Chapter 1421: Su Qing has arrived

"Why on earth is that Section Chief Bao from the credit union so fixated on you?"

Zhang Jing carried a thermos over to refill Li Xuewu's teacup and teased with a smile: "Chasing you for thousands of miles—don't tell me he's trying to dump the entire year's investment quota on you?"

"I'd actually like to use up all the quotas in his hands, but he has to be willing first."

Li Xuewu pulled a few boxes of dried fruit from under the coffee table, tapped them, set them down, and gestured for the people working in the office to help themselves.

After lunch, he had intended to rest for a while, but he couldn't stop Zhang Enyuan from getting people to work; he had found staff from the Leading Group Office to help organize old files to be moved to the warehouse.

Zhang Jing didn't sleep at noon either and came over to join the fun. Seeing that Li Xuewu hadn't rested, he asked about the excitement of the past two days. He found it novel—those big shots representing capital looked as if they were scrambling to hand over money; if you didn't let them, they'd even get anxious and try to intimidate people.

"How long have these melon seeds been sitting out?" Zhang Jing grabbed a handful, tasted them, and said with amusement: "They've gone stale."

"They wouldn't be tasty if they weren't stale."

Zhang Enyuan smiled as he looked at him. After giving instructions to Zhou Peilan and the others, he turned back and said to him: "It doesn't matter if you don't eat them; saying that will make the leader think I'm sloppy."

"You *are* sloppy. You've wasted these good things," Zhang Jing teased. "If you'd sent them to our room earlier, would there be any left by now?"

Zhou Linghua and the others found it amusing to listen to the leaders bickering and joking while they worked.

Zhou Peilan, however, was more concerned with economic work. Since she was the person in charge of liaising with trade-related matters, she asked:

"Leader, looking at how anxious they are, they don't seem like stingy people."

She looked at Li Xuewu, her eyes full of confusion. "You want to use their investment, and they hope to invest in our group's projects—isn't this a match made in heaven?"

This was a question others had wanted to ask, but they weren't as bold as Zhou Peilan. After all, they had been called over to work, not to attend a lecture.

Even Zhang Jing put away his joking expression and glanced at Li Xuewu. He was prepared: if the leader really got annoyed by the question, he would make a show of reprimanding little Zhou, but he couldn't let the leader make her cry—that would be too bad.

Li Xuewu, however, wasn't annoyed. His expression turned a bit more serious as he said: "There's a saying: 'Forced business is never a bargain.'"

"That's true for us, and it's true for the investors." He looked at Zhou Peilan and asked: "What do you think they are investing in?"

"Isn't it the project?" Zhou Peilan really wanted to clear up this doubt. Seeing that the leader hadn't rejected her, she said quite bluntly: "I heard our group plans to build the tallest building in the country."

"Believe it or not, if I said we were going to build the country's tallest outhouse, they would invest in that too."

Li Xuewu's lips curled slightly. He picked up his teacup and looked at her, saying confidently: "High-level investment vision never focuses solely on the project itself."

"Then what you mean is—"

Zhou Peilan stopped caring about the work in her hands and walked closer unconsciously. "They are investing in you..."

Having said that, she felt her thinking was a bit too advanced, so she lost confidence as she spoke.

Li Xuewu smiled. After taking a sip of hot tea, he set the cup down and said: "What do I have that's worth their investment? It's the group."

"They are investing in influence."

He tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest and emphasized earnestly: "They see the group's development flourishing, with every project bringing in gold every day, so they appear a bit blind before they have a full understanding of the next project."

"This—" Zhou Peilan asked, frowning slightly: "Are you saying there's investment risk in what they're doing?"

"Standing from the project side's position, I will never tell them how high or how great the risks of this project are, because that is my professional requirement and standard."

He looked at Zhou Peilan and said: "Evaluating project risk before investing is work they should be doing themselves, not listening to what I say."

"Of course, my exposition and attitude toward this project can also reflect the group's confidence in it from the side, but that isn't absolute."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and asked: "What if I were a fraud? If I took the money they invested and ran away, what should they do?"

"Ah? —" Everyone expressed surprise upon hearing his shocking words.

"Hehe, never encountered that, have you?"

Li Xuewu chuckled as he looked at the stunned people in the office. "This isn't an exaggeration; there's a lot of room for operation."

"Think about it: if the other party's investment funds are transferred over, and I, as the project manager, withdraw these funds at will, exchange them for foreign currency, and board an offshore passenger ship, how should they respond?"

"..." The people in the Leading Group Office were stunned. The earth-shattering robbery plan hovered in their minds, and their faces turned bright red.

That's right. With a total investment of 12 million, if it could all truly be converted into foreign currency and taken away, one could live the life of a superior person even abroad; wouldn't that be like being an emperor every single day?

Based on domestic consumption levels, 12 million—how many lifetimes would it take to spend that!

"But—" Zhou Peilan was the first to react. She looked at Li Xuewu and emphasized: "The group's project funds have independent accounts. Individuals cannot withdraw them; they can only go through public account appropriations. And besides, where would there be so much foreign currency to exchange?"

"Hehe—" Zhang Jing and Zhang Enyuan exchanged glances and looked at the young people in unison.

Hearing Zhou Peilan's words, Wang Min and the others seemed to wake up from a dream. Their faces and eyes were full of disappointment and desolation, as if they had just lost a fortune of 12 million.

"The Red Star Steel Group has its own bank and project fund accounts, but that doesn't mean other units have this kind of risk prevention awareness."

Li Xuewu picked up his teacup and said faintly. His gaze swept sharply over the few people as he emphasized: "I said this to remind you to be thorough in your work, not to guide you into committing errors. You might be able to cheat this kind of money, but you definitely wouldn't be able to take it away, and that doesn't mean others can't."

"Yes, Secretary-General, we understand." The few young people were diligent in their work, and their attitudes were upright. Even if there were those with different personalities, it was harmless; they were all good seeds.

"Back to the project itself, let's talk about why the tallest building in the country is being sought after by capital."

Li Xuewu set down his teacup and said: "If you insist on reading newspapers and listening to the news, you must have—and should have—noticed that the situation this year has changed."

"Leader, I feel that way too!"

Wang Min suddenly widened his eyes and leaned in to say: "A few days ago, I was telling Linghua and the others that the economic situation this year is looking great."

Zhang Jing glared at him with a mix of amusement and annoyance—daring to be so presumptuous in front of the leader!

Li Xuewu smiled and waved his hand, not paying much mind to the young man's impulsiveness and bluntness.

Instead, he affirmed Wang Min's keen sense of smell and praised his reading habits.

"You all should do the same; it's best to develop the good habit of reading newspapers and listening to the news."

Li Xuewu pointed at the few people in the office, then continued: "The Great Learning has completed its preliminary reform stage and has now entered a new phase. Economic recovery is the key work for this year and even for the next few years."

"If you have been paying attention to international news, you must know that at the beginning of this month, America's Nixon Group announced the relaxation of restrictions on personnel exchanges and trade with the mainland."

He tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest and looked at the crowd, asking: "What does this mean?"

"What?" Wang Min was somewhat bewildered. He had never heard this news and hadn't paid attention to the international news section of the newspaper.

Now that the leader mentioned it, everyone started to think about what this news meant.

Even Office Director Zhang Jing and Deputy Director Zhang Enyuan started thinking seriously.

Li Xuewu didn't rush to announce the answer, but instead picked up his teacup and sipped slowly.

Why is it easier for offices to produce talent? Because they are closer to the leaders, have access to more key information, and have more opportunities to be taught and inspired by leaders.

The student years are the stage when the human brain is most active—full of whimsy and capable of anything.

The student stage is also the period when it is easiest to learn and think, and people grow faster.

However, after joining the workforce, there is a transitional stage where knowledge learned and work application are unbalanced. Everyone's adaptability is different, and the comprehensive quality they display is also different.

In school, there are teachers to teach; at work, there are leaders to teach. How you learn depends on yourself.

What if everyone is willing to learn?

It still depends on opportunity—whether one can frequently hear, see, learn, and perceive.

In this era, leaders still pay relatively more attention to cultivating the young people below them. A phrase often said is to encourage young people to put down their burdens, work hard, and not be afraid of making mistakes.

Of course, leaders say this later on too, but it's interesting if you actually believe it.

Li Xuewu is certainly willing to cultivate young people, because a leader who doesn't know how to cultivate successors will definitely not go far or steady—there would be no one to carry the torch.

If there is truly no one in this unit who can take over your work, those above will definitely not be willing to promote you.

Therefore, if you can give young people opportunities, let them think more and learn more.

After drinking a few sips of tea and seeing that they had thought enough, Li Xuewu didn't ask individually. After all, he wasn't a teacher and didn't like to lecture others, so he announced his answer directly.

"This news means that relations between the mainland and America are starting to thaw."

"What! How is that possible!"

Wang Min widened his eyes, almost jumping up from the Secretary-General's words.

You have to know what kind of existence America was portrayed as in the mainland during this era.

The education and living environment Wang Min received made him naturally conservative and cautious toward America.

But the others were thinking about Li Xuewu's words, and some even frowned.

Of course, it wasn't that there weren't smart ones; some had already thought of a lot based on Li Xuewu's words.

"What is the next step after relations thaw?" Li Xuewu lifted his chin to gesture at Zhou Peilan, whose gaze was somewhat dazed. "You tell me."

"The next step—" Zhou Peilan was a bit nervous, but not surprised that the leader would ask her. "The next step is to define the trade item list and lift the trade embargo against us."

"This—is this true?!"

Li Muqin and the others looked at her one after another. Seeing her solemn face, they all turned to look at Li Xuewu, as if urgently waiting for a correct answer.

"This... should be true."

Seeing that the Secretary-General hadn't spoken for a long time, Zhou Peilan saw Wang Min and the others were so anxious they were about to climb the walls, so she gathered her courage to explain: "Actually, it's that we haven't paid attention; this matter had signs long ago."

"What signs?" Wang Min was so anxious he was scratching his head. He looked at her and asked: "International news?"

"It should be Japan, right? Secretary-General." Zhou Peilan didn't look at the anxious Wang Min, but at Li Xuewu, seeking the answer.

Li Xuewu looked at her with undisguised approval and appreciation, nodding slightly: "That's right, it's Japan."

He paused, looked at the crowd earnestly, and explained: "The Japanese side has come to the mainland many times to communicate on trade work, actively opening the door to bilateral trade. Even the group has trade dealings with the Sanhe Corporation."

"Why are they so actively promoting economic and trade cooperation with the mainland?"

Li Xuewu spread his hands and looked at Zhou Peilan expectantly, hoping she could answer this question.

"It's to counter America's trade deficit!" Zhou Peilan felt as if she had returned to a university classroom; hearing the professor pose a question, she answered actively.

At this moment, she discovered that the Secretary-General had such a strong vision and sense of smell for economic and international work. It was no wonder he could participate in and preside over the group's economy, management, industry, security, and so on at such a young age.

"That's right, trade deficit."

Li Xuewu smiled and tapped his finger at her: "Looking at it now, you are qualified to be in charge of trade and sales docking. Keep working hard."

Hearing him say this, Wang Min and the others showed expressions of envy. This was the Secretary-General's affirmation; Zhou Peilan's future was limitless.

"Doing management work, you cannot not understand the international situation. Doing economic management work, you cannot not understand the international situation. Doing industrial management work, you must understand the international situation even more."

Li Xuewu's tone was more intense with every sentence. He looked at the crowd and said very earnestly: "In September 1962, with special approval, we imported two sets of complete vinylon equipment from Japan."

He counted on his fingers: "In 1963, we successively introduced 14 complete equipment project items in petrochemical technology from Japan, the UK, France, Federal Germany, Sweden, Italy, and other countries."

"You must understand the present, know the past, and be able to see the future."

Li Xuewu gestured with his index finger and thumb: "Since the success of these two technology introductions I just mentioned, the mainland has had more active proposals and expressions regarding the introduction of foreign capital."

"Subsequently, in 1963 and 1964, those above successively approved more than 100 projects in industries such as metallurgy, precision machinery, and electronics, for foreign investigation, inquiry, and signing of contracts."

Listening to him recount the key nodes in domestic economic and industrial work, everyone suddenly had an expression of sudden realization.

So it turned out that many things had signs.

"In January 1964, it was proposed that the Japanese could be allowed to open mines and factories in the mainland to learn technology from them, and overseas Chinese could also be allowed to invest in building factories."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and looked at the crowd: "You should know now why our group was able to launch deep joint venture cooperation with the Santa Ya Group in the fields of construction engineering and mineral development, right?"

Everyone's eyes were bright. Hearing him say this, they finally understood this point. Things they had discussed countless times in private without reaching a conclusion were suddenly clear, all sorted out because of the Secretary-General's cited evidence.

"The reason the Santa Ya Group was able to reach a cooperative relationship with our group in the mainland is that in January 1964, France became the first major Western power to establish formal diplomatic relations with us."

Li Xuewu tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest: "After the publication of the *China-France Joint Communiqué*, those above expressed the hope to expand economic exchanges with the two countries when meeting with French parliamentarians and Italian guests."

"What does this mean again?"

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he continued: "In April 1965, through the efforts of Mr. Z, those above also approved the report of the New Technology Import Group on several major issues in the work of introducing new technology."

"The report proposed that in 1965, we should make full use of the current relatively favorable international environment, adapt to the needs of domestic economic situation and construction, and more actively carry out the work of introducing new technology from capitalist countries."

"It is precisely because of the proposal and passage of this report that our group was able to complete foreign trade work through channels of technology introduction and cooperation, and subsequently earned the first pot of gold to start the group-building process."

Li Xuewu recounted it like a family treasure, his fingers closing automatically as he told the crowd: "Before 1966, our mainland successively signed 84 technology and equipment introduction contracts with manufacturers in countries such as Japan, the UK, France, Italy, Federal Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, covering petroleum, chemicals, metallurgy, mining, plastics, automobiles, hydraulic components, electronics, precision instruments, etc., with a total transaction volume of 280 million US dollars."

"Among them, there were 56 complete equipment contracts, using 260 million US dollars in foreign exchange, accounting for more than 90% of all introductions." Li Xuewu opened a palm and looked at the crowd, emphasizing: "Our group started technology and equipment introduction work in 1967, which fully complied with the economic development and industrial construction policy planning at that time."

"And the scope of these introduced equipment was extensive, from production material equipment to consumer goods production equipment, but the most important were heavy industrial projects and major technical equipment, among which the steel industry accounted for 31.7% and the chemical industry accounted for 28.1%."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at the few people: "Now you should know that the group is preparing to build the Steel City Automobile Manufacturing Plant, cooperating with Beijing Chemicals to improve the auto parts industry, and building an auto parts supply chain—which wind did we borrow to do this, right?"

"Enterprise management work is not decided by counting on fingers, nor by a pat on the head."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "Do you know how many countries and regions the mainland has established trade relations with as of this year? And how many countries have signed bilateral trade agreements?"

"The answer to the first question is 125, and the answer to the second is 38."

He nodded, smiling confidently: "This is the core purpose and main reason for the group to prepare for the construction of the Yingcheng Port Area, to open up the Yingcheng Port Area as an export outlet for foreign trade, with Steel City and Fengcheng as industrial parks, integrating light and heavy industry mixed economy to develop inward and expand outward."

"Now you should all have figured it out, understood it, right? Is this enterprise management work very interesting? It's a bit like playing chess."

"Uh—" Wang Min looked left at Zhou Peilan, then right at Zhou Linghua and Li Muqin. He was too lazy to look at Ma Baosen, whose mouth was wide open, completely shocked by the Secretary-General's long-winded speech. He couldn't see the fun in enterprise management being like a chess game from the faces of the three classmates.

Is this fun?

My brain is about to burn out, okay!

We are executing the 1962 policy in 1966, we started working in 1967 based on the experience of 1963 and 1964, and what we are doing in 1969 is calculating for 1971, 1972, or even the more distant future!

Who the hell can calculate that!

Wang Min had a numb face, and his little partners had also been baptized today.

Before, when they chatted about the leader's work in the office, they seemed to calculate up to next month, or at most half a year or a year. Many times, the goals set at the beginning of the year couldn't be completed by the end of the year.

But now it seems that the leaders look five years ahead and five years behind when doing things, or even ten or twenty years. This position of person-in-charge is really not something an ordinary person can do—

The hearts of Wang Min and the other four, which were more or less eager and impetuous, were thoroughly tempered at this moment. After thinking, they must have gained something.

"Leader, someone is looking for you, saying they are from Beijing and insist on seeing you."

Li Xuewu was studying the newly issued documents, and Zhang Enyuan had no choice but to disturb him.

He had been a bit busy lately, and Zhang Enyuan tried his best to arrange non-essential meetings and work.

It was just about time to get off work, so Zhang Enyuan knocked on the door and reminded him softly.

The Secretary-General's home was in Beijing. Over the past few months, it wasn't as if friends and connections from Beijing hadn't come to look for him. Zhang Enyuan didn't dare to make decisions on his own; if he could distinguish the true from the false, he would report it directly.

Li Xuewu had also gotten used to his reporting style. He asked without raising his head: "Who is it? Are they from our unit?"

"No, it's a female university student named Su Qing, from Central Finance. I checked her student ID." Zhang Enyuan answered softly: "She's been here for half a day; she arrived this afternoon."

"Su Qing—"

Li Xuewu's hand paused when he heard the name. He looked up, frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then looked at Zhang Enyuan: "Did she come alone?"

"She's alone, carrying a schoolbag." Zhang Enyuan described: "She looks travel-worn, saying she came to find you as soon as she got off the train."

"Hmm, I see." Li Xuewu nodded and instructed: "Bring her over. She's my younger brother's classmate."

The Secretary-General's older brother was a top student in the Physics Department of Huaqing, currently teaching at the school and moonlighting as a researcher at the group's Institute of Physics; the Secretary-General's younger brother was a medical student, who might graduate this year; the Secretary-General's younger sister was Li Xue, Deputy Section Chief of the group's Finance Section. Zhang Enyuan had long since found out about these relationships.

He wasn't plotting against Li Xuewu, but doing it for work.

The Secretary-General said this visitor, Su Qing, was his younger brother's classmate, which made perfect sense. He had checked Su Qing's student ID, and she was also graduating this year.

You might say they weren't from the same university, but who stipulated that only people from the same university were classmates? Weren't high school classmates also classmates?

Besides, they were both from Beijing.

It was just that Zhang Enyuan had a doubt in his heart: why did the Secretary-General's younger brother's classmate come all the way here?

Li Xuewu was thinking about this question too, but he already had a guess.

Su Qing arrived at the gate of the Metallurgical Plant at 2:00 PM and sat in the Metallurgical Plant's reception room at 2:30 PM.

She sat there for more than three hours, drank several large cups of tea, but waited in vain for Li Xuewu's summons.

She was a bit panicked and even more at a loss. She was very afraid that Li Xuewu wouldn't see her or would just dismiss her casually.

Truth be told, she felt a bit ashamed to come to Steel City to see him, but when things came to a head, Li Xuewu was the only connection she could beg. Li Wenbiao couldn't be contacted no matter what; the man seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Student Su Qing." Just as she was nervous and anxious, and seeing it was almost time to get off work, the secretary who had met her at the beginning walked in and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, I've kept you waiting for a long time. The Secretary-General has just found some time."

"Uh? Okay! It's alright." In her nervousness, Su Qing almost couldn't speak clearly. At the other party's gesture, she stood up quickly, grabbed her schoolbag, and followed him out.

To be honest, this trip to Steel City was Su Qing's first time leaving Beijing, first time taking a train, and first time coming to the Northeast. She had completely gathered her courage to come alone.

She had to find Li Xuewu; she had to grab this last straw. Even if she ended up disappointed, she had to try.

But the closer she got to the door of that office, the slower and smaller her steps became, and her heart was pounding like a drum.

When she truly stood at the door of that office, she went completely numb.

*Dong dong—*

The secretary knocked on the door and said softly: "Secretary-General, Student Su Qing is here."

"Hmm, come in."

The familiar voice came from the office, piercing Su Qing's heart directly.

At this moment, her trepidation, her guilt, and her remorse were all mixed together, leaving her heart in a mess and completely losing her usual calmness and composure.

She was like a wooden person, head bowed, invited into the office by the secretary, but stood just two steps inside the door, not daring to move forward.

"Then, Secretary-General, I'll go get busy. Call me if you need anything."

Zhang Enyuan was very tactful and didn't choose to stay. This wasn't a female comrade in the government office; he didn't need to help the Secretary-General guard against anything.

If this person really had a problem, the Secretary-General wouldn't see her at all.

After Zhang Enyuan left, Su Qing still stood there without moving. Li Xuewu saw there was no sound from her, so he looked up.

"Why are you standing there? Find a place to sit yourself."

This voice was just like when he greeted her at the door—not forced, not annoyed, just faint.

"Secretary-General... I..."

Su Qing didn't dare move her feet, and didn't even dare to raise her eyes.

"Hehe, why are you calling me Secretary-General?" Li Xuewu marked the document he had been reading halfway, put it aside, stood up from behind the desk, and said with a chuckle: "Just like before, you can call me Li Ge, or Brother Wu."

He didn't mention Old Biaozi, because he wasn't sure if his younger brother had been showing mercy or if he really had some attachment before he left.

He still hadn't figured out what kind of relationship the two had until now.

However, Su Qing had worked at the club for more than a year and had been his deputy office director for more than a year.

He had some understanding of this girl, but it was limited to work, business, and a one-sided perspective.

"Come over and sit. Don't just stand there. My place isn't a government office; there's no need to stand guard."

He used a joke to dissolve Su Qing's nervousness and took the initiative to invite her to sit on the sofa side.

Only then did Su Qing dare to raise her head. She glanced nervously at the furnishings in the office; the majesty made her not dare to be presumptuous in the slightest. She just followed Li Xuewu's request and sat on the sofa side.

"Thank you, Li Ge."

"You're welcome. I was very surprised to hear them say you came to find me."

Li Xuewu smiled, raised his hand to gesture toward the desk, and said, "I spent the whole afternoon poring over the study documents sent down by the Group. They didn't dare disturb me. Have you been waiting long?"

"No, no—"

Seeing him so warm, Su Qing raised her head, looked at him, and waved her hands repeatedly: "I don't have anything..."

"You don't have anything, yet you can come all the way to Steel City to find me?"

Li Xuewu looked at her with amusement and asked: "Tell me, what happened to you that you need to find me for help?"

Su Qing never expected him to be so direct, asking about the purpose of her trip just like that. In an instant, her heart surged, and tears almost fell.

"Li Ge, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come to disturb your work."

Su Qing said in a tearful voice: "But I'm really at the end of my rope; I have no other way."

She raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, sniffed, tried hard to control her inner nervousness and trepidation, and explained in as calm a voice as possible: "The school notified us that we have to complete graduation work this June, and then it's job assignment."

"Hmm, I heard." Li Xuewu nodded and looked at her: "I'm studying at the Steel Institute, and I'm graduating this year too. I just received the notice from the school."

"I want to ask you to help me."

Su Qing looked at him expectantly and explained: "The notice from the school is that if there are no special circumstances, all three of our classes will be assigned to the border regions."

"Is that so? I haven't heard of this situation yet." Li Xuewu frowned slightly and asked: "Is your information accurate?"

"It was the Three-Branch Representative who notified us. Many classmates are already making preparations."

Su Qing was perhaps truly anxious and had truly pinned her hopes on him. Seeing him question her words, she quickly explained.

"If there's no way to clear this up before the end of May, then I can only follow the school's unified arrangement and go to the border region."

"Don't be anxious. Speak slowly if you have something to say."

Li Xuewu saw Zhang Enyuan appear at the door; perhaps he had come over after hearing the crying.

He pointed toward the tea cabinet, gesturing for Zhang Enyuan to help Su Qing pour a cup of hot water.

Zhang Enyuan was afraid something would go wrong, so he was listening carefully next door.

He had come over actively just to see if the leader needed his help.

Sending water over now would interrupt the other party's tearful complaint and also avoid causing a bad influence.

Seeing an outsider come in, Su Qing restrained her emotions. After taking the water cup, her expectant gaze still didn't leave Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu thought for a moment, stood up, walked to the desk, and picked up the phone.

He didn't make a big fuss by calling the school or home to ask his older brother and sister-in-law; there was someone more convenient.

"How did you think of calling me?"

It was clearly a call from Steel City. Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, how could He Yu Shui not know who it was?

Li Xuewu didn't waste words with her, asked a few simple questions about this year's assignment work, and then hung up.

"I understand the situation now."

He turned back to the sofa and said to Su Qing: "It's not just you; it's everyone. That's what those above require."

"Yes, I know." Su Qing gripped the cup tightly and explained: "Our teacher also told us that if we don't want to go to the border region, we can only give notice in advance. If there's a unit willing to accept us, that's also possible."

"Li Ge, it's not that I fear hardship, but my parents are old, and their health hasn't been good these past two years. My younger sister is still small, and I'm afraid if I leave..."

"Hmm, I understand."

Li Xuewu nodded and said to her: "Don't be anxious about this matter. There's still some time before the end of the month. I'll try to see what I can do first."

He looked at Su Qing and said: "If you were a student at Huaqing or the Steel Institute, I could help you find connections to handle it now, but I don't know anyone at Central Finance."

"I also understand your thoughts." Seeing Su Qing anxious to speak, he pressed his palm down and said: "Even if you want to come to the Red Star Steel Group, and the Red Star Steel Group can accept you, it still has to go through the procedures."

"Then, Li Ge, I'll listen to you."

Su Qing thought for a moment. It seemed that besides Li Xuewu, she really couldn't beg anyone else, and she didn't have any connections that could compare to Li Xuewu's strength.

She had been Li Xuewu's office secretary for more than a year and had indeed come into contact with some connections.

Su Qing knew very clearly that Li Xuewu had a large network of connections in Beijing and was the only person who could help her, and the only person willing to help her.

Therefore, when the school's notice came down, she had come to Steel City without hesitation after talking to her parents.

"Hmm, I heard you arrived at 2:00 PM this afternoon?" Li Xuewu lifted his wrist to check his watch. Listening to the bell for getting off work outside the window, he said with a smile: "Stay at the guesthouse tonight, and I'll treat you to a meal."

"That's so embarrassing." Su Qing wiped her tears, sorted out her emotions, and said: "I'll just make do with a bite; I can't disturb your rest."

"There's no such thing as disturbing or not." Li Xuewu turned to Zhang Enyuan and asked: "You don't have anything to do after getting off work, right? Let's eat something together."

"Then I'll go to the guesthouse to order the meal."

Zhang Enyuan nodded. Seeing that Li Xuewu had no other instructions, he turned to make arrangements.

"I usually get off work ten or twenty minutes late. If you aren't too hungry, just hold on."

Li Xuewu looked at Su Qing with a smile: "Eat a full meal later, get a good night's rest, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"Thank you, Li Ge! I really am..."

Seeing Li Xuewu say this, Su Qing knew he was sincerely trying to help her. She stood up quickly, bowed to thank him, and her voice choked up again.

Li Xuewu couldn't reach out to support her, so he pointed to the sofa, gesturing for her to sit down and talk.

The meal that evening was really just a casual bite. The guesthouse's food was just large in quantity, and the taste was okay.

With Li Xuewu's answer, Su Qing felt much more at ease. Perhaps she was truly hungry; she ate three steamed buns before putting down her chopsticks with a blush.

Li Xuewu usually ate very little and very slowly for dinner; he waited until she had finished before putting down his own chopsticks.

"The room and breakfast have already been arranged for you. Just take the key and go upstairs."

As Li Xuewu said this, he gestured for Zhang Enyuan to hand the key to Su Qing, and then instructed: "Rest well in the room tonight. Don't go anywhere else; there are many construction sites around here, and it's very complicated."

After giving a few instructions and seeing that she understood, he took Zhang Enyuan and left the guesthouse.

Su Qing saw them to the door. After watching that high-end Volga sedan leave, she returned upstairs somewhat bewildered.

She didn't know what the result would be tomorrow—whether it would be excitement or desolation. Now that she was full, her worry hadn't completely disappeared.

Zhang Enyuan in the car was also somewhat puzzled. She really was just here to find connections for help. With the Secretary-General's ability, he could have arranged it directly. He didn't know why he had to wait a day and take a detour.

If you said this Su Qing had an ordinary relationship with the Secretary-General, then why treat the other party to a meal and arrange food and lodging?

If you said the relationship was close, he couldn't figure it out at all.

This wasn't something he should think about. Li Xuewu had long since calculated everything. After returning home and telling Zhou Ya Mei, he made a call to Beijing.

The call was to Zhou Yao, asking her to help check Su Qing's situation. It only needed a simple investigation. With Su Qing's situation and Zhou Yao's ability, he was sure he could find out everything he wanted to know.

If nothing could be found out, then it was even simpler—just hand her over to Ji Weidong's unit.

As long as it was a normal person, how could the basic situation not be found out? It was too contrary to common sense.

Zhou Yao agreed quite readily. After Gu Yan got married, he returned to the army. She had to be on duty if she was supposed to be, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to receive Li Xuewu's call at the unit.

Checking Su Qing, and checking overnight—she didn't even need to leave her office; she just needed to make phone calls.

On the phone, Zhou Yao also told Li Xuewu a situation: Wang Xiaoqin was no longer serving as the manager of the Quality, Safety, and Environmental Protection Department, and only served as the Three-Branch Representative. The group had already announced the personnel appointment: Deputy Manager Yu Decai would succeed her as manager.

Li Xuewu knew about this situation; Li Huai had communicated with him. It seemed it had been officially passed now.

Li Xuewu wasn't very surprised that Yu Decai could succeed as the Quality and Safety Department manager; after all, Dong Wenxue was there.

Zhou Yao's news was reported to him the next morning, and it was after he arrived at the office.

He was looking at the report in his hand, which he had also signed and submitted, regarding the construction of a large supply market in the Workers' New Village and the construction project of the Red Star Hotel.

There was no word yet on the international standard hotel, but the group had already planned to build a guesthouse according to plan.

The address is right next to the Riverside Garden residential area; it's a 9-story I-shaped building with a podium structure.

It wasn't a big deal for the Red Star Steel Group to build a guesthouse. A building structure of more than ten stories wasn't unusual in Beijing, but what was unusual was that Red Star Steel had previously said it would build the tallest building in the country. Now, the guesthouse they were going to build was probably the tallest building on the Liangma River, right?

People who paid attention to this matter all felt it was absurd, thinking they had been played by fake news or Li Huai.

It was just that when Bao Peigang called to ask, Li Xuewu's answer was: "Don't worry, just wait a bit."

Let the bullets fly for a while— ===== CHAPTER 1422 =====