Chapter 1057: Don't Come Find Me Again

"Hey—! It really is you, Li Ge!"

After Zhao Xia entered the room and saw that the leader sitting behind the office desk was Li Xuewu, his spirit immediately became different. An acquaintance!

He lost the timidity and restraint he had just had from being scared by security, and greeted Li Xuewu with a smile, appearing very enthusiastic.

But only he was laughing in the room, and as he laughed, he also realized something was wrong.

The security guard who brought them over and had scared them poked him with a stick, warning him to be honest.

This again froze Zhao Xia, his facial expression extremely stiff, standing there neither laughing nor crying.

Would the security here beat people?

Nie Xiaoguang, however, knew who he was brought here to see, or rather, knew who wanted to see him.

He had dealt with Li Xuewu, but this time there was no ease and casualness of the previous few times, even though it was the same office and the same person.

The secretary in the room wasn't looking at them with good eyes, and that sense of disgust could be felt even from several meters away.

Li Xuewu waved his hand at Peng Xiaoli, signaling him to get busy, and at the same time stood up and beckoned to the two people at the door, signaling them to come over to the sofa and sit down.

Peng Xiaoli had vaguely heard what Deputy Director Ao said earlier and knew what Nie Xiaoguang was here for.

He wasn't disgusted by anything else about Nie Xiaoguang; it was just this reckless personality that not only brought burdens and trouble to others but also pitted his father.

Deputy Factory Director Nie wasn't a bad person, except for his bad temper, and he had never been harsh to others.

Even if he felt sorry for his own kind, Peng Xiaoli looked at the pit-father goods without knowing it, standing there full of resentment and dissatisfaction, only feeling disgusted.

Listening to the leader's arrangement, he silently placed two cups of hot water on the coffee table for the two of them, and then left without even looking at them.

Perhaps noticing the secretary's disgust, both Nie Xiaoguang and Zhao Xia, who had come to stand for him, were silent.

Li Xuewu sized the two up, raised his hand to signal the teacup, and said, "Drink some water. I heard you've been standing at the door for a while?"

Zhao Xia withdrew his gaze from looking around and looked at Li Xuewu. He wanted to speak, but was stuck by the oppressive atmosphere of the office.

Finally, he looked at Nie Xiaoguang.

Nie Xiaoguang was silent for a long time after entering the room, then looked up at Li Xuewu and asked, "Who exactly is in charge of my father?"

"How about that? Can't you talk to me?"

Li Xuewu looked at him, picked up the teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "Have you gone to Yingcheng to visit your father recently?"

"Just because I went to see him, I came to find Li Huai De. Did he push the matter to you?"

Nie Xiaoguang stiffened his neck and stared, full of resentment, in a decadent and indignant state.

Li Xuewu put down the teacup and shook his head slightly, saying, "Director Li didn't call me. The security at the door reported to the duty room, and the secretary mentioned it to me."

He sized up Nie Xiaoguang, who already had blue beard, nodded slowly, and asked, "You know Xu Sinian, the director of the management committee of the Yingcheng Shipyard, right?"

"I know, I've met him before."

Nie Xiaoguang didn't know what Li Xuewu wanted to say, but he didn't dare to be wild with Li Xuewu, and even less dared to be reckless in the security office or in this office.

He dared to smash Li Huai De's car, but he didn't have the courage to face Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu didn't scold or curse when talking to him, but was completely calm and equal in status, and he really bought it.

"I talked to Director Xu on the phone a few days ago and asked about your father's situation. He said it was okay."

Li Xuewu folded his right leg, placed his hand on his knee, and nodded slowly, "He injured his hand because of work some time ago, and has been recuperating recently."

"His hand is already injured to the bone!"

Nie Xiaoguang said with some anger, "According to the steel mill's work-related injury management regulations, he should be able to enjoy the treatment of returning home to recuperate."

"But why?"

He stared into Li Xuewu's eyes and asked, "Why can't my father go home?"

"Hmm, I'm also considering this problem."

Li Xuewu frowned slightly, looked at him, and said, "You should have heard about my relationship with Deputy Factory Director Nie. It's not bad; we have a friendship."

"You can listen to what I say, take it as a reference. If you agree, believe it; if you don't agree, forget it."

Li Xuewu said frankly, "You should have known when you sent your father to Yingcheng. I don't know if your father explained it to you very thoroughly."

"But! You have to know that your father didn't go to Yingcheng to participate in labor and construction through the procedure of job transfer."

"His current status also cannot be compared to ordinary workers. I've said this principle, no need to debate, you should be able to understand."

"I don't understand—"

Nie Xiaoguang knew it clearly in his heart, but he still argued, "I don't know what my father's status in the steel mill is now?"

"Worker? Cadre? Temporary worker?"

He looked resentful and said, "Even temporary workers have the treatment of recuperation, right?"

"Hmm, I admit, you're right."

Li Xuewu nodded, pursed his lips, and said, "But it cannot be denied that your father is not in the three situations you mentioned. Do you understand?"

"A sinner? Or a prisoner?"

Nie Xiaoguang's eyes gradually became sharp, like a wolf cub that hadn't grown up, facing danger and only knowing how to expose teeth that weren't sharp.

Li Xuewu didn't care about his somewhat bad attitude; after all, this wasn't aimed at him.

He picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, paused for a minute, and then said, "It's meaningless to discuss what the status is now."

"What I want to tell you is, don't make trouble anymore."

Li Xuewu put down the teacup, looked at him seriously, and said, "You're not a child anymore. Your father is not at home, so you are the pillar of the family."

He pointed to his head and said, "Youth is not an excuse for impulse and recklessness, and it will not be a protective amulet. You will pay the price for this."

"You're not scaring me, are you?"

Nie Xiaoguang's stubbornness also came up, stiffening his neck and saying, "I thought you called me here to detain me. What about now?"

He stretched out his two hands, clenched them into fists, and gestured for Li Xuewu to put handcuffs on him.

Zhao Xia, sitting on the side, didn't expect Nie Xiaoguang's reaction to be so intense, especially facing Li Xuewu. Did he not know who Li Xuewu was?

Although Nie Xiaoguang was mixed up in the Dongcheng area, these reputations were nothing in Li Xuewu's place. At least he couldn't be so majestic as to send a bicycle to his younger brother.

But Li Xuewu could!

Li Xuecai was stuffed with a bicycle!

He looked at his good brother daring to be reckless with Li Xuewu, and his heart skipped a beat, wanting to know how to remind him.

You bastard, don't drag me down if you're looking for death. We agreed that I was here to cheer, not to be buried with you. It's not worth it to lose my life for a meal!

"Heh—"

Li Xuewu looked at the ruffian-like Nie Xiaoguang and shook his head slightly, saying lightly, "Where do you think this is? The security office pays attention to work procedures."

His tone was very casual, "Don't look for trouble for yourself, and don't look for trouble for your family. This is not a warning, nor is it a threat."

"Right? Zhao Xia."

"Ah? I..."

Zhao Xia didn't expect Li Xuewu to suddenly ask him, and for a moment didn't know how to speak.

"Think carefully, is it suitable for your father to be in Beijing, or in Yingcheng? This problem is not difficult."

Li Xuewu placed his hand on the sofa armrest and said gently, "I know you are a filial son, wanting your father to have a good result, even if it's just returning home to recuperate, is that what you mean?"

Nie Xiaoguang was silent, his face still ugly, but the hand that had been stretched out had silently put down.

"Actually, you are very smart. I said so much, you should be able to know that the current situation is the best result for your father."

Li Xuewu tapped his finger and said, "His status is still a cadre, but a cadre who is receiving labor education and reform."

"Regarding why he has to accept these arrangements, I think no matter how detailed or correct I explain, it's not as good as your father's explanation, right?"

"Is it Li Huai De doing bad things? Is it like this, right?"

Nie Xiaoguang looked up resentfully, looked at Li Xuewu, and said, "It's all the bad things he did. He wanted to harm my father to death, is it like this?"

"Who said that? When, who proves it? Do you have evidence?"

Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, "What did I just tell you? Don't let you be reckless and impulsive, use your brain to think, are you a fool?"

"Only fools will rush forward with all their strength, not knowing how to adapt, and even less knowing how to protect themselves."

He raised his chin slightly and said, "Do you think you are very awesome, daring to block the car of the steel mill's top leader and threatening the other party with disrespectful words, right?"

Nie Xiaoguang's breath gradually became urgent; obviously, he was emotionally agitated again by Li Xuewu's words.

However, Li Xuewu didn't have any malicious attacks on him when scolding him, so he could only listen.

"Do you want me to tell you the consequences of doing this?"

Li Xuewu tilted his head and said, "First is to deal with you, detain you for ten days or half a month, cold water with cornmeal buns, lose some weight for you?"

"Second is the impact on your father. Do you think his 'mistakes' now are not enough, and want to add another 'failing to teach his son' to him?"

"Finally, think about your mother. Your father's situation is already enough to worry her. You being detained again, do you want her to live?"

"Hmm? Aren't you a filial son?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and questioned sharply, "Is this how you are a filial son, being filial to your father and mother?"

Looking at Nie Xiaoguang, who was holding his breath and lowering his head, Li Xuewu let out a long breath and said in an admonishing tone, "Find some proper business to do, take good care of your mother, and go see your father more often. That's better than causing trouble."

"Especially toward Director Li, what I can tell you is that you don't understand the relationship between your father and him at all, and you understand even less the complex situation inside."

Li Xuewu patted the sofa armrest lightly and said, "Director Li never thought about harming your father. That's committing a mistake; no one would do that."

"But you can't cause damage to your father's reputation, and you can't give others an excuse to attack your father. You should think about problems with an adult's thinking."

"My father won't let me manage his affairs—"

Nie Xiaoguang lowered his head and said muffledly, then looked up at Li Xuewu and said, "I don't understand the complexity you're talking about, but I know who is a good person and who is a bad person."

"Alright, this sentence exposed your old bottom of immature thinking!"

Li Xuewu turned his finger next to his head and said, "Letting you learn to think about problems with an adult's thinking is telling you that only if you speak and act like this will people listen to you, understand?"

"Blocking the car and swearing is not okay. The more you do this, the less people will listen to you, and they will only look down on you, thinking you are just an incompetent clown."

"Do you think so too? Am I an incompetent clown?"

Nie Xiaoguang looked at Li Xuewu with some discouragement, glanced at Li Xuewu with his head lowered, and was a bit unconvinced.

Li Xuewu stood up, walked to his sofa, sat on the armrest, reached out and patted Nie Xiaoguang's shoulder, and said, "What I think is not important, the key is what you think yourself!"

"Xiaoguang, this society is actually very complex. It's not distinguished by the black and white in your eyes, not black and white, or not white and black."

"I could have told the security at the door to catch you and clean you up, and then drive you away, come and hit you once, can this work?"

Looking at Zhao Xia's nervous expression and Nie Xiaoguang's confused gaze, Li Xuewu supported his shoulder and stood up, saying, "This won't work. As early as when I was sixteen, I knew that force couldn't solve all problems, including war."

"I used to be like you, with many youthful troubles, jumping around all day, but in the end, I achieved nothing."

Li Xuewu looked at him and nodded, saying, "The reason why I didn't let security handle you, but called you here to talk, is because your present is my past."

"Director Li can not care about you, but you have to live out a human appearance for yourself to see, and also for those who look down on you and your father to see."

"Don't always think about threatening anyone, or saying things that are not to the point, it's too childish."

Li Xuewu stood in front of the window with his hands in his pockets, raised his chin, and asked, "You advocate force, I ask you, when is a fist most powerful?"

Zhao Xia looked at Li Xuewu suspiciously, then at Nie Xiaoguang. He felt that it was better for him not to answer at this time. This shouldn't be asking him.

Nie Xiaoguang frowned and sat there, his eyes looking at Li Xuewu somewhat confusedly.

"It's when it's clenched and hasn't been hit out yet."

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and said, "Just like a nuclear egg, the time it has the most deterrent power is not when it's hit out and blows up someone's home, but when the launch silo cover is opened."

"Things you can't do now, don't go and scare others, otherwise you will bear the consequences you can't bear at this age."

"You can't bear it, who will carry it for you?"

"I know... Li Ge..."

Nie Xiaoguang stood up with a somewhat defeated face, looked at Li Xuewu, and said, "I won't be like this anymore, don't worry."

"I believe you can do it, and can think clearly." Li Xuewu nodded, "Because you are a smart person, I can see it at a glance."

Zhao Xia looked at Nie Xiaoguang after hearing his words, and looked at Li Xuewu suspiciously. He also looked, why didn't he see anything?

"Are we just leaving like this?"

After coming out of the security building, Zhao Xia looked back at the three-story building that wasn't outstanding with unfinished interest.

He followed Nie Xiaoguang, who was full of heaviness and frowning, and walked out, asking, "Do you have a friendship with him? I mean Li Xuewu, do you know him?"

"Hmm, I know him because of my father's business."

Nie Xiaoguang turned to look at Zhao Xia and asked, "How do you know him?"

"His younger brother is our classmate."

Zhao Xia curled his lips and said, "But his younger brother isn't as majestic as him, just a bookworm."

Nie Xiaoguang sized him up and said, "He was quite polite to you just now, is the relationship very good?"

"It's okay, his father is a colleague of my father."

Zhao Xia was also clever, speaking like squeezing toothpaste, bubbling out one by one.

Of course, this wasn't all because he was smart himself, just that he learned to speak from his father on weekdays.

Mice's children know how to dig holes—!

"Why? Do you want to ask about him?"

Zhao Xia looked at Nie Xiaoguang in surprise and reminded, "I advise you to cherish life, don't look for death. His appearance in the office is different from when he is in the alley."

"Besides, the words he just said were all for your own good. Don't be reckless with him."

"For my own good? Maybe—"

Nie Xiaoguang frowned and looked at the direction of the main office building, which was where his father used to work, now...

He turned and walked outside, saying while walking, "I don't know if it's good or not, but I know he is with Li Huai De, and the relationship is very good."

"How do you say that? Did he lie to us? Did Li Huai De ask him to come and persuade you?"

Zhao Xia asked eagerly from behind, "Or did he know we were coming long ago, deliberately fooling us, making us think he is a good person?"

"Do I have this qualification?"

Nie Xiaoguang glanced at him. This brother was older than him, and they played together because he saw he was from an intellectual background and wanted to unite.

It was just that this big brother's brain circuit was sometimes very childish, and sometimes very wise, and the level of speaking was also fluctuating, very strange.

"His words are right, but I don't trust him, and I don't trust his purpose even more."

Nie Xiaoguang said while walking, "But this doesn't affect my serious thinking about the truths he said. I should use my brain to think about problems, not use my fists to solve problems."

"Li Huai De couldn't have asked him to persuade me, but it's possible that others did. He might have known we were coming long ago. These people speak like this, covering up, clouds and mist."

"Hmm, it really is like this—"

Zhao Xia thought, his father also spoke like this, and also taught him to speak like this.

"Then do you still want to take revenge on Li Huai De?"

"Want to, dream of killing him."

Nie Xiaoguang grinned resentfully, and then let out a long breath, "But it won't work now. Li Xuewu has already said it very clearly. If I dare to do it, he will catch me and clean me up hard."

Don't say that dragons give birth to dragons; the son taught by Nie Chenglin is not a pure bucket of rice.

"He said it very correctly. Now that I don't have the ability to deal with Li Huai De, don't fire empty cannons."

Nie Xiaoguang patted Zhao Xia on the shoulder and said, "I'll think about this after I go back. Thank you for accompanying me this time, I'm very grateful."

"What are you saying, we are friends."

Zhao Xia smiled, and then felt that it was not appropriate at this time, and asked while walking, "You said you couldn't deal with Li Huai De, is it because the top won't let us enter the factory?"

"Two aspects, this is one of them."

Nie Xiaoguang nodded and said, "The second is what Li Xuewu told me today. I don't have the ability to deal with him directly, and even less ability to retreat completely."

In early March, the top issued a document, clearly notifying all progressive teachers and students to return to their hometowns and schools and return to the organization.

And it was clearly stipulated in the document that they were not allowed to go to factories to engage in propaganda and university learning activities.

This was to quickly restore the economy and ensure the normalization of industrial production.

Another reason was that the political status of workers in this era was high, and their right to speak in activities was also high.

They were unwilling to accept the education of these little cubs, and even less recognized their propaganda, and those few at the top couldn't handle the broad "old brothers."

So, considering the situation, they followed the top's tightening of indulgence toward progressive teachers and students and little cubs, and made this regulation.

How did Nie Xiaoguang get together with Zhao Xia?

It was precisely because of the influence and situation caused by the top's constraints and requirements on little cubs and progressive teachers and students.

A junior high school graduate ruffian, a sophomore ruffian whose studies were delayed.

It seemed that the academic qualifications were too different and the life trajectories didn't match, but the two possessed a common identity—children of cadres and intellectuals.

Yes, the current situation is that little cubs form their own system and are incompatible with people from these two backgrounds. People with these two backgrounds united, which sounds very nonsense, but it is a fact.

Then what to do when fighting for status?

Competition, direct competition face to face.

The scope of influence and influence of little cubs were weakened and compressed, factories were not allowed to enter, schools had to restore teaching order, and even more, "national tours" were not allowed.

It was time to fight for the gain or loss of a city or a place, and there was a relatively narrow competitive relationship.

There were also differences within the little cubs. Those who first responded to the call of university learning called themselves veterans, considering themselves old qualifications and founding the country.

These people had the greatest influence and the widest network of relationships, and could always find out important news.

The situation had reached this point, and they all knew very clearly that they had been abandoned.

To put it bluntly, those people didn't need them anymore. As abandoned children, they had to find opportunities to seek other developments. They didn't care about reputation or anything. After the brain cooled down, everyone knew that interests were the most important.

Those who were still making trouble now, although they also called themselves veterans, were all sticking gold on their faces.

Actually, they were all people without any ability, and without any pursuit or ideals. As long as the hot blood in their brains was stimulated, it would always be lukewarm, neither hot nor cold.

Basically, according to the people Li Xuewu knew, they could be divided into three situations.

First situation: Veterans

The more radical ones were Zhao Weidong and Xie Qianjin. They were not afraid of death, had suffered, had great resentment, and wanted to seek personal interests in the last afterglow of the activity; otherwise, they wouldn't be reconciled.

The more conservative ones were Seeing Wei Guo, Dianzi, and Chazi. They participated in the early stage, didn't pay in the middle, only cared about themselves, and now they wanted to sit and eat, waiting for death by relying on their parents' relationships.

The rest were the majority, such as Zuo Jie, Gu Yan, Ou Xin, Zhou Miaomiao, Xiao Jianjun, and others.

These people either stood on their own, or retired from the rivers and lakes to be reborn in the role of workers. Anyway, they didn't think about those illusory things anymore, and found jobs steadily to run for their future.

Second situation: New forces

The more radical ones were Li Yuanchao and Zhang Haiyang. They had relationships, backgrounds, and capital, and just wanted to follow the footsteps of their predecessors to break through a majestic sky.

Of course, the predecessors all died one by one on this road, so they just shouted happily, but didn't actually get any benefits.

The more conservative ones were Zhong Yuemin, Yuan Jun, and Zheng Tong. They said they were veterans, said they were little cubs, but if they were serious, they were just little playmates at most.

There were many such children in Four Nine City, without any ideals or pursuits, following the crowd, taking the trend as ideals and pursuits.

Essentially, they didn't worry about food or drink, and grew up swaying.

Third situation: Wan Zhu (Tough Guys)

Wan Zhu is a relatively general concept. Little playmates, if said nicely, are Wan Zhu.

Because it is general, the stratification of the crowd is not very obvious, and it is too mixed and too many.

Basically, it can be divided into on-duty and retired.

The on-duty ones are the new forces in the Xinjiekou rivers and lakes: Zhang Jianguo, Li Heping, Yan Shengli, and Li Kuiyong. They have no money and no strength at home, just playing with their lives.

The retired ones are the most typical, Zhao Lao Si and Zhou Changli. Two choices, two lives.

Fourth situation: Unity is strength

The representative of cadre children is Nie Xiaoguang. This kid played very big and very wild. At the beginning, there were really many people under his hands.

The typical intellectual child is Zhao Xia. He himself is an intellectual, a university student.

The two bumped into each other and dared to stand up to fight against the

Whether at school or in gaming circles, they dared to unite and push back against those who bullied them with colored glasses.

Li Xuewu actually paid quite a bit of attention to these trends; he had never underestimated the power of these little brats.

Of course, he hadn't overestimated them much either.

With the situation developing to this point, these people could basically be categorized and summarized into five types.

1. The Naive Reformer Type.

These were the ancestor-level little brats who first shouted, "A father is a hero, his son is a good man; if we don't do it, who will?" charging into battle and sweeping away all obstacles.

Hitting this one, beating that one—how imposing they were.

In reality, it wasn't that they were so awesome, but rather that these little brats knew how to use a banner as a tiger skin, and the young and strong, with their wild fists, beat the old masters to death.

Look at the situation now that it has stabilized and the trends have been straightened out; do they still have any room to survive?

In the end, they were just labeled as "what kind of thing."

2. The Directional Reformer Type.

These were the people who shouted, "Born in the new society, grown under the red flag."

But unknowingly, they became "bastards," and unknowingly again, they became "tools."

So, under the incitement of some people with ulterior motives, they played at selfless dedication, their blood rushing to their heads.

With clear goals and full of energy, charging and killing, they really did become a major climate.

A typical example was Liu Guangtian, who initially joined the East Wind Society, entered the Youth Assault Team, and even went to dig for treasure.

And the result?

Director Li of the Steel Mill rose to the top, their mission was accomplished, and naturally, throughout history and across the world, what superior likes such rebellious subordinates?

So, the fate of this type of little brat was the same as Liu Guangtian's: back to where they came from, back into the furnace to be remade, and then fading into the crowd.

3. The Educated Type.

These were the intermediate type between the two mentioned above.

They had neither "innate advantages" nor "acquired deficiencies."

They participated in major study activities out of pure sincerity, wanting to go into the great winds and waves to temper themselves and receive education from the new era and new period.

And so, they followed the footsteps of their predecessors, retracing the Long March to the holy sites of reform.

Although they slept in the open and ate in the wind, if they could get a complete set of commemorative badges from the holy sites of reform, they would be very satisfied and treasure them carefully.

They earnestly wrote study and travel diaries to seek the true meaning of life and reform.

These materials were all based on facts and rarely intentionally violated the truth. They were the elite among the little brats.

4. The Agitator Type.

These were the people who were ambitious but lacked talent, only capable of talking; they had the ambition of types 1 and 2, but lacked the foundation of types 1 and 2.

Every time they arrived at a place, they could discover many "new trends in life study."

Thus, "If this can be endured, what cannot!" they distributed leaflets like "proposals, suggestions, appeals, and orders," with a loud tone but insufficient substance.

Did you think they really managed any practical matters?

How could that be? Look at what they were managing: exchanging badges, writing reports and articles, reciting famous quotes, applying for holidays that belonged to them...

Does that sound familiar to you?

Yes, that's right; they had no real talent or learning, but feared nothing more than a world in chaos, using the distribution of these painless leaflets as evidence of their agitation and nonsense, and then walking away afterward.

5. The "I Was Here" Type.

Oh my, this type of person was very interesting.

They were the bulk of the little brats, the vast majority; their stated purpose was to pay respects and study, but in reality, it was free nationwide travel.

Generally, they first went to the capital to be received, toured the famous historical sites they knew, and then went to schools like Huaqing to copy a few large posters, which counted as completing their major study.

But in the capital, there were little brat inspection teams in charge; when the Steel Mill organized cultural performances at the Six Nations Hotel, these people were the ones who came forward to maintain order.

Sometimes they would also issue expulsion orders; after all, this was the capital, not a place where little brats could dance around as they pleased, so these people would pair up and scatter to various places for supplementary travel.

The northern little brats headed south, and the southern ones did the opposite.

At this time, Mandarin was not yet as popular as it would be in later generations, and the customs of each province were different; arriving in another province was like arriving in a foreign country, which was a real eye-opener and quite interesting.

Just watch, every night at the little brat reception stations in various places, after eating and drinking their fill, they would naturally form "travel" information exchange centers:

Where was fun, where had many attractions, where the food was palatable, where people were polite... after some discussion and weighing the pros and cons, they would set off for the next stop.

Many little brats traveled across more than half of China, running home in the freezing cold like vagrants, covered in lice, but they were truly knowledgeable when they spoke.

In fact, they were the biggest beneficiaries of the major study.

After getting off work on Saturday, Li Xuewu did not go home; he had already agreed with his family that he would come to the club this evening to handle some business.

Han Jiankun sent Li Xuewu to the club and then drove back; there were cars here too, so there was no fear of the predicament of having no car to use.

When the command car just arrived at the gate of the compound, Li Xuewu didn't let Han Jiankun go through the trouble of entering, so he got out of the car at the gate and happened to see Zhong Yuemin and the others waiting at the gate.

He just glanced at the other party, didn't pay much attention, greeted the security guards, and entered the compound.

It was also a coincidence; as soon as he entered the compound, he saw Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun pushing their bicycles and about to head out.

Zhong Yuemin, who was waiting outside the gate, saw Zhou Xiaobai's figure and called out, waving and smiling to greet her.

This terrified Zhou Xiaobai; her face turned pale in an instant, and she dared not look at Zhong Yuemin, who was greeting her from outside the gate, nor did she dare to look into Li Xuewu's eyes.

Luo Yun glanced at her, sighed in her heart, feeling that she was not living up to expectations, and could only take the initiative to wave her hand, taking the blame upon herself.

"Wu Ge, why are you here?"

Responding to Zhong Yuemin and the others, and seeing Li Xuewu glance back, she hurriedly greeted him, saying, "If we had known you were coming, we wouldn't have gone home."

"I'm here to handle some business, I made an appointment with your Brother Guodong and the others; have they arrived?"

Li Xuewu looked at Zhou Xiaobai, who was keeping her head down, and asked with a smile, "What's the matter, playing the quail?"

"We don't know either, we haven't heard anything."

Luo Yun took the initiative to interrupt, "We came out after finishing up at the service office; we haven't had dinner yet. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet, I just got off work and was thinking of eating here."

Li Xuewu looked at Zhou Xiaobai, who had raised her head, her face looking a bit unsightly, and asked with raised eyebrows, "Are you sick? Go back and rest early."

"No... it's just..."

Zhou Xiaobai had finally waited for Li Xuewu to come; how could she let go of this opportunity and go home?

But she couldn't think of a reason to explain, so she just froze there.

It had to be said that Luo Yun was thoughtful, taking the initiative to say to Li Xuewu, "We originally had friends to go home with after work; you go to the restaurant first, we'll come after we talk for a moment."

"Are you really okay?"

Li Xuewu looked Zhou Xiaobai over and said, "I came here to handle business matters; you should rest if you need to."

"No... I want to eat with you."

Zhou Xiaobai raised her head and looked at him, saying, "I haven't seen you for several days."

"Heh—is that necessary?" Li Xuewu smiled, pointed toward the restaurant, and said, "Alright, I'll treat you today; you go handle your business first, I'll head over."

After speaking, he went to the restaurant with Zhao Lao Si, who was waiting on the side; every time Li Xuewu came, Zhao Lao Si would inevitably come over to report if he saw him.

If you wanted to call Zhao Lao Si a bootlicker, he would admit it himself, but it depended on whose bootlicker he was being.

There were plenty of members coming in and out of this club with higher status than Li Xuewu, and there were many who had been promoted from deputy division level to division level over the past year.

But have you ever seen Zhao Lao Si bootlicking anyone else?

The primary principle of a head steward was loyalty; he knew whose rice bowl he was holding, and he also knew whose compound this was and whose club it was.

Zhou Xiaobai looked worriedly at Zhao Lao Si, who was following Li Xuewu to the restaurant, truly afraid that he might say something.

Even if there was nothing between her and Zhong Yuemin, it was just that she had agreed to let him send her and Luo Yun home.

But she knew in her heart what this signified; otherwise, why would she be panicked upon seeing Li Xuewu?

Only after Li Xuewu had walked far away did Luo Yun stare at her and say, "Playing with fire and getting burned, right!"

"What should I do?"

She looked at Zhou Xiaobai with a serious expression and asked, "What do you plan to do? What if Wu Ge finds out? What do you plan to do about the one outside the gate?"

"I... I don't know."

Zhou Xiaobai was already panicked; her face was still pale, and she felt a deep sense of lingering fear in her heart.

Even if there was nothing between her and Li Xuewu, her own proactive ambiguity and the unclear relationship meant she was destined to be the one with a guilty conscience.

Luo Yun glared at her and said, "Didn't I just pave the way for you? Didn't you follow along with what I said to explain to Wu Ge?"

"Is making a choice so difficult now?"

She gestured toward the gate and the restaurant direction, saying, "Do you want to go home, or do you want to eat? Choose for yourself; I can't help you this time, at most I'll wait here."

"If you want to go home, I'll go tell Wu Ge, and we'll go home right now and never come back."

"If you want to eat, you go tell Zhong Yuemin yourself, we'll go eat right now, and tell him never to come again."

"I... I understand."

Zhou Xiaobai responded, glanced at the restaurant, handed her bicycle to Luo Yun, and walked toward the gate.

"Xiaobai, are you off work?"

Zhong Yuemin glanced at Luo Yun standing in the courtyard, as well as Zhou Xiaobai's bicycle beside her.

She didn't push her bicycle out; was she working overtime, or did it have something to do with Li Xuewu who had just gone in?

Seeing Zhou Xiaobai come out, he smiled, went up to greet her, and asked, "Are you free tomorrow? Let's go boating at the Summer Palace; I managed to grab boat tickets again."

"That... don't come looking for me in the future."

Zhou Xiaobai didn't dare to look into Zhong Yuemin's eyes, and said with a somewhat resolute tone, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid... of misunderstandings."

She said she was afraid Wu Ge would misunderstand, but the words "Wu Ge" were very light, very light, so light that Zhong Yuemin didn't even hear clearly who she was afraid would misunderstand.

At this moment, the smile on Zhong Yuemin's face froze there, his ears were buzzing, and he couldn't hear anything.

He just wanted to hear Zhou Xiaobai say it again, why she wouldn't let him come looking for her.

Zhou Xiaobai, however, didn't say it a second time; after she finished speaking, she glanced at Zhong Yuemin and turned back into the compound.

Zhong Yuemin stood there, foolishly watching her back, as if he had lost something.

Who exactly was she afraid would misunderstand?

He unconsciously raised his hand to cover his chest; why did it hurt a little here?

"Let's go, Yuemin, let's go home."

Yuan Jun, who could see what was going on, really wanted to scold him a few times, but the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he couldn't bear to speak at this moment.

The injury his brother had suffered was already serious enough; there was no need to rub salt into the wound and give him another blow.

Zheng Tong also came over to persuade him, "Don't come again in the future; sticking your hot face to someone else's cold butt is really boring."

After saying this, he was warned by Yuan Jun's eyes, telling him not to say this at this time.

Zhong Yuemin, however, heard it; he shook his head slightly and said, "No, no, it's not like that; she must have encountered some difficulties."

He turned his head to look at his two brothers and said, "That's it, she works here; it must be that her unit requires her to do so, not allowing her to date casually; she must be afraid her unit will misunderstand."

"This is a club—!"

Zheng Tong said unhappily, "It's a club, not a command post; who would restrict a waitress from dating?"

"Alright, let's talk about it when we get back."

Yuan Jun glared at Zheng Tong, pulled Zhong Yuemin away, and signaled for Zheng Tong to push the bicycle.

Zhong Yuemin still looked back at the closed gate of the club; that was another world.

Zhang Dayong, who was on guard duty at the gate today, saw all of this.

"Hmph, idiot, a toad wanting to eat swan meat, go eat shit—!"