Chapter 1705: Job competition

"Being a company commander is not easy now, acting as both father and mother," Gu Yan complained during breakfast, "It's fine if you meet a comfortable instructor, but if you meet my partner."

He shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "A proper pampered young master, here to gild himself."

"How are you better than others?"

No need to think, the only person at this dinner table who dared to say this and could say this to Gu Yan was his sister, Gu Ning.

Different from last year, Gu Ning was especially strict with her younger brother this year, and even willing to manage him.

Gu Yan enjoyed treatment he hadn't had for more than twenty years. His sister was actually willing to talk to him.

But it was also a tragic thing. His niece followed suit, learning from her mother, and dared to call him by his full name.

"I at least rely on my own ability."

Gu Yan didn't dare to directly contradict his sister, but his eyes drifted to his brother-in-law, signaling him to hurry up and manage, how could everyone bully him?

Zhou Yao stepped on his foot under the table, signaling him not to speak and to eat properly, which made Gu Yan's expression even more helpless.

Gu Ning glanced at him, looking like she couldn't be bothered to talk to him. It was fine when her younger brother came back on the first day. It wasn't deep sister-brother affection, but she still let Er Ya make delicious food.

It hadn't even been a night. If it weren't for Zhou Yao's sake, she would have let him take his luggage and roll away on the second day.

It was the second day after Gu Yan came back. Li Shu complained that her uncle had slept for a whole day and only got up to eat.

It was from that day on, almost a week, that Gu Ning looked at him more and more displeased. He was married and still so lazy; when would he grow up?

"Are there many such situations?"

Li Xuewu peeled an egg, gave it to Li Shu first, then another to Li Ning, signaling the two little ones to concentrate on eating.

Li Shu and Li Ning were used to playing with their uncle, and Gu Yan didn't have a proper shape either. He was proud outside, but like a child at home.

Snatching Li Shu's snacks, pulling down Li Ning's pants, and when he caught him, he would call Li Ning over to show him his penis.

Like this, it would be strange if the two children were afraid of him.

Li Ning was eating breakfast with a small spoon, but his eyes were looking at his uncle, winking, feeling it was quite interesting.

"Not many, just my bad luck."

Gu Yan sighed and said, "Who told my company to be the best, so he stared at it. I'm embarrassed to tell the above to kick him away."

"That depends on how you think." Li Xuewu smiled and enlightened him, "The army is a big furnace. Whoever rolls three times in it has to change."

He looked at his brother-in-law and said, "The decision is yours. If you want to transform him, there are plenty of ways."

"I know—" Gu Yan bit hard on the steamed bun in his hand, "You leaders, there are just too many twists and turns."

"I'm helping you, and you're still talking about me?"

Li Xuewu glanced at him amusedly. Seeing Zhou Yao glare at him, he asked, "Is there nothing going on in the Security Department recently?"

"Yes, brother-in-law, nothing."

Zhou Yao turned to look at him, smiled, and said, "Now the benefits are good and the welfare is good, and it's much easier in security management."

"Then you should grasp it even more ruthlessly."

Li Xuewu reminded her, "Only by ruthlessly grasping security at this time will you have room to handle it when problems arise later."

"Understood." Zhou Yao put down her chopsticks, nodded very earnestly, and responded, "I'll arrange to formulate a plan and implement it as soon as possible..."

Before she finished speaking, Li Xuewu smiled and waved his hand, signaling to her, "No need for this, at home, be more relaxed."

He nodded and said to Zhou Yao, "I don't talk about work at home, just because it's rare to see you, so I'll nag a bit."

"I'm not in charge of safety work now, just giving you a suggestion."

"Thank you, brother-in-law." Zhou Yao understood what he meant and smiled embarrassedly.

Gu Yan raised his eyebrows and asked Zhou Yao with a smile, "Is it harder to work under brother-in-law than it is for me now?"

Zhou Yao glared at him fiercely and said, "Eat quickly, send me to work after eating."

"Aren't you riding a bike to work yourself..." He still wanted to say, but the rest of the words had already been stepped back into his stomach by Zhou Yao.

"Hee—" Uncle and Aunt's interaction was all seen by Li Shu and Li Ning. The sister and brother looked at each other and stole a laugh together.

Li Xuewu's breakfast at home was quite casual, but mostly fine grains: steamed buns, white rice porridge, paired with boiled eggs and cold mixed vegetables.

Because there were children, Er Ya also prepared two small stir-fried dishes, all seasonal vegetables from the vegetable garden, sometimes with some diced meat.

Li Xuewu had a big appetite, and Gu Ning ate a lot because of many surgeries. This breakfast, a bamboo basket containing more than a dozen steamed buns was eaten up.

Because those who go to work go to work, and those who go to school go to school, there is no such thing as sleeping in in Li Xuewu's house.

Gu Yan wanted to, but Zhou Yao wouldn't let him. It was already embarrassing enough to stay at his sister's house, and if he still let Er Ya wait to heat up breakfast, that would really—

Actually, if Zhou Yao said it, she didn't want to come. The distance to work was far, and she was somewhat embarrassed.

But Gu Yan had a thick skin, saying that she could solve three meals a day in the unit, and he would starve to death if he were alone at home.

He insisted on pulling her to live at his sister's house, under the guise of helping to take care of the children.

Li Shu and Li Ning were in elementary school and kindergarten respectively; where did they need him to help take care of them? It was just finding an excuse.

Even Er Ya didn't believe this, let alone Gu Ning.

However, since the young couple came, the house was full. Upstairs was Li Xuewu's family of four, downstairs were the young couple plus Er Ya and Zhao Yaping.

Breakfast and dinner could fill a table, and eating was very lively.

"I'm going to school, goodbye—"

Like a little bird, Li Shu carried her big schoolbag, waved her hand without looking back, and rushed out of the foyer.

Right at the courtyard gate, the school-going small team of the General Hospital Elementary School had arrived. The team leader was wearing a red scarf and had a small sign in his hand, very formal.

Starting from the second half of the first grade, that is, starting this year, Li Shu didn't need parents to pick her up or drop her off for school. The school organized school-going small teams.

When going to school, according to the route, they gathered starting from the farthest family and walked to school together.

When school was over, they gathered together again, followed the main route, and then dispersed at intersections and streets until the farthest one reached home.

This situation was suitable for Li Shu. The house was very close to the school. She was the last stop of the small team to school, and also the first stop home after school.

Er Ya insisted on sending her, but Li Xuewu and Gu Ning were very relieved. In this era, there really wasn't anyone stealing children.

Think about it, they couldn't even raise the ones they gave birth to themselves, so why steal someone else's?

Another thing, Li Shu's appearance was very special. Ordinary people really wouldn't dare to calculate her. How complex a family must be to have such a child.

So Er Ya's task of going out in the morning was reduced by one, leaving only sending Li Ning to kindergarten.

Sometimes there was enough time, and Zhao Yaping would also help. Li Ning's kindergarten was the one Li Shu used to attend, also very close to home.

Li Xuewu had a 28-inch bicycle, but he didn't know who it was passed to. He only knew Li Xue rode it last.

To facilitate Er Ya picking up and dropping off the children and buying vegetables, Gu Ning specially bought a lady's bicycle, the kind with a basket and a child seat.

However, the time for kindergarten was slightly later. Li Ning waited until everyone went to work before going to school.

Today was special, Mom was resting and would personally send him to kindergarten. Although Uncle had been walking him to school for the past few days, which was very interesting, he still liked being with Mom.

"Qi Yan, come."

Gu Yan was standing in the courtyard, waiting to send Zhou Yao. Seeing the car stop at the door, Qi Yan got out of the car.

He waved his hand with a smile and said, "Haven't seen you for quite a while."

"Company Commander Gu, you're doing well."

Qi Yan smiled and entered the courtyard, greeting Gu Yan, "I didn't see you when I came to deliver luggage yesterday."

"I heard Er Ya say it. I just happened to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy cigarettes."

Explaining a sentence, Gu Yan had already shaken the cigarette in his hand and handed one to him.

Qi Yan explained with some embarrassment, "Work hours, not very convenient."

"You're doing this with me—"

Gu Yan said amusedly, handing the cigarette to his hand, "My brother-in-law doesn't smoke, do you still want to quit?"

"You talk too much, Qi Yan follows principles, unlike you?"

Zhou Yao came out of the room with her bag. Hearing him say this, she gently poked him and said, "Hurry up, I'm going to be late for work."

"Listen to me, don't find a partner, don't get married!"

Taking advantage of Zhou Yao going out of the courtyard gate, Gu Yan deliberately reminded Qi Yan in a low voice, "I am the previous car's lesson."

"Heh—" Qi Yan grinned. He really didn't know how to respond.

He had worked in the Gu family for six years and could be considered to have watched Gu Yan grow up. He wouldn't dare say he was like a younger brother, but there were feelings.

But at that time, they had more rules, and some had to be called "Little Palm," but there was no such title in the Gu family. He used to call Gu Yan by his name.

Now he was demobilized, and Gu Yan was also working. He couldn't call him by his name anymore. Addressing him with his position was the most appropriate.

Among the few comrades who worked in the courtyard together, his current job was the most decent and comfortable after demobilization.

Although the current job was arranged by Gu Ning finding Li Xuewu, the one who called home was Gu Yan.

Gu Yan always remembered this, so Qi Yan was very grateful for his feelings.

"Let's go." Li Xuewu came out of the foyer, signaled to Qi Yan, and said, "Send me to the group first, and go to the Research Institute in the morning."

"Okay, leader." Qi Yan answered very crisply, followed Li Xuewu out the door, but arrived at the car first to help him open the car door.

This scene happened to be seen by a neighbor who just wanted to say hello, but saw Li Xuewu had already gotten into the car, and opened his mouth with some embarrassment.

It really wasn't Li Xuewu's fault. Both came out from home, and there was a green belt between the courtyard gates. Who could see everyone?

He did remember this neighbor's enthusiasm. The steamed bun shop recommended last time really tasted good. He would thank him next time they met.

The Volga M24 turned around and drove out of the street. This car was of course not Li Xuewu's, but temporarily used by Han Jiankun for him.

His car was still in Steel City.

Li Xuewu returned to Beijing, and secretary Ma Baosen also followed, but there was no complex itinerary arrangement, so he didn't follow the car to pick him up.

If it followed the arrangement in Steel City, Qi Yan would first have to drive the car downstairs, meet with Ma Baosen, and then come to pick him up, and the same when sending him.

Although he had to return the car anyway, why bother the driver and secretary if there was nothing to do? Li Xuewu rarely showed off.

There were quite a few cars in the morning, especially in Beijing, which wasn't on the same level as Steel City, and even had a slight traffic jam.

It wasn't that Beijing already had the terrifying car ownership of later generations, but it was caused by narrow roads or poor road conditions.

The roads of the Four Nine Cities had been repaired since the day they entered the city. They had been repaired for so many years and hadn't been completely finished. Actually, they couldn't be finished.

After repairing, they widened; after widening, they dug them up to supplement the green belt; after finishing everything, they started pipeline transformation, rainwater system maintenance, etc.

But the problem of narrow roads had to be solved gradually. Some private houses that weren't there early on but were occupied later had to be demolished.

As the most important city in the country, how could it allow long-term traffic jams?

Because Qi Yan came early, Li Xuewu didn't arrive late. When he got out of the car, he happened to meet Jing Yunong's car coming up. The two looked at each other but didn't speak.

Jing Yunong's secretary got out of the car, opened her mouth, and looked at the leader with some embarrassment, but also saw the leader with a cold face, looking like no one should approach.

The conflict between these two was almost an open secret in the group, and it was also a taboo that everyone avoided talking about when chatting.

One was the deputy general manager in charge of finance and personnel, and the other was the assistant to the general manager and Secretary-General, also supervising the light and heavy industry of the group. No one could afford to offend either.

So knowing it in their hearts, don't offend anyone. Even the duty officer at the front desk greeted them carefully, not daring to be too enthusiastic.

The elevator didn't wait for anyone, and Li Xuewu didn't wait for Jing Yunong. The cadres near the elevator turned their heads one after another, not daring to look at the Secretary-General who was getting into the elevator, and even less daring to look at Jing Zong who was coming from the gate.

There were new leaders coming today, and Deputy Director Gu was leaving. There were many topics that could be used to pass the time during work hours in the morning, but it was quieter near the elevator, more like collective silence.

Jing Yunong came to the elevator exclusive to the group leadership. The secretary stepped forward to press the elevator button, watching the indicator light representing the floor flashing upwards. The secretary couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. The Secretary-General really didn't give face.

Most others thought the same. Their eyes met, or they scanned others, with a tacit understanding in the silence of "you understand, I understand, everyone understands."

Jing Yunong wasn't unhappy, just that she drank too much last night, and the hangover made her uncomfortable. She was just habitually cold-faced.

Going home alone, with no one to take care of her, even the quilt was cold. Just say if the heart was cold, could the face be warm?

As for Li Xuewu, because the gift had arrived, naturally she wouldn't have any opinions. Women are all emotional.

In the box mailed from Steel City, there was a colorful ethnic-style printed square scarf, which could be tied on the collar or on the bag.

With a square scarf, naturally there had to be a bag.

In the box, there was also a mini leather underarm bag with the LV logo printed on it.

The salesperson in the Osaka shopping mall said this was a department store exclusive model, the first choice for gifts for mature women.

Jing Yunong was muttering when unpacking, what could a bag the size of a notebook hold? It was just for small notebooks or necklaces and cosmetics.

As a result, when opening the bag, there was really a bag of cosmetics inside, and a pure silver feather necklace.

This made the corner of her mouth, which was pursed, instantly raise an arc. She muttered about his flowery intestines, but her heart was very satisfied.

Isn't that it? The secretary discovered a few days ago that the leader's handbag had been changed to a smaller, more exquisite leather bag.

It didn't look like ordinary goods. She hadn't seen it in the shopping mall.

However, she didn't dare to ask. Sometimes thinking about it, being a secretary for Jing Zong, the fear and grievances in her heart were not to be mentioned.

They were all secretaries. Her predecessor, that is, the current deputy section chief of the first finance section, Li Xue, was Jing Zong's real secretary.

Why did the secretary have to add the word "real"? Because Jing Zong, who never smiled at her, had a smile when she saw Deputy Li Kezhang Li.

Every time Deputy Li Kezhang Li came to the office to report work, she would be kept by Jing Zong to chat for a while. Most of the time it wasn't about work, but about household chores.

Sometimes they would chat about which restaurant in the city had better taste, sometimes about which barbershop had better craftsmanship. Anyway, she didn't have this treatment.

If you want to say Jing Zong was strict with the people around her and gentle with the previous secretary, that's nonsense.

She was Jing Zong's third secretary after Li Xue. The previous predecessor didn't say she could get the same treatment as Li Xue.

In the finance department, whoever dared to make things difficult for Li Xue was truly an old birthday star eating arsenic, tired of living.

If they didn't know, it would be fine, but the secretary had long known that Li Xue was actually the Secretary-General's own younger sister.

What kind of thing is this!

Facing her brother with eyebrows and eyes, like an enemy, but close to her younger sister, wishing she could take care of her like a real younger sister. It couldn't be explained anywhere.

There were quite a few guesses and discussions in the agency, especially the old people from the Red Star Factory period, all saying Li Xue was Li Xue, and the Secretary-General was the Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General rarely took care of his own younger sister, but Li Xue worked in the group and was always taken care of by Jing Zong.

Not taking care of your own younger sister, but letting an enemy take care of her?

This involved the history of Li Xue coming to work at the factory, which had to mention the then-office director, that is, the current director of the Yingcheng Shipyard, Xu Sinian.

Li Xue was under Director Xu when she first came to the factory, and was later recommended to Jing Zong, which led to the complex situation today.

The Secretary-General and Jing Zong's relationship was becoming increasingly like fire and water, but the relationship between Jing Zong and secretary Li Xue was becoming increasingly intimate.

Using a poem by Li Qingzhao to explain, it was "cut but not broken, reasoned but chaotic."

The elevator went down, the elevator door opened, the secretary accompanied the leader into the elevator, and then turned back to look outside the door. Many people were nervously looking away.

There were definitely more than one person curious about this relationship. The whole group was waiting for when the two would explode into conflict.

"Next, please invite Deputy Director Fu to speak!"

Li Huai De presided over the cadre representative meeting. After the welcome speech ended, he signaled everyone to applaud and welcome Deputy Director Fu Yu of the Organization Department of the First Ministry of Machine Building to speak.

In the large conference room on the 10th floor, after the applause, Fu Yu nodded seriously, moved the microphone to his mouth, looked at the manuscript in his hand, and said, "Now I represent the organization to read the appointment document."

Below the stage, the group cadre representatives gathered their gazes on the stage, looking at Fu Yu, and some were sizing up the new leader.

Fu Cheng's face wasn't serious, but it couldn't be said to be harmonious either. He was about forty years old and about 1.65 meters tall.

In Fu Yu's introduction, everyone had a preliminary impression and understanding of the new deputy general manager.

From Shandong Province, joined the army at sixteen, worked in the frontier for many years. The honors and the wind and frost on his face were both many.

Fu Yu still read the important ones, and still talked for a while, which also made the cadre representatives present have a feeling of awe.

Organization work is very complex. Fu Yu is an old hand. He first read Fu Cheng's appointment document, and then read Gu Weijie's transfer document.

As expected, Gu Weijie was indeed transferred to the ministry, as deputy director of the Third Bureau. Her face couldn't see joy or sorrow.

And just when everyone thought the main content of today ended here, Fu Yu picked up the third document and started reading.

It wasn't someone coming, nor someone leaving, but a suggestion from the organization regarding the next step of work for the Red Steel Group.

The document mainly mentioned Zhou Wanquan, because it was organization work, so the ministry made a direct division of labor arrangement.

Seeking benevolence and getting benevolence, Zhou Wanquan officially succeeded Gu Weijie, serving as the First Deputy Director of the Red Steel Group, in charge of organizational construction and propaganda work.

And the second person in the document was Xue Zhifu. Through Li Huai De's efforts, Xue Zhifu successfully entered the core leadership group, in charge of supervision work.

The person succeeding Xue Zhifu as chief engineer was Xia Zhongquan. After so many years, Old Xia could be considered to have achieved success.

Although Dong Wenxue wasn't mentioned in the document read by Fu Yu, with Li Huai De there, the division of labor was almost determined.

Dong Wenxue officially served as Safety Director, in charge of the group's quality, safety, environmental protection, and other work.

The division of labor for the new deputy general manager Fu Cheng wasn't mentioned in the document, because he served as deputy general manager, and the above wouldn't interfere in business aspects.

Regarding Fu Cheng's division of labor, it had to wait until Li Huai De convened a leadership team meeting to be assigned by him as the squad leader.

This is Old Li's authority as general manager, and no one would shake it.

Fu Cheng modestly invited Gu Weijie to speak first, but was refused by her, because she didn't intend to say anything today.

Fu Cheng's statement was standard, without anything out of the ordinary, nothing more than resolutely obeying the organization's decision, changing roles as soon as possible, integrating into the group's work, etc.

And Old Li's statement was also humble, harmonious, and emphasized that the Red Steel Group's management team was united and powerful.

This statement was pure nonsense in the eyes of Deputy Director Zhang of the First Ministry of Machine Building, who came to send the cadres and also to receive the cadres.

How many people have been able to retreat from Red Steel in these years? Only Gu Weijie, right?

Talking about unity, if it weren't for the recognition of Gu Weijie from above, and the consideration for the stability of the Red Steel Group's leadership team to transfer Gu Weijie away, maybe several would have been knocked down this year.

How many things have happened in the Red Steel Group in these two years? Who would believe it if there was no responsibility of General Manager Li Huai De?

However, Old Li's life is hard, and the results are there. No one can say anything.

Gu Weijie herself had also figured it out. The reason she was defeated was because she wasn't strong and decisive enough.

Actually, thinking about it, Li Huai De didn't win either. This time it was considered a draw.

Gu Weijie had regrets, and Old Li had them too.

Li Xuewu had originally intended to go home, but he pointed to the gate and signaled to walk together.

The Beijing of this era couldn't compare to later generations. It was past 9 o'clock, and you couldn't see anyone on the main road.

Even though it was June now, it was cool at night but not cold. But wouldn't it be good to sleep at home? Why wander on the main road?

And there were joint defense patrols on the road. If they caught you, you couldn't avoid being checked, and they would lecture you for having nothing to do and causing trouble for others.

Li Huai De and Li Xuewu were different. They walked in front, and three cars followed at idle speed behind. Which joint defense person would be blind enough to come here to find trouble?

"Time passes so fast, in a flash it's been more than four years."

Li Huai De walked on the sidewalk with his hands behind his back, looking at the Four Nine Cities under the streetlights, and said with emotion, "She has been here for more than four years, and you?"

He turned his head to look at Li Xuewu and said, "Five years?"

"Mm, it will be six years in November."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Who says it isn't? In a flash, when I transferred back, I didn't even have a place to live, and now I have two children."

"Heh—" Li Huai De gave a light laugh and said, "Since you said so, I don't blame myself for looking so old so fast this morning."

"Hi, you just pick nice things to say."

Li Xuewu also smiled and continued walking forward, saying as he walked, "Our family has children, so I'm not old yet?"

He shook his head and said, "The eldest child is already in elementary school. If I, as a grandfather, am not old yet, I would really become a monster."

"It still depends on the mindset. If the heart isn't old, the person isn't old." Li Xuewu joked, "Isn't there a saying about an old urchin? You still have to play."

"Me?! Hahahaha—"

Li Huai De felt it was quite amusing, waved his hand, and said, "Now I have no interest in playing anything, except mahjong."

"I'm afraid I can't help with that."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and reminded him, "I already told Gu Ning today that I'm going home to live. Don't put me in a difficult position."

"Hahahaha—" Li Huai De was very happy that he could make such a joke, stopped his pace, sized up Li Xuewu, and said, "You are a good one."

"Why so polite all of a sudden?"

Li Xuewu said amusedly, "Don't tell me you can't play mahjong and want me to help you find someone?"

"Not playing tonight, I'm tired." 【

Liu Wei was also on the scene; hearing General Manager Li's arrangements, she took the initiative to come over and greet Fu Cheng, and introduced herself.

Fu Cheng was very polite as he shook hands with her, smiling as he said that the group's women's cadres were doing an excellent job.

This is definitely a common flaw in the thinking of cadres who have transferred from the military; in the environment of the armed forces, male comrades are definitely far stronger than female comrades, as it is the world of the strong.

But in civilian life and in enterprises, female comrades have innate advantages.

However, everyone knew his work background, so they didn't take his words to heart, mostly just laughing them off.

Even Liu Wei didn't make a big deal out of it, taking the initiative to introduce the arrangements for his office, housing, and other benefits.

Because Gu Weijie had left her post, the Western-style house in Riverside Garden was considered vacated, and it had now been assigned to Fu Cheng.

The group's management team had eleven members; counting the labor union's Xiong Bencheng, it was twelve, so thirteen Western-style houses were quite sufficient.

The extra one was for emergencies; no one knew if the group's management team would add more people in the future.

From the current perspective, the number of people in the existing team was already enough; adding one more wouldn't be a matter of just one person, but rather two.

The group's management team could not have an even number, otherwise, the person in charge of the labor union would have to be included in the management layer.

And this situation also depends on the person; with Xiong Bencheng's "bear-like" appearance, how could he possibly shoulder such a heavy work task?

Therefore, eleven was just right—neither too many nor too few.

Everyone returned to the ninth floor; Li Xuewu was called into the office by Old Li, while Liu Wei accompanied Fu Cheng to look at the office.

"Have you talked with Kuang Yusheng?"

Li Huai De took off his jacket, draped it over the back of his chair, and waved his hand to signal Li Xuewu to sit on the sofa side.

Generally speaking, when Li Xuewu came to his office, he would take the initiative to sit in the chair opposite the desk to talk, which was to show respect.

However, Old Li would sometimes let him sit on the sofa side, which was convenient for the two of them to communicate and converse as equals; this mostly happened when he was indecisive about something and wanted to hear his opinion.

"I talked with Comrade Xu Sinian before going to Japan, and after returning, I talked with Comrade Kuang Yusheng." After sitting down, Li Xuewu replied: "Both expressed that they would obey the organization's decision."

One should note a detail here: in formal conversations, that is, in the office, one should address others as "Comrade" even in a very relaxed atmosphere.

In private while playing mahjong, everyone can call each other by name, or "Old Li" or "Old Kuang," but in the office, one must say "Comrade Kuang Yusheng" or "General Manager Li."

"Hmm, it's good that you have a clear idea in your mind."

Li Huai De nodded, handed him the document he had taken from the desk, and signaled for him to take a look.

Just as Li Xuewu was flipping through the document, he sat on the single sofa and said: "This is the list and the investigation results that the Organization Department listed for me."

Li Xuewu had already seen it; it was a counterattack against Zhou Wanquan's previous actions, taking advantage of the gap left by Gu Weijie's departure.

Zhou Wanquan had taken advantage of their trip to Japan to move the personnel cake, and Old Li was naturally dissatisfied with this; the document in his hand was the response.

The people in charge of multiple group general companies, directly affiliated units, and important departments were all to be moved, and it was a large-scale adjustment.

Generally speaking, this situation requires careful consideration, as it easily causes personnel turmoil and management contradictions.

But since the Red Steel Group was established, the group's senior management personnel had not undergone a large-scale adjustment.

This year was the second year since the group was officially established; taking advantage of the mature timing to make adjustments was the authority of Old Li, the team leader.

Li Xuewu was only acting as a reference to give corresponding opinions, but he didn't manage everyone's business.

He only looked at the industrial part, but discovered that Li Haiyang had appeared in the scope of investigation for the general manager of the Labor Service Company.

No wonder Li Haiyang had taken the initiative to find him a few days ago to talk about work arrangements; it turned out he didn't want to chat about who would take over the metallurgical plant, but that he wanted to leave.

Li Xuewu arrived at the metallurgical plant in '69, and he was also sent down to the metallurgical plant that year; the two arrived one after the other.

Now that Li Xuewu had voluntarily resigned from the position of metallurgical plant director, calculating Li Haiyang's tenure, it had also exceeded two years.

If Li Huai De wanted to promote him and place him in the position of the Labor Service Company, no one would say anything.

The Labor Service Company was not a business unit, nor a management unit, but a service unit, so it couldn't be considered very important.

Li Haiyang's years at the metallurgical plant could be considered as having raised his rank, and he had also made certain contributions and achievements in his post.

He had learned at least thirty percent of Li Xuewu's skills; he liked to write about everything he did, and his deeds could often be seen in the group's "United Industrial News."

Even if it were a balloon, it should be inflated by now, not to mention that he was doing real work and writing about real things.

"Comrade Lang Zhennan is not moving?"

Li Xuewu raised his head and looked at Old Li, asking: "I heard that Deputy Director Gu has already talked with him?"

"Hmm, this is what he requested himself."

Li Huai De nodded and explained: "My opinion and Comrade Zhifu's opinion was to arrange for him to serve as a department manager, but he still wants to work for a few more years."

Clearly having the opportunity to advance to the headquarters but not taking it, and instead wanting to stay below—what does this mean?

This brings up a phrase: "Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix."

Lang Zhennan was currently the general manager of the United Construction Engineering General Company, a person in charge at the general company level, managing over ten thousand people under him.

How many people were there in the Red Steel Group in total? By the middle of last year, there were only a little over sixty thousand; it was only after several years of continuous expansion by the energy company and other units that it headed toward seventy thousand again.

Even if it could reach seventy thousand by the end of the year, one would have to say that United Construction accounted for one-seventh of the group's employees.

The general company with the most people cannot be said to have the best economic benefits, but its influence and authority are definitely the greatest.

Looking at the position of Engineering Management Department Manager, although it was an advancement, a large department only had a hundred or so people; the gap was truly too large.

At United Construction, Lang Zhennan had his own office team, and he had more than one secretary.

Returning to the group headquarters to sit in an office, the power in his hands would decrease rather than increase; how could administrative management departments be as direct as business departments?

Therefore, Lang Zhennan's refusal to enter the headquarters to work was also a choice.

Choosing to enter the headquarters at this time is nothing more than two situations: one is that the age has been reached, and arrangements need to be made for the future.

Entering the headquarters to serve as a manager of a large department is not considered stepping back to the second line, but it is also preparing for stepping back to the second line; after all, being promoted by half a grade makes quite a difference.

The other situation is that the achievements have been accumulated, and there is an age advantage; serving as a manager in a large department at the headquarters for a few years provides an opportunity to go to a larger general company or to hold a management position at a higher level in the headquarters.

For example, Xia Zhongquan, who entered the group's leadership sequence this time, had previously served as the president of the Research Institute.

Although everyone called him President Xia, he was not the Chief Engineer, but held the position of Deputy Chief Engineer.

The Research Institute was ranked at a secondary level in the headquarters, but with the position of Deputy Chief Engineer, he also leaped to become a group leader.

Added to years of work experience and accumulated achievements, it could be considered a natural outcome, and it was also a template for many people to advance further.

If one wanted to be like Li Xuewu, charging forward hard and opening up a track alone, that would truly be too difficult.

One must have both real talent and learning, a scientific vision, and the courage to bet on important decisions; ordinary people can't handle this.

So now that Lang Zhennan had voluntarily taken a step back, added to Old Li's explanation, Li Xuewu understood his meaning.

Lang Zhennan just wanted to give it a try while he was young and accumulate more achievements at United Construction; after all, this was a critical period for United Construction's development.

United Construction not only had many people, but also had high technical content and many external collaborations; this year, they had found engineering projects all over the country, and they might even go abroad next year.

The cooperation with the Santa Ya Group was very smooth; there was no need to worry too much about technology, and mechanical equipment was constantly being updated.

The group had provided sufficient engineering construction tasks in recent years, and there were enough training opportunities; it could be said to be the best time to accumulate achievements.

"I even wanted to find him to talk about it."

Li Huai De rubbed his forehead and said: "Later I thought, forget it; everyone has their own aspirations, and one cannot force it."

"Hmm, he wants to work hard, not just muddle along." Li Xuewu also agreed with Lang Zhennan's idea and nodded, saying: "If everyone in the group had this spirit, that would be great."

"Hehehe—" Old Li chuckled a few times, pointed to the document in his hand, and said: "Xia Zhongquan's position as president of the Research Institute is to be vacated; who do you think is suitable?"

The document did not provide investigation targets; the space above was blank.

Li Xuewu first thought for a moment, then raised his head and said to Old Li: "I can't think of anyone suitable for the moment; how about letting him hold it concurrently for a while longer?"

"Hmm, that's what I thought too."

Li Huai De picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said: "He has just taken the position of Chief Engineer, and he needs to change his role and mindset."

"Taking away the Research Institute at this time, I'm afraid he won't adapt."

"I'm also afraid that the Research Institute side won't adapt."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "He has invested too much effort into scientific research, which has also caused various departments in scientific research to rely on him."

"This is a good thing, but looking at it now, it also serves as a reminder to us to pay more attention to the scientific research side in the future."

"If I were to say it, our investment in scientific research is already enough."

Li Huai De smiled and said: "Which unit values scientific research as much as we do?"

"Millions thrown in a year is enough to build several factory areas."

He nodded and said: "However, what you said is also correct; the emphasis on scientific research has also produced many returns over the years."

"Especially technology introduction; one must cooperate with scientific research to fully grasp it."

"That's what I mean too."

Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said: "There should be more candidates selected for the position of Vice President of the Research Institute, so that it is convenient for investigation and cultivation."

"Hmm, that's fine; you think about this."

Li Huai De nodded and said: "I have thought a lot, the more I think, the more I think, and the more confused I become."

"Actually, it's easy to handle; just have open competition."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "It's hard to do this in other departments, but in the Research Institute, which relies entirely on strength and ability, position competition is still possible."

"Using the Research Institute as an experiment?" Li Huai De had always known that Li Xuewu hoped to carry out a form of position competition within the group, which is why he asked.

Li Xuewu nodded and said: "Only after trying will we know if it's easy to use; I think we can select talents with real skills and real learning."

"After all, it's a scientific research institution, which is an experimental unit itself."

He smiled and said: "Let's select more experimental subjects and select the best for use."

"Hmm, I think that works." Li Huai De smiled and said: "If we really select a young one, I see it's going to be lively then."