Chapter 1584: Li Shu caused trouble

"Secretary-General—"

"Liu Bin?" Li Xuewu heard the movement in the living room and didn't expect it to be Li Huai De's secretary, Liu Bin, visiting late at night. "Why are you here?"

"I'm sorry, Secretary-General. Visiting you at this time, the situation is truly urgent and unavoidable."

The panic on Liu Bin's face didn't look fake. His dusty appearance suggested he had just gotten off the train.

Li Xuewu turned his head to look at the time on the wall; it was already 11:10 PM.

"You came from Beijing?" He stood up and looked at the other party, asking, "What time did you arrive in Steel City?"

"I rushed over as soon as I got off the train." He swallowed his dry throat and explained, "I didn't dare delay a minute according to the address Director Li gave."

"Make a cup of tea." Li Xuewu's expression became more serious. He nodded to Yu Li, who was standing at the study door, and after seeing Liu Bin's expression soften, he beckoned him to the study for a talk.

"Secretary-General, Director Li..."

"No rush, catch your breath first."

Li Xuewu raised his hand to press down, stopping the other party who wanted to report immediately. He said in a calm tone, "Take your time and explain clearly."

"Yes." Whether it was due to his trust or the influence of his achievements in the Group over the years, Liu Bin really started to take deep breaths to calm his emotions.

"Here is your tea." Yu Li walked in with a cup of brewed black tea and placed it on Liu Bin's left side.

"Thank you, sorry to disturb you."

Liu Bin bowed slightly to thank her. He had been mentally prepared when he rang the doorbell.

But when he saw that the person who opened the door was a woman, his heart still added a few points of anxiety.

He was afraid—afraid that the address Director Li gave was wrong, and afraid that the other party would be unfamiliar and turn him away.

He was even more afraid that the Secretary-General would have some misgivings or feel uneasy about his late-night visit and refuse to see him.

When he nervously stated his identity and explained the purpose of his visit, the other party actually invited him in and told him the Secretary-General was right there.

Either the identity was special and he wasn't afraid of him knowing, or Li Xuewu was confident and wasn't afraid of him talking nonsense.

Regarding the identity of the person in front of him, he didn't intend to guess from the moment he entered the door, and he didn't dare to ask.

He only bowed slightly to thank her, and after seeing the other party gesture, he turned and left. Only then did his heart land.

"Drink your tea." Li Xuewu raised his hand.

"Thank you, Secretary-General." Liu Bin picked up the teacup and drank slowly. Hot liquid surged into his throat. After letting out a cool breath, his tense nerves finally eased slightly.

"Secretary-General, Deputy Director Cheng has been taken away."

He put down the teacup, raised his head, and looked at Li Xuewu to report earnestly, "It was last night, along with several other department cadres from the Group."

"Deputy Director Cheng? Last night?"

Li Xuewu knew that it must be no small matter for Li Huai De to arrange for his secretary to see him in Liaodong late at night, but he didn't expect the situation to be so serious.

"Who took them? What was the reason?"

He knitted his eyebrows and clenched his fists, asking, "What is the Group's reaction?"

"We didn't receive any notice." Liu Bin pursed his lips and reported, "This morning, several main persons in charge from various departments didn't come to work. Director Li arranged for the office to inquire, only to find that Deputy Director Cheng also didn't come."

"When the office, along with the Security Division, went to investigate everywhere, family members came to the Group to report that cadres claiming to be from a work group came to arrest people last night."

He paused here, seeing Li Xuewu's eyebrows knit even tighter, and his tone became even more solemn as he reported, "Director Li called the First Ministry of Machine-Building and the city, and both said there was no such action."

"However..." Liu Bin hesitated for a moment and said, "The people just disappeared."

"So many living people, they can't just disappear into thin air, right?"

Li Xuewu pounded the sofa armrest with his clenched fist and asked, "What is the reaction of the other Group leaders?"

"All day, the leaders have been in their offices." He looked at Li Xuewu, and his mouth was dry again—a natural reaction to his tense state.

Li Xuewu leaned sideways against the sofa back, his fist tapping the armrest lightly again, as if thinking about the significance behind this matter.

"Director Li arranged for me to report this situation to you. His meaning is, if you feel it is necessary, you can set off to return to Beijing immediately."

Liu Bin looked at him, and his heart jumped with every tap of his fist.

"We haven't been able to contact them all day." Li Xuewu asked while thinking, "No one has contacted the Group all day."

"That is the case." Liu Bin nodded and said, "I set off from the Group at nine this morning, took a speedboat to Tianjin, and then transferred to Yingcheng to come to Steel City."

He pursed his lips and said, "Director Li also had one more sentence: if you feel it is not necessary, then act as if I never came."

"Hmm?" Li Xuewu's narrowed eyes suddenly opened wide. He stared at the other party for a few seconds before lowering his eyelids and saying, "You came, so you came. How can it be as if you never came?"

"I know about this matter." He unclenched his fist and said, "Let me ask you one more thing: how is the Group executing the policy documents issued by the higher-ups in the last few months?"

"You mean..." Liu Bin had been Li Huai De's secretary for nearly two years, so he could naturally understand the meaning behind his words. He raised his eyebrows and reported, "It seems... the intensity is not enough?"

"Tell me, how is the intensity not enough?" Li Xuewu picked up his teacup and took a sip. His knitted eyebrows relaxed because he had figured out certain things.

"This..." Liu Bin's eyebrows knitted instead. He thought and said, "Director Li's meaning is to suppress it; he doesn't want to be too active... Could it be..."

"Was this topic discussed at the meeting?"

Li Xuewu didn't wait for him to finish answering and asked bluntly, "Or did Director Li discuss it with someone?"

"No, this topic was proposed by Deputy Director Su, but it didn't go to the meeting."

Liu Bin widened his eyes and reported, "The leader's meaning is to drag it out, because he is afraid that implementing it within the Group will cause a chain reaction."

"In these few years, the Group has always been at the forefront of change. When facing difficulties, it found ways to solve them, but it also lost a large batch of excellent talent."

He picked Li Huai De's words to express the original meaning to Li Xuewu, neither over-interpreting nor adding his own understanding.

"Regarding the action of cracking down on sabotage production activities, opposing corruption, theft, speculation, and extravagance and waste, although the Group actively deployed related work requirements and measures, it did not form cases with significant influence at the Group level."

Following Li Xuewu's line of thought, he thought while introducing the specific situation of the Group's main work deployed by the higher-ups recently.

Li Xuewu put down the teacup, his hand resting casually on the sofa armrest, his fingers moving from time to time, as if thinking.

"The recently issued 'Notice on Clearing...' was also deployed by the Group to a certain extent, but the situation..."

He couldn't go on, because he seemed to know where Director Li was stuck, or rather, where the source of this matter was.

"Please tell Director Li that this matter is of great importance. We should unite all forces and stabilize the hard-won development situation of the Group."

Li Xuewu saw that he understood and curled his fingers slightly, looking at him and instructing, "Deputy Director Zhou has rich connections in Beijing and can take the lead in handling this matter."

"Deputy Director Su has a deep background in the First Ministry of Machine-Building and should also be asked to come forward to coordinate."

He sat up straight, stared into Liu Bin's eyes, and said, "If Director Li feels this matter is not feasible, then submit an application for cadre replenishment to Beijing and the First Ministry of Machine-Building."

"This..." Liu Bin was stunned to see him say this. He really couldn't imagine why the Secretary-General would be so "ruthless."

Yes, Deputy Director Cheng and others had "disappeared." He didn't think about how to save them, but instead wanted to apply for new cadres to replenish them. This was too...

Furthermore, listening to the two people he mentioned—one was Deputy Director Zhou, arranged by Beijing industry, and the other was Deputy Director Su, who hadn't stopped making trouble since coming down from the Ministry.

If this matter were really entrusted to these two to handle, then Deputy Director Cheng and others would indeed have no chance of returning. It really would be time to submit an application for cadre replenishment.

However, he was sitting very close to Li Xuewu and could clearly feel the meticulousness and calculation in the Secretary-General's eyes.

What he entrusted couldn't be the content on the surface. One had to look through the appearance to see the essence, and what was the essence?

"He just left like that?" Yu Li stood at the door watching the other party get into the car and leave, until the car lights disappeared at the intersection, before turning back into the house.

Li Xuewu never came out; he stayed in the study, so she came to clean up the aftermath.

"Otherwise?" Li Xuewu continued to look at the book in his hand and said indifferently, "It's the middle of the night; should I keep him for a meal?"

"You know I'm not talking about that."

Yu Li cleaned up the tea the other party had used for half a cup and looked at Li Xuewu, saying, "He came and went in a hurry; what was it all for?"

"Even if there were urgent matters, you could have contacted him by phone. You don't lack secure phones."

"Secure phones?" Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "Where is there anyone more trustworthy than a confidant? That phone is a joke."

"Was there really some major matter?"

Yu Li had also learned more about his work after coming to Steel City, all because she lived here and had to cooperate with his work.

Moreover, the recycling station system was a vine clinging to the Red Steel Group, and any slight disturbance needed to be handled cautiously.

By Li Xuewu's side, she was the weather forecast for the recycling station, ready to convey Li Xuewu's instructions and reminders at any time.

"Is there a problem with that new Deputy Director Zhou?" Yu Li widened her eyes and asked, "Or is he..."

"Where is there a problem? Is there a problem with his brain?" Li Xuewu raised his head and looked at her with a smile, saying, "If there's no problem with his brain, then there's a problem with his ideology."

"Didn't you say he came with ill intent?"

Yu Li sat down beside him, reached out to pull the sweater he was wearing, and said, "It's been so long and there's been no action. Is this a ruthless move?"

"He's ruthless in the wrong place and picked the wrong direction." Li Xuewu put down the heavy book in his hand and said indifferently, "There are so many soft persimmons he didn't squeeze, but he had to squeeze a pile of stinking dog poop."

"Don't use dirty words; you're a big leader—" Yu Li rolled her eyes at him and scolded, "You need to pay attention to your image."

"Oh, have I reached the point where I need to pay attention to my image?" Li Xuewu looked at her with amusement and asked, "Or am I only like this in your heart?"

"You just neglect yourself too much—"

Yu Li reached out and pushed him, saying, "Someone came from so far away; you should at least show some concern, even if it's just letting him rest at the guesthouse for the night."

"Does he dare?" Li Xuewu smiled lightly and said, "He doesn't dare—"

Yu Li had thought of this too. In the study, after Li Xuewu finished his instructions, he as good as told Liu Bin clearly that he would act as if the other party had never come.

He emphasized that he wouldn't act as if Liu Bin had never come, but the meaning implied was to act as if he hadn't. This wasn't hypocrisy; Liu Bin already understood his meaning.

It was he himself who had to leave overnight to return to Beijing. Even if Li Xuewu let him rest for another night, Liu Bin probably wouldn't dare to take the risk of his whereabouts being exposed.

Since the key to the problem had been found, there was no need for him to continue staying in Steel City, and no need to invite the Secretary-General back to Beijing.

"Aren't you afraid he'll say something else when he goes back?"

Yu Li raised her eyebrows and said meaningfully, "He doesn't look like he's afraid of you."

"Afraid?" Li Xuewu said with amusement, "Since when has the word 'afraid' made people shut up? Isn't it 'submission'?"

He turned around and examined her pretty face, saying, "What do you think he'll say when he goes back?"

"He's Li Huai De's secretary; he'll say everything, one by one." Yu Li wasn't afraid of his gaze and test; she said frankly, "This is also his test."

"Of course, of course he'll report clearly, one by one." Li Xuewu lowered his eyelids and said, "He'll even report the time he entered the courtyard and left to Li Huai De."

"Then aren't you afraid?" She put her hand on Li Xuewu's shoulder and asked with a smile, "If he says you're hiding a mistress, this will be a handle Li Huai De can use against you."

"Rest assured, he's even more nervous than you."

Li Xuewu stood up and said with amusement, "There are no grasshoppers on the same rope, and no one can't live without anyone. There is only what is worth it and what isn't."

He walked to the study door, looked back at Yu Li who was standing there, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Do you believe he knew you came to Liaodong long ago, and even that you were living here?"

"Are you doing this on purpose?" Yu Li seemed to understand. She looked at him suspiciously, and seeing him leave with a smile, she chased after him and asked, "Then was it the same with Wu Shuping in Tianjin?"

She chased Li Xuewu all the way to the second floor, even chasing him onto the bed, riding him and questioning him, "So, are you acting, or is it real?"

"You should know my character." Li Xuewu looked at her earnestly and said, "How could I do that kind of thing?"

"Pfft—" Yu Li hadn't believed him for a long time. She reached out and went to pull off his pants, saying, "What you're best at is talking nonsense with a straight face."

The wind seemed to blow into the Red Steel Group all at once, and it had a trend of becoming more and more intense.

Not only did Deputy Director Cheng and others who "disappeared" fail to return to their posts, but even the Group's leaders behaved somewhat abnormally.

This wind blew fiercely, but everyone had an attitude of standing still and waiting to die, as if it didn't matter who disappeared tonight.

The Group's management was like this, but in the offices and affiliated production units and branches, there were some signs that people couldn't understand or grasp.

No one could say for sure. Sometimes one or two "traitors" would pop up, but the emotional stability made this action look more like a farce.

The cold attitude of the "audience" made the director who planned this farce unable to step down, and he didn't even know how to deal with the "actors" trapped behind the scenes.

This director perhaps wanted to ignite the indignation suppressed in the hearts of the Group's staff with a fire, wanting to connect the sparks into a sheet and burn out a pure land.

It was a pity; he misjudged this kind of indignation. The Red Steel Group's staff seemed to lack the passion they should have had, looking at them like they were looking at idiots, like clowns dancing on stage.

The atmosphere suddenly froze to the extreme. The Group's work progress almost solidified. No one stood up to express anything; this dead silence made people panic.

Red Steel Group Liaodong Industrial Management Office—everyone seemed to have not heard, and their attitude was that they didn't want to hear. They went to work as usual and did their work as usual.

It was just that the office atmosphere in Steel City was the same as the Group's office. Everyone quieted down, and no one went looking for trouble, taking this kind of thing as gossip after tea and dinner.

When the latest issue of *Northern Industry News* used a large article to describe the consequences of the wrong route the Red Steel Group had taken from its development to the present, and expounded on how the Red Steel Group's management fabricated false prosperity by deceiving superiors and concealing from subordinates.

Of course, in the article, there was no lack of criticism and accusations against the Red Steel Group's main persons in charge, and even after reading it, one had the impression that the Red Steel Group was finished.

But in reality?

The Red Steel Group was still there, and the Group's General Manager, Li Huai De, even submitted an application for cadre replenishment to Beijing Industry and the First Ministry of Machine-Building.

The application bluntly stated the difficulties and problems encountered by the Group, mentioned the strange disappearance of multiple main cadres, and requested the higher-ups to replenish new cadres.

This kind of bizarre application completely broke a certain balance, and Old Li didn't even spare the cost, transferring the application layer by layer.

The matter became big. Multiple main persons in charge disappeared, including a Group leader. Instead of requesting relevant departments to intervene in the investigation, the Red Steel Group calmly accepted this reality and requested the replenishment of new cadres.

The Red Steel Group was calm, Li Huai De lay flat, but some people were left hanging in mid-air.

In early April, following the "disappearance" of Cheng Kaiyuan and others, multiple cadres were successively taken away by certain departments at their units. There was no reason for being taken away, and there was no basis for being taken away.

They didn't even provide their identities.

Of course, from beginning to end, no one asked them for their credentials, and even those who were taken away seemed very calm.

How? Is it my turn? Then let's go; I've been waiting for you for a long time—

Relying on this mentality, after the Red Steel Group sent away the third batch of cadres in silence, no one came again. Was it because that side couldn't hold any more people?

Or was it that Li Huai De and the Red Steel Group's silence made some people afraid, and after anger, they calmed down and knew how to think?

Li Xuewu received a call from the Group General Manager's office in Fengcheng. In the call, the office director conveyed General Manager Li Huai De's request.

General Manager Li requested that the Red Steel Group actively cooperate with the investigation, and no one was allowed to disobey orders; they were to report the facts and situation truthfully.

Li Xuewu didn't ask what the situation was, because even Li Huai De didn't know what situation the other party wanted to understand.

Now, the Red Steel Group's silent state was directly reflected in production and operation.

The Group didn't express its stance. Some projects stopped quietly, some business activities were quietly canceled, and some production activities pressed the stop button.

In the first month of the second quarter, the production and operation data reported by the Red Steel Group slid down a big slope, making those waiting to watch the fun drop their jaws.

*Northern Industry News* continued its reports, reporting on everything about the Red Steel Group in succession. All mistakes were exposed.

And the Red Steel Group's silence seemed to reflect that their reports were true, impeccable, and irrefutable.

But the long silence made them sing a one-man show, which seemed so ridiculous.

Li Huai De really could endure it. Whether it was the slander in the newspapers or the teasing and meaningful probing from the phone calls, he didn't make any response.

He didn't even arrange for anyone to go to Steel City to "ask for signs," because his thoughts were already clear.

"Should this project stop or not?"

Lu Yuanshen was very afraid that he would do too much or too little. He took the initiative to come to Li Xuewu's office, pointed at the location on the map, and asked clearly.

Li Xuewu raised his head and glanced at him, saying, "Have you received a transfer order?"

"Hmm? No, not yet."

Lu Yuanshen was stunned, but still answered, "I've even finished the handover work, but I've been waiting for the transfer document regarding me."

"Because I haven't talked to you yet."

Li Xuewu threw the documents in his hand aside and said indifferently, "Do what you should do, and don't get involved in what you shouldn't."

"Understood, I don't have that qualification yet."

Lu Yuanshen didn't feel annoyed after his reprimand; instead, he felt relieved. He wiped the non-existent sweat from his brow, nodded, and said, "This project cannot stop; the progress must be accelerated."

"Where has the equipment reached?" Li Xuewu asked without raising his head, "Has Xu Sinian contacted you?"

"Not yet, but it will be soon."

Lu Yuanshen reported, "I'll discuss it with United Construction. Since we have free hands now, it's just the right time to accelerate the factory area construction work."

"Hmm, go ahead, go busy yourself."

He just nodded casually, not wanting to talk more about the matter he reported, and he wasn't in the mood either.

Even though the spring breeze was warm, shaking the white gauze curtains in the office, his attention was still on the documents in his hand, as motionless as a mountain.

Lu Yuanshen looked at him deeply before nodding and leaving. Zhang Enyuan appeared at the door just in time like a shadow to send him to the stairwell.

"I'm not afraid of anything else, I'm just afraid of affecting the Secretary-General's plans and arrangements." It seemed there were some words he hadn't finished, or perhaps it wasn't convenient to say in the office, or he didn't dare to say. Just as Lu Yuanshen was about to go downstairs, he turned to Zhang Enyuan and said, "I believe in the Secretary-General."

"We all believe in the leader." Zhang Enyuan smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Steel Auto's work is very good. Director Li even asked about your production work when he called yesterday."

In the other party's expectation, he also picked a few nice things to say. Whether it was really Director Li evaluating Steel Auto, or if it wasn't said by Director Li at all, Lu Yuanshen didn't care.

As long as it was said from Zhang Enyuan's mouth, then these words were already set in stone.

Of course, what Zhang Enyuan said was useful, and it was useless. It was just a few evaluations and praises, and it couldn't be counted as a commendation or a bonus.

Lu Yuanshen's situation was just like now: he was a person standing on the stairs, and if he wasn't careful, he would roll down, unless he felt steady in his heart and walked down slowly.

Zhang Enyuan saw this clearly, so he stood at the stairwell, watching the other party's figure disappear before returning to the office.

The spring wind was truly changeable, just like a girl you just met. At first glance, she looked at you wearing thick clothes with disdain and was too lazy to look at you more.

But when you met for the second time, you revealed your new clothes, and the majestic body under the thin clothes, she seemed interested, and the temperature rose.

When you only needed to wear a shirt, and the muscles at the collar were faintly visible, she seemed like an enthusiastic and unrestrained girl, constantly teasing your heartstrings, letting you wear thinner and less clothing.

It had to be said, spring was truly flirtatious, and the words describing spring were also flirtatious.

"Mr. Z has returned from North Korea."

Zhang Enyuan didn't know where to start with this news. He walked to the tea cabinet, picked up the thermos, and came to Li Xuewu's desk to add hot water.

Li Xuewu reached out and pointed at the newspaper, asking, "Today's news?"

"No, it was early. I was afraid you'd forget."

Zhang Enyuan picked up the newspaper on the table, looked at it, and said, "Factory 346 independently designed and manufactured the first 1,000-kilogram polymer material universal testing machine. It's the headline on the secondary page."

"There's another one: the thermal insulation materials trial-produced by the Jicheng Thermal Insulation Material Factory—anti-hydrogen bricks, ultra-light thermal insulation bricks, and ultra-light clay bricks—have reached or exceeded world-advanced levels."

"Every day there is new industrial strength making progress—" Li Xuewu opened the page of the document in his hand and said, "Every day there is a new transcendence."

"Do you want to know the Group's news?"

He put down the newspaper, picked up the *United Industry News*, looked at it, and said, "The Group Sales General Corporation's Automobile Sales Company has started stocking the East German high-end motorcycle brand IWL..."

"It won't sell well; it's ugly."

Li Xuewu interrupted before he could finish the headline, "That car is all over the streets in East Germany, but it can't compare to the agility of the Comet or the stability of the Venus."

"You are a bit suspicious of blowing your own trumpet here." Zhang Enyuan teased him to make him laugh, also seeing that he had been working for too long.

More than half of the documents on the table had been processed, and the rest could be finished in the afternoon.

To be honest, although Li Xuewu worked in Steel City, the tasks regarding the Group were not few, and even because the distance was far, it led to stagnation and backlog.

Li Xuewu had to work overtime every few days to process them, otherwise, he wouldn't have time to go out for research.

"It's not at all. You'll know when you see it." Li Xuewu raised his head and looked at his secretary, Zhang Enyuan, saying, "Like a clumsy goose."

The Comet was designed by him, so Zhang Enyuan would say he was blowing his own trumpet.

But he really wasn't being coy. He had seen the introduced vehicle model; it was a project equivalent to the Red Steel Group exporting motorcycles to East Germany. The IFA Automotive Production Alliance also exported its own motorcycle brand to the internal channels owned by the Red Steel Group.

What do you call this? Self-deception.

Actually, East Germany lacked cars and motorcycles, otherwise, they wouldn't have traveled so far to import cars from China. This was truly a joke under heaven.

That wasn't even the end of it. To cover up this awkward situation caused by the shortage of resources, they started a reciprocal trade project.

Just like what was mentioned just now, they sold the Red Steel Group's motorcycles, and the Red Steel Group also had to sell their motorcycles.

Of course, don't take it seriously. Even if they could sell them, they couldn't provide more production capacity; on the contrary, they needed the Red Steel Group's production capacity more.

So this motorcycle was priced very expensively, and the footboard wasn't suitable for urban and rural roads; it could only be ridden in the city.

Nowadays, the road conditions in the mainland were really not suitable for this kind of "delicate lady" to be on the road, whereas the Comet, which was sturdy, durable, and simple in structure, could better adapt to the market.

Even if you encountered muddy roads, anyone with a bit of strength could carry the Comet and walk over.

It was even the case that two women riding the bike could lift the Comet together out of a muddy road.

Couldn't Li Xuewu draw a little white rabbit?

Of course he could. He could draw a cooler and more handsome motorcycle without any problem, but it would be unsuited to the local climate in this era.

Even if he drew a design drawing of a motorcycle with wings, and Xia Zhongquan had water in his brain and realized production, could it fly?

So when he heard the East German motorcycles were coming ashore, he knew these flashy things would definitely drown in the mainland market.

Back then, neither BMW nor Mercedes-Benz could break into the market. It was the Santana that completed the test first, because the Santana was like half a tank in the eyes of the Chinese.

So durability was the first choice. Li Xuewu had no interest in this car.

"The Aries is officially on sale."

Zhang Enyuan wanted to pick topics he wanted to talk about, so the topics he brought up were all things he was interested in.

Cars, appliances, airplanes, metallurgy, etc., were all contents Li Xuewu was quite concerned about, especially cars.

"Steel Auto's report says the Cruiser and Tundra cars are also expected to go online this year."

"It would be best if it wasn't blowing smoke."

Li Xuewu put down the pen in his hand, stood up slowly, walked to the window, looked at the spring scenery outside, and stretched his arms, saying, "These few car models are all precious treasures."

"Can the Aries make money too?"

Zhang Enyuan wasn't worried about the Cruiser and Tundra, because these two cars weren't designed for ordinary people at all.

It would be fine if you really wanted to buy one, but whether it was the high-quality configuration of the Cruiser or the modularity of the Tundra, it wasn't something ordinary people could afford.

By comparison, the Aries was much more approachable, especially the price.

"The Aries is only 8,600 yuan."

Li Xuewu turned his head, let the spring breeze tease his shirt, and looked at Zhang Enyuan, saying, "The reason the Gemini is popular is that it's small and exquisite, and the price is affordable."

"But the Gemini has a drawback, which is that it's a two-seater."

He pointed at Zhang Enyuan and said, "If you choose a car that is suitable for both inside and outside, and loved by both old and young, I think the Aries is much more practical than the Gemini."

"Are you bringing up confidence because the Capital Taxi adopted the Aries as a taxi?"

Zhang Enyuan smiled and reminded, "Three thousand yuan is already a price that ordinary people see as a chasm. I'm afraid there aren't many people in the whole country who can take out 8,600 yuan."

"Just because there isn't now, doesn't mean there won't be in the future."

Li Xuewu picked up the water pot in the corner, looked at the flowers and plants in the flowerpot, and watered them slowly, while saying, "You have to open up the existing market first."

"County cadres can only use the 212, and they envy the two-headed flat cars in the city. Now that they have the Aries, they can buy three with the money for one 212."

He turned his head to look at Zhang Enyuan and said with a smile, "This is called an open conspiracy. The Aries wasn't meant to make money in the first place."

"I knew it would be like this." Zhang Enyuan smiled, put down the newspaper in his hand, walked over, and took the water pot from his hand, saying, "On the contrary, the Gemini and motorcycles are good for making money."

"That's for sure." Li Xuewu handed over the water pot, wiped his hands on a towel, walked to the side, picked and picked the withered leaves, and said, "Doing management and doing trade are the same; you have to pay attention to strategy."

"What sells well doesn't necessarily make money; what sells generally doesn't necessarily lose money."

"If you say so, then I'm afraid Beijing Auto is one of those blowing wind and lighting fires in the newspaper." Zhang Enyuan raised his head and looked at him with a smile, saying, "I think it's very likely."

"People will say you are measuring a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart." Li Xuewu pointed at him, shook his head, and said, "Market competition is a game in itself; you have to accept the bet if you lose."

"Not necessarily." Zhang Enyuan said in a teasing tone, "On the 19th, when Mr. Z met with Japanese Chamber of Commerce members like Kenzo Matsumura, he talked about the four principles of Sino-Japanese trade."

He put down the water pot in his hand and looked at Li Xuewu, asking, "Do you think the international market will give us a fair competition opportunity to accept the bet if we lose?"

"That depends on how you talk." Li Xuewu walked back behind the desk and sat down, saying indifferently, "Japanese merchants won't be scared away; their legs are grown on their hearts."

"General Manager Gao holds a pessimistic attitude toward this matter." Zhang Enyuan found a document from the pile of documents and handed it over, saying, "She said her heart is cold."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu took it and looked at it, but saw that Gao Yaqing really commented "my heart is cold" in the newspaper that day.

Sometimes Gao Yaqing is a very interesting person. She has a lively side, perhaps because she has worked in the field of foreign trade for a long time, and has more forward-looking or era-sensitive qualities.

"It's all temporary." He finished reading the newspaper, put it aside, pointed at Zhang Enyuan, and said, "Do you believe it? In less than two years, a large area of Japanese merchants will pour into Liaodong."

"Ah?" Zhang Enyuan obviously didn't believe it. He widened his eyes and said, "How is that possible!"

"How is it impossible?" Li Xuewu said decisively, "You know by looking at the map. Japan lacks production raw materials and needs a huge market to consume industrial capacity."

"Is there any other country that is closer to them, has a larger market, and has richer raw materials than the mainland?"

"This..." Zhang Enyuan thought of the bad history and frowned, asking, "Could it be that they still have wolfish ambitions?"

"Yes, of course there are, and not just them—" Li Xuewu shook his head with a light smile and said, "Even those 'Sa-mi-da' ones want to."

Zhang Enyuan was confused by what he said. He didn't know which place this 'Sa-mi-da' represented, but it was in Northeast Asia, right?

April was relatively calm, but at the 27th Spring Guangzhou Trade Fair, Mr. Z put forward the instruction that "foreign trade should promote production, promote domestic trade, and promote the combination of production, use, and scientific research." This was almost the Red Steel Group's work route.

Suddenly, the remarks in the newspapers about the Red Steel Group's route were swept away, and no one mentioned it again, as if it had disappeared into thin air, or as if no one had ever mentioned it at all.

And when Li Xuewu saw this report, he knew that the economic situation in the mainland was changing quietly, and it was the kind that had to change.

Being able to let Mr. Z stand up to vindicate the Red Steel Group showed that the economy needed diverse experiments, and it also needed enterprises like the Red Steel Group to be the pioneers.

Therefore, the decline in production and operation activities in April also gave a hard kick to those accusations in the past.

"Are you writing a new book again?"

Gu Ning walked into the study and saw him writing something. She was curious and leaned over to take a look, but it was the look of a new book, so she couldn't help but ask, "What is it about?"

"Peace." Li Xuewu didn't stop the pen in his hand and answered bluntly, "The title is *Defending Peace*."

"The third part?" Gu Ning remembered that he had written *Defending the People* and *Defending Industry*, and now he was going to write *Defending Peace*. Wasn't it the *Defending* trilogy?

"Are you trying to make me laugh?" Li Xuewu raised his head and looked at her, asking, "Are the children all asleep?"

"Finally coaxed them to sleep." Gu Ning wiped her hand oil and said indifferently, "Do you know that Li Shu caused trouble?"

"Hmm? Caused trouble?" Li Xuewu blinked in surprise and asked, "Isn't she fine?"

"You see her as fine now, but the trouble was at the beginning of the month." Gu Ning curled her lips and avoided his gaze, saying, "She took Li Tang and Li Ning to pee in the medicinal wine their grandfather sealed."

"What the hell?!!"

Li Xuewu was shocked by this news she shared, and his train of thought was completely broken, because after he came back, Old Li had specifically called to say that the medicinal wine sent a few days ago was very effective.

"I only found out later; her grandmother wouldn't let me say it."

Gu Ning sighed helplessly and said, "She's naughty beyond measure, and she even took her two younger brothers to be naughty."

She looked at Li Xuewu and reminded him, "And the whole family spoils them."

"That's too absolute." Li Xuewu gave up the plan to continue writing, tightened his fountain pen, stood up, and said, "Their little aunt wouldn't spoil them."

"But Li Xue isn't at home." Gu Ning rolled her eyes at him. He still had the mood to say this at this time. "So this beating has been delayed for too long."

She sighed lightly and said, "It makes no sense to beat them now."

"It shouldn't have been beaten at the time either." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Li Shu speaks and she listens. They are just children; being naughty is normal."

"You—" Gu Ning didn't expect Li Xuewu to spoil the children even more than the old people. He had a strict side in front of the children, but behind their backs, he was a child slave.

"Anyway, I've told you. Go apologize to Dad."

She rolled her eyes and turned to the master bedroom, really not wanting to talk about this matter; it was embarrassing.

Li Xuewu scratched his chin and chased after her, asking, "So much time has passed, is there still a need to apologize?"

"Besides, this is Li Shu's mistake, let her grandfather beat her." ===== CHAPTER 1585 =====

She had gained experience in the few years she had been working. She looked into her second brother's eyes and asked, "This move of scraping the bone to remove poison—even she herself is a clay bodhisattva crossing the river, unable to save herself, right?"

"Not necessarily—" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at his sister, saying, "Everyone has their own calculations. You don't know what backup she has hidden, right?"