Chapter 1111: Game Over!

"Uncle is nice, but Mommy isn't, right?"

Zhou Wang Yamei raised her hand and patted her son's bottom, chiding, "So, now that Uncle is here, Mommy has to take a backseat, is that it?"

"No—Mommy is nice too!"

Fu Zhidong gathered his strength, turned his head to look at his mother, and said, "You're both nice."

"But if you had to pick the best one?"

Li Xuewu carried him into the entryway and, while changing into his slippers, asked, "If Uncle and Mommy both fell into the river at the same time, and you had a bamboo pole in your hand, who would you save first?"

Hearing Li Xuewu's question, Zhou Wang Yamei couldn't help but glare at him reproachfully.

Looking at her son's troubled expression, she couldn't help but want to laugh, yet she also wanted to know his answer.

Fu Zhidong was truly stumped; he looked at Uncle, then at Mommy, not knowing what to say.

"What's wrong? Is it that hard?"

Zhou Wang Yamei followed the two into the living room, teasing her son, "Do you like Uncle better, or Mommy better? Who can you not live without?"

Fu Zhidong blinked, his face full of misery, on the verge of tears from anxiety.

Li Xuewu sat on the sofa with him in his arms and teased, "Don't tell me you're thinking about who to hit with the bamboo pole if they try to save us?"

"Go away—"

Zhou Wang Yamei was amused by Li Xuewu's words, but she also disliked that he was corrupting her son.

Fu Zhidong, however, shouted anxiously, "No—I want to save everyone!"

"Stop making things hard for my son—"

Zhou Wang Yamei picked up her son, placed him on the sofa, and urged Li Xuewu to go wash up.

"Biaozi called this afternoon to say he's bringing his wife over to sit for a while tomorrow morning."

Just as Li Xuewu got up to go to the bathroom, Zhou Wang Yamei said, "Let's have stir-fry tomorrow morning. I'll make white flour pancakes and invite them for a meal."

"Who all is coming?" Li Xuewu's voice came from the bathroom, muffled.

Zhou Wang Yamei urged her son to go upstairs to sleep, but Fu Zhidong insisted on waiting for Uncle.

"He said he's just bringing his wife." Seeing she couldn't persuade her son, she had no choice but to get up to help Li Xuewu brew tea. Watching her son yawning repeatedly from sleepiness, she felt both amused and heartbroken, with no other choice.

After brewing tea for Li Xuewu, she went to the kitchen to check the dough she had prepared for the morning pancakes, along with the prepped vegetables.

When she returned, ready to help Li Xuewu with his laundry, she saw her son leaning against the sofa, fast asleep, looking incredibly adorable.

It was just that, not knowing what he was thinking in his sleep, his brows were still slightly furrowed.

At this moment, Li Xuewu had finished washing up. He pushed open the bathroom door, just about to speak, but saw Zhou Wang Yamei making a "shush" gesture, and only then did he see the little one on the sofa.

"Change into your pajamas first, then you can carry him upstairs. I can't carry him anymore."

Zhou Wang Yamei handed the pajamas to Li Xuewu and went to the bathroom herself.

She complained softly, "I just told him to go upstairs to sleep, but he insisted on waiting for you."

"Yeah, this godson wasn't recognized in vain; he's truly affectionate when he sees me," Li Xuewu said with a smile. "It's just that I didn't get the answer to who he's closer to."

"Still talking about that—"

Zhou Wang Yamei chided him, saying, "You really put my son in a tough spot. Even his school arithmetic problems aren't this difficult."

"Give him a heads-up; when he goes to find a wife in the future, he'd better be careful about being asked by her."

Li Xuewu changed into his pajamas and pinched Fu Zhidong's nose. He teased him a few times, but the boy didn't wake up, which earned him a slap from Zhou Wang Yamei as she came out.

"He promised to wait for me, and even wanted to talk to me about school."

He smiled, picked up the child, and went upstairs amidst Zhou Wang Yamei's urging.

"You two really are kindred spirits."

Zhou Wang Yamei tidied up downstairs, but when she went upstairs, she saw her son sleeping in the guest bedroom—Li Xuewu's bed—snoring softly.

Li Xuewu was leaning against the headboard, reading his son's fairy tale book with great interest.

"Alright, you cuddle with my son tonight. It's rare for me to enjoy a holiday."

"Finished with everything?"

Li Xuewu carefully got out of bed, glanced at Fu Zhidong, and seeing he was sound asleep, walked toward the door, saying, "I'm afraid he'll 'flood the seven armies' and 'cross the Yangtze River' in the middle of the night."

"Go away—you're bad—"

Zhou Wang Yamei was pulled into his arms, her hands wrapped around his neck. Leaning against his broad chest, she looked at her son sleeping soundly on the bed.

At this moment, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

How wonderful it would be if time could stay at this moment forever. This was the happy life she had dreamed of, and she hoped for it with all her heart.

In the past, Fu Haibo was rarely home, and when he did return, he came and went in a rush. She had never had such fantasies or longings.

Her heart was entirely focused on her son, and she couldn't even feel love or being loved.

Especially when her son asked where his father had gone, her heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife.

Now her son wouldn't ask anymore; he knew where his father had gone. For a little boy like him, that was too cruel and sad.

It was precisely at this time that Li Xuewu gave her son the care and protection he needed most.

And he gave her the comfort and care she had deemed unreachable when she was in total despair.

If one were to say she had never loved Fu Haibo, that would be impossible. Without love, there naturally wouldn't have been the birth and growth of Fu Zhidong.

Even at that final moment, when she sent Fu Haibo away, she asked herself in her heart: her feelings for Fu Haibo had never truly extinguished or dissipated.

She was just disappointed in him, silenced, and dared not take any initiative anymore.

Fu Haibo was the same toward her; he retained his initial love and affection, never lacking in material support. He left too hurriedly, went too far, abandoned his wife and child, and lost his original heart.

Because of him, she and her son were almost left to wander the streets, subject to ridicule and insults.

In this regard, it was Li Xuewu.

He helped her retain her basic dignity and life, helped her regain the courage and confidence to live, and gave her son the qualification and ability to live under the sun.

Did she love Li Xuewu?

She didn't know, wasn't sure, and dared not say.

But Zhou Wang Yamei knew it wasn't because of the other party's charity or help, and certainly not because she was forced by his power. It was an attraction born from despair, a yearning to rise.

During that time, she was like someone who had fallen into a dry well, helpless and lost.

It was Li Xuewu who lifted the well cover and reached out a hand to help her survive.

And in the subsequent life and interactions, she saw a more straightforward and calm side of Li Xuewu, as well as his decisiveness and wisdom.

Therefore, she didn't know if this was love, wasn't sure if she could love, and dared not say she was qualified to love Li Xuewu.

She could only accompany him silently, wait for him to come, laugh with him, and then send him away.

Zhou Wang Yamei's villa was smaller than the Haiyuncang No. 1 villa; the second floor had only two rooms, with the master bedroom attached to a small study.

Compared to the small living room and large study of Haiyuncang No. 1, this place was more like a small Western-style house in 1930s Shanghai—exquisite and bourgeois.

In fact, the reason they were similar was due to the trend of the historical background; after all, in that era, Shanghai was the most fashionable frontier in the country, including its architecture.

The Marshal's preference for this style at that time was average; after all, he had no particular bias.

But the Young Marshal was a top-tier big spender in the "Ten-Mile Foreign Field," and the style of the Four Young Masters was not something an ordinary person could match. Naturally, this style spread in.

Once the master bedroom door was closed, it became a quiet private space, and no matter how much noise was made, it wouldn't be heard downstairs or even in the guest rooms on the same floor.

Whether soundproofing is good or not doesn't depend on whether the materials are advanced, but on quality and weight.

The wooden furniture and interior decorations of these years could be passed down from generation to generation; they wouldn't break.

Take this table, for example; a person can lie on it without it breaking, going out of tune, or losing its shape.

Even if you stack another person on top and bump or shake it as hard as you can, there won't be a single creak, let alone nails falling out or the wooden frame warping.

This is because furniture or house decorations from this period mostly use mortise and tenon joinery.

Whenever wood is carved to fit into another, the part entering the void is called the tenon.

The part receiving the tenon is called the mortise.

Hence, there is a common saying about tenon heads and mortises.

You don't need to understand what this passage means.

You only need to know that the reason mortise and tenon structures are sturdy, durable, and solid is because of the tight connection between the tenon head and the mortise hole; no matter how you shake it, it won't fall apart.

Of course, mortise and tenon structures are not uniform; they appear in a wide variety of forms.

The main types include shoulder-clasp tenons, king-post braces, clamping-head tenons, shoulder-bearing tenons, corner-supporting tenons, and so on.

It must be said, although most of the furniture in Zhou Ya's home is in the style of the thirties and leans toward Western designs, the craftsmanship is incredibly solid.

Li Xuewu shook it for a good half hour or more without seeing any movement.

Or rather, if there was any sound of table legs rubbing against the floor, it was drowned out by the low, heavy moans.

Fu Zhan put a great deal of effort into decorating this apartment back then.

He scoured many places in the city to piece together a complete set of furniture with similar colors and styles, and even the dimensions were exceptionally suitable.

Just take the sofa in the small study; a person can't lie straight on it, as their lower legs would hang off halfway, unless they were lying on their stomach.

Li Xuewu particularly liked the cowhide surface of the sofa, just like the lounge chair in Zhou Ya's studio downstairs; it felt very comfortable to touch.

In this day and age, most sofas are spring-structured; the more springs, the greater the tension, the tighter the support, and the better it feels to sit on.

Sitting on it alone is naturally no problem, but to test the quality of a sofa, one must inevitably subject it to extreme testing, including the springs.

So, if you hold someone and bounce, and the springs don't break, the frame makes no noise, and the rebound is powerful, that proves it's a good sofa.

Li Xuewu tried it himself, and the quality was indeed excellent; no matter how much weight an extra person added, it didn't deform, and there was certainly no squeaking from the springs.

He actually wanted to test if the cabinet was sturdy too, but Zhou Ya wasn't willing; she truly had no strength left and couldn't bear him tossing her around like that anymore.

Finally, listening to her, he tested the quality of the bed, which is when she gave her satisfied approval.

He was satisfied and ready to sleep, but Zhou Ya still had to get up to clean up the battlefield.

First, she went to the bathroom to soak a hot towel to tidy up the one who had worked so hard, then she went to tidy up the study, and finally, she took a bath; only then was it finished.

When she returned to bed wanting to talk to him, she saw Li Xuewu leaning over her again.

"Oh my—"

"I can say 'khorosho,' and 'spasibo,' and also, 'dobryy den'."

As soon as Fu Zhidong opened his eyes in the morning and realized he was sleeping on his uncle's side, he was so pleasantly surprised he almost jumped up and screamed.

He told his uncle about his little friends at school and talked about the pinyin and Chinese characters he was learning.

And also, the foreign language his mother taught him.

Russian is actually very hard to learn, especially after getting used to the retroflex and dental sounds of Mandarin; the tongue gets all tangled up.

"'Khorosho' means good, 'spasibo' means thank you, 'dobryy den' means good afternoon; I know many others too."

Fu Zhidong could not only speak these Russian words but also write them, and he wrote them quite well.

Li Xuewu lay leaning against the headboard, watching Fu Zhidong lying on the bed, writing the words he had just said on paper with a pencil, very earnestly.

"How do you say goodbye?"

"Goodbye? I don't know, I haven't learned that," Fu Zhidong said, looking up at his uncle. "My mom hasn't taught me that yet."

"Then I'll teach you; there are two ways, one is for elders, hoping to meet again," Li Xuewu took the pencil from his godson's hand and wrote 'досвидания' in the notebook, reading it out: "'Do svidaniya,' goodbye."

"One is for peers, or those you are closer to, whom you'll see again soon," he wrote 'пока' in the notebook with the pencil and pointed it out for Fu Zhidong to read: "'Poka,' goodbye."

"'Poka'?" Fu Zhidong looked at his godfather suspiciously and asked, "Isn't 'baka' a Japanese word? I heard my kindergarten classmates say it."

"It's not that 'baka,' it's 'poka'."

Li Xuewu pointed to the word in the notebook and corrected him: "Two different languages, similar pronunciation."

"I'll remember this one—"

Fu Zhidong was quite honest; he pointed to the 'poka' which had very few letters, only four, and the pronunciation also left a deep impression on him.

Li Xuewu smiled and patted his little head, saying, "No matter how you remember it, as long as you know how to use it and use it in the correct context, it's right, it's good, it's 'khorosho'."

"Hehe, I got it."

Fu Zhidong took the pencil and learned to write these two words in the notebook; it was slow, but very earnest; one could tell he was a careful and steady child.

Li Xuewu waited for him to finish writing, then led him to read it a few more times to get familiar with the pronunciation.

"Zhidong, uncle is leaving today, going back to Beijing," he looked at his godson and said, "Which one should you use to say goodbye to uncle?"

"Uncle—can't you stay a few more days?" Hearing he was leaving, Fu Zhidong climbed up, threw himself into his arms, and pleaded in a begging tone, "I still have so much to tell you, and I, I still want to learn so many more characters."

"Hmm, uncle knows; Zhidong studies well, is obedient, and is friendly to classmates; Teacher Zhang praised Zhidong to uncle."

Li Xuewu hugged his godson and comforted him, saying, "Zhidong can get Teacher Zhang's praise because Zhidong is never late and does his homework well, right?"

"Hmm—"

Fu Zhidong's mouth was already pouting, looking like he was about to cry, but he was holding back the tears in his eyes, listening to his uncle speak.

"Fu Zhidong wants to study well, get the teacher's praise, and be responsible for his own learning; well, uncle also has to work well just like Zhidong."

Li Xuewu coaxed him, saying, "Uncle also has to be responsible for the factory; I can't be late, and I certainly can't delay the work and tasks at the factory."

"But uncle knows that Zhidong is reluctant to see him go, because uncle is also reluctant to leave Zhidong; I will often miss Zhidong."

"Uncle—"

Fu Zhidong reached out and hugged his uncle's neck, tears falling onto his uncle's neck, and he tried hard to be strong, saying, "I miss you too."

"Hmm, definitely; uncle misses Zhidong, and Zhidong will definitely miss uncle."

Li Xuewu patted his godson's back and comforted him: "Zhidong is a school-going child now, not a little kid who doesn't understand things."

"Promise uncle, be strong; a man doesn't shed tears easily, and uncle will come back."

"Hmm—I'll wait for you, you must come," Fu Zhidong wiped the tears from his face and sat beside his uncle, saying, "I, I will study hard, and when I grow up, I'll take the university entrance exam and go to Beijing."

"No problem, Zhidong has ambition, uncle will definitely support you; just go to Beijing for university."

Li Xuewu held his godson's little hand and said, "We have a deal; in a while, you'll follow uncle to wash up, change clothes, go downstairs, eat, and uncle will take you to school; you can't cry."

Fu Zhidong pouted his little mouth, wiped his tears over and over, and said, "I, I can only guarantee that I won't cry out loud, woo woo—"

"If you cry, then uncle won't dare to come next time," Li Xuewu helped him wipe his tears and said, "Uncle has work too."

"If every time I come and every time I leave, Zhidong has to cry, then uncle won't have the heart to do it, and I'll only be able to wait until Zhidong grows up to come back."

"No—!"

Fu Zhidong held back his emotions, let his godfather wipe his tears, and said, "I won't cry."

"Then which word should you use when you say goodbye to uncle in a while?"

Li Xuewu picked up the notebook and pointed it out to Fu Zhidong, asking, "The one we just learned."

"Hmm—" Fu Zhidong was still sobbing a little, looking at the notebook with teary eyes, then looked at his godfather and said, "I want to use 'poka,' I want to see you again soon."

Zhou Ya was busy all morning making pancakes and stir-frying dishes, just waiting for Lao Biaozi to bring his wife into the courtyard before she went to meet them, and then called the father and son who were still lazing in bed upstairs.

But when she walked to the guest room door and heard the conversation inside, she was the one who ended up crying first.

She couldn't care about the tears; she was reluctant to part with Li Xuewu, but there were guests waiting downstairs, so she reminded the father and son through the door to hurry downstairs.

"Wu Ge."

Lao Biaozi called him Wu Ge, and Mai Qinglan followed suit.

Her belly wasn't small anymore; six months pregnant, she could walk fine, but she couldn't exert herself, and she didn't go to the docks on weekdays.

The wind at the docks was strong, the temperature was low, and the humidity was high; it was the time of pregnancy when the bones were loosening, and if she caught a chill or dampness, she'd be ruined for life and suffer for it later.

Mai Qinglan and Lao Biaozi were now living in the former Youth Club; the property rights had been given to the recycling station, and Lao Biaozi had regained his footing, and since entertainment activities weren't allowed during this period, it became the accommodation and office space for the recycling station.

It was all in the city, so coming here was convenient; driving didn't even take ten minutes.

Li Xuewu brought his godson down from upstairs and greeted the couple, asking about their situation.

He was mainly concerned about Mai Qinglan's health and living conditions, and also talked about the situation in Beijing, as well as her parents' situation at the club.

Lao Biaozi was also thoughtful; he knew his wife missed her parents in Beijing, and while they made phone calls and exchanged letters frequently, it was never as good as hearing news from an acquaintance.

Parents didn't want to trouble their children, reporting only the good news and not the bad; married far away in the Northeast, drifting from place to place, Mai Qinglan didn't dare tell her parents about her grievances either.

So, she just wanted to hear from someone close how things were at home; if they were truly doing well, then she could rest easy.

"I actually haven't gone much lately; there's always something at the factory, and I can't even rest on weekends."

Li Xuewu smiled and introduced: "Hearing that your old folks were back from the Northeast, I even asked Yu Li if Biaozi had wronged them or if there was any inconvenience in their lives."

"No—it's not him, it's my parents," Mai Qinglan explained a bit embarrassedly. "They only stayed for half a month, saying they still had apprentices to teach in Beijing and were worried, so they wouldn't stay."

"How would I dare not be filial to my father-in-law and mother-in-law?" Lao Biaozi laughed. "Since they came here, they've been helping us wash quilts, helping prepare baby clothes, and so on; I'm grateful and miss them already."

Mai Qinglan heard him joking and felt a bit embarrassed in front of Li Xuewu, secretly kicking him to tell him to stop talking.

Lao Biaozi didn't mind, saying bluntly: "My father-in-law and mother-in-law are good to me, that's good; what's there to be embarrassed about?"

"I'm not bragging; Wu Ge is our own brother, not an outsider, so what if I say it?"

"Alright, I know you're doing well."

Li Xuewu could see Mai Qinglan's reserve, so he smiled and pointed at Lao Biaozi, saying: "Be grateful to the elders, and also care more for Qinglan, not just physically, but also mentally; communicate more."

"Qinglan is educated; she might not be as good as you at venturing out or business, but when it comes to dealing with people and things, you still need to listen more to Qinglan's opinions."

"Brother, Wenbiao is fine; he works hard and cares about me, it's just that sometimes he loves to joke around and doesn't know when to stop," Mai Qinglan glanced at Lao Biaozi and then said to Li Xuewu: "You should talk to him more; sometimes he easily offends people."

"How old are you now? You've got a business in your hands, and you still need people to tell you this?"

Li Xuewu looked at Lao Biaozi and said to Mai Qinglan: "If he jokes around recklessly again, you tell him that if he wants his son to learn from him later, he should stop acting like a father who doesn't have a father's dignity."

"I'm much more mature now—!"

Lao Biaozi didn't mind his wife talking about his flaws and complaining about him in front of Li Xuewu.

Just as he said, he treated Li Xuewu like his own brother; there was nothing he couldn't say.

"But I'm not educated, so I can't talk about profound philosophy; I only know how to talk nonsense."

"You can learn even if you're not educated," Li Xuewu pointed at Mai Qinglan and said: "You married an educated wife and you argue with her every day; don't you know how to learn culture from her?"

"You're going to step onto a bigger platform and face bigger scenes later; you're not going to wait until the last minute to cram, are you?"

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said: "Stop talking nonsense; while you have time and work isn't too heavy, enrich yourself properly."

"I'm not asking you to be a scholar, but you have to be able to sit at the table and handle things properly, right?"

"Got it; I'll go find a teacher when I get home."

Lao Biaozi didn't dare argue with Li Xuewu and jokingly brushed the topic aside.

When Mai Qinglan first met Lao Biaozi, she actually looked down on such small-time thugs; an art worker, mixing with a thug?

It was just that she was born at the wrong time, and her family and life had suffered disasters, which allowed her to re-evaluate Li Wenbiao from another angle and accept this small-time thug who talked big and was full of underworld spirit.

After deciding to be together, there was surprise, unexpectedness, helplessness, and confusion.

She once doubted whether her decision to marry him was correct, and also doubted whether Li Wenbiao really liked her.

While liking her, Li Wenbiao still had a girlfriend, also a university student.

She was even more outstanding than an art worker like her, and she was the one who actively liked Li Wenbiao.

The feelings of the three people were laid out here, like a play; Mai Qinglan knew that if it weren't for the trouble in her family, Li Wenbiao wouldn't have chosen her, but Su Qing.

Choosing her had more to do with the fact that her situation at the time was more dangerous than Su Qing's.

Without Li Wenbiao's help, let alone her own situation, her parents would have long since hanged themselves in that courtyard that was seized by others.

So, regarding Li Wenbiao secretly taking care of Su Qing, she chose to turn a blind eye.

Sometimes he acted vulgar and couldn't understand her pursuits, her inner confusion, and the pain of her spiritual world, but she didn't blame Li Wenbiao either.

They weren't people from the same world to begin with, and having ended up together by mistake, how could she force him to understand her or force herself to adapt to him?

Just looking at how Li Wenbiao treated her and her parents with all his heart, she had to swallow even the greatest grievances and complaints.

She didn't know if, according to the original trajectory of her life, without the Great Learning and life's disasters, the person she would have graduated, worked, fallen in love, and married step-by-step would have taken better care of her, cared more about her, and been more willing to give for her than Li Wenbiao.

So, everything is fate, and nothing is up to oneself.

No matter how many flaws Li Wenbiao had, he was one of the most capable young people she had known and seen in this era.

With a brother like Li Xuewu taking care of him, and a business whose energy tentacles covered every key department of a city, no matter how vulgar he was, he was a strong man, just acting silly in front of her.

Some time ago, her parents came to Steel City to visit her and privately told her not to think about repaying kindness, as kindness would sooner or later turn into hatred.

She had to think about being content; if she changed to another person or another environment, could she be as comfortable as she was now?

Although far from Beijing, Steel City wasn't the countryside; living in a city apartment, traveling by car, with no financial burden, whatever she liked or wanted, Li Wenbiao would buy it for her without her even having to go out; who else had her luck?

Li Wenbiao had told her long ago that Li Xuewu was coming to Steel City, and he had also explained to her long ago why Li Xuewu was staying here.

She didn't know much about Li Xuewu's romantic affairs, and Li Wenbiao had never told her about them; she only knew his influence was great when they were in Beijing.

If it weren't for this time, she wouldn't have known that Sister Zhou, who worked at the docks, had such a relationship with Li Xuewu, but Li Wenbiao wasn't surprised.

The couple had made this matter very clear before going to sleep last night, so when she came here and saw Li Xuewu walking downstairs with Sister Zhou's son, she didn't show any surprise.

Li Wenbiao bringing her here and Li Xuewu agreeing to see her here meant that she had been accepted by Li Xuewu and accepted by their team.

Now, of course, it had to be called a team; if you met Li Wenbiao before, it would definitely be called a gang.

They chatted while eating breakfast, having leavened pancakes, the fish Lao Biaozi brought yesterday, seasonal vegetables, and local specialties Li Xuewu brought.

At the dinner table, Li Xuewu talked about the cooperation between Red Star Factory and Fengcheng, as well as the creation and operation of the Fengcheng Office.

"The six offices launched in May include Fengcheng," Li Xuewu said. "This position is very critical; you should run around more, I've already given you the list, make some friends."

"The idea of Liaodong Industry is to use the Fengcheng No. 1 Machinery Factory to keep Red Star Factory, to create a model pilot for the integration of small and medium-sized industrial resources."

Li Xuewu pointed at Lao Biaozi and reminded him: "If you want to gain a foothold in Fengcheng, this time, for the creation of the office and the negotiations with the No. 1 Machinery Factory, you have to put in some effort and use the momentum to spread the network of relationships."

"Jing Yunong, the deputy director of the Red Star Factory Management Committee, is inspecting the preparation of offices in various places; she will arrive in Fengcheng early next month to preside over the merger and integration plan of the No. 1 Machinery Factory."

"Brother, I do know Deputy Director Jing, and I've met her, but I haven't spoken to her."

Lao Biaozi explained: "I know which part she is responsible for, and I know Li Xue is her secretary, but this relationship... I can't just go find Li Xue, right?"

"You first get a bottom line on the situation of the Red Star Factory Office in Fengcheng, and then investigate the situation of the No. 1 Machinery Factory clearly, and form a report."

Li Xuewu nodded and said: "Deputy Director Jing is not an outsider; when the time comes, I'll have her contact you, and you hand these materials to her."

"When the time comes, whatever she needs your help with, just do the work well."

"Got it; if you put it that way, I understand; no wonder Li Xue is her secretary."

Lao Biaozi nodded, took it seriously, and then jokingly asked: "Brother, for this Red Star Factory, do we still have outsiders?"

"Go—stop talking nonsense, be serious."

Mai Qinglan saw Li Wenbiao joking around again and poked him with her elbow.

Although they were brothers, Li Xuewu's status was such that being able to entrust such an important matter to him showed Li Xuewu's full trust in Li Wenbiao.

Lao Biaozi nodded to his wife and said with a smile: "It's fine, just joking—"

"First, meet with the director of the Fengcheng Office, and later, when Deputy Director Jing comes, you go over and check in; don't be all loud and boisterous."

Li Xuewu didn't mind his joke and reminded him: "Regarding the No. 1 Machinery Factory, do the work solidly; you won't get the benefits of the No. 1 Machinery Factory."

"But as long as Red Star Factory enters the No. 1 Machinery Factory, you can use the momentum of the No. 1 Machinery Factory to thoroughly open up the road in Fengcheng and stand firm."

"Understood, I will definitely handle this matter solidly, and I'll definitely investigate the No. 1 Machinery Factory thoroughly!"

Lao Biaozi said seriously: "Those few people from the Investigation Department at the docks are idle all day long; I'll just give them some work to do, instead of letting them eat and drink for nothing."

"Don't go too far," Li Xuewu reminded him: "After all, it's a cooperative relationship."

"Exactly! I have to remind them not to go too far!"

Lao Biaozi said with a sideways glance: "Not only do they fish all day, but they also fish for girls in the village!"

Mai Qinglan gritted her teeth and reminded him: "Tsk—Wu Ge is telling you not to go too far!"

Using the Investigation Department to help Red Star Factory conduct commercial investigations before negotiation work—that was an idea only a fool like Lao Biaozi could come up with.

But then again, it also indirectly showed that he had the ability; it wasn't that he couldn't ask those people for help.

Li Xuewu was still thinking about this on his way back to the Steel Mill, and he found it laughable just thinking about it.

Those people working at the docks were indeed from the Investigation Department, and they were the most capable and core personnel of Ji Wang Weidong's section.

These people were only regarded as dock security and employees of East Wind Shipping on weekdays.

They were replaced periodically; some went to Hong Kong, some returned to Beijing, and some were on vacation here.

In organizational terms, vacation didn't mean the kind of freedom to do whatever one wanted.

They could fish, play cards, sleep in, drink beer and have fun, wander around the village, or go shopping in the city.

But they couldn't leave their posts for long, let alone be alone, and they had to provide necessary security and administrative protection here.

If this was called a vacation, compared to a dangerous environment, it was indeed comfortable.

East Wind Shipping had collective shares and individual shares from the Investigation Department; Li Xuewu didn't care what Ji Wang Weidong and his superiors were doing here.

He dared to bet that the other party wouldn't be afraid of messing up the collective's plate, but they would absolutely not mess up their own plate.

This was also the reason why Li Xuewu had invested in East Wind Shipping with Ji Wang Weidong and his colleagues in the first place.

Look at them now; how much they cared about East Wind Shipping.

Hearing that the sea wasn't peaceful and the cargo ship routes were dangerous, Li Xuewu thought that getting some Type 56 light machine guns would be enough.

In reality, well, they went straight for anti-aircraft machine guns, and they didn't even look at heavy machine guns.

What else did he have to worry about? Ji Wang Weidong wanted business coordination authority for the sake of East Wind Shipping; they would absolutely not use the fleet for dangerous things, as it was their own money.

So, if Lao Biaozi said he couldn't manage it, and Ji Wang Weidong needed this business, then the business authority should be moved or transferred; there was no need to hold onto it.

East Wind Shipping was suitable for long-distance shipping; Li Xuewu wanted Lao Biaozi to get big planes, and an operation model similar to food delivery.

They didn't need to manage what the ship was carrying, they didn't need to manage what was profitable to transport, and they didn't even need to manage where to pick up or unload the cargo.

They only needed to bear the transportation costs!

They only needed to bear the costs of cargo loss!

Li Xuewu didn't mind using Japanese and Korean tariffs as shipping fees to raise this team to be very large.

The dumping of electronic appliances and hardware industrial products, occupying the market, and crushing the other party's advanced industry was only one aspect.

On the other hand, Red Star Factory needed external advanced mechanical equipment and important technical reserves, including electronic development, which was the core.

Dong Wen's car drove into the factory area and stopped in front of the office building.

After getting out of the car, Li Xuewu met up with Peng Xiaoli, who was waiting at the entrance, and they entered the office building together.

On the last day, Li Huai De would preside over a high-level cadre office meeting, higher than last night's, and would also have individual talks with some cadres.

This time, in addition to research, they also had to solicit and listen to the opinions of the main persons in charge of the Steel Mill and United Industry regarding organizational work.

As the deputy director of the Commission Office and an important leader responsible for coordination work at Red Star Factory, Li Xuewu had to accompany Li Huai De to see these cadres.

Of course, these people wouldn't include Dong Wen or the director of the United Industry Management Office, Comrade Cen Fuyao, because the talks with both of them had been finished on the first day they landed in Steel City.

Today's talks were mainly with the deputies and important backbones of the two industrial parts, with the purpose of understanding the performance of Dong Wen and Comrade Cen Fuyao in organizational work, as well as the operational status of the two teams.

Anyone who has done organizational work knows that whenever leaders come down for research, there must be such individual talks; it's an opportunity for deputy cadres to report on their work and also to sound an alarm for the persons in charge.

Don't act like a dictator, and don't hold a pen and cause disunity; Li Huai De seeing these people was to improve the collective management system and maintain and guarantee the reasonable operation of this system.

This system was an important support for ensuring collective management at Red Star Factory and was also a necessary management mode and means under the current situation.

During the talks, Li Xuewu didn't speak at all, nor did he ask any questions.

He just sat beside Li Huai De and recorded the key content of the talks.

Li Xuewu was not only the deputy director of the Commission Office of Red Star Factory but also the leader in charge of discipline and supervision.

Therefore, when Yang Zongfang was called in for a talk, he started making self-criticisms as soon as he entered the room.

It was mainly aimed at what happened last night; what was very serious was that from Dong Wen's attitude at the meeting, he determined that Dong Wen knew something like this would happen, but he didn't know, from beginning to end.

Including the Red Star Factory organization establishing this research team, studying the work procedures, and the itinerary of this trip, his connections at the general factory didn't give any hints or information; couldn't this prove that his network of relationships was in trouble, indicating a problem?

Yang Zongfang knew very well that Li Huai De didn't like him, especially in terms of work style; when the factory leadership team put him in the position at the Steel Mill, it was to help Dong Wen stabilize the situation.

He did his early work very well and received support and praise from the factory.

However, with the work adjustments of Yang Yuansong and Yang Fengshan, his work at the Steel Mill also hit a bottleneck, which inevitably affected his mindset.

He had already gained Li Xuewu's support and help, but out of loyalty and gratitude, in order to help Yang Yuansong struggle on his deathbed, he started making an issue of Dong Wen and ignored Li Xuewu's warnings.

So, now his retribution had come.

Li Xuewu indeed didn't speak, because even if he didn't speak, Yang Zongfang's days wouldn't be easy.

When Li Huai De asked about his work, he clearly had opinions and attitudes; when he asked about the team ecology and collaborative relationships, without waiting for Yang Zongfang to answer, he gave him a political lesson on how unity is strength.

As for exactly how he gave it, Li Xuewu didn't record it, because such words had no nutritional value, but they were enough to knock Yang Zongfang's brain dizzy.

Just seeing him wipe his palms on his trousers many times was enough to know that his current mindset was agonizing enough, and he also knew his personal career had come to an end.

Li Huai De wouldn't leave within three to five years, and Dong Wen would definitely move up within three to five years; who would come to Steel City to preside over the work then?

It definitely wouldn't be him; even when the team was formed, he was regarded by the factory as a standing deputy, but that was long gone.

Since Li Xuewu was sitting here, the answer was already very clear; I'm afraid that when Li Xuewu came to take over, he would still be carrying the position of the general factory.

I dare not say he would definitely be the deputy director of the Management Committee, but he wouldn't be far off, and it would definitely be a situation that crushed all members of the Steel Mill team.

By then, no matter how he struggled, he wouldn't be able to escape Li Xuewu's Five Finger Mountain.

So, his power game was over.

This talk officially announced that he was out.