Chapter 1039: Everyone Wears a Smiling Face

"Don't try to fool me! You call this technology introduction?"

Xia Xia Zhongquan propped his hands against his lower back, sizing up the luxury coach before him, and said, "Didn't you say it was just the chassis?"

He puckered his lips at Li Li Xuewu beside him and said, "Got swindled, didn't you? That's what I told you!"

"When you drift through the jianghu, how can you avoid getting cut?"

Li Li Xuewu waved his hand quite helplessly, signaling the driver to open the door, and said, "They said if we wanted the chassis, we'd have to buy it in the Netherlands."

"What else could I do?"

He stepped onto the threshold at the doorway with a smile and said, "The purchase price of this single vehicle is enough to buy five of them domestically, damn it."

"That's why I said you got swindled!"

Xia Xia Zhongquan followed Li Li Xuewu onto the coach, starting his inspection from the driver's cabin and walking inward, stopping occasionally to look.

Li Li Xuewu remained standing at the entrance, holding the back of a seat and nodding as he said, "Put aside whether it's a swindle or not; first give me the bottom line: if we take this thing apart, will we be able to reassemble it?"

"If it can be taken apart, it can be built; if it can be disassembled, it can be installed."

Xia Xia Zhongquan said jokingly, "At most, there'll be a few extra parts left on the floor after assembly; no problem."

"Then I'm relieved—!"

Li Li Xuewu said in an ill temper, "In the future, this vehicle will mostly be used for leaders' travel inspections and receiving important guests."

He pointed at the other man and said, "In a moment, I'll report your words exactly as they are to Director Li; anyway, I won't be riding in this vehicle myself from now on."

"Heh heh heh, you never suffer a loss; even when you do, you make it up from us!"

Xia Xia Zhongquan chuckled lightly, glanced back at him, and plopped down onto a seat to test it out.

"Mm—quite comfortable, just a bit too upright; not suitable for working."

Sitting just like that, he asked Li Li Xuewu, "Excluding the driver's seat, there are 46 seats; how many should we keep?"

"Let's design it with a 7+3+4 layout."

Li Li Xuewu's meaning was simple: seven seats for main leaders, three for the Office Director plus the secretaries of the first and second-in-command, and four for the highest-level escorts.

This layout could also be adjusted flexibly; turned around, it could accommodate three factory leaders escorting anywhere from seven to eleven main leaders inspecting work, with the other four serving as accompanying staff and spare capacity.

Converting a 46-seat passenger coach into a 14-seat vehicle would fully satisfy the business needs Li Li Xuewu had proposed.

"Payload of seven tons... mm, we can try it."

Xia Xia Zhongquan bounced his leg while sitting in the rear seat, gauging the dimensions inside the carriage and calculating aloud, "But this vehicle is a bit too large."

"That's exactly why I say you shouldn't call me a loss."

Li Li Xuewu walked over and sat diagonally opposite him, twisting his body as he gestured and said, "Modification is one aspect, but scaling down the proportions and then replicating it is the core objective."

He pinched his hands together to illustrate and said, "A ten-meter-long body is certainly large, but what if we could reduce it to seven meters?"

"Do you take me for a magician? Whatever length you want, I can conjure up for you?"

Xia Xia Zhongquan glanced at him, then patted the back of the front seat and said, "If we're going to completely disassemble it for careful study, the progress of this modification will have to wait a while."

"No problem; the leaders can wait."

Li Li Xuewu straightened the overcoat beneath him, smiled, and said, "Consider this an attempt at a new type of reception transport; its frequency of use will absolutely not be high."

"Then why go to all this trouble?"

Xia Xia Zhongquan raised an eyebrow and said, "Importing it from so far away; do you know how much foreign exchange this must have cost?"

"This thing is like the medicine in your pocket."

Li Li Xuewu pointed at Xia Xia Zhongquan, smiled, and said, "You may not need to use it, but it must exist; understand?"

"Hah—! Is it more important than heart-rescue pills? I really am..."

Xia Xia Zhongquan took a deep breath, then gazed at the coach with a melancholy expression.

Li Li Xuewu glanced at him, then patiently explained, "Coaches are different from motorcycles and jeeps; the market is small and the requirements are high, so I can't bring in a production line for you."

"Even introducing core technologies and production equipment is impossible; their value is many times higher than that of automobiles."

"It's precisely because the market is small; I understand."

Xia Xia Zhongquan rubbed his fingers together, calculating in his mind while asking, "Tell me the truth: what is your actual thinking regarding this passenger coach?"

He frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes as he said, "If production is only for internal factory use or a small quantity needed, wouldn't direct procurement be more appropriate?"

"Two directions, both niche markets."

Li Li Xuewu held up two fingers to illustrate and said, "One is the small 7-to-9-person passenger coach we've already discussed, and the other is the 12-person official coach."

"As for the small passenger coach, needless to say, I've seen the Vehicle Research Institute's design; the approach is sound, so we just need to continue experimenting."

"It is currently a niche market, but as the nation improves its road traffic infrastructure, it will sooner or later intervene between sedans and large buses, filling the gap in the short-distance small-passenger transport market."

"Regarding the official coach, our project planning document has already marked it clearly: it is not intended for high volume."

Li Li Xuewu patted the seat back to emphasize, "Every official coach sold represents recognition of a unit's transformation in reception formats."

"Even if I don't say it, you should know what this implies and what it represents."

With only Li Li Xuewu and one other person on the bus, speaking was naturally much more convenient, while outside, some designers and technicians were inspecting the vehicle.

Li Li Xuewu stood up, raised his hand, and gestured inside the carriage as he said, "Here we need a convertible office desk capable of hosting emergency meetings for six people, and the privacy and safety of the window glass must be enhanced."

"Furthermore, a radio, television, walkie-talkie, telephone, air conditioner, restroom, water heater, and a simple kitchen are all mandatory."

He turned around and said to Xia Xia Zhongquan, who was frowning somewhat, "Director Li is a firm pathfinder of reform and a leader in ideological transformation."

"You certainly cannot drag down his rear legs!"

"I dragged down the leader's rear legs?"

Xia Xia Zhongquan looked at Li Li Xuewu suspiciously, observing his expression; he felt there were hidden meanings in those words.

Moreover, since when had Director Li become a vanguard of reform and an activist for ideological progress?

In the past, Director Li was firmly conservative...

Forget it; talking like this is meaningless. Director Li has changed; who knows when it happened.

Xia Xia Zhongquan pondered Li Li Xuewu's words while calculating what this car could accommodate and how to fit in the items Li Li Xuewu had requested.

Setting other matters aside, how should the restroom be arranged? An official car with a toilet is more impressive than a train carriage.

Li Li Xuewu read the difficulty and surprise on his face, smiled, and comforted him: "Be content; I didn't even say to put a bed in the car."

"You're dreaming. A bed?"

Xia Xia Zhongquan stood up and said grumpily, "Leaders are always up at dawn and asleep at dusk, diligent in their work; where would they find time to rest?"

"Hey! I won't accept any rebuttal to that!"

He pointed at Li Li Xuewu and reminded him, "You all wrote that in the newspapers!"

Li Li Xuewu laughed and said, "Do you believe what's written in the newspapers?"

Li Xue's desk was in Deputy Director Jing's office, but due to work requirements, she came to the Second Office of the Commission frequently.

Sister Zhou, who handled financial coordination, got along very well with her; after all, knowing Li Xue's identity and background, she had to get along well whether she wanted to or not.

In finance, just think about it: seven out of ten have opportunistic personalities, and the remaining three are the type who speak human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts.

How could someone who can't speak or handle affairs do finance? Don't make me laugh.

"Hey, Li Xue, has the leader finished?"

"There was a meeting this morning. Are the materials out, Sister Zhou?"

Seeing Li Xue enter the room, Sister Zhou greeted her first, but her words included the title "leader."

This was concern for the leader and also concern for Li Xue's work; it seemed casual but was actually a hook, or an opening, for interaction and conversation in the government office.

As for practical effect, it was nothing more than asking a question, receiving an answer, and testing Li Xue's and the leader's moods.

If you say this is complicated, it actually isn't; the meaning is basically laid out on the surface, and there are even more complex things.

Look at Li Xue's answer: she didn't directly mention the word "leader," nor did she specify the name of the leader she served; she just mentioned one thing.

"There was a meeting this morning." Everyone was on the third floor; who wouldn't know there was a meeting this morning?

As the supervising leader, Deputy Director Jing's requirement to attend the meeting was marked on the notice board on the first floor; who wouldn't know?

Yet Li Xue said it just like that; it seemed like nonsense, but in reality, it contained both question and answer, reality within illusion, and illusion within reality.

This is a large office with many people and many mouths; one wrong word and rumors would spread, and people would seize upon your mistakes.

Sister Zhou wanted to ask Li Xue about the leader's dynamics and state, caring whether there was any emotional risk in reporting work or handling business at this time.

Li Xue was familiar with her; even if she wanted to tell her, she wouldn't say it openly.

But as long as the tacit understanding was sufficient, relevant information could be understood within normal conversation.

Li Xue was a secretary; she couldn't reveal too much leader information to the other party; a little bit was enough.

The leader just finished a meeting and definitely has matters in hand; now I'm asking you about the materials, so he must be busy.

Who would go looking for trouble with the leader at this moment? That would be asking for suffering.

"From this morning, take a look."

Sister Zhou understood, smiled affectionately at Li Xue, and emphasized a point specifically during the handover.

Li Xue saw her palm pat the surface of the materials and knew exactly what she was emphasizing for her to look at.

Working in the government office isn't just one or two days; one must know what to say and what to listen to.

Li Xue nodded slightly and casually flipped through a few documents; even when she saw the document Sister Zhou emphasized, her expression didn't change much.

You think the secretaries and clerks around are busy with their own affairs, but actually, if you just twitch your lips at this moment, they can invent ten versions of stories in their hearts.

So, maintain composure and calmness; it's best to look at documents with a blank expression or no fluctuation at all, otherwise, you can't hide anything even if something happens.

Don't doubt these people's curiosity; even if you carefully throw a used tissue into the trash can, they want to pick it up and take a look.

It's not necessarily that they want to trap or harm you, but they fear you might trap or harm them; even having a little secret makes them uncomfortable if they can't guard against it.

Glancing over the materials, Li Xue nodded impassively and said to Sister Zhou with a smile: "Got it, I'll take it to show the leader; you carry on."

Saying this, she turned and walked out, not knowing how many pairs of eyes glanced at her back.

Sister Zhou was a veteran of the government office; looking down at the documents, she knew with a glance how many people were staring in this direction.

"Ahem—ahem!"

She deliberately coughed to remind these people not to go too far; setting aside Li Xue's background, even as Deputy Director Jing's secretary, she wasn't something they could casually slander.

Someone was startled, looked back at her, sneered, and thought in their heart that she had climbed to a high branch, but also that she was regressing in life.

Having mixed in the government office for so many years, in the end, one still has to build a good relationship with a little girl.

Even at this moment, one still has to actively maintain the other party and flaunt one's own connections; it's utterly ridiculous.

There were also those who were envious; when Li Xue, that little girl, was interning in the First Office, they had inquired and discussed, concluding that one should neither provoke nor rush toward her.

They were all senior veterans; they couldn't possibly be stepping stones for the younger generation.

But look at now; she is already the leader's secretary, and this year she might solve the clerk-level treatment; in two years, she will be a deputy section chief clerk; are you envious?

Envy is useless; this is post-matching rank, an unwritten rule.

As for borrowing strength, if relationships are handled well, it can indeed make work much more convenient and provide some help at critical moments of advancement.

Even if the help isn't much, one sentence from her is worth you working for half a year; are you angry?

Anger is useless; interpersonal relationships in the government office are too complex; it's not that you can become good friends just by wanting to actively make connections.

The opportunity is very important; with so many people in the First Office, how did Peng Peng Xiaoli manage to borrow strength?

"Comrade Li Xue is seventeen this year; when I was seventeen, I had just entered the factory."

An old comrade, searching for something to say, flipped through the materials and said, "The young people nowadays are much more impressive than we were back then; they have thought, they have awareness, and they are capable in both literature and martial arts."

"Sister Yang, when was your time, and what time is it now!"

The young man sitting opposite her joked with a smile, "When you started working, we were starting a business; now we are maintaining it. The leaders' thoughts are different, and the young people's thoughts are even more different!"

"You certainly know how to speak; just keep learning; you can't always stay in the same place."

Sister Yang said with hidden meaning, "Thought is learned, and knowledge must be applied to the right place; you should also learn from Comrade Li Xue and strive for progress."

"Ho—! You really think highly of me."

The young man glanced around the office; everyone else kept their eyes fixed on the work in their hands, yet their ears were all pricked up.

Being young and bold, he spoke with no lack of complaint in his tone: "Wait until I get home and ask my mother if she ever lost an older brother who became a leader."

"Hehe—"

A burst of soft laughter immediately erupted in the office; it was unclear whether they were laughing at the young man or at Li Xue.

"Cough-cough—ahem—"

Sister Zhou coughed once, her eyelids drooping as she rummaged through the documents in her hand, and remarked casually: "When a person's heart isn't set straight, the words they speak are crooked too, merely inviting ridicule."

"Oh! Sister Zhou, I wasn't talking about you!"

That young man was not easy to deal with either; he shot back at once: "Don't tell me you're also looking for an older brother who's a leader?"

"Oh! Right, you're already over thirty."

The young man nodded with feigned understanding and said: "Finding an older brother is difficult, but finding a younger sister who's a leader should be easy, right!"

"Hehe—"

The atmosphere in the office instantly grew tense, carrying more than a hint of swords drawn and bows bent.

However, having worked together for many years, they all knew each other well.

Trading barbs was a common occurrence; when working in the same room, how could there not be some verbal clashes?

So seeing them spar with words, everyone else just listened for the entertainment without letting it interfere with their work.

Only Sister Yang, who had started the conversation, waved her hand at the young man opposite her, blinking her eyes to signal him to stop speaking.

"I don't like hearing talk like that; since when did doing work become about climbing social ladders through connections?"

Without even lifting her head, Sister Zhou spoke slowly and deliberately: "During the organizational assessment, I didn't hear you mention this point; have you forgotten?"

"Sister Yang is right; ideology is learned, work is done; if you want to advance, think less about unorthodox shortcuts—'older brother,' huh—"

She curled her lip and said: "If you have grievances against anyone, I think you should bring them forward proactively; our organization is quite transparent, after all."

Thump—

She slammed the documents in her hand onto the desk, as if straightening them out, yet her tone turned serious: "Speaking ill of others behind their backs is not good."

"Alright—alright!"

Seeing things turning sour, Big Sister Yang realized that if this fire ignited, she probably wouldn't escape unscathed either.

She quickly intervened with words to separate the two, gave the grim-faced young man a meaningful glance, and added hastily: "Hey~ I just got carried away by the flow of conversation."

Smiling, she turned to Sister Zhou and added: "It just reminded me of myself; seventeen years old, what a wonderful time of youth that was."

"I understand what Big Sister Yang is saying; who hasn't been seventeen? Everyone longs for youth."

Sister Zhou had a sharp tongue; now, with a slight shift of her thin lips, she changed direction: "Sometimes I also wonder how much better it would have been if I had made fewer mistakes when I was young, how many detours I could have avoided."

Suddenly lifting her head, she looked at Big Sister Yang and said: "That's why I reflect on the past; one can be young in emotions, forever seventeen in mindset, but one cannot let one's mental maturity remain stuck at seventeen."

"Right, Big Sister Yang?"

"Uh—yes, yes, well said."

Big Sister Yang glanced at her somewhat awkwardly, then lowered her head to organize the documents in her hand, saying: "Eh? Where did I put my materials?"

Sister Zhou glanced at Big Sister Yang, who was changing the subject, and at the young man, Little Liu, who was being used like a fool.

As for the others, there was no need to look; the uncontrollable mocking smiles on their corners of their mouths were the most basic trait they retained for enjoying the spectacle.

Li Xue had just left her spot, and already gossip had arisen here; if this drifted out and reached the ears of the leaders or Li Li Xuewu, what would she become in their eyes?

It wasn't that she was currying favor because Li Xue was now serving as a secretary to a leader; she wouldn't have gone to such lengths otherwise.

It was simply that this office always harbored some unhealthy trends; in work, they were hidden within the text where one could see them, and when spoken, they could be felt once they entered one's ears.

Because members of the Security and Supervision Group frequently came to inspect work conditions, idle chitchat and nonsense here had become rare.

Yet there were always things that had to be said; otherwise, it seemed they would be stifled to death.

The point was, as long as they weren't chattering noisily, when the supervisors arrived, they couldn't determine whether the staff were idling or working.

She had deliberately raised her voice while refuting the two, serving both as a warning and a form of passive dissemination.

Since someone had built a ladder for her to perform on, she naturally intended to do Li Xue a favor.

A benefit gained without cost; there are plenty of fools.

Li Xue had stood at the office doorway for over a minute, having heard roughly the gist of the conversation inside.

Passersby in the corridor saw her with her head down, flipping through documents, and didn't greet her, yet they could all guess what she was doing.

The atmosphere in this government office had been rectified by the Security and Supervision Department together with Personnel; while it wasn't quite a state of panic, people had to watch their mouths.

Yet there were always those who dared to offend against the wind; just look, passersby who overheard the words from inside the office, then looked at Li Xue standing at the door searching for materials, felt their hearts pounding.

Do you really think this Miss is easy to fool just because she hasn't been working long? Sooner or later, you'll suffer greatly for it.

Witnessing such a situation, they also reflected on themselves, realizing that from now on they must keep their mouths shut; who knew, while they were speaking, someone might be listening right behind them.

"Leader, here is the application requiring your review."

With no further sound coming from the office, Li Xue then returned to Deputy Director Xiang's office.

She displayed no emotional reaction or attitude regarding the conversation she had just overheard, handling her work very naturally.

If one were to haggle over every matter and emphasize every word, there would be no point in working at all.

She herself was well aware that, having received her Second Brother's reminder earlier, working at the Rolling Steel Factory would inevitably mean being affected by his influence.

Even if she achieved results, people would claim it was due to her Second Brother's help or his interference.

Only when beside the leader did such gossip cease, after all, the work of a secretary did not require Li Li Xuewu's assistance.

Yet the role of a secretary was itself a whirlpool; she could never escape being criticized.

This situation would likely accompany her work and life for quite some time, until she proved herself or became sufficiently mature.

Xiang Xiang Jingyu lowered his head to write several paragraphs of material before accepting the application she handed over.

"So much? Is this for reception expenses?"

"Yes, it was just handed over today."

Li Xue knew the leadership would have objections; having received Zhou Yan Jie's reminder, she had placed this expense audit application, submitted by the Commission Office with the Foreign Reception Office as the main body, at the very front.

"Deputy Director Xue and Deputy Director Li went to Tianmen yesterday to host guests from foreign affairs, foreign merchants, industry, foreign economic trade and cooperation, the Dongcheng Credit Cooperative, and the Tianmen Aquatic Products Company."

She only gave a basic introduction; the expenses and actual circumstances were all written in the application.

The expense application was drafted by Peng Peng Xiaoli in the name of the Reception Office, bearing the signatures of the supervising leader Li Li Xuewu and the factory leader Xue Xue Zhifu.

Actually, the signatures of just these two were sufficient for this expense application, besides which everyone had already known about this matter last Saturday.

Especially the group brought back early this morning by the large bus; there was quite a commotion.

"This exceeds the standard, doesn't it? Even with so many coordinating units and so many guests, it shouldn't require this much."

Xiang Xiang Jingyu frowned and said, "What did they even use? How did the fuel costs alone reach over two thousand?"

"I'm not entirely sure; it seems they went out to sea."

Even if Li Xue knew clearly, she could not be too explicit at this moment; how to enter the accounts and the explanatory notes were all on the application.

If there were matters inconvenient to speak of, which leaders also found inconvenient to ask about—the kind where everyone signs off tacitly to enter the accounts—once you explain, the leader might no longer be able to sign, and that would be troublesome.

Therefore, how to interpret the situation and how to introduce it, whether one is a secretary or the secretary managing the application, one must know the limits of what to say.

Xiang Xiang Jingyu set the application in her hand aside, her expression displeased as she said, "They even went out to sea? Was there no room for them on land?"

After speaking, she glanced at Li Xue and asked, "Where is Li Li Xuewu? Did he arrange this?"

Her asking this was not because she was certain Li Xue knew anything; it was more a form of thinking and judgment.

Before Li Xue could answer, her hand reached for the telephone, intending to call the Security Department to ask what exactly Li Li Xuewu's situation was.

Seeing her do this, Li Xue quickly replied, "Deputy Director Li should be conducting research at the Vehicle Research Institute; the imported buses have arrived, and Chief Engineer Xia has requested an on-site meeting, so there must be business to discuss."

"How is he so capable of making trouble?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu withdrew her hand from the telephone, pursed her lips, and looked again at the application beside her with some heartache.

Upon seeing that string of numbers, she drooped her eyelids and pushed it farther away with her hand, as if to say that out of sight meant out of mind.

She did not want to sign, because once she did, the factory's reception expenses would instantly decrease by a large chunk.

Originally, this year's fiscal budget was to be tightened, and reception expenses had already been cut by more than half; if they continued to waste money like Li Li Xuewu, the Rolling Steel Factory would have to close its doors to guests within half a year.

With no money for reception, what the hell? Is everyone coming here to drink the northwest wind!

Seeing Li Xue that she was unhappy and skipping over that application to begin auditing other documents, Li Xue understood the hint and picked up the telephone to dial out.

She was not calling Li Li Xuewu, but the call went through to the Security Department.

"Mm, this is Li Xue from the Commission Office; please connect me to Peng Peng Xiaoli's office in the Comprehensive Office of the Security Group."

The factory's internal telephone connected quickly; on the other end, it was Peng Peng Xiaoli who answered.

"There are some issues with the expense application you submitted; would it be convenient for you to come over?"

"... Yes, the leadership here wants to understand some of the circumstances, mm."

Knowing that Peng Peng Xiaoli had not followed Second Brother to the tertiary industry side today, and further knowing the leadership's intent, the call was therefore made to Peng Peng Xiaoli.

Although the applying entity was the Foreign Reception Office, the actual applicant was Peng Peng Xiaoli's side, so naturally, one had to find the right person responsible.

She might claim she was unclear, but her actions had to be clear and explicit; she could not allow the leadership to remain confused.

Even if she did not make this call, the leadership would ultimately approve this application; even if approved in parts, it would still be approved, after all, Li Li Xuewu was not the sole organizer of this reception.

But Deputy Director Jing's unhappiness was real; after all, such a large expenditure was submitted without either side giving prior notice, which was somewhat unacceptable.

This is how a secretary's work is; it requires coordination, and even more, it requires understanding the leadership's intent.

Li Xue was so, and Peng Peng Xiaoli was likewise.

Deputy Director Li's on-site meeting this morning was to study the buses and research several vehicle engineering projects at the factory; he did not need to follow along, as he had to prepare for the afternoon's work.

But while he was busy with his current tasks, this new job came up, and there was no choice but to come.

For some matters that leaders find inconvenient to explain personally, it falls to us secretaries to provide the explanation.

For reception expenses of several thousand yuan, it is impossible to truly expect Li Li Xuewu to come here and explain in person.

This is official reception, not a personal reception application by Li Li Xuewu; there is no necessity for him to come.

Furthermore, if Li Li Xuewu were to come and explain, who knows what idle gossip might spread.

It would either mean there are problems with the expenses applied for by the Foreign Reception Office, or that Deputy Director Jing and Li Li Xuewu have developed a conflict.

When Peng Peng Xiaoli entered, Li Xue greeted him normally, but her eyes had already conveyed all the necessary reminders.

Seeing that he understood, Li Xue began her introduction: "This application was just received from the Commission Office; the leadership wants to understand the usage of the expenses."

"Greetings, Deputy Director Jing."

Peng Peng Xiaoli first offered a greeting; seeing the leader respond with a lowered head, he knew she was dissatisfied.

However, he was an old hand at this; he responded with great ease, did not take the application Li Xue indicated, and instead stood before the office desk.

"My apologies, Leader; the finance department is busy at the end of the month, and we feared it would be too late to enter the accounts, so the timing was a bit tight."

After first explaining the timing situation regarding the application, he then circled around to introduce the matter: "On Saturday, we received a call from Deputy General Manager Zhang of the Tianmen Aquatic Products Company, saying he wanted to arrange a negotiation meeting with our factory leadership."

"Deputy Director Li and Deputy Director Xue had already arranged to meet Parker, the representative of the British merchants, and Director Bao of the Dongcheng Credit Cooperative also intended to visit; since the times collided, we all went to Tianmen together."

"It just so happened that Deputy General Manager Zhang coordinated a sea vessel to go out to sea, and the Italian merchant Andrew voluntarily lent the ship, which is how this came about."

With the reception itinerary and main reasons for these past two days explained by him in this manner, it seemed plausible, yet also seemed not quite so.

Many things just coincided; there was not a shred of human manipulation, nor any intention of actively enjoying oneself.

Just listen; isn't the meaning of Peng Peng Xiaoli's words that it was a stroke of luck, with the Italian merchant voluntarily lending the ship?

Seeing Deputy Director Jing raise her head, Peng Peng Xiaoli knew it was time to get to the main point and explained seriously: "At the time, it was decided that Deputy General Manager Zhang would be responsible for all reception expenses; when we went, we had no intention of applying to reimburse this portion of the costs."

"But then, things went awry later on."

Peng Peng Xiaoli spoke with deliberate difficulty: "The purpose of the Tianmen Aquatic Products Company handling this reception was mainly for negotiations regarding the seafood distribution project, with an annual trade volume of only several hundred thousand."

"But Deputy Director Xue and Deputy Director Li took the British merchants along; Director Bao, upon hearing this, also wanted to go, and several leaders in the ministry are very concerned about our project."

"These dozen-plus people, plus our accompanying staff, far exceeded the predetermined number of guests Tianjin Aquatic Products planned to receive, not to mention..."

He grinned slightly and said casually, "We secured a foreign trade and investment agreement worth twenty-five million on this side; Deputy Director Li just felt too embarrassed about it, so..."

"Wait a moment!"

He had been rambling on for quite some time, and Xiang Xiang Jingyu had long grown somewhat impatient.

But just as she forced herself to keep listening, a number suddenly drifted past her ears.

She worked in economics and managed finances at the Rolling Steel Factory, making her exceptionally sensitive to numbers.

Seeing Peng Peng Xiaoli about to continue his verbosity, she quickly tapped him with the pencil in her hand and asked, "What did you just say?"

"Oh, oh, I meant..."

Peng Peng Xiaoli blinked his eyes and said, "At that time, Vice General Manager Zhang was responsible for all reception duties..."

"I didn't ask you about that!"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu sat up straight, threw down the pencil in her hand, glared at him, and said, "You just said the foreign trade volume reached how much?"

"Twenty-five million!"

Peng Peng Xiaoli asked very casually, "Leader, is there a problem with this?"

"US dollars? Or British pounds?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu looked at him with expectation in her eyes; even being one of those two would be good.

Peng Peng Xiaoli, however, helplessly spread his hands and said, "Neither; it's domestic investment."

In his heart, he muttered that Deputy Director Xiang was truly ruthless; twenty-five million was already impressive enough, yet she wanted US dollars, wanted British pounds!

This was his inner criticism; on his face, he continued to explain seriously, "This includes a ten-million investment from the Dongcheng Credit Cooperative into the automotive industry, while the remaining fifteen million consists of mixed procurement and technical cooperation investments represented by the British merchants."

"Is that so—"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu sized up Peng Peng Xiaoli, then casually pulled the application form back to take another look.

Just as Li Xue pursed her lips and glared at Peng Peng Xiaoli, while Peng Peng Xiaoli made a funny face and winked at her...

Deputy Director Xiang picked up her fountain pen, signed an opinion on the application, and asked while doing so, "What did you do out at sea? Was the yacht fun?"

"Ah? Oh—no fun, not fun at all."

Peng Peng Xiaoli was stunned by the leader's question, then forced a dry laugh and said, "Just fishing, eating seafood, playing cards; even watching them made me feel exhausted."

"Can having fun make you tired?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu pushed the signed application outward, lifted the teacup beside her, took a sip, and thereby concealed her slight loss of composure just now.

Peng Peng Xiaoli smilingly accepted the application and said, "You still don't know Deputy Director Xue and Deputy Director Li; they would sooner transform into pirates and hijack that entire boatload of people."

He shook the application in his hand, wearing an expression of heartache, and said, "If it were me spending so much money on entertaining guests, I simply couldn't bear it."

"So you also couldn't secure orders worth twenty-five million, isn't that right?"

While setting down her teacup, Xiang Xiang Jingyu affirmed, "The factory's reception funds are tight; good steel must be used on the cutting edge."

She gestured toward the application in Peng Peng Xiaoli's hand and said, "If every reception expense application could achieve results like this time, I would sign no matter who brought it."

"You truly understand; I've also heard about the financial difficulties."

Having already obtained the application, Peng Peng Xiaoli naturally followed the leader's lead and said, "When Deputy Director Li saw the expense list, he also grinned in heartache and couldn't sleep for half the night."

"He even discussed with Deputy Director Xue that this sum was truly too large; it would be improper for us to negotiate cooperation yet have Tianjin Aquatic Products write it off."

"Mm, that's proper; Deputy Director Li considered it very thoroughly; these funds indeed must come from us."

Xiang Xiang Jingyu tidied up the documents and fountain pen in her hand and said, "Do not feel heartache over proper reception expenses; calling you here was not to withhold approval."

"Exchanging over four thousand for twenty-five million; I can still distinguish which is which."

"Yes, thank you for your understanding."

Seeing that she intended to offer tea to signal his departure, Peng Peng Xiaoli promptly reined in his speech.

On this side, Li Xue suddenly criticized, "For writing off such a large sum of reception expenses, you didn't even think to come over once; did we have to call you on the phone?"

Just as Peng Peng Xiaoli forced a dry laugh and waved his hand saying it wasn't so, she glared at him again and said, "Even if you were busy, couldn't you attach a detailed explanatory note?"

"How do you do your work?!"

"I apologize, Leader; it was my oversight; I was careless."

Peng Peng Xiaoli knew Li Xue was helping him, so he hurriedly apologized: "After returning this morning, I immediately got busy; I was also..."

"Enough; I wasn't really criticizing you; everyone is busy on Mondays."

Deputy Director Xiang's attitude was quite gentle; unlike Li Xue, she did not "make an issue" of it; she smiled, nodded at him, and signaled that he could leave.

"This person, really!"

After seeing Peng Peng Xiaoli out and returning, Li Xue could not help but complain once more, as if she truly held grievances against his carelessness and oversight.

Xiang Xiang Jingyu, however, paid no heed and shook her head, continuing to review the documents in her hand, while saying orally, "Li Li Xuewu is most capable of leading people; he will be a skilled hand in business affairs in the future as well."

"Him? He's like a frantic hare—"

Li Xue was full of schemes; though her words might appear slightly immature, she lacked none of the necessary shrewdness.

Hearing the leader's praise, she knew Deputy Director Xiang was pleased because of the investment secured by her second brother.

However, while the leader could be happy, she could not follow along with the praise; she had to speak contrary to it.

She could not speak against her second brother, since he was a leader; thus, she could only speak about his secretary, Peng Peng Xiaoli.

"I haven't seen any point demonstrating business capability; he can't even handle such a small matter properly."

"Enough; let us understand each other; they didn't rest all weekend, running around frantically."

Xiang Xiang Jingyu spoke a word in defense of Peng Peng Xiaoli, yet a glint of amusement in her eyes flashed and vanished instantly.

She was praising Li Li Xuewu for being able to lead people and teach them; not speaking of those excellent cadres brought up by the Security Division, even his two successive secretaries were capable.

By speaking of Li Li Xuewu, she was also speaking of herself, and speaking of Li Xue.

Wasn't Li Xue the secretary she was currently mentoring? Peng Peng Xiaoli was full of schemes, and Li Xue was no less cunning.

From their earlier conversation, how could she not detect that Peng Peng Xiaoli had done it on purpose, and that Li Xue's reaction had sided with him?

See through it but don't say it; one must still act the part convincingly.

For a leader, as long as nothing is put in writing, what they say and what they think are actually impossible for you to guess.

"Let's find an opportunity later to discuss a major project, get Comrade Li Li Xuewu to take us on a yacht trip for fishing and seafood."

"Forget it; I certainly don't want to go out with him."

Li Xue pressed her lips together and said, "He's just a workaholic; didn't you hear Peng Peng Xiaoli say that just watching him makes one feel tired?"

"Hehe, do you actually believe what he says?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu looked at her with amusement and said, "What if he was lying? They went off to enjoy themselves at sea, so naturally they would claim to be tired upon returning."

"Not necessarily; based on my understanding of my second brother, Peng Peng Xiaoli's account wouldn't be much of an exaggeration."

Li Xue naturally had to defend her second brother, but she spoke indirectly: "I just can't connect with him; when he talks about east, he actually means west—it's all tactics."

"Hehehe—"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu chuckled softly, glanced at Li Xue whose face displayed innocence, and thought to herself that no little white rabbit could ever escape from a den of foxes.

At the afternoon economic and trade office meeting, Li Li Xuewu and Xue Xue Zhifu both submitted detailed reports to the assembly regarding this temporary reception duty.

This version differed from the one reported to Li Li Huai De; this time it was for the formal meeting and required official minutes.

It did not matter how leaders privately learned of their hard work, but the meeting minutes could not contain words like fishing, drinking, playing cards, or eating seafood.

Going out to sea was going out to sea, but it could be described as an official inspection; reception was reception, but it could be termed a foreign affairs activity.

As long as the work was done and results achieved, no one would nitpick over the process.

With twenty-five million in cooperation and investment slammed onto the conference table, everyone wore smiling faces.

The meeting conducted detailed discussions and research regarding the further expansion and implementation of the low-cost sedan and motorcycle industries.

This allocated money was not meant to sit in accounts earning interest, but had to be spent as quickly as possible.

Cheng Kaiyuan proposed establishing a separate motorcycle production line to overcome core component production difficulties as soon as possible and strive to compress manufacturing costs.

Xiang Xiang Jingyu, on the other hand, proposed actively coordinating with the city's industrial automotive integration, and following the previous acquisition plan, to merge and acquire additional motorcycle manufacturing plants.

On one hand, this was for accumulating skilled technical workers; on the other, it was for acquiring land, as she saw business opportunities within this.

Li Li Huai De synthesized everyone's opinions, and after discussion, it was decided to establish advanced production lines for the motorcycle industry while simultaneously launching a plan for motorcycle enterprise mergers and acquisitions.