Chapter 1363: Believing Li Xuewu is Qin Shi Huang

"Oh! Isn't this President Zhang!"

Qin Huairu was busy with the year-end accounts when she suddenly felt the office become quiet; she looked up and found Zhang Songying standing at the door looking at her with a smile.

The others in the office pursed their lips and looked at them with stolen smiles, as if waiting for her surprised expression.

"Please come in, this is a rare guest." She stood up and greeted her with a smile, "Half a year without seeing you, President Zhang's style remains the same, elegant and outstanding, even better than before."

"Why have you learned to be so literary?"

Zhang Songying walked in with a smile, threw her bag aside, sat opposite her, and asked, "Why, aren't you welcoming me?"

"Look at what you're saying, how would I dare—"

Qin Huairu took the initiative to help her make tea, sent away the people in the office, and teased her, "It would truly be a glory to my small office for President Zhang to grace us with her presence."

"Enough, enough, like singing an opera—"

Zhang Songying rolled her eyes impatiently, her right leg crossed and slightly raised, her coquettishness fully displayed.

Qin Huairu served the hot tea and looked at her clothes and makeup; she couldn't help but feel envious in her heart.

"Those who know think you went out for inspection; those who don't think you went out for recuperation and vacation, living in luxury."

She reached out and scraped Zhang Songying's cheek, joking, "Look at this pink and tender face; some would believe you're eighteen."

"Only you would believe that—"

Zhang Songying scolded her, patted her hand away, glared at her, and said, "Why didn't I see you being so lecherous before?"

"Why? Did finding a man make you rejuvenate?"

"Pfft—" Qin Huairu was so ashamed she had no face left; she scolded her softly, "Keep it down, there are people outside the door."

Saying this, she glared at Zhang Songying again and said, "You're a returnee from Hong Kong, why are you like this?"

"Like what?" Zhang Songying leaned closer to look at her, "Are you annoyed that I'm talkative and asked about you finding a man?"

"Who cares about you—"

She also curled her lips and said, "If I were at home, I could still scold you a couple of times, but now the raw rice is cooked into cooked rice."

"Stop talking, it's so embarrassing."

Qin Huairu glanced at her and said, "Do you think it's easy for a widow to walk the path? Others don't understand me, don't you understand me?"

"You didn't leave early, didn't leave late, but had to leave at this time." Zhang Songying still didn't understand, "It's so not worth it."

Qin Huairu understood this; it was nothing more than thinking that her life was miserable early on, her family was poor, and she should have found a man to live with.

Didn't leave early, didn't leave late.

She hadn't thought about walking the path early on, wasn't it because she was afraid her children would suffer, so she reluctantly supported the family alone.

If she were truly strong, she would have waited until her children were married and started their own families before finding an old companion to spend the second half of her life with. This is the so-called late departure.

But at this time, Qin Huairu's life had improved, and she was wealthy, yet she wanted to walk the path; in her view, it wasn't worth it.

"Not living a grandmother's life, but having to be a stepmother for someone else." Zhang Songying looked at her, hating that she couldn't be improved, and said, "What's the point, are you lacking a daughter?"

"You know yourself that a stepfather isn't reliable; is this stepmother easy to be?"

"Don't talk about me; do you think I'm having an easy time?" Qin Huairu's face lost the joy of meeting a friend, and it was full of annoyance.

"Since we transferred to the guesthouse, how many people have introduced partners to me? When have I ever agreed?"

She wiped the corner of her eye and said, "It's just that I kept a fantasy in my heart."

"You didn't leave for ten or eight years; what was it like just half a year ago? Don't you know without me saying it?"

Qin Huairu raised her head and looked opposite, "Although he isn't ungrateful, he isn't someone who is flirtatious everywhere; where is there any longevity?"

"You're younger than me, so you have some hope. After the New Year, I'll be thirty-three; where is it easy to settle, and who knows what people will say about me."

"Life is your own; who's going to talk about you." Zhang Songying was also heartbroken by her words and looked away, saying, "No one is stopping you if you want to get married."

"Exactly, I've been arranging it for half a year, and I haven't waited for a word, so I don't expect anything in my heart."

Qin Huairu raised her head and let out a long sigh, trying to smile, "I don't have any ability; this is all I can do; be content and happy."

"What about you, I heard you're going to advance?"

She looked at Zhang Songying with some envy and said, "Truly want to congratulate you; I heard that this batch returning from Hong Kong will be heavily used."

"Why talk about this, it's so boring."

Zhang Songying took out a bag of bottles and jars from her bag, pushed them over, pointed to a few of them, and introduced, "These are cosmetics specially brought for you."

"Don't use them blindly; there are foreign words on them, and I marked them with a pen for you. This stuff can also make your face pink and tender, back to eighteen."

"Get lost, if I become eighteen again, won't I become a goblin?"

Qin Huairu got rid of the depression just now; she rummaged through the cosmetics on the office desk and looked at them carefully; they truly had more patterns than domestic ones.

"You went to inspect these?"

"Not just these." Zhang Songying also restrained her emotions, picked out the ones she could talk about, and explained, "First I looked at the market situation of cosmetics in Hong Kong, and then traced back to the production workshops and research institutes along the cargo channels."

She curled her lips and said, "But most cosmetic companies in Hong Kong don't have research functions; they are mostly fooling around, half-imitation and half-fake."

"But these few brands are good; they are French." Zhang Songying picked out a few from the pile of cosmetics and introduced, "I went to France for a turn."

"You even went to France?" Qin Huairu was shocked beyond measure, "That—that must be very far; how did you go?"

"Went by plane, how else could I go." Zhang Songying laughed, "If I really went by ship, a round trip wouldn't just be half a year."

"Don't have that surprised expression of wanting to eat someone." Her gaze was hard to hide her fatigue as she said, "I went for inspection and study, not for vacation."

"This whole journey was just running, running, recording, recording; I'm exhausted."

"It's worth it even if you're exhausted." Qin Huairu sighed, "I haven't heard of anyone in our factory going abroad for inspection; you can be considered the first person."

"You haven't heard of it because you're in the factory; many people go abroad." Zhang Songying shook her head slightly and explained, "Isn't it that thousands of people from our industrial system go out every year? Otherwise, how can this trade be done, and how can technology be introduced?"

"Even in France, I saw people from our mainland."

She twitched the corner of her mouth and didn't continue, changed the topic to talk about a few cosmetics, and even taught on the spot, using these things to put light makeup on Qin Huairu.

Sending Zhang Songying away, Qin Huairu stood at the door of the guesthouse with many feelings.

The two sat in the office for most of the day, and their mouths never stopped; they talked about all the changes over the past half year.

From Zhang Songying's mouth, she learned about the flower-laden world outside, and also knew about the poverty and backwardness of the mainland.

However, Zhang Songying also said that the moon abroad isn't necessarily round; just in terms of public security environment, it can't compare to Beijing.

She actually had some insight, knowing she couldn't compare with the domestic situation; perhaps she also knew that the security environment in some places in the country wasn't very good either.

However, she wasn't wrong about one sentence: that this batch of people returning from Hong Kong would be heavily used.

Zhang Songying also said that Li Xuewu's sister, Li Xue, would serve as Deputy Li Kezhang of the Finance Section of the Group Finance Department, a proper deputy section-level cadre.

The previous director of the guesthouse, Xu Ning, would serve as Deputy General Manager of the Energy General Company after returning from training.

Zhou Miaomiao, who came up from the dance team, all got a proper deputy section-level position; you can say how much this batch of people is valued.

Zhang Songying was a deputy section-level before leaving; this time she was promoted by half a level after returning from training, serving as General Manager of the Cosmeceutical Branch of the Pharmaceutical General Company.

This cosmeceutical company isn't an empty shell. Zhang Songying said that several production lines were introduced from abroad, and the production workshops were affiliated with the Food and Drug Processing Factory.

Things like body wash, facial cleanser, perfume, etc., said to be making cosmetics with Chinese herbal ingredients; it sounded like clouds and mist.

But her position as General Manager of the Cosmeceutical Branch was real. She was both an administrative cadre and a production cadre of the relevant factories, a ruthless character who grasped both hands.

Truly speaking, Qin Huairu really envied her; she had the courage to toss and turn, and the courage to survive after death.

Just take the matter of going abroad; how fast is the current situation changing? Anyone with overseas relations must accept investigation.

Look at Zhang Songying again; she truly took a stroll from far away and brought back technology and products.

She also had to admit that, comparing the two, Li Xuewu valued Zhang Songying more and liked the spirit of going forward without looking back on her.

To put it bluntly, why do they rely on Li Xuewu? Why does Li Xuewu accept them?

It couldn't be because of love, right?

To put it bluntly, isn't it mutual utilization? If there is a lack of reliance and utilization value between each other, the relationship will naturally drift apart.

Qin Huairu knew very clearly that she had been a bit "unenterprising" in the past two years. Either limited by ability, or burdened by family.

Regardless, she had been in the position of guesthouse director and had never moved. Not comparing with others, just comparing with Zhang Songying, she wasn't as good.

At least she had to be useful to Li Xuewu's work and future, otherwise, what's the use of self-pity. It would be better to be sensible and retreat a step early, leaving room for each other.

When Zhang Songying was selected for the training class, Qin Huairu had worked hard, envied, and reflected.

Weren't those restaurants like Qinyuan Chun and Yujia Ao her progress? It was just a bit late, or rather, her steps weren't big enough to enter his eyes.

Besides, she had also lost the courage and perseverance to progress, and didn't listen to his words to study and research hard; her existing ability could only stop here.

Even if she had drummed up those restaurants, she had broken her heart and spent her energy; how could she help him?

Think again, if she were really chosen for the training class, could she go?

Leave the old and the young at home and be gone for half a year?

Therefore, she couldn't envy Zhang Songying's freedom and progress; these were all things she deserved. Who told her that she couldn't bear to let go of this and couldn't let go of that?

During their conversation, she also introduced Li Xuewu's current situation to Zhang Songying. She said everything that should be said, without any exaggeration, full of worry.

Even Qin Huairu knew that the Secretary-General's influence in the group had been greatly weakened and was suffering from accumulation and exclusion from all sides.

Director Li's attitude was very subtle, and the investigation team came from above to supervise and investigate the case initiated by the Secretary-General.

And the attitudes of other leaders in the group were even more complex. No one could see the current organizational ecological situation of the group clearly; everyone was very careful, very afraid of touching a mine.

With the discussion about the Secretary-General's decline, the work he was responsible for inevitably suffered, and the recent rounds of office meetings were very difficult.

And at the management committee meeting, several personnel arrangements proposed by the Secretary-General were not reached, so news spread that this Secretary-General was not easy to be.

If the Secretary-General's proposal hadn't been communicated in advance and obtained Director Li's consent, no one would believe it.

And at the management committee meeting, just like that, the Secretary-General's face was lost; if this wasn't suppression, what was it?

People in the agency knew best how to flatter the high and trample the low; from the several changes recently, they seemed to have smelled a different taste.

One by one, they were silent, yet looking around, very afraid of missing the opportunity to take sides. They were just waiting for the Secretary-General to fall, and then choose another one to go up.

And the Secretary-General seemed to be cooperating with them; except for proper work, he basically hid in his office and didn't go out.

There was still a Deputy Secretary-General; even if there was work, who had the qualifications to report to the Secretary-General to explore his state?

Most of the relevant work had to be handed over to the Deputy Secretary-General to handle, and only those needing approval would be handed to the Secretary-General.

Recently, that is, since returning from the training ground, the Secretary-General had never gone out for investigation again, as if waiting for the verdict.

Yes, someone came from the ministry; the one who had been here before, Yang Jun, was staring at the Discipline Inspection, coordinating the mobilization of cadres from the security office to participate in the formation of a special case team.

This posture was to fight to the end; they wouldn't go back until the case was investigated clearly.

Many people were guessing whether the Secretary-General was involved in this case, or if the Secretary-General had lifted the lid and caused the disgust of other leaders.

Of course, most people still believed in Li Xuewu's innocence; even if there was an act of lifting the lid, it was for the collective.

But this exclusion and loss were vague in everyone's eyes; they had to listen to what the Discipline Inspection said and have a conclusion.

The wind in the agency changed too fast; a while ago everyone was still arguing about the Ten Golden Flowers and the Ten Great Youths, and later they discussed the Hong Kong training class.

The training class matter hadn't come to an end, and interested people started discussing the Secretary-General's situation, as well as the case that caused a big disaster.

Li Baihui couldn't die in vain, right? Zheng Xudong couldn't die in vain either, right? They had to make a splash; how could it be left unsettled?

All employees of the group were waiting for an answer—about this case, and also about the group's cadres and leaders.

Regarding the case, some people were more anxious.

Mr. Lu Xun once said, have revenge for revenge, have grievances for grievances.

Since Yang Jun reported and asked for instructions from the leaders above, and led the team to return to the Red Star Steel Group to supervise and guide the Discipline Inspection in investigating this case, the Discipline Inspection Director Zhou Zechuan had been like he was injected with chicken blood.

Having lost the shackles on his neck and the gloomy eyes staring at his back, wouldn't he investigate hard, investigate to death?

Anyway, others dying was better than him dying; dead friends don't die poor.

This effort and positivity carried a bit of emotion, as if he wanted to take revenge on someone. The goal was very clear: to investigate the truth.

This was also Yang Jun's attitude. Since his advice, mediation, and efforts were not recognized by several parties, there was no need to give anyone face.

The Red Star Steel Group was all competing; he didn't have the ability to untie this dead knot, so he would cut it and see who fell.

The leaders above were also very angry; not giving Yang Jun face wasn't that not giving them face? Ignoring the great situation of unity and development, making trouble?

Isn't it wanting to fight to the death on the case?

Isn't it wanting to clear the poison?

Then good, the ministry wanted to test the flexibility of the Red Star Steel Group, so investigate, investigate clearly and cleanly.

However, if they investigated like this, there would be no room for relaxation for everyone. When the time came to hit the board, it should be whoever's it was.

Zhou Zechuan knew very clearly that this was Yang Jun finding a way out for him in the cracks in his anger.

Whether to worry about offending one side or the other, or to have no worries at all, he had already made the wisest choice.

Whatever, investigate it, grandmother.

If he could really investigate Old Su down, he would be famous in the system; in the future, if there were such calculations and tricks, they wouldn't come to him.

Of course, there was a price. I'm afraid no one would dare to recommend him or use him in the future. This kid has anti-bones behind his head.

"Is this Zheng Xudong's problem?"

Yang Jun frowned and asked, "Has his account book been found?"

Although the working group had only been down for a few days, they had basically eaten through this case, and they were the main force in handling the case.

Zhou Zechuan was once one of them, so there was naturally no obstacle or resistance in cooperation, so the progress of the case was pushed very quickly.

Actually, this case wasn't very difficult to investigate; Li Baihui and Zheng Xudong were dead, but the people involved with them weren't all dead.

Besides, the time period involved in this case was just these two years; after all, the Food General Company had only been established for two years.

And starting from the cargo station, to Li Baihui, and then to Zheng Xudong, as the investigation deepened, the people behind the scenes couldn't sit still.

So the difficulty lay in the fact that the living didn't want them to continue investigating, and the dead had caused them a lot of trouble.

Zheng Xudong died at the International Hotel, died in the suite of Mercedes, Vice President of the Santa Ya Group; it was quite troublesome to be involved in these.

Another thing, Liang Zuodong confessed readily, and several parties were basically involved; it was just a matter of investigating the interest connections of each.

It was mainly interest transfer, forming cliques, etc. With so many people's efforts and such a long time of suffering, could they only be convicted of dereliction of duty?

Since Yang Jun allowed Zhou Zechuan to make it big, making this case big was his only way out of the quagmire.

Zhou Zechuan basically hadn't rested for the past few days, throwing himself into this case; his hair was messy, and his face was full of oil and mud.

Not only that, his dark circles were more severe than the giant pandas in the zoo, and the bloodshot eyes were more like red lanterns.

Yang Jun didn't expect this old brother to be so desperate; looking at the data in his hand, he couldn't help but be a bit serious; could this be considered heart's blood?

"Still haven't found it; the family doesn't know either." Zhou Zechuan's voice carried fatigue and regret, as well as a trace of self-blame, "If I had known this earlier, I definitely wouldn't have let him out of our sight."

"The tracking group was also negligent at the time; seeing him enter the International Hotel, they thought he was meeting some important person."

He explained, "They followed him in, but lost him; by the time they found the front desk to inquire, the person was already gone."

"Absorb the experience and lessons." Seeing him make such a self-criticism, Yang Jun couldn't bear to blame him anymore, nodded and said, "Zheng Xudong's problem is very big."

"This is also something we didn't expect."

Zhou Zechuan frowned, stood up, pointed to the several sets of data listed in the investigation report, and introduced, "It would be fine if it were just fraud in procurement; he also reached out in engineering construction, internal supply, and logistics support."

"I don't know whether to despise him or admire him; a small section chief could actually net so many powerful relationships."

He clicked his tongue and shook his head slightly, "It's all interest involvement; even without the account book he mentioned, we would have deduced it."

"The audit group formed by the Finance Section and the Audit Section has moved in, checking all accounts since the establishment of the Food General Company."

Zhou Zechuan sat back in his chair and sighed, "Who could believe that a vice president could take away more than 80,000 yuan? It's a wealth of heaven."

"I'm afraid it's a god of wealth passing by."

Yang Jun closed the investigation report in his hand, picked up his teacup, looked at him, and asked, "Can the audit group find out who received his bribes?"

"There is no direct evidence, unless we can find that account book." Zhou Zechuan frowned and reported, "The testimony of Zheng Xudong's relatives alone is not enough."

"However, since the audit has found problems in engineering construction and logistics support, it means this case can continue to be investigated."

Zhou Zechuan stood up and said, "I have already asked the investigation team to divide into groups and conduct investigations in the Engineering Management Department, Engineering General Company, Business Management Department, and Procurement and Supply Office."

"At the same time, I have also greeted the Finance Section and the Audit Section; a larger audit group is about to go to these units to carry out audit investigations."

He was ruthless and said, "If I don't investigate these bastards to the bottom, I won't be surnamed Zhou."

"Mm—" Yang Jun let out a long sigh, put down the teacup in his hand, looked at the organizational structure chart of the Red Star Steel Group, and said, "Did you ever think about your own consequences if you investigate like this?"

"You have to know, such a large-scale investigation will offend your Deputy Director Xue and Deputy Director Zhang to death."

"I have long had no way out."

Zhou Zechuan was full of determination and smiled miserably, "I have already offended Deputy Director Gu, the leader in charge, so how can I care about other leaders?"

"Acting on impulse." Yang Jun glared at him, then put down the table and said faintly, "But the courage is commendable; just arrange it like this."

Zhou Zechuan dared to sacrifice himself; what did he, Yang Jun, have to be reluctant about? Unless one side compromised first and took the initiative to come to him for a talk.

Of course, the party that took the initiative to come to him to compromise had to admit defeat and be slaughtered. Therefore, no one had come to him until now.

Is it a dying struggle? Or a desperate fight, a battle with one's back to the river?

Since several parties were unwilling to compromise, then Zhou Zechuan being more ruthless, more decisive, and more sharp was a good thing.

At worst...

"What? You—"

Zhang Jinsong pointed at his secretary, unable to speak, and raised his hand to sweep the teacup the secretary had just served onto the floor.

Clatter—

Exquisite fine porcelain from Jingdezhen, the sound was crisp and pleasant after landing; after a "one-time" appraisal, this teacup was a top-grade product.

The broken porcelain pieces mixed with tea splashed, splashing onto the new leather shoes of the secretary, Huang Jianguo, but he didn't dare to lower his head to wipe them.

In the middle of winter, it wasn't very hot in the room, but beads of sweat as big as beans rolled down from Huang Jianguo's forehead, as if they couldn't stop.

He didn't even dare to bend down to wipe the water droplets on his leather shoes, and he didn't dare to raise his hand to wipe the sweat on his forehead.

It was good to sweat, it was good to sweat, so the leader could see that he was truly regretful and truly afraid.

"Who told you to do this! Speak!"

Zhang Jinsong was extremely angry, raised his hand and slapped the table, and the fountain pen on the table jumped up, which showed the strength.

Visible to the eye, Zhang Jinsong's palm was red and swollen; he wished he could slap this slap on secretary Huang Jianguo's face.

"Leader, I... I was wrong..." Huang Jianguo explained with a crying voice, "I saw you like to smoke Zhonghua and drink Fenjiu, so I... how would I know he... I just helped him say a word, who could have thought..."

"Shut your mouth!" Zhang Jinsong wished he could slap himself twice; why was his mouth so lacking, "Did I ask you to get me cigarettes and alcohol?"

This was unreasonable; Huang Jianguo mumbled and couldn't speak, but he was unconvinced in his heart; who was it that praised him for being capable in the beginning?

He thought about it, but he definitely didn't dare to say it, but it couldn't be covered up on his face, but it was seen by Zhang Jinsong.

"I'm really—" Zhang Jinsong gritted his teeth, "Did I ask you where these cigarettes and alcohol came from? How did you answer me?"

"Leader..." Huang Jianguo couldn't answer, and he was reluctant to open his mouth in fear.

If he really took all these things on himself, he didn't know how much suffering he would have to endure.

When he offered the treasure in the beginning, he also kept a bit of caution, only telling Zhang Jinsong that these things were scraped from the Sales General Company.

At

However, Huang Jianguo's answer was vague; he only said that these items were welfare benefits coordinated by the Sales General Company from joint units, and the selling price was very cheap.

His explanation was not out of the ordinary, because the Sales General Company's Tianjin Trade Management Center often had off-plan products from joint units listed online.

These products were circulated as internal welfare, so the price naturally had a certain discount; they would never be exchanged at the store's retail price.

But even with a certain discount, it wouldn't be cabbage-cheap, let alone cigarettes and alcohol; how could they be circulated to the Trade Management Center for nothing?

Furthermore, how many days has Zhang Jinsong been at the group? And how much substance and capability does his secretary have? How could he possibly take advantage of the Sales General Company?

This explanation and reasoning didn't hold water, but Zhang Jinsong happened to trust this secretary, and he had no experience or understanding in this regard.

It was because he saw the Secretary-General had stored a lot of alcohol at the guesthouse, and because the Secretary-General didn't smoke, he rewarded his subordinates with a lot of good cigarettes, which made Zhang Jinsong envious.

The leader's intention is the direction of the secretary's work, and the leader's envy is the goal of the secretary's efforts.

Therefore, since the Secretary-General stored alcohol at the guesthouse, Huang Jianguo also stored alcohol at the guesthouse for Deputy Director Zhang.

Not only did he have to store alcohol at the guesthouse, but he also stored a lot of alcohol at several hotels like the International Hotel and Qinyuanchun, and even in the trunk of Deputy Director Zhang's car.

If the alcohol was like this, then the cigarettes were even more outrageous.

Zhang Jinsong is a proud person, and Li Xuewu treats his subordinates generously, so he couldn't be a stingy one either.

The cabinet under this office desk was packed full of "Huazi" cigarettes; it hadn't been empty since he started working at the group, and he had never lacked cigarettes to smoke.

If you want to say Zhang Jinsong slams the table and scolds people, is heartless, and unreasonable, you can think about it: having prepared these things for the leader, did Huang Jianguo not stuff a single cent into his own pocket?

The 80/20 rule in government agencies, everyone knows it: give the leader two parts of the benefit, and keep eight parts for yourself to barely maintain a living.

Even then, you have to cry poor to the leader from time to time, asking the leader to be more understanding and not to nitpick on the write-offs.

After all, offices are made of iron, while leaders are like flowing water.

But the premise of doing so is that everything goes well and smoothly; don't have someone with no eyes lift the lid and expose these filth and dirt.

Now there is someone with no eyes; Zhou Zecun from the Discipline Inspection Division is like a mad dog, bringing the investigation team and audit team to turn the Food General Company upside down, and that's not enough, he has also set his sights on the Business Management Department and the Engineering Management Department.

If it were really a year-end audit, everyone wouldn't be afraid, because checking accounts and investigating cases are two different things, and there wouldn't be targeted verification.

It's just unfortunate that Li Baihui of the Dispatch Division has fallen, Zheng Xudong of the Food General Company has fallen, and it looks like Liang Zuodong of the Comprehensive Management Department is also going to be finished.

This case is getting bigger and bigger, and the more it's investigated, the more people it involves. Huang Jianguo also saw that things were going badly and hurried to Deputy Director Zhang to ask for advice.

The Business Management Department is responsible for the Logistics Division, the Service Division, and the Procurement and Supply Division. The authority of the first two divisions has been greatly reduced, but the newly established Procurement and Supply Division is a lucrative office, every single position a fat vacancy.

When the leader's secretary greets them, could they be anything but enthusiastic?

As long as they drag the leader's secretary into the water, can they still not have whatever they want, have whatever they want, and have money whenever they want?

Huang Jianguo didn't know his own capabilities at all; just the first time he greeted the people below, Zheng Xudong sent 500 yuan.

You have to know, at this time, 500 yuan!

Huang Jianguo's monthly salary was less than 50 yuan, this was his annual salary! How could he not be envious?

He didn't pay attention to what the Procurement and Supply Division did; he just knew that honoring the leader with cigarettes and alcohol was definitely enough.

He was not a reckless person either; he was very cautious every time he greeted the people below, and every time he took money, he warned himself that this was the last time.

But when Deputy Director Zhang rarely showed a smile and praised him for having connections, and when his partner received a gift and surprised him by actively kissing him, he knew the next time would not be the last time.

Nowadays, Huang Jianguo doesn't know how many times he has received 500 yuan, and he can't remember how much he spent on the leader and how much he spent on himself.

Zhang Jinsong has already lost his spirit and has no strength to reprimand Huang Jianguo again, because he himself is no longer clean.

Thinking back to how he used to despise Li Xuewu for buying people's hearts, nowadays he is also neither human nor ghost.

"Leader..." Huang Jianguo saw him sitting there dejectedly without speaking and asked with a trembling voice: "Leader, what should I do?"

"Go — go —"

Zhang Jinsong's face no longer had the seriousness and pride of the past, let alone the restraint and severity of a young and promising man; he just waved his hand without even looking at him.

Huang Jianguo thought the leader wanted to think carefully, was disappointed in him, didn't want to see him, and let him go out for a while.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked outside. But after only two steps, he heard the leader speak from behind: "Go to the Discipline Inspection Commission yourself and confess your problems, strive for initiative."

"Deputy Director Zhang —" Huang Jianguo was surprised beyond measure, turned around and stared at him blankly.

"Go, it's better than me sending you there."

The Deputy Director Zhang in his eyes had never been as desolate as he was now, sitting there looking at the gloomy twilight outside the window, as if he had lost all hope and was about to die.

"You go first, tell the truth." Zhang Jinsong's voice seemed to come from outside the window, "I will go to Deputy Director Gu later."

"Leader, is there no room for us to ease this?"

Huang Jianguo said with a crying tone: "It doesn't matter if I'm just a staff member, but you..."

He wanted to say more, but Zhang Jinsong had already closed his eyes.

Deputy Director Zhang was proud after all; even after such a big incident, he still let his secretary go first and stayed behind to bear everything himself.

Confessing first always has certain benefits.

After all, it was he who used those cigarettes and alcohol; even if he got angry, even if he brought the Discipline Inspection Commission to investigate and severely punish Huang Jianguo, it would be useless.

If the secretary has a problem, can he, the leader, escape?

Lax supervision is always a mistake, right?

"How could it involve Zhang Jinsong?"

Li Huai De was very annoyed, glared at Li Xuewu across the desk, and asked: "Does this case still need to be investigated?"

This was the first time since the last time the two didn't reach an agreement that they had a conversation about this case and related issues.

They met every day, but they wouldn't mention this matter. It seemed they were both waiting for the problem to develop and see the result before talking.

It's just that Li Huai De didn't expect that the investigation of the case would involve Zhang Jinsong; his right eyelid twitched violently, and his tone became unkind.

Li Xuewu was silent for a long time before he said: "From the beginning, I didn't approve of complicating the problem; I knew there would be such a day."

"What kind of talk is this?" Li Huai De's eyebrows were about to stand up, and he said seriously, "If there is a problem, do we still have to suppress it?"

"How come I don't know that your principle as Secretary-General is that when there is a problem below, you wipe their butts?"

"That's still better than wiping Deputy Director Zhang's butt, right?"

Li Xuewu's answer was faint, which made Li Huai De's lungs ache; this sounded like: It's still better than wiping your butt, Director Li.

Has Li Xuewu wiped his butt?

This must be admitted; he has done many foolish things, and many things were indeed cleaned up by Li Xuewu.

But speaking of the matter itself, setting aside the conflict, is Li Xuewu not wrong?

"Have you ever thought about it?" Li Huai De pointed at the desk and asked seriously: "Once this case involves Deputy Director Xue and Deputy Director Zhang, the problem will spread in an uncontrollable direction."

"By then, even if you want to handle it properly, even if you don't want to investigate anymore, it will be absolutely impossible!"

"Up to now, is it me who wants to investigate?"

Li Xuewu raised his head, looked into Li Huai De's eyes and asked: "Is it that I can stop when I want to stop, and start when I want to start?"

"Now that there is a problem, we don't solve the problem, do we have to solve the person who discovered the problem? How do you want me to talk to the people from the Discipline Inspection Commission?"

He placed the notebook in his hand on the desk with a moderate weight and said in a faint tone: "Can I call a halt in the capacity of Secretary-General?"

"That still can't —"

Li Huai De spread his hands anxiously, the second half of the sentence couldn't be said and was choked back; he slapped the table and said: "Comrade Xuewu, consider the overall situation."

"I have to consider your thoughts, but can I turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the opinions of other comrades?"

His tone softened a bit, and he said: "Opinions can be studied slowly, and ideas can be solved slowly; why is this necessary."

"If you pull those two unrelated people out to walk around and hang them on a clothesline to dry, will the leaders above be happy?"

"I dare not accept these words of yours, let alone agree with them." Although Li Xuewu's words were very tough, his tone was not intense; he said very frankly: "I still say the same thing: the case started because of me, but it wasn't me who wanted to start it."

"Furthermore, the case up to now is not something I can stop just because I want to. I don't deny my attention to this case, but my influence and participation in this case are definitely not as much or as large as you think."

Can Li Huai De believe these words of his?

That would be better than believing Li Xuewu is Qin Shi Huang!

"I have never hidden anything from you; I say whatever there is to say."

Li Xuewu raised his hand and pressed it on the notebook, saying bluntly: "The person who pushed the development of this case is definitely not me."

"Even if I am very willing to see the day when this case comes to light, those bedbugs should be ferreted out."

He looked at Li Huai De and said, "I am also very surprised about the affairs of Deputy Director Xue and Deputy Director Zhang, but I do not approve of passive handling; if there is a problem, solve the problem."

"Is this something that can be handled just by solving the problem?"

Li Huai De glanced at the office door, lowered his voice and said: "Su Weide must have grasped the handle of Zhang Jinsong's secretary, wanting to pinch his Achilles' heel."

"Huang Jianguo is not Deputy Director Zhang." Li Xuewu shook his head slightly, "Deputy Director Zhang's Achilles' heel is not something anyone can pinch just because they want to."

"But —" Li Huai De pursed his lips and emphasized: "He is now watching that he can't move you or me, so he wants to bite Zhang Jinsong to death!"

"Once Zhang Jinsong falls, the people above will inevitably turn against us!"

Li Huai De clenched his fist and tapped it lightly on the desk, saying bitterly: "Zhang Jinsong has been at the group for less than a year; the situation is too ugly."

That's right, Zhang Jinsong failed here, and Li Huai De, as the squad leader, cannot shirk the responsibility; he will inevitably be scolded.

Furthermore, Li Huai De never thought about moving Zhang Jinsong.

But what does this have to do with Li Xuewu?

(End of chapter)