Chapter 1571: Setting aside the facts

"What are you doing? Filming a movie?"

Li Xuewu had just finished a phone call with his family when Zhang Songying, who seemed to be passing by the entrance, suddenly ducked into his office.

Watching her suspicious behavior, Li Xuewu couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Is it a spy thriller you're filming?"

"It's not me—" Zhang Songying blurted out this nonsensical remark, pulled her head back from the doorway, and curled her lip. "It feels like someone is watching me."

"Are you sure someone is watching you?" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and glanced at the phone beside him, though he didn't pick it up.

"If it's not me, then it's..."

Zhang Songying was about to retort when she suddenly thought of something. She frowned and looked at him, asking, "Is someone watching you?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen anyone." Li Xuewu gave a faint smile, picked up his teacup, and asked, "Are you here for something?"

"I'm afraid of coming to you now, because it means there's trouble."

Zhang Songying said this in two parts, muttering with a look of displeasure, "These people must be crazy—"

She walked to the side of Li Xuewu's desk, knitted her brows, and complained, "It's just a tiny, trivial matter, is it really worth all this?"

"Hmm, it seems you haven't been slacking off lately and have been persisting in your studies?" Li Xuewu looked at her with gratification and said, "Your political awareness has improved quite quickly."

"You're still in the mood to joke."

Zhang Songying let out a long sigh and said, "I saw you pass through the lobby, but I just couldn't find an opportunity to greet you."

"You saw me downstairs?" Li Xuewu's eyebrows twitched. "Why didn't you just say hello?"

"This whole thing is just stirring up trouble—" She glanced outside the door and said, "If I had greeted you in the lobby, there's no telling what kind of rumors and gossip would have come out of it."

"You haven't been in the group for a while, so you don't know—" She said with a stern face, shaking her head slightly and whispering, "All sorts of monsters and demons have crawled out. They've blown the smallest, most insignificant things out of proportion, making them sound like the end of the world. It's almost at the point of real conflict."

"Is it really that bad—" Li Xuewu hadn't been in the capital or the group, and while he knew the winds were blowing hard, he hadn't experienced it firsthand.

Today, he finally felt it. Although the spring breeze had begun to blow, the weather had become even more treacherous.

"How many days can you stay this time?"

Zhang Songying raised an eyebrow and said, "If you could stay a few more days, you'd know. It's even uglier than I described."

"'Uglier'?" Li Xuewu looked at her skeptically and asked with a smile, "Is that the word you're using to describe it?"

"Han Lu, you know her, right?" She widened her eyes and whispered, "The wife of your former driver. Now people are saying things about her that are worse than calling her a tramp."

"Hmm?" Li Xuewu tilted his head, folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, and asked, "What's the situation?"

"I'm telling you, someone is doing this on purpose. Do you believe me?"

Zhang Songying said firmly, "People have no shame now; they're all digging up each other's dirt."

At this point, as if remembering something, she leaned forward slightly, leaned over the documents toward Li Xuewu, and whispered, "Director Li doesn't even go dancing anymore. Just imagine—"

"Oh—" Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and said, "Then the situation must be very serious."

"Pfft—" Seeing his expression, Zhang Songying couldn't help but almost laugh out loud. She raised her hand to cover her mouth tightly and gave him an amused look.

Li Xuewu also chuckled and shook his head slightly, not feeling that his reaction was over the top.

If you told Old Li he couldn't go home for a month, he might manage, but telling him he couldn't dance for a month would be worse than killing him.

The club used to be right next to the office building. The Metallurgical Plant originally only had a few thousand people, but it slowly grew to over ten thousand.

In fact, when the total number of employees in the main plant and branches exceeded ten thousand, that small club building wasn't enough anymore.

Later, they simply moved the club to the grand auditorium, clearing out a portion of it for daily activities.

Later, when the Great Learning activities began, club activities stopped, and the original small club building was handed over to the newly transferred Art Troupe.

When Wang Yajuan and the others first arrived, Old Li didn't go there often. It was only later, after Zhou Miaomiao took the initiative, that Old Li became a regular there.

That's right, "regular" is the word to describe him.

Old Li didn't have any natural talent or skill for dancing, but he had the perseverance to grind an iron rod into a needle. Over the years, he had traded his hair for quite decent dancing skills.

How obsessed was he with "dancing"?

Let's put it this way: the new group building was ten stories high, and on the floor above where the group management was located, there was a small dance hall where the club often organized activities.

Li Xuewu knew a little waltz, but he wasn't very good at it, and he didn't like the ambiguity in the dance hall, especially being watched by others.

So he had never participated in such activities, except for the time he was in Jinmen and the time he was entertaining at the International Hotel.

He didn't dance and didn't understand why Old Li liked it so much, but that didn't stop him from knowing about Old Li's addiction.

Now that even Old Li could endure it, it was enough to prove that Zhang Songying's description just now wasn't an exaggeration.

"Did Han Lu cause a scene?" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Is there any situation over at the Art Troupe?"

"How would I know? I just know there was such a scene." Zhang Songying curled her lip and said, "It seems her husband blocked someone and slapped them a few times."

She nodded and said, "It was quite a spectacle at the time. It was only after the Security Division stepped in that the matter was suppressed."

"Oh, so Nie Xiaoguang took action." Li Xuewu lowered his eyes and took a sip of hot tea. "That must have been quite a spectacle."

"Right, his name is Nie Xiaoguang."

Zhang Songying stood up straight, placed her hand on the documents, and said, "I also heard from others that it had something to do with you, so I asked around. It turns out he's your former driver."

"His father is Nie Chenglin." Li Xuewu explained calmly, "The former Deputy Factory Director of the Steel Rolling Mill."

"Ah! You mean the Deputy Factory Director Nie who was in charge of production?" Zhang Songying tapped the pile of documents lightly, widened her eyes, and said, "The one who jumped off the train?"

Li Xuewu nodded. It hadn't been many years since that happened. Zhang Songying just hadn't asked for details; otherwise, knowing Nie Xiaoguang's name and linking it to his driver, she should have remembered.

"Han Lu has been exposed, is Zhou Miaomiao okay?"

He flipped through the documents in his hand and asked with a smile, "She's a smart person."

"Since you said she's smart—"

Zhang Songying raised an eyebrow and said, "She's a cadre now, and she doesn't work in the group anymore, so she hid away early."

"Her husband is actually quite smart too."

Li Xuewu looked up at her and said, "His name is Zhou—Zhou Tan, yes, he's in the Design Division."

"He's been transferred to the Vocational and Technical College now." Zhang Songying didn't know much about Han Lu, but she knew quite a bit about Zhou Miaomiao's situation.

Because Zhou Miaomiao was also in sales, responsible for brand management in the International Business Division, they often dealt with each other.

"The last time I met her was in Jinmen. When we talked about this, she even asked me if I wanted her apartment."

Zhang Songying raised an eyebrow and said, "Even if these two don't get covered in fur, they're still smarter than monkeys."

"Apartment? Is she selling her apartment?"

Li Xuewu looked up at her and asked, "I remember when they got married, they bought it with great difficulty, right?"

"Her family background isn't thin either."

Zhang Songying walked to the tea cabinet, made a cup of coffee for herself, carried it back, and explained, "Zhou Tan's family conditions are good; both parents are working."

"The apartment they want to sell was mostly supported by Zhou Tan's family, but now they think it's not good enough."

"Hmm? The apartment in the Workers' New Village?"

Li Xuewu asked with a smile, "If the apartment here isn't good, where is?"

"The Riverside Garden, of course—"

Zhang Songying said meaningfully, "At the time, who knew the group would really build cadre housing in the park?"

"Even without using your brain, just by looking with your eyes, you'd know the apartments in Riverside Garden are better than those in the Workers' New Village."

"That's true." Li Xuewu smiled, looked down at the documents, and said, "But she has to be qualified to buy one."

"Maybe she is qualified."

Zhang Songying raised an eyebrow and said, "She's not only smart but also well-behaved and sensible. Who—doesn't like that?"

She drew out the last part, "Who doesn't like that," and the meaning was obvious.

"Besides, you probably haven't seen her in a long time." She placed the coffee cup on the desk, stood there, and introduced, "She wears makeup, permed her hair, and dresses very stylishly. She's much prettier than before and full of charm."

"Is that so—" Li Xuewu looked her up and down and said, "Is she more stylish than you?"

It had to be said, being responsible for the group's cosmeceutical industry, especially controlling the export brands, Zhang Songying's attire and makeup were much more vibrant than before.

If you used a flower to describe her, she used to be not fully bloomed, but now she was in full, brilliant bloom, quite lush.

"Me? I'm already past my prime."

Zhang Songying laughed at herself, but the action of smoothing her hair betrayed the joy in her heart.

A man dies for his confidant, and a woman adorns herself for the one she loves.

For her, Li Xuewu was the man who changed her fate and life, and his praise meant a great deal to her.

"Didn't you say before?" She looked at Li Xuewu with amusement and said, "There are only lazy women, not ugly ones."

"Did I say that?" Li Xuewu shook his head with a smile and said, "How come I don't remember?"

"It's okay, I remember it for you."

Zhang Songying took a sip of coffee, her eyes full of love and affection.

Even without poetic scenery or picturesque views, just drinking a cup of coffee with him and chatting for a few moments could make her heart bloom and keep her happy for a long time.

Li Xuewu knew what she meant, which was why he chatted with her about gossip he wasn't really interested in.

This is what women like.

Knock, knock—

The closed door was knocked on, giving Zhang Songying a start.

Li Xuewu gave her an amused look and said, "Come in."

The door was opened, and Jing Yunong walked in carrying a notebook. Seeing Zhang Songying standing there, her eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

"Deputy Director Jing, a rare guest."

Li Xuewu stood up with a smile and walked over to greet her.

"Hello, General Manager Jing." Zhang Songying had just regained her composure, her face pale with nervousness. She asked a greeting with a dry laugh.

"I have something to discuss with you." Jing Yunong nodded, glanced at her, and then asked Li Xuewu, "Should I come back later?"

"No, no, I've finished my report."

Zhang Songying hurriedly put down her coffee cup, but discovered there was still a little left. She felt awkward and wanted to drink it, but felt embarrassed, so she could only purse her lips tightly and head out the door.

She wasn't afraid that the other party would misunderstand her relationship with Li Xuewu. She wasn't a flashy person like Han Lu, and Li Xuewu didn't have a reckless personality like Li Huai De.

That was why, in the beginning, it wasn't that people didn't speculate that she, Qin Huairu, Han Yating, Zhou Yao, and others had a relationship with Li Xuewu.

It was just that later, Han Yating married Li Xuewu's good friend, and Zhou Yao married Li Xuewu's brother-in-law.

The female comrades he had contact with at work, especially the young ones, were all introduced by him to people he was close to.

With Han Yating and the others as a buffer, she and Qin Huairu didn't stand out, especially after Qin Huairu got married.

Now she worked at the Baicaotang United Pharmaceutical Sales Corporation, which was a world away from Li Xuewu, so no one would drag her into Li Xuewu's affairs.

So, don't look at how she said the atmosphere in the group was bad recently; no one had started gossiping about Li Xuewu yet.

After all, Li Xuewu was really too young. Even if there was something, who could tell if it was before or after he got married?

She was nervous when she saw Jing Yunong because of the other party's status and the "conflict" between her and Li Xuewu.

You couldn't blame her for this reaction; Li Xuewu and Jing Yunong were acting too realistically, even she had been fooled.

Back at the old plant, the Finance Division manager even saw with his own eyes Deputy Director Jing arguing with Li Xuewu in the office and throwing a cup. Others even saw Deputy Director Jing slap Li Xuewu in the face. These were all facts.

The two basically didn't speak in the group, and when they met, they didn't even look at each other. No one doubted their relationship.

Even the group's General Manager, Li Huai De, had stepped in many times to mediate their conflict, only to end up with a bruised face.

Now that Jing Yunong had taken the initiative to come over, if they were to argue again, she wouldn't dare to be present. If something got out, she would become the scapegoat.

"Quite stylish—"

Jing Yunong glanced at the coffee cup Zhang Songying had just left behind. Not knowing what psychology was behind it, she said this.

Li Xuewu gave her an amused look and asked, "Should I make you a cup too? It's quite good."

"If it's good, why aren't you drinking it?" Jing Yunong narrowed her eyes at him, curled her lip, and sat opposite him.

He said "I'll make you a cup too," not "I'll make one for you too."

So she didn't care about the way Zhang Songying had stood in front of the desk holding the coffee cup; she just thought too much.

"Are you here to coordinate relationships?"

She placed her notebook on the desk and asked nonchalantly, "You came to my door as soon as you got back?"

"Hmm?" Li Xuewu was stunned and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Coordinate what relationship?"

Hearing him say this, Jing Yunong first looked at him suspiciously, then frowned and said, "Nothing, I thought she came to ask you about the personnel in the Jin Ling area."

"Heh—" Li Xuewu thought of something, stood up, and asked with a smile, "The pressure has been very high lately, right?"

"Yeah, everyone is starting to get suspicious." In front of Li Xuewu, she had nothing to pretend. She leaned back in her chair, exhausted, and complained, "I'm about to get wrinkles."

"Why be afraid of wrinkles? That's the most beautiful gift time leaves for a woman." Li Xuewu walked back with a cup of tea, placed it in front of her with a smile, raised an eyebrow, and said, "It proves your charm and temperament have withstood the test of time."

"Hmm?" Jing Yunong looked at him, surprised and amused. She curled her lip and asked, "Are you running a fever? What kind of crazy talk is that?"

"What kind of crazy talk is that?" Li Xuewu sat back behind the desk, picked up his teacup, and asked with a smile, "Didn't you take this course when you were in school?"

"What course?" Jing Yunong looked at him, puzzled.

Li Xuewu put down his teacup, tilted his head slightly, and said with a smile, "Romanticism."

"Heh—" Jing Yunong laughed out loud, looked at him speechlessly, and said, "You really are—quite sick."

"Hehe, as long as you're happy."

Li Xuewu gave a faint smile, nodded, and asked, "Has the Jin Ling area matter made things difficult for you?"

"What do you think?" Jing Yunong glared at him with dissatisfaction.

This matter had nothing to do with Li Xuewu. Even if there was something in the Jin Ling area that made things difficult for her, she wouldn't blame it on him.

The reason for her dissatisfaction was that she had finally managed to drop her disguise and was teased into a state of joy, only to be ruthlessly pulled back to reality by his words.

The reality was that she still had to face these messy things.

"Who is the person in charge of the Jin Ling area?" Li Xuewu said bluntly, "I just chatted with Deputy Director Gao, and she was very tight-lipped about it."

"Deng Yuan Neng, do you know him?" Jing Yunong didn't hide it from him, even though this candidate was still confidential, but Li Xuewu wasn't outside the scope of confidentiality.

"He previously served as the Deputy General Manager of the Jinmen United Trade Management Center and was also the person in charge of the Jinmen branch."

"Hmm, I know him." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "He was transferred from Beijing Industry the year before last, and he acted very eager."

"Hmm, he's a connection of Su Weide."

Jing Yunong spoke quite bluntly, looking at the person opposite her and saying, "At the beginning of last year, someone reported him, and it was Su Weide who helped him suppress it."

"Oh—" Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and said, "So that's how it is."

After saying this, he looked at Jing Yunong and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Did you push him up?"

"Hmm, I told Old Li that this candidate was pushed hard by Su Weide." She raised an eyebrow and said, "Old Li was very angry."

"And then?" Li Xuewu twitched the corner of his mouth and asked, "Actually, that's not the case, right?"

"Hehe—" Jing Yunong picked up her teacup and said faintly, "Two days ago, this Deng Yuan Neng even came to visit my house."

"You saw him?" Li Xuewu seemed unable to understand her anymore. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Let me remind you, Old Su isn't that simple."

"He's much simpler than you—"

Jing Yunong gave him a meaningful look, put down her cup, and then explained, "I didn't let him into the house, and I didn't accept his gifts."

"He left the gifts in front of my door, so I called Old Li. It was Liu Bin who brought people to take the things away."

"..." Li Xuewu couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye. It had to be said, if a woman gets ruthless, what does a man's "eagerness" count for?

If someone came to give him gifts, at most he would put on a stern face and reprimand the other party. Even if the other party insisted on leaving the gifts, he would arrange for his secretary to return them. He would never do something so absolute.

Now it was fine; Old Su's butt couldn't be wiped clean.

Just think, Jing Yunong had already told Old Li that this Deng Yuan Neng was pushed hard by Su Weide.

She was responsible for the group's personnel work and couldn't ignore the face of Su Weide, who was also a member of the group's management committee. Even Old Li couldn't stop this recommendation.

Old Li might have had doubts after hearing her words, but when Deng Yuan Neng came to visit, Old Li's doubts vanished completely.

Especially when Jing Yunong "out of anger" refused to receive the other party and accept the gifts, Old Li could even feel the resentment coming from her.

That's right, personnel work isn't something anyone can touch if they want to. You can offer opinions, but you can't force it.

Jing Yunong was angry at the other party's assertiveness and placed the problem directly in front of Old Li. This behavior made perfect sense.

Even if Su Weide knelt down and explained to Old Li that everything was a misunderstanding, Old Li wouldn't believe him.

If it wasn't pushed hard by Su Weide, why was Jing Yunong angry? If it had nothing to do with Su Weide, why did that Deng Yuan Neng have to come to her place to give gifts?

Even if Old Su knew about this, what reaction could he have?

He couldn't ask Deng Yuan Neng how he got this position; otherwise, he would lose face in front of his subordinates.

Deng Yuan Neng must be convinced that he got this position because of his care. What could Old Su say? Say it wasn't his arrangement?

Link by link, a killing technique at every turn.

They hadn't torn their faces apart yet, but now it was fine; Jing Yunong had stripped both of their pants and told them to fight it out.

Li Xuewu reached out and touched his face, looked at her, and asked, "I heard the group has been quite lively lately. Could it be your masterpiece too?"

"Do you think I'm particularly vicious?" Jing Yunong frowned and asked, "More vicious than Cixi?"

"How could that be—" Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I was just asking."

Jing Yunong wasn't very satisfied with this answer. She glared at him and asked, "What is your evaluation of Lu Yuanshen's work?"

"Old Li asked you?" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow. "So soon?"

"I was just asking." Jing Yunong had learned to be bad, learning his tone from just now and saying this.

"Consider it my mistake, okay?"

Li Xuewu raised his hands in surrender and said with a smile, "You are a great person who doesn't hold grudges against small people. Let's turn the page and talk about Lu Yuanshen."

"It's not that Li Huai De has an opinion about him."

Jing Yunong took a sip of her tea and said faintly, "It's that he ran into the muzzle of the gun himself."

After saying this, she looked up at Li Xuewu and asked, "Do you know who he has close dealings with?"

"How would I know—" Li Xuewu shrugged and said, "With such a big mess, I can't watch everyone."

"I don't believe a word you say." Jing Yunong widened her eyes, put down her teacup, and asked, "Does Gu Cheng have anything to do with you?"

"Gu Cheng? What's wrong with him?"

Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair, hands crossed over his lower abdomen, looking at her with confusion and an innocent expression.

Jing Yunong observed him for a long time before setting her mind at ease. She nodded calmly and said, "It really was you. I said that kid couldn't be that bad."

"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu's cheeks puffed out. "Setting aside the facts, am I a big villain in your heart?"

"Otherwise?" Jing Yunong raised an eyebrow and said, "What facts do you want to set aside?"

"You don't believe me." Li Xuewu simply refused to discuss the facts, instead saying with a stern face, "You think everything I do is premeditated, that I'm a conspirator."

"Oh ho—I didn't say that." She pointed at Li Xuewu and emphasized, "That's what you said yourself."

"So you're here to find fault today, right?" Li Xuewu tilted his head and asked, "Want to find a place to vent your anger?"

"You're even better at sophistry than I am."

Jing Yunong glared at him and said, "So what if I have a bit of a temper? Do I have to hold it in?"

"Fine, I'm a soft persimmon; anyone can bully me." Li Xuewu spread his hands and said, "Since you're the Deputy Director, I'll shut up, okay?"

"So you mean I talk too much?" Jing Yunong glared and said, "Did I come here to argue with you? Do you overestimate yourself too much?"

"Ha—" Li Xuewu spread his hands and retorted, "Could it be that you came to me to talk about love?"

"You're just too much of a jerk." Jing Yunong stood up and pointed at him, saying, "No wonder Director Li says you're not worth trusting."

"Oh, Director Li said that about me to you." Li Xuewu stood up, not showing any weakness, and stared at her, asking, "Then why didn't you let him say it to my face?"

"That's exactly because he doesn't trust you."

Jing Yunong, who had walked to the door, suddenly pulled it open, but someone wasn't paying attention and almost stumbled in.

The atmosphere in the office was extremely heavy. Two gazes focused on Su Liyang, who stumbled and stood up straight with an awkward look on his face.

"That... I came to find the Secretary-General." He pointed inside the office with a dry laugh. Seeing Jing Yunong glare at him with a cold face, signaling him to get out of the way, he didn't dare to make up any more explanations.

He stepped aside and watched Jing Yunong leave. He curled his lip, stiffly reached out to knock on the door, and said, "Secretary-General, I'm here to report the investigation results of Steel Auto."

"Come in." Li Xuewu stared at him with gloomy eyes, nodded, and sat back down.

"Secretary-General, this is the investigation result issued by the Supervision Division. Please take a look." He walked to the opposite side of the desk, handed over a document, and reported, "Deputy Director Su specifically requested to hear your opinion."

"Is it clear?" Li Xuewu didn't make things difficult for him. He looked at the document in front of him and said, "Just handle it according to the actual situation."

"Deputy Director Su's meaning is..." He observed Li Xuewu's expression before explaining hesitantly, "After all, Steel Auto is in Liaodong, your opinion..."

"What about my opinion?" Li Xuewu looked up at him and asked, "Do you think I would engage in favoritism or bias?"

"No, Secretary-General, you misunderstood, I didn't mean that—" Su Liyang waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I meant that your opinion should be respected..."

"My opinion is to seek truth from facts."

Li Xuewu picked up his fountain pen and made an instruction on the document. It was indeed those four words he said: seek truth from facts.

"Good... okay, Secretary-General."

Su Liyang glanced at him and replied, "After the report is formed, we will notify the General Manager's Office, or ask Liaodong Industry to issue handling opinions."

"I know." Li Xuewu wasn't surprised by this result, after all, Su Weide was there.

Around the end of the year, a safety production accident occurred at Steel Auto. After being handled at a higher level, the Liaodong Industry Leadership Office arranged for people to sink down to Steel Auto to supervise the investigation.

After the investigation results came out, they were reported to the group's Quality and Safety Division according to procedure, and after the Quality and Safety Division reviewed them, the final investigation report was formed.

And this investigation report would become the basis for handling this matter, including the pursuit and handling of relevant responsible persons.

Li Xuewu had already seen the first draft, but it was certain that it would change after reaching the group. He had been mentally prepared for this.

Su Weide would definitely not propose handling opinions for relevant responsible persons from the group level, because he wouldn't offend anyone.

Even if he had to offend someone, he should gain enough benefits. He would absolutely never do such a thing that harms others without benefiting himself.

Then this matter would fall on Li Xuewu's head. This was forcing him to "shed tears and behead Ma Su."

No matter what kind of opinion he proposed, it would hurt some people's hearts. Su Weide was very happy to see his influence damaged.

It looked magnanimous, but it actually harbored evil intentions.

This Su Liyang was transferred from the ministry after Su Weide came down. At first, he didn't get too close, but now he was clearly taking sides.

Just as the other party was nervously picking up the documents on the table, Li Xuewu put down his fountain pen and reminded him faintly, "About what just happened..."

"Understood, Secretary-General, don't worry."

Su Liyang's heart pounded. He raised his hand and guaranteed, "I just came to report work to you."

"Hmm." Li Xuewu snorted through his nose, didn't even look at him, and said, "Go."

"Okay, Secretary-General, you, you go ahead and get busy."

Su Liyang turned and walked out as if he had been granted amnesty, afraid that if he walked too fast, he would look guilty, and afraid that if he walked too slowly, the leader would say something else scary.

It wasn't until he was out the office door that he realized his back was damp, and there was even sweat on his forehead.

Especially the sunlight shining in from the corridor's glass window gave him a feeling of seeing the clouds part to see the sun, a feeling of having survived a disaster.

He finally understood the mood of the Finance Division manager, Fu Yutang, back then. Whoever runs into this is unlucky.

However, the mood after a narrow escape was still not bad, even a bit gleeful, because he had heard incredible content.

Not daring to delay even a little, he first took a detour before finding an opportunity to duck into Deputy Director Su's office. He couldn't wait to report what he had heard.

It was too damn explosive!

Deng Yuan Neng, Su Weide's person, arranged by Jing Yunong.

"Don't you have anything to eat at home?"

Li Xuewu searched the kitchen, then flipped through the drawers and cabinets in the living room, and asked helplessly, "Don't you even have anything to snack on?"

"Didn't you eat lunch?" Jing Yunong's anger had dissipated, and even her speech became a bit gentler. She came out of the room, smoothing her hair, and said, "What time is it, and you're already hungry."

"I only ate breakfast, okay?" Li Xuewu looked back at her and said, "Hurry up and make something to eat, I'm starving to death."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier." Jing Yunong frowned and said, "If I had known, I would have brought you something from the cafeteria."

"Isn't it because you said you were in a hurry?" Li Xuewu was hungry, picked up the warm tea, and gulped it down to fill his stomach with water. He put down the cup and sighed, "This distant water couldn't quench my near thirst, and meeting a bright fire, if I didn't reach out to help, would I still be a good person?"

"I wasn't wrong; you are a villain." Jing Yunong pointed at him, then turned and went to the kitchen.

Li Xuewu looked back at her and emphasized, "I won't argue with you for saying that in the office, but now that we're at your house and you're still saying that, this isn't the way to treat a guest, right?"

"You really consider yourself a guest."

Jing Yunong's voice came from the kitchen, "I've never seen a guest who goes to someone's house and ends up in bed."

"I didn't know, you should have said so earlier."

Li Xuewu picked up the family photo on the cabinet, curled his lip, and replied, "Next time, the sofa will be fine too."

"Sure, as long as you don't mind the cold." Jing Yunong was more open than him. She poked her head out of the kitchen and asked, "You still haven't told me how you discovered someone was at the door."

"Eyes watching six directions, ears listening to all sides."

Li Xuewu put down the family photo in his hand, looked up, and signaled, "How come I haven't seen your son?"

"He's at his grandfather's house." Jing Yunong said faintly, "He comes back twice a year."

"He looks like you." Li Xuewu smiled, walked to the kitchen door, looked at her back, and said, "Especially the eyes."

"I've discovered you've changed." Jing Yunong spread the noodles in the pot, turned her head to look at him, and said, "You've become glib."

"Can't I even praise you?" Li Xuewu asked with his arms folded, "Have I changed, or have you changed?"

"It must be you." She took two eggs from the cabinet and cracked them, saying, "Do you want the egg sauce to be saltier or blander?"

"A bit blander, don't need too much sauce."

Li Xuewu walked into the kitchen, looked around, and asked, "Do you usually eat this at home?"

"Otherwise?" Jing Yunong asked back while stirring the eggs with chopsticks, "Do I have to stir-fry three dishes and two soups for you?"

"Isn't that what you should do?" Li Xuewu picked up the chopsticks, stirred the noodles, and said with a smile, "I haven't eaten your cooking yet."

"How many women do you have?" Jing Yunong suddenly turned her head, looked at him, and asked, "Can't you even count them anymore?"

"Hmm? What kind of person do you take me for!"

Li Xuewu emphasized with dissatisfaction, "It's just you, if it were anyone else, I wouldn't have fallen into the pit."

"..." Jing Yunong twitched the corner of her mouth, leaned on the kitchen counter, looked at him, and asked, "Then tell me, whose house did you last eat stir-fried dishes and soups at?"

"Hey! I was talking about outside!"

She pointed at Li Xuewu, glared, and emphasized, "Not at your house, and not at a relative's house. You know where I'm talking about."

"Uh—" Li Xuewu suddenly remembered. One time he came to her house, she had made a table full of dishes and waited all night, but he came in the morning.

"Shouldn't you pour cold water when the noodles boil?" He was only surprised for a moment, then his gaze fell on the pot, as if the topic had just turned the page.

Jing Yunong narrowed her eyes and watched him for a long time before taking cold water from the faucet and pouring some into the pot, saying, "That Zhang Songying and you..."

"Where did you buy these noodles?" Li Xuewu flipped through the paper packaging of the dried noodles and asked, "They didn't expire, did they?"

"Sure, as long as you like it."

Jing Yunong seemed very magnanimous and didn't dwell on this topic, instead saying faintly, "It would be better if they were expired, to poison you to death."

"They say there's nothing more poisonous than a woman's heart, but I don't believe that." Li Xuewu used his chopsticks to spread the noodles. "Men and women are the same. Does it matter if a heart is ruthless and poisonous based on gender?"

"If you think I'm vicious, just say it, no need to beat around the bush." She glanced at Li Xuewu and asked, "You came to the kitchen to help, you aren't really afraid I'd poison you, are you?"

"Forget it." Li Xuewu picked up the cold water she had just taken and poured some more into the boiling pot, turned to look at her, and said, "I've heard of Pan Jinlian poisoning Wu Dalang, but I haven't heard of Pan Jinlian poisoning Ximen Qing."

"Who are you calling Pan Jinlian?!" Jing Yunong pinched her chopsticks and was about to stab him, glaring and emphasizing, "You were the one who provoked me first!"

"It's only March now." Li Xuewu pointed outside the window and said, "If this were June, it would definitely be snowing goose feathers."

He stirred the noodles that had boiled three times, turned off the gas, and curled his lip, saying, "According to what you said, my nickname would have to be Dou E."

"You might as well be called Big Goose—"

Jing Yunong glared at him, picked up another pot, lit the fire, and signaled the noodles, saying, "Go serve them yourself."

"Do you want them over-boiled?" Li Xuewu didn't argue with her. After scooping out the noodles, he took them to the faucet and said, "I still like them a bit chewy."

Seeing Jing Yunong only focused on making the egg sauce and not speaking, he turned his head back and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Like you."

"It's not that I poisoned the noodles."

Jing Yunong glanced at him sideways and hummed, "It's that your mouth is smeared with poison."

"Fine, let's end this topic here."

Li Xuewu raised his chopsticks, carried the rinsed noodles to the dining room. It had to be said, Jing Yunong's house wasn't small, it was just a bit cold.

"Actually, the canned food made by our food factory is also okay." While eating, Li Xuewu reminded her, "If you don't want to cook, you can buy some canned food to keep on hand."

"I don't like eating canned food." Jing Yunong said faintly, "I ate too much of it when I was young."

"Can you get sick of canned food?" Li Xuewu asked with amusement, "When you were studying abroad?"

"Why? Are you very curious about my past?" She suddenly turned to Li Xuewu and countered, "You aren't going to fall in love with me, are you?"

"Look, a misunderstanding, isn't it."

Li Xuewu smiled, signaled the noodles in the bowl, and said, "I was suddenly moved and wanted to chat with you."

"Not needed, stop asking."

Jing Yunong ate the noodles and said, "The matter I told you this morning isn't finished. You still haven't told me your handling opinion for Lu Yuanshen."

"Hmm, it's not easy to say." Li Xuewu ate a mouthful of noodles and said, "You should know, I don't really care about this."

"Whatever." He looked at Jing Yunong and said, "Liaodong Industry can't be decided by me alone. I don't think there's a need to make things so tense."

"Is this your idea, or the idea of all of them." Jing Yunong looked at him and said, "You were benevolent, but they might not all be gentlemen."

"Who is a gentleman anyway." Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and asked, "Do you think I'm a gentleman?"

"Aren't you?" Jing Yunong raised an eyebrow and said, "Haven't you always said you're a good person?"

"I've never said I was a good person." Li Xuewu shrugged and emphasized, "I've only said I'm not a bad person."

He ate quickly, put down his rice bowl, looked into Jing Yunong's eyes, and said earnestly, "As long as it's a person doing things, there's no such thing as not following one's heart, but there must be a bottom line."

"My bottom line is not to feel guilty." ===== CHAPTER 1572 =====