Chapter 1594

"Among us, only the Secretary-General hasn't suffered much, right?" Ding Zigui looked at Li Xuewu with a chuckle and asked, "You were born in '46?"

"Yeah, my grandfather had already passed away by then."

Li Xuewu smiled indifferently and explained, "The family pharmacy was long gone too, but back then, we just barely managed not to starve."

"Your father was a skilled man." Feng Xingke shook his head and sighed, "Back in our day, our lives were worthless; if you died somewhere out there, no one would even go looking for you."

"Even Zhou Ya wouldn't believe you if you said that."

Ding Zigui sensed the conversation had become a bit heavy, and seeing Director Li frowning, he pointed toward the sofa with a smile and said, "Her eyes are full of surprise."

"No—I don't disbelieve it—"

Zhou Ya waved her hand with a smile and said, "I've heard others mention such situations before; my father and mother also lived through those days."

"Having tree bark to eat was considered a good life."

Feng Xingke also realized he had digressed, so he looked at Li Xuewu with a smile and asked, "How many generations has your family's medical practice been passed down?"

"Counting my younger brother, it's nine generations." Li Xuewu reached out to draw a tile and explained, "Among us brothers, only my younger brother studied medicine."

"I know that; isn't your older brother at Huaqing?" Feng Xingke glanced at him and asked, "What is he doing now..."

"He came to support our research institute."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "I don't know exactly what he's researching; he doesn't tell me about it. After all, I have the lowest level of education in our family."

"Hahaha—" The group laughed. As they laughed, they couldn't help but curse him in their hearts for showing off. So what if you're a college student? It's not like you got it for free!

They were familiar with this routine. If some fool were to step up right now and ask: "Ah, you have the lowest education in your family, then what is your education level?"

Forget it! He would definitely show off all over your face.

In this day and age, if he pulled out a diploma from the Beijing Institute of Steel Technology, how would you respond?

Watching the leaders joke around, their laughter even having hidden meanings, Sun Tong had to try very hard to understand.

It was really interesting. Of course, she knew what the Secretary-General's education level was; she had done her research for the interview.

She found it interesting because the leaders often had a tacit understanding when they spoke; they didn't even need to finish a joke, and everyone would laugh after just the first half.

This also proved one thing: without this kind of brain, you really couldn't make it this far.

"His father's medical skills are indeed excellent."

Li Huai De and the others wouldn't give Li Xuewu a chance to show off. After a knowing laugh, from the perspective of a patient, he candidly introduced his own condition and the effectiveness of the treatment he received from Li Shun.

Of course, when leaders talk, if one or two out of ten sentences are true, that's considered an honest man.

"Oh, I really didn't know that."

Ding Zigui naturally had to flatter him. Since Director Li himself said the medical skills were brilliant, and it was in front of Li Xuewu, could he possibly disagree?

"I only knew the Secretary-General's father worked at the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; I really didn't know what he specialized in."

"Well, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, most are general practitioners."

As Li Huai De drew a tile, he pointed toward Li Xuewu opposite him and said to the two, "If you really want to regulate your body, I truly suggest you don't pretend."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled as he looked at him and said, "My father's house calls aren't cheap."

"Ah, hahaha—"

The group was stunned for a moment, then immediately burst into laughter.

Zhou Ya was the only one who remained dazed; she still hadn't figured out what these people were laughing at.

Saying some confusing things and then "hahaha"—are they sick or something?

"What kind of reporter are you?"

She was full and bored, so she turned her head to look at Sun Tong and asked curiously, "Do you write news?"

"Yes, I'm a print reporter."

Sun Tong was listening to the leaders' conversation; there was a lot of content here, all of it was material.

However, she was also very curious about Zhou Ya, so since the other party spoke first, she was willing to be distracted for a moment.

"Do you understand the reporter profession?"

"Not very well." Zhou Ya shook her head slightly and said, "I've never been interviewed even once."

"Hehehe—" Sun Tong actually found her very interesting and explained, "There are three types of reporters. The first is the print reporter, which is what I do."

"I mainly write text manuscripts for news reports; that's the kind you have in mind."

She smiled and continued to explain, "The second is the photojournalist, whose main means of reporting is taking news pictures; we work in cooperation."

"And the third is the broadcast reporter; they collect and produce audio news for radio stations."

"Are they announcers?" Zhou Ya asked curiously, "The third type of reporter."

"No, a reporter is a reporter, and an announcer is an announcer; these are two different professions." Sun Tong shook her head slightly, looked her over with a smile, and asked, "Where do you work now? Not our group, right?"

"No, I'm still in school."

Zhou Ya said with a hint of pride in her voice, "I'm a freshman at the Medical College."

"Ah—is that so—" Sun Tong cooperatively showed an expression of surprise and envy, which instantly boosted Zhou Ya's emotional value quite a bit.

Li Xuewu, listening to everything, turned his head and glanced at the two; reporters also have plenty of tricks up their sleeves.

Actually, Sun Tong was genuinely surprised. The moment Zhou Ya spoke, she instantly understood the other party's background.

A freshman at the Medical College—a freshman, this year. Think about it, is there something to this?

Combined with what she discovered the moment she entered the room regarding this young lady's clothing and temperament, she definitely didn't come from an ordinary family. She didn't expect her to have such a background.

At first, she thought she was someone related to the Secretary-General... or a naive young girl he had lured from somewhere. Now, looking at her, she also has... with Director Li.

"How many years does Miss Zhou Ya have to study medicine?"

Ding Zigui heard the two talking animatedly, looked up at them, and asked, "Four years?"

"Five years; everyone studying medicine does five years." Zhou Ya glanced at him and explained, "It's been like this since '55; there's no four-year program."

"That's not right." Ding Zigui turned his head to look at Li Xuewu and asked, "Didn't your third brother start working after graduating from his fourth year? Isn't he an undergraduate?"

"He is an undergraduate, a clinical Traditional Chinese Medicine undergraduate." Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and explained, "There's a difference between the education systems of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, and the length of study for clinical Traditional Chinese Medicine and clinical Western Medicine also differs."

"Ah—" Ding Zigui looked at Zhou Ya, as if he had just learned this piece of knowledge.

Zhou Ya, however, smiled and said, "If you ask me about Traditional Chinese Medicine, I really don't know."

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Our Medical College does have a Traditional Chinese Medicine department, but it's all orthopedics."

"That makes sense." Li Huai De said with a smile, "In the military, Traditional Chinese Medicine orthopedics is used the most."

"How do you figure that?"

Ding Zigui was truly capable of playing dumb, and he was willing to lose face to flatter Old Li, which disgusted Feng Xingke.

Ptooey—

He spat secretly and made up his mind that the next time Director Li tried to interject, he would definitely beat him to it.

Flattery, after all, who can't do it? You just have to be shameless.

"Director Li is right." Zhou Ya agreed with a smile, "The training intensity is high, and there are rarely other illnesses, so the Traditional Chinese Medicine orthopedics department is the most proficient."

"This is also the first time I've heard of this." Ding Zigui nodded with a smile and teased himself, "It's my ignorance."

"You've never stayed in the military, so it's normal not to know this. The Secretary-General must know."

Li Huai De was pleased by his flattery and even smiled to help him out of the awkward situation; the two looked at each other, quite in sync.

However, just as he signaled to the opposite side, Li Xuewu pushed the tiles in his hand and said, "Closed-door blooming."

Ding Zigui: "..."

Feng Xingke: "..."

Li Huai De: "..."

"How do you see the current situation?"

Li Huai De picked up his teacup, took a sip, and glanced at Zhou Ya, who was sitting by the mahjong table counting money. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch—that was all his money.

"Brother, this bill is missing a corner."

Zhou Ya had no sense of tact at all; while counting the money, she didn't forget to turn back and complain to Li Huai De.

"Wait a while and let Director Li exchange it for you."

Li Xuewu wasn't a good bird either; he smiled and pointed at her, saying, "We can't suffer this loss."

"That's right—" Zhou Ya turned her head back, satisfied, and continued counting the money, agreeing, "It was so hard to win; how can I spend it if it's missing a corner?"

"..." Li Huai De's mouth twitched even faster. Are these two a male-female duo of villains?

"I don't dare say what the situation is." Li Xuewu, having appeased Zhou Ya, turned his head to look at him, his expression becoming a bit more serious as he said, "But it's definitely not optimistic."

He paused, lowered his voice, leaned forward across the coffee table, and said, "Those two, because of whether or not to set up... and..."

"Hmm, hmm." Li Huai De understood what he meant without Li Xuewu needing to be too explicit.

"Actually, you know, this has nothing to do with whether or not to set up that thing; it's a future plan."

He stretched his neck back, looked into Old Li's eyes, and waited for him to think for a moment before continuing, "At this point in time, who dares to step forward?"

"If you ask me, you enduring all this is nothing. Plan for the long term and look to the future."

He gestured outward with his finger and emphasized, "In a year or two, when you look back at this year, you won't feel so depressed."

"Hmm—" Old Li let out a long sigh. If there was anyone in this group who could ease his mind and clear his doubts, it was Li Xuewu, whom he regarded as a little Zhuge.

Why did he risk the danger of his physical condition being leaked to ask Li Xuewu's father to help regulate his body? It was because he was furious and under great pressure, unable to sleep for entire nights, and even dancing had become boring.

When the Red Steel Group was still the Red Star Factory, he was the factory director, and as the director of the Management Committee, he was bullied by those people. Now that he was the General Manager of the Red Steel Group, he still had to be bullied by these people. If that were the case, hadn't he wasted the last few years? Hadn't he been the General Manager for nothing?

Li Xuewu had left in a hurry that time and didn't have a long talk with him, only telling him to endure.

He endured and endured, but ended up suffering internal injuries, forcing him to drink herbal medicine to regulate his internal fire.

Actually, he understood everything Li Xuewu said; it was nothing more than "when the King of Hell fights, the little ghosts suffer." But he was so far away—wasn't he being wronged?

"You say..." Li Huai De hesitated for a moment, frowned slightly, and asked, "Will the Third Ministry of Machine Building have any small moves next?"

"It doesn't matter; let them bring it on."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said, "When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth. Are we afraid of them?"

"It's not like we're under their jurisdiction. Even if they get anxious, can they really get tough with us?"

"I'm not worried about that." Li Huai De leaned back, regained some confidence, and said, "We're a group now, after all."

"That's right, we're a group company now." Li Xuewu tapped the coffee table with his finger and emphasized, "We don't rely on them to coordinate resources. What are you afraid of them for? If they come, let them come. At worst, you can go find their leader and have a fight."

"Hmm, hmm?" Li Huai De didn't react in time and almost fell into the trap he set. He looked at him with amusement and said, "What's the big deal? Your mindset must be stable during this period, right?"

"It's up to you." Li Xuewu picked up his teacup with a chuckle, took a sip, and said, "Actually, it wouldn't hurt for you to run to the Beijing Industry and the First Ministry of Machine Building more often. You can't show off, but don't you know how to cry poor?"

"Just say that after merging the sixteen factories of Beijing Industry, the pressure on the enterprise has been very high, and you can't afford to support so many workers. Give them back thirty thousand."

He was truly wicked. He raised his right eyelid and continued to teach Old Li, "Go tell Director Du that we're smashing pots and selling iron just to survive, and that the economic policies have changed too fast these years, making it hard to keep up with the rhythm."

"But don't just cry poor directly!"

Li Xuewu tapped the sofa armrest and emphasized seriously, "All our assets are laid out on Director Du's desk; it won't work if it's too fake."

"Understood, not poor, just under a lot of pressure."

Li Huai De grasped the essence of what he taught, raised his eyebrows, and said, "And that I'm very confused about the future, can't find the right direction, and lack policy guidance and advice."

"Tsk—" Li Xuewu had an expression of "you understand correctly" and clicked his tongue, saying, "Just think about it: among them, one by one, who understands business work?"

"Even if you tell them this, they won't understand. They know more about policy pressure than you do, but they don't dare say they understand. Can they really make things difficult for you?"

"Beijing Industry..." Li Huai De naturally understood what he meant, but asked with some worry, "If I say that, what if they really agree to accept some of the staff? We are currently..."

"How could you forget?" Li Xuewu tapped the sofa armrest again and reminded him, "Didn't Liu Bin remind you these past few days that the first batch of graduates from the Vocational and Technical College is about to be assigned?"

"Ah, this—" Li Huai De scratched his forehead, looked at Liu Bin, who was tidying up the room, and asked, "Liu Bin, have you mentioned this?"

"That—" Liu Bin looked at him in a dilemma and said, "I haven't had a chance to report it to you yet."

"Stop talking nonsense—"

Li Huai De saw through his expression at a glance, turned his head with amusement to look at Li Xuewu, and explained, "Maybe I forgot, or I was busy with something and didn't listen carefully."

"It doesn't matter; Wei Zai will be coming to report this work to you soon." Li Xuewu glanced at Liu Bin with a smile and explained to Old Li, "The recruitment and interview processes are all set; I've already looked them over."

"Then there's no problem if you've looked them over."

Li Huai De had a relaxed feeling of "I'm at ease when you handle things," waved his hand, and said, "Execute according to the rules."

"He needs to report to you the training plan and assignment plan for this batch of incoming graduates."

Li Xuewu raised his chin and reported softly, "Every unit under the group is looking forward to it. It won't be easy for you to keep this bowl of water level."

"Keep what level? How can this thing be kept level?" Li Huai De said bluntly, "Arrange them wherever there is a need. These graduates are the future with cultivation value; they can't be arranged randomly."

"I've reminded you: you should go out to socialize less recently." Li Xuewu smiled, reached out, patted his arm, and seeing his blank expression, explained, "Other units are going to come and snatch people."

"This—" Li Huai De just wanted to confidently say that he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but since it was Li Xuewu opposite him, he held back, nodded, and said, "Okay."

This "okay" sounded a bit aggrieved, but also helpless, as if he often drank and ruined things.

However, if he really went out to drink with others and they asked him for a few excellent graduates, could he really be stingy?

To avoid this, he chose to abstain from eating for a month; he wouldn't go no matter who invited him.

Generally speaking, except for universities directly under the ministry that assign college students to units within their system, the sources of college students for various units are coordinated and assigned by provincial universities in the location according to each system.

For example, Li Xuecai, who attended a local university in Beijing, naturally had his assignment direction as a local hospital in Beijing, unless the student had an out-of-town household registration, in which case they would be adjusted according to demand whether to stay in Beijing or be assigned back to their place of household registration.

But in the past few years, the last batch of college students were assigned according to the opinion of supporting the border areas. Except for a small number of college students assigned according to need, they all went to the border areas.

This also caused many industrial enterprises not to have any proper college students entering the factory in the past few years.

Don't look at how loudly they shouted in those years, looking down on this and that; when it came to real use, they still hoped for new blood to enter the factory.

But searching all over Beijing, except for those special universities like the Medical College, where were there any graduates left?

The Industrial College, counting junior colleges, the Red Steel Group's Joint Vocational and Technical College was top-notch.

The students' source conditions were good, the teaching quality was high, and the internship time was long enough—who wouldn't want them?

Graduating in June, the Red Steel Group had the advantage of being close to the water, so they started recruitment in May.

Only those screened out by the Red Steel Group would be uniformly assigned to joint units before graduation in June.

According to normal circumstances, whoever's staff children belong to whom, but the unit that gets the graduates has to pay a training fee; the Red Steel Group doesn't do loss-making business.

Don't say the Red Steel Group is mercenary; only with sufficient funds can education be run well.

Of course, Li Huai De also knew why he said this, looked at him with a smile, and said, "I will mention it to Wei Zai; industrial talent still needs to be guaranteed for your Liaodong Industry."

"Then thank you for your support."

Li Xuewu chuckled, turned his head, and asked Zhou Ya, who had finished counting the money and walked over, "Finished counting?"

"One hundred sixty-nine point five, exactly."

Zhou Ya held a stack of money in her hand, flicked it against her palm, and said with a smile, "Give it to me."

"You see, I even ran into a bandit." Li Xuewu turned his head and said to Old Li with a smile, "Next time you ask me to play mahjong, I definitely won't bring her along."

"Hahaha—"

"What have you two been talking about all night?"

Zhou Ya crossed her legs, leaned lazily in the passenger seat, and turned her head to look at him driving.

"I couldn't understand a word of that confusing talk."

"It's right that you couldn't understand." Li Xuewu turned his head and glanced at her, asking, "Bored?"

"No—" Knowing what he was going to say, Zhou Ya emphasized before him, "I never feel bored doing anything with you."

"That's right." Li Xuewu said with amusement, "I worked hard all night and ended up working for you."

"Hehe—" Zhou Ya said with a smile, "Brother, you're the best; you know I'm short on money."

"Who isn't short on money—" Li Xuewu said helplessly, "How much do I earn a month?"

"But you still earn more than me."

Zhou Ya pressed the money in her pocket with a smile and said, "This is enough for me until summer vacation."

"What about your money?" Li Xuewu tilted his neck and looked at her, asking, "You didn't save a single cent from the past few years, you spent it all, right?"

"The more I earn, the more I spend; I didn't save any."

Zhou Ya said righteously, "Besides, I didn't spend the money for nothing; I enjoyed it."

"That's true, whose life is as good as yours."

Li Xuewu twitched the corners of his mouth and said, "Pay me back when you graduate and earn money."

"You wouldn't be so stingy."

Zhou Ya said coquettishly, "Even if I don't work, don't you still have to support me?"

"Keep dreaming." Li Xuewu hummed and said, "If you don't work, just wait to starve to death."

"If I just lie down at the club, could I starve to death?" Zhou Ya wrinkled her nose, mimicked his tone, and hummed, "You're just pretending to be serious—"

Li Xuewu glanced at her sideways and asked, "Are you really that free? Coming out whenever you want at night?"

"I asked for sick leave—" Zhou Ya lost her energy again, looked out the car window, and explained lazily, "Lovesickness, very hard to cure, a terminal illness."

"You're really something." Li Xuewu was impressed, "You've even learned to lie."

"Isn't lying and deceiving people the nature of beautiful women?" Zhou Ya turned her head to look at him and said, "The most important thing is that someone believes it."

"What about summer vacation? No training classes?"

Li Xuewu didn't want to continue her topic; they weren't on the same channel, and this girl had something wrong with her brain.

"I still want to ask you, how did you know I was back? Who told you?"

"If I say I can divine the future, would you believe it?"

Zhou Ya stared with wide eyes and spouted nonsense, a faint, mischievous smile at the corner of her mouth, "You will never know."

Seeing Li Xuewu not speaking, she smiled triumphantly and asked again, "Why ask me about summer vacation?"

"Could it be—" She leaned over to look into his eyes and asked, "You want me to go find you and play?"

"Sit properly." Li Xuewu reached out, pushed her head aside, and reminded her, "I'm driving."

"Tell me, do you want me to go to Liaodong to find you and play?" Zhou Ya asked relentlessly, "How about I take leave and go to Liaodong to keep you company for a month?"

"Not great; I don't have time to keep you company."

Li Xuewu said indifferently, "Stay at school and accept training. You must cherish your time and study hard, and strive to contribute to the country after graduation."

"Why don't you go to our school to be a professor?" Zhou Ya curled her lips and said, "I think your political work level and ability are much stronger than our teachers'."

"Getting impatient, right?" Li Xuewu glanced at her, nodded, and said, "It's right that you're annoyed with me. We are several years apart in age; in the words of you young people, there's a generation gap, and we can't talk about the same things."

"How many years older than me are you?"

Zhou Ya rolled her eyes and curled her lips, "You don't want me to call you Uncle, do you?"

"That's not necessary; just call me Big Brother." Li Xuewu drove the car, sent her to the entrance of the International Hotel, pointed to the courtyard, and said, "I won't go in; you arrange it yourself."

"You keep me company and go in." Zhou Ya looked at him and said, "I only see you once a month; are you willing to throw me away and leave alone?"

"Brother—good brother—"

"Oh—oh—" Li Xuewu couldn't stand her nauseating tone, stepped on the gas, turned the steering wheel, and drove toward the club.

Zhou Ya raised both hands in a victory gesture; although she couldn't get all of him, getting him was already a victory.

He sent her to the International Hotel; he definitely wouldn't go in. On the contrary, going to the club gave her a chance to keep him.

"Do you miss me too?"

She tilted her head to look at him and said coquettishly, "Definitely, otherwise why would you arrange for someone to pick me up at school? It's because you miss me."

"Aren't you going home?" Li Xuewu wouldn't answer her; this girl was too greedy. He changed the subject and asked, "Are your parents not home?"

"Don't know, probably not."

Zhou Ya shrugged her shoulders and said, "I haven't seen them since school started; they said they have work in the south."

"You should know what happened, right?"

She wasn't completely ignorant either; she blinked at Li Xuewu and said, "It's just those things my father and mother don't want to tell me."

"Since you know they don't want to tell you, why ask?" Li Xuewu turned his head to look at her and asked, "Do you want to hear these things?"

"Don't know." Zhou Ya looked out the window blankly and said, "Don't know if I'd understand."

"Actually, it's a good thing." Li Xuewu said indifferently, "Sometimes knowing too much just brings unnecessary trouble."

"You might as well just say I'm brainless."

Zhou Ya rolled her eyes at him and teased, "I'm not completely ignorant."

"Hmm, hmm, you understand everything." Li Xuewu smiled and said, "There's no need to worry about things you're really not interested in."

"But you know." Zhou Ya looked at him and said, "Tonight, it looked like mahjong, but actually you were talking about business, right?"

"Hmm?" Li Xuewu looked at her unexpectedly and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Hmph—" She turned her head away proudly and said, "That General Manager Feng speaks with hidden meanings; who couldn't tell?"

"He's not speaking with hidden meanings; he's unconvinced." Li Xuewu smiled and explained to her, "He is very talented, but Li Huai De doesn't trust him and doesn't dare use him."

"I knew that was the case—" Zhou Ya pointed in front of her like a hindsight expert and said, "I always felt he had something hidden in his words."

"Do you know what the two people at the mahjong table today have in common?" Li Xuewu asked her with a smile, "Guess."

"Are they both..." Zhou Ya raised her eyebrows, tilted her head, and asked, "Are they both people Li Huai De doesn't trust?"

"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled without answering her.

Zhou Ya, however, asked curiously, "Is it? Did I guess right?"

"Hmm, you guessed right." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "General Manager Feng was transferred to the main factory because problems arose at the Steel Rolling Factory."

"General Manager Ding was transferred to the publishing house because he made a mistake."

He explained to Zhou Ya, "The group has completed the formalization process, the organizational structure has been built, and now it's personnel deployment."

"Personnel—" Zhou Ya asked curiously, "Are they trying to fight for a transfer?"

"Hmm, they have that intention." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "One is in logistics, the other is in the publishing house; both are considered marginal units."

"After all, the Red Steel Group is an industrial enterprise. If you want to achieve results, you have to go to the factory or the business department."

He wasn't afraid that Zhou Ya wouldn't understand and introduced, "The reason they are unconvinced is that General Manager Feng is afraid Li Huai De has made comparisons in his heart."

"Compare what?" Zhou Ya asked, "Are they fighting for the same position?"

"No, because positions are limited."

Li Xuewu parked the car at the entrance of the club, and seeing the guard look at him after he opened the gate, he continued to drive inside.

"On one hand, Li Huai De wants to use cadres from the Red Star Factory to control the business departments, and on the other hand, he also wants to use cadres from outside to restrain the inflated ambitions of these people."

Parking the car in the spot, he opened the car door, got out, waved to the guard standing at the entrance, and took Zhou Ya toward the backyard.

Zhou Ya ran forward happily, took his arm, and asked, "And then? What does it have to do with them?"

"They all want to sell their lives for Li Huai De."

Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "Especially since a large batch of graduates will be joining this month. In three to five years, there won't be any laymen in the middle and grassroots levels."

"Are they under pressure?" Zhou Ya guessed, "Isn't that still a long way off?"

"Not far, because this isn't a question of rank, but a question of time." Li Xuewu took her toward the back; the club had its own guesthouse in the backyard, and there were lights along the way, so the courtyard wasn't dark.

The weather was warm, guards were patrolling from time to time, and there were staff reading in the reading room at this time, so their entry didn't attract anyone's attention.

"Li Huai De likes to use college students, even high school students will do."

He nodded to the patrolling guard, continued to walk back, and explained, "He is replacing those grassroots cadres step by step."

"In three or five years, as excellent graduates continue to enter the factory and the cadre team is iterated, Feng Xingke and Ding Zigui and others will have few opportunities to advance; they can only wait in place for these young people to replace them."

"Why?" Zhou Ya didn't quite understand and said, "Don't grassroots cadres' growth and progress need more experience?"

"What is experience?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "If you work for a long time, experience will naturally come."

"Before, at the Red Star Factory, there were never 35-year-old workshop directors, but since '68, the factory has had 27-year-old workshop directors."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "The grassroots are like this, and the organs are even more so. In positions that don't require experience, young people are easier to use."

"That's true—" Zhou Ya stepped onto the steps and said, "Does he not like the original cadres?"

"Rather than saying he doesn't like them, it's better to say he looks down on them." Li Xuewu walked to the front desk and wrote Zhou Ya's name in the register.

The front desk naturally recognized him, but seeing them talking, just greeted him silently and handed over the door key.

"New emperor, new courtiers; he prefers those who are obedient."

Li Xuewu signaled for her to go first, followed her up to the second floor, walked to the door of the room, opened it, and let her go in first.

"Does he not like you either?"

Zhou Ya threw her bag on the chair, reached out, hugged his neck, and asked, "Will there be a day when he replaces you too?"

"Me? Hehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "At the mahjong table, I'm not a card in his hand."

"Eww—" Zhou Ya kissed him with a smile and said, "Do you really like this kind of work, calculating back and forth?"

"What do you think? No normal person would like it, right?" Li Xuewu patted her butt with amusement, signaling her to behave.

Zhou Ya, however, clung to him and said coquettishly, "Brother, are you annoyed with me? I've missed you—"

She held onto Li Xuewu and wouldn't let go, looking at him with aggrieved eyes and saying, "I can't see you even once a month..."

"Are there no boys in the Medical College?"

Li Xuewu looked at her suspiciously and asked, "Are there none that make your heart beat? University is the most suitable place for falling in love."

"That's not it—" Zhou Ya emphasized, "College students are forbidden from falling in love, especially at our school."

She shook Li Xuewu's body and said sweetly, "My heart only has you; I don't look at other boys."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu curled his lips and said, "If you hadn't robbed me, I would have really believed it."

"Hehe, this is called self-reliance!"

Zhou Ya jumped on her feet, hugged his neck, kissed him, and said, "How about I thank you with actual action?"

"Ah—hahaha—"

Before Li Xuewu could react, she made her move. Even if Li Xuewu hit her butt, she would accept it; she was determined to strip his clothes off.

Her saying she didn't look at other male classmates was true. No matter from which angle, the male classmates in school couldn't compare to him.

Compare height? He's 1.83 meters!

Compare strength? He can fight ten!

Compare wealth? He doesn't care about money!

Saying in the car that if she didn't work, he would support her—that wasn't a lie either. If she really didn't work, he would definitely support her.

Because he had already supported her. Saying things like the salary of being the General Manager of Shunfeng Trading in Jinmen—her parents didn't believe that either.

She was a high school graduate who knew nothing, and she went to be a General Manager for someone else with so much money a month—they really thought she was a child.

It wasn't that no male classmates pursued her. The school stipulated that falling in love was not allowed, but the school also stipulated that littering was not allowed—why did people still violate that?

It was just that those boys who pursued her retreated one after another after hearing about her consumption level from her roommates.

She also knew that she definitely wasn't someone an average boy could afford to support.

The hundred-plus Li Xuewu just won playing mahjong could be spent in minutes here.

It was just that she had long passed the stage of impulsive consumption and revenge consumption; she knew how to spend money.

Those boys who pursued her only saw the tip of the iceberg of her life and retreated, let alone brave confessions.

Of course, there were those with ulterior motives who knew who her father was and took the initiative to show favor; she wouldn't even look at those people.

She just wanted someone like Li Xuewu, who was annoyed with her, didn't take her seriously, and could casually find a girl better than her.

Following him, she could see a broader world, learn knowledge she had never been exposed to, and even enjoy the feeling of flying.

She had countless reasons to persuade herself to enjoy the present, enjoy life, not go astray, and believe in some bullshit love.

"What's wrong with arranging for him to be the Deputy Director?"

Li Xuewu had just returned from the bathroom and saw Xia Zhongquan sitting in the office smoking.

After hearing his intention, he frowned and asked.

"I know what you mean." Xia Zhongquan pondered for a moment, looked at him, and asked, "I'm wondering if this will..."

"Will what?" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "It's not like there's no precedent for foreigners to serve as heads of scientific research institutions."

"That's true, but it's the first time in our group." Xia Zhongquan looked at his cigarette, glanced at him, and hesitated, "There hasn't been one."

"Bullshit—" Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and asked, "Who put pressure on you?"

He wiped his hands and sat behind the office desk, saying, "Our factory is actually dying to have a foreigner as a head, but we don't have the resources."

"The Red Star Factory has been at it for so many years; is there any place worth researching?"

Xia Zhongquan was silenced by his retort; it looked like he had been under pressure somewhere, and the appointment of the head of the Optoelectronics Research Institute had become a bit vague.

"Do you understand 'buying a horse's bones for a thousand gold'?" Li Xuewu reached out and tapped the table, saying, "Setting up a flag as a lead—you don't even understand this?"

"So, he's not participating in management?"

Xia Zhongquan looked at him and said, "If that's what you're saying..."

"Don't talk nonsense with me." Li Xuewu glared and said, "What should be, should be; don't try to swap concepts."

"He must have the rights a Deputy Director should have, and he must bear the responsibilities and obligations a Deputy Director should bear."

He pointed at Xia Zhongquan and emphasized, "Don't look at people through colored glasses. Since Peter Grewitt chose to come to the Red Steel Group to work, it shows he has the confidence and determination to stay."

"The man has produced the prototype equipment now; the promises made to him must be fulfilled. This is the necessary credibility to attract talent."

"How about letting him be responsible for scientific research and the introduction of foreign experts?" Xia Zhongquan wasn't a stubborn person; he understood what he meant and tried asking, "Giving him certain support in personnel and funds..."

"This is your job; do you still need to ask me?" Li Xuewu didn't even let him finish, waved his hand, and interrupted, "Alright, this little thing is being tossed back and forth. I have other things to do; if there's nothing else, hurry back and do what you need to do."

Xia Zhongquan stood up helplessly, tapped lightly on his desk, and reminded him, "Deputy Director Zhou doesn't like Peter Grewitt."

"Nonsense, I don't like you either."

Li Xuewu said impatiently, "Since when has the standard for using cadres in the Red Steel Group been based on whether group leaders like or dislike them?"

He said very bluntly, "If he doesn't like it, let him do it himself. All day long, he has nothing to do but talk nonsense."

"Alright, you go ahead and get busy; I'm going back." Xia Zhongquan determined that he was about to get angry and hurried away. If he kept talking, he would be in trouble. Were these words for him to hear?

Besides, were these words even true?

Taking what a leader says in private as the truth—how stupid would he have to be?