Chapter 1545: I'm Back

"Hami gave a reply, saying that engineering projects are all managed by the General Bureau, and they have no say."

Liu Xinhua, deputy general manager of the United Construction General Company, reported helplessly: "We have tried our best to strive for it, but..."

"Alright, I know."

Li Huai De slammed the One Chicken tile in his hand onto the table, pushed it out casually, and said, "That's pure bullshit."

Feng Xingke, the general manager of the Labor Service Company sitting to his right, took the One Chicken, discarded a Two Dots tile, and sneered, "This excuse is too sloppy."

"Mahjong! Kong-on-flower."

Li Xuewu, who was sitting opposite, flipped over the bottom of the tiles, picked up the teacup from the tea tray beside him, took a sip, and said faintly: "It was expected long ago. What are you getting angry about?"

"Not angry, just unconvinced."

Li Huai De was truly worthy of being the God of Wealth at the card table; he was quite quick to pay the money, raised his hand, and threw it on the table.

"First of all, I have to say that the influence of our border office is not enough. If this matter didn't succeed, we should ask them."

He was arranging the mahjong tiles in his hand and hummed with some dissatisfaction: "Three years, and they can't even settle this little thing?"

"And then, what is Lang Zhennan doing? Busy for several months, and didn't catch a fart!"

Speaking of this, Old Li raised his eyebrows and glanced sideways at Liu Xinhua, who was standing behind Li Xuewu. His eyes were a bit gloomy; it wasn't because he lost money, but because he was truly annoyed.

If it was for the sake of developing business and consuming manpower and material resources, Old Li never said stingy words, and would never blame or complain about the people below, except for not being up to the mark.

If money wasn't earned, one could find

"Everything is hard at the beginning. After staying in a comfort zone for too long, you're bound to get bruised and battered when you first start external business activities."

Li Xuewu spoke up before Feng Xingke could, neither too left nor too right, and tossed the money he had collected into the money pocket attached to the mahjong mat.

You have to admit, after drinking a cup of tea after dinner and chatting about work for a while, they started playing. In just over an hour, his money bag had already bulged.

No need to ask, the biggest contributor was naturally Old Li, followed by the foul-mouthed Feng Xingke.

Old Feng was personally brought back from Steel City by Li Xuewu, and the relationship between the two had always been lukewarm.

It's unclear whether it's resentment or hatred; it's more likely embarrassment. Feng Xingke had never taken the initiative to find him.

Li Xuewu was never willing to engage in that office networking stuff. Over the past few years, Old Li had been watching him closely, very afraid that he would bring that outside stuff into the Red Star Factory. Who didn't know Li Xuewu's ability to make friends? So, it had always been distant.

Even if there was no initiative, the network of relationships gathered around Li Xuewu was vast, solid, and shared common goals and interests.

Over the past few years, one only saw those "scattered soldiers" fighting for courage and strength, but rarely saw any conflicts among the people around Li Xuewu. This shows how extraordinary his methods are.

Feng Xingke is still quite capable. Back in the complex environment of Steel City, he didn't fall into the mud pit. Even with the ruthlessness of Yang Yuansong and Li Xuewu at the time, they couldn't find any problems with him, which is why he was transferred back to the general factory.

Because of the joint responsibility from back then, Old Li hadn't been very fond of him over the past few years, which led to today's arrangement as general manager of the Labor Service Company.

But even if he isn't fond of him, Feng Xingke's work ability is right there, and Li Huai De has to use him.

The Labor Service Company has plenty of perks, and since it's not an operational department, the pressure only comes from within. Although the group's organizational structure hasn't set a deputy bureau level, it still counts as a respectable position.

Being able to sit at Old Li's mahjong table, one has to say that Feng Xingke still has some tricks up his sleeve in the group.

Once a person achieves success, if they lack a broad vision or grand ambition, they will definitely lose their way, becoming overly confident and looking arrogant.

Li Xuewu felt that Feng Xingke's current style of speaking and doing things was a bit conceited; he was incredibly arrogant.

Ding Zigui, who was sitting to his left, looked much more low-key; he hadn't said a few words in total since getting to the table.

"I think they are in high spirits and don't want to give us this face." Feng Xingke pinched a tile, scanned the people at the table, and said meaningfully, "How does that saying go?"

"Hmm, 'a needle can't get in, and water can't get in'."

"Alright, let Lang Zhennan review this matter himself when he returns." Li Huai De glanced at Liu Xinhua and said indifferently, "You go back first."

"Yes, leader, then I..."

Liu Xinhua agreed with his mouth, but his eyes were looking at Li Xuewu, full of pleading.

"A weak soldier makes a weak soldier; a weak general makes a weak army."

Li Xuewu caught his cry for help, but in the end, he couldn't harden his heart, so he scolded, "If you lose face, find it back yourself. If you can't find it back, then don't do the job!"

"Yes, Secretary-General, I understand."

Only after hearing this did Liu Xinhua let go of his anxious heart, bowed slightly, and left the room.

Feng Xingke turned his head to look at him, then looked at Li Xuewu, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"The Secretary-General really knows how to educate people."

He drew a tile, looked at Old Li, and said, "Was this Liu Xinhua originally from the Sales Department?"

"Pong. Are you going to discard or not?" Li Xuewu covered the two tiles in his hand, looked at the One Ten-Thousand tile Feng Xingke had just taken back, and asked, "Do you need me to teach you how to play mahjong?"

"Look at you, you gave me a fright—"

Feng Xingke sheepishly handed the One Ten-Thousand tile he had habitually taken back to Li Xuewu.

Perhaps because he was at the mahjong table, or perhaps because he was in front of Old Li, he really couldn't step down.

Ding Zigui glanced at him, reached out to draw a tile, and hummed, "What are you thinking about? You got a fright?"

"I'm thinking about how United Construction can help Director Li, help our group, regain this face."

Feng Xingke really knows how to stir things up. After a roundabout way, he brought Old Li into it again, very afraid that Li Xuewu's words would cause Lang Zhennan to exempt Old Li from blame.

Ding Zigui looked down on him, curled his lip, looked at Li Xuewu, and asked, "Secretary-General, when are you going back?"

"Steel City? I'll listen to Director Li." Li Xuewu looked at the tiles in his hand, discarded a Three Ten-Thousand tile, and said, "I'll head back as soon as I'm done here."

"Let me know when you leave, and I'll go to Steel City with you to take a look." Ding Zigui took his Three Ten-Thousand tile, discarded a Six Bamboo tile, and took the opportunity to explain toward Old Li, "The Liaodong Radio Station is doing quite well, and their cultural propaganda work is also quite vibrant. I want to go over and take a look."

"Your idea?" After Li Huai De drew a tile, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Doing cultural work?"

"Do you think I have the time for this?"

Li Xuewu covered the tiles in his hand, shook his head with a bitter smile, and said, "The people below are doing it."

"Then you should indeed go take a look." Li Huai De discarded a Four Dots tile and said, "Cultural propaganda is a big deal."

"Why? Did the propaganda bloom into flowers?"

Feng Xingke looked at Ding Zigui opposite him with amusement, drew a tile, and said, "No matter how good it is, it can't be better than our group's main station."

He glanced at Old Li and emphasized, "Our main station's cultural propaganda work was completed under Director Li's guidance. Does the Liaodong station even have comparability?"

"Yo, Manager Feng also understands cultural propaganda?"

Ding Zigui didn't dare to provoke Li Xuewu, and even less dared to offend Old Li, but he wouldn't tolerate Feng Xingke.

Back then, because he stood on the wrong side, he was almost killed by Old Li. If it weren't for Li Xuewu pulling him back at the critical moment, today's position as general manager of the Literary Publishing House wouldn't be his. His memory is quite good.

Glaring at Feng Xingke, he turned his head to look at Old Li and replied, "I will report the research results to you after I return."

"Hmm, no rush, take your time."

Li Huai De didn't know if he was answering his question or talking about the rotten tiles in his hand.

Li Xuewu wouldn't give him time to take it slow. When Feng Xingke threw out a Nine Dots tile, he pushed his tiles, "Kong-on-flower, doubling the One."

"Hiss—" Feng Xingke, who had just formed the One and felt that the tile he left in his hand wasn't stable, and was planning to change a tile to win on the next turn, gasped.

He had prepared to be beaten to the punch when he called for the One, but he didn't expect Li Xuewu to be holding back a big win.

A small win is 3.2, a big win is 6.4. Doubling the One means he has to pay out 12.8.

A one-cent mahjong game can actually lose 12.8 yuan in one hand; it's terrifying!

"You don't win unless you win big, but when you do, you win big—" Ding Zigui also couldn't take it, leaning over Li Xuewu's hand to examine the pushed tiles and clicking his tongue.

What about Old Li? He hadn't ponged or eaten, he had been standing the whole time, and the result was the same as Feng Xingke: 12.8.

"Your luck today is terrifyingly good!"

Old Li was more cheerful than anyone else. He counted the money from his money bag, threw it over, and said with a smile, "How long has it been since I've seen such a big win."

"Yeah, 12.8 yuan."

Feng Xingke had to grit his teeth and count out the money, otherwise, he would be finished in Old Li's eyes.

Ding Zigui had prepared to lose when he sat at the table. Even though his face showed some envy, he still counted the money.

Li Xuewu wasn't in a hurry to collect the money on the table, but looked at Old Li and asked, "Leader, why don't we stop here for today? We still have to go to work tomorrow."

"What time is it? What's the rush!"

Before Feng Xingke and Ding Zigui could speak, Old Li spoke first. He glanced at the time on the wall, curled his lip, and said, "It's only 8:30, let's play until 11:00."

He was addicted to playing and didn't care about anyone else's life or death, nor did he look to see if Feng Xingke and Ding Zigui's money bags could hold up. Li Xuewu hadn't won a little today.

According to Li Xuewu's intention, he wouldn't collect the money on the table for the last hand; he would return it to whoever it belonged to.

This hand opened up and stifled two families. If you don't have the mindset to stop while you're ahead, you'll have people cursing you behind your back.

Besides, he never cared about winning or losing when playing cards; he played for the sake of human relationships and social interaction.

If you really fixate on the money on the mahjong table, your future for this lifetime will be over.

He had already seen that Feng Xingke's eyes were fixed. This guy was a heavy artilleryman; he wouldn't discard for ordinary tiles, he had to discard for the big tiles in Li Xuewu's hand.

Ding Zigui had small wins all night, but if you calculated it, he hadn't lost much; it all went to Li Xuewu.

Not to mention Old Li. Although the position of the number one artilleryman tonight was snatched by Feng Xingke, it didn't stop him from losing money. Old Li is the type who gets happier the more money he loses.

You see, Li Xuewu was embarrassed by his winning, but once Old Li spoke, he really had nothing to say.

Let's play. If we don't play, Old Li could get angry.

Feng Xingke and Ding Zigui also saw this point. No matter how bitter they felt, they had to hold on; they couldn't lose face.

Actually, Ding Zigui was as clear as a mirror, seeing that Li Xuewu hadn't put all his heart into the mahjong table, because he had continuous small wins, relying on Li Xuewu continuously stifling big tiles. He didn't even look at the small wins; that's what you call benevolence and righteousness.

If you see your luck is good today and you try hard to rake everything into your own hands, not letting go of big or small wins, who would still be willing to play with you? Do you really think you're a Pixiu?

Why did Old Li think about organizing a mahjong game as soon as Li Xuewu returned? Because his card style is good and he is a righteous person.

Old Li said at the meeting today that he had something to do in the evening; actually, it was just playing mahjong. He had nothing to do.

As for the work stuff, what he had in his hands wasn't enough to talk about at work; did he need to stay up late to talk?

He did stay up late often, but most of it was spent at the mahjong table, and a small part was spent in the dance training room.

One hand grasping mahjong, one hand grasping the car lights, grasping both hands, both hands must be hard.

"What's wrong? Did Gu Ning give you an order?"

Li Huai De could really stir things up, smiling as he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "You already have two children, do you want a third?"

"Hahaha—" Feng Xingke chuckled as he looked at him and said, "Young, so staying up late a few times is fine."

"Better to have fewer. I'm almost driven to death by those cubs in my family."

Ding Zigui didn't want Li Xuewu to be attacked from both sides, so he took the initiative to lead the topic to his side.

He was arranging the tiles in his hand and said with a bitter smile, "The eldest and the second are fighting, the third and fourth can't get along, and the fifth and seventh have teamed up to bully the sixth."

"Among us, you are the one with the most prosperous family, right?"

Feng Xingke smiled, handed the dice in his hand to Li Xuewu, and said, "Sure, it's better to be lively."

He turned his head to look at Li Xuewu and teased, "Going home to a cold and cheerless house, how boring."

"How many children does Manager Feng have?"

Li Xuewu took the dice, threw them out, grabbed the tiles opposite according to the points, and asked casually, "The eldest must be about to start working, right?"

"Hahaha—" Ding Zigui suddenly laughed when he heard him say this. While grabbing tiles, he glanced at Feng Xingke, whose face was red opposite him, and turned to explain to Li Xuewu, "Manager Feng's eldest daughter is only 6 years old."

"Hmm? —" Li Xuewu showed enough surprise to cover up the fact that he had known for a long time.

He turned his head and stared at Feng Xingke, examining him carefully, and asked, "That's not right. Manager Feng didn't catch up with family planning, so why did you have children late?"

"Hi, Manager Feng was just too picky."

Ding Zigui didn't intend to let go of the opportunity to cooperate with Li Xuewu, teasing Feng Xingke with one sentence after another.

"Secretary-General, you don't know yet, right? Our Manager Feng used to be a middle school teacher, and he taught Chinese."

"Is that so—" Li Xuewu was even more surprised, his acting skills comparable to Old Li's. That surprised and unexpected look made Feng Xingke wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

He wanted to scold Ding Zigui, but he was afraid that Old Ding would shake out his background, and he really wouldn't have the face to see anyone.

Is there anything shameful about having taught middle school Chinese?

"Look, Manager Feng is even shy."

Ding Zigui was really ruthless, looking at the mahjong tiles in his hand with a smile, but he introduced to Li Xuewu, "They all say heroes have a hard time passing the beauty pass. Our Manager Feng's wife couldn't pass the scholar pass, hehe—"

Actually, even if he didn't say it, Li Xuewu knew that Feng Xingke married his own student. Although it didn't violate the law, it wasn't tolerated by the school, which is why he transferred to the factory.

In this era, people still talk about secular order, unlike the hypocritical beasts of later generations who love to pick on their own students.

"Scholars, which beauty isn't confused."

Li Xuewu smiled understandingly. Seeing Feng Xingke blushing and no longer talking nonsense, he let him off.

They were all in the same unit, seeing each other every day, so there was no need to offend people at the mahjong table.

Ding Zigui wasn't afraid of him, and Li Xuewu was naturally even less afraid of him, but there was no need to create conflict just because the other party was arrogant and complacent; isn't that foolish?

So jokes were just jokes, and they passed after being said. There were only these four people in the room, and Feng Xingke could take it.

Even if he couldn't take it, he had to. Who among these three at the mahjong table could he offend?

Dong dong—

The room door was knocked, Liu Bin walked in carrying a thermos, followed by Zhang En Yuan, who was carrying a plate of fruit.

"Hey, why did you two get together?"

Li Huai De smiled and pointed at Zhang En Yuan, asking, "Did Liu Bin ask you to help with work?"

"No, I have something to discuss with our leader."

Zhang En Yuan smiled, placed the fruit on the small table beside each person, and finally, when he reached Li Xuewu's side, he reported softly, "Comrade Zhou Xiaobai is here."

"Hmm?" Li Xuewu turned his head and looked at him with some surprise.

"She's downstairs, she drove here."

Zhang En Yuan knew he didn't have time to deal with it, so he reported quickly, "She said she wants to see you."

How would Zhang En Yuan know Zhou Xiaobai?

Of course he didn't know her, but he knew Zhou Wang Yamei's driver; it was Zhou Wang Yamei's driver who sent her over.

Who is Zhou Wang Yamei's driver?

Zhu Yongtong, the youngest of the Thirteen Guardians, learned to drive at fifteen and started being Zhou Wang Yamei's driver at sixteen.

He is seventeen years old this year and can already be an assistant to Zhou Wang Yamei; he is an apprentice she selected and personally cultivated.

The recycling station system is getting bigger and bigger, and there is more and more business; there must be capable people to step up.

Those who can be given a certain amount of trust are the dozen or so half-grown boys who grew up in the family.

Of course, from the very beginning, Li Xuewu didn't fully trust them, and even less did he fully expect them all to be loyal.

It's just that he had agreed with Second Master Ye to give the children a chance, and whether they succeed or not depends on themselves.

From the beginning of 1966 to now, four years have passed, and the half-grown boys have grown into young men.

The youngest, the thirteenth, Zhu Yongtong, is already seventeen. You see, these boys are just right for the job.

Li Xuewu's principle for arranging the Thirteen Guardians is a rotating assistant system, following whoever they are under as an apprentice.

Some are in Steel City, some are in the frontier, some are in Jicheng... and even further away, there are some in Hong Kong.

Because he was the youngest, Zhu Yongtong was the last to come out to do things. He debuted after Zhou Wang Yamei came to Beijing, and as a result, he ended up working under Zhou Wang Yamei.

Zhou Wang Yamei, a female comrade, always found it inconvenient to teach a young man how to do things, so she took the opportunity to let him be her driver, which counted as a test and also a slow cultivation.

Over two years, he finally looked like a person, and when he returned to Steel City, he brought Old Thirteen to the house a few times.

When Li Xuewu was in Steel City, if he needed a car, he would leave the car at home, and the driver would be Zhu Yongtong.

Seeing today that it was Zhu Yongtong who sent her over, and that she didn't look for Li Xuewu directly but looked for him instead, Zhang En Yuan knew this was the leader's relationship.

He wasn't sure who Zhou Xiaobai was or what the relationship was, and even if he had heard a word about it occasionally before, he couldn't figure out the truth, so he came up to report it.

Because there was no one else in the room, Old Li listened carefully and heard the name Zhou Xiaobai, so he waved his hand and said, "Did I hear Xiaobai's name?"

Seeing Li Xuewu look over, he nodded with a smile and said, "Call her up, let me see her."

"They all say a girl changes eighteen times; it's been over a year since I've seen Xiaobai, has she become prettier?"

Zhou Xiaobai had been sending wages to his wife for over a year, so of course he knew who Zhou Xiaobai was.

Old Li not only knew who Zhou Xiaobai was, but he also knew who Zhou Zhennan was.

So when he heard Li Xuewu's secretary mention this name, he didn't stand on ceremony and said that.

Since he had already said so, Li Xuewu didn't hesitate anymore, turned to give Zhang En Yuan an instruction, and continued playing cards.

"Who is Xiaobai?" Feng Xingke really wanted to integrate into Old Li's circle. Seeing that there was a girl that both Li Xuewu and Li Huai De knew, he became curious. "From our group?"

"Hahaha—" Li Huai De glanced at Li Xuewu opposite him, smiled, and said, "Xiaobai, huh."

"Zhou Xiaobai—" He discarded a tile and introduced, "You might not recognize the name, but you must know Shunfeng Trading in Jinmen."

"Oh, that distribution company." Feng Xingke naturally knew, widened his eyes, and confirmed, "It's the largest distribution company for United Trading, right?"

"Right, you're not wrong." Old Li drew a tile and continued to introduce, "Xiaobai used to be the general manager of Shunfeng Trading, a girl with great ability."

Dong dong—

The knocking sound rang out again, and Zhou Xiaobai's voice came from the doorway.

"I heard someone praising me just as I was about to knock."

Zhou Xiaobai was still the same as before: a fur-collared leather jacket, gray flight pants, and a pair of fur-lined leather shoes on her feet. She looked a bit playful and a bit beautiful.

"Hahaha—" Seeing her enter, Li Huai De smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Xiaobai is here. Quick, come in and sit. It's been a long time since I've seen you."

"Director Li, I've been thinking about you all along."

Zhou Xiaobai had changed; she had become good at talking, and she looked much more mature than her previous attire.

With Li Huai De's invitation, she didn't let Liu Bin move a stool for her, but took the initiative to sit behind Li Xuewu, which was the position Liu Bin had prepared for Liu Xinhua.

After Liu Xinhua entered the room, he was only anxious and didn't dare to sit down and talk, so it was just right for her.

"Really? I don't believe it."

Li Huai De smiled and examined her, saying, "The person you're thinking of is probably someone else, right?"

"Pong." Li Xuewu pushed open three One Chicken tiles, reached out to draw a tile, and said, "Three Bamboo."

The tiles in his hand had long been covered; he drew tiles without looking and discarded tiles without looking, playing entirely by memory.

No need to look; it's useless even if you flip the tiles in his hand. They are all scattered and placed randomly. No one looking from behind him can analyze how he's going to win.

Li Xuewu's position wasn't very good, with his back to the doorway. Whether Liu Bin came in to pour water or Liu Xinhua came in to report work, they were all standing behind him.

You can't say they would tip anyone off or give anyone a wink, but Li Xuewu just wanted to guard against them.

This isn't about being unable to play or being unable to afford to lose, but a posture. Only people with self-protection awareness can earn the respect of others.

"Alright, you've won enough tonight, share some energy with our girl Xiaobai."

Li Huai De looked at Li Xuewu and teased, "Also, borrow some of Xiaobai's light so we can fish some back."

"My brother doesn't want to see me—"

Zhou Xiaobai pretended to be aggrieved and said, "If I hadn't taken the initiative to find him, he would have just acted as if I hadn't returned."

Saying this, she had already leaned sideways and leaned against Li Xuewu's left side, examining him without any scruples.

Except for Li Huai De knowing her identity, and Ding Zigui vaguely figuring it out, the remaining Feng Xingke looked at her with some surprise. Seeing Old Li and Old Ding's performance, he didn't make a fuss. Are these two very close?

Just now, hearing this Zhou Xiaobai call Li Xuewu brother, and call Li Huai De very affectionately, what kind of relationship is this?

"What are you looking at me for?" Li Xuewu glanced at her sideways and said, "Are there flowers on my face?"

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—"

Old Li continued to tease, "Xiaobai, don't you think so?"

"If Director Li says so, then it is." Zhou Xiaobai smiled, sat up straight, looked at Old Li, and said, "If Director Li says it's not, then it's not."

"Hey, look at that—"

Li Huai De slammed the tiles in his hand onto the table and laughed, "Xiaobai is here, and my luck is here too. Single-hanging, self-drawn, hahaha!"

"What kind of hand is that—"

It had been over a year, and Zhou Xiaobai didn't seem any different in front of Li Xuewu. She didn't feel estranged at all and naturally reached out to flip his bottom tiles.

"You're acting all mysterious with this rotten hand?"

She also knew how to play mahjong, having learned it from the club. At that time, Luo Yun loved to play, but now... now Luo Yun has changed and doesn't like to play with her anymore.

"What do you know—"

Li Xuewu glanced at her and pointed to the money bag under the table, explaining, "Didn't you hear what Director Li just said? They've all lost until they're smoking. If I don't deliberately lose a little, will they let me off?"

"Hey! Comrade Li Xuewu, your words are a bit hurtful—"

Li Huai De, who was cocky after winning one hand, pointed at him dissatisfied and said, "Pride is not allowed!"

"Exactly—" Ding Zigui chimed in, "Now that you're successful in love, you can't be successful at the mahjong table."

Listening to Old Li and Old Ding teasing Li Xuewu, Feng Xingke looked left and right, but he didn't pick up the conversation, nor did he make any random jokes.

He didn't dare to make random jokes before figuring out where this girl came from; if he said the wrong thing, he wouldn't be able to take it back.

"Look, if I wanted to kill in all directions, you wouldn't be able to hold on long ago. Now you're not even grateful!"

Li Xuewu pretended to be dissatisfied and tossed the money to Old Li, joking, "Then I'm going to be serious."

"You're making us sound so useless!"

Li Huai De was truly happy to receive the money, not for the money from the small win, but happy because he won.

Even if he had lost nearly eighty today, he would still be very happy if he could win one or two yuan.

Don't ask about today's results; the answer is that there are wins and losses. Whoever asks gets this answer.

"Serious, you must be serious!"

Ding Zigui followed Old Li's words and deliberately emphasized seriously, "If you're not serious, you'll be letting us down!"

"Xiaobai is here—" Li Huai De pointed at Zhou Xiaobai, who was sitting beside Li Xuewu, and said to Ding Zigui, "Our chance for a comeback is here."

Playing mahjong is like this; the biggest taboo is having guests in the evening, especially standing behind you watching you play.

Let's put it this way: no matter how good your tiles were before, you will definitely lose every hand at this moment; it's unexplainable.

If you want to talk about ghosts and gods, everyone present is an atheist, a proletarian worker; they don't believe in that.

Li Xuewu is the type who dares to shoot and curse in a graveyard; do you think he would believe or fear this?

But it's just unexplainable. Since Zhou Xiaobai came, he hadn't won a hand. No matter how he stifled a big win, it was all in vain; looking for small wins didn't work either. It's really unexplainable.

"Your technique doesn't seem to be working—"

Zhou Xiaobai watched him for a while by his side. Seeing his money bag had shrunk quite a bit, she raised her eyebrows and said, "Why don't I play for you? You're about to lose all your money."

"Hey! No changing generals on the spot!"

Ding Zigui smiled, pointed at Zhou Xiaobai, and said, "We finally managed to fish a little back, please spare us."

He pointed at Li Xuewu and joked, "As long as you block the Secretary-General tonight, Director Li will treat you to roast duck tomorrow."

"You sure know how to do favors—"

Li Huai De heard him say he would treat, smiled as he looked at the tiles in his hand, and felt satisfied!

Finally, he got a good hand; he had been stifled all night!

"You lost the most, if you don't treat, who treats?" Ding Zigui only dared to be this tough when talking to Old Li while playing cards. "You say if you don't treat, who treats? Let me and Manager Feng treat?"

"Hahaha—" Old Li wouldn't care about this little money, and even less would he care about who treats. Hearing Ding Zigui's joke, he laughed and nodded, admitting, "Okay, okay, I'll treat, let's eat roast duck."

"If you say so—" Zhou Xiaobai followed the joke, grabbed Li Xuewu's arm, and said with a grin, "Then I'll wait for the roast duck."

"Hahaha!" Seeing Zhou Xiaobai so sensible, Li Huai De and Ding Zigui both laughed.

Feng Xingke, on the other hand, looked at Zhou Xiaobai's action of holding Li Xuewu's arm with some surprise. This relationship is a bit too close; even a biological sister wouldn't be like this.

Obviously, Li Xuewu's arm had deformed Zhou Xiaobai's car lights. Can this be... a sister?

Li Huai De and Ding Zigui didn't care; even if they saw it, they just acted as if they didn't.

If you don't take advantage of Li Xuewu having someone to bother him to win more, where else can you find the fun of winning against Li Xuewu?

"Whose side are you on?" Li Xuewu glanced at Zhou Xiaobai helplessly and asked, "Am I only worth one roast duck?"

"Is it one?" Zhou Xiaobai didn't answer him, but asked Li Huai De, "Director Li?"

"However many you say, that's how many, haha!"

Li Huai De was happy to win. Hearing Zhou Xiaobai tease him, he was even happier. Roast duck or not, eat whatever you want!

"Look, it's not one roast duck."

Zhou Xiaobai turned her head to look into Li Xuewu's eyes and said very seriously, "It's several."

"You only have a heart for eating."

Li Xuewu had one arm held in her arms and couldn't move, while the other hand went to grab tiles.

He didn't dare to move; once he moved, the feeling was more obvious, and it was easy for the three bastards at the table to see the scenery.

It's just that Zhou Xiaobai didn't intend to let him off, or perhaps it was a punishment for his coldness, and she stuck even closer.

"Alright, how much have you lost?"

Li Xuewu patted her head gently and said, "Be good, go sit behind Director Li for a while."

"Hey! No doing that!"

Li Huai De smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Xiaobai came to find you, why are you so unromantic."

"She's just here to torture me."

Following the joke, Li Xuewu pulled his arm out and said, "Today was a waste of time."

"I'm still losing—" Feng Xingke complained with a smile, "It's all been won by Director Li."

"Hahaha!" Li Huai De enjoyed this kind of flattery the most and couldn't handle this kind of praise the most.

Let's put it this way: he might not be happy for long if you give him an outstanding cadre award, but if you call him the God of Gamblers, he can be happy to the sky.

Li Xuewu has a sense of proportion; actually, Old Li has even more of a sense of proportion. When the time reached nine o'clock, he called a stop regardless of how much was won or lost.

"You've worked hard all day, just relax. We still have to go to work tomorrow, let's stop here for tonight."

Li Huai De stood up with a smile and said, "If we keep playing, the Secretary-General will have to dig into his old capital."

"The spring night is short, every moment is worth a thousand gold."

Ding Zigui also teased, "Don't waste it at the mahjong table dealing with us."

"It seems I really lost—"

Zhou Xiaobai personally helped Li Xuewu count the small and large bills in the money bag and asked curiously, "How much was his capital?"

Li Xuewu went to the bathroom, so he handed the mahjong table to Zhou Xiaobai. This last hand was played by Zhou Xiaobai.

And precisely because Zhou Xiaobai had been here for a while, Li Huai De's addiction had been relieved quite a bit, which is why he took the initiative to stop.

Otherwise, based on his temper, whoever came would have to play until 11:00 before resting.

"I don't know about that, anyway I lost."

Feng Xingke had been interested in Zhou Xiaobai since she entered the room. At this moment, he picked up the conversation, "Xiaobai doesn't play cards often, right? Where are you working now?"

"Hmm, I was just focused on playing cards, I forgot to ask." Li Huai De took over the conversation, looked at Zhou Xiaobai, and asked, "Where are you now?"

"In Beijing, I haven't been back for long." Zhou Xiaobai smiled and introduced herself frankly, "I came back this time to attend medical school."

"Oh, so you're taking exams—" Feng Xingke nodded clearly, but felt something wasn't quite right.

"Did you come directly from the army?"

Ding Zigui reacted the fastest, looked at Zhou Xiaobai, and asked, "Are you part of internal cultivation?"

"I suppose so, I haven't figured it out either."

Zhou Xiaobai smiled faintly, organized Li Xuewu's money, and even smoothed out the edges.

Several people were drinking tea, and she was waiting for Li Xuewu to return.

"That's good, studying medicine has a future."

Li Huai De smiled and said, "If you have any needs, just tell Xuewu, he will help you."

"Thank you, Director Li—" Zhou Xiaobai's smile became a bit brighter. She looked at Li Huai De and said, "We are an empirical science, and we need a large accumulation of cases to master comprehensive medical skills."

"I heard that the number of outpatient patients at United Hospital is particularly large. It would be great if I really had the opportunity to come and learn."

"Don't tell me this, tell the Secretary-General." Seeing Li Xuewu enter the room, Li Huai De smiled, pointed at him, and said to Zhou Xiaobai, "You find him."

"My brother is selfless and wouldn't violate principles because of me."

Zhou Xiaobai turned her head to look at Li Xuewu, then looked at Li Huai De and said, "If I really need to come for an internship, I'll go find you to approve a slip for me. At that time, you must not be stingy, and even less can you hide and not see me."

"Hahaha—"

Li Huai De laughed loudly, nodded, and said, "No problem, if the Secretary-General doesn't care about you, I will."

"Then it's a deal for today!"

Zhou Xiaobai pretended to be childish, stretched out her little finger across the mahjong table, and said, "No going back on your word."

"Hahaha!" Li Huai De was amused by her and also very childishly hooked his finger with hers.

Only after Li Huai De was willing to hook fingers with her did Zhou Xiaobai pretend to be relaxed and say with a smile, "Then I'll count on you for my medical studies and internship. Thank you so much."

"Alright, let's stop here for today."

Li Huai De's face was slightly red from laughing. He stood up, waved his hand at Li Xuewu, and said, "Send Xiaobai back early. It's not easy to come back. Now that you're in Beijing, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet."

Li Xuewu knew Old Li was helping him out, and also meant that everything said tonight was a joke and shouldn't be taken seriously.

He didn't say anything more, nodded, and said, "Then we'll go first. If you're not going back, rest at the guesthouse. It's cold outside, don't catch a cold."

"Go ahead, don't worry about us."

Li Huai De waved his hand to signal he could go, and called Ding Zigui and Feng Xingke to drink tea.

Coming out of the room on the fourth floor, Zhou Xiaobai was the opposite of before; she wasn't as talkative as she was in the room.

It was the maturity Li Xuewu saw the first time he met her, the temperament of confidence and independence.

"Secretary-General, the car is ready."

Zhang En Yuan had been waiting downstairs. Seeing Li Xuewu come down, he stepped forward and reported, "The gift for Director Li has already been handed to Liu Bin."

"Hmm, I know."

Li Xuewu nodded and got into the car first.

The gift Zhang En Yuan mentioned wasn't for Li Huai De. Given the current relationship between the two, how could Li Huai De accept his gift?

Talking about the wine stored in the cafeteria, that's fine; after all, Li Xuewu also has his own social engagements.

But if you say Li Huai De accepts his gift, then the relationship between the two wouldn't be pure.

At least that's what Li Huai De thinks, so the gift was also Li Huai De's suggestion back then, to send some medicinal wine to that leader.

Li Xuewu naturally wouldn't bypass Old Li to send it, and even less would he take the initiative to visit and express his stance. Giving it to Old Li is just right.

Whether Old Li keeps it, or sends it up in his own name, or explains that it's Li Xuewu's gift, none of that is important. What's important is this matter.

"Why are you not talking?" Li Xuewu glanced at Zhou Xiaobai, who hadn't spoken, and asked, "Are you deliberately acting deep with me? Weren't you quite talkative just now?"

"Hmph—" Zhou Xiaobai snorted dissatisfied, "If I hadn't come to find you, would you have never come to find me?"

Li Xuewu glanced at her, turned his head to look forward, and didn't want to answer her question.

But Zhou Xiaobai was relentless, looked at his profile, and asked, "Do you not miss me at all?"

"I wrote you so many letters, why didn't you reply to a single one? Do you hate me that much?"

"If I hated you, would I let you get in the car?"

Li Xuewu reached out and pushed her head, which was leaning over, back, and said, "Don't let your imagination run wild, just focus on your studies."

"You should know in your heart who I came back for." Zhou Xiaobai blocked his arm and stared into his eyes, saying, "I'm back."