Chapter 1567: Transport Aircraft

"Zhou Yao, you should know him."

Li Xuewu saw Lv Yuanshen waiting at the entrance of the canteen. After getting out of the car, he nodded and introduced Zhou Yao, who had walked over from the other side.

"Hello, Director Lv—"

Zhou Yao saluted very politely, then took the hand the other party extended, and greeted him with a smile.

"How could I not know her."

Lv Yuanshen laughed and shook her hand, saying: "A model of a woman not inferior to a man."

"Secretary-General, I'm treating today." He turned to look at Li Xuewu and said with feigned seriousness: "Not for your sake, but Director Zhou is a distinguished guest."

"Director Lv, you are too polite."

Zhou Yao walked on Li Xuewu's other side and said with a light smile: "If you're like this, how can I come to Steel Auto as a guest next time?"

"Hahaha—" Lv Yuanshen appeared very close, his fingers resting lightly on Li Xuewu's arm, and said in a feigned low voice: "They all say a strong general has no weak soldiers; it's true—"

Not for anything else, just looking at his current situation, Li Xuewu could bring Zhou Yao along, and the salute Zhou Yao gave when getting out of the car—regardless of which side he stood on before, or which side he relied on in the future—he had to say that Li Xuewu was open and righteous enough.

Looking at the soldiers Li Xuewu brought out, which one wasn't capable of both civil and military affairs, capable of wrestling and fighting? They were worthy of his praise and envy.

Li Xuewu glanced at him and asked with some dissatisfaction: "Sobered up?"

"Hey—" Lv Yuanshen pulled his arm with an embarrassed face and said with a dry laugh: "Director Zhou is here; save me some face."

"Oh, you know you need face."

Li Xuewu said to him indifferently, and let the service staff push open the door and walk into the canteen.

It was in the large canteen of Steel Auto. As soon as they entered, they felt the noise in their ears increase by more than double.

But when they walked in, the noise in the canteen suddenly dropped a bit.

Accompanied by the factory director, the group secretary-general suddenly appeared. Those who knew Li Xuewu turned their heads to look over, and the group of people, including the accompanying staff, were truly eye-catching; they couldn't help but notice.

"I heard you recruited a master chef."

Li Xuewu said to Lv Yuanshen very casually: "Zhou Yao and I are here for his reputation, so let's taste your master chef's craft."

"Look at you, you should have said so earlier, so we could give our master chef a chance to show off alone."

Lv Yuanshen certainly knew how to talk. At this moment, he said with a laugh: "I can't pull anyone off now. If you don't mind, you'll have to make do."

"Who wants you to prepare separately? Are we here to eat a private meal?" Li Xuewu looked back at him and asked: "Where did you recruit the good chef?"

Although Li Xuewu hadn't given him a good look since getting out of the car, the staff following behind thought the secretary-general seemed dissatisfied with the factory director.

But the cadres of Steel Auto, including Lv Yuanshen, breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the secretary-general cared for and protected them, especially the factory director.

The superior-subordinate relationship includes work relationships and personal relationships. If you ask Li Xuewu whether bringing Zhou Yao to eat here today was work or a private matter, Lv Yuanshen is the most qualified to answer this question.

With Li Xuewu's appearance today, the pressure on him in the group and in Steel Auto would definitely be much less.

As the saying goes, it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to send charcoal in snow; Li Xuewu's coming today was sending charcoal in snow.

Li Xuewu inviting Zhou Yao to dinner was naturally a private matter, but calling Lv Yuanshen along meant something different.

"At least it wasn't snatched."

Lv Yuanshen answered this question with a joke, and without waiting for Li Xuewu to scold him, he raised his hand to gesture toward the dining table: "Leader, please."

"I have hands and feet; I'll come myself."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, took the tray from his secretary's hand, and said: "Just in time to see what dishes there are. Everyone says your Steel Auto eats well."

"Our Steel Auto's food standard is the same as the Metallurgical Plant's." Lv Yuanshen took the tray from his secretary's hand and followed, introducing: "The difference is that we do it more meticulously."

"I held a meeting for logistics and said that what our automotive industry pursues is excellence, so Steel Auto must achieve the best of the best in every aspect."

"Whether it's what you say, I'll only know after tasting it." Li Xuewu said to Zhou Yao beside him: "You should communicate more with Director Lv when you have the chance; he is worth learning from in terms of these scholarly matters."

"Look, the leader is looking down on me."

Lv Yuanshen said to Zhou Yao with a smile: "Director Zhou, don't be a stranger with me. If you have anything, just speak up; we aren't outsiders."

"Thank you, Director Lv. I'll take your words to heart—" Zhou Yao responded with a smile.

"Take them to heart, you must—"

Lv Yuanshen waved his hand and emphasized: "Just from the secretary-general's side, we are our own people."

He could really lower his face. After all, he was a factory director. Even if he encountered some setbacks, he wouldn't be dying. Flattering Li Xuewu didn't mean forgetting Zhou Yao on the other side, because Li Xuewu was building a bridge for him.

"How many times can you eat this meat in a month?"

Li Xuewu pointed at the pork in the tray with his chopsticks and asked Lv Yuanshen opposite him.

"It's really the same as the Metallurgical Plant. The logistics support system is uniformly managed and allocated by the group."

Lv Yuanshen saw Li Xuewu caring about the employees' food and changed to a serious expression, introducing: "We strictly follow the canteen safety and hygiene management and food supply standards issued by the Logistics Department to execute the meal supply guarantee work."

"The Comprehensive Management Department reported last month that 540 tons of meat products were consumed last year."

Li Xuewu's eyes swept over the people at the dining table and said with a curled lip: "On average, each employee consumes half a jin of meat products per month. What kind of concept is this?"

"Don't talk about the local area; even if you open up the industrial enterprises across the country and ask carefully, none have such a high food standard as the Red Steel Group."

He glanced at Lv Yuanshen opposite him and emphasized indifferently: "On the basis of the total number of employees in the group dropping by nearly half this year, you are increasing the total meat supply budget by 15%. You people in charge must guard the conscience, ensuring that the quota must be eaten into the employees' mouths, stomachs, and hearts."

"Secretary-General, don't worry. Even if I, Old Lv, am not a good thing, I won't dig food out of the employees' mouths, and Steel Auto won't allow such things to happen."

"I'm telling you this to remind you." Li Xuewu gestured to Zhou Yao sitting beside him and said: "There was more than one related case last year."

Seeing the cadres of Steel Auto sitting at the surrounding tables look over, Zhou Yao nodded and introduced: "It is indeed like that. The Supervision Department transferred 17 related cases last year, all related to pork."

"Everyone knows meat is delicious, but you have to have it to eat, eat well, and eat for a long time."

Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks, picked up the soup bowl, drank a mouthful, and said meaningfully: "If you really let the employees point at your spine and curse your mother, you've smashed the employees' bowls, and the employees will smash yours."

He raised his head, his eyes sweeping over these cadres, and said: "Where will you go to eat meat then?"

These words were very ordinary, but they were enough to be deafening. The faces of the cadres all changed.

Regardless of whether they had ever had such behavior, or had similar thoughts, at this moment, they were all alerted and reflected.

Similarly, a leader wouldn't say these seemingly irrelevant words for no reason; it must be pointing at something.

Since he mentioned the problem of pork corruption, it meant the problem was already very serious.

It wasn't here, or the leader wanted to use these words to point them out, to pay attention to the wind direction.

The group was very likely to take corruption as a key point for strict investigation in the near future, or in a future stage. Self-inspection was always better than being investigated by others.

Lv Yuanshen first looked at Zhou Yao, then looked at Li Xuewu and guaranteed: "We will carry out a self-inspection action immediately. If there is any, we will correct it; if not, we will encourage ourselves."

Li Xuewu just nodded and didn't make any evaluation of his guarantee.

He didn't even emphasize what aspect Lv Yuanshen should inspect, or what to inspect.

Lv Yuanshen was the person in charge of Steel Auto. Only he should know best whether Steel Auto had problems and what problems it had. Did he need to say it very thoroughly?

"Can the Quality and Safety Department be considered the largest department in our group?" Seeing Li Xuewu not speaking, he turned the topic to Zhou Yao.

"Whether calculated by the number of people or the scale of the department, it should be considered the largest."

"If you count the three general teams, it should be." Zhou Yao didn't understand why he had to eat lunch at Steel Auto when she came out of Li Xuewu's office. It was in the car on the way that Li Xuewu explained Lv Yuanshen's current situation and the group's view of him, which made her understand a little.

Although she called Li Xuewu brother-in-law, their relationship wasn't really far, but to say care, it came closer from this superior-subordinate relationship.

Li Xuewu pointed her out, but wouldn't teach her these subtle truths hand-in-hand. After all, it wasn't like before; she had to rely on herself to realize it.

Zhou Yao should have her own understanding and judgment ability, and should also learn and master this ability, otherwise, it would be difficult to become a great talent.

So she still had to catch the topic Lv Yuanshen threw over, and had to continue chatting, and chat well.

"A large department with five sections, the group only has one." She ate a bite of food and nodded: "Are the three general teams directly managed by the group?"

She asked this to Li Xuewu. Li Xuewu turned his head and glanced at her, asking back: "You're asking me?"

"Hehehe—" Zhou Yao and Lv Yuanshen both laughed, and the atmosphere became active again.

"How many people are in the three general teams?"

Lv Yuanshen asked curiously, seemingly: "Does directly managed by the group mean you can't mobilize them?"

"How many people... I really don't know about this, but I know the approximate number."

Zhou Yao thought for a while and introduced: "The total number of the three general teams should be less than a thousand."

She emphasized: "I'm talking about the number of people including their general team organs."

"As for the question of whether they can be mobilized—" She smiled and said: "It has to be explained from the direction of management."

"I'm in charge of the Security Section's work, so there's no problem in mobilizing the Security General Team; I just need to report to the leader in charge."

She nodded and continued to introduce: "The other two general teams, the Fire Section and the Supervision Section, are in a similar situation to mine. I can ask the leader for instructions."

"However, many cases now require cooperative handling. For example, if the Environmental Protection Section wants to conduct a surprise inspection, it will also cooperate with the Fire Section, or contact the Supervision General Team. There is strength in numbers."

"So the section is still responsible for the investigation, right?" Lv Yuanshen raised his eyebrows, looked at Li Xuewu, and explained: "The case at the end of last year was a special case team organized by the group's Quality and Safety Department."

"I know about this matter."

Zhou Yao nodded and explained: "The leader also contacted us at the time, and the Security Section also arranged for investigators to follow the team to Steel City to handle the case. After the case was closed, we also made a case-closing explanation and reported it to the leader for review."

"Hmm, I'm talking about the group's current working mechanism, which is much more formal than before."

Lv Yuanshen didn't complain about the previous investigation but said very peacefully: "During the Steel Rolling Plant period, the investigation of related cases was just grabbing people temporarily. Most of the time, the leader had the final say."

"There are rules to follow now."

Zhou Yao smiled and said: "You might not know, but our Security Section's case handling is much more regulated than before. Just the rule that there must be more than one person at the scene—where was that before?"

"Hehe, the secretary-general set it, right?"

Lv Yuanshen smiled and gestured to Li Xuewu opposite him to ask Zhou Yao: "When was it set?"

"Hmm, hehe—" Zhou Yao looked at Li Xuewu and explained with a light smile: "I'm not complaining to you; I'm just talking about the matter."

"Is it useful?" Li Xuewu didn't care about her joke but asked about the work effect.

"It's still useful." Zhou Yao nodded and explained: "Sometimes it's hard to explain."

She looked at Lv Yuanshen and said: "Two or more people at the scene, at least in terms of credibility, can have a certain guarantee."

"Sometimes the public says the public is right, and the mother-in-law says the mother-in-law is right. Now the Supervision Section is also watching us. It's really not that you can say whatever you want or do whatever you want."

"Then that's right." Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks and said: "Don't feel that the rules and regulations are a tight hoop; many times they are actually protecting you."

"Of course, these rules and regulations are also the basis for giving you the Security Section to execute security work."

He picked up the soup bowl and drank it in one gulp, smacked his lips, and then said: "Now it's a group company. There are more people, and hearts are mixed. Management is a difficult problem. Without rules, there's no square."

"I can understand this." Zhou Yao nodded and looked at Lv Yuanshen: "Are there many rules in the business side now?"

"The rules on the business side have never been few—" Lv Yuanshen smiled and gestured to Li Xuewu opposite him to introduce: "The leader wants to see results, and they are solid results. Our pressure is much greater than yours."

"Today's lunch was very successful."

Li Xuewu wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, looked at the two, and said with a smile: "Successfully turned into a complaint meeting?"

"Hahaha—"

"I heard the group has the intention of organizational personnel adjustment. Does this include Director Lv?"

In the car back to the Metallurgical Plant, Zhou Yao asked Li Xuewu curiously. She really wanted to know.

Li Xuewu raised his chin slightly and said indifferently: "Organizational personnel adjustment is never aimed at one person or one thing, but the group optimizing and adjusting from the perspective of overall work."

"Of course, that matter at the end of last year will definitely affect future adjustments and appointments regarding him."

He turned to look at Zhou Yao and reminded her: "This is also what you need to pay attention to. When doing work, you must be cautious and careful, and keep in mind that human life is at stake."

"They all say that safety production accidents are a one-vote veto system. Is it really like that?"

Zhou Yao asked curiously: "Doesn't that mean that as long as a safety production accident occurs during the management process, the main person in charge loses the opportunity to progress?"

"This was a suggestion of mine at the safety production work meeting, which was re-emphasized by Director Li at a later meeting, but there is no formal document."

Li Xuewu first explained the source of this sentence to her, and then said: "Of course, this sentence still has force with Director Li and me."

"You also know that I was in charge of safety management in the factory for a period of time."

He looked ahead of the car and introduced helplessly: "You might not know how backward the factory's safety production management work was before."

"Before the implementation of the Group Safety Production Management Regulations, the number of casualties in safety production in the Red Star Factory for the whole year couldn't even be kept in double digits, year after year."

"I seem to have heard this statistical figure." Zhou Yao nodded and said: "Someone has made a comparison."

"Of course, only by comparison can we know the effect of the implementation of the regulations." Li Xuewu nodded and said: "This proves that safety production can be managed."

He pointed to his own brain and emphasized to Zhou Yao: "It's still a question of whether this string can be tightened."

"Safety production is shouted every year, but accidents happen every year. Who wants to see accidents happen?"

Li Xuewu sighed. To strengthen management from the perspective of understanding and consciousness, one must take ruthless action in personnel, killing one to warn a hundred, to warn others.

Zhou Yao seemed to understand his explanation. Although he didn't answer her question directly, he also explained the reason for Lv Yuanshen's next arrangement.

"Can he come to the Quality and Safety Department?"

Thinking of Li Xuewu introducing the other party to her, Zhou Yao couldn't help but suspect this possibility.

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at her, asking: "Do you think I can interfere with the group's organizational personnel work?"

"But he is in Liaodong industry now."

Zhou Yao still emphasized: "Regarding his next appointment, will they still ask for your opinion?"

"That's right, they will ask for my opinion."

Li Xuewu crossed his hands on his lower abdomen and nodded slowly, saying: "My opinion is actually not important, at least for his result, it is like this."

"No wonder—" Zhou Yao muttered, then raised her head and asked: "So you reminded him, and it also has this meaning?"

"What meaning?" Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and said: "I don't have any meaning."

"Hey—" Zhou Yao waved her hand amusedly and helplessly, saying: "This is meaningless."

"Meaningful, meaningless."

Li Xuewu pointed to the gate of the Metallurgical Plant that the car passed by and said: "How many more years can I guard this door? Do you say it's meaningful or meaningless?"

"This is the first time you've taken the initiative to invite me, right?"

Chantal didn't take his hand but opened her arms and hugged him lightly.

Li Xuewu smiled helplessly and patted her back, saying: "Welcome to Steel City as a guest."

"I'm truly flattered."

Chantal appeared a bit exaggerated. This wasn't her first time in Steel City, nor was it her first time meeting Li Xuewu in Steel City.

However, it was the first time Li Xuewu had personally come to the airport to welcome her. No wonder she said that.

"We are old friends, after all. It's only right—" Li Xuewu raised his hand to gesture toward the car and said with a smile: "Please don't pick on my etiquette."

"I'm afraid you have great demands."

Chantal looked at him deeply before getting into the car with him.

The Volga M24 drove out of the airport toward the Metallurgical Plant, accompanied by an Antelope II and a Hongyun bus.

The strength of the Red Steel Group had been fully demonstrated; it was absolutely number one in Liaodong.

Even Chantal, the president of the Santa Ya Group, could feel the enthusiasm and pressure from Li Xuewu.

Very directly, the Red Star No. 1 special plane sent her from the capital to Steel City, and Li Xuewu welcomed her personally. Even if they talked about difficulties, she had to carefully consider whether she could find the best way to solve them properly.

This was the first time Chantal had seen Li Xuewu this year, and this meeting was no longer the same as before.

How should one put it? As the main person in charge of the Red Steel Group, especially the helmsman of Liaodong industry, the Santa Ya Group, which had deep cooperation in the field of industrial trade, had to pay more attention.

In the past, when the two sides cooperated, the Santa Ya Group was naturally more active. Even though the Red Star Factory had potential and strength at the time, they still had the final say in trade.

Who are "they"?

It refers to foreign businessmen who have trade cooperation with the Red Star Factory, especially the Santa Ya Group, the Sanhe Stock Company, and the Jilixing Shipping Company, which has deep cooperation in the shipbuilding field.

In formulating trade rules and projects, they took advantage of export orders, especially the advantage of earning foreign exchange.

The stronger you are, the more say you have. This is the game rule, not something that personal relationships can influence.

Yes, that's right, there is a certain depth of personal interaction between her and Li Xuewu, but this is not enough to become the basis for the cooperation between the two groups.

The most basic thing is the interest relationship.

Especially since both sides recognized this point, so every time they met, they could face this relationship properly.

It can be said that a certain degree of personal relationship is a catalyst for promoting cooperation and exchanges, at least providing some room for maneuver in negotiations.

The reason why the Santa Ya Group pays more attention to the Red Steel Group and Li Xuewu is that Li Xuewu, on behalf of the Red Steel Group, refused the proposal for further deep cooperation from the Sanhe Stock Company last year.

This tough attitude, as well as the acquiescence subsequently shown by the Red Steel Group, made other foreign businessmen who cooperated wake up and think about whether the times had changed.

The Red Steel Group participated in the East German trade delegation as a representative, and the one who paid the most attention was these foreign enterprises.

There was no difference from what they imagined. With an absolute industrial foundation and trade advantages, the Red Steel Group, relying on advanced management concepts and a long-term international vision, achieved a great harvest in East Germany.

Although the Red Steel Group introduced the cooperation of the Santa Ya Group during the trade negotiations, Chantal could still feel the pressure brought by this technology introduction.

The basis for their cooperation with the Red Steel Group was technology input in exchange for industrial production conditions.

Now that the Red Steel Group had innovations in technology, especially basic industrial technology, and had received support from the industrial power East Germany, the Santa Ya Group had held more than one meeting to discuss this matter.

And just when they were arguing about it, Jilixing Shipping, also a partner of the Red Steel Group, took the first step of deep cooperation.

Just in the second week after Li Xuewu accompanied Red Steel Group General Manager Li Huai De back from East Germany, Jilixing Shipping General Manager Catherine proposed a request for cooperation in the introduction of a series of production and professional equipment such as mining equipment, medical equipment, and optical equipment.

And the Red Steel Group also gave enough sincerity for the goodwill shown by Jilixing Shipping.

First was the first batch of mining equipment orders worth 8.7 million yuan submitted by the United Energy General Company, followed by professional medical equipment procurement orders with a total price of 2.32 million provided by the Red Star United Hospital.

These two items alone had provided Jilixing Shipping with procurement projects exceeding 10 million yuan, and the cooperation request proposed by Jilixing Shipping had been signed for less than a week.

This kind of cooperation sincerity couldn't be described as "returning a peach for a plum." How did the Santa Ya Group see this?

Anyway, the Sanhe Stock Company couldn't sit still, and there had been constant small movements recently.

Li Xuewu couldn't talk here, so they had set their sights on other people in the Red Steel Group.

And Chantal certainly wouldn't look far for what was near; she knew too well the energy Li Xuewu had in the Red Steel Group.

There was only one person who could influence the general manager of the Red Steel Group; this was recognized by everyone in the Red Steel Group.

Then why did she give up the good personal relationship with Li Xuewu and choose to attack others?

And just in mid-February, after the Chinese traditional New Year, Jilixing Shipping, under the bridge-building of the Red Steel Group, cooperated with a certain precision instrument factory in China to start producing mechanical watches and cameras.

The Santa Ya Group wasn't the first foreign businessman to cooperate with the Red Steel Group, but Jilixing Shipping was the first to carry out new cooperation enterprises in the mainland other than the Red Steel Group.

Being able to cooperate with the Red Steel Group was because the Red Steel Group had obtained the so-called market-oriented experimental policy. Including the Santa Ya Group, Jilixing Shipping also enjoyed the same policy.

Why couldn't they expand cooperation with other enterprises?

Very simple, the policy didn't allow it.

Currently, the mainland hadn't approved the preparation for a second large-scale market-oriented experimental industrial group enterprise.

That is to say, if they wanted to open up new cooperation, they either had to go through the Red Steel Group or find an industrial enterprise that had already obtained experimental marketization and could not be predicted, and help the other party gain deeper influence to realize group industrialization.

Currently, the Red Steel Group was the only one that had obtained the right to import and export independently and had the ability to connect domestic and foreign funds.

They could find suitable partners, but they couldn't determine whether the other party had such strength.

There was no lack of industrial enterprises with market-oriented probes across the country. How many could compare to the Red Steel Group?

The Santa Ya Group's discussion meeting was a decision made in this tense change.

Chantal was invited by Li Xuewu to come to Steel City to talk to him in person, which was a kind of sincerity.

"A luxury car?"

Chantal looked at Li Xuewu amusedly and surprisedly and asked: "That car... did you accept it?"

Seeing Li Xuewu shake his head, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and snort: "How could they do such an impolite thing?"

"Not surprised at all, hmm?"

Li Xuewu deliberately echoed with a European accent and spread his hands, saying: "I've encountered this situation for the first time, especially such a precious..."

Speaking of this, he deliberately paused before emphasizing: "Such a precious gift."

"Do you like cars? Luxury cars?"

Chantal raised her eyebrows, leaned forward slightly, and asked: "How about I send you one?"

"What kind of car do you like? How about a Citroën? Or a Mercedes sedan." She said feignedly and seriously: "The Mercedes vice president is actually very willing to pay for this gift."

Seeing Li Xuewu raise his eyebrows slightly, she explained with a smile: "He has always wanted to express his apologies to you. He knows you don't like him, so he doesn't dare to come and disturb you."

"He isn't a spoiled child, right?" Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders, put down his right leg, picked up the teacup from the coffee table, and said: "Please tell the Mercedes vice president that I have no opinion of him. Honest cooperation is very good."

"I believe he will be very happy to hear these words." Chantal nodded and said: "He has already admitted his mistake to me. He has actually been working very hard these past two years."

"Of course, I have always believed that aristocratic families cannot raise trash, unless it's intentional."

Li Xuewu raised his teacup and gestured, saying: "There is infighting everywhere, family power struggles, right?"

"Of course, after all, it's money."

Chantal said very frankly: "Even I am arranging my affairs after death now."

"Wait—" Li Xuewu put down his teacup amusedly and looked at her, asking: "Arranging affairs after death?"

"Of course, this is very normal."

Chantal saw him so surprised and nodded with a smile, saying: "People always have to die. If there's no money, forget it. I have a small family fortune now."

"Maybe mentioning life and death at my age is unlucky in the eyes of you Chinese people."

She smacked her lips and said: "But at my age, especially with my success in my career, I must be responsible for myself, for my children, and for the future of the group company I view as my child."

"You have heirs." Li Xuewu spread his right hand and raised his eyebrows, asking: "Do you have any anxiety about this?"

"Of course." Chantal picked up her coffee cup and drank, explaining with a smile: "I have two children. The

"In your view, they will be the heirs to your wealth and career, right?"

Taking a sip of coffee, she looked up at Li Xuewu and said, "Quite the contrary. At the current stage, I will not leave this career to them. I can only leave them a portion of my wealth."

"Without the ability to master a multinational trading company, handing the Santaia Group over to a child would absolutely be a disaster."

She said firmly, "If something were to happen to me now, obtaining the Group would be a life-threatening disaster for them."

"So I will update my will every so often. That's what the European upper class does."

Chantal spoke about her own affairs after death with great calmness, as if she were talking about someone else.

Li Xuewu could understand her words, and even more so, how terrifying the disaster she spoke of was.

"So? A professional manager program?"

He raised his eyebrows and asked Chantal, "Are you going to cultivate Mercedes to be the professional manager of your Group?"

"He is a good seedling, isn't he?"

Chantal smiled and gestured to the coffee cup in her hand, saying, "I have no reason to deny him."

"Of course, your choice is very correct."

Li Xuewu also thought for a moment before saying, "If it were me, I would also choose him."

"If you were willing, I would even more willingly choose you." Chantal narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at him, and said very straightforwardly, "I would even be willing to let my children take your surname."

"Let's forget about that. My surname is too mediocre; it doesn't sound exotic at all." Li Xuewu waved his hand in amusement and said, "Of course, even if you gave me a Mercedes sedan, it would be useless. I don't have any intention of giving myself to you."

"So those three from the Sanhe Corporation were very wrong—" Chantal sneered, looked at him, and said, "A man who cannot be moved by millions in assets, yet they attempted to control you with a car. Do they not have brains?"

"You can't say it like that." Li Xuewu smiled, shook his head slightly, and said, "People who can resist this kind of temptation are, after all, in the minority."

"But you can resist it."

Chantal put down her coffee cup, pressed her hand on the armrest, and looked at Li Xuewu intently, saying, "I hope you won't treat me as coldly as you treated them."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu saw her feigning pity and didn't dare to take it to heart at all. A viper wouldn't even be enough to describe this French woman.

"Inviting you to Steel City naturally wasn't to complain to you or say these joking words."

Li Xuewu changed to a serious expression, looked at her, and asked, "Are you interested in shipping?"

"Your airport?" Chantal had, of course, been paying attention to the Red Steel Group's operational dynamics; this was the foundation of the Santaia Group's operations in the interior.

"Of course, the Fengcheng Red Star International (Tadong) Airport." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "It has already reached the handover stage. What follows is the airport planning and construction."

He tapped the sofa armrest with his finger and said, "At this time, we should consider the issue of subsequent operations."

"Passenger transport? Or cargo transport?" Chantal looked at him and asked, "You mean...?"

"Of course, there will be a need for passenger transport."

Li Xuewu stood up, took a map of the Tadong Airport from his desk, and spread it out on the coffee table.

"This is the location of the airport."

He pointed with his finger, then followed the direction to point to the urban area and introduced, "This is the city center of Fengcheng, and there is a railway station here."

"Of course, Fengcheng possesses many railway lines, and the railway station is also well-equipped."

"Cargo-oriented, right."

Chantal could naturally understand what he meant. Her gaze fell on the area around the airport, which wasn't desolate either.

"Exactly, cargo-oriented." Li Xuewu rested his elbows on his knees, leaned forward, and carefully introduced the main situation of the airport, as well as the distribution of major industries in the surrounding area.

"And then?" Chantal was still unsatisfied after listening and asked, "What is your plan?"

"The airport has railway lines." Li Xuewu pointed to the airport's location and emphasized, "It can connect to the main railway trunk lines. We have no pressure in doing cargo transport."

"Of course, what about operations?" Chantal asked with her arms crossed, "Do you have this market?"

"Of course we do." Li Xuewu pulled out a map of Northeast Asia from under the coffee table, on which he had marked the major cities in the Northeast, as well as the major trading cities in other Northeast Asian countries.

"There are still many goods worth transporting by plane." Li Xuewu pointed in the direction of Japan, then pointed in the direction of North Korea and said, "Similarly, we ourselves also have many goods worth transporting by air to save on transportation costs."

"But you need to have channels."

Chantal stopped looking at the map. From the day the Santaia Group cooperated with the Red Steel Group, this map had long been worn out by her.

If you asked her to name specific locations or the situation of related cities, she knew them all.

For someone doing international trade, if they couldn't even figure out this situation, what kind of trade were they doing?

"Are you trying to buy transport planes through us, or do you want to cooperate to establish channels?"

She was more interested in the latter and said with a smile, "Actually, you don't need to spend your own money at all. I'm telling the truth."

"We aren't short of this money."

Li Xuewu really wasn't bluffing. The Red Steel Group had been tossing and turning for so many years; how could Chantal not know how much family wealth they had?

The 30 million deposited in the Oriental Era Bank in Hong Kong had been used up; if it weren't for the fact that foreign trade had already formed a continuity, the risk deposit would have been exhausted.

Hearing him say they weren't short of money, Chantal almost laughed out loud, but that would have been too impolite.

Men, after all, all want face, and Li Xuewu was no different; she couldn't do that.

"I naturally know you aren't short of money." She emphasized very earnestly, "I'm saying you don't need to spend this money."

"Planes, we only need 20."

Li Xuewu didn't take her bait, raised two fingers, and emphasized, "With these 20 transport planes, we can open up the Northeast Asian transport market."

"Similarly, we can also prove that in international trade, air transport is a necessary option."

He tapped the coffee table and said, "By that time, we can be the first to operate the Tadong Airport as an aviation hub for international cargo plane landings."

"Your ambition has always been this big."

Chantal wasn't surprised at all that Li Xuewu would propose such a plan and request; the Red Steel Group was designed and planned by this man himself.

This wasn't something Li Xuewu told her, but an obscure indication from Red Steel Group General Manager Li Huai De.

"Do you know how much 20 cargo transport planes cost?" Chantal wanted to calculate an account for him, pinching her fingers as she said, "If judged by your budget, I'm afraid even the maintenance costs would make you flinch."

"So, what is your opinion?" Li Xuewu sat up straight and looked at her, asking, "20 transport planes?"

"Impossible, I already said so."

Chantal waved her hand in amusement and said, "Even if I provide you with 20 transport planes, do you have the corresponding business?"

"You told me before, don't take too big a step, or you'll easily pull your balls."

"Hmm, then what if we transport this?"

Li Xuewu reached out, pulled an M1911 from his lower back, placed it in front of her, and gestured, "How about it?"