Chapter 268: A Warning That Isn't a Warning

Actually, there was nothing wrong with Li Xuewu's waist, but how many people who go for healthcare have problems with their waist?

Those with problems are massaged by blind people; those without problems are the ones who get massages.

"You smashed it like that, and you smashed away all the family affection, and you also smashed the string of Yan Jiecheng."

Yu Li snorted, "Do you see any family affection in our family? I haven't seen this rare thing; I only see calculations—money for bicycles, money for meals, money for housing. It's as if I married into a pawnshop."

"Lower."

Li Xuewu pointed out the position to Yu Li, then rested his chin on the pillow and said, "Hehe, don't say that. The Third Master once said that their family also had industries in the past; maybe there really was a pawnshop."

After teasing, Li Xuewu sighed and said, "Every family has its own difficult scriptures to read. Every family is like this. Do you think our family is peaceful under heaven?"

Yu Li pressed down on the spot Li Xuewu pointed to, but felt something.

And she wasn't an unmarried girl; how could she not know what her hand was pressing on? Yu Li was so angry she slapped Li Xuewu.

"You're just bad, I'm not pressing for you anymore."

Seeing Yu Li wanting to go on strike, Li Xuewu hurriedly apologized, "I pointed to the wrong place, it's my fault, it's my fault. Now press the front."

As he spoke, Li Xuewu turned over and lay on the pillow.

Yu Li was angered by this bad egg, but had no choice but to continue pressing.

"Even if your family isn't peaceful, there wouldn't be things like spending money to ride a bike, right?"

Li Xuewu was being rubbed on his arm by Yu Li, and he laughed, "There's no such thing, and there's no such thing in the courtyard, but my brother buying a bike was sponsored by me with industrial coupons."

"Why? Didn't you separate the family long ago?"

Yu Li hadn't expected that the bike bought by Li's eldest brother and his wife was sponsored by Li Xuewu with a large portion of industrial coupons.

She also took the separation of the family too simply, thinking it was like her father-in-law and mother-in-law's family, where not separating was better than separating.

This separation was like being strangers.

Li Xuewu looked at Yu Li and teased, "I didn't expect you to be paying attention to me back then. Tell me, were you always hiding at the door peeking at me?"

Yu Li glared at Li Xuewu and said, "Virtue!"

"A sentence my grandmother often said is: 'When the family is harmonious, everything prospers.'"

Li Xuewu sighed with emotion, then said, "There's nothing to say about my eldest brother. We brothers have never turned red-faced or quarreled in our lives."

"Is it because they're afraid of you?"

Yu Li pinched Li Xuewu's wound, feeling that there was still a piece of meat that was hard, so she avoided this lump of meat and pressed elsewhere.

"Yan Jiecheng once talked about your childhood, saying you almost beat up all the children in the neighborhood, and you specifically picked those older than you to beat. He said he was beaten by you."

"Hehehe."

Li Xuewu laughed for a while, then said, "I always convince people with reason."

"Hehehe, you can still talk about reason?"

Seeing Yu Li didn't believe him, Li Xuewu had no choice. After all, he couldn't call Brother Jiecheng from the Steel Mill to confront him, right?

"Don't look at my eldest sister-in-law as a university teacher; she's a bitter child from the countryside."

Li Xuewu sighed with emotion, then said, "She couldn't bear to eat or wear anything, and gave it all to my eldest brother."

"My mother is a mother-in-law, a natural mother-in-law and daughter-in-law opposition."

"My father is the head of the family; how could he manage these family trifles?"

"My younger brother and sister are still in school. If I, as the younger brother, don't tolerate this sister-in-law, wouldn't that be chilling, wouldn't that be wolf-hearted and dog-lunged?"

Yu Li changed direction, opened Li Xuewu's hand that was about to make trouble, and pressed his right hand.

"You say 'when the family is harmonious, everything prospers,' but you don't look at what status your brother and sister-in-law have, and what their wage levels are."

Yu Li felt discouraged when she mentioned this.

They were both new daughters-in-law, and Yu Li was from the city, while Zhao Yafang was a country girl.

But this country girl flew onto a branch and became a phoenix.

High school students were considered rare figures in this era. It was fine in the Si Jiu City side, but in remote areas, they were all picked up by cars to go to work, and units were fighting for them.

Good heavens, when the people in the courtyard knew Zhao Yafang was a university student, no one dared to look down on this country girl.

Every time Yu Li saw Li Xuewu, who was gentle and elegant, bringing Zhao Yafang back, she thought of her own timid husband.

Yu Li had also thought about living like Zhao Yafang one day, finding a man like Li Xuewu who could earn money, had status, was gentle and elegant, and refined.

Now the dream had come true halfway.

Li Xuewu's younger brother, Li Xuewu, could earn money, had status...

"Especially after you came back to take charge, life is getting better and better."

Li Xuewu knew Yu Li's thoughts, grabbed Yu Li's hand, and said, "Stop pressing, it's tiring, lie down for a while."

Yu Li grabbed Li Xuewu's hand and lay down beside him.

"I just can't get over it."

"I know."

"I originally thought he would help me vent my anger."

"Hmm, men, difficult."

"He didn't even say a word to me, didn't even get out of the car, and disappeared without a trace."

"Alas, poor couples have a hundred sorrows."

Yu Li lay on the pillow, her eyes empty, looking at the ceiling, not knowing what she was thinking.

Li Xuewu looked at this little woman sideways. Men who are strong are difficult, and women who are strong are even more difficult.

He hadn't known before that there was such a strong power in Yu Li's body. Li Xuewu only lit a fire, and the Yan family separated.

With the second fire, Yu Li dared to smash the glass in the house.

Although she was retaliating against the Third Master's reporting behavior and Yan Jiecheng's falling into the trap at the time, now it was more about the connection with this woman.

"Take it slow, everything will come."

Yu Li also heard Li Xuewu's sigh, knowing he was thinking for her, so she hugged Li Xuewu with her hand.

"I know, and I'm not asking you for anything. I just want a chest to rely on, to let me rest for a while."

"Women who are too strong live tired lives."

Li Xuewu patted the hand resting on his chest and persuaded softly.

"I also want to be a virtuous wife and a good mother, living a life of helping my husband and teaching my children, but look at our family, do I have this opportunity?"

"The independence I have now was all fought for with my life and all my strength, and that fool only knows how to hide."

Li Xuewu knew that everything Yu Li said was right. It was just the Third Master who was old and had no ability to earn money, and with IOUs and share occupations, he gave his son money to open a restaurant, which gave Yu Li and the others a good life.

But this clear-cut public and private appearance calculated the family affection Yan Jiecheng had for the Third Master into the eyes of money.

After scheming for a lifetime, in the end, not one of his four children was close to the Third Master.

Yu Li chatted with Li Xuewu until very late, so much so that when Li Xuewu got up in the morning, he could still feel Yu Li's temperature.

Today is Monday, and it is also Xiaohan, representing that from today on, it enters the coldest days of the year.

"Yo, old lady, why are you out for a stroll today? This weather isn't suitable for walking; Xiaohan and Dahan, cold as an ice ball."

The deaf old lady was leaning on a cane, strolling out, and happened to meet Li Xuewu, who was going out. Li Xuewu hadn't seen the old lady out of the room for a long time.

"Hehehe, Li family's second kid, I caught a cold a while ago, and your father looked at it. It looks better today, so I came out for a stroll."

Li Xuewu looked at the old lady's spirit, which was still okay, and nodded, "Then you should be careful with your feet."

After greeting, he walked out, and happened to see Banggeng entering with a chicken food basin.

Li Xuewu patted Banggeng's big head and said, "Did you eat the chicken meat and rabbit meat your mother got for you yesterday?"

Banggeng wasn't annoyed by Li Xuewu's teasing, grinned and said, "I ate it, my grandmother heated it up for me this morning, it was so delicious, I wish I could eat it every day."

"Hehe." Li Xuewu flicked Banggeng's head and said, "With this big fat face of yours, you won't be able to enter the moon gate if you eat any more."

After greeting the neighbor who entered the door, Li Xuewu passed the moon gate and walked out.

Entering the second gate, he happened to see the Third Master taking Yan Jiefang to block the window.

Li Xuewu looked, and the two pieces of glass in the Third Master's house were smashed very accurately.

It happened to be the room where they slept, so how cold it must be at night.

"Yo, Third Master, what is this? Afraid of losing things and preparing to open a surveillance window?"

The Third Master didn't want to pay attention to this annoying Li Xuewu at all. Yan Jiefang glared at Li Xuewu, but didn't dare to say anything more.

Seeing the Third Master didn't pay attention to him, Li Xuewu went up and asked, "Do you have any news about your bike?"

"You!"

Seeing the Third Master turn his head, Li Xuewu turned and walked toward the outer courtyard.

Why else would Shen Fang say that Li Xuewu was narrow-minded and held grudges?

A while ago, the Third Master harassed Li Shun every day, and now it was Li Xuewu's turn to harass the Third Master.

Seeing Yu Li's expression had improved a lot during breakfast, and the slap mark on her face had disappeared, it wasn't in vain that Li Xuewu had been a confidant sister for half the night.

After breakfast, he talked to Old Biaozi and the others for a while and then pushed his bike out.

Perhaps because of the change in solar terms, he didn't feel it in the courtyard, but as soon as he got on the street, he felt small snowflakes blowing on his face.

Because he was riding a bike, the cold wind mixed with snowflakes kept drilling into his neck like it was doing it on purpose.

By the time he reached the Steel Mill, Li Xuewu's hat and neck were already wet.

"Li Ke, why aren't you wearing a scarf? Look how cold it is."

Fan Hua from the Confidentiality Section was on duty at the guard room. Seeing Li Xuewu pushing his bike into the gate, she opened the window in front of her and shouted at Li Xuewu.

After saying this, Fan Hua kicked the stool away, walked to the door, pushed it open, and shouted to Ren An, who was on duty, "Ren An, go help Li Ke store his bike."

Ren An saw it was his object shouting at him, looked back, and saw Li Xuewu pushing his bike and about to go to the storage area, so he hurriedly rushed up to take the bike handle from Li Xuewu and said, "Li Ke, I'll do it."

"No need, no need, I'll do it myself."

It was just a few steps away, and it wouldn't be any colder for a while, so Li Xuewu hurriedly declined Ren An.

Ren An gripped the bike handle and whispered to Li Xuewu, "Li Kezhang, you'd better go to the guard room."

Seeing that this kid had something in his words, Li Xuewu squinted at Ren An, then looked at Fan Hua, who was waiting for him at the door of the guard room.

"Fine, then thank you."

Letting go of the bike handle and handing the bike to Ren An, Li Xuewu turned and walked toward the guard room.

Fan Hua had already entered the room when Li Xuewu let go of the bike. She took the thermos at the door, poured a cup of hot water for Li Xuewu, and handed it to Li Xuewu as soon as he entered the room.

"Thank you, thank you." Li Xuewu thanked her and took the hot water.

After one gulp, heat started to rise from his stomach, and then cold air started to dissipate from his pores.

It sounded a bit fantasy-like, but drinking a cup of hot water in the cold winter of the north was exactly this feeling.

"Li Ke."

Fan Hua called Li Xuewu, then looked outside the door, pointed to the desk for Li Xuewu, and said, "Yesterday, I received a few more report letters about you. I don't know who put them here, and the handwriting is different."

Li Xuewu was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, "Fan Hua, I know you're kind-hearted."

"No."

Fan Hua shook her head and interrupted, "It's that we know you're a good person."

Li Xuewu exerted force on the hand holding the water cup, then let go.

"I know. Handle it according to the procedure."

Li Xuewu stood in the guard room with the water cup, looking at the inspection post at the gate, lost in thought.

Seeing Li Xuewu standing there frowning without speaking, lost in thought, Fan Hua didn't dare to disturb him and sat back in her seat to process the incoming and outgoing letters of the Steel Mill.

He didn't know what was said here, but seeing Li Xuewu standing in the guard room looking over here, it gave the security guards on duty this morning a shock.

This Li Ke hadn't come over to inspect this side for days. Today, he was looking over here with a frown, not knowing if he had discovered someone slacking off or someone making a mistake.

Not mentioning these security guards' wild guesses, even Han Zhan and Ren An, who were on duty, were whispering in their hearts.

These days, the matter of report letters had been making a lot of noise. Today, suddenly receiving so many report letters, he didn't know how the section chief would lose his temper.

Li Xuewu didn't stay in the guard room for long. When Ren An finished his shift and came in to hand him the keys, he drank the water in the tea cup in one gulp.

Putting down the tea cup, he greeted Fan Hua, walked out of the door, and took the keys handed over by Ren An.

"Li Kezhang..."

Li Xuewu knew what Ren An meant, but didn't let Ren An say it, instead interrupting, "Tell Han Zhan, it's cold, and the morning inspection is intermittent for more than an hour. Tell him to prepare two shifts of posts, check alternately, and let the security guards go inside to warm up."

"Yes."

Ren An agreed habitually, but when he wanted to say something else, Li Xuewu had already turned and walked toward the office building.

"Xiao Hua."

Ren An pushed open the guard room door and called Fan Hua, then stepped in and closed the door, asking, "What did Li Ke say?"

Fan Hua looked back at her object and asked back, "What do you think he would say?"

"How would I know?"

Ren An knew he wasn't as smart as Fan Hua, so he asked directly if he had any questions.

"If I knew, I would be the section chief."

"Pfft~"

Fan Hua sneered and said, "Even if you knew, you couldn't be the section chief."

After saying this to her object, Fan Hua turned around and continued to process the letters on the desk.

The report letters about Li Xuewu had been picked out by Fan Hua, ready to be sent to the hands of Fu Bin, the Director of the Security Section, in a while.

Since Li Xuewu, the person involved, had said to handle it according to the procedure, her favor could be considered to have been given, and what to do next was Li Xuewu's business.

"Xiao Hua, shall we go watch a movie tonight?" Ren An walked to Fan Hua's desk and asked like a lackey.

Fan Hua pushed away Ren An's face that was leaning close, and said in disgust, "Do you only know how to watch movies?"

"Don't you like watching movies?" Ren An asked in confusion.

"You really are a blockhead."

Fan Hua couldn't stand it and taught him a lesson with a pencil pointing at Ren An.

Looking at Ren An's restless state, Fan Hua sighed; she had chosen this object, what could she do?

"Last time, I told Han Yating about this violation. Do you think Han Yating wouldn't tell Li Xuewu?"

Ren An saw Fan Hua analyzing for him and said very receptively, "That won't happen, she will definitely go tell him."

Fan Hua glared at Ren An and said, "Since he already knows, he must be prepared. This time I shouldn't have listened to you; this is just painting a snake and adding feet."

"I was just thinking..."

Ren An blushed and defended himself, then asked, "Then what is his idea? Why not cut off the letters from you?"

"Do you think others are stupid just because you are?"

Knowing Ren An was honest, Fan Hua explained, "If he cuts it off from me, how many favors does he owe me, and how much risk does it bring me? Besides, it can't be cut off. Do you understand 'preventing the mouths of the people is more dangerous than preventing a river'?"

Ren An frowned and asked, "Then why does he let the report letters keep reporting without any reaction?"

Fan Hua patted Ren An's head and said, "This is where you need to learn. You've been learning from Han Yating recently, so ask around more, and see how Li Xuewu handles this crisis."

"Are you saying Li Xuewu will be fine this time?"

"What do you think? Don't you really think your section chief will stumble?"

Fan Hua looked at her silly object and said with hatred for iron not becoming steel, "You can't have me break these things down and feed them to you every time, right? Think about it yourself. Was what you ate last night a meal?"

"Hmm? Did we eat anything else?" Ren An asked in confusion.

Fan Hua was also speechless. She pinched Ren An's neck and said, "Were you just focused on eating and didn't hear someone at the table say that this banquet was originally prepared by Li Xuewu to be hosted at home, and only moved to the Steel Mill guesthouse later?"

Ren An looked at Fan Hua blankly and asked, "Wasn't it said that it was convenient here?"

"You're stupid! This is called 'drawing the sword'!"

Fan Hua pinched him hard and said, "The dinner party last night was politics, but do you really think politics is just dinner parties? That's a bloody struggle!"

Ren An had already widened his eyes, not knowing how he started being taught a politics class by his object. Wasn't it just starting to learn moral character?

Fan Hua looked at Ren An and said, "If you have no intention of learning this, then promise me, don't get promoted after becoming a section chief, don't get promoted even if there is an opportunity."

Some people have never suffered in their lives, so they understand the word "struggle" as "work hard" in lyrics and broadcasts.

But some people are strong all their lives, like Li Xuewu.

The word "struggle" he understands is that everyone divides a piece of land, and whoever wins the fight is the struggler.

"Li Kezhang, hello!"

"Hey, hello."

Li Xuewu walked into the corridor of the Security Section, responding to the greetings of the comrades in the Security Section with a flat face all the way.

Because of the dinner party last night, the comrades' spirits were very high today, and they couldn't hide the smiles on their faces when greeting Li Xuewu.

Passing by the Security Stock, Li Xuewu shouted for Han Yating to take the keys, and then returned to his office.

He thought his room would be turned upside down by Yang Shuji and the others.

Because last Saturday, Yang Shuji brought people to the Security Section to conduct an investigation, and Li Xuewu lent his office to Yang Shuji and the others.

Openly it was lending, but in reality, it was opening his office to accept the inspection.

Instead of waiting for others to ask for the keys in a roundabout way, why not take the initiative to open the office for others to see, which could also save some face.

As soon as Li Xuewu entered the room, he found that his office hadn't changed much, and the materials in the bookcase were still as neat as ever.

The materials on the desk had been moved because they had been rearranged on the desk according to the classification of the materials.

Li Xuewu carried his bag, squinted, and looked around, sitting in his position somewhat unnaturally.

When Li Xuewu lit a cigarette, Han Yating entered.

"Li Kezhang, Yang Shuji and the others left at 7:15 last Saturday, and I locked the office."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu agreed, put the cigarette in the steel ashtray, and asked Han Yating, "Nothing happened, right?"

Han Yating looked at Li Xuewu and said, "I don't know. I've been waiting in the office. They just looked through your bookcase and the materials on your desk. That investigator surnamed Li looked through your office and also went to find Xu Ning."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I'm asking if anything happened on Sunday. Who asked you about Yang Shuji?"

"I was just about to tell you."

Han Yating placed a document in front of Li Xuewu and said, "It's also evil. Even though Han Zhan has added patrol posts and increased the frequency, there are still theft cases. Those people robbing at night seem to have eyes and can always avoid the patrol personnel."

Li Xuewu opened the document to look at it, then closed the notebook and said, "No need to look. These people are all the same group, or can be said to have the same goal."

"Are you saying... we should use the station side?"

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "File the case first, then investigate. Follow the procedure."

Han Yating said hesitantly, "But the broadcast station side doesn't look good. A pile of clues has been collected, and a basket of cases has been accumulated, but the number of solved cases is still zero, and the security guards are all cursing."

"If they curse, let them curse."

Li Xuewu said indifferently, and then said, "As long as they don't curse to our faces, we still have time. Give the comrades at the station some time."

"Yes."

Han Yating agreed and left with the folder.

Li Xuewu intended to go check the Guard Team's training after giving instructions to Han Yating, but before Li Xuewu could pick up the cigarette on the ashtray, an unexpected person walked into the office.

This person knocked on Li Xuewu's office door and then introduced himself with a smile, "I am the section chief of the First Inspection Section of the Disciplinary Committee. My surname is Yang, and my name is Yang Zongfang. We met at the door on Saturday."

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Li Xuewu agreed, stood up, and walked out while reaching out his hand, "Remember, remember. Yang Shuji brought you here, right?"

Shaking hands with Yang Zongfang, Li Xuewu said with annoyance, "Alas, I've been truly busy recently, and I didn't greet you properly before leaving that day. I'm truly sorry, it's my fault."

Yang Zongfang shook hands with Li Xuewu, thinking to himself that this security section chief was indeed well-deserved—he smiled three times when he saw people, and hid a knife in his smile.

"Li Ke

Grasping Yang Zongfang's hand, Li Xuewu said with a look of annoyance: "Oh my, I have truly been busy lately. I left that day without properly saying goodbye, and I am truly sorry. It was my fault."

Yang Zongfang shook hands with Li Xuewu, thinking to himself that this Li Kezhang of the Security Section was indeed as legendary as they said; he greeted everyone with a smile, yet hid a dagger within every bit of that laughter.

"Li Ke is too kind. I had the good fortune to read your article the day before yesterday, and it has had me itching with curiosity all weekend. So, here I am on Monday to bother you."

Li Xuewu laughed heartily as he looked at Yang Zongfang and gestured for him to take a seat on the sofa.

Once Li Xuewu had placed two cups of tea on the table, he smiled and said: "It is my honor that my humble work has caught your eye. It was written in haste, so if there are any improprieties, I hope you, as an expert, will offer your criticism and corrections."

Li Xuewu did not know this Li Kezhang Yang, but since he had introduced himself and was visiting under the guise of "making friends through literature," Li Xuewu had to "play the scholar."

It was not that Li Xuewu was deliberately showing off his knowledge and culture, but rather that etiquette demanded it.

The man had said he was itching with curiosity because of Li Xuewu's article and wanted to meet him.

If Li Xuewu had played the same game he did with Ji Weidong—grabbing Yang Zongfang by the shoulders and shouting, "We're all brothers!"—it would have infuriated Yang Zongfang.

Singing the song of the mountain you are standing on—Li Xuewu was well-versed in this craft.

"Ah~"

Yang Zongfang waved his hand with a smile and said: "Li Ke's writing is naturally gifted; how could I dare to comment? I am here today to learn, and I hope Li Ke will not begrudge me your guidance."

"Hahaha."

Li Xuewu chuckled for a moment, then said: "I know my own writing; it has 'three deficiencies'."

Yang Zongfang looked at Li Xuewu's expression; it did not seem like arrogance, so he asked: "How can such a good article be described with 'deficiencies'? I would like to hear your opinion of your own work."

Li Xuewu held up three fingers, pressing one down for every 'deficiency' he mentioned.

"My writing has three deficiencies: merit that is incomplete, ability that is unequal to the task, and talent that is insufficient."

Yang Zongfang laughed in spite of himself: "Isn't this the sentiment from the Ming Dynasty scholar Song Lian's 'Qianxi Suiyan'?"

"It seems Li Kezhang Yang is truly learned and talented."

Li Xuewu was now certain of Yang Zongfang's cultural foundation; he was a man of learning.

"A person's achievements have areas that are incomplete, abilities that are unequal to the task, and talents that are insufficient."

Yang Zongfang raised his head and recited the interpretation of Li Xuewu's self-assessed "three deficiencies," instantly understanding Li Xuewu's meaning.

This man truly had a heart of seven apertures; he had just walked in and said a word of admiration, and in return, he had been given the image of a humble gentleman.

Yang Zongfang smiled and said to Li Xuewu: "The 'Book of Rites' says: 'A gentleman does not boast of his deeds, nor does he pride himself on his merits.' Li Ke can be considered a model in this regard."

"Hahaha," Li Xuewu laughed twice and said to Yang Zongfang: "I simply insist on doing good deeds and not asking about the future."

"Rare indeed. Nowadays, cadres like to boast and be smug after putting in even the slightest effort."

Yang Zongfang couldn't help but sigh at Li Xuewu's words. Seeing Li Xuewu listening with a smile and not taking the bait, he couldn't help but mentally stamp a red seal of "smiling tiger" on him.

Li Xuewu wouldn't take the bait, but Yang Zongfang had to speak; this was the purpose of his visit today.

"Some cadres take credit and shift blame, talking only about benefits and not about contribution, discussing achievements but not faults."

"Some cadres use their duties as bargaining chips for personal gain, treating the completion of tasks as a trump card to seize political capital."

"Some cadres attribute all the opportunities given by the organization and the power bestowed by the people to their own talents, becoming blindly confident, dictatorial, and overbearing."

With every sentence Yang Zongfang spoke, his tone grew heavier, and the smile on Li Xuewu's face faded by a degree.

As mentioned earlier, what Yang Zongfang saw when he met Li Xuewu was a smile of three parts.

Now, exactly and precisely, Li Xuewu had withdrawn all three parts of that smile.

"Hehe, everything has a cause and an effect; everyone talks about how there must be a reward for every effort."

Li Xuewu squinted at Yang Zongfang, for he had already heard the purpose of Yang Zongfang's visit today.

A disciplinary talk.

This procedure seemed rather informal; it was possible that Yang Shuji had some thoughts and had sent the Li Kezhang of the First Inspection Section to come here and give him a roundabout admonition.

Yang Zongfang looked at Li Xuewu and did not directly refute this statement, instead using a sharper approach to reply.

"Admittedly, these cadres have put in effort and sweat in their work, and it is understandable that they wish to be recognized."

Yang Zongfang added this as a buffer, but Li Xuewu knew this sentence was merely setting the stage for a harsher follow-up.

Li Xuewu's face turned cold instantly.

Sure enough, he saw Yang Zongfang frown and say: "However, once these cadres become calculating and petty, they lose sight of the big picture and easily forget their original intention for progress."

"When faced with the temptation of money, they cannot hold their ground, control their greed, or maintain their bottom line, becoming willing pawns for monetary gain and eventually embarking on a path of breaking discipline and the law."

When speaking this final sentence, Yang Zongfang was still looking directly at Li Xuewu.

"Hehe."

Since returning from his transfer, Li Xuewu had never been scolded to his face like this, and a self-mocking smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

"I didn't expect this, truly didn't expect this."

Yang Zongfang watched Li Xuewu sitting there saying "I didn't expect this" with self-mockery, thinking Li Xuewu had suddenly repented and was preparing to make a voluntary confession.

But Li Xuewu's next words nearly made Yang Zongfang explode with rage.

"I thought I was the most useless, the most idle, and the bottom-of-the-barrel cadre in our Steel Mill, but I didn't expect there to be such 'borers' among our cadres as you described."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said to Yang Zongfang with a smile: "Then you must open your wise eyes wide and take a good look at which ones are these 'cadres' you speak of. I, Li Xuewu, on behalf of the Security Section, will certainly provide strong support for the Disciplinary Committee's work."

"......"

Yang Zongfang was speechless; it was his first time encountering such a shameless cadre who, when faced with him, did not self-reflect but instead attempted to stand alongside him, the judge.

"Li Ke, it is getting late. I see you have work to attend to, so I will not disturb you further."

Seeing Yang Zongfang stifled for a moment and standing up to leave, Li Xuewu hurriedly stood up and said: "I really don't have anything busy today. Why don't we chat for a while longer? I am quite willing to chat with you."

"Hahaha, no."

Yang Zongfang smiled at Li Xuewu and said: "Yang Shuji still has matters to attend to, so I will head back first."

After saying this, he walked out the door.

Li Xuewu stood in the office, watching Yang Zongfang pull the door shut; the faint smile on his face vanished along with the sound of the closing door.

Yang Zongfang's visit today was not at all about mutual appreciation between men of letters.

"Pah!"

Where could there be "mutual attraction" in friendship between men of letters? Since ancient times, one has only heard of "men of letters belittling each other."

This Yang Zongfang was also a ruthless man; seeing that Li Xuewu was truly difficult to deal with and not wanting to leave trouble for himself, he had sold Yang Shuji out directly.

What did he mean by "Yang Shuji still has matters to attend to"?

Why did he have matters to attend to right now? What did Yang Shuji's business have to do with Li Kezhang Yang? Even if there were matters, were they things that could be spoken of?

This was Yang Zongfang's old-hand tactic; before leaving, he had pointed out to Li Xuewu exactly who had told him to say these things.

This was called repaying grievances with grievances and hatred with hatred.

Li Xuewu not seeing Yang Zongfang off meant the same thing.

Since you are not representing yourself, and I do not agree with your views, then I will act as if you were never here.

The reason Li Xuewu stood in the office thinking was because he was trying to figure out what Yang Shuji wanted to express.

Last time at the hospital, Yang Shuji had not approved of his progress.

Now that he was facing professional dilemmas and moral adversity, sending someone like this over showed just how much patience he had.

Yang Shuji's meaning was nothing more than to persuade him to take a step back, sort out his own affairs, and then think about progress.

But was the matter what he thought it was?

If you want to play Judge Bao, I will prepare the tiger-headed guillotine for you.

Li Xuewu was just that warm-hearted.

Every time Monday came around, it was Li Xuewu's busiest time.

Han Zhan walked in with a document to have Li Xuewu sign it; Li Xuewu looked at it and saw it was the newly updated duty roster for the patrol team.

This table showed when each team member would be patrolling which location, as well as the key targets and buildings for inspection.

This was something Li Xuewu had required Han Zhan to do.

Li Xuewu hadn't paid much attention to signing this before, but as he circled items on the table, he remembered what Han Yating had said in the office earlier and couldn't help but grimace.

"Hehe."

Li Xuewu wrote outside the circle as usual: "Forward to Li Kezhang Fu Bin for review."

This was the procedure, the so-called filing procedure.

It used to be forwarded to the Deputy Li Kezhang of Operations, Dong Wenxue, for review, but now that Fu Bin was in charge of work, it was only natural to forward it to Fu Bin for review.

"I won't go to watch your training; today's matters are too busy, and I haven't even written my work summary from last week yet."

After giving instructions to Han Zhan, Li Xuewu pointed to the table Han Zhan had handed over and said: "Oh, right, take this to the General Office."

Han Zhan agreed and took the document to the office.

After sending Han Zhan off, Li Xuewu began to write his summary report for last week, but he had barely written the opening when the ringing of the telephone interrupted his train of thought.

Li Xuewu frowned and answered: "Hello, this is Li Xuewu."

"Mm, mm, I'll be right over."

After hanging up the phone, Li Xuewu didn't bother with the summary report on the desk; he walked to the door, put on his coat, and walked out.

Passing the duty room, he called Yan Jiecheng, who was on duty there, to get the car.

Yan Jiecheng was quick on his feet; after Li Xuewu shouted, he ran over, took the car, and drove it directly to the entrance of the Security Building.

Li Xuewu had just finished telling Han Yating about going out for fieldwork when he saw Yan Jiecheng's car arrive.

"Let's go, to the Beixinqiao Police Station."

Yan Jiecheng was stunned for a moment; in the past, they always went to Jiaodaokou, and he wondered if Li Xuewu had misspoken.

But remembering that he had heard the Station Chief of the Beixinqiao Police Station was also there last night, he knew Li Xuewu hadn't misspoken; they were indeed going to Beixinqiao.

While Li Xuewu was rushing into the city, the Beixinqiao Station was already in an uproar.

"Get your Station Chief out here; you're not good enough."

Madam Wei waved her hand at Old Song and shouted, then pushed Old Song aside, intending to barge into the detention room.

"Let her barge in," Duan Youting said, frowning as he walked out of his office and shouted at Old Song.

Old Song looked at Duan Youting with some helplessness, knowing he had caused trouble for the Station Chief; he hadn't expected the pressure Li Xuewu spoke of to be this kind of pressure.

Seeing that the Station Chief, Duan Youting, had come out, Madam Wei stopped trying to barge into the detention room, instead walking back to the office door and pointing at Duan Youting's nose, scolding: "Didn't you say you went to find the parties involved? You spent the whole night looking? Is this how you serve the people?"

Duan Youting was already past the point of caring, and with a world-weary expression, he said: "Exactly, I looked all night and couldn't find them. Aren't you going to barge into the detention room? Go ahead."

"You're talking nonsense! Do you know where the Gu family lives? Do you know which way the Gu family's front door opens? If you had looked, would you still be able to talk to me here?"

Duan Youting couldn't be bothered to deal with her and said to Old Song: "Since Weimin is in security, notify the Textile Mill to come and collect their people."

"No!"

Just as Duan Youting gave the order, Madam Wei blocked Old Song and said: "You cannot notify the Textile Mill. If the leaders of the Textile Mill come, my son's future will be ruined."

"Hehe."

Duan Youting looked at this somewhat crazy woman and asked: "Are you my leader or the leader of the Textile Mill?"

Madam Wei shook her head and said: "I am not anyone's leader, but I know your leader."

Duan Youting wasn't afraid of this, nodding and saying: "Then please invite our leader over and have him personally give me the order to release your two sons."

Madam Wei stared at Duan Youting and asked: "I won't make things difficult for you; I know you are also taking the heat. I want to know who the man with Gu Ning is. What background does he have that makes you help him so much?"

Duan Youting frowned at Old Song, then said to Madam Wei: "Our station handles cases strictly according to procedure; backgrounds and such don't work here."

"Exactly, you should go out and ask around; our Station Chief Duan is a person who hates evil and is selfless."

Old Song knew his chance for redemption had come, and seeing the Station Chief speak, he tried his best to support Duan Youting.

But little did he know, Madam Wei was clearly prepared; she raised her eyebrows at Duan Youting and said: "First, my eldest son didn't touch the Gu girl's body, did he? Are you going to convict him based on a verbal slip?"

Ignoring Duan Youting's furrowed brow, Madam Wei said again: "Second, my eldest son didn't threaten anyone with a weapon, did he? As for being grabbed by the head and smashed against a car?"

Seeing that Madam Wei spoke only of her eldest son and never mentioned her second son, Duan Youting understood Madam Wei's strategy.

This was sacrificing the pawn to save the chariot; both sons were going to fall, so she would save whichever one she could.