Chapter 1603: Sudden Bad News

On June 18th, Wang Xin arrived very suddenly.

Zhang Jing and Zhang En-yuan welcomed him into the first-floor reception room. Li Xuewu came down ten minutes later.

"Secretary-General Li." Wang Xin stood up to shake his hand, his gaze sharp as he looked at him and said, "Is it really this difficult to see you now?"

"That only goes to show that there's a problem with the relationship between us." Li Xuewu looked at him indifferently and retorted, "Regarding this matter, you should know it in your heart, right?"

Wang Xin did not respond, but he did voluntarily let go of his hand.

"Sit." Li Xuewu raised his hand, maintaining the final shred of decency between them.

Mr. Lu Xun had a saying: if the deal doesn't go through, the friendship remains. He didn't feel he owed Li Xuewu anything, and Li Xuewu didn't feel he owed the other party anything either.

Business is business; there are no feelings to speak of.

A bride price of 200,000 might not be able to buy a lifelong commitment, but it can buy a thousand "Hello, Boss" and "Goodbye, Boss" greetings.

What is business? This is business.

"Project financial liquidation?" Wang Xin was the one to speak first. The fact that he could come to Steel City showed that they were on the passive side in this confrontation.

"Regarding this matter, the Red Steel Group, or perhaps you..." He paused deliberately here, looking at Li Xuewu as he asked, "Do you have any explanation?"

"Of course I do, whether it's the Red Steel Group or myself personally." Li Xuewu glanced at him sideways and said faintly, "Whatever reason you want, I have it here."

He picked up the hot tea the secretary had brought over, took a sip, and said, "For example, the voluntary withdrawal of scientific research personnel, according to the cooperation agreement, represents the voluntary abandonment of all rights and interests."

"But those were uncontrollable factors—"

Wang Xin took a document from his entourage and slapped it onto the coffee table, knitting his brows as he questioned, "Are you really acting according to the contract?"

"Uncontrollable factors." Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows slightly, set down his teacup, and sneered, "We acknowledge the clauses for suspending or terminating contracts under conditions of uncontrollable factors."

"However—" He looked at the other party and reminded him, "First, you must fulfill the necessary obligations of consultation and communication."

"We must act according to the contract."

Li Xuewu reached out and tapped the contract the other party had thrown over, emphasizing very seriously, "The Red Steel Group is a group-type enterprise with import and export qualifications; it is not a makeshift troupe that can do whatever it wants."

"So?" Wang Xin narrowed his left eye slightly, staring at him as he asked, "Just because we didn't fulfill the notification obligation in advance, you want to liquidate our position?"

"And, the notice we received is that Steel Flight not only wants to possess all current research results in full, but also wants to pursue compensation issues for subsequent research and development?"

He sized up Li Xuewu and asked very angrily, "Is the Red Steel Group going to pull this stunt on other cooperation projects next?"

"I refuse to answer any of your questions regarding problems that have not yet occurred." Li Xuewu responded slowly, "A contract is a contract. You breached the contract, so you must bear the responsibility for compensation; this is certain."

"If you refuse to compensate, then I will notify the group's legal department to first freeze the assets flowing between both parties and conduct a reasonable liquidation and recovery."

He reminded the other party bluntly, "And regarding this matter, we will send letters to notify all related cooperative units and publish an explanation in the newspaper."

"You cannot represent the Red Steel Group."

Wang Xin stared at him with narrowed eyes for a good while, then reminded Li Xuewu with a touch of coldness, "I can go to the capital to communicate with Director Li regarding this matter."

"Of course, you certainly can." Li Xuewu raised his hand in a gesture of invitation and said, "I highly respect your company's handling of this matter."

"Then that's it?" Li Xuewu raised his wrist to check the time, nodded slightly at the few people opposite him, and said very politely, "I have a meeting, so excuse me. Everyone, please feel free."

After finishing, he stood up and instructed Zhang Jing, "Please entertain the comrades from Shen Flight well."

Wang Xin watched him come and watched him go, with the communication between the two sides making no progress at all, just exchanging a few harsh words.

He was prepared to go to the capital to meet Li Huai-de to explain this matter, but if this trump card were played, there would be no chance for cooperation between the two sides in the future.

To put it bluntly, the person in charge of Liaodong industry for the Red Steel Group was Li Xuewu. As long as Li Xuewu was in this position, the cooperation between Shen Flight and Steel Flight could not bypass him.

If he dared to bypass Li Xuewu and go to the capital, it would mean Shen Flight didn't care about the cooperation between the two sides, and naturally, there would be no foundation for continued cooperation.

Go see Li Huai-de?

If any other person in charge from Shen Flight had come today, faced with Li Xuewu's cold attitude, they might have left in anger and gone straight to the capital to find Li Huai-de.

But the one who came today was Wang Xin, the only person in Shen Flight recognized as having a relatively good understanding of the Red Steel Group and who had always promoted the cooperation between the two sides.

Shen Flight was not a rule-breaker, nor were they conspirators behind the scenes; they were simply assessing the situation and taking necessary defensive measures to avoid irreversible consequences.

They didn't think these measures would destroy the cooperative relationship with Red Steel; it was the Red Steel Group, or rather, they simply believed Li Xuewu was being too sensitive.

At such a critical moment, maintaining a cooperative distance between the two sides was necessary.

But Wang Xin knew what kind of person Li Xuewu was, and he also knew Li Xuewu's influence in the Red Steel Group and his influence on the Red Steel Group's General Manager, Li Huai-de.

His understanding of Li Huai-de was as profound as his understanding of Li Xuewu.

It wasn't that the Red Steel Group didn't have a deputy general manager in charge of industrial production, but Li Huai-de still arranged for Li Xuewu to come to Liaodong to be in charge of related business. Why was this?

The reason was simple: Li Huai-de didn't understand the business and had no way to gain a management advantage over Cheng Kai-yuan in industrial production work.

Therefore, Li Xuewu was a bridge for him to balance the main industrial management relationships. Now, asking him to go to the capital to find Li Huai-de to dismantle this bridge—was it feasible?

He knew the Red Steel Group was currently facing some problems, but he wasn't a person from the Red Steel Group, and he didn't know if Li Xuewu and Li Huai-de would become enemies because of these problems.

Therefore, going to find Li Huai-de was just a threat made in his most helpless state.

The result was visible: it had no deterrent power at all.

Li Xuewu's foundation in Liaodong was solid, the industrial system supported him, and he coordinated local relationships. To Li Huai-de, he was just an outsider; why would he shake Li Xuewu?

How did that saying go?

You say you have enough deterrent power, but at the critical moment, you must really have it.

"I've been in Steel City for a week already."

Gu An didn't press step-by-step; he only came to find him after the off-duty bell had rung.

"If it really doesn't work, shall we go back first?"

"Better not." Li Xuewu signed the last document, put away his fountain pen, and explained, "If you go back now, then this black pot will really fall on both of us."

He knew Gu An was anxious, especially regarding his professional status; not letting him work for a week, just eating and sleeping every day, would make him feel uncomfortable all over.

"If you go back without receiving clear orders and without receiving the aircraft, this is definitely a dereliction of duty."

Li Xuewu put the fountain pen in the drawer and pointed at him, emphasizing, "Even if your dereliction of duty isn't pursued, this matter will become a hidden danger in your career."

"I'm holding back the pressure here and not delivering the aircraft; I was originally in the right, but once you leave, I'll be in the wrong."

He spread his hands and nodded, saying, "Either replace you with someone taller to pressure me, or replace me with someone taller to make the decision."

"Otherwise, we can only drag it out, unless one side compromises first."

"You're under a lot of pressure right now." Gu An looked at him calmly and said, "I heard some situations from Secretary Zhang."

"Local work is inherently very complicated."

Li Xuewu stood up, tidied his things, and raised his chin to signal, "Let's go. My second uncle has come to the house. Let's have a meal together, and I'll introduce you."

"This aircraft matter..." Gu An looked at him hesitantly and asked, "Just leave it hanging like this?"

"Are you sure you want to talk about work during off-duty hours?" Li Xuewu looked at him suspiciously, smiled, patted his arm, and said, "Let's go. The sky won't fall."

"But I heard someone has been pressuring you." Gu An followed him out of the office and walked downstairs together. "Several cooperative projects have been affected."

"And, inside your group..."

He hesitated here, looked at his brother-in-law, and confirmed that he wasn't angry because of his loose tongue before continuing, "It seems they don't support you either."

"This is what I just said." Li Xuewu turned his head to look at him and smiled, saying very relaxedly, "The complexity of local work."

"Just that simple?" Gu An looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What's your solution?"

"Simple? It can be simple, and it can be troublesome." Li Xuewu explained with a smile, "But no matter what kind of complex situation, the first thing to do is stay calm."

The two went down the stairs. He turned back to look at Gu An and said, "Sometimes there is more than one way to solve a problem, and sometimes it seems there is no way to solve these problems, but if you wait a little, these problems solve themselves."

"So you're just waiting now?"

Gu An raised his eyebrows and looked at him, asking, "Waiting for the problems to solve themselves?"

"Of course not." Li Xuewu smiled, raised his hand to signal him to walk toward the foyer together, and explained, "You have to actively push the problem toward the result you want; that way, the result you get will be the most satisfying."

"And then?" The two walked out of the hall, and Gu An looked at him and asked, "What result do you want to get?"

"You've done some necessary work now, pushing the problem toward the result you want?"

"Of course." Li Xuewu smiled confidently and said, "Reverse pressure is also a way of pushing; after all, you can't show you want these results too much, right?"

They walked down the steps together. The driver, Qi Yan, and the secretary, Zhang En-yuan, had already opened the car door of the Volga sedan for them and were standing there waiting.

"Because the more you want it, the more they will be ashamed of their self-esteem; even if they fight to the death, they won't give it to you. In some necessary work, you have to use some psychological strategies."

"So complicated..." Gu An stood by the car, looked at him, and asked, "Are you sure they can't see what you want?"

"Of course not." Li Xuewu laughed out loud at his brother-in-law, shook his head slightly, and said, "Of course they know what I want, because I've already told them."

"Although I didn't show it, they must understand; otherwise, they aren't qualified to sit at this card table, let alone qualified to gamble with me."

"..." Looking at the dominance displayed by his brother-in-law, as well as the complexity in his words, Gu An frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly and sighed, "I really am not suited for local work."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu patted his arm, invited him to get into the car first, and comforted him, "Actually, these principles are very simple; it's nothing more than the complexity of human nature."

"But the thing I understand the least is human nature." After Li Xuewu got into the back seat from the other side, he turned to look at his brother-in-law and said, "Especially after hearing you say that, I feel like a primary school student."

"There is no profession that one is born into."

Li Xuewu reached out and patted Qi Yan's backrest, signaling that he could drive, then pointed to the cigarette Zhang En-yuan handed over and asked, "I remember you smoke, right?"

"I don't smoke anymore; your sister-in-law won't let me."

Gu An sighed deeply, looked out the window, and said, "She heard it from Mom, saying you quit smoking long ago, for Gu Ning and the child."

"Sorry, I didn't tell Mom about this." Li Xuewu explained somewhat embarrassedly, "And I didn't think sister-in-law would..."

"It's okay, smoking is indeed harmful to health." Gu An turned his head to look at his brother-in-law and said with a smile, "I heard your alcohol tolerance is very good, never drunk after a thousand cups?"

"That doesn't count as a merit, right?"

Li Xuewu smiled and patted his knee, saying, "I drink very little alcohol now too. There are few confidants to raise a glass to the bright moon, and no drinking buddies to share sorrows with."

"Either they are relatives, or it's at home."

He looked at his brother-in-law and said with a smile, "Exactly, my second uncle is coming today. Let's have a drink. The food was sent by friends; don't mind it."

"Do you live by yourself in Steel City?" Gu An had been here for a week and hadn't been able to visit his home. First, his status was inconvenient, and second, Li Xuewu hadn't invited him.

He had heard some situations from Mu Hong-yan; this brother-in-law with deep schemes was not an honest person, and it wasn't just one or two of them.

What kind of attitude should a brother-in-law have toward such a brother-in-law?

It can only be said that the mentality is very complex. Which man can accept such a brother-in-law, and which man doesn't envy such a brother-in-law?

He had opinions about Li Xuewu, and from the marriage until now, they had been distant. Even this time coming to Steel City, they spent a lot of time together, but they hadn't really talked about family trivia.

Mu Hong-yan had reminded him not to mention this matter in front of his parents, and even more so not to say these things in front of Gu Ning, because those who should know already knew.

At first, he couldn't understand why such a scoundrel would be liked by his sister, and she even actively defended him, gave birth to his children, and maintained this marriage.

Until he saw Gu Ning and saw his mother's attitude toward Li Xuewu, he realized that it wasn't just Gu Ning who defended Li Xuewu, but also his mother.

So, looking at his brother-in-law with this mentality, what kind of attitude did the other party have toward him?

"Wu Shu, Second Grandpa and Old Uncle have arrived."

Bang Geng had matured quite a bit since that training; at least he actively learned to use an adult's thinking to handle problems.

If nothing else, just this mouth—how annoying it used to be, now it is just as clever.

He didn't ask him to call his second uncle anything; he even called him Second Grandpa.

"This is your eldest uncle, your aunt's older brother."

Li Xuewu introduced him to Bang Geng, then turned back to introduce him to his brother-in-law: "A child from the Jia family, a neighbor in the courtyard, now running errands for me in Steel City."

"You live in such a big house by yourself?"

Just now in the car, Li Xuewu had already explained that there were still people at home. He had been looking forward to seeing his brother-in-law's confidante, but he didn't expect it to be a half-grown boy.

He was a bit embarrassed, sized up Bang Geng, and his gaze locked onto the house again.

"A friend's. She went to the capital, and she lent the house to me to live in."

Li Xuewu patted Bang Geng, who had called out "Eldest Uncle," and asked, "Is the food ready?"

"Manager Niu arranged for someone to send it over."

Bang Geng actively helped open the courtyard gate and introduced, "Six dishes and one soup. I steamed the rice in the pot."

"Second Brother." While they were entering the courtyard, Li Xue-li appeared at the door, followed by Second Uncle.

"Second Uncle, look at you, you've gained weight, right?"

Li Xuewu stepped forward first to shake hands with Second Uncle and made a small joke, then patted Li Xue-li's arm, "Why didn't Second Aunt come?"

"She wanted to come, but she couldn't get leave."

Second Uncle explained with a smile, but his gaze was on the tall, strong young man who had returned with his nephew.

"Let me introduce you. This is my second uncle, my cousin Li Xue-li." Li Xuewu introduced them to both sides with a smile: "This is Gu Ning's older brother, Gu An."

"Ah, hello, hello."

Second Uncle was stunned, then very politely took the initiative to reach out, greeting with a smile: "This is a real relative. No wonder he looks familiar. Have we met before?"

"We must have met. You look familiar to me too." Gu An said with a smile: "At the wedding banquet, it seems we drank together?"

"That's right, it was that time."

Li Gan shook his hand with a smile and said: "Look at the coincidence. What a great fate to be able to meet here."

He let go of his hand, looked at the few people beside him, and said: "Living across the country, it's not easy for us real relatives to meet."

"After this meeting, we'll be familiar." Gu An was also a man of the world, responding with a smile: "Let's keep in touch more in the future."

"Let's talk inside. Let's chat while we eat."

Li Xuewu couldn't let the guests stand in the courtyard and exchange pleasantries, so he took the initiative to let them into the house.

Second Uncle and Li Xue-li were both wearing slippers, so they entered the house first. Li Xuewu went with Gu An, and Bang Geng helped find slippers.

"This place of yours is not bad." Walking into the living room and looking at the furnishings in the house, Gu An nodded and praised: "It's more spacious than our place in Xijing."

"I originally wanted to stay at the guesthouse."

Li Xuewu took the cigarette case, offered cigarettes to Second Uncle and Gu An, and Bang Geng cleverly helped them light them.

Before he could finish his next sentence, Gu An already understood the meaning of the second half.

The situation Dong Wen-xue encountered back then wasn't that no one knew; Han Shu's family knew, and the Gu family knew as well.

Li Xuewu could come forward to handle this matter, so it was impossible for Han Shu not to ask the Gu family.

Gu An wasn't blind; he could see that the house was tidy, and it couldn't be Li Xuewu or that half-grown boy doing the housework, but he was too lazy to delve into it or ask around.

Just like what Mu Hong-yan said, Li Xuewu had deep thoughts and understood propriety better than them; there was no need to affect Gu Ning because of such a small matter.

If Gu Ning didn't want to continue this relationship, it wouldn't be their turn to preside over justice.

Now it looked like the young couple was living in harmony, so why should they meddle in other people's business and make the whole family unhappy?

Furthermore, he hadn't had much contact with Li Xuewu before, only hearing from Mu Hong-yan about the complexity of local work. Seeing him this time, he seemed to understand a bit.

Just like Li Xuewu explained, he originally wanted to stay at the guesthouse, where eating, wearing, living, and traveling were all more convenient, but it was also easier for things to go wrong.

During the few years he lived apart from Mu Hong-yan, who would believe he didn't have other thoughts? They were all men; let's understand each other.

Rather than making a big scene, it was better to tolerate his dancing with long sleeves.

Daring to bring himself to visit here showed that he was well-prepared and not afraid of himself mentioning awkward things; by then, it might be he who was riding a tiger and unable to get off.

Second Uncle Li Gan was a very talkative person, especially when he met relatives.

At the end of last year, Li Shun and his wife went to Jicheng, and this year Li Xuewu went again. The awkward relationship between the two families caused by Li Juan had eased quite a bit.

Breaking the bones connects the tendons; they were family after all.

Li Xuewu had a heart of tolerance for his cousin, and Second Uncle and Second Aunt weren't people who couldn't distinguish right from wrong; their subsequent actions also proved this point.

Killing someone doesn't go beyond a nod of the head; Second Uncle and Second Aunt being able to do this much was enough. Could they really ask two elders to bow and apologize to him?

He didn't have such great hostility, and he hadn't lost anything. Let the family be harmonious and everything will prosper.

"Your younger brother is getting married. I was thinking, let's not go to the capital, just tell you."

Second Uncle stated the purpose of this trip. He perhaps still had some concerns and said somewhat embarrassedly: "You see how to arrange it."

"What day is it set for?" Li Xuewu took a bottle of Five-Star Moutai from the liquor cabinet, opened it, signaled Bang Geng to find wine glasses, and said: "July or August."

"Second Aunt and I discussed it and set it for October 1st." Second Uncle watched him pour the wine and explained: "That's what we discussed with the in-laws."

"I haven't asked about the girl's situation yet."

Li Xuewu poured wine for his brother-in-law, then looked at Li Xue-li and asked with a smile: "Did you find her yourself, or did the family introduce her?"

"We are in the same unit." Li Xue-li introduced somewhat shyly: "We met after starting work, but her dad and my dad have known each other for a long time."

"Knowing the roots and the bottom, that's very good."

Li Xuewu also poured himself a glass, sat down, and signaled to the dining table: "We are all family, so let's not be polite, men. Let's start eating."

"The in-laws' situation is about the same as ours."

Li Gan ate a bite of food and introduced: "The mother-in-law works at the bank, and the father-in-law is the director of the forest farm. We often deal with each other."

"The children are dating, and you still don't know about this?" Li Xuewu said with a smile: "This intelligence work isn't good either."

"Hi—who thought of them."

Li Gan looked at his son and said with a smile: "I wanted to introduce him before, but he wouldn't even see her, insisting on finding someone himself."

"In the end, it's still that girl?" Gu An also felt it was novel, looked at Li Xue-li and said: "Turning around and around, it's still her. You have fate."

"Hahaha—" Li Xue-li said with a silly smile: "I also feel it's quite novel. She also told me before that her family wanted to introduce her, but the other party didn't want to."

"After you get married, you'll have good fruit to eat." Li Xuewu raised his wine glass and signaled: "Come on, let the first glass wish my little brother good things are near, happiness and perfection."

"Speak—" Second Uncle glared at his silly son; all he knew was to smile.

"Thank you, Second Brother, thank you, Eldest Brother."

Li Xue-li wasn't unable to say polite words, but he was a bit intimidated in front of his family, especially facing his second brother and the eldest brother who had just been introduced.

Good fellow, he also knew his second brother was not what he used to be, and everyone he associated with was a big shot, but he didn't expect even his brother-in-law to be so awesome.

Captain of the Flight Brigade—if this were in Jicheng, would that be okay?

"Don't be polite, we are all real relatives."

Gu An was actually quite interesting; he didn't have much contact with Northeasterners and was afraid of saying the wrong thing, always learning to speak like Second Uncle.

"Second Uncle, I say," after one glass, Li Xuewu looked at Second Uncle and suggested cautiously: "If you want to set the date for October 1st, then the whole family should go back to the capital once."

Seeing Second Uncle and Li Xue-li look over, he explained seriously: "First, it's to visit my grandfather's grave. A new person has been added to the family, so that's the meaning."

"Second, it's for the new daughter-in-law to enter the door, let the old lady see her first."

He continued with a smile: "Even if the old lady can't go by then, it counts as fulfilling the heart of filial piety, right."

"Furthermore, you haven't been back for a long time. Go back and be lively, and let our generation communicate and exchange more. If the time is long, the feelings will really be alienated."

"These words are true." Gu An saw the father and son look at each other and nod, then spoke: "I see Li Xuewu rarely, and this meeting gave me another impression of him."

"Hehe—" Li Gan nodded with a smile and said: "Okay, what your second brother said is the etiquette. We should go back and see the elders."

"I'll discuss it with Hong-ying and ask for leave." Li Xue-li looked at his second brother and responded: "We'll prepare when we go back this time, and try to go back as much as possible."

"It doesn't matter if it's a bit later; after all, the time is ample." Li Xuewu reached out and patted his arm, saying: "The old lady actually wants to go back to the Northeast to see. If you aren't afraid of trouble, you can take advantage of this happy event of marriage and invite her to Jicheng to live for a while."

"But Second Uncle, I don't mean anything else." He said this, reached out and pressed in Second Uncle's direction, and emphasized with a smile: "Don't tell my dad that I said this."

"Hahaha—" Li Gan understood his eldest nephew's meaning and said with a smile: "That's also my mother, what's there to misunderstand."

"My dad's temper, you know."

Li Xuewu shook his head with a smile and said: "It's been a bit better these years, also worn down by the children. In the past, he was the most rigid and wouldn't allow anything out of the ordinary."

"But you haven't done few things out of the ordinary!" Second Uncle knew this eldest nephew wasn't an honest person, smiled, raised his wine glass and said: "Come on, men, let's have one."

Accidents are always so sudden, catching people off guard.

Second Uncle and his son were both drunk and slept here at night. Gu An had to go back; he was the leader of the team and couldn't live outside.

In the middle of the night, the telephone bell in the living room rang for a long time. Bang Geng ran out in a daze, but saw Wu Shu had already gone downstairs.

"Mm, I am Li Xuewu."

"Brother—woo woo—my dad is gone—" A sorrowful cry came from the other end of the phone, scaring Li Xuewu, who frowned and asked: "Are you Xue-han?"

"Brother—" Li Xue-han called out, followed by uncontrollable crying.

"Tell me slowly, what happened."

Li Xuewu pointed to the switch on the wall, signaling Bang Geng to turn on the light.

Bang Geng was also startled by the sudden crying on the phone, ran over in a daze and pressed the switch. The lights in the living room turned on, but contrasted with the even deeper darkness outside the window.

"Woo woo—brother—" Li Xue-han was already plunged into the pain of losing his father, unable to calm down, calling him as if he were a helpless person grabbing a life-saving straw.

Li Xuewu guarded the phone, comforting him sentence by sentence, while also recovering from the shock and grief in his heart.

After a while, Li Xue-han finally made it clear: it turned out that Third Uncle was on a mission and sacrificed himself at the scene.

"Where are you now?" Li Xuewu frowned and asked: "Are you home or in the army? Who told you the news?"

Li Xue-han had been sent to the army by Third Uncle in the second year after graduating from junior high school, which could be considered following in his father's footsteps.

Of course, in this era, being a soldier was the best way out for young people and the best way to temper people.

Thinking of Third Uncle's care and love for himself, Li Xuewu's calmed heart couldn't help but feel grief. The two brothers were both unable to stop their tears at both ends of the phone.

"Xuewu?" Second Uncle's voice came from the stairs; he had heard the sound and came down.

"Second Uncle." Li Xuewu stood up, wiped the tears from his face, signaled to the sofa, and asked him to sit down first.

Li Gan saw him like this, his face had changed long ago, and he asked with a trembling voice: "Is... is it the old lady..."

"No." Li Xuewu shook his head slightly, went to the tea cabinet to pour a cup of warm water, came back to help him sit down by the sofa, and then slowly told the truth.

"Ah!" Li Gan was full of disbelief, grabbed his hand tightly, and asked with a trembling voice: "Your Third Uncle... your Third Uncle he..."

Suddenly hearing the bad news, Li Gan couldn't believe that his third brother had left so suddenly.

Thinking that they hadn't met many times in so many years, although the brothers had letters back and forth, it was difficult to entrust their care and thoughts to each other.

Now that they were separated by life and death, how could he bear it? When Li Xuewu explained the situation, he was already in tears, sobbing.

"Brother." Li Xue-li had already heard it, walked to his father's side with red eyes and sat down, saying with full grief: "Let's go to Yangcheng."

"Go, go to Yangcheng." Li Gan was already heartbroken. Hearing his son's suggestion, he endured the piercing pain, grabbed Li Xuewu's hand and said: "We'll set off now."

"Wait for me to arrange it first." Li Xuewu patted Second Uncle's hand gently and comforted: "Xue-han is already home, and is handling the funeral with Third Aunt."

"Your dad's side..." Li Gan sniffed, took a breath and said: "Tell him, but keep it from the old lady."

"Mm, I'll call home in the morning." Li Xuewu looked at the time on the wall; it was already 1:30 in the morning. "It's not very convenient to call back now."

He patted Second Uncle's hand gently and comforted: "You should also restrain your grief. I'll arrange it as soon as possible. If there's anything, we'll talk after arriving in Yangcheng."

"Help your dad go upstairs to rest first."

Li Xuewu comforted Second Uncle and instructed his younger brother Li Xue-li: "The matter has already happened. We must be prepared and keep our spirits up; after all, it's not a matter of one or two days."

"I know, Second Brother." Li Xue-li helped his father up, touched his cold hands and trembling arms, and couldn't help but turn his head away to secretly shed tears.

The three Li brothers went their separate ways when they were young. The second brother's branch was in Jicheng, the third brother's branch was in Yangcheng, and only the eldest brother stayed in the capital to inherit his father's business and take care of the elders.

They all grew up in poor days, without any reliance or help, each starting a family and having children. This was the most representative urban family of this era.

Although they were thousands of miles apart and rarely met, their feelings were deep. For many years, they never broke off letters. Whenever they mentioned their old mother, the brothers sighed at the pain of separation.

This feeling was passed on to the next generation. There were only a few children in the three generations of the Li family. Although they didn't meet many times when they were young, they cherished the bond of brotherhood and sisterhood very much when they gathered together.

Don't look at Li Juan being confused; even if she was really obsessed, what could Li Xuewu say to her? He could beat his eldest brother-in-law behind his back, but whether in person or behind her back, he couldn't say words criticizing his eldest sister.

After all, they were family; breaking the bones connects the tendons.

Today's pain is the pain of broken bones and tendons, grieving for relatives thousands of miles away.

Seeing Second Uncle and his son go upstairs, Li Xuewu began to arrange the itinerary for tomorrow. Although there was an organization responsible for Third Uncle's funeral, the Li family had to send someone.

Li Xue-han spoke very confusedly on the phone, only telling a general idea, but he felt something was wrong no matter how he listened.

Li Xue-han was in the army, received the news and rushed back, then called him. Why was there no movement from Third Aunt during this time?

Furthermore, he had asked Li Xue-han whether Third Uncle's sacrifice was an individual case or a collective one, and whether it was confidential or public. The difference here was too great.

Li Xue-han's reply here was a bit vague. He only knew his father had sacrificed himself; he didn't know what the specific mission was, nor did he hear his mother explain it.

Moreover, according to his reply, there were colleagues from the unit at home presiding over this matter.

Who could make decisions for Third Uncle's family?

On the other hand, Third Aunt, even if the pain was unbearable, should have asked the organization to call home. The first person to receive the call should have been his dad, so how did it become him?

But he couldn't say anything at this moment, especially in front of Second Uncle. As a junior, he couldn't speculate on human nature with any malice.

He was a master of playing with human nature, but he also knew the danger of Pandora's box. If he was used to looking at problems from the dark side, he would eventually be deeply trapped in it.

This is the truth that when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

He could only bury his doubts in his heart; everything had to wait until they met to be handled.

"Xuewu, I received an order."

Early the next morning, just as Li Xuewu was about to set off, he received a call from Gu An.

"Steel Flight must complete the delivery work immediately, otherwise the Red Steel Group will bear the consequences."

"Was the order issued directly to you?"

Li Xuewu frowned, thought for a while and said: "Was there an order saying that if Steel Flight doesn't complete the delivery task, you should go back?"

"No." Gu An reminded him: "The wording of the order is more serious than what I said."

"Mm, I know." Li Xuewu nodded and said: "I will report this matter to the group level, and I will also notify Liaodong Industry..."

"Xuewu—" Gu An interrupted: "You must be fully prepared."

He reminded him very seriously: "You should know the meaning behind this order; there won't be a third order coming down."

"I know." Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling Second Uncle and the others to go out and get in the car first, while he continued to explain: "But you have to give me time to report, right?"

"There isn't much time." Gu An said worriedly: "If we can't get positive feedback, I estimate it will be very troublesome next."

"Then we can't just give it to you like this!"

Li Xuewu's tone also became serious, frowning and emphasizing: "I can completely order Steel Flight to open the hangar door wide. The kind of trouble you mentioned is nothing more than coming hard."

"Fine, I can completely accept this result, but can you bear it?"

He reminded him sharply: "Now you and I must stand on the same line. This is not my own business; it hasn't been from the beginning."

"Xuewu?" Gu An felt the fluctuation of his emotions from the phone and frowned, asking: "What identity do you need me to talk to you with now? The formal one?"

"Sorry, it's my fault." Li Xuewu let out a long breath, pinched his eyebrows, and said exhaustedly: "My Third Uncle is gone, and I must rush over to handle this matter."

"What? Your Third Uncle?" Gu An was stunned and asked hesitantly: "Last night..."

"The call came in the middle of the night." Li Xuewu explained with a hoarse voice: "He sacrificed himself at the scene. Second Uncle, Xue-li, and I are about to set off for Yangcheng."

"Go to Yangcheng... then here..."

Gu An wanted to say something, but stopped, as if he had made some decision, changed to a serious tone and said: "You go handle this matter first, I'll keep an eye on things here."

"Eldest Brother, this matter is complicated if you say it's complicated, and simple if you say it's simple." Li Xuewu took a big gulp of the water that had already cooled on the small table and said bluntly: "You just wait and see there; you must not make any suggestions or opinions."

"In this matter, neither you nor I can express our stance; this is a dead end."

He gritted his teeth and explained more bluntly: "The key to breaking the situation is not in Liaodong, but in the capital, in the Red Steel Group. This time, someone must stand up and bear the consequences."

"Xuewu." Gu An heard him finish and asked in a deep voice: "Can I take the aircraft back this time?"

"The aircraft is not the key, Eldest Brother."

Li Xuewu let out a long sigh and explained: "What they want is not the aircraft, but the noose around your neck and mine."

"We have already exported hundreds of this type of aircraft. If you really need them, there is absolutely no need to do it this way. Do you understand?"

He emphasized very seriously: "You don't even need to be so active. As long as you express the intention of needing them, we will take the initiative to send them over, even if it's giving them to you for free."

"This is a trap, a trap with no chance of survival."

Li Xuewu gritted his back teeth and said fiercely: "I want to return this trap to them, put it around their necks, and hang them to death myself." ===== CHAPTER 1604 =====