Chapter 1348: Once is enough

Why was it Cen Cen Fuyao? Zhou Zechuan couldn't figure it out.

He was silent in his office for a long while before calling Xiao Liu in.

"Leader, you called me."

Xiao Liu knocked gently on the office door and greeted him proactively from the doorway.

"Come in, come in and talk."

Zhou Zechuan waved his hand, his attitude rarely becoming much gentler, which made Xiao Liu very uncomfortable.

"Put it down, put it down, no need to busy yourself."

Seeing Xiao Liu walk in and first reach out to test his teacup, preparing to refill the tea, he waved his hand again.

"It's okay, you go ahead and speak."

Xiao Liu was anxious inside, not knowing what trick the leader was playing again; despite his nervousness, his expression remained steady.

His movements of carrying the teacup to the tea cabinet to refill the hot water were skillful and natural, which made Zhou Zechuan nod repeatedly in his heart.

A good seedling, what a pity.

Pity what? Pity that he was caught in the middle, in imminent danger, and couldn't even talk about the big pie of promotion and appointment at this time.

Otherwise, he would definitely have to cultivate Xiao Liu well as the first piece of the puzzle for him to take root in the Red Star Steel Group and build his own base.

Forget about puzzles now; he was a mud bodhisattva crossing the river, unable to even save himself, and the pie he drew had to be believed by someone.

"Xiao Liu, what year did you come to the group?"

Watching Xiao Liu walk back with the teacup, Zhou Zechuan looked at him with a very peaceful tone.

"Leader, are you asking what year I came to the Red Star Factory?"

Xiao Liu specifically made a correction and placed the teacup in the position the leader was most accustomed to.

Zhou Zechuan saw his attentiveness, smiled slightly, nodded, and said: "Strictly speaking, it should be the Red Star Factory."

"Yes, I came to the factory in '65." Xiao Liu also answered with a smile: "The spring of '65."

"Oh—" Zhou Zechuan raised his eyebrows and nodded meaningfully, saying: "Then you came to the factory half a year earlier than the Secretary-General."

"Can't compare like that." Xiao Liu waved his hand nervously: "The Secretary-General transferred to the factory with military merit; I can't compare to that; I just entered the factory after graduating from high school."

"Heh heh heh, I was just saying."

Zhou Zechuan chuckled, took a sip of his tea, and then asked casually: "Which department was General Manager Cen in before?"

"Logistics Department; it was like that the year I came."

Xiao Liu seemed to understand the purpose of the leader calling him for a talk, and the stone hanging in his heart was slightly let go.

"Logistics Department—" Zhou Zechuan seemed to be thinking about something, nodded unintentionally, and repeated this answer.

"At that time, General Manager Cen was the Deputy Director of the Logistics Department." Xiao Liu looked at him and introduced him proactively: "The Director at that time was Zhang Zhang Guoqi, that is, that..."

"Mm, I know this person."

Hearing the hesitation in Xiao Liu's words, Zhou Zechuan turned to look at him and said: "What is the relationship between General Manager Cen and the Secretary-General?"

"This—I really don't know."

Xiao Liu hadn't expected the leader to ask so suddenly and directly, and explained awkwardly: "When I first came to the office to work, I was just an errand boy; I was only seconded to Discipline Inspection later."

"Oh, it's a waste of talent." Zhou Zechuan saw he hadn't asked anything, but wasn't discouraged, and looked at him with a smile: "If I can still be responsible for the group's Discipline Inspection work, I will definitely give you an opportunity."

"Thank you, Director." Xiao Liu first thanked the leader for his affirmation, then hesitated and said: "I didn't have contact with the Secretary-General before he came to the office to work, but..."

"It's okay, just chatting."

Zhou Zechuan saw his hesitation and thoughts, nodded, and said without caring: "If you don't want to say it, don't say it."

"That's not what I meant." Xiao Liu naturally wouldn't offend the leader, and even less would he give up the leader's cultivation; he explained: "I can't just talk nonsense about things I'm not sure of."

"Mm, that's a good habit." Zhou Zechuan recognized his explanation, nodded, and commented: "You are good material for Discipline Inspection work."

"If I can provide reference value to you," Xiao Liu said hesitantly: "I know that General Manager Cen's transfer from the Logistics Department to the Steel City Production Base to serve as the Director of the Management Office was the Secretary-General's suggestion."

He looked at Zhou Zechuan and said: "I saw this when I was organizing previous office meeting records; it's documented."

"However, General Manager Cen's work achievements and actions after going to Steel City didn't seem to get the Secretary-General's approval."

Xiao Liu first stretched Zhou Zechuan, then began to express his value to the extreme, talking more and more, more and more detailed.

"During the group's organizational personnel adjustment last year, the Secretary-General suggested abolishing the structure of the Steel City Production Base Management Office and merging the management office personnel into the current Industrial Leadership Group."

"Oh—" Zhou Zechuan listened to Xiao Liu's words; some situations he had understood, some he hadn't, but he still showed the expression of just knowing about it.

He nodded and asked: "Later? Why haven't I heard that General Manager Cen has any relationship with the Secretary-General?"

"Actually, the Secretary-General doesn't have a relationship with anyone." Xiao Liu pursed his lips and looked at him: "Everyone says privately that the Secretary-General is selfless and the least concerned with personal relationships."

"Heh—" Zhou Zechuan chuckled again and took a sip of his tea, seemingly disapproving of his words.

Xiao Liu didn't feel aggrieved either, and explained frankly: "How complex the personnel relationships in the office are, naturally isn't something I, a small clerk, can explain clearly."

"But the Secretary-General's way of doing things is indeed recognized by everyone; it's been like this since he served as the person in charge of the Security Department."

He introduced: "If you have to pick out high-level cadres who have a good relationship with the Secretary-General, you can almost pick them all out."

"Why? Is he that popular?" Zhou Zechuan put down his teacup and asked amusedly: "I don't think so."

"I heard it's trust."

Xiao Liu wanted to get a high score from the leader, so naturally he couldn't follow the leader's meaning completely.

He introduced earnestly: "During the Security Department period, he had already gained the recognition and respect of many cadres of the same level."

"From work management to policy grasp, even Director Li trusts him very much."

Xiao Liu picked a few things he had seen with his own eyes and told Zhou Zechuan, which made the other party fall into silence.

"If you say everyone has a good relationship with the Secretary-General, that's not necessarily true." Xiao Liu brought the topic back and said: "Before, it was rumored in the office that the Secretary-General and General Manager Xu of Yingcheng Shipping were sworn brothers; I know this matter is completely groundless."

"Once, I passed by the Secretary-General's office and heard him severely reprimand the other party, without showing any mercy."

"The Secretary-General is a bit strict."

Zhou Zechuan recognized his words, nodded, and said: "Regarding General Manager Cen, what other situations do you know?"

Why did Zhou Zechuan take the initiative to ask about the relationship between Cen Cen Fuyao and Li Li Xuewu?

Because he suspected he was being set up; the food company pit was completely directed by Li Li Xuewu.

To put it bluntly, the problem with Zheng Xudong, the Deputy General Manager of the food company, was very likely "spoiled" by the General Manager, Cen Cen Fuyao.

He could completely report it to the Management Committee and, in the name of the group's Discipline Inspection Commission, suggest that the group's Management Committee pursue Cen Cen Fuyao's management responsibility.

Cen Cen Fuyao was the General Manager of the food company; he had the responsibility to supervise and stop Zheng Xudong's violations.

But saying these things now is all after the fact; Zheng Xudong's matter had already happened, right under Cen Cen Fuyao's nose.

If the relationship between Cen Cen Fuyao and Li Li Xuewu was very good, then he had every reason to believe this was a trap.

If Li Li Xuewu really dared to use this situation to set a trap, then even if he was caught in it, he would despise Li Li Xuewu's character.

In other words, while despising Li Li Xuewu, he also had a sense of pride in being defeated, finding a bit of face from this confrontation.

It's a pity, he was confident Xiao Liu wouldn't lie, and even less would he deceive him; it seemed Li Li Xuewu had no relationship with Cen Cen Fuyao.

From Xiao Liu's narrative, he learned that Cen Cen Fuyao's promotion was indeed Li Li Xuewu's suggestion, but behind Li Li Xuewu was Li Li Huai De.

He knew after coming to work at the group that, in fact, many personnel problems and business resolutions were conveyed through Li Li Xuewu's side, representing Li Li Huai De's opinions.

At the office meeting, the situation he understood was that many opinions Li Li Xuewu expressed were agreed to by Li Li Huai De.

This represented that the two were standing on the same line, so how could he distinguish whose relationship Cen Cen Fuyao was relying on?

Li Li Xuewu could make Cen Cen Fuyao hate him, ruin the other party's dream of progress in personnel changes, and arrange for him to go to the food company.

Don't look at the large scale and business volume of the food company now, but you have to know, this isn't the group's main business.

What is the group's main business?

It's heavy industry related to the steel industry, as well as heavy and light mixed industry, such as automobile manufacturing plants, electronic and electrical plants, etc.

The food company belongs to third-industry industry, and even the factory address is in Beijing, not Steel City, the group's industrial production base.

So according to his understanding, Cen Cen Fuyao should hate Li Li Xuewu and couldn't possibly cooperate with the other party to complete this calculation.

Then could it be considered that Li Li Xuewu learned about Zheng Xudong's problem from some channel and threaded the needle to make a buckle?

If you want him to believe that all this is a coincidence and has nothing to do with Li Li Xuewu's calculation, unless you beat him to death.

Even if you beat him to death, he wouldn't believe it.

One ring after another, interlocked; as long as those involved are affected, they can't escape this vortex.

Whether others have vigilance, he doesn't know, but Zhou Zechuan, caught in the middle, already felt it: this case had become a vortex.

As long as those involved are tainted, who can retreat unscathed?

People with discerning eyes know that the Secretary-General's power and influence are being stripped and compressed by Director Li and other leaders.

And the Secretary-General retreated again and again, taking the initiative to cut off his own influence and power, just for one goal.

Now someone wants to challenge the Secretary-General's bottom line, feeling that if he can retreat one or two steps, he can retreat a third step.

Zhou Zechuan three months ago thought the same; he was also one of those forcing the Secretary-General to continue retreating.

Now it's fine; the Secretary-General retreated, but left a landmine to blow these people to pieces.

Mastering the source of problems and contradictions, and then thinking about the trap Li Li Xuewu laid from the beginning, he knew this matter wasn't simple.

Someone must be cooperating with the Secretary-General, even if it was passive cooperation, otherwise this matter would absolutely not succeed.

He still remembered the few words Li Li Xuewu said while patting his arm in front of the 【Qinyuanchun】 door.

Every time he recalls it, it's fresh in his memory, exploding in his ears.

That time, wasn't it exactly when Zheng Xudong came forward to ask him to help handle the freight station problem? How could it be such a coincidence?

Think about it again, after that meeting, Yi Yi Honglei went to the freight station to serve as the station master; this absolutely wasn't a coincidence.

At that time, he didn't understand how Zheng Xudong could be related to the freight station; now he understood it all.

What Zheng Xudong said at the time, about classmate relationships, about business connections, was all damn nonsense.

From this investigation, he could clearly see that Zheng Xudong was the mastermind behind the explosion of the freight station problem.

Or rather, he was the source of the contradiction.

There was another problem here: if Zheng Xudong was used as the ultimate goal of this case, would Li Li Xuewu be satisfied?

He absolutely didn't believe that Li Li Xuewu would go to such great lengths just to handle a Zheng Xudong.

Calculating backward from here, who was standing behind Zheng Xudong, or rather, whose appearance of problems would involve whom and affect whom?

From the style of Li Li Xuewu's work and calculations he had understood in the past, he absolutely had to diverge his thinking.

Sometimes two contradictory people could be the beneficiaries of the trap he laid.

Because reverse benefit is also a kind of benefit.

This kind of relationship could better cover up his true purpose; even if he now clearly knew what Li Li Xuewu wanted to do, he still couldn't see through or understand Li Li Xuewu's calculation.

It's too damn complex, and too brain-burning.

Zhou Zechuan already had the awareness of a chess piece; every step he took, he had to think about what Li Li Xuewu could get, whether he would be in danger, and when Li Li Xuewu was prepared to discard him, this chess piece.

Can't think of it, completely can't think of it.

He could only walk according to the other party's arrangement, walking muddled, often unable to understand even after walking it through.

Really don't know how Li Li Xuewu's brain grew; if he was calculated by a group of people, he would admit it, but...

Speaking of which, it's really disheartening; although he was sure this Secretary-General Li Li Xuewu had true talent, he hadn't expected him to be so talented.

Could it be that he wanted to cook the group's leadership team in one pot?

Pull them all into this vortex to stew and braise?

Thinking is thinking, but work still has to be done.

Zhou Zechuan pretended to be confused while knowing; since Cen Cen Fuyao was willing to cooperate with his work and actions, then he would carry the investigation to the end.

On one hand, he arranged for the investigation team to show their banner and formally enter the food company to carry out the investigation.

In his report to the group office meeting, he clearly wrote that he wanted to investigate the procurement accounts and actual situation comparison between the food company and the freight station, and wanted to investigate until the truth was revealed.

Regarding this point, no one in the group Management Committee could say a negative opinion, but someone was obviously unhappy.

Just when he was communicating with Cen Cen Fuyao, asking the food company's Discipline Inspection and Organization Department to help interview the cadres involved in the case, someone called the food company to find him.

"Director, what should we do?"

Xiao Liu answered the phone on behalf of Zhou Zechuan, listening to Deputy Director Su's roaring reprimand on the other end, and he almost cried.

Zhou Zechuan was unmoved, sitting on the side listening to the roar on the phone without saying a word.

What could Xiao Liu answer? He could only passively endure the storm on the other end of the phone, followed by a thunderclap.

Clatter—

A very ear-piercing sound; it was the sound of the other end hanging up the phone in extreme dissatisfaction.

"Deputy Director Su wouldn't have smashed the phone, would he?"

Xiao Liu felt lingering fear and twitched the corners of his mouth, looking at the receiver in his hand, his hands trembling.

Zhou Zechuan finished the last puff of his cigarette, pressed it out in the ashtray, and said: "Ignore him, continue the investigation."

Without waiting for the Discipline Inspection cadres at the doorway to look at each other in dismay, he stood up and walked straight out.

The sound of Deputy Director Su's voice on the phone just now had spread through the corridor, and everyone had heard it.

What did Su Weide want to do?

Nothing; he accused Zhou Zechuan of not doing his proper job, and that the Discipline Inspection's actions seriously interfered with the group's branch business operations.

This was just one reason; if it came to scolding people or fabricating charges, Deputy Director Su was absolutely professional.

Other reasons didn't need to be said; Deputy Director Su's meaning was probably something only Zhou Zechuan could understand.

Not doing his proper job? Wasn't it because he dropped the Zhou Zhou Xiaobai investigation and went all out to investigate Li Baihui's case, and even involved the food company?

No need to think, Su Weide was already very dissatisfied.

The reason was nothing more than two things: he was dissatisfied that he had dropped Zhou Zhou Xiaobai's case, or he was dissatisfied that he was investigating Zheng Xudong.

Thinking this way, was Zheng Xudong standing behind Su Weide, or did he have an interest connection with Su Weide?

This case was getting more and more interesting.

Zhou Zechuan also had more lice on his head than he could worry about; anyway, he had already walked to this step, so he had to walk on.

Returning from the food company, those in the office who were silently concerned about this matter thought that Director Zhou, who was going upstairs, would go to Deputy Director Su's place to apologize, but they saw him walk into Deputy Director Gu's office; what was going on?

Who didn't know that Deputy Director Gu had long been annoyed by his breach of faith and failure to follow the rules, and would clean him up sooner or later?

Knowing to milk the cow only when the child is dead; was it a bit late to come to the supervising leader to report work at this time?

For Zhou Zechuan, it wasn't late at all.

"Leader, we apply to file a case for investigation against Zheng Xudong."

Zhou Zechuan was really straightforward; when he arrived at Gu Gu Weijie's office, he didn't have a single word of nonsense, handed over the organized materials, and opened his mouth to investigate Zheng Xudong, and his attitude was very firm.

Let me explain one more thing here: when the group's Discipline Inspection handles cases, there is often a certain lag.

That is to say, there is usually a report, or a phenomenon of violations of discipline by group cadres is discovered under certain circumstances.

Only then will Discipline Inspection take the initiative or be arranged by the supervising leader to investigate the relevant personnel and problems.

Cases that can trigger Discipline Inspection to take the initiative to execute supervision and investigation are very rare; after all, there are very few people in Discipline Inspection.

It is like this for ordinary cadres, and it is even more extraordinary to take the initiative to launch an investigation into deputy-department-level cadres of branch companies.

He himself is only a department-level cadre, and now he wants to investigate another deputy-department-level cadre; without the supervising leader's permission and support, it can be said to be difficult to move an inch and be looked down upon by others.

Therefore, his coming here to Gu Gu Weijie to apply and report is in line with organizational procedures and office requirements.

To be honest, Gu Gu Weijie also had a headache when facing Zhou Zechuan, especially the problems and applications he submitted.

She was in charge of the group's Discipline Inspection work and had never thought that such a complex situation would appear.

Department heads didn't listen to greetings, didn't greet, and the suddenly appearing cases involved more and more, and couldn't be suppressed.

Under the current external and internal environment of the group, members of the Management Committee, including her, did not hope for more serious situations to appear, nor did they hope to affect the great development situation.

Therefore, Zhou Zechuan's righteous and awe-inspiring appearance was something she didn't look down upon at all, but she had to listen to it.

"Investigate Zheng Xudong, investigate then."

She could only say this; what else could she say? Could she say she didn't support it, or that she supported it?

The secretary reminded her in the morning that this Zheng Xudong was very close to Deputy Director Cheng, and the relationship between the two in private was very good.

If she approved the investigation into Zheng Xudong, she would invisibly be considered by people in the office as wanting to arm-wrestle with Cheng Kaiyuan.

Messy, messy, it's all a mess.

Lu Xun once said that Jin-Xibei had become a pot of porridge.

Now, at the group management level, the organizational ecology had a tendency to develop in the direction of a pot of porridge.

The problem had reached her, and the evidence was so sufficient that there was no room for discussion or research.

Look at Zhou Zechuan's attitude and state again; is he here to ask for instructions and report?

He is clearly here to notify!

Or call it justified, or call it diverting the disaster; anyway, this fire had already burned to her.

Even if she didn't want to investigate, Zhou Zechuan wouldn't want to.

Investigate, investigate; she wanted to see what this case could eventually investigate.

They are all toads in the same plate; she didn't believe anyone was higher than anyone else, and wasn't afraid that the fire under this plate was too strong.

Ring ring ring—

Just as she nodded in agreement, the phone on the table rang.

"What?"

Hearing the report on the phone, Gu Gu Weijie's eyebrows furrowed; this was a call from the food company.

When a company has a problem, the General Manager cannot escape responsibility, but as long as it is actively handled, there will always be a good result.

Cen Cen Fuyao wasn't the kind to break the jar; once he was called out for a problem, his attitude was very worthy of learning.

Not only did he actively support and help the group's Discipline Inspection enter the food company to carry out investigation work, but he also launched a self-examination and self-correction action.

In the relevant actions, the food company's Discipline Inspection office took the lead in making contributions, discovering problems in the food raw material procurement accounts.

In the second and third quarters of this year, comparing the financial accounts with the actual situation, it was discovered that some procurement vouchers had the problem of falsely reporting procurement prices.

Old people say that family ugliness shouldn't be spread, but Cen Cen Fuyao was just so firm: if there's a problem, report the problem.

After calling the supervising leader, he proactively reported the situation in the company to Deputy Director Gu, who was in charge of Discipline Inspection.

Yes, the food company had problems under his management, but just say how his attitude toward handling problems was.

Anyway, Gu Gu Weijie couldn't say anything; could you still scold him?

To say what were you thinking earlier, this sentence has probably been said by countless people, but the mistakes that should be made are all made.

Gu Gu Weijie couldn't care about anything else, put down the phone, and looked at Zhou Zechuan seriously: "The food company discovered the problem of falsely reporting procurement prices through self-examination and self-correction."

"We had already anticipated it."

Zhou Zechuan nodded and said: "With Cen's help and support, the investigation team's work is progressing very smoothly."

"I believe that this case will definitely be investigated clearly, and the corrupt factors breeding within the group will be cleared away."

He said seriously: "At the same time, I also firmly believe that strictly executing the handling of relevant personnel in accordance with organizational discipline will exert a powerful deterrent to the economic contradictions that have appeared during the current high-speed development of the group."

"I agree with your point of view."

Gu Gu Weijie nodded slightly, picked up her fountain pen, signed her opinion on the application, and ordered a strict investigation into the matter.

"Let the comrades from the Finance Department and Audit Department come to me."

After signing the opinion, she didn't immediately hand the application to Zhou Zechuan, but looked at him and said: "I will arrange for comrades from the Finance Department and Audit Department to form an audit team together to enter the food company to carry out audit investigation work."

"Thank you for the leader's support." Zhou Zechuan stood up very excitedly and said: "With more professional comrades, I believe this case will be even smoother."

"Don't sing praises." Gu Gu Weijie didn't believe he was really excited. "The support you want, I've given you everything I can."

She tapped the application document in her hand, and her attitude was very meaningful: "Even if you poke a hole in the sky, I won't say anything about you, but you have to know that you are also under the sky."

"Understood, I understand, leader."

Zhou Zechuan stood straight, looked into Deputy Director Gu's eyes, and said very sincerely: "I know I've done many muddled things during this period, but please believe in my principles and party spirit."

"Loyalty to the organization, persistence in belief, I can swear to you that I will definitely fulfill my duties earnestly."

He paused and continued: "At the same time, I will also actively safeguard the overall interests of the group and not do anything against my conscience."

"Mm, as long as you know."

Gu Gu Weijie didn't believe what he said and was indifferent to his statement.

She just pushed the signed document over and said casually: "Take care of yourself."

Things had already developed to this point; no matter what was said, the rift between the two could not be bridged.

As a supervising leader, she would never trust someone who forgets righteousness for profit, and Zhou Zechuan would never be willing to compromise.

Therefore, the end of this case was also the beginning of Gu Gu Weijie's launch of a rectification of distrust against him.

The two would part ways sooner or later; now they didn't even want to act, just wanting the other party to disappear quickly.

Do you think Zhou Zechuan didn't know?

He was very clear about his situation, but he also knew that he still had a glimmer of life in the future.

As long as he handled this case according to Li Li Xuewu's requirements, his end wouldn't be very miserable.

It would be nothing more than being transferred away from the Discipline Inspection Department, or staying in a stifled way.

Gu Gu Weijie couldn

It was nothing more than being transferred away from the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Division, or staying on in a state of grievance.

Gu Gu Weijie couldn't stand him; when the time came, there might just be someone who needed him, this nail, to be driven right in front of Gu Gu Weijie.

Who can say for sure how things in this world will turn out?

"What's the situation with the Food General Corporation?"

Gu Cheng made a special trip to the Security Division and found Peng Peng Xiaoli, who was in the middle of writing some materials.

When Peng Peng Xiaoli saw it was him, he replied with a hint of amusement: "You're still coming to ask me? Between the two of us, who is actually working in the main office building?"

"I am in the main office building, but I'm not in the Food General Corporation!" Gu Cheng always seemed to have a reasonable explanation for everything. "The tentacles of your Security Division reach every corner of the group; if I don't ask you, who do I ask?"

"Hey—" Peng Peng Xiaoli, who had just lowered his head, suddenly lifted it back up, looked at him, and emphasized: "Stop talking nonsense—"

He stood up, pointed at Gu Cheng, and said: "Who taught you that? Look at what you've turned our Security Division into with your talk."

"Isn't what I said the truth?"

Gu Cheng didn't feel wronged at all, nor did he mind Peng Peng Xiaoli's lack of hygiene; he reached out, grabbed the teacup from his desk, and took a gulp.

"Don't tell me your information is all divined by snapping your fingers and has nothing to do with having eyes and ears everywhere."

"Slander, rumor-mongering." Peng Peng Xiaoli snatched his cup back impatiently, slammed it onto the desk, pointed at Gu Cheng, and said: "With that mouth of yours, sooner or later I'll catch you, hang you up, and give you a beating."

"Look at that, the cat's out of the bag now."

Gu Cheng smiled, raised his eyebrows, and said: "May I ask, Comrade Peng Peng Xiaoli, are you from the Eastern Depot or the Western Depot?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Peng Peng Xiaoli rolled his eyes, sat back down, and said: "I'm from the Red Star Factory."

"Hehe, you don't dare to say."

Gu Cheng pulled up a chair and sat next to Peng Peng Xiaoli, teasing him with a mischievous smile: "Where did your old formidable spirit go?"

"Just here to talk nonsense, are you?"

Peng Peng Xiaoli couldn't be bothered to deal with him, brushed away the dirty hand he had patted onto his arm, and said impatiently: "Go squat somewhere cool; don't you see I'm busy?"

"Yo, Director Peng is busy."

Gu Cheng tilted his head, leaned in to look at the materials in Peng Peng Xiaoli's hand, and said with feigned annoyance: "Let me see what's written here."

"Hey—hey—hey—"

Peng Peng Xiaoli quickly gathered up the materials, glared at his good buddy, and said: "Are you annoying or what? You really don't treat yourself as an outsider, do you?"

"If I don't treat myself as an outsider, can I treat myself as an insider?"

Gu Cheng's tongue was truly slick, and truly unrestrained. At this moment, he leaned back in his chair and said: "Do you regret it?"

"Get lost—" Peng Peng Xiaoli was truly annoyed. He put the materials away properly and said: "Stop making conversation just for the sake of it."

"Then I'll say something that's worth talking about."

Gu Cheng reached out and tapped the desk, saying: "The Food General Corporation has run into trouble. No matter how much thunder there is up above, the crops still need to be planted."

Hearing Gu Cheng say this, Peng Peng Xiaoli also furrowed his brows and looked at his good buddy, wanting to hear what he actually wanted to say.

"As far as I know now, Li Baihui died in vain. He thought he could shoulder everything, but what was the result?"

Gu Cheng spread his hands, widened his eyes, and said: "Those people in Discipline Inspection will never let this case go."

"How could a single Li Baihui be enough for them to feast on? They've already tracked it to Zheng Xudong."

"You know Zheng Xudong, right?"

Without waiting for Peng Peng Xiaoli to answer, he introduced him on his own: "The Vice President of the Food General Corporation. The problems are very serious."

"I know Zheng Xudong." Peng Peng Xiaoli glanced at the door and said softly: "It seems he offended the Secretary-General once."

"I don't know about that, I just know he's finished."

Gu Cheng reached out and made a grasping motion, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said: "The Food General Corporation is currently a department-level unit, but that might not be the case in the future."

"Except for the Labor Service Company and the Medical and Education Administration Bureau, this is the only production unit the group has laid out in Beijing."

He pointed toward the door and said softly to Peng Peng Xiaoli: "That person doesn't trust you very much either, right?"

"Stop talking about other things." Peng Peng Xiaoli narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "What do you want to say?"

"You can't hide anything from me; these eyes of mine can see through people's hearts." Gu Cheng pointed to his own eyes and said in a mystical tone: "I can tell you're not happy working here."

"Now your opportunity has arrived."

He said earnestly: "The Food General Corporation is right here in Beijing, so you don't have to worry about the problem of your work location anymore."

"There's no longer any value in you staying in the Security Division. Manager Wang has already completely grasped the situation, and you should take the initiative."

This time, Peng Peng Xiaoli did not refute his good buddy; he just sat there with his brows furrowed, saying nothing.

Gu Cheng was definitely acting out of kindness and good intentions.

He tapped the table lightly with his finger and said: "Don't complain about heaven or blame others; these are the rules of the game in government offices."

"Manager Wang has definitely not treated you unfairly; he has fulfilled his promise. This is the time you should make the right choice."

"I don't feel like anyone has treated me unfairly."

Peng Peng Xiaoli thought for a moment and said: "It was my own choice to stay in the Security Division; I can't blame anyone else."

"Look forward; at least you can still take the initiative if you leave now." Gu Cheng glanced outside the door and said softly: "There's no longer any value or necessity for you to stay in the Security Division."

"Go where? The Food General Corporation?"

Peng Peng Xiaoli seemed to have made some kind of decision, or rather, he had been making the decision all along.

"Don't look down on the Food General Corporation."

Gu Cheng widened his eyes and said: "It has three large-scale food processing plants under its jurisdiction, and new products are coming out one after another."

"I can tell you this: in the future, the electronics industry and the automotive industry will become the pillar enterprises of the group, but."

He pressed his hand on the desk and said earnestly: "The food industry will become the enterprise with the largest cash flow in the group. Do you believe me?"

"Do you understand the significance of cash flow?"

Gu Cheng raised his eyebrows in a very pretentious way and said: "If you don't understand, then go and study some economics."

"Get lost—" Peng Peng Xiaoli couldn't tell he was peddling his own agenda, and said with drooping eyelids: "I definitely understand better than you."

"Hehe—" Gu Cheng didn't believe him. "Even if you understand better than me, can you understand more than my wife?"

He was truly shameless; every time he couldn't win an argument against Peng Peng Xiaoli, he would decisively throw sand in his eyes.

Just by having a wife, he completely crushed the single dog Peng Peng Xiaoli, and it worked every time.

Peng Peng Xiaoli held his breath, really wanting to stand up and give this kid a slap.

"Don't hesitate, just go to the Food General Corporation."

Gu Cheng picked up the cigarette box from the desk, lit one for himself, and said: "Think about it, Zhang Zhang Songying, the Vice President of the International Hotel, was transferred to the Food General Corporation. Don't you think that's a coincidence?"

"Coincidence my foot." Peng Peng Xiaoli rolled his eyes and said: "Zhang Zhang Songying left half a year ago; what does that have to do with now?"

"Hey—" Gu Cheng raised an eyebrow and said: "How do you know that what's happening now has nothing to do with half a year ago?"

Faced with this question, Peng Peng Xiaoli really couldn't answer.

"Vice President Zhang went to Hong Kong this time, and then to France and Italy." Gu Cheng said softly: "He's the first person from our factory to go abroad for inspection and study. What kind of treatment will he get when he comes back?"

"What kind of treatment? Replacing Zheng Xudong?"

When Peng Peng Xiaoli thought of this, he was even more startled. He really didn't think this matter had been arranged half a year ago.

But now, even if he said he didn't believe it, the facts were about to slap him in the face, and Gu Cheng wanted to join in on the slapping.

"Don't forget, you are still the Secretary-General's man."

Gu Cheng pointed at him with the finger holding his cigarette and emphasized: "Go to the Secretary-General right now and say that the mission here has been successfully completed and apply for a transfer to the grassroots for training. See what he says."

"Do you believe me?" He pointed toward the door and said: "Manager Wang will definitely give you an excellent review."

"By then, your title of Deputy Director will be well-deserved." Gu Cheng said with a smile: "Seize the opportunity; maybe in a year or so, I'll have to call you Section Chief Peng."

Secretarial work is not easy to do; it's rare in government offices for one secretary to serve two different leaders.

Peng Peng Xiaoli's situation was very special; other secretaries couldn't achieve what he had, let alone his special status in the Security Division.

With Li Li Xuewu around, who would dare not give him face?

But in a group organization, how many Peng Xiaolis are there, and who knows about Peng Peng Xiaoli's embarrassing situation and frustration?

There's no need to know, because being a secretary is never easy.

Cheng Kaiyuan's secretary, He Miao, hurried up from downstairs and almost bumped into Wang Lu, who had just passed by.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

He Miao didn't dare to provoke Wang Lu; he apologized awkwardly, and seeing that Wang Lu didn't mind, he quickened his pace toward the office.

It was just that his increasingly rapid footsteps betrayed his anxious heart. Until he entered Deputy Director Cheng's office, he finally cast off the disguise he had already exposed and reported urgently.

Hearing the secretary talk about the situation at the Food General Corporation and Zheng Xudong's situation, Cheng Kaiyuan appeared very calm.

"Mm, I know."

With just that one sentence, He Miao's worries became superfluous.

Of course, it couldn't be said to be entirely superfluous; at least he had fulfilled his responsibility and duty as a secretary.

He Miao couldn't quite guess the leader's thoughts; he stood there at a loss, not knowing what to do next.

Cheng Kaiyuan did indeed know, or rather, he had known for a long time; he had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Li Li Xuewu was about to leave, and with that kid's character, how could he possibly leave quietly?

If he didn't mess with them a little before leaving, he wouldn't be used to it, so he had started preparing defenses long ago.

You say Li Li Xuewu started laying out his schemes against them in July or September, but do you know when he started defending against this killer move of Li Li Xuewu's?

From the very moment Li Li Xuewu handed over the power of the Security Division.

Because he didn't believe Li Li Xuewu would be content with having his power dismantled and his influence over the group's various departments stripped away.

It might not be a big deal for others to take such a hit from Li Li Xuewu; at worst, they'd just endure him for a while and make up for it later.

But Cheng Kaiyuan couldn't afford that; he couldn't afford Li Li Xuewu's malice.

His ranking in the leadership team was already what it was, and he was still carrying a disciplinary mark on his record.

Think about it again: although Li Li Xuewu had left the Security Division, what did he have in his hands, and whose hands were clean?

Resistance was impossible; he knew very well that Li Li Xuewu wasn't targeting him, but all of them.

If he dared to resist, he would die even more miserably.

It would be better to let things take their course and let Li Li Xuewu sweep through everything. As long as he was prepared, he would definitely be able to dodge it when the time came.

If he dodged it, he dodged it; Li Li Xuewu wouldn't come looking for him to settle scores later, so he had been waiting for this move all along.

He had smiled and accepted Zheng Xudong's active fawning, and he had tacitly agreed to Su Weide's deliberate attempts to win him over.

He had finally seen it: some people really weren't afraid of death, treating the lessons of the past as jokes.

Well, they weren't afraid of death, but was Li Li Xuewu afraid of burying them?

Suffering a loss or being deceived once was enough; in any case, he had suffered enough.

(End of chapter)