Chapter 1508: You Are My King

What the hell do you mean, you come find me, or I go find you?

Being in a foreign country, would Li Li Xuewu ever do something so brain-dead?

Even old Li wouldn't temporarily "learn a foreign language" during a delegation visit, right?

He slapped his palm onto Catherine's face, which was so ridiculously handsome and filled with longing, his words as firm as steel.

"I am a decent person!"

"Who isn't a decent person?"

Having learned Chinese, Catherine seemed to have had a revelation, understanding even metaphors; she widened her eyes, looking ready to bite someone.

Ahem, the "biting" mentioned here is also a metaphor; she has learned bad habits.

"Not today, I have an important speech tonight; next time, definitely."

Li Li Xuewu twitched the corner of his mouth; he still couldn't adapt to a golden-haired, blue-eyed, pretty and dignified Italian Miss speaking to him with a heavy Dongbei accent.

"Aiya ma ya, it sounds so satisfying—" Can you stand it or not?

"Don't forget your promise!"

Catherine leaned her body across in front of him, lifted her head to look into his eyes, and confirmed: "I've gone all-in on you—"

"What did you bet?" Li Li Xuewu asked with amusement, sizing her up: "How come I don't know about it?"

"Are you trying to renege?" Catherine grew anxious, widening her eyes to emphasize: "I haven't even made my contribution to you yet!"

"So what?" Li Li Xuewu spread his hands and said: "What exactly have you bet on me?"

"You better make this clear."

He shrugged his shoulders and said: "If it's too precious, I'll be under pressure."

"Rest assured, it's not my happiness for the rest of my life; besides, you couldn't give me that anyway."

Catherine crossed her arms, glanced up and down at him, and hummed in her throat.

She certainly coveted this man; he was useful and domineering, possessing ample strength; such a good man was hard to find even in Italy, and she certainly hadn't encountered one in Hong City all these years.

"I've taken out everything belonging to me from the family heritage fund."

"Your family has a heritage fund?" The focus of Li Li Xuewu's attention was clearly not what Catherine hoped for; he raised an eyebrow with great interest and asked: "How much is there?"

"What do you want to do?" Catherine looked at him cautiously and warned: "Even if you can deceive me, not everyone in our family is like me; don't get any crooked ideas."

"I haven't said anything at all."

Li Li Xuewu's narrowed eyes lifted slightly, and he said: "You call this 'adding a crime when one is desired, why worry about lacking an excuse'."

"But you are thinking this—"

Catherine extended two fingers from her own eyes pointing to Li Li Xuewu's eyes and said: "I can see through your heart; from those profit-seeking eyes of yours, your greedy gaze has already betrayed you."

"A Gypsy witch?"

Li Li Xuewu chuckled lightly and said: "If you could truly see my thoughts from my eyes, then you should believe me."

"If I truly wanted to deceive you, do you think you would be able to tell?"

His eyebrows moved, and he asked with a strange smile: "Are you so certain that your father hasn't suffered losses or been tricked by me?"

"I knew it—" Catherine grew anxious, slapped his arm with both hands, and coquettishly complained: "You are a big liar! Swindling money and lusting after beauty!"

"If you put it that way, then I am somewhat interested in your heritage." Li Li Xuewu sized her up from head to toe and asked: "How much money did you bring out, and what do you want to do?"

"5.5 million, US dollars, available for immediate withdrawal." Catherine looked at him with a slightly tsundere expression, waiting to see him startled.

Li Li Xuewu was indeed startled: "So little?"

He asked in disbelief: "Your father was bragging to me!"

"He boasted about how long your family's shipbuilding history is, how many ports and shipyards you own in Italy proper, and how many affiliated enterprises, yet the direct heir's heritage is only this small amount?"

"This small amount?" Catherine completely flushed with anger, glaring at him as she asked: "Are you mocking the historical depth of a Duke's family?"

"Aha?" Li Li Xuewu paused slightly, then asked with amusement in return: "Then do you know what surname the Emperors of the Tang Dynasty had?"

He looked at Catherine with a faint smile and asked: "Are you questioning the judgment ability of an imperial family?"

"..." Catherine was utterly speechless; looking at him suspiciously, she asked: "Did your family really produce an Emperor?"

"Then did your family really produce a Duke?" Li Li Xuewu looked at her with equal suspicion; the two of them looked exactly like small children in a kindergarten.

"Of course, the Chiaro family, Town Dukes of Trieste during the Habsburg dynasty." Catherine looked at him with tsundere pride and confirmed: "My family still has ancestral portraits."

"Ahaha—" Li Li Xuewu laughed it off and said: "That must be history from the 14th century, right? My ancestral line dates back to the 6th century."

He glanced at Catherine and lectured: "However, I never promote this, because having an Emperor appear in a Chinese family is nothing special; whose ancestors weren't once wealthy? Is having one or two Dukes even worth mentioning?"

"You really aren't human!"

Catherine was so angry she ground her teeth, punched him hard, and said: "I don't care, I've already brought the money, you must take me along to make money!"

"Don't forget, we are now on the same boat!"

She hummed in her throat as she reminded him: "How does that Chinese saying go again?"

"Oh, right, we are now wearing the same pair of pants—"

"The Chinese language and culture are profound and extensive; can you learn some better things?" Li Li Xuewu looked at her speechlessly and lectured: "This kind of phrase is usually spoken by men; it's not quite Gao Ya when a woman says it."

"I don't want Gao Ya, I want dollars!"

Catherine lifted her Bai Xi neck, stared into his eyes, and emphasized: "The Yingcheng Port business is the reward for the Jili Star team that came to support this time; you still haven't agreed to my reward."

"How about it? Shall we join forces as wolves and jackals to get rich together?"

"Tsk—" Li Li Xuewu couldn't bear to look at this Miss anymore and reminded her: "'Joining forces as wolves and jackals' is a derogatory term; if you don't know how to use idioms, it's best not to use them."

"Anyway, that's the meaning!"

Catherine squinted her left eye, looked at him, and said softly: "We split it twenty-eighty; I will absolutely not let you suffer a loss."

"You only want twenty percent?" Li Li Xuewu feigned surprise as he looked at her and asked: "Then what's the point of you going through all this trouble?"

"I hate you—" Catherine wished she could beat him to death; even Grandet wasn't this stingy, actually letting a capitalist earn only twenty percent.

Do not be fooled by her current display of arrogance and coquetry; she is no sheltered young lady just stepping out of her family home, and certainly not a delicate, hypocritical "green tea bitch."

The fact that her father, Andrew, favored her amidst the fierce competition among the family's descendants and entrusted her with the finest resources in the Far East proves she is no pushover.

It is merely that in front of Li Li Xuewu, she cannot maintain the seriousness and authority of a general manager; her delicate demeanor is more a protective camouflage and a tactic.

Yielding to the strong and kneeling before the wolf—this is the survival rule of capitalists.

She does not know that Li Li Xuewu is blowing hot air; claiming descent from an imperial house, from royal nobility—events from the 6th century, could that possibly count?

Even the portrait in the study of their family patriarch was dug up by the old man from who-knows-where decades ago; in any case, that person is not her ancestor.

However, Europeans bear no psychological burden when claiming ancestors; they can climb up to noble bloodlines even with surnames unrelated by eight poles.

What if, by unfortunate chance, one's surname cannot be linked?

No matter; they can simply change their surname.

All roads lead to Rome, but who said Rome must be located in Rome?

Let alone how many dynasties Italy has seen; even in the mainland today, where is there any soil left for nobility to survive?

This joke about having an Emperor as an ancestor works only here; back in the country, Li Li Xuewu would never dare say such a thing.

Her understanding of Li Li Xuewu is quite thorough: his family has practiced medicine for generations, and in her European homeland, that would merely constitute a middle-class background.

Indeed, in Europe, the common perception of a doctor's family is precisely middle class.

Had she been in Italy, she would absolutely never have met him, for he would have lacked both the qualification and the opportunity to appear before her.

Yet the reality is that she met Li Li Xuewu in China, and Li Li Xuewu happens to be the primary person in charge of a trust enterprise on that ancient land.

This is akin to a delicate noble young lady from the Renaissance era encountering a British merchant who made a fortune trading wool in India.

Forget about matching social status; the noble lord's household is nearly starving, and even the daughter of a Duke worries about finding a husband.

What she can confirm is that Li Li Xuewu's family possesses no great wealth; it is just that he himself is full of crooked ideas and employs certain methods behind the scenes.

What kind of methods?

Having operated in Yingcheng Port for three years, she may not fully understand the changes occurring in the mainland, but could she possibly be ignorant of matters at sea?

Those speedboats entering and leaving the port are not carrying entirely legitimate cargo; she can calculate exactly how much money a single round trip earns.

If there were no mastermind behind these speedboats controlling the scale, the sea would long ago have seen a situation where speedboats outnumbered fish and law enforcement vessels outnumbered speedboats.

If you were to ask Catherine to estimate Li Li Xuewu's value right now, she truly could not say.

At least on the surface, this "respectable person" is a steadfast struggler of the proletariat, but behind the scenes, he is certainly not of the middle class.

However, she can confirm one point: no matter how much Li Li Xuewu stirs things up, he does not possess wealth as vast and solid as what her family has accumulated over several generations.

Then why does she still engage in superficial cordiality with Li Li Xuewu, or even actively seek to attach herself to him?

The reason is simple: what she needs is not merely the interests and opportunities of Galaxy Star Shipping in the Far East, but also a powerful patron.

Her ambitions lie not in the Far East, but, like her father, in becoming the helmsman of the family, or as the underworld calls it, the spokesperson.

Catherine is acutely aware of her innate disadvantages as a woman, falling short of her brothers by more than a single dimension.

Yet she is not discouraged, nor does she feel the chasm separating her from the position of family helmsman is insurmountably huge.

Her father, Andrew, has operated in the Far East for a long time; the fact that he handed this region over to her to manage demonstrates that he highly values her potential.

There are indeed voices within the family mocking that she has been demoted to the Far East, claiming her father did so out of love and protection to keep her away from the family's strife and the whirlpool of interests.

The most direct proof is that he placed her in the mainland, which serves as the best barrier against assassination.

The hidden arrows stemming from the struggle for succession can never pierce the high wall of socialism; there, at the very least, she is safe.

Catherine has endured in silence for three years; she has now accumulated enough experience and confidence to make a bold gamble.

Five point five million US dollars is her current net worth, and also the maximum startup capital she can obtain from her father.

Her father has already warned her that she has only one chance; if she fails this time, what awaits her is a grand wedding.

In truth, her tenure as the General Manager of Galaxy Star Shipping will not last long; once she reaches a certain age without securing more resources, she will have no choice but to marry.

The difference lies in how much profit she can create for the family and how much leverage she possesses; these determine how many opportunities she will have to choose a suitable spouse.

This is also the primary reason she is urgently betting her entire fortune on Li Li Xuewu.

Without making this desperate gamble, given her current achievements, she can only passively accept her life's trajectory; she does not wish to become someone's wife, merely a decoration for a capitalist family.

She has long understood the melancholy in her mother's eyes; beneath the dignified and elegant exterior of a woman born into a noble family lies a heart that withered long ago.

Her father likely does not even know himself how many illegitimate children he has; fortunately, she is not one of them.

Do not assume that just because Westerners like to face Jesus in a church and swear oaths of loyalty to each other before a priest, that many actually fulfill such vows.

Having grown up in such a family, she has never seen a single man remain faithful to one woman; a man with affection and righteousness is considered an extinct species of good man.

By chance, on this land of the Far East, she seems to have encountered one.

Li Li Xuewu is a man who speaks with humor and wit, possesses superb methods, wields absolute strength, and enjoys a happy, complete family.

If you ask why the fact that he has a family still makes him her choice, it is because you do not understand the game of power played by capitalist families.

With this connection to Li Li Xuewu, no one can strip her of her control over Galaxy Star Shipping; at the very least, she can retain her position as General Manager.

Furthermore, if she can deepen her cooperation with Li Li Xuewu, sharing common interests and goals of struggle, she will no longer be merely the family's representative in the Far East, but an heir possessing independent capital.

Having a power base in the Far East means no one will covet her inheritance, nor will it affect or interfere with the men competing within her family; is this not important?

Since Li Li Xuewu has a family, she can forever maintain an independent identity; this holds true both for Li Li Xuewu and for her own family.

This is called being able to advance to attack and retreat to defend.

What? Are Italians not allowed to learn idioms?

"What do you want? What do you intend to do?"

Li Li Xuewu could read the ambition in this Miss's eyes; he was not afraid of being unable to give enough, but rather that she might be too greedy.

"Capital, and the status that complements capital."

Facing him, Catherine spoke without hesitation or concealment, revealing her true core objective.

What she must contend with is not merely the competition for family succession, but also the pressure of convention and tradition.

To achieve this goal, she knew in her heart it was harder than climbing to the heavens.

Climbing to the heavens is difficult, but Yuri Gagarin has already flown into the sky, proving there is still room for effort in this matter.

What about her?

There is an old Chinese saying: a gentleman should borrow strength to move forward.

Now, she intended to borrow the strength of the man before her.

"And then? Give me twenty percent?" Li Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her and asked, "Is this your only plan?"

"No better plan could be as good as your plan," Catherine stated bluntly. "I trust you, just as I did in the past and do now."

"Oh—" Li Li Xuewu sized her up once more and said, "So you actually have no plan?"

"No, I do," Catherine replied frankly. "This time, East Germany represents not only an opportunity for your group but also for you personally."

"Of course, I also know that the goal you pursue is not wealth; your understanding of wealth differs from mine."

She spread her hands with full understanding, for Catherine knew that possessing excessive wealth in the mainland was not a safe choice.

Instead, progress in one's career was the true controller of invisible wealth.

She had a thorough understanding of wealth and knew the principle that virtue unworthy of one's position inevitably brings disaster, so she told Li Li Xuewu that social status must match one's wealth.

Even if she gave Li Li Xuewu eighty percent, she would not gain the commitment he deserved, because wealth was useless in the mainland.

Twenty percent was just right; it preserved the friendship between them and tied them both to the same boat.

She believed what Li Li Xuewu valued was not this twenty percent return, but her as a person, the opportunities she represented, and the future.

"Whether obtaining technology transfers from East Germany, building a factory in Port City, or using my identity to build a factory in the mainland, I will support you."

Catherine spoke seriously: "If you need to build sales channels here, I will cooperate with you unconditionally."

"You don't need to spend a single cent; my money will be your investment capital. If we profit, we split it twenty-eighty; if we lose, I'll go home and get married."

"Aren't you betting your happiness for the rest of your life on this?"

Li Li Xuewu suddenly withdrew his sharp gaze that could pierce through people's hearts, smiled faintly, and said, "My pressure has suddenly increased."

"One of my purposes in coming here is to help you relieve that pressure."

Catherine licked her lips, looked at him, and stated bluntly, "Achieve me, achieve yourself; you are my king."

Li Li Xuewu sized up the exotic woman trying hard to seduce him, then suddenly smiled and said, "For the sake of your net worth of 5.5 million USD, I'll count you in."

"But the rules will be set by me."

"Fine, what rules?" Catherine agreed very readily. "On my stomach or on my back?"

"Definitely not on my knees—"

Li Li Xuewu had already witnessed the frivolity of Italian women; he chuckled and said, "Keep that twenty percent of yours as a dowry; I don't need it."

He scanned her up and down once more and said, "Transfer the money to the Oriental Trading account, and you contact Selena."

"It's her!" Catherine's eyes widened in surprise; seeing him about to leave, she took two quick steps forward and complained petulantly, "I knew it!"

"She is also your lover, right?"

"Don't talk nonsense—"

Li Li Xuewu turned back and glared at her, emphasizing, "She is already married; aren't you ruining her innocence?"

"Hey—" Catherine narrowed her eyes, looked at him, and said, "Since she's married, doesn't that make you even more excited?"

"Stop talking rubbish; I'm not that kind of person." Li Li Xuewu turned and walked forward without looking back, waved his hand, and chuckled, "Go get to work; you wouldn't want to return empty-handed, would you?"

"Hmph—bad man—"

Catherine stood in place, muttering to herself, "I knew you would keep a card up your sleeve, but I didn't expect it to really be her."

As early as the gathering in Port City, she had felt the situation was somewhat complicated; why else would Li Li Xuewu meet them without any apparent reason?

It seemed it wasn't entirely about the layout in Port City; during their private conversation, he had shifted his focus to East Germany.

So, was it merely East Germany?

Li Li Xuewu spent less than half an hour meeting with the working group and another ten-plus minutes talking with Catherine; by the time he rushed to the conference room on the 7th floor, Li Li Huai De was already there.

"I just met with the General Manager of Jilixing Shipping," he whispered to Li Li Huai De as he approached, saying nothing more.

Old Li nodded and continued to convey the requirements and instructions from the leadership given at the meeting that had just concluded.

At nearly the same time, after the high-level summit ended, the delegation reacted quickly.

Li Li Xuewu returned a few minutes late, but from Old Li's serious tone and expression, he could read the key points.

It seemed Deputy Director Li's previous concerns were not unfounded; the reality was likely even more difficult than he had imagined.

Indeed, although East Germany had established diplomatic relations with the mainland soon after its founding, changes in the international situation over the past few years had exceeded the scope of efforts by both sides' foreign affairs work.

One could hardly imagine that relations between East Germany and the mainland were even more cautious than those with West Germany; the first face-to-face contact between West Germany and the mainland occurred in 1964.

Both sides signed a trade agreement in Switzerland and held their first high-level talks.

Although these negotiations ultimately failed due to American pressure on West Germany, trade relations between the mainland and West Germany were not severed as a result.

According to the situation Li Li Xuewu understood, the trade volume between the two countries at this time could be maintained at around 1 billion Marks.

With exchange rates basically equivalent, this trade volume at this time could already be described as that of important trading partners.

What about East Germany?

The initial form of trade between the two sides focused mainly on industrial equipment and technical cooperation; the mainland primarily imported their machinery and chemical products while exporting textiles and agricultural products.

From the objectives of Deputy Director Li leading the team to inspect and visit East Germany this time, one could see that after East Germany sided with Northern Mao and relations with the mainland grew distant, this trade situation had become terribly cold, even turning into solid ice.

Otherwise, this visit would not have been called an ice-breaking operation.

The faces of the accompanying cadres from the group below the stage were equally grave; tension was already visible on Seeing Sha Qi's face.

Li Li Xuewu did not show surprise or panic; this situation had long been within his expectations.

Since trade negotiations with West Germany still faced obstruction from the relatively leniently managed United States, how could meetings with East Germany lack the rigid and stubborn Northern Mao?

"Prepare well for tonight's speech."

After the meeting concluded, as they were leaving, Li Li Huai De emphasized to Li Li Xuewu: "Deputy Director Li attaches great importance to this trip, especially given the difficult circumstances we may encounter."

"Is the pressure coming from within the country?" Li Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes; he had already deciphered the tone in Li Li Huai De's voice—it was one of worry.

"Whether we make the newspapers upon our return depends entirely on you." Li Li Huai De looked at him solemnly, gave his arm a light pat, and departed.

Before rushing off to catch up, Liu Bin reported softly to Li Li Xuewu: "At the end of the meeting, Director Du spoke with the leadership for a few minutes."

He spoke only that single sentence before hurriedly chasing after Li Li Huai De.

"Leadership—" Seeing them leave, Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi finally approached Li Li Xuewu, his very first words laden with anxiety.

Li Li Xuewu withdrew his gaze from Liu Bin, turned to look at him, and stated calmly: "What is there to be nervous about? The sky hasn't fallen."

Saying this, he strode forward, with Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi following close behind.

"If they truly had no desire to cooperate, why bother with such hypocritical posturing?"

He remarked indifferently: "This is the typical face of those who want to be prostitutes yet erect a monument to their chastity; they have never had any consistent stance."

"I understand that." Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi gave a dry laugh and said: "The Russians' attitude is their stance."

Li Li Xuewu glanced back at him. "Don't imagine the Russians to be so vicious, nor assume the East Germans are so stupid."

"We are here to cooperate, not to fight over principles of righteousness; focus your mind on getting things done. Prepare yourself; we depart tomorrow morning."

"Understood. I will go prepare immediately."

Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi did not know why, but the panic that had gripped him just moments before dissolved simply because the leadership had spoken a few words.

Perhaps it was the leadership's composure in the face of crisis, or perhaps it was simply habituation to following his orders; in any case, the impact Director Li had just created vanished completely.

Indeed, the sky had not yet fallen.

Furthermore, even if the sky did fall, wouldn't there be taller people to hold it up?

The pressure conveyed by Director Li stemmed merely from the expectations of the upper echelons, whereas the Secretary-General's confidence at this moment represented a different attitude altogether.

Whether things would work out was not for Director Li to decide; who within the group did not know that when it came to operational business, Director Li was good for nothing?

Saying that East Germany was going back on its word, wanting to be a prostitute yet erect a monument to chastity—that statement was absolutely correct.

Wanting to sell confiscated goods to extend their lifespan, patching holes in a false social prosperity, yet fearing to offend the masters pressing down upon their heads; displaying such half-heartedness was perfectly normal, and even if one found it unbearable, one had to endure it temporarily.

The Secretary-General was right; this visit was not about fighting for some nominal status, but about spending money to buy technology, so what use was there in spouting such nonsense?

The reason there was pressure from above was simply that negotiations for the trade agreement had broken down or encountered complications, causing the collapse of major trade channels, which would inevitably impact the upcoming cooperation negotiations.

But the impact of such a situation depended on one's perspective; at least in the Secretary-General's eyes, a crisis could sometimes present an opportunity.

With the main communication channels failing to be established, the upper levels wished to forge a new path, and thus the pressure naturally trickled down to those below.

Li Li Xuewu did not want the people doing the actual work to bear this unnecessary pressure; even if he told them, so what?

They would still just do whatever needed to be done.

The decision-making layer should never share pressure with the execution layer, because the execution layer focuses more on direct gains and losses; mental stimulation serves no purpose.

They do not need to comprehend the pressure felt by the decision-making layer; they simply need to strive in the predetermined direction.

As for when exactly to shout 'stop' or 'go faster,' that is entirely the conclusion of the decision-making layer; Old Li was simply so anxious he had lost his head.

Li Li Xuewu had wanted to remind him of this back in the conference room, but since Old Li was ultimately the highest authority there, he could not do so.

However, the task of calming people's minds still fell to him; if even he panicked, then morale would scatter, everyone would stop working, and they might as well wait to die.

Regarding the pressure on Deputy Director Li, Li Li Xuewu understood it, but he paid it no heed and had no desire to bear it, because it had nothing to do with him.

Whether there is wind or thunder in the sky, what does that have to do with your eating and sleeping?

One must admit the fact that one is an ordinary person; in such matters, paying no attention and participating not at all is the best barrier of isolation.

In certain aspects, Old Li still behaved too naively and too irrationally; at a time like this, what damn side was there to take?

Did coming out once with Deputy Director Li make him feel as though some kind of brand had been stamped upon him? If not self-important delusion, then what was it?

According to Li Li Xuewu's understanding, at a time like this one should simply do what needs to be done; without saying these words, the enthusiasm for work below would not have waned, but speaking them would only provoke panic.

Sometimes he strongly opposed the behavior of allowing ideology to interfere with business; maintaining the independence and purity of commerce was still very necessary.

When Li Li Xuewu emerged from the conference room it was 6:30; having only met a few deputy heads of various units through Bai Bai Changmin, the time had already reached 7:00.

The East German side had organized a welcome banquet on the third floor of the hotel, with a scale and level of prestige that were quite high.

As Li Li Xuewu entered alongside Bai Bai Changmin, they encountered reporters taking photographs right at the entrance, and he deliberately dodged the camera lenses.

Bai Bai Changmin noticed this and asked quietly.

"Nothing much; I'm just not used to it."

Li Li Xuewu offered only this brief reply; after presenting his identification, the guards at the door allowed them to enter.

The banquet hall was vast; rather than the cold buffet style common at Western conferences, it adopted the less common round-table format imbued with traditional Chinese significance.

The menu lay to the left of each seat, marked in both Chinese and German characters; Li Li Xuewu merely glanced at it before paying it no further attention.

At a banquet of this caliber, who was there to fill their belly? It was not a matter of pretending to be profound, but rather that there were more worthy matters demanding focus.

Guided by the foreign affairs secretary, Li Li Xuewu separated from Bai Bai Changmin and made his way to his assigned seat.

"Are there any particular customs?" He glanced at his seat, which was positioned near the front, and asked the secretary.

The secretary looked at him, shook his head slightly, and just as Li Li Xuewu thought he would say nothing, replied: "To make it convenient for going onto the stage."

It seemed clever people were everywhere; even the details of answering questions were handled so thoroughly—one wondered how complex their working environment must be.

Did you notice?

Clearly, he was about to answer Li Li Xuewu's question, so why did he shake his head?

Heh—

This visitation group numbered over a hundred people; the tables in the banquet hall were spaced far apart, with ten people per table, creating a scene that appeared extremely grand.

"Hello, you must be Secretary-General Li from Red Star Steel."

Just as Li Li Xuewu was observing the small stage not far ahead, a soft greeting came from beside him.

"I am from Shanghai Electromechanical; my name is Shao Kang."

The newcomer smiled and gestured to the seat beside him, saying, "I've long wanted to meet you; it seems we are fated."

"Director Shao, hello." Li Li Xuewu rose before the other man could sit, took his hand, and explained with a smile, "I didn't notice just now; my apologies."

"No need for that; sit down, let's talk while seated."

Shao Kang hadn't expected him to be so cunning; he shook his own hand with a bitter smile and patted Li Li Xuewu's elbow to signal they should sit together.

Just as they were exchanging greetings, someone had already noticed the "commotion" over here.

It wasn't that their voices were particularly loud, but rather that the atmosphere in the hall was relatively quiet and solemn, making such conversation somewhat inappropriate.

Li Li Xuewu, however, paid no heed to this; he released the hand, waited for the other to sit first, and only then took his seat, leaving Shao Kang quite vexed.

He had long heard of the other's "famous reputation," never expecting to fall victim to a small scheme from him upon their very first meeting.

He had already steeled himself and been sufficiently cautious when he approached.

It wasn't his fault; one could only say the other was treacherous and cunning, not easy to deal with.

"We are in the same line of work." After sitting down, Shao Kang paused slightly and introduced himself softly to Li Li Xuewu, "I previously worked in the Security Division before transferring to the business department."

"Then you are my senior."

Li Li Xuewu spoke with a smile, "I have much to learn from you."

Shao Kang wanted to curse, because the other's words were incredibly insulting!

"You're going on stage to give a speech shortly, right?"

Shao Kang was no saint either; anyone capable of sitting in this position could hardly be a simple character.

Since Li Li Xuewu had shown insufficient sincerity, he couldn't blame Shao Kang for stopping acting like a decent human being.

"The leader's instruction was to make a statement." Li Li Xuewu did not fall into the trap he had dug; this little pit wasn't even as deep as the stream of his own urine, so what was there to fear?

"I haven't prepared anything either; I'm currently brainstorming ideas."

He was truly capable of stirring up trouble; hearing Shao Kang say this, he immediately proposed, "You must have considerable experience in this area; after all, Modu possesses a more international perspective than we do."

"Ai—where, where—"

Shao Kang glanced at Li Li Xuewu, thinking to himself, Where is the little fox from the rumors? This is clearly an old silver coin.

Damn it, my digging a pit was merely returning courtesy for courtesy, but your deadly move makes you inhuman; I haven't offended you!

"Our leader shares some friendship with your Director Li." He actively tried to establish a connection, saying, "I heard the two were classmates in the middle-level cadre training class."

"Is that so—" Li Li Xuewu feigned surprise, nodded, and said, "I haven't heard the leader mention this."

"You may not know that our Director Li has a restrained temper and acts with rigor." He smiled meaningfully and stated, "Generally, he does not discuss such relationships with us."

There was no way to continue this conversation!

Shao Kang really wanted to flip the table in front of him; just listen to the nonsense this guy was spouting!

"Tonight's menu looks quite good."

He had no intention of continuing to banter with Li Li Xuewu; he had also realized that this fellow harbored considerable hostility.

Li Li Xuewu nodded with noncommittal sounds, saying, "Indeed, not bad."

Bullshit; ever since sitting down, he hadn't even glanced properly at the menu, so where did this feeling of it being good come from?

Furthermore, from the moment they disembarked until now, how many local meals had they even eaten? What qualification did they have to say it was good?

Actually, Shao Kang hadn't really looked at the menu in front of him either; his heart was still filled with anger.

"Secretary-General Li, what a coincidence."

At this moment, people were entering the hall one after another, and some were being guided by secretaries to their tables.

"Jingcheng Automobile, Wang Youhan."

"Hello, Modu Electromechanical, Shao Kang."

After greeting Li Li Xuewu, the newcomer instead actively extended his hand to Shao Kang; what the hell was this guy trying to do?

Li Li Xuewu glanced at the two, snorting inwardly: Damn it, I might as well be Wing Chun's Ip Man.

"Secretary-General Li, what are you looking at?"

Wang Youhan sat diagonally opposite the two and greeted them with a smile, "I saw you the moment I entered; your bearing is striking."

"When you entered, my eyes were also flashed by your striking bearing." Li Li Xuewu returned this vile flattery, smiling faintly as he said, "I just didn't expect us to be so fated."

"Ai—that's exactly what I said!"

Wang Youhan spoke with a chuckle, "Without some capability, how could one deserve to sit here with you?"

"Then it seems I am reaching above my station?"

Li Li Xuewu glanced at his nameplate, reached out to take it, and said, "I'd better change seats; I feel somewhat like having thorns on my back."

"See, you've taken the joke too far."

Shao Kang, who was enjoying the spectacle, reached out to stop Li Li Xuewu and said with a chuckle, "You two are fellow villagers; you shouldn't act like this."

How could he be mediating? Clearly, he just thought the trouble wasn't big enough yet.

Originally, whether it was a joke or not, after his remark, even a joke ceased to be a joke; instead, it made Li Li Xuewu appear petty and Wang Youhan appear cunning.

Wang Youhan glanced at him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, and asked with a smile, "I saw you two chatting quite lively just now; what were you discussing? Count me in."

"Director Shao said that Modu Electromechanical aims to secure at least ten small targets this time, and he asked how many Red Star Steel and Iron has prepared."

Li Li Xuewu was truly capable of digging a grave for others without compensation; turning to Wang Youhan, he said with a smile, "I said we have only one target, and that is the automotive industry."

Damn your mother—

When traveling abroad, do we not speak of unity? Is there anyone who chats like this?

"Tonight's menu looks quite good."

Wang Youhan didn't want to engage with his words; he lowered his head to look at the menu and came up with this sentence.

Shao Kang, sitting beside Li Li Xuewu, twitched the corner of his mouth; looking at Li Li Xuewu, he didn't seem like a good person, and looking at Wang Youhan opposite, he was even less of a decent human being.

"Indeed, indeed." He was truly something, repeating what he had just learned, saying, "Indeed, not bad."

Li Li Xuewu glanced at him speechlessly, and seeing Wang Youhan across from him looking over, he helplessly shrugged his shoulders and turned his head to the side.

Everything he said was my line!

The banquet began after the main guests had entered; when Deputy Director Li walked in accompanied by Willi Stoph, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of East Germany, the venue erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Also accompanying the German side were Basel Kristall, Director of the Economic Commission, and Felix, Secretary-General of the Economic Commission.

The dishes were brought out one by one by the waiters; it was not plated service but individual portioning, with a full set of dishes placed before each person.

Though daily life was tight, the banquet was carried out with great flair.

Li Li Xuewu glanced at the menu beside him to see tonight's offerings: Black Forest ham, caviar, sour beef, steak tartare, German clear bean soup, German raw fish slices, sauerkraut, German apple strudel, fried sweet cakes, and a specialty German pork knuckle hot pot.

"How is this thing made?"

Shao Kang looked at the oily thing in his bowl and asked curiously.

He was not asking Li Li Xuewu specifically; he was simply curious.

Li Li Xuewu glanced at him and reminded him in a low voice, "This is raw."

"Steak tartare? Raw?"

Shao Kang looked at him in surprise and asked, "Why?"

"Because this is a Mongolian dish."

Li Li Xuewu explained indifferently, "In ancient times, when armies were on the march, where was there a convenient cooking environment? Eating raw became a habit."

"How do you eat this?"

Shao Kang had never experienced hard days and was actually being picky about the beef.

Li Li Xuewu also did not touch that thing; just looking at it made it seem difficult to swallow, let alone actually eat.

However, the ham and caviar could not be missed; the ham was certainly German-produced, while the caviar definitely was not.

There was no need to say where it came from; with East Germany following its big brother, they could still get a taste of some good things.

Speaking before Li Li Xuewu was Basel Kristall, Director of the German Economic Commission, who took the necessary environmental factors for Sino-German economic development as his topic and expounded his corresponding views with deep implication.

When he stepped down, a triumphant smile still lingered on his face.

Invited by the host, Li Li Xuewu rose and strode onto the podium with an air of vigorous vitality.

"Comrades, good evening; the topic I wish to share is 'The Reconstruction, Challenges, and Opportunities of the International Industrial Order in the New Era: The Responsibility of Great Powers.'"