

Li Xuewu is so calm because he is certain that no factory leader will trip up business work now.

But this is not a reason to shelve communication with Cheng Kaiyuan; it still needs to be discussed.

He could completely file an application, attach the signature requirements of all leaders—would Cheng Kaiyuan dare not sign?

But there's no need; "solidly advancing a certain work" isn't just a set phrase or empty talk; think carefully, and you can definitely see the true meaning.

What Jing Yunong sees is the difference and collision in attitude between Li Xuewu and Li Huai De; in fact, in Li Xuewu's view, Li Huai De has no objection to him.

In communication with Cheng Kaiyuan, Old Li is even less likely to be petty, or to have paranoia that affects the overall situation.

What Old Li truly cares about is internal balance, whether Li Xuewu's contact with Cheng Kaiyuan will break this balance, or even cause instability in the situation where he is located.

This is what Peng Xiaoli doesn't understand—why Li Xuewu went to Gu Weijie to talk about foreign trade.

To talk about Cheng Kaiyuan, one must first talk about Gu Weijie.

Only when Gu Weijie's attitude is clear will Li Huai De determine that the evolution of the situation will not cause uncontrollable causality.

If you ask if Gu Weijie must be talked to, then should Xue Zhifu be talked to?

The answer is no, because Li Xuewu is not qualified.

Or rather, Old Li has no intention of letting him talk; he doesn't need to do this kind of useless work.

Rashly contacting Xue Zhifu with this attitude and business in this situation will only cause the internal balance to deviate.

Li Huai De, Jing Yunong, Gu Weijie, Dong Wenxue, plus Li Xuewu coordinating in the game—the determination of this relationship network gives Old Li the qualification to ignore the feelings of others.

Never expect a management team to have business equality; that will only make work fall into endless suspicion and stumbling.

There is a sentence in the report Li Xuewu made at the beginning-of-the-year meeting, which is to take Li Huai De as the core of organizational management, unite... what does this mean?

Actually, Cheng Kaiyuan understands, and others understand too; those who don't understand can only say they haven't reached this position, haven't been in contact, so they can't think of it.

"Where did you get this stuff?"

Gu Weijie frowned slightly, looking at the bitter medicinal soup-like drink in the teacup; it was called coffee, but it was a bit different from what was sold in the mall.

She is also a woman with taste, naturally she will taste fresh things, especially coffee that has been popular for a long time.

It's sold in the mall, the Shanghai brand; she bought a can herself and hasn't finished drinking it yet.

At this moment, Li Xuewu came to find her, and what he was carrying was a can of this stuff.

He didn't call the secretary to make tea but brewed this stuff instead; she tasted a sip, and it was exceptionally bitter.

Li Xuewu didn't drink it; just watching Gu Weijie drink it made him feel bitter in his mouth.

"It's really good stuff, a friend gave it to me."

He pointed at the outer packaging without any logo and said: "Ordinary people can't buy it."

Gu Weijie actually understands his words; ordinary people mean they can't buy it in the mainland, meaning this stuff was brought in from outside.

She wouldn't accept Li Xuewu's favor; if she didn't know he still had some seriousness, she would have thought he was making her drink Chinese medicine.

"Please don't drink it blindly."

Li Xuewu said confidently: "He told me this stuff isn't cheap; outside, it's what millionaires drink."

"Go to hell! ~"

Gu Weijie pursed her lips and didn't believe his nonsense, but in her heart, she still had a little change in view of this coffee.

Maybe it's not what millionaires drink, but it must have considerable value; after the bitterness in her mouth, there was still a bit of aftertaste.

Li Xuewu's mouth is not one to let go; seeing she didn't care, he smiled again and said: "You don't believe it, but foreign demand for coffee is particularly large; it's especially useful for work improvement."

"Also, in order to pursue different tastes and flavors, they will also improve coffee."

While gesturing for Gu Weijie to continue tasting, he said: "I heard that abroad there is a kind of civet coffee, which is particularly precious."

"What stuff?"

Gu Weijie suspected something was wrong with her ears; at this moment, she looked at the cup in her hand and suddenly felt a bit disgusted!

"Hey! Don't worry, this isn't it!"

Li Xuewu teased her with amusement and said: "I couldn't afford to give you that kind."

"Are you doing this on purpose?!"

Gu Weijie glared at him and moved the cup by her hand away; she really didn't want to drink it anymore.

Li Xuewu shook his head and said seriously: "A kind of cat, after eating coffee beans, the civet poop produced has a unique flavor..."

"Enough! Say what you have to say!"

Gu Weijie raised her hand to stop his words and said very doubtfully: "No need to disgust me."

"You misunderstood."

Li Xuewu looked at her, curled his lips, smiled again, and said: "Wait until I find someone to get some for you to taste, and you'll know."

"Why don't you drink it yourself?"

Gu Weijie only then realized that Li Xuewu hadn't brewed this.

She pointed at her cup and asked with a frown: "This wouldn't really be that civet poop you were talking about, right?"

She knew Li Xuewu too well; this brat could absolutely do such a bad thing.

Li Xuewu didn't explain but took her cup and drank a sip directly.

"How is it?"

"You used my cup."

Gu Weijie didn't answer his counter-question but glared at him.

"I actually like drinking it, but my dad won't let me."

Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders and explained with amusement: "It's been like this since I was a child; cold things can't be eaten, hot things can't be eaten, urgent things can't be eaten, special things can't be eaten..."

He pointed at the coffee and said: "My dad said the efficacy of this stuff clearly has a causal relationship."

"To solve the fruit of the spirit, one must sacrifice the cause of the body; otherwise, this effect cannot be achieved."

After explaining, he said pointedly: "My dad advised me to drink more tea; although tea won't refresh the spirit quickly, and the effect won't even be very obvious, the effect is more gentle and beneficial to health."

Gu Weijie heard the implication in his words, but didn't recover directly, instead teasing: "Your dad wants you to live to a hundred."

"Whose dad doesn't think so?"

Li Xuewu looked at her with amusement and said: "There's no father who says his son living to 70 is enough."

"You really can talk nonsense."

Gu Weijie scolded him, then pointed at the can of coffee and said: "You take it back; I won't drink it. I'll learn from you and also maintain my health."

"Maintaining health is naturally a good thing, but taste cannot be missing, right?"

Li Xuewu smiled, pressed on the coffee can, pushed it over, and said: "Entertaining friends, or tasting it once in a while doesn't matter."

He smiled, blinked, and said: "At that time, you can also tell them the story of civet coffee."

"Just be mean!"

Gu Weijie curled her lips and glared at him; she knew this matter was fabricated by him to deliberately disgust her.

After finishing with him, she narrowed her eyes and sized up Li Xuewu for a while before asking: "Aren't you tired?"

After asking this, without waiting for Li Xuewu to answer, she shook her head slightly and said: "You're still so young, and I'm tired just looking at you."

"Otherwise, why would people say 'understanding is long live'?"

Li Xuewu let out a sigh and said: "If I had a choice, I would rather not have progressed at the beginning; actually, being a security officer was quite good."

"..."

Gu Weijie knew she couldn't talk to him about serious things; once she talked about serious things, he would start being unserious.

Listen to what he said—is this human talk?

It's just that he progressed and then regretted it; how would those below think?

Gu Weijie felt that such a person should have his mouth sewn shut and only opened when needed.

Li Xuewu looked at her with amusement and said: "Don't be so serious; you absolutely wouldn't think like me, right?"

"What do you want to say?"

Gu Weijie narrowed her eyes and looked at him; she had dodged this topic three times today, and he had circled it back every time.

Talk about coffee flavor, and he can get to the work situation, implying her relationship with Li Huai De.

Say you don't want coffee, and he gets to the relationship and work gains and losses.

Say his work is hard, and he can circle to her need and attitude toward Li Huai De and the current situation.

This kid's skill is all in this mouth; he's really hard to dodge and hard to provoke.

So she showed her cards, stopped playing, and asked Li Xuewu directly what he wanted to do.

Li Xuewu looked at her seriously and said: "On the contrary, I want to ask you what you want to say."

"..."

Gu Weijie looked at him for a long time, then frowned and said: "Do you think I'm very dangerous, or have I already restricted..."

"No! This is your illusion."

Li Xuewu said affirmatively: "Your danger isn't important to me, but to the Rolling Mill, to the management structure, it is a stable cornerstone."

"You speak nicely."

Gu Weijie said to Li Xuewu in a slightly mocking tone: "Only today did you tell the truth; you have always used me to restrict Li Huai De, always stuck at the contradiction point between us, right?"

"You misunderstood."

How could Li Xuewu admit this? He said very innocently: "Could it be that in your heart, I am just an insidious and cunning villain?" ===== CHAPTER 1018 =====