Chapter 454: Do Not Belittle Yourself

Hearing Li Xuewu's words, Wang Yongguang finally had a point to argue. He glared and slapped the table, saying, "He was taken away on Saturday noon, and he still hasn't been released. You even said you wanted to handle it strictly. I'm just asking..."

"If you're asking, then ask. Why are you slapping my table?"

Li Xuewu tapped his notebook with his fountain pen, looked at Wang Yongguang, and said, "Ask Yang Fengshan if he dares to slap my table when he comes."

With just this one sentence, Wang Yongguang was rendered speechless.

The anger he had built up would have allowed him to say anything if he had kept the momentum going, but Li Xuewu had interrupted him three times now, and his rhythm was ruined.

Especially now, as Li Xuewu looked at him with drooping eyelids, the scar on his face twitched as he asked that question.

"Then..."

Just as Wang Yongguang was speaking, Han Yating walked in with some people; several of them were from the Security Squad, and all were in uniform.

Wang Yongguang and the others felt a wave of panic when they saw Han Yating and her group enter, and they all turned their gazes toward Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu, however, didn't even look at Han Yating; he kept his eyes on Wang Yongguang.

"Let me ask you one thing."

"Uh."

Li Xuewu looked at the somewhat agitated Wang Yongguang and said, "Your son was caught by the Security Section on Saturday noon and hasn't been released yet, just because he said something, is that right?"

"Yes, just because he said something!"

Wang Yongguang glanced at Han Yating, who had just entered, hesitated for a moment, and then said to Li Xuewu with certainty, "My son is only seventeen years old; what could he possibly understand..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Xuewu pointed at him, cutting him off.

"Let me ask you one more thing: what did your son say?"

"This..."

Wang Yongguang looked at the Security Squad personnel standing to the side, glaring at them, and hesitated, wondering if he should say it.

"Speak."

Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair, raised an eyebrow, and asked Wang Yongguang, "I want to hear what he said that got him arrested."

"My son just said that the people who came from the factory took the money away!"

"What people? What money?"

Li Xuewu sat up straight, picked up his fountain pen to make a note in his notebook, and asked the woman who had spoken just now.

"It was those people from the factory who came after the earthquake."

The woman's voice grew louder as she shouted at Li Xuewu, "I saw it too; it was the people from the factory who took the money that was buried in the collapsed house of the Liu family."

"Is that so~"

Li Xuewu nodded, looked at the woman, and asked, "What is your name?"

"Zhang Ermeng."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu finished recording, turned his head to look at Han Yating, who was standing at the edge of the crowd, and asked, "Has this person's matter been investigated clearly? Was it really the people from the factory who took the money?"

"It has been cleared up; it was our Security Department personnel..."

"See!..."

Upon hearing Han Yating's words, the woman jumped up, ready to shout, but was scared back by Li Xuewu's gaze.

"I will give you time to speak when I tell you to speak."

Li Xuewu said in a flat tone, then looked at Han Yating to signal her to continue.

Han Yating glanced at the woman and continued, "According to the unified deployment of the factory leadership and the Security Department, all trainees entered the disaster-stricken workers' residential area in batches to carry out earthquake rescue work."

"Around 10:20 AM, trainees Pang Dasheng, Mo Lizhang, and others were carrying out rescue operations at the home of Liu Yongzhang, a worker in the hardware workshop of the Tool Factory. Liu Yongzhang was rescued from the ruins, but his wife and son suffered injuries too severe and died in the factory hospital despite emergency treatment."

As Han Yating read the facts one by one from the document, the room fell silent. Yu Decai, who was standing at the door, frowned and squeezed in from the side.

"After on-site searches by staff, a total of seventeen yuan, four jiao, and six fen were recovered from Liu Yongzhang's home. According to the special time material management regulations, the money and property were handed over to the asset custody group composed of team staff and security personnel for safekeeping."

"And now?"

Li Xuewu looked at Han Yating and asked, "How is Liu Yongzhang?"

"He has woken up."

Han Yating looked at Zhang Ermeng and her husband, who had already lowered their heads, and said, "His property has been handed over to him at the hospital."

"Has Liu Yongzhang confirmed it?"

Seeing Li Xuewu ask, Han Yating pushed past a few people surrounding them, reached Li Xuewu's desk, and placed a ledger on it.

"This is his signature."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu looked at the fingerprint on the numbers and the signature at the end, then looked with drooping eyelids at Wang Yongguang, who was sitting on pins and needles opposite him.

"This... we didn't know about this!"

Wang Yongguang didn't speak, but Zhang Ermeng said stubbornly, "Who knew you would give it back to him? Can't we talk about it when we saw it?"

"You can talk, and you can ask."

Li Xuewu looked at Zhang Ermeng and her husband and said, "The people at the rescue site were right there. I don't know why you didn't ask."

"That..."

"There was a supervision group on site, and the factory's Discipline Inspection Group. Why didn't you come to the factory to talk, but instead told everyone you saw?"

Li Xuewu didn't give her a chance to speak, put his pen on the notebook, and asked Wang Yongguang, "Did the big loudspeakers on the street and the trucks broadcast that spreading rumors and creating rumors is forbidden?"

"Li Chu, our child is ignorant. How would he know what rumors are being stopped!"

"Seventeen years old and ignorant."

Li Xuewu looked at Wang Yongguang, pursed his lips, and asked, "He is ignorant, but are you ignorant too? Do you know that speech in special circumstances must be based on facts? I don't need to explain the possible consequences to you, do I?"

Wang Yongguang looked at Li Xuewu's sharp eyes and felt some fear, but his son was still locked up downstairs.

"Can you be a little flexible? We won't do it again; we will definitely educate our child properly when we get back."

"My suggestion is to handle this according to the public security management regulations issued by the Security Department."

Li Xuewu looked at Wang Yongguang and said, "Those regulations were promulgated and publicized long ago, and you all know them. Those are the rules set for everyone; I cannot take the lead in breaking the rules for your family, can I?"

As he spoke, he looked at the people standing in the room and said, "Speaking is not against the law at any time, but spreading rumors is. Speaking and spreading rumors are two different things. You are all adults; do you need me to explain that?"

The people in the room looked at Li Xuewu's stern expression, then at the people Han Yating had brought, and finally fixed their gaze on Wang Yongguang.

The implication was that as long as Wang Yongguang didn't admit defeat, they wouldn't either.

Li Xuewu also turned his gaze to Wang Yongguang and said, "According to normal procedures, if you believe that the actions taken by the Security Section do not comply with the regulations, you should go to the Inspection Section to follow the procedure, rather than coming here to disturb my work."

"You weren't working when we arrived; you were fast asleep!"

Seeing that Li Xuewu would not be flexible, Zhang Ermeng glared and began to shout, "What kind of cadre are you? We are working ourselves to the bone in the workshop, and you are lying here sleeping! You..."

Li Xuewu tapped the table, looked at Wang Yongguang and his wife, and said, "The reason I sacrificed my rest time was to give you a fair opportunity to speak. Now, is this what you have to say to me?"

"Is it against the law for us to say this?"

Wang Yongguang also threw caution to the wind, stood up, pointed at Li Xuewu, and said, "I'm going to report you! I'm going to the Discipline Inspection Commission to ask what should be done when you don't solve our problems because you're sleeping at noon!"

"Go ahead."

Li Xuewu nodded and said affirmatively, "According to the procedure, you are indeed supposed to go to the Discipline Inspection Commission to talk about this matter."

Under the astonished gazes of Wang Yongguang and his wife, Li Xuewu spoke as calmly as if he were talking about someone else's business: "And you won't have to bear the responsibility for spreading rumors when you say it there."

The couple thought Li Xuewu was going to cave in, and Zhang Ermeng even raised her chin.

"However!"

Li Xuewu looked at the two and said, "Except for departments with the nature of the Discipline Inspection Commission, if these words are spoken elsewhere, they will be treated as spreading rumors all the same."

Ignoring their wide-eyed stares, Li Xuewu turned his head to scan the people in the room and said, "You all heard what these two said. Li Kezhang Han has already noted down who you are."

"After today, as long as anyone outside this room learns of these things they said, everyone will be subject to investigation. Whoever is found out will be dealt with."

After Li Xuewu finished speaking, he looked at Wang Yongguang again and said, "Go ahead, go to the Discipline Inspection Commission. Don't delay things. I will continue my questioning; you go about your business."

Under the gaze of the crowd, Wang Yongguang and his wife gritted their teeth and shuffled toward the door, looking back at Li Xuewu from time to time.

The implication was: We are going to report you, aren't you going to stop us?

Li Xuewu said very indifferently to Han Yating, "Report to the Public Security Bureau's Security Division. These rumor-mongers are to be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law, in accordance with the regulations on social security during difficult times."

"Yes!"

Before Han Yating could finish saying "Yes," Zhang Ermeng, who had reached the door, couldn't take it anymore and collapsed onto the floor.

She could hear what Li Xuewu said, but she couldn't hear what anyone else said afterward.

It wasn't that she didn't understand the law; they were all veteran workers of many years, and they all knew what this stuff was through constant exposure.

That regulation... fullest extent... that means...

"Ah! I was wrong! I was wrong!"

Zhang Ermeng crawled back, struggling to crawl, her mouth wailing incessantly that she was wrong.

But not a single person standing in the room dared to help her up; even those who had come with her moved their feet to get out of the way, as if avoiding a plague god.

And wasn't she just that—a plague god? The couple had directly elevated the danger level of the rumors to the highest degree.

Those who had followed them turned from initial supporters into people filled with hatred.

The people locked up below were all their relatives; this couple had essentially sentenced their relatives to death.

Li Xuewu ignored Zhang Ermeng, who wanted to come over but was already powerless, and Wang Yongguang, who was standing at the door in a daze.

Instead, he fixed his gaze on the crowd standing in front of the office desk.

"Whoever still feels aggrieved can sit down and talk about it."

Who the hell would dare to say anything now? This had just resulted in a sentence.

Li Xuewu scanned the room and then said, "Since none of you will speak, then I will."

"The working hours for government offices are written very clearly. According to the 'Notice on Persisting in the Eight-Hour Work System in Cities' issued in December 1960, all units and departments in all cities must, under normal circumstances and without exception, strictly implement the eight-hour work system. They must not arbitrarily work overtime, and they must not arbitrarily encroach upon the spare time of cadres and the masses. Those responsible persons or units that repeatedly fail to correct their ways should be given necessary disciplinary action."

Li Xuewu recited this notice, which he had long been prepared for, to the people in the room. He had been ready for a long time, but no one had come to question his lunch break; now, it had finally come in handy.

"Just like you, I start work at eight in the morning, eat at twelve, and get off work at six in the evening. So tell me, should I rest at noon?"

Li Xuewu raised his hand to look at his watch and said, "Oh, it's still my rest time now."

Zhang Ermeng, who was lying on the floor, stopped wailing and stared blankly at Li Xuewu. Wang Yongguang, who had collapsed at the door, was also stunned.

They... they seemed to know about this regulation.

Li Xuewu walked over to Zhang Ermeng, signaled for Han Yating and Fan Hua to come over and help her up, and also called for someone to help Wang Yongguang up.

"You can enjoy the benefits of this regulation, and so can I."

Li Xuewu stood in the middle of the crowd and said loudly, "Look, there are some things you clearly know the truth about, yet you insist on guessing, fabricating, and even inventing facts based on your own subjective assumptions to attack others. Isn't this just spreading rumors?"

"Is it interesting?"

The people in the room now hated Wang Yongguang and his wife to death. They just had to say something about a nap—didn't the people walking around the courtyard after lunch count as resting!

Li Xuewu suddenly smiled, looked at the crowd, and said, "Rumors stop with the wise. I believe none of you are fools. So, those who spread things to disturb people's hearts are either people with ulterior motives seeking attention, or they are fools."

"Li Chu."

At this moment, a female worker standing beside Li Xuewu said awkwardly, "My husband just heard from others that the tap water was poisonous after the earthquake and couldn't be drunk, so he told the neighbors to be careful. He didn't do it on purpose."

"Trust me."

Li Xuewu waved his hand to signal the female worker not to say any more, then pointed at Han Yating and said, "Also trust the comrades in the Security Section. Give them some time, and they will clarify everything."

Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Li Xuewu said with a light laugh, "I have no grudges against any of you, and the Security Department has no enmity with everyone either. I won't make things difficult for you."

"Thank you, Li Chu!"

Those who understood the situation were already thanking him as they walked out; those who were slow to react still didn't know what had happened.

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling everyone to hurry back to work and get on with their business.

Those who left cast glances of pity or resentment at Wang Yongguang and his wife, and one after another, they all departed.

Li Xuewu didn't pay any attention to the two and walked back to his seat to continue working, while the two who had been helped up stood there awkwardly.

It was embarrassing to be ignored, but they didn't dare to leave; a single word from here had already sealed their son's fate.

Han Yating looked at the two, turned to look at Li Xuewu, and said, "I'm sorry, Li Kezhang, I..."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu nodded without even raising his head and said, "It's enough that you can recognize your own mistakes. Business work must be done well, and basic publicity work must also be done well. Don't let people bring lawsuits to me again."

"Yes, understood."

The expressions of both Han Yating and Fan Hua were not very good; the Li Kezhang's words were already very stern.

If this had been back when Li Xuewu was a Li Kezhang, he might have really scolded them, but he couldn't now.

He was a Department Chief now, managing everything big and small in the department; how could he be so crude as to open his mouth and scold people?

However, today's incident did indeed put Li Xuewu in a very passive position. It wasn't about the nap, but about the Security Department's level of control.

They shouted about emergency plans every day, but now that a mass incident had actually occurred, the emergency response couldn't keep up.

Although Han Yating's preparations later were very sufficient and she had already prepared the inquiry materials for everyone, why couldn't the publicity work for this matter have been done beforehand?

What did this reflect?

A weak ideological awareness of mass work, a lack of sense of responsibility, and an inadequate understanding of the nature and problems of the work.

"Go to work."

Li Xuewu looked up at Han Yating, and his gaze, though not stern, made her feel the pressure.

The two had been superior and subordinate from the very beginning; it was Li Xuewu who had brought them up step by step, and they felt guilty for not doing the work well.

Privately, Li Xuewu was also a prospective relative-in-law to the person she was seeing; in the future, the two would be close relatives.

With this relationship, Li Xuewu naturally wouldn't make things difficult for her, but work is work—if it's good, it's good; if it's not, it's not.

If it's not, then it's time to give up the position.

Han Yating led the group of Security Section personnel in a salute to Li Xuewu and then went out.

As they left, they didn't even look at the couple, and the couple also sheepishly avoided the gazes of Han Yating and the others.

After everyone had left, seeing that Li Xuewu was still busy with his work and that the secretary and others in the room weren't looking at them either, they felt bored.

"Li Chu..."

Wang Yongguang bit the bullet, walked to Li Xuewu's desk, knelt down, and pleaded, "We were wrong. We shouldn't have said those things."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu put down the document in his hand, looked at Wang Yongguang, and said, "It's not the past anymore; the people are the masters of the country. There is no such thing as kneeling."

Wang Yongguang didn't know what Li Xuewu meant by this; he clearly knew this, so why didn't he help him up instead of just sitting there and talking?

"You doing this is nothing more than making things difficult for me."

Li Xuewu turned his body, his attitude as cold and indifferent as ever.

"You, Wang Yongguang, kneeling to me makes me look bad; it implies that I, this cadre, am not a good person, right?"

As he spoke, seeing that Wang Yongguang still wouldn't get up, Li Xuewu continued, "If I were to guess wildly, you wouldn't still be thinking of reporting me for the kneeling incident, would you?"

"Li Chu..."

Wang Yongguang held onto the desk and stood up awkwardly.

"How would I dare to have that intention? I was wrong, I was truly wrong. We won't dare to do it again."

Zhang Ermeng stood by the coffee table, watching her husband kneel, and knowing this was their last chance to negotiate, she also moved a few steps closer and said, "Please spare us, considering that we only have this one child."

"Your family is a dual-income household."

Li Xuewu looked at Zhang Ermeng and said, "Both of you have also received many years of education. I gave you the chance to speak and the chance to ask; why did you have to throw a tantrum?"

"I was wrong."

Zhang Ermeng said while crying, "We did it all for our child~"

"Hmm, I understand."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "But I don't have any conflict with you, do I? I didn't teach your son to spread rumors, did I?"

The couple shook their heads with difficulty and lowered their heads.

"I said from the very beginning that it would be handled according to the regulations. You tell me, isn't that what should be done?"

Li Xuewu looked at the two and asked, "Shouldn't people be punished according to the proper regulations when they commit a mistake? Your family has an only child, so your son is precious, and he doesn't have to follow public security regulations?"

"Wuwuwu, if he receives disciplinary action, my son's future will be ruined."

Zhang Ermeng looked at Li Xuewu and cried, "The condition for entering the factory is that anyone who has received disciplinary action will be placed at the back of the line."

"Did he think about this consequence when he was spreading rumors?"

Li Xuewu tapped the table and said, "In your eyes, he is a child, but in the eyes of others, what he said already represents his personal views."

"Then, Li Chu."

Wang Yongguang pleaded with a bitter face, "Can you not follow that... that..."

He was afraid—so afraid that he didn't even dare to say the name of the penalty.

"It wasn't decided by us."

Li Xuewu looked at Wang Yongguang and said, "Haven't you studied the special regulations? During that period, all penalties will be upgraded."

"Li Chu!"

Wang Yongguang was startled; if it were really as Li Xuewu said, then their son would be doomed.

Li Xuewu waved his hand, interrupting him, and said, "I am the Deputy Chief of the Security Department of the Steel Rolling Mill, and also the Deputy Chief of the Public Security Bureau's Security Division. If I have the convenience, wouldn't I take care of my own people?"

As he stood up and looked at Wang Yongguang, who had a troubled expression, he said, "You are an old comrade in the factory, and you haven't been here for just a day or two. Don't you know what kind of person I am? Have I ever made things difficult for comrades?"

"No, you are a good person."

Seeing Li Xuewu say this, Wang Yongguang followed Li Xuewu's steps to the sofa, but was instead pressed on the shoulder by Li Xuewu, who signaled for him to sit down.

"You people always complicate problems."

Li Xuewu sat on the sofa to the side and looked at Wang Yongguang, who was sitting on the edge of the sofa, and said, "Even if he accepts the public security penalty, even if his entry into the factory is delayed, that is what he should accept. He needs to learn a lesson; otherwise, you won't be able to control him in the future, and our Security Department won't be able to either. Who will?"

"Yes..."

Wang Yongguang said with a very remorseful expression, "If that day really comes, there will be no medicine for regret."

"Hey, thinking like that is the right way."

Li Xuewu pointed at Wang Yongguang and said, "I don't know who instigated you to block my office, but remember this: in everything, you must keep your heart in the right place. No one wants to harm you, and coercing leading cadres is also against the law."

Hearing Li Xuewu's words, Wang Yongguang grinned awkwardly and looked back at his wife.

Zhang Ermeng walked to the sofa and apologized to Li Xuewu, saying, "Li Chu, we were wrong. You are a good person."

"Hehe, whether I'm a good person or not depends on the matter at hand."

Li Xuewu chuckled at the couple and held up his cigarette case to signal Wang Yongguang to see if he wanted one.

Wang Yongguang didn't dare to smoke now and hurriedly waved his hand to indicate he wouldn't.

Li Xuewu took one himself, lit it, and said, "When has the Security Department ever handled things without distinguishing right from wrong? I don't dare to say I'm a good person, but I dare to say that since I entered the Security Department, I have never bullied you, nor have I made things difficult for you."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Wang Yongguang and his wife nodded repeatedly and said, "We really shouldn't have."

Zhang Ermeng even slapped herself in the face as she spoke.

"Then let's leave it at that."

Li Xuewu didn't want to drag things out with the two and ended the topic by saying, "Everything will follow the factory's public security management regulations. You go back to work, and I have to work too."

"Li Chu."

Wang Yongguang and his wife looked at Li Xuewu with bitter faces and asked, "It won't follow that... that..."

"Hehe."

Li Xuewu stood up, patted Wang Yongguang on the shoulder, and said, "My childhood friend's grandmother passed away today. I've been up since three in the morning, and I really don't have the energy to joke around with you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yongguang was a bit confused, and the couple stared blankly at Li Xuewu.

It was Sha Qizhi who walked over to persuade the two, saying, "The Department Chief has a funeral in his family; how could he bear to have a funeral in yours? Be more considerate of the leadership, will you? You're all veteran workers."

"Li Chu!"

Wang Yongguang and his wife looked at Li Xuewu with tears in their eyes, bowed to him, and then were persuaded away by Sha Qizhi.

Li Xuewu rubbed his face, walked into the inner room, and used the hot water in the thermos to scald a towel.

"Department Chief, let me do it."

"No need."

Li Xuewu raised his head, looked at Sha Qizhi, and asked, "Did you send them off?"

"Yes."

Sha Qizhi watched Li Xuewu wring out the towel and wipe his face, and said with concern, "You should rest for a while longer."

"Forget it, hehe."

Li Xuewu laughed lightly, "I had a reason to sleep just now, but now it's time for work."

Sha Qizhi nodded, his face full of regret.

If only he hadn't been writing documents in the room; if he had been outside, he definitely would have stopped them.

Li Xuewu rinsed the towel again, hung it on the washstand, walked back, and sat in his chair to prepare to continue processing documents.

Sha Qizhi leaned over and whispered something into Li Xuewu's ear.

"Understood."

Li Xuewu took a sip of tea from the cup on the table, responded, and said, "Prepare yourself; we'll go to the Public Security Brigade to accept the project in a while."

"Yes."

Sha Qizhi watched Li Xuewu's calm demeanor and secretly admired him. He organized Li Xuewu's documents and turned to go to the office to make arrangements.

"Do they really think I'm young?"

After Sha Qizhi left, Li Xuewu chuckled and quickly processed the documents transferred by the factory office.

After more than half a month of rectification and renovation, the Public Security Brigade's courtyard was to be accepted this afternoon.

Master Dou called to say that the workers had withdrawn one after another and that all the houses had been cleaned, just waiting for the move.

Li Xuewu praised Master Dou's ability and working methods and made an appointment to go in the afternoon.

Acceptance was one aspect; there was also the handover.

The Public Security Brigade's courtyard had two parts: one was the main courtyard, which was to be shared with the headquarters of the Support Group, and the other was a separate courtyard in the back, which was arranged for the special service team.

In the main courtyard, the branch bureau also had to station a group of internal affairs cadres and officers to handle the Public Security Brigade's business.

So today, Li Xuewu had invited the leaders of both the group headquarters and the branch bureau to come together to discuss the move tomorrow.

"Department Chief, the car is ready."

After about half an hour, Sha Qizhi came into the office to remind him.

Li Xuewu put down the document in his hand and said, "Then let's go."

As he spoke, he went to the inner room to get his coat. Sha Qizhi packed the document bag and went out with Li Xuewu.

"There is a manuscript in the bag; help me mail it to the Steel University Press."

Li Xuewu said as he walked out, "Help me pay attention to it, and remind me if there is any reply or news."

"Understood, Department Chief."

Sha Qizhi looked at Li Xuewu with admiration and asked, "Department Chief, is your book finished?"

"Hahahaha."

Li Xuewu laughed and said, "I still have to see the opinion of the publishing house."

Because Li Xuewu's personnel relationship was very complicated now—he was the Deputy Chief of the Steel Rolling Mill, so he was an enterprise management personnel belonging to the Steel Ministry system.

Hey, he was also the Deputy Chief of the branch bureau, belonging to the Public Security system.

Now that Teacher Han and Dong Wenxue had arranged for him to go to school, his personnel relationship had been transferred to the Steel University by Elder Sister Xie.

In this way, his identity could be found in all three units.

Li Xuewu had thought about it: this book could be sent to the newspaper or publishing house under the Ministry of Public Security, or the newspaper or publishing house under the Ministry of Steel.

But in the end, he decided to send it to the Steel University Press.

Not for anything else, but because no matter how professional the content of this book was, it was still a cultural project, and it was best to keep it on the school side.

If it were in Public Security or Steel, who knows what kind of trouble might arise in the future.

Li Xuewu was mentally prepared that his book might not sell well, or it might be dealt with in a few months.

But he still wanted to try this kind of thing; sometimes a book adds to a person's reputation, and sometimes it subtracts.

But Li Xuewu wanted to try to see if he could use his layout—the layout on himself—to leverage this book to be published normally and achieve a complementary effect.

When going downstairs, Han Jiankun had already started the car. Li Xuewu glanced at the three special vehicles parked at the door and said to Sha Qizhi, "When handing over tomorrow, remember to drive these three cars over."

"Understood."

Sha Qizhi also smiled now, knowing that the Department Chief was setting bait.

Li Xuewu got into the car, signaled to Han Jiankun, and the command vehicle slowly slid out of the office area gate and drove toward the factory gate.

"Gone."

"Hmm."

Deng Zhiwang looked up at the secretary who walked in and asked, "Is the matter handled?"

"Yes."

The secretary answered, but then hesitated and said, "It seems there was a bit of a problem."

"What problem?"

"The couple said they didn't want to ask anymore and are just waiting for the Security Department's handling result."

The secretary looked at Deng Zhiwang's frowning expression and hurriedly explained, "I already said I would help them ask, but they..."

"I understand."

Deng Zhiwang glanced at the secretary and asked, "You didn't say I sent you, did you?"

"No, no."

The secretary shook his head and said, "I didn't mention that."

"Hmm, go get busy."

Deng Zhiwang lowered his head to continue his work and instructed, "Clean up the loose ends."

"Understood."

The secretary responded and walked out of the leader's office.

He had been transferred over from the same unit as Deng Zhiwang, though not at the same time; it was after Deng Zhiwang used his connections.

He had followed Deng Zhiwang before and was still Deng Zhiwang's full-time secretary now.

At this moment, as he pulled the door handle, he happened to see the office director walking over.

"Director Xu."

"Ah, finished reporting to the leader?"

Xu Sinian smiled and responded, then looked at the door and asked.

"Yes, the leader arranged some things."

"Do a good job."

Xu Sinian said with a smile, then walked toward his office at the end of the corridor.

The secretary looked at Xu Sinian's back and walked to the large office with his head down.

When Xu Sinian entered his office, he looked back and happened to see the new Secretary Zhang returning to his room.

"Heh, seeking your own death."

He pushed the door open, muttered, picked up the phone, and called the Steel Mill to coordinate work.

He didn't need to tell Li Xuewu about this; he wasn't Li Xuewu's secretary, and Li Xuewu wasn't his leader.

Today's incident at the Security Department had already spread, and under the description of interested people, Li Xuewu had refreshed everyone's impression of him again.

If Li Xuewu couldn't even solve this kind of thing, then he wouldn't be the Tiger of the Security Department.

Li Xuewu had never felt that this title of his was such a burden. At this moment, he was walking on the playground with Zheng Ju and Qi Tuan, chatting about the office division.

"Deputy Department Chief Li is a capable person."

Qi Yaowu smiled and praised, "Look at this, the organizational work is done quite impressively."

"Hehe, Qi Tuan."

Li Xuewu took out cigarettes to distribute to everyone, and while lighting Qi Yaowu's cigarette, he said, "Once we close the doors, we'll be one family. Unity is strength."

"Hahahahaha!"

Everyone laughed, not for anything else, but because slogans were being painted on the playground at this moment, and that was exactly one of them.

Fitting!

"One family doesn't speak two languages."

Qi Yaowu looked at Li Xuewu and smiled, "From now on, we really have to support each other."

"Of course!"

Li Xuewu looked at Zheng Fuhua and smiled, "It'll be easier to get together now that we're closer to Director Zheng, hahahaha."

"Hahaha~"

Zheng Fuhua patted Li Xuewu on the shoulder and said, "Qi Tuan isn't convinced; we didn't have enough fun drinking last time. You arrange the time, and we'll fight another round, hahahaha."

"Hahaha, Director Zheng, winning without a fight isn't honorable. From now on, we only fight one-on-one! Hahaha."

Qi Yaowu looked at the training equipment and facilities set up around the playground; they were about the same as the ones on the mountain in Hongxing Village.

Except for the simulated buildings, which required a large area and couldn't be set up, everything else could be considered complete.

"Unity, tension, seriousness, liveliness."

Zheng Fuhua looked at the workers painting and said with a smile, "We've finished the unity part of our work, now we have to get tense."

"Yes."

Qi Yaowu said with emotion, "The road is long and the burden is heavy."

"I believe in your group's strength."

Zheng Fuhua said with a smile, "Just as I believe in Group Leader Qi's drinking capacity."

"Hahaha."

Qi Yaowu waved his hand, signaled to Li Xuewu who was following on the side, and asked, "Speaking of strength, this great general of yours is a powerhouse. How is it?"

As he spoke, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Has the problem discussed last time been solved?"

"Almost, I'm asking."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "The training department said they have people, and after understanding my situation, they said they would ask for instructions to see if they could follow the same path of supporting local armed construction as you."

Hearing Li Xuewu say this, Qi Yaowu really had to look at Li Xuewu with new eyes.

This kid really has great ability; he's about to reach the heavens.

"Hehe, being born well is a science."

Zheng Fuhua looked back at the crowd of cadres not far from the three of them and said softly, "Finding a partner is also a science."

"Hehehe."

Li Xuewu chuckled, lowered his head to take a puff of his cigarette, and said nothing.

Zheng Fuhua explained to Qi Yaowu, "That mother-in-law of his is really a good person, and she's really good to him too."

With just that one sentence, Qi Yaowu knew Li Xuewu's connections; it turned out it was the mother-in-law's connection in the military.

Li Xuewu didn't care that Zheng Fuhua said that; if it were about relying on his father-in-law, Li Xuewu wouldn't want to do it.

But if it were about asking his mother-in-law, there was nothing to say.

In fact, he was indeed using his mother-in-law's connection, finding the training department through the military newspaper.

Li Xuewu had mentioned the matter in passing on the day of the earthquake. When Ding Fengxia heard that her son-in-law was handling work matters, not private ones, how could she not help?

Even if it were a private matter, Gu Haitao at home had also said that as long as his son-in-law spoke up, he would handle whatever he could.

He had never said this to his own son.

Of course, to this day, Li Xuewu had never really asked his father-in-law to handle any private matters.

Even this time, it was asking his mother-in-law to do a favor, and the specific matters were communicated over the phone.

Who is Li Xuewu? A genius. As long as he can strike up a conversation, isn't it just a matter of how he talks?

Don't let him set his sights on you; as long as he can say a word, he'll make the relationship clear for you.

For the past two days, Li Xuewu had been contacting them directly without needing his mother-in-law to worry.

It was agreed that as soon as there was news from that side, Li Xuewu would go to pick up the people himself.

Saying it was picking up people was also about handling the relationship.

Since he had already made contact, could he let this layer of relationship break?

Why, is the Support Group not under the jurisdiction of the training department?

Is the militia not?

If he wanted militia, Li Xuewu could set up several militia projects in the training ground right now.

It's all for work; whoever knows how to handle things will naturally be the one he works with.

There are few who are like the couple in the office today, who would smash the pot at the slightest disagreement; no one will indulge you.

Of course, Li Xuewu wouldn't even need to take action himself to deal with such people; it would be too degrading and too boring.

It's more interesting to deal with people like Fu Bin and Yu Min—the kind where one net can save you ten years of effort.

At this moment, the three of them had toured the Public Security Brigade from top to bottom, and the specific handover matters were naturally handled by section-level cadres and officers.

Li Xuewu and the others only set the direction; after the tour, the handover was also completed.

Because it was a public unit, the speed at which Master Dou received payment for this job would definitely not be slow; the acceptance was done today, and he would get the money this week.

When everyone walked to the gate again and looked at the big characters "Serve the People" on the wall opposite, they all smiled.

This screen wall is good, and the characters are good too; they are the same font as the characters in that place.

If characters had copyright, there would be no need to worry about being sued for these characters anywhere in the country.

Using them is even better; no one will come to ask for copyright fees.

Zheng Ju had things to do, and Qi Tuan also had to go back to the mountain to prepare, so Li Xuewu stood at the gate and sent them off separately before talking to Master Dou.

"Department Chief Li, I was lucky not to lose face for you."

"Hehe."

Li Xuewu looked at Master Dou and said, "Your craftsmanship is really good; don't be overly modest."

"You're one of our own, so you're just praising me~"

Master Dou smiled and lit a cigarette for Li Xuewu, saying, "The job you introduced is really comfortable to work on; there's no trouble at all. As long as it's done well, I get paid when I should, and do what I should."