Chapter 1482: Without you, I won't go

"Secretary-General, the newspaper you wanted."

Flight attendant Xiao Han handed a folded newspaper to Li Xuewu's side, her tone gentle.

Li Xuewu reached out to take it, nodded habitually, and said casually, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, it's an honor to serve you."

Xiao Han said softly, feeling quite flattered, "If you need anything, please tell me; I'll be in the cabin in front."

"Okay," Li Xuewu looked up at her, then nodded again with a smile.

Xiao Han bowed slightly, satisfied, and then left.

Secretary Zhang Enyuan was sitting on the other side of the aisle, looking at the flight attendant cautiously.

Seeing the Secretary-General reading the newspaper, he unbuckled his seat belt, stood up, said something to Li Xuewu softly, and went to the front.

Before long, Chief Flight Attendant Zhou Xiaoling personally brought a thermos and returned with Zhang Enyuan, quietly refilling the hot water in Li Xuewu's teacup.

She didn't leave any polite words; she left quietly, just as she had come quietly.

It takes less than three hours to fly from Steel City to Beijing, and if it goes smoothly, it can arrive in just over two hours.

That's the good thing about official aircraft; as long as the flight route application is approved, the departure time is very free.

The only disadvantage is also very obvious, that is, there are no business class seats.

Until the plane landed at Beijing Airport, flight attendant Xiao Han didn't appear again. Zhang Enyuan carried their luggage and followed Li Xuewu off the plane.

When Li Xuewu walked down the gangway, he glanced at the time on his hand, exactly 8:15 PM.

The reason for returning to Beijing at night was that he had just finished working at the unit and came out according to the off-duty time point.

The person who came to pick him up was Han Jiankun, the captain of the group's motorcade, who was wearing a simple black leather jacket in the winter, looking energetic and capable.

"Secretary-General, welcome back to Beijing."

Han Jiankun habitually nodded and greeted Li Xuewu first, then went to pick up the luggage.

Zhang Enyuan was very polite, greeted with a smile, and also used the title Han Kezhang.

It wasn't the first time they had met; both served the Secretary-General, so meeting naturally was polite.

Li Xuewu tightened his woolen coat, looked at him, and asked, "Are you cold?"

"It's hot, I didn't wait long."

Han Jiankun knew that the leader was considerate of his subordinates, and while persistently taking the luggage from Zhang Enyuan, he explained with a smile, "I saw your plane land before I drove over."

He raised his hand to gesture to the car not far away and said, "Please get in the car; it's still cold at night."

"Is everything at home okay?"

Li Xuewu nodded, walked towards the car, and asked casually, "Has your mother returned from your eldest brother's house?"

"She's been back for more than a month; she said she missed her grandson." Han Jiankun smiled, knowing that the leader cared about him and was concerned about his family affairs.

He opened the car door for Li Xuewu first, then turned to go to the back of the car, opened the trunk with a key, and put away their luggage.

Zhang Enyuan looked at his skillful movements and diligent attitude, and couldn't help but nod secretly in his heart.

It can be seen that the group still has capable people, not all of them are young people like Yu Zhe who are sloppy.

He didn't dare to say before, but now if he says Yu Zhe doesn't have the Secretary-General's care, he wouldn't believe it even if he was beaten to death.

Look at Han Jiankun's cleanliness and neatness; in contrast, Yu Zhe is not even worth looking at, can't live.

"Send Enyuan to the guesthouse first."

Li Xuewu saw Han Jiankun get in the car and explained, "Send him and then send me home."

"Forget it, Secretary-General, send you first."

Zhang Enyuan knew Han Jiankun's car usage habits, turned around from the passenger seat and said, "Send you home first, and I will return to the group with Han Kezhang."

"I'm on duty tonight." Han Jiankun also turned his head and suggested, "Better send you home first."

"Alright then, send me first."

Li Xuewu saw that both of them had this opinion, so he nodded and said, "If you are hungry, go to the guesthouse cafeteria to pad your stomach."

"Don't worry about me, I won't be hungry."

Zhang Enyuan turned his head and said with a smile, "You didn't eat on the plane, but I ate until I was full."

"I don't really like the food on the plane." Li Xuewu nodded with a light smile and said, "Especially since the flight is short, half an hour for takeoff, half an hour for landing, and the tossing in the middle took away my appetite."

"I'm really hungry. I didn't eat much at noon. I was in a hurry, and I haven't finished the arrangements yet."

Zhang Enyuan also saw that the leader wanted to chat, so he followed this topic.

"Deputy Factory Director Li wants to report the work plan for the organizational personnel adjustment after the year to you, but there is really no time. The talk with Deputy Bank President Chen exceeded the time."

"Chen Dajun, this person—"

Li Xuewu looked at the night view of Beijing outside the car window, curled his lips slightly, and said straightforwardly, "He repeats the same sentence over and over again, always failing to grasp the key points."

"This person's speaking style is like this, and his working style is also like this; he lacks courage."

The Secretary-General can comment on the deputy president of the head office of the United Savings Bank like this. How can the other two people in the car be qualified to evaluate, so they can only listen with a smile.

However, as a secretary, Zhang Enyuan couldn't let the leader's words fall to the ground.

"I heard your conversation; sitting outside made me a bit anxious for him."

He also covered half of his face and smiled bitterly, "I wanted to go in and remind him several times, but he spoke too excitedly."

"He really has the heart to do things."

Li Xuewu saw him say this, and said with amusement, "It's just that he doesn't know how to use it, getting half the result with twice the effort."

"Maybe the whole group lacks work experience in docking and cooperation with the locality."

Zhang Enyuan became serious, turned around and looked at him, "The group should attach importance to it and focus on training. Next, our cooperation and communication with the locality will become closer and closer."

"We cannot be isolated from the locality because of independent management; this is unfavorable to future work."

"You are right, we should pay attention."

Li Xuewu nodded, looked at him and said, "Help me make a note in the notebook, I want to see Director Li tomorrow morning, and I will mention this point."

"Okay, I'll prepare it for you tonight."

Zhang Enyuan agreed seriously, and had already taken out a fountain pen and notebook to make a record.

Han Jiankun, who was driving, glanced at him quickly, and nodded secretly in his heart.

By contrast, among the secretaries the Secretary-General has used, Zhang Enyuan is indeed the most steady and usable.

Of course, it's not to say that Sha Qizhi and Peng Xiaoli are not good. Sha Qizhi is okay, but Peng Xiaoli is said to be a secretary for Li Xuewu, more for learning.

No need for comparison, just comparing with the secretaries of other group leaders, the quality shown by Zhang Enyuan can be called excellent.

Service, attitude is more important.

"Secretary-General, you are back."

Er Ya heard the doorbell and ran out to open the door. Seeing him get off the car, she took the initiative to greet him.

Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and gestured to the trunk of the car, "Some dried fruits from Steel City."

"I'll take it, it doesn't matter."

Er Ya has grown a lot this year, and her face has flesh, looking honest and steady.

First, she politely greeted Han Jiankun and Zhang Enyuan, and then took the luggage and dried fruit bag from the other party, wanting to move into the courtyard by herself.

After all, Han Jiankun came to the courtyard more often, so he took the initiative to take the dried fruit bag and entered the courtyard first.

It was a bit late, almost nine o'clock at the door. Zhang Enyuan was afraid that the leader would mind, so he didn't go in.

Er Ya only dropped Li Xuewu's luggage bag, thanked Han Jiankun repeatedly, and then entered the courtyard with Li Xuewu.

Han Jiankun just put the dried fruits at the door. When he came out, he told Li Xuewu, "Leader, I will come to pick you up tomorrow morning, still at 7:30."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work tonight."

Li Xuewu reached out and patted his arm, "It's not convenient for the old lady's birthday tomorrow night, but the night after tomorrow, you and Jingru bring the children over for a casual meal. I haven't seen the children for a long time, and I miss them."

"If you are busy, don't come to disturb."

Han Jiankun said embarrassedly, "Jingru comes to disturb once every ten days or half a month."

"Don't talk about her, tell her to come."

Li Xuewu looked at him with a smile and said, "Her sister Xiao Ning likes her to come to the house, and also likes children. I'm not at home, thanks to Jingru coming to take care of them often."

"She is just lazy to cook, coming to your place to eat—" Han Jiankun smiled, gestured to the house and said, "You go in, it's cold, I'll send Secretary Zhang to the guesthouse, don't worry."

"Go, be careful on the road."

Li Xuewu nodded, watched him leave, and then entered the foyer.

He had long heard his voice. If it weren't for the aunt stopping him, saying it was cold outside, Li Shu and Li Ning would have opened the door and rushed up.

Even so, he didn't even have a chance to change his shoes when he entered the house. The sister and brother climbed on him like climbing a tree, one by one calling Dad.

"Ouch, ouch, so heavy."

Li Xuewu pretended to be clumsy and let the sister and brother cling to him, while changing his slippers, he said, "Are you eating well at home, so you grew up so fast?"

"Yes—"

Li Shu elongated her voice and responded coquettishly, "Brother doesn't eat well, only likes to eat meat."

"I love to eat meat—"

Li Ning pulled his trousers hard, kicked his calves to climb up, and even argued, "Grandma said eating meat can make you grow tall."

"Dad doesn't like to eat meat."

Li Shu saw her brother dared to refute her, and said coquettishly across her father, "Dad grew tall."

"Do you two want to come down and talk?"

Gu Ning stood on the stairs in purple pajamas and looked at the sister and brother, "Dad was busy working all day, and came back from Steel City, very hard."

"Dad, you've worked hard—"

Li Shu learned to act coquettishly this half year, and was no longer the rough tomboy image of the past.

She borrowed her father's arm to support her neck and Mua-ed on his face.

"Oh, not hard at all, now I have strength—"

Li Xuewu really cooperated with his daughter, only got a kiss, and then lifted a pair of children to do squats, making Li Shu and Li Ning giggle.

Only Dad can play so crazy with them at home, because only Dad has enough strength.

Zhao Yaping came out of the bathroom in milk-white pajamas. She didn't know what happened, and was still wiping her scattered hair with a towel.

It wasn't until she saw the second brother teasing the children to play in the living room that she reacted.

"Second brother, you are back."

"Mm, Yaping has grown tall."

Li Xuewu turned back to look at Zhao Yaping, who already had the appearance of a big girl, nodded with a smile and said, "Did you go home for the autumn harvest?"

"Aunt didn't give me a hooligan holiday."

Li Shu was put on the sofa by her father, jumping and saying, "She accompanied me to the park to play."

"What holiday?" Li Xuewu suspected that his ears heard wrong, looked at his daughter and confirmed, "Say it again?"

"It's a hool—igan—holiday!"

It was really Li Xuewu's good daughter. Li Shu was afraid that her old father's ears were not good, so she leaned close to him and shouted clearly word by word.

"Oh, Li Shu—"

Zhao Yaping's face turned red, she leaned to the sofa and reminded Li Shu, "It's a farm holiday!"

"Farm holiday? Hooligan holiday?"

Li Shu didn't understand the meaning of her serious correction, and muttered twice suspiciously.

"Hahaha—"

"It's a farm holiday!"

Zhao Yaping couldn't care about the second brother and second sister-in-law laughing at her. She was afraid that Li Shu would say something funny about her, so she just corrected Li Shu's mistake.

Li Shu saw Dad laughing so happily, and also laughed with a clap of her hands.

"She doesn't listen to me—"

Zhao Yaping dared to act coquettishly with him, said with a coquettish tone, and then returned to the room with a red face.

Li Xuewu patted his daughter's little face and emphasized with a smile, "It's a farm holiday, you said it wrong."

"Then what is a hooligan holiday?"

Li Shu sat beside her father and asked curiously, "How do I remember there is this holiday?"

"No, there is no holiday for hooligans."

Li Xuewu hugged Li Ning who climbed onto him, and told his daughter, "Farm holiday is for students and teachers living in the countryside to take a holiday, busy with autumn harvest."

"Then why didn't our kindergarten have a holiday?"

Li Shu frowned and thought for a while, and asked, "Does our family need autumn harvest?"

"No need, because our family doesn't have land to grow food, and your teachers don't either."

Li Xuewu patted the buttocks of the two children, "Although Dad didn't participate in labor, he also brought back the fruits of autumn harvest for you."

He pointed to the dried fruits in the bag and said, "Do you want to taste it?"

"Is it a fruit kernel with a shell?"

Li Shu tilted her little face and asked, "Is it the kind that can break teeth?"

"Can't bite with teeth—"

Li Xuewu taught the two, "You have to pinch with pliers, chisel open with a small hammer, so you can eat it."

"It's night, can't eat."

Gu Ning stood on the side and reminded them, "Teeth are brushed, do you want to brush your teeth again?"

Having a doctor mother at home is not good for this point, absolutely can't do things that violate hygiene.

Li Shu and Li Ning looked at him with eager eyes, and seeing that he also had a helpless expression, they had to give up the wish to eat autumn harvest fruits tonight.

"It's very late, say goodnight to Dad."

Gu Ning reminded the two children softly, and gestured upstairs, "Sister, take brother upstairs to sleep, let's play here today."

"I want to sleep with Dad today."

Li Shu held her brother's hand, hesitated and made a request to her mother.

Li Ning also had an eager expression, looked at his father and said, "I have a big truck."

"Big truck, show Dad tomorrow morning." Li Xuewu reached out and touched his son's little face, and looked at his daughter, "Dad has work to do tomorrow morning, need to get up early. Let's sleep together tomorrow night, okay? Bring brother too."

"Going to Grandma's house tomorrow, if you don't rest well, you won't be able to go tomorrow."

Er Ya packed the luggage and dried fruits brought back by Li Xuewu. At this moment, she walked over and persuaded the two children, "Who will stay to watch the house with me tomorrow?" 【152】 Having children, the most headache time every day is to persuade children to go to sleep.

After having children, the most headache-inducing time of the day is trying to convince them to go to sleep.

If it depends on them, ten o'clock is them, twelve o'clock is them.

Even two o'clock, four o'clock in the morning are possible. Their energy is so vigorous that parents doubt life.

Li Shu and Li Ning are okay, with Gu Ning, they are considered obedient.

It's just that they don't want to sleep early tonight. Li Xuewu came back and the two children were very excited.

Because she knew this, Gu Ning let them go upstairs early.

"Usually sleep at this time."

Looking at the two children going upstairs with Er Ya, Gu Ning explained to Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu pulled her hand across the sofa, pursed his lips and said, "Hard work for you."

"No—" Gu Ning was still not used to his intimate movements, but didn't shake him off.

Let him pull and sit down beside him on the sofa, "What time did you come out?"

"After work." Li Xuewu picked up the warm tea prepared by Er Ya and drank it, looked at her and asked, "Gu Yan went back? Didn't catch up?"

"He has nothing to do—"

Gu Ning leaned on the sofa with some fatigue, tilted her body and looked at him, "Third Uncle from Yangcheng is back, came to Beijing for a meeting, happened to catch up with Grandma's 60th birthday, and lived at home."

"Mm, didn't hear about it?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, "Back these two days?"

"Arrived in Beijing yesterday, Xuecai came to pick us up for dinner last night."

Gu Ning explained, "Leaving the day after tomorrow afternoon."

"He is relatively busy, especially busy these two years."

Li Xuewu nodded very understandingly, put down the teacup and said, "Yangcheng side can't count on us, it's all maintained by him alone, not easy."

"Isn't it said that Yangcheng is more open?"

Gu Ning frowned, "Many people in the hospital buy cosmetics and jewelry from Yangcheng."

"How open can it be."

Li Xuewu shrugged, "It's just too close, can't control it."

"Not very sure, anyway they said so." Gu Ning shook her head slightly, "They also said my clothes and backpack came from outside."

"Hehe—nonsense."

Li Xuewu smiled and turned to the side, "However, it can be seen that Li Laotou's craftsmanship and design are indeed unique."

Gu Ning certainly knows where her clothes and backpack came from. Every season, tailor Li Guangnian will come to the house to measure them.

This treatment is only available to Li Xuewu's family, and Li Guangnian is also very busy at the First Supervision Institute.

She said this not to show off, but to remind Li Xuewu that someone is staring at her.

"It doesn't matter, very normal."

Li Xuewu knew what she was worried about and comforted her softly, "You are in the general hospital, besides the clinic, it is the operating table. What else can find you."

"Now personnel transfers are too frequent, in and out, all kinds of monsters and ghosts. You pay attention to yourself, talk less, read more."

Li Xuewu patted her shoulder, "As for Dad, you don't have to worry even more. Recently Dad is preparing to apply for retirement."

"Retirement? How come I don't know?"

Gu Ning looked at him suspiciously, "My dad told you?"

"Otherwise? Can it be that I guessed it?"

Li Xuewu picked up the teacup with amusement and drank it again, "Don't worry, peace and tranquility."

"You just know it." Gu Ning saw that his expression was not difficult, so she didn't think about it anymore.

She stood up and said, "I asked for leave from the leader tomorrow, and I can come back in the afternoon."

"I should be about the same."

Li Xuewu thought about it, held the teacup and said, "I have to see Director Li and Deputy Director Xue in the morning, might have to talk for a while."

"Is your group going to open an engineering project in Liaodong again?" Gu Ning frowned and asked, "It's been so long and still not finished?"

"You think it's stacking blocks—"

Li Xuewu picked up the building block toy dropped by Li Shu or Li Ning from under his butt with amusement, "It won't be finished in another year."

"How long will it take for you to return to Beijing?"

Gu Ning looked at him and asked, "Grandma asked about this yesterday, saying she couldn't see you and was worried."

"Can't come back for a while."

Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and explained seriously, "Liaodong's work has just entered the right track. The construction foundation has been laid this year, and next year we will work hard for a year, and the year after next we will grab the construction period to finish."

He looked at Gu Ning and said, "The new underground project is indifferent, it can be handled whether it is long or short. The key is Yingcheng Port."

"Almost all the construction engineering resources of the group are tilted towards Yingcheng Port, including engineering machinery."

Li Xuewu put down the teacup and lay on the sofa, "It's a great achievement to open and operate within my term. At least it can add ten points to me."

"Go and tell Mom tomorrow, she is worried about you." Gu Ning urged him, "Even Grandma has been nagging about you several times."

"I know, it's because of Third Uncle."

Li Xuewu rubbed his face, yawned and said, "Li Xuehan wrote to me, saying his dad is almost exhausted. The unit's affairs are busy from morning to night, often not going home, and can't even eat on time."

"Don't tell Mom about this."

He explained, "I talked to Third Uncle on the phone. His situation is special. Being busy is also a matter of these two years. If you survive this, you will survive it. The road ahead will be very easy to walk."

"This is his ambition, and also his arrangement. What we can do is respect."

Li Xuewu saw Er Ya coming down from upstairs, stood up and said, "Okay, I'll talk to Grandma tomorrow, let's go upstairs to sleep, too tired."

"The children are all asleep."

Er Ya introduced with a smile, "Li Shu also said to sleep early, go to Grandma's house early tomorrow."

"Hard work for you." Li Xuewu responded with a smile, "Go over together tomorrow afternoon, lively."

"I won't go, I have to be busy with family affairs." Er Ya waved her hand repeatedly, "I just plan to clean up the kitchen, the stove is a bit smoky."

"Forget it, call Guodong to arrange people."

Li Xuewu told her while going upstairs, "It's better for your brother Guodong to bring people to do it than you being busy alone, don't suffer this tiredness."

Talking, didn't hear Er Ya's answer, the couple had already entered the master bedroom.

"Hoo—hoo—"

Gu Ning gasped and pushed him away, lay flat for a long time before recovering. At this moment, she opened her eyes and saw him coming out of the bathroom, and glared at him angrily.

Clearly said to get up early tomorrow, but he insisted on... insisted on...

Only the bedside lamp was on in the room, Li Xuewu didn't pay much attention to his wife's coquettishness, only cared about himself.

"Didn't have a chance to ask downstairs just now, how is Li Shu doing at school?"

Li Xuewu lay back on the bed, looked at Gu Ning beside him and asked, "How is the teacher treating her?"

"Hoo—" Gu Ning let out a long breath, sat up, and said, "Didn't you find that Li Shu has changed?"

She got out of bed, tidied up the purple pajamas on her body and walked to the bathroom, "Heartache and helpless, don't know how to help her."

Li Xuewu naturally found his daughter's sensitivity, watched Gu Ning go to the bathroom, and lay on the bed thinking about Li Shu's affairs.

After all, she is a child who is four and will be five. Everything is understood. This experience will eventually leave a deep mark in her life.

Even if the warmth and care of the family can smooth out her anxiety, it still can't erase this memory.

As she grows up, she will eventually encounter the same problem. At that time, this memory will be recalled by her like a tide.

They all say children don't understand things. In fact, they understand everything, especially Li Shu, who is very precocious.

She might not remember how she arrived at the Li family, and even less know to doubt that he is not her biological father, but she must know that Gu Ning is not her biological mother.

"Mom suggested I go

"Not going was the right choice. We can't be unforgiving just because we have the upper hand." Li Xuewu lowered his arm from his forehead and looked at her, saying, "It was ultimately for Li Shu's sake."

"I don't think there's anything worth discussing."

Gu Ning sat back down on the bed and took some hand cream from the nightstand drawer to apply to her hands.

"The teacher has already apologized for her mistake, and the kindergarten has also made its stance clear."

She turned back to look at Li Xuewu and said, "Even the husband of Kindergarten Director Liu from logistics came to see me privately to talk about this."

"I feel that handling this matter too specially would actually be bad for Li Shu."

Gu Ning put down the hand cream, pulled back the quilt, and lay down on the bed, saying, "She shouldn't be treated as special."

After saying that, she squinted her eyes slightly and looked ahead, saying, "At least for now, that's how it is."

"You finally figured it out—"

Li Xuewu smiled, reached out to stroke her hair, and said, "You only lose things when you care too much."

"Are you saying I shouldn't care too much?"

Gu Ning glanced at him and dodged his hand, afraid he might try something again.

She didn't want to take three showers in one night; Li Xuewu was definitely capable of such a thing.

"Hmm, just keep a normal mindset."

"What else can I do?"

Li Xuewu smiled, withdrew his hand, shifted his body to lie on the bed, and said, "Worrying yourself sick won't help. We've already done everything we could."

"Spend more time with her." Gu Ning lay down beside him and murmured, "I can feel it; she clings to you because she needs you more and needs a sense of security."

"During winter break, I'll take them to Steel City."

Li Xuewu reached out an arm to pat her shoulder, signaling for her to lean in.

Once Gu Ning was lying in his arms, he continued, "Let them go out and get some fresh air, and you can get some proper rest too."

"You've worked hard this past year, playing both father and mother."

"You're taking them to Steel City?"

Gu Ning looked up at him, frowning as she asked, "Who will take care of them while you're at work?"

"If you think of them as small children, then they will always be small children."

Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning in his arms and said, "Are you afraid there won't be anyone to look after them in Steel City?"

"Bang Geng is living at home; isn't that kid a ready-made nanny and bodyguard?"

He patted Gu Ning's shoulder to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, I'll arrange everything."

Gu Ning knew that Zhou Ya Mei returned to Steel City every half month, but she couldn't look after the children either.

She really didn't know who Li Xuewu would find to take care of the two children; it couldn't be...

"Third Aunt-in-law is reluctant to leave Beijing."

Li Xuewu didn't intentionally tease her in the end and gave a straightforward answer, "I don't know what she's thinking, and Wen San'er has tried to persuade her a few times too."

"You want to ask her to look after the children?"

Gu Ning turned on her side to look at him and asked, "Did Wen Hanze beg you to do this?"

"Of course not. He doesn't have that much influence. I wouldn't use my children to help him, would I?"

Li Xuewu shook his head with a laugh and said, "It just happened to coincide, otherwise I would have asked the old lady to go to Steel City to help."

"This is also with Second Uncle's family in mind."

He pondered as he explained, "If I sent the old lady to Jilin City, she definitely wouldn't be willing."

"So let her come to Steel City. If the old lady is in Steel City, Second Uncle's family will have to come and visit no matter what."

"Why do you have to make things so complicated?"

Gu Ning asked with a frown, "You want to take the children to Steel City, you want to take care of Wen Hanze, and you want to look after Second Uncle's side—don't you feel mentally exhausted?"

"Isn't that what the head of the household does?"

Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and said, "If we were in the countryside, you'd be calling me the 'master of the house'."

Gu Ning ignored his joke and continued to look at him, waiting for his explanation.

"Isn't that just life? You maintain things as you go, but taking care of the children is real."

Li Xuewu became more serious and explained earnestly, "Everything is for the children; everything else is secondary. Whether or not I can manage to balance it all depends on fate."

"No one can balance everything."

Gu Ning found a comfortable position again and reminded him, "If you try to balance too much, you'll lose sight of what you originally wanted."

"Hmm, I know."

Li Xuewu gently patted her arm, soothing her as if he were lulling a child to sleep.

Click—

He casually turned off the lamp on the nightstand, and darkness enveloped the room, with only a few slivers of moonlight leaking through the gap in the curtains, trying to peek into the dreams of the room's owners.

The couple thought of their children, their elders, and their friends and relatives; perhaps this was the true feeling of having elders above and children below.

At least Gu Ning had begun to feel this sudden pressure since this year, and she felt mentally exhausted.

But every time, she had Li Xuewu's strong, sturdy arms to lean on, helping her regain her energy.

Every time was growth, every time she was growing, and she felt stronger than ever before.

Isn't this the very meaning of home?

"Secretary-General, you're back."

Zhang Li and Zhou Miaomiao were walking upstairs and ran into Li Xuewu at the corner of the corridor; both of them took the initiative to greet him.

Li Xuewu smiled, pointed ahead, and explained, "I'm going to find Director Li. And you two are...?"

"We're trying to organize the structure."

Zhou Miaomiao took the lead in explaining, "Our sales side is in a state of fighting on our own. It just so happens that I know Director Zhang, so I'm here to humbly ask for advice."

She smiled at Zhang Li beside her, then said to Li Xuewu, "We didn't know you were back. If we had, we would have asked you to give us a lecture."

"You'd better ask Zhang Li to lecture you. How would I have time for that?"

Li Xuewu smiled, pointed at Zhang Li, and asked, "How is it? Are you adapting to the work of the Party Committee?"

In July of this year, organizational work was restored. During the process of rebuilding organizational order and structure, the group's Party Committee focused on examining and transferring some staff members to fill the organizational system.

Zhang Li had work experience in the Security Division, and even more experience in the Art Troupe and Propaganda Division. Her clean and efficient work style and excellent past performance were selected by the group's Party Committee, and she was appointed as the Director of the Party Committee Office of the Comprehensive Management Department.

But come to think of it, she was Li Xuewu's subordinate; he had promoted her from the Personnel Office to the Art Troupe, and then arranged for her to work in the Propaganda Section, which led to her current capabilities.

"Thank you for your concern, Secretary-General. I've already adapted." Zhang Li smiled and introduced, "Deputy Secretary-General Chen often talks about your work philosophy of combining theory with practice in meetings, and I'd also like to hear you lecture."

"So it's not just me who thinks so, right?"

Zhou Miaomiao chimed in from the side, "I even risked offending Director Zhang to invite you."

"The schedule for this trip is too tight."

Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "I have things to do this afternoon, tomorrow morning the group is holding a quarterly work meeting, and in the afternoon I'm talking to individual comrades on behalf of the group."

"What about the day after tomorrow?" Zhou Miaomiao raised an eyebrow and asked, "When are you going back to Steel City?"

"Hahaha—the day after tomorrow."

Li Xuewu smiled, pointed to the General Manager's office they had already reached, waved at the two of them, and said, "Work hard. We'll chat when there's time later."

Zhang Li and Zhou Miaomiao looked at each other and couldn't help but shake their heads with a laugh.

In the past, when the Secretary-General worked in the group, he often hosted ideological work meetings for them.

But ever since the Secretary-General was transferred to Liaodong, such situations were no longer seen.

It wasn't necessarily that the Secretary-General didn't have time; perhaps he didn't want to host them anymore, or it wasn't convenient for him to speak.

Inside the office, Li Huai De saw him enter, took the initiative to stand up, walked out from behind the desk, and shook hands with him.

"Back last night?" Old Li let him sit on the sofa and asked with concern, "Is everything okay at home?"

"Everything is fine, but I have to take the afternoon off today." Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "It's the old lady's sixtieth birthday. Although we don't plan to host a banquet, family members are coming to visit, so I have to show some presence."

"Oh, is that so—"

Li Huai De really didn't know that Li Xuewu had such arrangements for this trip back, otherwise he would have definitely prepared something.

He was stingy, but he wasn't stingy with his subordinates or friends; on the contrary, he was a bit fake-generous.

"It's only right. You're back in Beijing on vacation anyway." Li Huai De smiled and said, "Never mind an afternoon, even a whole day is justified."

"Our whole family took the day off today."

Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "The old lady doesn't want to make a fuss, but my father wants to make it lively for her. It's usually too quiet, and he's afraid her thoughts will be too heavy."

"Hmm, I understand. She's an old person, after all."

Li Huai De nodded and sighed slightly, "People, in a blink of an eye... I used to think I was still young, but now look at me, I'm an old man."

"You're not that old yet, you'll be working for another thirty years." Li Xuewu said with a laugh, "With you at the helm, our group's future is limitless."

"Hahaha—" Li Huai De laughed, pointed at him, and said, "You're just flattering yourself with that!"

The two joked for a few sentences, and then the conversation got down to business.

Li Xuewu mainly communicated and reported on the recent business operations of the various industrial enterprises in Liaodong.

This kind of work was a routine report; he would mention Liaodong's work to Old Li every time he returned to Beijing.

This wasn't to make things difficult for Li Huai De by going into every detail or making him listen to a "heavenly book"; it was a gesture of stance.

Li Huai De was the head of the group, and he was the person in charge of the group's industrial enterprises in Liaodong.

If he couldn't put Old Li at ease, his time as the person in charge would be over.

"... I estimate the market response for the Sea Lion won't be very good, after all, our interior is still too backward."

Li Xuewu explained the birth of the new vehicle model at Steel Auto and analyzed the market.

"There's no way around it. Small cars aren't selling well, let alone this kind of medium-sized bus."

He emphasized to Li Huai De, "However, the test for Steel Auto's new model isn't in the domestic market, but in the overseas market. I have enough confidence in the Sea Lion bus."

"Hmm, I understand what you mean."

Li Huai De nodded slightly and looked at him, saying, "We've laid out a lot in overseas markets over the past two years, but I don't know when we'll officially start making a profit."

"Brand management requires a certain amount of time."

Li Xuewu could tell that Old Li didn't care much about the domestic car sales market, but instead cared about the overseas market.

It was actually very simple: the domestic market feedback wasn't obvious, and the speed of profit was very slow.

If it weren't for Li Xuewu's insistence, Old Li would have wanted to connect Steel Auto to the planned market for quotas.

Li Xuewu, however, knew that while it was easy to ask for quotas from the planned market, it wouldn't be easy to back out once you were in.

Everything else was fine, but the car market was the most special; once you opened a dealership, it wasn't yours anymore.

"It's not just cars that need brand marketing events; helicopters and other products are the same."

Li Xuewu explained, "Look at the group's hardware, food, and electronic products now; how high is the customer recognition after the brand image is established?"

"Does this have anything to do with the retail industry in Hong Kong?" Li Huai De thought for a moment and looked at him, asking, "How is the situation after Watsons expanded its business scope? Has there been a business crisis?"

"Judging from the dynamic data, there's no major problem."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and introduced, "After all, the quality of the cosmeceuticals we supply through this channel is absolutely the best, and the effects are the most excellent."

"Make a note of this. When we take a detour to East Germany, we must go to Hong Kong to take a look."

Li Huai De pointed at him and emphasized, "I really want to see how much competitiveness our products have in Hong Kong and how big the market is."

"Then you'll have to take a trip to Southeast Asia."

Li Xuewu replied with a smile, then asked, "Is the trip to East Germany settled?"

"Hmm, I have to consider you before anyone else." Li Huai De smiled and said, "When it comes to foreign language communication and negotiation, I wouldn't go without you."