Chapter 500: A Perfect Moment and Scenery

Gao Zhen announced the meeting adjourned, and Li Li Xuewu remained seated for a while.

Many cadres had gone to speak with Zheng Zheng Fuhua ahead, after all, today was Monday.

Li Li Xuewu simply finished the cigarette in his hand and signaled to Wang Wang Xiaoqin across from him.

Wang Wang Xiaoqin did not wait for Li Li Xuewu; as soon as Gao Zhen announced the adjournment, she stood up.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu hadn't moved, she nodded, implying they would meet downstairs later, then left.

She also had to report to the Deputy Political Commissar of the Bureau today; both were top leaders in their respective areas, each finding their own mother.

Lai Lai Shanchuan acted as if nothing had ever happened, and as he passed Li Li Xuewu's seat, he smiled and reminded him to go to the division for a meeting in half an hour.

Li Li Xuewu smiled, rose with the remark, and agreed.

Conflicts can exist, struggles can exist, but public displays of disunity cannot.

Lai Lai Shanchuan and Li Li Xuewu had essentially exchanged blows from a distance, each claiming victory and defeat.

He seemed to have lost, but he had shown his face to the leadership; whether it was grievance or not, it was grievance, and he would get his due sooner or later.

Li Li Xuewu seemed to have won, but in reality, he had been deliberately maneuvered by Zheng Zheng Fuhua, so his victory wasn't particularly handsome.

Regarding the card of Ji Ji Yuxiu, Shen Fang had acted intentionally, Zheng Zheng Fuhua had gone with the flow, and the tacit understanding between the two was naturally unclear.

At this moment, Li Li Xuewu blocked Zheng Zheng Fuhua, who was about to leave, and smiled, saying, "Leader, two minutes of your time."

The cadres who had come with Zheng Zheng Fuhua also smiled and nodded at Li Li Xuewu before leaving first.

Li Li Xuewu didn't often come to the Bureau, so his time meeting Zheng Zheng Fuhua was naturally short; moreover, everyone treated him as a newcomer, so at this moment, they were all polite and let him speak first.

Another reason was that Li Li Xuewu, as a Deputy Division Chief, held substantial power; no one was lacking by ten or eight points compared to him.

"What's up? Looking for trouble?"

Zheng Zheng Fuhua glared at Li Li Xuewu, then pulled out the chair beside Li Li Xuewu and sat down.

By now, most people in the conference room had left; only two secretaries came in to clean up, and seeing the leaders talking over there, they didn't approach.

"Hey, how would I dare look for trouble with you? Only you look for trouble with me."

Li Li Xuewu spoke a sincere word of flattery, then handed the summary report in his hand to Zheng Zheng Fuhua.

"Here it is; the first week of the Public Security Brigade's opening, submitting an exam paper to you."

"Then I'll take a good look."

Zheng Zheng Fuhua hadn't expected Li Li Xuewu's work to be so detailed; taking it, he nodded and said, "However, whether it passes or fails isn't up to me to decide; it's up to the security environment of Dongcheng, up to the people who live in Dongcheng and live in Dongcheng."

"Don't put a big hat on me."

Li Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "The burden on my shoulders isn't light; even if you don't press it, I won't lose my caution."

"That's good."

Zheng Zheng Fuhua knew why Li Li Xuewu had come to find him personally today; at this moment, he deliberately asked, "Are you satisfied with the arrangements at the Jiaodaokou Station?"

"You're killing me with kindness."

Li Li Xuewu smiled crookedly and said, "Asking if I'm satisfied? I don't have that right. However, if you aren't afraid of taking responsibility, we aren't afraid of adding fuel to the fire."

"You dare!"

Zheng Zheng Fuhua pointed his finger at Li Li Xuewu, then said, "You are steady; you know better than I do what should be done and what shouldn't."

Speaking, he leaned on the table, stood up, and reminded Li Li Xuewu, "You are still very young; age is an advantage in itself; there's no need to show off your sharpness."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu nod, he asked again, "Is there anything else?"

"No."

Li Li Xuewu said, "Today was just meetings; after finishing the one at the Steel Factory, I came here; my brain is about to explode."

"Hehe, that's why they say you young people have plenty of stamina."

Zheng Zheng Fuhua led Li Li Xuewu out, and as they walked, he sighed, "If I say I'm busy all day now, I'm sure my back and waist will ache."

"You're talking like you're retiring!"

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Then you should keep that in mind; you still owe me a meal."

"Hahaha! You should wish me well!"

Hearing Li Li Xuewu's teasing, Zheng Zheng Fuhua laughed for a while; once they were out the door, he whispered to Li Li Xuewu, "That person cares about face; there's no other flaw."

"Understood."

Li Li Xuewu knew what Zheng Zheng Fuhua meant; although he wouldn't change his view of a person just because of what others said.

Because Lai Lai Shanchuan naturally wouldn't show any other flaws in front of Zheng Zheng Fuhua, and the same goes for others; they might look fine, but why do they clash with you?

Clearly, it's not your fault, but because his popularity is good, you have to suffer the grievance.

This happens often, but since Li Li Xuewu had nothing else to discuss with Zheng Zheng Fuhua at this moment, he verbally agreed well.

As for how to get along specifically, that still needs to be seen slowly.

Who knows what the other person means? Chasing after isn't a deal; otherwise, they'd think you're a pushover, easy to bully.

After saying goodbye to Zheng Zheng Fuhua at the door, Li Li Xuewu went to the restroom, then went to the small conference room on the Public Security Division side for a small meeting.

The current Public Security Division hasn't undergone a split, so it appears very comprehensive, but also very bloated.

At least currently, both the patrols and the criminal police are managed here; it can be said to be the most important department of the branch bureau.

Including Li Li Xuewu, there are four Deputy Division Chiefs; adding Lai Lai Shanchuan, this small meeting doesn't seem small.

When Li Li Xuewu arrived, everyone was drinking tea; perhaps because they had smoked enough during the previous big meeting, no one was smoking in the room at this moment.

According to the ranking in the division, Li Li Xuewu sat in the second seat to Lai Lai Shanchuan's right, neither too far nor too close.

He wasn't the first to arrive, nor the last; after exchanging a few idle words with the other Deputy Division Chiefs, he saw Lai Lai Shanchuan enter with his secretary.

The secretary placed a notebook and teacup on Lai Lai Shanchuan's seat, then went to the door to close it, and sat at a table in the corner to take notes.

"Ahem, everyone is here; let's start the meeting."

Lai Lai Shanchuan looked to both sides, coughed once, and began the meeting.

"Today, the leaders spoke at length during the meeting, so now that we're closed off, let's just talk about our own matters."

After a brief opening remark, Lai Lai Shanchuan first discussed criminal investigation work, called out the name of the deputy director in charge of criminal investigations, and issued requirements.

He then discussed the incident that occurred in the Public Security Section last week, called out the name of the deputy director in charge of public security, and issued requirements.

Listening to him speak further, Li Li Xuewu understood Zheng Zheng Fuhua's intention; this old brother was truly a grassroots cadre, with the style of an old-style leader.

Hearing that his turn was coming up, Li Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and picked up his fountain pen, pretending to take notes.

Whether on purpose or not, Lai Lai Shanchuan addressed the Public Security Brigade's matters last.

In terms of tone, there was no change, but in the actual requirements, there was nothing particularly targeted.

He also knew that the Public Security Brigade was currently working under Zheng Zheng Fuhua's personal guidance; if Li Li Xuewu treated his words as nothing but wind, there was nothing he could do.

So, there was still a certain distance between him and Li Li Xuewu; he merely reiterated the instructions given by the leaders at the meeting and also told the deputy director in charge of public security to maintain more contact and cooperation with Li Li Xuewu.

While listening, Li Li Xuewu nodded to the deputy director sitting opposite him; the two had tacitly accepted the work.

Since only the Public Security Bureau's own matters were discussed, the meeting concluded quickly; when Li Li Xuewu came out, it was not yet five o'clock.

After chatting briefly with the deputy director and agreeing to talk again at a set time, Li Li Xuewu went downstairs.

The door of the command vehicle was open; seeing Wang Wang Xiaoqin sitting inside, Li Li Xuewu waved to Han Han Jiankun and Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi standing outside smoking. The four of them got into one car and headed back to the Public Security Brigade.

Since it was just a matter of a few moments, there was no time to talk to Wang Wang Xiaoqin about anything else; he simply mentioned the matters to be discussed today and asked about the patrols over the past few days.

Wang Wang Xiaoqin was quite capable; she had resolved most of the problems encountered in the initial stage, and the remaining issues had been coordinated today at the bureau with the leaders and relevant departments.

Li Li Xuewu also hurriedly returned to the Public Security Brigade for a quick look, met with Shen Fang, checked the Command Center, and then drove back.

Despite hurrying as fast as possible, he was still late; by the time he arrived at the Security Department, the meeting there had already been waiting for some time.

When Li Li Xuewu arrived, there were still over ten minutes until the end of the workday; not wanting to annoy anyone, he skipped the formalities and quickly laid out what he needed to say and the matters he needed to delegate to everyone.

For those with individual matters, he gave a general overview on the spot, preparing for them to come to his office tomorrow to discuss further.

As the end-of-work bell rang, Li Li Xuewu finished this urgent office meeting.

He took Han Zhan, who had matters to discuss, back to the office, talking as they walked; by the time they reached the office, the discussion was nearly finished.

Sitting on the sofa, Li Li Xuewu let out a sigh of relief and said to Han Zhan with a smile, "Today, I was almost like a firefighter, running all over the streets."

"We know you are busy; we were planning to change it to a symposium."

Han Zhan made a joke; seeing that Li Li Xuewu was also tired and not intending to disturb him further, he confirmed the final details and said, "If you have no objections, the fire brigade will be brought back for training."

"Mm, no problem."

Li Li Xuewu had also considered Han Zhan's suggestion to fully organize the Fire Section; after all, the duties of the fire brigade differed from those of the Guard Team and the Security Department, and the training methods were also different.

It was more appropriate for the fire brigade's training to take place within the factory, as there were relatively complete training facilities here.

Including the high-rise buildings, which were relatively scarce for training purposes.

"Once you go back, do not relax that string; compared to the Guard Team, you are the truly all-weather combat-ready force."

"Yes, understood."

Han Zhan responded, and seeing that Li Li Xuewu said no more, he left.

Li Li Xuewu also sat on the sofa for quite a while, finally recovering from that rush.

It wasn't physical exhaustion, but mental fatigue.

The sounds in the building grew quieter as the office staff all clocked off, and the bustling noise of the workers leaving work outside the window also gradually diminished.

It was spring, so the windows were open; this bustle was noisier than in winter.

Moreover, at this time, the factory played music during work hours, during the end of the shift, and at lunchtime; it was always the same few songs played over and over, and listening to them had become tiresome.

After cleaning the room, seeing Li Li Xuewu stand up, Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi went to the doorway to get the thermos and mixed hot water in the washbasin.

Li Li Xuewu simply washed his face, wiped it with a towel, and then went to the inner room to tidy up his clothes.

Fortunately, he wasn't staying at Sister Lou's place today; otherwise, he would have been in for a scolding. When he put them on, they were proper pure white shirts.

Now, well, they were soot-stained and smoky, almost turning gray.

After tidying up, Li Li Xuewu took Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi to the guesthouse.

Perhaps due to shift changes, Li Li Xuewu did not see Zhang Zhang Songying when he entered the guesthouse; only Qin Qin Huairu was in charge.

Waving his hand, Li Li Xuewu went first to the guesthouse office.

The staff here had already clocked off and left; there was no one else. Qin Qin Huairu gave a brief instruction outside before coming in.

Seeing Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi sitting nearby, Qin Qin Huairu said nothing else, simply offering a greeting.

Li Li Xuewu added an extra instruction, asking her to open a bottle of the red wine he had stored here and let it breathe first.

Qin Qin Huairu didn't know what "letting it breathe" meant; Li Li Xuewu casually said that just opening the lid was fine.

Qin Qin Huairu assumed Li Li Xuewu was knowledgeable and particular, so she smiled and went out to arrange it.

Li Huide arrived quite late, even later than Yu Yu Daru.

Yu Yu Daru had seen Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi going out to buy cigarettes and came directly to the office to find Li Li Xuewu.

The two were chatting idly; it was only when Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi came in to notify them that they went together to the small restaurant nearby.

Upon entering the room, they saw Li Huide sitting in the main seat; his complexion looked okay.

Zhang Zhang Guoqi and Bi Bi Yuding were already at the table; what Li Li Xuewu didn't expect was that Secretary Yang Yang Yuansong and Gu Gu Weijie were also there, as was Xu Si.

This was quite fresh for today; at this period, so many people were dining with Li Huide.

It wasn't that forming cliques and eating together was forbidden, but today felt somewhat treacherous; why had all these different factions gathered?

Of course, he was only surprised for a moment; afterwards, he greeted Secretary Yang and Gu Gu Weijie first, then Zhang Zhang Guoqi and Bi Bi Yuding, and finally introduced Yu Yu Daru beside him to Li Huide.

Li Li Xuewu had greeted everyone, so he didn't greet Xu Si; however, Xu Si wasn't angry, as close friends didn't need formalities.

Xu Si also didn't expect Li Li Xuewu to have hooked up with the Confidentiality Department again; this was exactly like Li Huide, grabbing onto anyone and everyone.

Because of the factory case, Li Li Xuewu's relationship with the Investigation Department had become ironclad; because of the cooperation, his relationship with Huaqing had become ironclad, and his relationship with the Branch Bureau was even more ironclad, so ironclad it was ridiculous.

Afterwards, it was one unit contacting another; now, when people from other units came to the factory, they mentioned Li Li Xuewu's name, as if he were more effective than the factory director.

Actually, it's much the same; last time, the leaders of the textile factory left quite dissatisfied.

As for cooperation, that's beside the point; they were very polite, only saying to exchange more learning experiences.

If things develop like this, the factory director might as well just do it himself.

That's what they say, but Xu Sinian still admired Li Li Xuewu's bold spirit; otherwise, people wouldn't have become friends with him, right?

Seeing Li Li Xuewu introduce him as being from the Confidentiality Department, Li Li Huai De also smiled, stood up, shook hands with Yu Yu Daru, and said it was fate.

Li Li Xuewu led Yu Yu Daru to sit beside Xu Sinian; with exactly eight people at the table, it was a good thing Qin Qin Huairu asked, a good thing he said to arrange for more, otherwise it would have gone wrong.

Because there were so many people, the room was lively, with several speaking at once; Xu Sinian whispered to Li Li Xuewu with a smile, "Quite busy today, huh?"

"Stop pulling my leg."

Li Li Xuewu squinted his eyes, glaring at Xu Sinian as he asked, "What the hell did you go to my place with a bunch of people this afternoon for?"

"What 'yours' and 'mine'!"

Xu Sinian was not pleased, emphasizing, "These are college students assigned by the factory; I'm just taking them to familiarize themselves with the environment; the factory director specifically instructed me to cultivate them well."

"Cultivate them if you want, but why the hell mention me!"

Yu Yu Decai was what kind of person? How could Li Li Xuewu be unprepared? This news couldn't be reported overnight.

At this moment, Li Li Xuewu didn't believe Xu Sinian had any good intentions in taking people to his place; just as Xu Sinian knew what kind of person he was, he also knew Xu Sinian wasn't any good bird.

"Master Yang Er, look."

Xu Sinian smiled at Yu Yu Daru, who was sitting on Li Li Xuewu's other side, staring at the two bickering with wide, surprised eyes, and said, "Making the guest laugh at us, aren't we? You misunderstood, old brother; what kind of relationship do we have? Could old brother shortchange you?"

Li Li Xuewu glanced at Gu Gu Weijie, who was looking over here, and threatened Xu Sinian fiercely, "If you don't behave, I'll deal with you sooner or later!"

"Hehe, your comrade relationship is really united."

Yu Yu Daru also saw that Li Li Xuewu and this factory office director were close friends; sitting aside, he chuckled and joked, "Much more human than our unit, how nice."

"Hehe, is that a compliment?"

Li Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes, looking at Yu Yu Daru, and smiled wickedly, "Go back and tell your unit that if you do more human things, you'll have more human feelings."

"Damn, you have two faces for work and off-work!"

Yu Yu Daru was also held back by Li Li Xuewu's full force; he smiled bitterly, "A cadre like you is really unacceptable, purely a two-faced person!"

Xu Sinian smiled and chimed in, "Right, this kid is a two-faced person; comrades from the Confidentiality Department should investigate him quickly; I also think he's not honest and not loyal enough to the organization!"

"Hey, you two have really peed in the same pot!"

Li Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, smiling and cursing, "I'm not loyal, but I'm more loyal than you two; one sneaks around, causing trouble when I'm not here; the other harbors evil intentions, not coming home at night but rushing to my place to join the gathering."

"Hahaha."

Today was hard work; the three were bickering to relax their spirits; although they were verbally fighting, they all knew each other's purposes.

Xu Sinian looked at the smiling Yu Yu Daru, then glanced at Li Li Xuewu; his heart was already drumming with worry.

One Li Li Xuewu, plus so many connections, was already impressive enough; now this kid has more and more people around him, tighter and tighter; for the Rolling Steel Factory, and for certain personnel relationships in the factory, it's an increasingly huge influence.

He muttered and worried in his heart, but on the surface, the three were still laughing, which made everyone at the table notice.

"What are you talking about that's so happy?"

Li Li Huai De smiled and asked a question; at this moment, Qin Qin Huairu was arranging the serving of dishes, and they hadn't even touched their chopsticks yet.

"Hehe, talking about you."

Seeing Li Li Huai De ask, Li Li Xuewu also smiled and joked, "Saying you haven't been back for so long, I guess you're supporting the fire locally and won't be coming back."

Saying this, he glanced at Xu Sinian, then smiled again, "Director Xu said you supported the disaster area, donated yourself, became a son-in-law by marriage, and became an in-law son-in-law for the disaster area people."

"Ah? Hahahaha!"

Hearing Li Li Xuewu's words, starting with Li Li Huai De, everyone laughed.

This joke was well-made; it praised Li Li Huai De's spirit of supporting the disaster area regardless of his small family from a joking perspective, and also mentioned the long time spent there, which was even harder work.

Furthermore, those who can become in-law sons-in-law are good-looking and young; this was also indirectly praising Li Li Huai De personally.

So with flattery, it's not good enough to just flatter well; it's good only when the flattery is both accurate and good.

Qin Qin Huairu looked at Li Li Xuewu, then smiled and poured red wine for Li Li Huai De first.

"Leader, hard work."

"Good, good."

Li Li Huai De's face was full of smiles; hearing Qin Qin Huairu's greeting, he also kept saying "good."

He knew this was all Li Li Xuewu's arrangement, especially the red wine that had been served.

Last time he stayed here, he asked the waiter who served him the wine; it turned out Li Li Xuewu had specifically instructed it.

Zhang Zhang Songying was also a clever person; she specifically found connections to procure red wine glasses from the supply and marketing cooperative through the guesthouse.

Grape wine in a glowing cup; red wine must be drunk from red wine glasses to have flavor.

Along with the red wine, white wine was poured, served in small sipping cups; today, they were going to mix them.

This red wine today was very special; although Li Li Xuewu had half a cup poured for him by Qin Qin Huairu in front of him, he dared not drink it; the ingredients in this wine were too fierce, and he was still young.

As for the people at the table, he hadn't expected so many to come, but since the instructions were given, there was no time to stop Qin Qin Huairu; everyone, good luck to you all.

After pouring the last glass of wine, Qin Qin Huairu smiled and said to everyone, "The red wine was specially arranged by Deputy Director Li to be decanted in advance; the dishes might get cold, so they were served slowly; please, leaders, take your time to taste."

Having finished speaking, she put down the wine bottle and went out.

Li Li Huai De smiled, raised his glass, and said to everyone, "It's been a long time since we all gathered; today is a fine time and beautiful scenery, and with the fine wine provided by Deputy Director Li, everyone should enjoy themselves to the fullest."

While speaking, he had already taken a big gulp of red wine; seeing this, everyone else also took a big gulp.

Drinking is like this; if the first sip doesn't get the atmosphere up, then the atmosphere for the whole session won't come up.

Li Li Huai De's mood was good, and everyone was drinking happily.

The dishes today were also well-made; perhaps it was spring, so there were more types of vegetables, or perhaps vegetables from the mountains had been supplied.

Li Li Xuewu saw mushrooms on the table; these were obviously not picked, still fresh, not dried goods.

At the table, no one talked about work; even when they did, it was only good, happy things—mainly Li Li Huai De shared the situation in the disaster area and what he encountered during the rescue efforts.

He didn't go for nothing; his words carried an air of pride, yet he held back, not revealing who he'd met.

Li Li Xuewu didn't care—he held his wine glass and laughed, clinking cups with everyone at the table.

Yu Yu Daru was the first person to drink with Li Li Xuewu, and today he finally understood what "immense capacity" meant.

Ignoring the red wine, Li Li Xuewu raised his baijiu glass one after another, toasting each person, and his compliments came in endless variations.

Everyone at the table had good relations; all smiled and drank with Li Li Xuewu.

Li Li Xuewu was a drinker no one disliked—if you wanted to drink, he toasted you; if you didn't, he didn't force you, and could always smooth things over with words.

On age and experience, everyone here surpassed Li Li Xuewu; in ability, several were clearly more capable than him.

But when it came to drinking, Li Li Xuewu was the anchor of the rolling mill.

This man was truly famed as a thousand-drink man who never got drunk—Yu Yu Daru's face was flushed, yet Li Li Xuewu held his glass as if nothing had happened.

"I fucking give up."

Yu Yu Daru was a bit dizzy; for some reason, his core power had just awakened.

Squinting now, he looked at Li Li Xuewu seriously and said: "In my unit, I've always handled up to a jin without trouble—today I've met a true god."

"Heh, we're all friends."

Li Li Xuewu clinked his glass against Yu Yu Daru's with a "clink," then smiled and drained his cup.

Yu Yu Daru watched Li Li Xuewu down his two-liang glass in one gulp, eyes wide with shock—if he kept drinking like this, Yu Yu Daru's life wouldn't last.

This guy's gonna end up in the hospital.

After finishing, Li Li Xuewu smiled at Yu Yu Daru, who still held his glass dumbly: "Drinking isn't skill—making friends is."

"You're right."

Yu Yu Daru nodded in deep agreement, closed his eyes, and drained his glass.

Li Li Xuewu reached for the bottle to pour more, but Yu Yu Daru took the bottle first, refilled Li Li Xuewu's glass, then whispered: "Brother, I came here with a mission—I can't get drunk today."

"Hehehe, good, good."

Li Li Xuewu took the bottle, refilled Yu Yu Daru's glass, then smiled and told him to drink slowly.

Yu Yu Daru was from an outside unit; no one knew him well, so no one awkwardly toasted him. Since Li Li Xuewu didn't force him, he wouldn't get drunk today.

After handling Yu Yu Daru, Li Li Xuewu turned his glass toward Xu Si—this bastard still owed him a reckoning.

Xu Si saw Li Li Xuewu coming for him, immediately raised a white flag, begged for mercy, and started calling him "brother."

The sight of these three drew laughter from Li Li Huai De, Yang Yang Yuansong, and Gu Gu Weijie, who had been whispering and chuckling.

Li Li Xuewu didn't mind—he raised his glass in salute to Li Li Huai De, then drank it down.

Li Li Huai De praised: "Comrade Li Xuewu, you've worked hard," and drank his own glass.

Li Li Xuewu rose, walked to the leader's side, poured his wine, and said: "We all work from home—what's hard about that? Seeing you like this, if we still say we're tired, we'd be shameless."

If your leader says you've worked hard, and you reply "you too," you're a total idiot.

"Ah~ Comrade Deputy Director Li, if anyone's worked hard, it's you."

Yang Yang Yuansong smiled and praised: "You've managed the factory's work excellently—I hear you've also broken open the situation at the branch office. Truly young and capable."

"Haha, there are comrades from the Confidentiality Department here—tone down the praise."

Li Li Xuewu laughed, poured more wine for Yang Yang Yuansong, and politely said: "Everyone knows I'm your soldier—praising me like this sounds like a peddler boasting about his own melons, hahaha!"

Hearing this, Yang Yang Yuansong chuckled, pointed at Li Li Xuewu, and told everyone: "I rarely praise people to their face, but Comrade Li Xuewu—my picky mouth can't find a single flaw."

Raising his glass, he smiled at the table and proposed: "To our factory's youth, to our factory's fiery future—let's drink!"

"Drink!"

"Drink!"

……

The banquet lasted nearly two hours; everyone had drunk quite a bit—eight or nine bottles of baijiu alone, not counting the red wine brought in later.

Perhaps mixing drinks had gone to their heads, Zhang Zhang Guoqi and Bi Bi Yuding went upstairs together, and Qin Qin Huairu arranged their rooms.

Li Li Huai De, Yang Yang Yuansong, Gu Gu Weijie, along with Li Li Xuewu and Xu Si, took the flushed Yu Yu Daru to Li Li Huai De's room.

Zhang Zhang Guoqi and Bi Bi Yuding returned to their rooms, washed their faces, tidied up, and went upstairs.

Li Li Huai De's room was a suite; the living room had a square table set with mahjong already prepared.

Seeing this, everyone in the room knew it was Li Li Xuewu's doing, and silently admired his meticulous attention to detail.

Drinking and dining had a reason—but why the hell come upstairs?

Hey, play mahjong.

No matter what else was said, having this excuse made everyone's presence socially acceptable.

Not everyone here came willingly today—some might have just been unable to refuse Li Li Huai De's invitation.

Coming up here, they couldn't very well slip away—but who really knew if they were truly on the same boat?

That's why people say Li Li Xuewu's reputation at work is both good and bad—it's clear from this.

Li Li Huai De tapped the mahjong table and said: "Comrade Deputy Director Li is bullying us—he's the only one still sober."

Of course—there wasn't a single drunkard in this room. They all looked half-dead at the table, but ask them about work and they'd react faster than ever, never falling into traps.

At least that's what they believed—they all controlled their intake, knowing exactly when they'd hit their limit.

Li Li Xuewu laughed: "You say that? Everyone here earns more than I do—except for Comrade Yu Daru, who's from another unit. I'm just promoting equality. Remember, today we're here to have fun."

"Hahaha!"

Yang Yang Yuansong sat on the sofa, pointing at Li Li Xuewu and laughing: "Why don't you mention you get double salary?"

"Hey, in the rolling mill, we talk rolling mill rules."

Li Li Xuewu smiled with hidden meaning: "Today, we're winning from the leader."

While speaking, he glanced at Zhang Zhang Guoqi and the others; his words implied that however this round was played, the leaders were running the show, and anyone with business should speak privately.

No one who could make it today came merely to eat or to play.

Having reached this level, few apart from Li Li Huai De, who loved fine food, bothered to set up such a card game.

Hearing Li Li Xuewu's words, Xu Sinian and the others exchanged glances, each modestly urging the other to go keep the leaders company at their game.

These men deferred to one another, but none deferred to Li Li Xuewu, because everyone knew that with these three leaders seated at the table, Li Li Xuewu was, by any measure, the closest to them.

At the guesthouse, Li Li Xuewu also counted as the host, so this final round belonged to him.

Seeing that the leaders were already seated, Bi Bi Yuding and the others, not wishing to keep them waiting, voluntarily took their places at the card table to lead the way; moreover, his own status was not that important.

He belonged to the Dispatch Office; this year's work assignments had been adjusted to place him under Li Li Huai De's supervision, so he was not considered one of their own.

But given the current situation in the factory, he had no choice but to pick a side; otherwise, when next year's cadre adjustments came, there would truly be nothing left for him.

If you don't burn incense in ordinary times, do you expect to clutch the Buddha's feet in an emergency?

After saying a few more words, Li Li Xuewu stepped out again; just as he was about to tell the fourth-floor duty attendant to fetch Sha Sha Qizhi, he saw Sha Sha Qizhi arriving together with Qin Qin Huairu.

"Director."

"Mm, go on in."

Li Li Xuewu patted Sha Sha Qizhi on the arm, urging him to enter the room first to tend to the game, while he himself remained in the corridor to speak a few words with Qin Qin Huairu.

"Call the Security Office duty room and tell them, on my orders, that the duty post needs one attendant and one security guard working together."

"Understood."

Qin Qin Huairu acknowledged, then asked, "Does this side need any preparations?"

"No need."

Li Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and asked Qin Qin Huairu, "Are you on duty today?"

"Yes."

Qin Qin Huairu nodded, saying, "It was scheduled long ago; once a week."

"You've worked hard."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and added, "How is First Uncle? Have you visited him?"

"I have; it's inconvenient for First Aunt to go back and forth, so I've been delivering meals."

Qin Qin Huairu replied, then added, "His spirits seem acceptable; the doctor says he still needs rest, and he can only return home to recuperate once he's able to speak."

"Oh, did they say how long the recuperation will take?"

Li Li Xuewu asked out of extra concern, after all, this was someone from his own courtyard.

"Who can say for certain?"

Qin Qin Huairu sighed, "He's in his forties or fifties; unlike young people, this incident nearly cost him half his life."

After explaining, she added, "First Uncle wanted to go home to recuperate, but I persuaded him to stay; the hospital is safer, especially regarding daily care."

"Just give him a bit more care."

Li Li Xuewu nodded, saying, "We're all neighbors; it's just a matter of lending a hand."

"Exactly!"

Qin Qin Huairu, who rarely got to see Li Li Xuewu lately, now spoke more freely; knowing he was busy, she asked, "Will you be staying here tonight?"

Li Li Xuewu glanced at Qin Qin Huairu, nodded, and said, "Arrange a room for me; I don't know how late this will go on."

"All right."

Qin Qin Huairu smiled in acknowledgment, then went downstairs.

The attendant on duty at the far end of the fourth floor smiled and greeted Qin Qin Huairu, then glanced at Li Li Xuewu as he turned to enter the room.

She had been assigned here later, unlike the earlier batch, and did not know what relationship existed between the director and the deputy director of the Security Office.

She had heard they were neighbors; that was quite something—if only she too had an influential neighbor she could talk to.

Seeing the deputy director of the Security Office now, he looked truly young, yet truly formidable; he joked and laughed with the Party Secretary and the deputy factory director, and even played cards with them upstairs.

They were merely attendants; their usual conversations included personnel matters within the bureau—who was connected to whom, who was whose relative.

In short, they spread rumors; their guesses about the relationships among the leaders above were all wild speculation, taking a hint here and there, embellishing it, and then stating it with absolute certainty.

Fortunately, at the guesthouse, these attendants were all unmarried Misses, so they paid little attention to such matters.

Even those inclined to gossip had been told by Qin Qin Huairu and the others not to spread stories about the guesthouse, and especially not to speak about the leaders' affairs.

That was why many leaders now preferred to dine or lodge here.

When Li Li Xuewu entered the room, the mahjong tiles were already arranged; Sha Sha Qizhi had poured tea for each leader.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu enter, he placed a cup of tea on the coffee table right beside Xu Sinian.

He had learned much, understood much, and his perceptiveness had sharpened considerably.

Xu Sinian sat on the long sofa, with Yu Yu Daru seated beside him; opposite them sat Zhang Zhang Guoqi, and there was a single-seat sofa next to Xu Sinian.

Clearly, everyone had matters to discuss.

After Li Li Xuewu sat down and took a sip of hot tea, seeing that Zhang Zhang Guoqi was seated close to Li Li Huai De and watching him play cards, he began conversing with Xu Sinian and Yu Yu Daru.

When Yu Yu Daru had first arrived, his face had been as red as a monkey's bottom, but after drinking tea, he looked somewhat better.

Li Li Xuewu glanced at him, then asked Xu Sinian, "Do you have nothing to do today? Not going home to keep your wife and children company?"

"Ah, I'm having a spat with your sister-in-law."

Xu Sinian waved his hand, smiling, "She says I don't care about the family, that I only have work in my eyes."

Li Li Xuewu pointed toward the mahjong table, smiling, "Take it up with them; the leaders are right there."

"Haha."

Xu Sinian laughed and said, "It's true; going home would just mean more nagging, so today I might as well drown my sorrows in wine."

"Come off it!"

Li Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and asked, "My sister-in-law won't come wielding a rolling pin, will she? And flip over the mahjong table too."

"It won't come to that."

Xu Si waved his hand, smiling, "My wife is a good person; she just cares about me, that's all."

"I certainly won't pass that message along for you; you'll have to tell my sister-in-law yourself."

Li Li Xuewu laughed off the joke, then gestured with his eyes toward the mahjong table and asked in a low voice, "What's the situation?"

"Cut the crap, I was about to ask you the same thing."

Xu Si blinked and asked, "Did you invite Deputy Secretary Gu?"

"Nonsense!"

Li Li Xuewu squinted, slightly turning his head, and said in a low voice, "Who do you think I am?"

"Don't play dumb with me."

Xu Si curled his lip and said, "I still advise you to be cautious; don't play with fire."

"Why is everyone coming after me?"

Li Li Xuewu said discontentedly, "It really wasn't me; I'm damn confused right now myself."

"Really?"

Xu Si was slightly surprised, then lowered his head to think for a moment before saying, "The Secretary and Deputy Factory Director Li have a long-standing relationship; that means Deputy Factory Director Li was the one who invited him."

"Obvious!"

Li Li Xuewu glared at him disdainfully and said, "Do you think I suspected it was you who invited him?"

"I was hoping so too."

Xu Si looked at Li Li Xuewu and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

Li Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and said, "You don't think I'm trying to advance further, do you?"

"Of course not."

Xu Si was no rookie, and he knew even better that Li Li Xuewu was no rookie either.

"Let's just wait and see; the Factory Director's meaning is that the Rolling Steel Factory can only have one banner."

Speaking thus, he glanced toward the Secretary and said, "Perhaps the Secretary came on his own today."

Li Li Xuewu watched the card game without speaking; Xu Si's information was more accurate than his own.

He wasn't afraid of saying something to Xu Si that might get him sold out; their relationship might not be one of life-and-death bond, but at the very least, Xu Si wouldn't dare betray him.

Li Li Xuewu fell silent, and Xu Si stopped speaking as well; Yu Yu Daru, who had been sitting aside without saying a word, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He looked as if he were about to fall asleep, but in reality, he was sobering up from his drink.

Today was meant for discussing matters; his affairs needed to be discussed through Li Li Xuewu, and today's mahjong game was not a stage he could participate in.

Just look at the ranks of those playing cards, and you'll understand; he could only wait, waiting for the moment when Li Li Xuewu arranged for him to speak with the leaders.

"I win!"