Chapter 1301: The child is not yours

"No way, I can't play this thing; the physical exertion is too much."

Jing Yunong panted, her hands braced against her knees, the other hand leaning on her racket.

"It looked simple enough, but I really can't run when playing, especially as a beginner like me."

"If you feel tired, it just means your body lacks exercise."

Li Xuewu walked around the net to her side and said, "You've heard of sub-health, right? You don't notice anything in daily life, but once you actually get sick, it's no joke."

"I've heard of healthy and unhealthy, but where did this 'sub-health' come from?"

Jing Yunong glanced at him and said huffily, "You didn't just make that up on the spot to fool me, did you?"

"Look at what you're saying; when have I ever fooled you—"

Li Xuewu smiled, reached out his palm, and asked, "How about I help you over to sit for a while?"

"I haven't reached that point yet."

Jing Yunong seemed very sensitive about it; she swatted away Li Xuewu's large hand, forced herself to stand straight, and slowly walked toward the rest area.

Although she was only a little over ten years older than Li Xuewu, when the two were together, she couldn't stand hearing any vocabulary related to being old.

This included Li Xuewu's care for her.

Her strong personality caused her to often display a forceful attitude when dealing with others.

Even Li Xuewu helping her up made her feel there was some other meaning behind it.

"I heard you're meddling in other people's business again?"

Looking back at Li Xuewu, Jing Yunong curled her lip and said, "I really didn't expect that even a tough guy like you has a tender side."

"A tough guy isn't tough everywhere; any person would have a sense of compassion, right?"

Li Xuewu walked alongside her and said, "Honestly, if Hu Yanchiu had come alone, I absolutely wouldn't have helped her."

"Maybe it's because I have a child now; I can't stand seeing human suffering the most."

"You can't stand seeing human suffering, yet you sent the person right into Cheng Kaiyuan's hands!"

Jing Yunong glanced at him amusedly and said, "Haven't you heard? People are all saying you have ulterior motives and are ill-intentioned."

"Do you think that after doing a good deed and being a good person, you know what the parties involved are thinking?"

She swung her racket and tapped it lightly on Li Xuewu's backside, joking, "You, who can't stand human suffering, have pushed Deputy Director Cheng back into the limelight, into the suffering of the world."

"Whether it's the limelight or the crest of a wave, if one truly adheres to their bottom line, even if I used a tractor to push him, he wouldn't go up."

Li Xuewu raised his hand to gesture toward a rattan chair for her to sit, and he sat to one side.

"The evil he created himself, this debt of evil and evil fate must be settled by himself."

"That's true, you can be considered to have helped him out," Jing Yunong picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said, "In case something goes wrong."

"That's why I don't care what others say, as long as I believe it's necessary to do so, that's enough."

Li Xuewu looked at her and said with a smile, "At least a wise person like you wouldn't say such idle gossip; rumors stop with the wise, after all."

"You're using me as the standard for measuring rumors?" Jing Yunong glanced at him and said, "Aren't you underestimating those people in the offices?"

"No, I'm using you as the upper limit."

Li Xuewu raised his palm to gesture and said with a smile, "A model of morality, an example for me to learn from for the rest of my life."

"Cut the act—" Jing Yunong curled her lip at his nonsense and asked, "How did this matter end up?"

"How else could it end?" Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair, looking at the blooming flowers by the wall, and said, "In this world, problems that emotions can't handle will eventually be solved with money."

"Clearly, Deputy Director Cheng isn't short on money, and even if he were, raising that mother and son still wouldn't be a problem."

He turned his head to look at Jing Yunong and said seriously, "This is a key step for him to face the past and correct his mistakes; those above are also watching, so this can be considered a form of confession and statement."

"Heh—you men—"

Jing Yunong gave a light scoff and said blandly, "You will always complicate simple problems and politicize complex ones."

"Otherwise?" Li Xuewu joked, "I don't think Deputy Director Cheng would rekindle his old flame, take down the red flag, and replace it with a colorful one, right?"

"Only you could think that way—"

Jing Yunong picked up her teacup and said, "It's clear that he's having a hard time with this ordeal."

"After experiencing the hardships of heaven, this scene is formed; all things in the world come from toil. What is easy to do?"

Li Xuewu drank a mouthful of hot tea and said, "If you don't think I'm being hypocritical, I'd say being a worker is easier than being a cadre; at least you don't have to deal with people."

"What do you think?"

"Hehe—"

Jing Yunong didn't answer directly; after a light laugh, she asked, "How do you understand the way of survival for cadres in the current environment?"

"Me? How many years have I even been working?"

Li Xuewu looked at her and said, "If you want to ask this question, I should be the one asking you for advice."

"If you want to hear my humble opinion, then I'll boldly ramble on about it."

Seeing Jing Yunong glare at him, Li Xuewu didn't mind and looked at the courtyard with a smile, saying, "Talking about the way of survival is a bit self-deprecating."

"Don't listen to me saying being a worker is easier than being a cadre; that's just me sitting here talking to you, hypocritically acting coy in my capacity as the Secretary-General of the Red Star Factory Management Committee."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Who doesn't want to be a cadre? Everyone says it's lonely at the top, but look at the offices—who doesn't want to climb up?"

"So, speaking realistically, there's no such thing as survival or not; this era has given us many benefits, so we should talk about dedication."

"You definitely won't think I'm singing high praises, because you can understand my words."

Li Xuewu pointed with his finger and said, "Occupy the position, plan for its politics, adorn its person, and contemplate its ambition."

"Since one is a person, one should know benevolence; since one plots for power, one must be dedicated. What do you think?"

"Is this your way of survival?"

Jing Yunong wouldn't be swayed by Li Xuewu's original intent and thoughts in the conversation; if she wanted to talk about the way of survival, she had to correct the source.

"Have you ever thought that in the current situation and environment, cadres are actually a vulnerable group, and the office is also a kind of besieged city?"

"Then you are talking about the realm of philosophy," Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, shook his head slightly, and said, "Rising to the height of thought to look at problems, I might not be able to keep up with your train of thought."

"I say you're playing dumb—"

Jing Yunong pointed at him and said, "You understand, and you see it, and you even understand it better than anyone else in the leadership team."

"But you, this bad egg, aren't honest; you talk about being progressive, but in reality, you're still playing that 'middle-of-the-road' philosophy, right?"

She nodded and said, "I must admit that you've walked this path very smoothly and very precisely, but you can't say you've walked it correctly, nor can you say you're brilliant."

"Li Xuewu, I'm telling you today, do you believe that there are mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people?"

Jing Yunong crossed her right leg and shook her head slightly, saying, "You can't always be this accurate, and you can't always calculate every step."

"Only when you feel awe for your work and responsibilities can you truly experience the feelings of a vulnerable group."

She raised her eyebrows and said, "Only by surviving in this organizational ecology can you sing high praises, sing low praises, sing all sorts of things, and sing both sides of the argument. What do you say?"

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu looked at her, his eyes teasingly asking, "Are we singing the opposite side of the argument?"

"You—" Jing Yunong looked him over and said huffily, "What you're singing is out of tune!"

"Why are you back again?"

Li Xuewu saw Jing Yunong off to the club parking lot, watched the car leave, and turned around only to see Zhou Changli appear in the security office.

Zhou Changli was also stunned and aggrieved when he saw him say that, and he reminded him with a helpless look, "What do you mean 'again'? Recruitment, leader, I come back once every quarter. Do you think I'm missing home and came back to stroll around?"

"How are things going in Steel City?"

Li Xuewu looked him over and said, "You're a man with a wife after all; looking at how you're dressed now, you finally look like a person."

"Leader, I haven't offended you, have I?"

Zhou Changli looked at the gate speechlessly and asked in a low voice, "If you've been upset, please don't make things difficult for me."

"Should I call Old Four over?"

"You guys really are good brothers."

Li Xuewu gave a scoff, turned around, gestured toward the flower hall, and said, "Let's go, let's chat."

"Chat? With me?" Zhou Changli looked as if to say, 'Are you mistaken?' and said, "Are you sure you want to call me over to... chat?"

"Otherwise?" Li Xuewu looked back at him and asked, "Is it inconvenient?"

"No—it's not inconvenient." Zhou Changli responded nervously, then muttered in a low voice, "How would I dare—"

"I heard from Biaozi a few days ago when I went to Steel City that you're in charge of the Fengcheng business."

Li Xuewu stepped onto the steps of the flower hall, "How is it? Is it tiring?"

"It's not tiring, it's just... a bit stressful."

Zhou Changli was still very familiar with this place; he stayed here every time he returned to the capital.

He had family and a home in the capital, and now that he had learned his lesson, his family treated him better.

However, coming from a worker's family with many siblings, housing was bound to be tight.

It wasn't that his father favored one over the other, but like all parents in this era, he was powerless to care for all his children.

Whoever had the ability went out to make their way; the one without ability stayed home to live off the old savings—it could be considered a form of survival of the fittest.

Zhou Changli didn't live at home, partly because of the living environment, and partly because he had long since grown to hate the cramped conditions of the hutong.

The large courtyard, although a hotbed of the commoner culture of the capital, was also a portrayal of helplessness.

If they had the conditions, who would want to squeeze dozens of families into one large courtyard?

In later generations, you see those with capital household registrations acting arrogant, but that's actually reflected by the dividends of the era's development.

In reality?

It's not fundamentally different from this era; although they enjoy excellent medical and educational resources, they also lack the courage to go out.

What the capital enclosed wasn't just the imperial city, but also the people within the city.

One has heard of people going to the capital to work, but one hasn't heard of capital residents going out to work.

Look again at where the wealthy people living in the capital in later generations come from?

The vast majority are not locals.

Every era has its representative figures, and every generation has its own fate.

In Zhou Changli's generation, either you mixed in the hutongs, struggling to survive in the waves of the era until the day the household registration became valuable.

Or you were like him, putting down all psychological burdens and truly walking out.

It seems that every era doesn't look favorably upon groups that have the courage to venture into new lives.

This was true for the first batch of migrant workers in later generations, and it was also true for the first batch of city dwellers crowding into larger cities.

The pressure Zhou Changli spoke of wasn't just work pressure, but also issues of identity recognition and life.

He was very surprised that Li Xuewu would talk to him; in his heart, this person was already a big shot whose back he could no longer see.

Even in this club, he only dared to say he knew him, not that he was familiar with him.

But since he was sitting in the flower hall, he spoke quite frankly about his pressure.

Li Xuewu asked the waiter for a pot of tea and listened quietly to his account.

Regarding the work in Steel City, it was Zhou Changli's perspective on the current state of the recycling station.

As he spoke, he talked too much, and Zhou Changli realized this at the end.

He looked at Li Xuewu cautiously and asked, "Leader, are you trying to understand..."

"Don't overthink it, just chatting casually."

Li Xuewu smiled gently and said, "Knowledge from books is shallow after all; although I can understand your work from paper, it's not vivid or concrete enough."

"You're the leader, you have the final say."

Zhou Changli twitched the corner of his mouth; although he vaguely sensed Li Xuewu's intention, he still played dumb.

Li Xuewu didn't mind his attitude, picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and asked, "Holding two jobs, can you handle it?"

"It's alright, just running errands," Zhou Changli spread his hands and said, "You also know that personnel work has always been the responsibility of Sister Zhou, and Brother Biao is in charge of the Fengcheng business."

"I obey orders and listen to commands."

He held his teacup, peeked at Li Xuewu, and asked hesitantly, "Should I... hand over the work? Or do you have other requirements or arrangements for me?"

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu gave a light laugh, looked at him, and asked, "Which position do you think you can handle?"

"I don't know, don't play with me."

Zhou Changli said with a bitter smile, "From the first time I met you, I knew I couldn't play with you."

"Anyway, I've laid everything out here; I have no opinion on how you arrange it, I'll just resolutely execute it."

Seeing Li Xuewu's attitude was still gentle, he intended to liven up the atmosphere, cheer himself up, and made a small joke.

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I told you not to overthink it; I have no opinion of you, nor do I intend to interfere with your work."

"It's enough to know you're doing well."

"Really? Why am I a bit uncertain," Zhou Changli smiled and said, "My heart beats like a drum whenever I see you."

"Only when the heart is empty does it beat like a drum," Li Xuewu looked at him and said, "You're still young, you must persist in reading more and learning more."

"Yes, I've remembered your words."

Zhou Changli nodded seriously and said, "I will communicate and coordinate personnel work with Old Four, trying to let him support this part."

"I said—" Li Xuewu saw Zhou Xiaobai riding her little iron donkey into the courtyard, waved his hand, and said, "I didn't intend to interfere with your work; just keep doing what you're doing."

"Then—leader, I'm going back."

Zhou Changli also spotted Zhou Xiaobai's figure, stood up and asked, and seeing Li Xuewu nod, he left.

"Yeah—how come you're willing to come out and play?"

Zhou Xiaobai saw Zhou Changli coming out of the flower hall and took an extra look; she was just parking her little motorcycle when she saw the familiar figure by the window following Zhou Changli's gesture.

She ran over excitedly, her skirt fluttering, youthful vitality overflowing, making this early summer joyful.

"They said you made progress; I thought you had gone inside."

After the surprise, Zhou Xiaobai went around the window, hopped in from the doorway, and pouted, "You're busier than my dad."

"Stop talking nonsense; how can a small shrimp like me compare to your dad."

Li Xuewu pinched a teacup, poured her some tea, pointed to the opposite side, and said, "Aren't you hiding in Jinmen for peace and quiet?"

"It seems you still care about me; you even knew about this?"

Zhou Xiaobai sat on the opposite chair, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said gloomily, "I guess I brought this on myself."

"Finally tasted the bitterness of love?"

Li Xuewu said amusedly, "Sometimes having too many pursuers is also a kind of pain; I once suffered from this pain."

"Then pass on some experience to me."

Zhou Xiaobai shook her head, looked at Li Xuewu with teasing eyes, and said, "In this regard, you're my senior. I heard from Brother Guodong that your romantic debts couldn't be written in a single diary?"

"Guodong would tell you this?"

Li Xuewu twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Xiaobai, you've learned to be bad; even if I really had so many romantic debts, Guodong wouldn't tell you."

"But you've already admitted it—"

Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes, scoffed, and said, "It seems I really should ask you for advice, playboy."

"I'm not a playboy," Li Xuewu picked up his teacup and said, "Everyone has a young time; I can only say I have rich experience."

He never admitted to being a playboy, nor did he admit to the antonym, after all, he wasn't a playboy, nor was he a young master.

He hadn't even had casual affairs, nor had he talked about mother-daughter pairs.

"What keeps me clean besides maturity in thought is an objective fact."

Li Xuewu pointed to the scar on his face and said, "How about you give yourself one like this on your face?"

"I guarantee, no one will pursue you anymore."

"Yes, no one will pursue me anymore."

Zhou Xiaobai was so angry she wanted to hit someone, "For those two goods, I have to disfigure myself? Is it worth it?"

"Hehe, you know it's not worth it, so what are you struggling with?"

Li Xuewu said with a light laugh, "I don't even understand why you're hiding in Jinmen. Is love really more important than work?"

"Hearing this from you really makes me feel like a stranger—"

Zhou Xiaobai looked Li Xuewu over, as if seeing him for the first time, "If I weren't for love, I wouldn't be doing this job. Are you doubting my loyalty to love, or disparaging my youth?"

"The more you talk, the more off-track it gets—"

Li Xuewu wouldn't face her confession; falling in love with Zhou Xiaobai was worse than falling in love with a grenade, at least the grenade would die more thoroughly.

Zhou Xiaobai curled her lip, knowing this man both doubted her loyalty and looked down on her youth.

If she were twenty-three or twenty-four now, she wouldn't have been unable to break through the last line of defense while lying in the same bed.

She had been eaten, she had been touched, but the bottom line he guarded—if you said it didn't exist, it really did; if you said it existed, it wasn't high.

It made Zhou Xiaobai doubt herself now: why was she with him?

Is it really for money?

That's not a joke; she, Zhou Xiaobai, isn't someone who sees money and opens her eyes, nor is she someone who enjoys material life.

Then what about her youth and love?

She raised her wrist to check the time on the newly bought imported watch, smoothed her stylish skirt, and asked, "What did you chat about with him? Why was he so absent-minded when he went out?"

Zhou Xiaobai took the initiative to change the subject, raised her eyes to gesture toward the security office outside the window, where Zhou Changli was standing at the door talking to Zhao Lao Si.

Li Xuewu glanced over there, shook his head slightly, and said, "Nothing, just gave him some motivation to make him run faster."

"You're really bad—"

Zhou Xiaobai pouted and said, "I knew it; I could tell his state at a glance. He's had plenty of big pancakes and chicken soup."

Having been with Li Xuewu for a long time, she had learned quite a few stylish words; young people always have a chasing attitude toward fashionable things.

"Are you planning to train him to stand on his own?"

She looked at Li Xuewu's expression and asked tentatively, "Go to Fengcheng? Or go to Bingcheng?"

"I don't know, we'll see."

Li Xuewu raised his head to look at Zhou Xiaobai and asked with a smile, "How about I arrange for you to go to Bingcheng? Stand on your own."

"You really think highly of me," Zhou Xiaobai sat up straight, braced her already "grown" body, and said, "With my small frame, what side can I block? You tell me."

"Hehe, people will always 'grow up'," Li Xuewu said with a double entendre, "Eventually, one day you have to take this step. I can't cover for you forever; if I did, you'd be ruined."

"Just treat me as a piece of trash."

Zhou Xiaobai drank her tea indifferently and said, "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. I'm sticking with you for the rest of my life."

"Don't look at me with that look!"

Perhaps noticing the helplessness in Li Xuewu's eyes, she pointed at him sensitively and said, "You're not my dad."

"I eat well, dress well, live well, and I'm happy now. You want me to go to a strange city to struggle?"

She looked at Li Xuewu suspiciously and asked, "Do you think I'm stupid? Or do you think I should stupidly go and be independent and mature?"

"Don't think about it, I won't."

Zhou Xiaobai said stubbornly, "Staying in the capital gives me some hope; if I really go to Bingcheng, I'll have no hope at all."

"What hope do you have?"

Li Xuewu looked at her amusedly and said, "Do you think I'll cheat? What kind of person do you take me for? You look down on me too much."

"Eh—" Zhou Xiaobai curled her lip, looked at him, and asked, "So, are you and Wu Laoshi really acting?"

"I said so!" She slapped the table excitedly and said, "Li Xin doesn't look like you at all; that's a southerner's face."

"You don't know how suffocated I've been recently—"

Zhou Xiaobai put on an expression of 'I'm doing this for your own good' and said seriously, "I really wanted to find an opportunity to remind you that Wu Laoshi cheated on you, and the child isn't yours."

"Now it's fine, everything is explained."

She looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Then, who are you two acting for by being so sneaky?"

Li Xuewu looked at Zhou Xiaobai for a long while, then let out a helpless sigh and said, "For the dogs."

On May 23rd, Li Xuewu accompanied Deputy Director Gu Weijie, who was in charge of organizational work, to attend the founding ceremony of the Red Star Energy Corporation.

At the ceremony, Yin Zaiwei, Director of the Organization Department, read out the personnel appointment decision of the Red Star Steel Group Management Committee.

It was decided to appoint Ji Jiuzheng, the former Director of the Technical Department, as the General Manager of the Energy Corporation.

After the decision was read, Gu Weijie made an important speech on behalf of the Management Committee, and Li Xuewu made a work arrangement speech on behalf of the Management Group regarding the establishment and mission of the Energy Corporation.

Finally, Ji Jiuzheng made a statement at the meeting, announcing that the Red Star Energy Corporation was officially established and operational from that day on.

"I won't emphasize the importance of energy in helping enterprise development again."

After the meeting, Li Xuewu shook Ji Jiuzheng's hand and said, "The Energy Corporation, whether from the perspective of organizational structure or equity structure, is an important attempt by our factory. Your work is heavy and the road is long."

"Before I came, Director Li talked to me and asked me to tell you not to have psychological burdens, to let go, and to work boldly."

"Thank you, Secretary-General; I will definitely not fail the organization's expectations and will earnestly fulfill my duties."

Ji Jiuzheng could be considered an old comrade, having worked in the Production Management Department and Technical Department for many years.

He was Xia Zhongquan's old partner, and his promotion this time was also recommended by Chief Engineer Xia Zhongquan.

Under the current management structure and system, although Chief Engineer Xia Zhongquan was not a member of the Management Committee, he still had a say, not to mention that he also had a very good personal relationship with Li Xuewu and others.

In fact, from the instructions Li Xuewu relayed from Director Li, Ji Jiuzheng could also hear distrust and ambiguity; if they truly trusted him, they wouldn't have said anything about letting go and working boldly.

Only a greenhorn who had just started working would believe a leader's encouraging words.

Old hands all knew that you could care about a leader's criticism, but you should treat their encouragement as farting; you would never be wrong.

When they use you, they will naturally encourage you, saying things about letting go and working boldly.

But when you pour your heart and soul into your work with passion, you will find that even a small mistake will make your efforts go down the drain.

Because the leader never trusted you from beginning to end, nor did they see your efforts.

You don't know how many people are eyeing the position you're in.

A small mistake you think you made will be exaggerated by others in front of the leader.

In the end, your sincerity was fed to the dogs, and the leader even felt that using a dog to tie up that position was better than using you. Tell me, isn't that infuriating?

Therefore, listening to the tone, the pressure on Ji Jiuzheng, the newly appointed General Manager of the Energy Corporation, suddenly rose.

Controlling resources such as electricity, thermal energy, and minerals, one could understand from the company's naming that the project the factory was doing this time was very large and involved a particularly wide range.

Old-qualified directors didn't get such a good opportunity, yet he, a deputy director who had been promoted for less than a year, got it. How could it not make people jealous?

Previously, the branches and branch factories established in the factory were named as XX Branch, or named after the factory; only the Sales Corporation recently established by integrating resources counted as a big head.

Although this Energy Corporation wasn't the first corporation, it was indeed an independent corporation from the very beginning.

With great responsibility, wide business, and heavy assets, Ji Jiuzheng, this old technician, stood at the forefront of the storm from the moment the personnel appointment was announced. It was glorious, yes.

But standing at the forefront of the wind, he knew that the higher you fly, the harder you fall.

What to do?

There was only one way: he had to charge forward desperately, not giving others a chance to slander him, and let the leader gradually trust him.

At the same time, he had to stabilize the rear; no one doesn't make mistakes, and even if he didn't want to make mistakes, there were people thinking about him making mistakes at all times.

Therefore, since Li Xuewu had already expressed goodwill and was Xia Zhongquan's most stable backer and ally, what reason did he have to refuse?

From the tone of Li Xuewu's statement, one could see that he was serious.

The office location of the Energy Corporation was temporarily placed in the Third Industry Management Department, which had just been built not long ago; it could only be moved uniformly after the corporation building was completed.

Like the labor service company, construction company, and other companies in the capital, these enterprises would all work in the Twin Towers building and the United Industry building.

The current factory office area was already overcrowded, and there was no more place to squeeze out a position to put an office desk for the Energy Corporation.

On the way back from the Third Industry Management Department to the factory office area, Li Xuewu and Gu Weijie shared a car, and the two had a conversation in the car about Ji Jiuzheng and the newly established Energy Corporation.

Gu Weijie held a conservative attitude toward the factory's bold attempt under the equity management model.

She didn't oppose appointing Ji Jiuzheng as the person in charge, but she was also ambiguous about his management ability and qualifications; this was a challenge.

"Director Li is still relatively conservative in personnel work."

Li Xuewu nodded slightly after hearing her words and said, "I believe you can also see that he doesn't trust cadres who entered the factory after the merger."

"This is wrong," Gu Weijie frowned and said, "Conservatism in personnel is artificial isolation; something will go wrong sooner or later."

"It will cause some discussion."

Li Xuewu also saw the drawbacks under this conservatism, but still spoke a word for Old Li, "The Red Star Factory is currently walking a tightrope; Director Li doesn't dare to have the slightest negligence."

"If I were in his position, I wouldn't dare to say how bold and open I would be."

He looked at Gu Weijie beside him and said, "Whoever is in that position, the pressure definitely won't be smaller than Director Li's."

"I agree with this," Gu Weijie let out a long sigh and said, "But this doesn't affect my insistence on an open personnel attitude."

"You can't stop doing things just because you're afraid of problems, right?"

She knitted her brows and said, "Opportunity and development are in a symbiotic relationship with contradictions; some things can't be avoided."

"Hmm, I understand what you mean."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "But this matter still has to be done slowly; the change in personnel policy also marks the change in management policy. If the turn is too sharp, it's easy to flip the car, right?"

As it happened, the car they were in made a turn and entered the office area.

Gu Weijie glanced at him; although she still cared about her own opinion, she could also listen to Li Xuewu's opinion.

After a good while, she nodded before getting out of the car and said, "What you said isn't without reason; let's discuss this matter again."

Li Xuewu naturally saw Gu Weijie's dissatisfaction, but ideological differences weren't so easy to reconcile, even if he was the first Secretary-General of the Red Star Steel Group.

Being able to hold this position meant he had received recognition and affirmation from many sides.

However, he wasn't omnipotent and couldn't completely sway Old Li's management thinking.

He could say that in business work, at the execution level, Old Li could earnestly listen to his opinions, but on other issues, especially sensitive personnel issues, Old Li was quite stubborn and conservative.

No one could shake or doubt the top leader's determination in personnel work.

This was Old Li's private plot, and it was also what he viewed as the foundation for mastering the Management Committee and mastering the development direction of the Red Star Factory.

Everyone had their own principles, and everyone had their own sensitive areas; once they were subjected to tentative contact, it would inevitably cause a backlash.

Li Xuewu didn't hope that during this period, with the external situation continuing to be bad, the internal organizational ecology contradictions of the Red Star Factory would intensify.

Of course, he naturally understood why Gu Weijie hoped to introduce cadres who joined after the merger into the true core management area.

A solidified personnel environment would breed a series of problems and contradictions; the most serious was the 'mountain stronghold' mentality, which was infinitely harmful in the development process of an enterprise.

Similarly, Gu Weijie also didn't hope that Li Huai De would persist in conservative thinking, grasping personnel work so tightly that it affected the normal development and progress of the organization.

Members of the leadership team all had demands for organizational personnel work; as the leader in charge, Gu Weijie faced demands and coordination from many sides.

She herself wasn't directly responsible for business work and administrative management, but she shouldered the important responsibility of balancing and stabilizing the organizational ecosystem.

Broadly speaking, the position she was in was to clamp and balance Li Huai De's 'one pen', to supervise and alleviate the contradictions between Li Huai De and other leadership team members regarding power division.

Although Li Xuewu, as Secretary-General, also had relevant responsibilities and powers, subjectively, he had to stand with Li Huai De, coordinate and maintain the stability of the leadership team, and execute Li Huai De's opinions.

Now, Gu Weijie was asking him to stand out and force Li Huai De to modify the current management policy together with her. What would Old Li think?

Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; governing a group is the same. Old Li, this cook, isn't professional; he only knows how to make cold dishes, not hot ones.

But you can't say he doesn't know how to control salt.

If he doesn't know how to control salt, is he just farting?

"Alright, I know. I've already said congratulations; this time I'll say smooth sailing and establishing new merits."

Li Xuewu laughed on the phone and said, "Of course, how to burn these three fires, and when to burn them, you decide."

"Hahaha—"

Hearing what Huang Gan said on the phone, Li Xuewu's smile became much brighter.

"We're old classmates and have cooperated for many years; if you speak, how could I not support you?"

"Rest assured, I'll watch your actions."

Seeing Wang Lu appear at the door, he nodded, signaling he knew.

Then he said on the phone, "Hmm, good, I have things to do here; when your research is finished, good."

"Leader, the car is ready."

Seeing Li Xuewu hang up the phone, Wang Lu continued to report, "Deputy Director Sun from the Engineering Department is waiting for you downstairs."

"I'm just going to look at the site; didn't I say earlier not to make a big fuss."

Li Xuewu stood up, let Wang Lu tidy the desk, and said with some impatience, "How did the Office convey this?"

"I made it clear anyway, but you also know," Wang Lu glanced at the next room and explained in a low voice, "Deputy Director Liang cares most about these things and doesn't allow me to make decisions."

"Good, I know." Li Xuewu nodded helplessly, "Next time, wait until I've left before you call the inspection unit."

"You're throwing me under the bus—"

Wang Lu looked at him distressed and said, "I think Deputy Director Liang is also right; you can't make things difficult for those below."

"Hmm, your stance has changed really fast—"

Li Xuewu tidied his clothes, pointed at Wang Lu, and said, "It involves your work, and you sold me out too."

"You sold me out first—" Wang Lu laughed and reminded, "Me selling you out is still formal; you'd better be careful of Nie Xiaoguang; him selling you out is real."

Nie Xiaoguang had officially finished his apprenticeship, having followed Han Jiankun for over a month, and finally obtained his driving permit.

In fact, his driver's license had come down long ago; he had a good brain and was young, and every day besides going on missions, he was soaking in the training ground.

Even pickled vegetables would be soaked through.

He drove the large truck very smoothly and had learned four-tenths of Han Jiankun's essence in driving the small car.

His master said the rest had to be practiced slowly and felt slowly.

Nie Xiaoguang didn't know what 'feeling' meant; he probably understood it after driving more.

"Secretary-General, you didn't bring a secretary—"

Sun Jiazhen, Deputy Director of the Engineering Department, stood in the lobby and greeted Li Xuewu downstairs with a smile.

Li Xuewu waved his hand at him and greeted, "I was just telling the Office to just say hello to the project department at the construction site."

"I'm just going to look at the site; I have to go once a week, otherwise I won't be at ease."

Although he said that, since Liang Zuodong had already arranged it and Sun Jiazhen was already waiting downstairs, could he refuse?

Li Xuewu saw Liang Zuodong's active performance in his eyes and kept it in his heart.

Working in the office, who doesn't want to make progress? Liang Zuodong thinking about the position of Office Director was nothing, and he understood.

"Knowing you care about engineering work, we also understand your mood."

Sun Jiazhen knew how to talk; he accompanied him down the steps with a smile, and seeing the driver had already opened the car door, he didn't make a fuss.

"Deputy Director Liang called, and I was just thinking about going over to take a look."

He got into the car from the other side and said to Li Xuewu, who was also in the back seat, "The progress given by the Engineering Project Command Center on Monday is that within three months, the infrastructure will be basically completed."

"I'm not in a hurry; there's no need to urge progress, just follow the steps."

Li Xuewu pressed his palm lightly on his knee and said after the car started, "I'm not distrusting the data given by the Project Management Center."

He raised his hand to gesture toward his eyes and said to Sun Jiazhen, "Sometimes what you hear and what you see are completely different things."

"Written expression and on-site investigation are another matter; doing engineering—"

Li Xuewu sat up straight, looked ahead, and said, "There's a lot of knowledge in this."

"If you're not careful, steel bars become bamboo poles, and cement becomes mud."

The speaker had intent, the listener sweated.

At this moment, Sun Jiazhen's back was already cold, and his palms were already sweating.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1302 =====