Chapter 1679

You tell me, how could it be such a coincidence!

Li Xuewu hadn't even thought it would be such a coincidence; those in the group who could know Su Weide's whereabouts could be counted on one hand.

Basically, the element of intent could be ruled out, but this was just too coincidental.

Su Weide came back to work today, and today Liu Yaqin brought her children to make trouble.

If he went out again, he really should check the almanac; once a person's luck turns bad, they get food stuck in their teeth even when drinking cold water, and they fart and hit the back of their own head.

Listening to the commotion in the hallway, Liu Yaqin cursed even more joyfully; now, the cursing was mainly for Li Xuewu to hear.

Li Xuewu was listening, but he didn't pay much attention, nor did he appreciate her gesture.

If a person has sunk to this pile of dung, Liu Yaqin had truly squandered the little bit of reputation and forbearance Yu Tiecheng had left behind.

Who would dare help her? Everyone treated her like stinking dog shit; no one would lower themselves to the level of a shameless woman.

Li Xuewu wouldn't launch a retaliation because of her previous actions, nor would he feel honored because she had now found her way back.

It wasn't to the point of treating her like stinking dog shit, but there was no intention of putting her on a pedestal either.

Having Ma Baosen notify her to come to the office yesterday was just to instruct Sun Jian to arrange for Yu Tiecheng's two children.

Now that the arrangements were made and she had heard them, what else was there to say?

So Liu Yaqin sat on the floor cursing; Li Xuewu just acted as if he hadn't heard. She didn't even know Su Weide was on the same floor.

Sun Jian was such a good person; seeing that she was about to stop after cursing for a while, he hurried over and whispered a threat: "Stop making trouble, Deputy Director Su is right in his office."

Well! Sun Jian was truly despicable!

Liu Yaqin wasn't a fool either; she had long since sensed the opening, and she knew her children's future depended on this one encounter; she had to produce a "letter of allegiance."

Besides, she still had an old grudge with Su Weide that hadn't been settled; today, she would settle new and old grudges together; she was going to wreak havoc.

Sun Jian reached out to help her up, and before he could incite her a few more times, Liu Yaqin darted out, heading straight for Su Weide's office.

The offices of the group's leadership and the Labor Union's leadership were all on the 9th floor; the Labor Union Chairman and Vice-Chairman were both in the group's leadership sequence.

Su Weide's office was easy to find; Sun Jian waited at the door to watch the show, while over there, chaos erupted instantly.

Li Xuewu glanced at him at the door with some helplessness, shook his head, and continued with his work.

There was no shortage of such news in government units; Qin Huairu had such a history—when Jia Dongxu passed away, she had made a scene with Yang Fengshan.

Just think, if she didn't have that kind of capability, could a housewife from the countryside have gotten a job in the Red Star Factory workshop?

Today's Liu Yaqin was the same; if she wanted to make up for her wrong choices, she had to draw a clear line with Su Weide.

The secretaries in the General Department watched as Liu Yaqin stomped her way to the door of Labor Union Vice-Chairman Su Weide's office, tossed her braid, kicked the door open, and walked in, pointing her finger at Su Weide and cursing loudly: "Su Weide, I curse your mother!"

"What are you doing! Who let you in!"

Su Weide had long heard the cursing, but he had played dead, pretending not to hear; he never expected this shrew would actually come looking for him.

Which turtle's grandson told her he had come to work!

"Your mother let me in—"

For the sake of her children, Liu Yaqin no longer cared about her image; she grabbed the ashtray from the coffee table and threw it.

Fortunately, Su Weide had practiced; seeing she was about to make a move, he quickly dodged, and the ashtray hit him right on the forehead.

Thank goodness! Thank goodness Su Weide didn't know Liu Guangtian, and the ashtray wasn't made of steel, otherwise, his life or death today would have been uncertain.

"Little Wang! Call the Security Department!"

Su Weide was in agonizing pain; he touched it with his hand, and although it wasn't bleeding, his head was buzzing; no wonder he was furious.

He shouted at his secretary and emphasized, "Ask them what they are all eating, how they let just anyone in."

"I'll eat your mother's dog shit!"

Liu Yaqin cursed him, turned her head, pointed her finger at Secretary Little Wang, glared, and said: "Get the hell out of here, if you dare make that call, I'll curse you too!"

Little Wang was a high school graduate who had come to the Red Steel Group right out of school and had always worked in the office; where had he ever seen such a scene?

He had been stunned when Liu Yaqin burst in; at this moment, he numbly picked up the phone but didn't dare speak.

"How did you promise me in the first place!"

Seeing that she had intimidated the secretary, Liu Yaqin turned her attention back to Su Weide and hurried over, intending to tear at him.

Although Su Weide's head hurt terribly, he knew he couldn't let this shrew catch him, so he ran around the office desk.

He ran, Liu Yaqin chased; she chased, Su Weide ran; the two of them were playing a game of "magic circles."

"You explain it clearly to this lady, can shit that's been pulled out be sat back in?"

"What did I promise you!"

Su Weide retorted without showing weakness, but his feet didn't stop; he continued to dodge Liu Yaqin.

Even though Liu Yaqin swept everything off his desk onto the floor, he couldn't bother to pick it up; he could only focus on running.

While the two were chasing each other, they didn't notice Little Wang slipping out.

They stayed in this stalemate for about ten minutes before the Security Department, seeing that the time was about right, came up to clean up the mess.

Naturally knowing that Deputy Director Su was very angry, Zhou Yao didn't send the security guards over, but arranged for public security officers, with Qi Delong leading the team.

This kid Qi Delong was also bad; upon entering the room and seeing the two playing "hawk and chicken," he turned and asked Secretary Little Wang: "Who said someone was stripping the leader's clothes?"

Little Wang was also stunned by his question, "No one said anyone was stripping the leader's clothes?"

He had thought some forbidden scene was unfolding in the room; he peeked over the door frame, and well, Liu Yaqin had started taking off her own clothes.

"Indecent assault! Su Weide is indecently assaulting me!"

You have to give it to her, she was truly smart; she could understand Sun Jian's words and could also understand Qi Delong's words.

And so, unable to catch Su Weide, she started taking off her own clothes like a shrew and scratching her own hair.

"Indecent assault! Is the Security Department going to do anything about it!"

"You shrew! Who wants to indecently assault you!"

Su Weide was also panting for breath, and with his headache, he cursed angrily: "Why don't you find a mirror and take a look at yourself!"

"Then why are you taking off my clothes!"

Many people flooded into the office, not just from the Security Department, but also onlookers from the office side.

How does that saying go?

Oh, the law doesn't punish the masses.

Su Weide was already a molting phoenix, no better than a chicken; now, who was afraid of him?

Liu Yaqin was truly willing to go all out; she stripped down to her undergarments, standing by Su Weide's office desk, the two of them panting, and the eyes of those who had just squeezed in widened, truly believing something had happened.

Regardless of what the truth was, as long as these people believed that seeing was believing, the various speculations about Su Weide that would spread would be enough.

She had achieved her goal; in front of Qi Delong and the others, she put her clothes back on, smoothed her hair, and said calmly: "I want to report a crime; Su Weide once threatened to force me to sleep with him on the condition of arranging jobs for my children."

"Don't listen to her nonsense!" Su Weide was anxious, pointing at her and explaining to everyone: "She's just a shrew!"

"Now I'm a shrew?"

Liu Yaqin said calmly: "Just a moment ago, he even threatened me that if I didn't sleep with him, he would let the three of us starve to death on the street."

Alright, there was enough material here; Qi Delong didn't dare let her continue performing, otherwise, he wouldn't have the qualifications to wrap things up.

"Reporting a crime, right? Take your personal belongings and come with us."

He glanced at the onlookers behind him and reminded them: "Who wants to come back with us to assist in the investigation and evidence collection?"

With just that one sentence, the crowd dispersed instantly, also taking away Su Weide's embarrassment and the gossip.

There was enough fodder for conversation for the next week; what could be more interesting than this kind of news about a leader?

Liu Yaqin pointed at Su Weide with lingering interest and asked: "Why isn't he going back with you for investigation? Why only take me?"

"Deputy Director Su, do you need to go to the hospital for a check-up?"

Qi Delong looked at Su Weide and asked: "Do you want us to help you call an ambulance?"

"Of course I'm going to the hospital—"

Su Weide glared at him angrily and snorted: "No need for an ambulance, I'll go myself."

After speaking, he glared at Liu Yaqin again, which caused Liu Yaqin to curse again: "You ruined my reputation and you still dare to be so righteous?!"

Seeing she was about to get going again, the female security guard brought by Qi Delong quickly stopped her, while Su Weide, looking somewhat disheveled, hurried out of the office with Little Wang's help.

"Alright, if you want him to go for a physical check-up, we'll take you back to make a statement first."

"Hmph—too easy on him—"

Liu Yaqin knew that today's matter should come to an end here, so she took the hint and obediently left with the Security Department people.

Sun Jian stood at the door with Ma Baosen, watching the show until the end before returning to the office, his face full of satisfaction and pleasure.

"This Liu Yaqin doesn't look stupid," he asked Ma Baosen with some suspicion: "How could she do such a stupid thing?"

"Possessed by a ghost, blinded by greed!"

Ma Baosen explained: "When she first came to find the Secretary-General to solve the issue of her children's jobs, she was rejected by the leader."

"At that time, their whole family were people involved in the case; who would dare arrange anything for them? That's how the grudge started."

He shook his head and said: "I used to pity this family of three for their future, now that I think about it, I was truly stupid."

Sun Jian glanced at Ma Baosen, who seemed to be transforming into "Sister A-Qing," walked to Li Xuewu's desk, and reported: "Leader, should we arrange for Yu Yang to go to the Labor Union?"

He was truly vicious; Li Xuewu had used this trick before, forcing the other party to be disgusted by Gu Cheng for three years.

Now Sun Jian was going to do the same; wouldn't that double the disgust?

"Not appropriate, find a joint unit to arrange it."

Li Xuewu set the tone for this matter with a casual sentence, changed the subject, and reminded Sun Jian: "Make sure the mid-month visit itinerary is finalized, don't let any mistakes happen."

He tapped the desk with a pencil and added: "Have the Technical Department and other departments prepare a catalog to see if there's anything we can get our hands on this time."

"No need to ask, photolithography materials are the top priority."

Sun Jian also became serious and reminded Li Xuewu: "The group's Research Institute has been focusing on resources in this area."

"Hmm, make a note of that too."

Li Xuewu thought for a moment and instructed him: "You take the lead, organize a discussion meeting, pool everyone's wisdom, and see what demands everyone has."

"No problem," Sun Jian agreed readily, responding: "I'll handle Yu Yang and Yu Jia's matters first, then I'll take care of this."

Seeing that Li Xuewu had no further instructions, he said goodbye and left.

Ma Baosen watched him leave before walking over and whispering: "Director Sun is truly bad, deliberately telling Liu Yaqin that Deputy Director Su was in his office."

Li Xuewu didn't pay him any mind; such things weren't uncommon in government offices; if even this was strange, then one might as well go back to kindergarten.

During the Red Star Factory period, Li Xuewu had suggested to the broadcasting station that they play music after the end-of-shift bell, letting the workers leave the factory area accompanied by inspirational music.

Later, after the group headquarters was established, they started by playing inspirational music, but Li Xuewu gave another suggestion to the Logistics Management Department: change to playing soothing music.

After all, everyone was tired after a day's work; it wasn't the atmosphere of the workshop, so soothing music was better for relaxing the mood.

So when the music started playing, Li Xuewu glanced at his watch and said to Ma Baosen: "No need for you to see me off, I'll go first, you stay behind to clean up."

He stood up, took his handbag, and instructed as he walked: "After you finish cleaning up, go back and rest early, no need to rush those materials."

"I'll call Qi Yan."

Ma Baosen knew that this time going to Japan, there probably wouldn't be an opportunity for him; the leader said there was no need to rush the materials, which meant there would be time to do them slowly later.

Li Xuewu went downstairs, and Qi Yan had already driven the car to the pick-up platform in front of the lobby and was standing there waiting for him.

"Let's go, to the compound."

He had already told Qi Yan when he arrived in the morning, so Qi Yan understood his meaning.

Protecting Li Xuewu as he got into the car, he closed the door, turned, and climbed into the driver's seat, starting the car toward the Xicheng District.

Li Xuewu said "to the compound," not "back to the compound"; the latter referred to the compound where Li Xuewu's parents lived, while the former referred to his in-laws'.

Qi Yan had worked and lived there for many years, so he was very familiar with it; when entering the main gate, he even nodded and greeted his former colleagues.

Returning to the compound in a different capacity, he also felt some emotion.

He drove the car into the small courtyard area and parked it steadily at the main entrance.

Because Gu Haitao didn't live here, there were no staff stationed here, so he had to get out of the car himself to open the main gate.

After parking the car in the courtyard, Li Xuewu, who had already gotten out of the car at the entrance, had stepped onto the stairs and walked into the lobby.

"Quick, we've been waiting for you."

Mu Hongyan greeted him with a smile, saying: "Your daughter said she couldn't eat until you arrived."

"Is that so—" Li Xuewu smiled and squatted down, letting Li Shu hug him.

"You're not like this at home, but now that you're visiting, you're letting your little brothers laugh at you?"

He patted his daughter's calf and asked: "Did you help your eldest aunt or not?"

"I helped!" Li Shu stood up straight and explained: "I even helped eldest aunt take care of my little brother."

"Li Shu is so well-behaved, so good."

Mu Hongyan smiled and pulled Li Shu's little hand, saying: "Let eldest aunt hold you, let your dad change his shoes, okay?"

"Okay—" Li Shu turned and let Mu Hongyan take her, hugging her eldest aunt's neck and explaining: "Eldest aunt is good too—"

"Your little mouth is truly sweet, no wonder your grandfather and grandmother miss you the most."

Mu Hongyan smiled and touched her little face, saying: "When they left, they even urged me to cherish you well."

Li Shu enjoyed the love from her grandmother and grandfather thousands of miles away; the candy she and her younger brother ate in the afternoon was bought by her grandmother.

"It's cleaned up quite nicely."

Li Xuewu changed into his slippers, touched the window lattice with his hand, and said with a smile: "I was even thinking of arranging for someone to come over to air it out."

"It's fine, it's okay." Mu Hongyan walked into the living room, placed Li Shu on the sofa, and stood up straight, saying: "The service office has been sending people to clean."

"No matter how well it's taken care of, there's no one living in this house."

Seeing Gu Ning sitting lazily on the sofa, Li Xuewu walked over with a smile, squeezed her shoulders, and asked: "What? Tired from working?"

"Hey! Don't be all lovey-dovey in front of me—"

Mu Hongyan smiled and pointed at the two, emphasizing: "I'm very sensitive right now."

"Then just stay in Jin Ling for a while longer." Li Xuewu asked with a smile: "You brought the children back, did your eldest brother say anything?"

"What could he say? The children have to go to school, right?"

Mu Hongyan glanced at the door and said: "I called Zhou Yao, why hasn't she arrived yet?"

Mu Hongyan moving back with the children, this first day of warming the house was naturally for all the relatives to come together.

Gu Yan wasn't home, so she specifically called Zhou Yao; she couldn't leave her sister-in-law out.

When she lived here before, she was always wondering when her sister-in-law would get married, when her brother-in-law would take a wife.

She never expected time to pass so quickly; now her sister-in-law's son was so big, and her brother-in-law had been married for two years.

Returning to this home, she felt a sense of things being different; her father-in-law and mother-in-law weren't in Beijing, and only she and the children lived here.

Seeing Gu Ning and her husband's affection, she felt a bit awkward herself.

"I didn't see her when I left, anyway." Li Xuewu saw that Gu Ning didn't want his help squeezing her shoulders, so he walked to the sofa and sat down.

Li Shu sat there obediently, while Li Ning and Gu Yunzhi ran around the living room playing; the two little brothers weren't meeting for the first time and were very familiar with each other.

Li Ning's birthday was in February 1967, while Gu Yunzhi's was in May; Li Ning was the older brother, three months older than his little cousin.

If Gu Ning hadn't gotten pregnant so quickly, Mu Hongyan wouldn't have felt so anxious; she didn't know if it was Li Shun's medicine that worked or the change in environment, but she got pregnant soon after arriving in Xijing.

Gu An was a pilot by training, naturally harboring lofty aspirations, and hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps, so he gave the child that name.

Just as Mu Hongyan looked at the door for the third time and was about to call again, Zhou Yao's motorcycle entered the courtyard.

She still had her short hair, wearing a thin leather jacket, looking heroic and cool, full of spirit.

"Auntie is here—"

Li Ning saw her from the window, ran out of the lobby, and was hugged by Zhou Yao before he could even step off the stairs.

"Let me see if you've gotten fat again."

"Fat—" Li Ning said himself that he was fat, "I like eating meat!"

He didn't know who taught him, saying that eating meat makes you grow tall, so he remembered it; usually, Gu Ning didn't restrict him, he ran and jumped as he pleased, and his body was very sturdy.

Zhou Yao trained often, and even she felt the weight when holding him; she bounced him and said with a smile: "You have to eat some vegetables too."

"Hello, Auntie—" Gu Yunzhi was still a bit shy; he had only met Zhou Yao a few times since moving from Xijing to Jin Ling, unlike Li Ning who was very familiar with her.

"Hey, hello, nephew—"

Zhou Yao wanted to squat down and hug him, but she felt a bit powerless; she had been tired all day, and these two chubby boys were heavy, one more than the other.

"Kiss Auntie, don't hold me anymore."

Mu Hongyan stood in the lobby and said to her son with a smile: "Wait until Auntie has strength, then she can hold you."

"Okay—" Gu Yunzhi took the initiative to kiss Zhou Yao, and Zhou Yao couldn't bear to let go, hugging him in her arms and lifting him up.

"You're truly strong—"

Mu Hongyan said with a smile: "I don't even hold him now, I can't hold him, he's so heavy."

"My nephew kissed me, how could I not have strength?" Zhou Yao walked into the lobby with a smile, put the two chubby boys down, and said: "Wait until I finish eating, then we'll play together."

"Okay—"

Li Ning agreed first, pulled Gu Yunzhi's little hand, and said: "We like playing with Auntie."

He responded to his aunt and reminded Gu Yunzhi: "You call her Auntie too, then Auntie will play with you."

"Mom said to call her Auntie—"

Gu Yunzhi had his own ideas and wouldn't just listen to everything Li Ning said.

Li Xuewu smiled and called his son into the room, "You call her Auntie, and your younger brother calls her Auntie."

Zhou Yao was only in her twenties, not old at all; the reason for calling her "Auntie" was because Gu Yunzhi called Gu Yan "Uncle," and Li Ning also called him "Uncle."

"Uncle" didn't mean the oldest uncle, but the youngest uncle, the "old" meaning the youngest.

"I'll just call her Auntie!" Li Ning snorted, standing there with his hands on his hips: "If he doesn't call her that, fine—"

"What are you being so arrogant about—"

Mu Hongyan patted his butt with amusement and asked: "Who are you yelling at?"

"Eldest Aunt!" Li Ning raised his little head and said: "Look, I'm calling her Auntie."

"Then what should your younger brother call me?"

Mu Hongyan teased him on purpose: "Should he follow you and call me that too?"

"Of course!" Li Ning said as a matter of course: "He should call you Eldest Aunt too!"

"Fine, at least you include the word 'Aunt'."

Mu Hongyan said with amusement: "You just lost my son."

She pinched Li Ning's little cheek and asked: "Your younger brother calls your mom 'Auntie', do you call her 'Auntie' too?"

"Of course not, that's my mom—" Li Ning ran to Gu Ning's side, turned back to look at his eldest aunt and said: "This isn't 'Auntie', I don't have an 'Auntie'."

"Still, why should my younger brother call me Eldest Aunt?" she asked with a smile: "Shouldn't he call me Mom too?"

"Why?" He was truly stubborn, asking back using his eldest aunt's tone.

The service staff hired by Mu Hongyan came to remind them that dinner was ready; she smiled and tapped Li Ning's forehead, saying: "If you can't figure it out, don't eat."

Because it was the first meal after moving back, it was prepared very lavishly.

Mu Hongyan had the ambition to pay for service staff from the service office to help take care of the housework.

The house was ready-made and large enough, but it was too much to clean, and this compound wasn't suitable for hiring people from outside.

When Mu Hongyan decided to move back with the children, Li Xuewu had told her to come live at his house.

He wouldn't be home for another half a year, and even if he were, the Haiyuncang No. 1 house would be big enough.

It was just that Mu Hongyan wasn't willing; perhaps she was thinking too much.

As the eldest daughter-in-law, not going home after returning to Beijing but living at her sister-in-law's house would inevitably lead to gossip.

And this house didn't cost money, and there were guarantees for life and safety.

There was another key reason: if she returned to her original unit, which was Gu Ning's current unit, she might consider living at Li Xuewu's house.

But she had ambition; from the beginning, she never thought about returning to her original unit to compete for resources with her sister-in-law.

Both were in cardiac surgery, similar in age, and were family; if she went back, the hospital leadership would be in a difficult position.

Not everyone could be cultivated as a backbone; resources were limited, and surgeries were limited; who would you let perform them?

So she had Li Xuewu contact the Red Star Joint Hospital.

Why say Mu Hongyan had ambition? First, talk about her current rank; she was a few years older than Gu Ning, but their ranks were the same.

In the past few years, she had been transferred to several places and delayed by having children, unlike Gu Ning who had connected so well, so her rank hadn't been raised.

Even if she was Gu family's daughter-in-law, in a place like Xijing, who would give Gu An such a big face?

Besides, even if the leadership was willing to give face, the face-conscious Mu Hongyan wouldn't be willing to listen to gossip in the hospital.

The second reason was the hospital's hardware conditions; the Red Star Joint Hospital was currently the top hospital in Beijing, and even the whole country, in terms of hardware facilities.

All the hospital's equipment and facilities were imported from Hong Kong; Li Xuewu was responsible for this project at the time, so he knew it best.

At the time, it was handed over to Ji Weidong for procurement, and the equipment was brought in in three phases, all used in the Beijing campus.

Over the years, Gu Weijie's greatest achievement in the Red Steel Group was introducing countless talents to the group, including medical talents.

Many big names in the medical field were working here; the hospital's hard power was strong, and its soft power was even stronger.

So Mu Hongyan wanted to challenge the strongest.

The last reason was considering Li Xuewu's position in Red Steel; as long as her skills were up to par, she wouldn't be afraid of anyone blocking her connections.

Although the competition at the Red Star Joint Hospital was fierce, for someone like her, it didn't count as anything.

Fierce competition only meant it was challenging and there were things to learn and practice.

The Red Star Joint Hospital had already established an unshakable position in Beijing and even the surrounding areas; many ordinary people came here for medical treatment.

With more cases, doctors got more practice, and their skills improved.

Medicine is an experience-based discipline; the more experience, the more valuable, which is why doctors in large hospitals have higher standards—because they see so much more.

Two medical students graduating from the same class, one in a Grade 3A hospital, one in a county hospital, could their future development be the same?

After dinner, the children played, and Li Xuewu and the others chatted in the living room, asking about the situation in Jin Ling and her plans.

"Actually, I can tell that Mom and Dad want to return to Beijing too."

Mu Hongyan introduced helplessly: "Mom doesn't say anything, just keeps urging me, Dad is more silent."

"Wait a bit longer, it's not appropriate."

Li Xuewu thought for a moment and explained to her: "Dad is being frequently watched now, this is the time to stabilize."

"What you said is the same as what Mom said."

Mu Hongyan couldn't hide her envy, glanced at him, and said: "Mom said Dad can only wait passively now, he can't have any suspicion of being active."

Her envy of Li Xuewu was a comparison to her own husband, Gu An; compared to Li Xuewu, Gu An lacked sensitivity to politics.

She didn't feel it usually, she hadn't even felt how powerful Li Xuewu was in this regard before.

It wasn't until the last year or two, when Gu An told her that Dad going to Jin Ling was Li Xuewu's suggestion, that she realized it in hindsight.

Gu An told her privately that his father had been in contact with Li Xuewu, and whenever there was a change in the situation, the first person he thought of was Li Xuewu.

This surprised her; having two sons, yet trusting his son-in-law, wasn't it very unexpected?

After Gu An explained, she wasn't surprised at all.

Especially after hearing her dissatisfaction, Gu An explained the various things that had happened over the past few years, and what would have happened without Li Xuewu's suggestions.

Looking at her father-in-law and mother-in-law's attitude toward Li Xuewu, Mu Hongyan had to be convinced, and after returning, she took the initiative to discuss work matters with Li Xuewu.

She was very confident in her work, even proud, but she didn't put on airs as the eldest sister-in-law in front of Li Xuewu.

Both were young, not many years apart, and it was a time when everyone could discuss things; besides, Li Xuewu was a leader of the Red Steel Group.

"Maybe they'll be back tomorrow."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "There's really no certainty about this, I don't know how many people are thinking about Dad."

Gu Ning glanced at him, feeling vaguely worried, frowned, but didn't say anything.

Zhou Yao didn't really understand these things, she learned everything from Li Xuewu; even though her father-in-law and mother-in-law weren't home, she didn't take the initiative to speak.

One reason was that she didn't understand, and another was that Li Xuewu was here, and she still treated him as a leader.

When the leader was talking, how could she take the initiative to speak?

"I actually hope they return later."

Mu Hongyan sighed after listening to Li Xuewu's analysis, looked at him, and asked: "How much longer do you think your eldest brother has to endure?"

"How can you call it enduring—"

Li Xuewu smiled, picked up his teacup and took a sip, giving Mu Hongyan time to buffer, before explaining: "He took a step back voluntarily."

"He took a step back voluntarily," Mu Hongyan said hesitantly: "But it doesn't necessarily mean the sea and sky are wide."

"That's not necessarily true, it depends on how you say it." Li Xuewu reminded her: "Compared to before, maybe eldest brother has to suffer some grievances."

"What about compared to the future?"

Mu Hongyan naturally understood his subtext and asked: "Is this definitely a good choice?"

"At least it's not the worst choice."

Li Xuewu put down the teacup in his hand and asked: "Eldest brother has been paying attention to the movements in Xijing, right?"

"Hmm, he just can't let go." Mu Hongyan lowered her head and explained: "He keeps calling his old connections."

"Then he must know what has happened in Xijing in the last two years."

Li Xuewu said very seriously: "You might not know, but eldest brother must know; he won't regret his choice back then."

"Hey, you men think further than we women." She said helplessly: "We are naturally the weaker side."

"It's not about that, human energy is limited."

Li Xuewu raised his chin and said: "If I didn't have Gu Ning's support, could I have so much energy to develop my career?"

"If Gu Ning didn't have the support and help of the family, could she have time to focus on her studies and make such rapid progress?"

He looked at Mu Hongyan seriously and said: "If you want to return to your post and achieve something, you have to make trade-offs."

"How can I let go—"

Mu Hongyan looked at her son playing with affection and sighed: "Even when I'm at work, I think of him."

"Gu Ning wins because she's close to home."

Li Xuewu patted Gu Ning's hand and said: "Otherwise, she couldn't stand it either."

Gu Ning glanced at her son; as he said, she wasn't good at expressing her love for Li Ning, but it was real.

Li Xuewu understood her very well; many times, even if she didn't say anything, he understood.

Mu Hongyan moving back was a good thing for Li Xuewu and Gu Ning, and it also indirectly indicated that her father-in-law Gu Haitao would be returning too.

Just as he said, maybe tomorrow, maybe next month, maybe at the end of the year, no one could say for sure.

Because the higher-ups were observing her father-in-law, and also reviewing her father-in-law's past achievements and current state of mind.

To put it bluntly, the higher-ups were getting on in age, and were also making preparations for the future.

Regardless of the aspect, Gu Haitao's achievements were sufficient, his qualifications were sufficient, and his age gave him an absolute advantage.

Being so young at that level was very rare; no wonder he was noticed even while hiding in Jin Ling.

He should be in a semi-retired state now, but he had already become a pillar of the academy; the higher-ups just didn't want to see him too idle.

Before his comeback, they always wanted him to adapt to the environment and work rhythm, which was also convenient for observation from the side.

It was a future layout; after one generation passed away, the next generation would come to hold the reins.

If they didn't look well, it was very likely that this glory would be destroyed.

The north was a very good teacher, having been tossing that little family foundation for years, as if they were never willing to give up that little bit of dignity.

Returning home in the evening, Gu Ning didn't ask in front of Er Ya, and waited until Li Xuewu had sent Li Shu and Li Ning back to their rooms before asking.

"Will Dad be in danger?"

"Hmm? Why do you think that?"

Li Xuewu had just sat on the bed; hearing her ask this, he turned back and looked at her: "Did you think of something?"

"No, just listening to what you said."

Gu Ning looked at him and asked: "Is it better for Dad to be in Jin Ling or to come back?"

"It has nothing to do with where he is." Li Xuewu got into bed, covered himself with the quilt, and explained: "The key is to see Dad's position after his comeback."

"The sky has unexpected storms, let alone the situation."

He patted Gu Ning's arm and comforted her softly: "You should believe in Dad's ability and professionalism, he is more experienced than us."

"Hmm," Gu Ning hummed softly, then said: "Actually, it's good for them to come back a few years later, it saves a lot of trouble."

"This is unavoidable." Li Xuewu knew Gu Ning was talking about the fact that her father had almost no time to take care of the family when he was in Beijing.

"Everyone in society will find their own survival position, and they are also a component of the great social machine."

He thought for a moment and continued: "Dad will be that kind of key component, so he needs to be used and maintained very carefully."

"You should have a peaceful mindset about this, instead of worrying and fretting in your heart."

Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning, who was hiding in his arms, and said: "Actually, you should talk to your eldest sister-in-law more often and learn from her strong side."

Gu Ning's body moved, but she held back and didn't speak, but Li Xuewu knew what she wanted to say.

"It's not to make you become her, it's 'look for the good in others and emulate it'—" Li Xuewu patted her shoulder with amusement and said: "Everyone has strengths, eldest sister-in-law's strength is her confidence and strength."

"It's too tiring—" Gu Ning said gloomily: "I feel tired just looking at her."

"Being too strong will be like this."

Li Xuewu couldn't help but sigh: "This might be a kind of responsibility as an eldest daughter-in-law."

"Look at Zhou Yao, she doesn't have to be this tired, and you're the same."

He smiled and said: "I haven't even asked you to learn from my eldest sister-in-law, that's a heaven-defying existence."

Speaking of Zhao Yafang, Gu Ning couldn't help but laugh, because she knew what Li Xuewu said was true.

Zhao Yafang, in this family, and in Li Xuewu and Gu Ning's cognition, was a heaven-defying existence.

It seemed like everything, every piece of knowledge, was easy for her, something she could easily master.

Recently, not knowing what stimulated her, she started studying economics, not discussing it with colleagues, not learning from professors, just reading books by herself.

Her way of learning was very direct: whatever she wanted to learn, she found relevant books to read; after reading enough, she had her own views.

And you couldn't say she was wrong, because her memory was truly good; to be able to walk out of that small mountain valley, she was definitely not an ordinary monster.

A few years ago, she said she was learning foreign languages; Zhao Yafang became talented through self-study, and over the years, she had mastered seven foreign languages.

Just think, how many foreign languages could the professors in their school's foreign language major speak? She could read, write, and speak them all.

Mu Hongyan had talent in the medical field, but she moved forward more by relying on an unyielding personality.

Zhao Yafang was more spiritual and talented than Mu Hongyan; if Zhao Yafang studied medicine, Gu Ning and Mu Hongyan combined wouldn't be able to beat her.

Studying mathematics, and researching mathematics like clearing wasteland in this era, how smart must one be to have the opportunity to master this discipline?

Mathematics is the most basic discipline, but studying it to the end can make you doubt life.

Some say the end of mathematics is metaphysics.

This is a joke, a description of the ultimate theory of mathematics, but it doesn't mean metaphysics is the ultimate state of mathematics.

When numbers become a kind of argument, whatever joke you use to describe it is appropriate.

But if you study mathematics well, you can study many disciplines well; this is also why Li Xuewen didn't dare argue with Zhao Yafang.

If he dared to argue, what if Zhao Yafang started self-studying physics?