Chapter 1653: Only struggle

"Any arrangements for the evening?" Xu Sinian waited until the end, and seeing that Li Xuewu didn't get up, he asked, "Want to do something tonight?"

"Do what? Have you memorized them all?"

Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, "Do you really think that after this test, there won't be any more tests?"

"Still testing?" Xu Sinian widened his eyes and asked, "Is what they said true?"

"What's true and what's false?" Li Xuewu was tidying up the materials on the desk, too lazy to pay attention to him.

Xu Sinian leaned over again and explained softly, "Everyone says that cadre promotion will have to go through an assessment process; is this true?"

"When did cadre promotion not go through an assessment process?" Li Xuewu raised his eyes and glanced at him, asking angrily, "Do you draw lots to select cadres in Yingcheng Shipbuilding?"

"..." Xu Sinian was topped by his words until his lungs hurt; he smacked his lips and explained, "I mean this form of examination."

"Don't know, go ask."

Li Xuewu continued to tidy up the materials and said nonsense, "Tell me when you know."

Xu Sinian pursed his lips; he didn't believe Li Xuewu's words at all. Any work of the group could not bypass the secretary-general; otherwise, how could it be executed.

Deputy Secretary-General Ji Jiuzheng could be called a yes-man, half-step down; important work would not take half a step more without Li Xuewu's approval.

"Director Li made an appointment to play mahjong tonight; are you coming?" Li Xuewu finished tidying up the things and, seeing this mushroom still there, could only ask him, "If you go, and he asks you about the warship, what will you say?"

"Don't know, I don't know shit." Xu Sinian was also tortured by those people and complained, "What kind of onion am I? Is it worth participating in this level of project?"

"It shows you have value—"

Li Xuewu picked up his bag and said to Zhang Enyuan, who had just entered, "No need to send me off; we are going to the International Hotel and won't be back tonight."

"I have value? Why don't they look for you? Aren't you more valuable than me?"

Xu Sinian's broken mouth kept talking, following Li Xuewu half a step behind.

Don't look at his virtue; in fact, he wanted to follow Li Xuewu to see Li Huai De.

Li Xuewu had already talked to him; don't think about returning to the group headquarters, don't think about going to other general companies for training; he didn't say anything else.

In fact, there was no need to say; this sentence had already determined his future.

Since there was no need to return to the group headquarters and no need to go to other units for training, it was a vertical promotion within the Liaodong industrial system.

Especially since Li Xuewu talked to him, it was equivalent to Li Huai De acquiescing to his status.

What status?

Li Xuewu was bound to return to the group headquarters; Liaodong industry couldn't be without someone to take over.

When to choose a successor, one couldn't wait until Li Xuewu's transfer order came down to think about it.

Prepare in advance, at least prepare a year in advance, and it couldn't be just one option.

What if Xu Sinian had other appointments, or was not suitable for the position?

Xu Sinian also knew that although he had become the first choice of Li Huai De and Li Xuewu, it was definitely not the only option.

He didn't worry about Li Huai De, but he was afraid of Li Xuewu; this secretary-general's mind was too complex; Old Li let him choose two and use one, but he might choose three, choose four, or even choose many and use two or three.

The secretary-general plays chess and calculates ten steps for one; who could calculate him.

If one doesn't play some tricks and prepare more, one might not have a place to cry if one fails to be selected.

As for the assessment just mentioned, these were all procedural matters; he had to solve the selection procedure.

If the leader doesn't choose you, what does it have to do with going through the process.

So coming back once, one couldn't go home to sleep, wasting the opportunity in vain.

Do you think he is the only one who thinks so?

Look, tonight, including group leaders, persons in charge of organs and key departments all have dinner parties; there are absolutely more than one.

Who invited them?

Naturally, those persons in charge who were sent out; they each had their own goals, either wanting to come back, or wanting a horizontal transfer, or wanting to keep their positions.

There were also those who wanted to make a fuss about the budget and strive for business policies for next year; everyone showed their abilities, and everyone competed based on their skills; interpersonal relationships and human sophistication were also a skill.

However, there were exceptions, such as Li Huai De, such as Li Xuewu.

Li Huai De is the number one; not many people can invite him, unless it's private reminiscing.

And Li Xuewu is the secretary-general, who in many people's eyes belongs to the last vote to strive for.

At the same time, they tacitly assumed that Li Xuewu's vote would be cast with Director Li, so there was no point in trying to win him over.

The key was that Li Xuewu also concurrently served as the person in charge of Liaodong industry; the vote was naturally reserved for his own people.

Why conduct organizational talks? It was to communicate effectively within the group and try to eliminate this concept and cognition.

Li Huai De invited Li Xuewu to play mahjong, which was an excuse for these people.

"Secretary-General, General Manager Xu, the leader is in the coffee shop." Liu Bin, Li Huai De's secretary, stood at the door waiting for them, and was a little surprised to see Xu Sinian.

"Himself?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked, "How did he think of drinking coffee?"

Old Li wouldn't drink coffee; he was at that age where he slept at midnight and woke up at dawn, most lacking sleep.

"President Chantal of the Santa Group is in Beijing attending a meeting, and coincidentally ran into Director Zhang and Deputy Director Bai of Beijing Chemical."

Liu Bin explained softly, "General Manager He of the International Hotel is accompanying them, just waiting for you."

"Zhang Zhanshan and Bai Zhangmin? What are they doing here?" Li Xuewu glanced at him and asked, "Did Director Li invite them?"

"Director Li invited Director Zhang."

Liu Bin sent them to the entrance of the coffee shop and stopped.

"Come, the secretary-general is here."

Li Huai De was facing the door, saw him first, and beckoned with a smile, "What was I saying just now? Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives, hehehe."

Zhang Zhanshan and Bai Zhangmin and others also turned around, and seeing it was him, they all smiled and waved.

"Didn't you say you were playing mahjong? Why are you tasting coffee?" Li Xuewu walked over and joked, "These two don't quite match."

"Man proposes, God disposes—" Bai Zhangmin smiled, raised his hand to signal Chantal, and said, "We just heard that President Chantal also likes mahjong."

"Is that so—" Li Xuewu also looked at Chantal in surprise and asked, "Do you know how to play mahjong?"

"Why couldn't I?"

Chantal asked back with a smile, "Shouldn't mahjong belong to the world?"

"I like your way of saying it."

Li Xuewu nodded with a light smile and said, "I hope you can bring mahjong to France."

"Definitely will." Chantal guaranteed very seriously, "It's very interesting."

"By then, when Director Li goes to France as a guest, he will have international friends to accompany him to play mahjong." Li Xuewu sat down by Li Huai De's hand and joked, "Just thinking about it makes me feel it's fun."

"Hahahaha—" Li Huai De also thought of this picture in his mind and couldn't help laughing out loud.

Several people sat here talking nonsense, completely waiting for him; as soon as he arrived, several people lost the intention to sit any longer.

Don't look at Li Xuewu scolding Xu Sinian in the office, but when it came to the occasion, he still introduced the few, although they also knew each other.

Knowing each other in a work occasion, this kind of private social interaction was the first time; the meaning was different.

If there was no introduction from Li Xuewu, Xu Sinian wouldn't even have the timing and position to sit down.

He Yuzhu politely came over to inform that the meeting room was ready and invited everyone to go over.

Li Xuewu glanced at her; she had lost a lot of weight these days, obviously affected by the death of the First Aunt, and suffered a lot during the funeral days.

But the two didn't have a chance to talk this time; Bai Zhangmin pulled him to talk about Liaodong.

Beijing Chemical had already discussed the cooperation with the Chemical College, and he was still responsible for it.

"Principal Xu promised to give us 100 targeted training worker trainee indicators every year," Bai Zhangmin smiled and said, "I'm pondering whether this 100,000 yuan spent every year is worth it."

"Hehe, it's a loss no matter how you calculate it now, but look at it in the long run." Li Xuewu said indifferently, "Look at the success rate; it should be profitable in the long run, even if it's a loss, how much can it lose?"

"Did you finalize the duration of the cooperation? Three years? Five years?"

"Discussing it, do you have any opinions?" Bai Zhangmin looked at him and asked, "Set it for five years first?"

"Have you considered that talent cultivation takes time."

Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, "Graduates also need time to practice what they have learned after joining the job."

"Five years, five batches of trainees."

He chuckled and said, "You'd better think it through; five years later, if you think it's worth it and want to renew the contract, Principal Xu might want to raise the price."

"What if it's not worth it?" Bai Zhangmin asked, "Wouldn't it be more and more of a loss?"

"If you feel it's a loss, you can terminate the contract in advance—" Li Xuewu said amusedly, "Just say you have no money; can he force you?"

"Oh my! High!" Bai Zhangmin suddenly realized that his moral bottom line was still set too high and he couldn't adapt to this era.

Li Xuewu entered the door, turned around and blocked him who was walking at the end, and asked softly, "You shouldn't tell others that I taught you to do this, right?"

"Haha—of course not—"

Seeing that he wasn't joking, Bai Zhangmin guaranteed seriously.

Li Xuewu glanced at him, then turned and entered the meeting room; Liu Bin was organizing the mahjong table, while He Yuzhu was standing by the tea cabinet making hot tea.

A fresh fruit platter was placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa on the side, which was quite luxurious in this season.

The greenhouse project of Red Star Commune and Wei Third Regiment Reclamation Area was quite successful; although the supply range was still narrow, it also indirectly proved the feasibility of this auxiliary agricultural sideline business model.

He still remembered the article the vice president wanted; its purpose was about reclamation economy.

He had also been thinking about this problem these past two days; whether the development mode and strategy of Red Star Commune had universal adaptability under the current system and general environment.

That is to say, is it possible to summarize the development mode and strategy of Red Star Commune and apply it to more communes to develop economic work.

Similarly, is it feasible to require troops with conditions to create reclamation areas and develop agricultural sideline economy.

If he wants to write an article, he must consider who will read it, and at the same time, he must consider clearly the purpose of the other party asking for his opinion, and be prepared to bear the responsibility of the continuous influence after providing the opinion and the failure to achieve the expected goal.

A designated topic essay is not so easy to write, especially this kind of article that may affect certain decisions; he must be very cautious.

However, after tasting a bite of the melon produced in the reclamation area, he still had to say that eating this in winter was a kind of success and happiness.

It's a pity that Old Li has no blessing to enjoy these melons, let alone strawberries.

"You eat yours, don't look at me." Li Huai De smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I'm old, the parts don't work."

"Is it not okay to eat a little?"

Zhang Zhanshan didn't understand this kind of condition and asked with some surprise, "Not even a bite?"

"No, can only rely on control."

Li Huai De shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "The hard-to-get special medicine, plus the conditioning of Chinese medicine some time ago, I can't fool myself for a bite of food."

"This is really suffering—"

Zhang Zhanshan saw that he didn't eat, and after eating a piece of watermelon, he didn't take any more, very polite.

Li Xuewu was also very restrained with sweets, only eating a piece of melon and stopping, but Bai Zhangmin and Chantal ate a few more bites, looking like they liked it.

Li Huai De saw that they had rested enough, waved his hand and said, "Come, comrades, let's play three rounds first."

"Hahahaha—"

Chantal was here, and everyone was a bit reserved; this was a foreigner.

The cautious He Yuzhu even invited a foreign affairs department translator stationed at the International Hotel to the room to do service work.

Chantal's Chinese was very fluent, no need for a translator at all, but He Yuzhu's arrangement was not even rejected by Old Li.

The translator was also very clever; after entering the room, he found a corner seat, took a cup of tea and a plate of fruit poured by Liu Bin, and said nothing.

His existence was a trust and a proof; as long as he didn't talk about topics that violated principles, the people in the room could pretend he didn't exist.

The translator also had this consciousness; after all, the foreign affairs department cooperated very well with the International Hotel and the Red Steel Group, and the interests involved didn't need to be said.

He would stand out when needed to provide key proof for the few people sitting here today.

It could be seen that Li Huai De was very satisfied with He Yuzhu's work and arrangements, and the address when speaking was very casual; he came often.

As soon as Li Xuewu entered the room, he saw this mahjong table, which was very similar to the one at Tuanjie Hotel.

"General Manager Bai, you play, you play."

Li Huai De invited Zhang Zhanshan and Chantal to the table, just one short of four.

Li Xuewu was the host, so naturally he had to be polite, pulling Bai Zhangmin to ask him to play.

Bai Zhangmin waved his hand repeatedly and refused, "Secretary-General Li, don't be polite; I came here to learn today; I'll watch you play."

"Oh, Secretary-General, you come first."

Seeing them wasting his time, Li Huai De waved his hand and said, "There are many people today; we can play to our heart's content."

He looked at Zhang Zhanshan and said with a laugh, "We can play to our heart's content today."

"Hehehe—" Zhang Zhanshan looked at Bai Zhangmin, and then said to Li Xuewu, "Secretary-General Li, you come; I might not be able to sit."

"You'll know once you play."

Li Xuewu looked at Li Huai De opposite amusedly and said, "Our Director Li has a nickname in the card field, called the Gift-Giving Boy."

"Hahahaha!"

Playing such jokes at the card table, Li Huai De didn't care at all; he never cared about the win or loss at the card table; he just liked this atmosphere.

Seeing him at the table, Bai Zhangmin moved a chair and sat beside Li Huai De and Chantal, facing Li Xuewu and Director Zhang Zhanshan.

The choice of seats actually has its own rules; with outsiders present, Li Xuewu and Li Huai De couldn't sit as upper and lower houses, because there was suspicion of feeding cards and letting water.

And those watching the fun couldn't sit next to their relatives and friends, because they saw the cards of two houses.

Just because of these small contradictions, there were not a few who caused deaths. The card field is the most ruthless.

Don't look at the fact that no one will get anxious and curse on weekdays for three or five yuan, but if you owe him three or five yuan at the card table and don't give it, see what he does to you.

"This nickname of mine can be considered a summary of long-term fighting in the card field."

Li Huai De was very happy arranging the mahjong tiles, laughing and saying, "I think life is like playing mahjong; don't be arrogant when you win, don't be annoyed when you lose; what's important is not the result but the process."

"You are still the one who understands life—"

Zhang Zhanshan looked at him with some surprise and said, "Being able to get this kind of insight from playing, no wonder you can be so open-minded."

He was referring to the fact that Li Huai De had just explained his diabetes condition.

Being able to maintain an optimistic attitude and a positive attitude toward treatment after getting this kind of disease, one really has to say a word of admiration.

In fact, Li Xuewu knows Li Huai De at this time better; it wasn't insulin and his father's medicine that saved Old Li, but the desire and unwillingness for his official career.

Insulin is a major reason for maintaining his physical health, and Li Shun's treatment method is a kind of going with the flow.

The key lies in a man's confidence and persistence in his official career; you ask Old Li if he is willing to give up?

Just because he got this disease, when there is a control method, does he choose to complain about heaven and people, give up on himself, or persist in treatment and strive to go further in his career.

To put it this way, if you let Old Li advance, he can run even if you let him carry sand; he can run.

There is a joke that says: you let me carry 100 jin of grain, I can't carry it, but you give me 100 jin of gold bars, I'll run with it.

Old Li had to compromise with his body, forgiving his body's lack of contention.

But in the eyes of Zhang Zhanshan and others, Old Li was a manifestation of great perseverance.

Persisting in work while ill; if this were placed on him, he could write ten reports.

But not many people in their circle really know that Li Huai De has this situation.

Zhang Zhanshan first looked at Li Huai De, then looked at Li Xuewu, feeling in his heart that this Red Steel Group is not big, but it produces ruthless people!

"Why did you come out?"

He Yuzhu had just finished handing over work with the night shift duty director and wanted to come over to see, but when she walked to the door, she saw Li Xuewu coming out from inside.

She widened her eyes in surprise and asked softly, "Are you finished playing?"

"No, tired of sitting, changing shifts."

Li Xuewu pointed to the lounge opposite, signaling her to go over and talk.

He Yuzhu first tilted her head to listen to the movement in the room, then followed him over.

Li Xuewu turned on the light in the lounge, found a sofa and sat down, and pointed to the sofa opposite, signaling He Yuzhu to sit over and talk.

He Yuzhu bypassed the sofa, but her eyes didn't leave him, and finally she sat diagonally opposite him.

"Is everything handled?"

He rubbed his face and asked, "Haven't been resting all this time, right?"

"Just these few days, how tired can I be."

He Yuzhu lowered her head, pinching her fingers, and said, "First Aunt has returned to live upstairs."

"Hmm, it's more convenient to go back and live."

Li Xuewu nodded slowly and asked, "How are your brother and sister-in-law? They have to slow down for a while."

"It's okay, just the child was noisy for two days, thanks to Aunt Liu."

Speaking of this, He Yuzhu raised her head and looked at him, saying, "If it weren't for Aunt Liu, my brother and sister-in-law wouldn't know what to do."

No need to ask, they must have been scared.

Li Xuewu had reminded Seeing Sha Zhu on the day that the courtyard was holding a funeral, and the distance was so close; children's eyes are very bright, don't scare them.

It went exactly as he said.

Seeing Sha Zhu, this person, it's fine to say he is open-minded by nature, and it's also right to say he has no heart.

Diliya was an orphan by nature; being able to grow up is a blessing cultivated for several lifetimes.

These two people didn't have any elders at home, and bringing up the child relied entirely on First Aunt's teaching.

But they had never encountered this kind of thing, and it was Liu Yin who had experience.

"Handled well? Nothing else, right?" Li Xuewu looked at her and asked, "Have you been living in the courtyard these few days?"

"Otherwise what?" He Yuzhu sighed helplessly and explained, "Crying as soon as it gets dark, even if coaxed to sleep, waking up every two hours; my brother and the others are exhausted."

She said with exhaustion in her eyes, "Could I just watch?"

"How is work recently?"

Li Xuewu didn't know what to say after hearing her explanation; things had passed, and comfort was useless, so he changed the subject.

He Yuzhu looked at him and raised her eyebrows, asking, "Is that all you called me here to ask?"

"Hmm—it's the end of the year." Li Xuewu looked at her and asked, "Don't you have any thoughts?"

"Stop tossing me." He Yuzhu waved her hand and refused, "I finally adapted to the current work; just let me work for a few more years."

"Then it's my meddling." Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Actually, Director Li asked me to ask you if you are interested in working in the organ."

"Of course, this depends on your personal opinion."

"Don't go, too tired." He Yuzhu supported her forehead with her hand and said, "I've heard it all; it's either intrigue or deception; it's annoying."

"Isn't this the norm of work."

Li Xuewu teased her, and seeing her say so, he followed her.

In fact, he didn't want He Yuzhu to change positions so frequently; even if Li Huai De intended to promote her this time, it might not be a good thing for He Yuzhu.

In the International Hotel, her work could reflect independence and specialty, but putting her in the organ might not adapt, and might not achieve results.

Li Huai De wanted this kind of clean and neat service and wanted to improve the overall management level of the organ.

But in Li Xuewu's view, it's nonsense.

Strictly speaking, no office staff in the organ is a waiter.

This is essentially different from the waiters of the International Hotel, so how can it be compared.

Li Huai De wanted to put the quality of service on those office staff, which belongs to putting the wrong hat on the wrong head and asking for trouble.

Of course, Li Xuewu didn't persuade Old Li directly; the essence of management is tossing.

Anyway, the organ is a pool of stagnant water; if the leader thinks of it, he will toss it, which can also bring some opportunities to those office staff.

After talking, Li Xuewu was about to get up and leave, but was pressed by He Yuzhu's hand.

"Don't you have anything else to say to me?" He Yuzhu looked at him and asked, "How long do you want me to wait for you?"

She said somewhat resentfully, "I'll be 27 after the New Year."

Li Xuewu frowned slightly, moved his hand, but it was easily pulled out.

But Yuzhu, whose hand was empty, lowered her head and cried with trembling shoulders.

Li Xuewu didn't need to worry about her crying attracting criticism, because he didn't hear the crying.

It was just tears falling on the sofa armrest, and then sliding to the ground.

"Why are you suffering like this."

He sighed, helplessly said, "Some time ago your brother also told me he wanted to introduce a partner to you; I thought you had figured it out."

"What about you?" He Yuzhu raised her head and looked at him, asking with tearful eyes, "Don't you like me at all? Do I make you so annoying?"

"What do you want me to say?"

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly, pressed his voice and said, "We are not children anymore, not when we were playing with mud in the courtyard."

"You certainly have the qualification to pursue your own love, and the right to like anyone."

"But I," he pointed to himself and looked at He Yuzhu very seriously, "I must be responsible for myself, and I must be responsible for my family."

"Similarly, if I make a choice passively, I must also be responsible for you."

"What about Yu Li?" He Yuzhu stared into his eyes and asked unwillingly, "Do you also want to be responsible for her? You're lying to me—"

"No, Yuzhu, you are wrong."

Li Xuewu shook his head slightly, paused, and then continued, "She never asked me to be responsible for her, and I never said I would be responsible for her."

"Including everyone you know, regarding the relationship between you and me, I can tell you very calmly now that I don't need to be responsible for anyone, because they all have their own lives."

He pointed to He Yuzhu and asked, "You should be able to understand the meaning of my words, right?"

He Yuzhu certainly understood.

"First, you must be you, and then you can choose who you are and who you want."

Li Xuewu said very directly, "I can fully accept your liking, and then?"

He spread his hands and asked, "Can't see each other once a month; can you accept this kind of relationship?"

"You are a good girl; now you can redefine your life from any angle; I cannot ruin your right to choose."

Yuzhu understood, but cried even harder, covering her eyes with both hands, tears overflowing.

Li Xuewu's words were really simple; it's easy to have that kind of relationship, but hard to maintain this kind of relationship.

It's hard to express the emotion of liking, or expect to get emotional feedback from Li Xuewu here.

In fact, just think about it; with Li Xuewu's current status and career, where does he have the heart to play emotional games with her.

They are all adults; discussing love is a waste of time; adults don't need love to maintain emotional relationships; they have more mature means and thinking, such as interest relationships.

This is the contradiction between the two, and also the reason why Li Xuewu dare not accept her.

He Yuzhu doesn't want his money, nor his care, just him and his love.

And for Li Xuewu, he has the first two, but not much of the latter left.

He gave what he could give to Gu Ning, to the children, and to his family.

Love is not born with it, but the warming of feelings with the right person, combined with responsibility and commitment, then there is complex love.

You want to say that Li Xuewu and Gu Ning deeply loved each other when they first got married; that's nonsense.

It can only be said that during Li Xuewu's injury, and in the subsequent getting along, the two hearts intertwined and had a resonance of the soul, which still couldn't

It was only after marriage, having shared a life together, and having Li Shu and Li Ning, that Li Xuewu dared to say he deeply loved Gu Ning at this point in time.

As for Gu Ning, she also loved Li Xuewu deeply and embraced everything about him.

Speaking of others, for Yu Li and Lou Xiaoe, Li Xuewu bore more of a sense of responsibility and obligation, lacking a meeting of souls.

As for the rest, there is no need to say more; he gave what he could, and they all knew this.

Only He Yu Shui was too naive and too childish, even claiming she was 27 years old.

Seeing her crying sadly, Li Xuewu stood up, pulled a tissue from the box, handed it to her, and said softly, "Think carefully about what you want, find the right attitude toward life, seriously fall in love, and live the life you want."

"You go away." He Yu Shui swatted his hand away, not wanting his pity or preaching.

She sat there covering her face, wanting him to see her at her most disheveled and disappointed.

"Uncle—"

Fu Zhidong, who was pretending to do his homework in the living room, ran out as soon as he heard the movement in the foyer. Seeing it was really him, he shouted in surprise.

Li Xuewu looked him over with amusement and asked, "It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Zhou Wang Yamei, who had opened the door for him, glared at her son helplessly before explaining, "He heard you were coming and said he hadn't finished his homework."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu walked into the living room, reached out to put his arm around his godson's shoulder, and asked, "Is it really not finished, or are you just pretending?"

"Hehe—" Fu Zhidong raised his little head and whispered to him, "I finished my homework a long time ago; I wanted to wait for you to come."

"I knew it." Li Xuewu sat down with him on the sofa and said with a smile, "I've only heard that your grades are good; I've never heard that you struggle with your homework."

Thinking back, when he first saw Fu Zhidong, he was only this big—four years old.

Now he is already a second-grade elementary student; how fast time flies.

Although Fu Zhidong attends the United School, he has seen him very few times in recent years.

On one hand, it was because he went to Liaodong; on the other hand, it was because of Zhou Wang Yamei.

Zhou Wang Yamei brought her son to the capital precisely to stay a little further away from him.

Of course, she knew Li Xuewu was good to Fu Zhidong and knew Fu Zhidong needed this fatherly love.

However, Li Xuewu's fatherly love did not belong to Fu Zhidong; the two of them could not be too greedy.

Sending that pair of bracelets to Gu Ning back then showed her determination; she could not go back on it.

She had also succeeded; all these years she had not relied on Li Xuewu to live, and she hadn't even taken living expenses from him for a long time.

Even if they still maintained this close relationship, that was their own personal bond.

Zhou Wang Yamei had very complex feelings for Li Xuewu; as for her, and as for her son, it was not something that could be explained clearly in a sentence or two.

Knowing Li Xuewu was coming tonight, she had frankly told her son, wanting to see the boy's reaction and wanting to know how to act in the future.

She studied psychology, so of course, she was very clear about a boy's complex perception of a stepfather.

Although there was no legal relationship between her and Li Xuewu, and Fu Zhidong was not Li Xuewu's stepson, this relationship existed as an objective fact through subtle influence.

If Fu Zhidong showed resistance, she would need to make a choice between Li Xuewu and her son.

This was not her spoiling the child, preferring to wrong herself to respect her son's attitude.

She just didn't want to wrong Li Xuewu; Li Xuewu owed them nothing and had even done a lot for the two of them.

If Fu Zhidong developed a sense of resistance, it could not be blamed on the child, nor could it be blamed on Li Xuewu.

Making Li Xuewu feel this resistance would be an apology to her.

Therefore, she had to be prepared to face this choice at any time, which was also the reason she brought Fu Zhidong to the capital.

But looking at it now, Fu Zhidong's reliance on and closeness to Li Xuewu showed absolutely no such sense of resistance.

Actually, under normal circumstances, a child about to turn 9 should understand these things.

Zhou Wang Yamei had also pondered that perhaps Li Xuewu possessed extraordinary personal charisma, naturally having an irresistible attraction to small children.

Or perhaps Li Xuewu was there when Fu Zhidong personally saw his father off, and in his subconscious, the little boy had come to regard Li Xuewu as his father.

Regardless of the situation, watching the two of them sitting on the sofa whispering, Zhou Wang Yamei had the feeling that she was a tool.

The kind where, if not for achieving a father-son relationship, it wouldn't matter if she were there or not.

"Alright, Uncle has been tired all day."

Zhou Wang Yamei listened to them for a while before reminding her son, "You still have school tomorrow."

"Can I skip breakfast?" Fu Zhidong looked at his mother pitifully and said, "I can sleep later; I want to talk to Uncle."

"How can you skip breakfast?" Li Xuewu patted his shoulder and said, "Uncle will still be in the capital this weekend; you can come to the group headquarters to find me, and I'll have my secretary bring you to my office."

He smiled and said, "We'll talk slowly then; you can talk for as long as you want."

"Really!" Fu Zhidong said in surprise, "I know you work in that building, but Mom won't let me go find you."

"Your mom is right not to let you go."

Li Xuewu smiled and tapped his forehead, explaining, "Because Uncle still works in Steel City most of the time, and I only come back for a day or two every month, so you wouldn't find me even if you went."

"Ah! So that's how it is!"

Fu Zhidong seemed to have just found out, but he was exposed by Zhou Wang Yamei.

"Didn't I explain that to you?" Zhou Wang Yamei looked at the close pair and glared at her son with a bit of jealousy, saying, "You just found out?"

Fu Zhidong was exposed by his mother and lowered his head in embarrassment.

Li Xuewu patted his shoulder and said, "It's okay, Uncle believes you didn't mean it; actually, you trust Uncle more, right?"

"Hehe—" Fu Zhidong was amused by him and stole a glance at his mother.

But Zhou Wang Yamei's expression was a bit serious right now, scaring him into slipping away quickly.

"Uncle, I'll come find you this weekend."

Just before returning to his room, Fu Zhidong still held the door and emphasized this with some reluctance.

Seeing his mother look over, he stuck out his tongue and quickly retreated.

Looking at the closed door, Zhou Wang Yamei glared at him and said, "That's my son."

"I'm not fighting you for him, what are you in such a rush for?" Li Xuewu looked at her with amusement and said, "Why are you like..."

"Like what?" Zhou Wang Yamei had already anticipated the words he had said halfway and retracted; she widened her eyes, and her breathing became a bit heavier.

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "Nothing, I'm just advising you not to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous." Zhou Wang Yamei turned and went to the bathroom, set the hot water, and then came out and said faintly, "Go take a bath."

"Why are you like a child?"

Li Xuewu stood up and gave her a playful slap on the bottom.

"You—" Zhou Wang Yamei looked at her son's room nervously and gave him a playful jab, but was pulled into the bathroom by him.

On December 21, the Red Steel Group held a staff representative assembly. Members of the Group Management Committee, heads of various branches, and heads of major departments sat in the front row.

At the meeting, Gu Weijie, the First Deputy Director of the Management Committee, delivered a work report on behalf of the committee.

In the report, she detailed the achievements created by the Red Steel Group under the leadership of the Management Committee over the past year.

Data best reflects work conditions and value; this year was also the first time the Management Committee disclosed annual operating conditions to staff representatives, setting a precedent for using data to support work reports.

In the report, she pointed out that the group still faces the dual challenges of management mechanism innovation and business scale expansion.

First, the construction of the cadre echelon needs to be strengthened; the rapid expansion of emerging business sectors such as Liaodong Industry and the Jiangnan branch of the Sales Corporation has exposed a shortage of composite management talent, urgently requiring the perfection of a "performance-selection-cultivation" closed-loop mechanism.

Second, the pressure of resource coordination is prominent; competition among branches for budget and policy resources has intensified, requiring the establishment of a scientific resource allocation plan.

Third, cross-system synergy efficiency needs to be improved; the decision-making chains of headquarters, production units, and external partners need further optimization to cope with operational adaptation and risk control needs in international cooperation.

In the fourth stage of the assembly, Group Secretary-General Li Xuewu delivered an organizational work report on behalf of the Management Committee.

In the report, he stated that all cadres and staff of the Red Steel Group must firm up their ideology and beliefs, must adhere to the fundamental purpose of grasping reform to promote production, must inherit and carry forward the organization's excellent work style, must consciously cultivate noble moral sentiments, strive to study the development outline of the new era, be clean and self-disciplined, stick to supervision, and forever maintain the organization's advanced nature and purity.

Before concluding his speech, he issued a call to all cadres and staff on behalf of the Management Committee.

"Comrades, the journey is long, and only through struggle can we succeed. There will surely be wind and rain on the road ahead, but the journey will surely be filled with brilliant stars. Please do not forget your original intention, keep your mission in mind; a brand-new chapter inspires us to create a youthful industry with our youthful selves, hold onto our original intention, endure hardships, hold high the banner to open up a new sky, dare to be the first, and safeguard our magnificent mountains and rivers."