Chapter 960: Stirring the Shit into a Muddy Mess

“I...”

Before Yu Daru could finish speaking, Li Xuewu raised his hand to stop him.

“I don’t trust you!”

Li Xuewu pointed at Yu Daru, frowning: “So don’t talk to me about relationships or promises.”

“Your leaders have supernatural powers, covering the sky with one hand—they’ve dragged me, the branch, the disciplinary inspection, even the Third Guard Regiment into this.”

“You like playing chess?”

“Fine! Good! Keep going!”

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and nodded: “Go tell your leaders—I’ll play this game with him.”

“Remember, as long as you dare come to the branch, as long as he’s still in the Confidentiality Department, this isn’t over.”

“Li...”

“Tell him!”

Before Yu Daru could speak again, Li Xuewu stood up, pointed at him as he walked out, and said: “For years we’ve done nothing but fight you!”

Without even glancing at Yu Daru’s panicked expression, he left the office with Peng Xiao.

“Fuck!”

Yu Daru’s face turned ashen as he slammed his fist on the desk, then turned to stare out the window.

Now he finally understood what it meant to carry water in a bamboo basket—only to find it empty.

The organization’s approval to transfer him to the branch meant nothing—he was too afraid to go.

At least in the Confidentiality Department it was his own turf; at the branch he’d truly be fish on a chopping block.

Even retirement wasn’t an option—he’d wear ill-fitting shoes forever, and it might become the grave of his career.

More importantly, because of this incident, their trade train project with the steel mill was finished.

It didn’t matter if he clashed with Li Xuewu or strained ties with the branch—they were just personal conflicts between him and his leader.

But now the loss was the unit’s collective interest—how would people in the unit view them?

Especially now that Li Xuewu had gone all out: the steel mill, the branch, disciplinary inspection, the guard regiment—all the connections Li Xuewu could mobilize would be watching them.

Two fists can’t fight four hands; even a strong tiger can’t hold off a pack of wolves. When units collide, someone will have to be sacrificed.

Who will it be?

No need to guess—our unit will surely protect him and his leader, but what happens afterward?

So Li Xuewu has already set his terms: he can’t go to the branch, and his leader must go too.

What should he do?

Yu Daru was now thinking about how to handle this, not doubting whether Li Xuewu had the power to make threats.

Li Xuewu was deputy director of the steel mill’s security department and deputy regiment commander of the Third Guard Regiment—how could he possibly have such power?

Of course, if you put it that way, he truly didn’t have that power.

But don’t overlook Li Xuewu’s influence in the branch, in disciplinary inspection, even within the department.

If Li Xuewu were acting alone, going mad to oppose them, no one would help him.

But now it’s they who were in the wrong—they borrowed Li Xuewu’s momentum and betrayed a whole group of people.

Li Xuewu must give others an explanation, and more importantly, give himself one.

So this matter must be settled—with everyone standing behind Li Xuewu, watching him act.

Yu Daru rubbed his hands hard, his mind spinning rapidly, muttering under his breath.

He was thinking, trying to find a solution—there must be a way, there must be.

Sow a seed, reap a fruit; to untie the knot, you must find the one who tied it.

Yu Daru suddenly stood up, grabbed his coat from the chair, and headed out—he had to report this to his leader.

The case no longer mattered; who died was none of his concern, as long as he didn’t die.

“Where’s Director Li?”

“Not here. Not at home.”

Ao YuHua, holding documents, was about to enter the office when she saw Li Xuewu walking up the stairs.

She greeted him, and when he asked about the leader, she took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and shook her head: “He left early to arrange work, then went to the hospital to visit Deputy Director Shi.”

“Oh?”

Li Xuewu feigned surprise: “Deputy Director Shi hasn’t returned? Wasn’t it said he had no serious injuries?”

“Three ribs broken, fracture of the right tibia.”

Watching Li Xuewu’s performance, Ao YuHua thought: men are ruthless—this man especially. Either he sends bullets or he sends people to the hospital.

“Oh my, that’s serious!”

Li Xuewu grimaced and sighed: “Deputy Director Shi has worked so hard—hurt on official duty. No wonder the leader went personally to visit. It’s only right, it’s only right!”

“Heh, you were right there.”

Ao YuHua smiled lightly: “Deputy Director Shi mentioned you, Director Li—he said you arranged for someone to ‘send’ him to the hospital.”

“Ah, we’re colleagues. Deputy Director Shi really shouldn’t mention such a small thing.”

Li Xuewu acted as if he hadn’t caught Ao YuHua’s implication, politely saying: “Unity, friendliness, mutual help—that’s the spirit.”

He then smiled and pointed toward Deputy Director Shi’s office, whispering: “He’s the leader’s confidant—we’ve got to curry favor too.”

“Heh~”

Ao YuHua smiled faintly, watched Li Xuewu greet her and head down the third-floor corridor, her eyes thoughtful.

Previously, calling Deputy Director Shi Director Li’s confidant was accurate; now... more like a major threat?

Never believe in so-called confidentiality in government offices, and never believe that colleagues’ secrets remain secrets forever.

The events of last night, after a night’s brewing and a morning’s gossip, were known to everyone who needed to know.

Who was involved, what relationships existed, what special stories lay behind them.

No need for meticulous investigation—give those women a cup of tea, and they’ll spontaneously fabricate a gripping scandal about broken shoes.

Who was Ao YuHua? She was deputy director in charge of operations for the Administrative Office, the entire agency’s chief administrator—how could she not know about the affair between Li Xuewu and Deputy Director Shi?

She’d already suspected that Deputy Director Shi was courting disaster by provoking Li Xuewu, and that he’d eventually fall.

She never expected the fall to come so fast—turning around, Deputy Director Shi was down.

She didn’t even know when Li Xuewu had dug the pit—suddenly, Director Li was dragged down with him.

Last night, after finishing work, Director Li was supposed to go directly to the International Hotel for a reception dinner.

Before leaving, he’d been furious when he confirmed Deputy Director Li couldn’t attend.

Who could have imagined that the East City Disciplinary Inspection and the branch would show up—not only arresting Liu Lan, but also taking Director Li away?

Fortunately, this happened right before quitting time; if it had happened during daylight hours, the steel mill would’ve exploded.

Last night’s reception dinner was hosted by Deputy Director Gu and Deputy Director Jing.

This morning, seeing Director Li come to work, the agency’s speculation about his investigation by disciplinary inspection finally dissipated.

Li HuaiDe, well aware of the danger of “three men make a tiger,” had arranged early this morning for the Administrative Office to issue a disciplinary decision against Liu Lan, head of the staff canteen.

According to his explanation, because Liu Lan was involved in a major criminal case and under investigation, his managerial position was to be revoked.

His own detention last night was explained as necessary because the case was serious and required the unit’s top official to assist in the investigation.

He returned unscathed, and no directives had come down from above—clear proof he had nothing to do with it.

Many didn’t believe this explanation.

But it didn’t matter—as long as it was plausible, that was enough. That’s how government offices worked.

When Li Xuewu asked Ao YuHua if the leader was in, he knew perfectly well—the Volga M24 wasn’t there, so how could the man be?

Director Li was the top official of the steel mill, the man in charge of everything—he hadn’t ridden anything else since getting this car, not even wanting to use the toilet without it.

He came here mainly to meet Jing Yunong to discuss budgets for the workers’ new village and several other projects.

Jing Yunong’s office looked smaller than Li Xuewu’s—it was an old building.

Li Xue saw her brother arrive and shrugged, then quietly went to brew him a good cup of tea.

Jing Yunong glanced at her and teased: “Now you see who’s truly family and who’s fake—saving my best tea leaves for him, huh?”

“Leader, my brother’s picky.”

Li Xue smiled and explained: “If I didn’t brew him good tea, he’d scold me later.”

“Cough, cough~”

Li Xuewu deliberately coughed, lifted his teacup, and reminded: “At work, use titles.”

“Alright, Director Plant.”

Li Xue pretended to be angry, pouted, ignored him, stood up, smiled at Jing Yunong, and left.

Li Xuewu glanced at the door, speechless, then sipped his hot tea and complained to Jing Yunong: “Getting older and more annoying.”

“I envy your sibling relationship.”

Jing Yunong held his teacup, smiling: “She’s a grown woman now—you’ve got to praise her.”

“She’s going to fly to the heavens.”

Li Xuewu put down his cup, opened the documents in front of him, and said: “The other day she told Mom she wanted to move out—complaining the house was inconvenient. Hmph.”

“Daughters grow up and leave home.”

Jing Yunong sipped his tea, studied Li Xuewu, and asked softly: “What about last night...?”

“Nothing.”

Li Xuewu looked up at her, shook his head slightly: “Only Liu Lan was involved, but it’s nothing serious.”

“That’s good.”

Jing Yunong’s worries faded from his eyes; he exhaled deeply, pressed his lips together, and said, “After finally having a few peaceful days, sigh~”

Perhaps recalling the political turbulence above, and the rumors circulating that morning, she feared something truly serious might happen.

The steel rolling mill now stands at a crossroads of change; no one wants this train to head straight into a pit of fire.

Therefore, Li Huai De cannot afford to suffer any mishap—that is the consensus among the mill’s leadership, which amounts to endorsing Li Huai De .

Li Huai De knows this well; otherwise, how could he dare go wandering around every few days?

“Was last night’s reception banquet smooth?”

Li Xuewu sat up straight and asked her, “Any new gains?”

“Not much—just preliminary intentions.”

Jing Yunong shook her head slightly and said, “The Waishi Force has temporarily assigned us to intensive study; we won’t be able to participate in foreign affairs until at least a week from now.”

“There’s no help for it.”

Li Xuewu frowned slightly. “At least they’ve allowed us to host personally—so long as we’re at the International Hotel, anything is possible.”

“The Waishi Force has done a lot of work.”

Jing Yunong cradled her teacup and said seriously, “Especially Comrade Qi Zhi—he coordinated several departments, handled relations smoothly, and foreign businessmen have responded warmly.”

“Mm, still lacking in experience—this is a good opportunity now.”

Li Xuewu nodded, flipping through the documents in his hands, and asked, “Has the budget for the Workers’ New Village exceeded limits?”

“It’s not just Workers’ New Village.”

Jing Yunong spoke seriously: “Above has tightened budgets severely this year, especially for new projects.”

“I expected as much.”

Li Xuewu rubbed his fingers together. “I’ve coordinated with Director Li—next year, aside from integrating the auto plant project, we won’t launch any new projects.”

“That’ll ease my burden a bit.”

Jing Yunong shrugged, gesturing toward the documents beside Li Xuewu, and asked, “What’s your opinion?”

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “I only have so much budget. After deducting office costs and production expenses, there’s little left for other projects.”

“Especially Workers’ New Village—amid the factory’s continuous recruitment, funds are stretched thin.”

“I understand.”

Li Xuewu nodded. “How’s the profit situation with tertiary industry?”

“There is some, but not much.”

Jing Yunong shook her head slightly, pulled a report from her folder, and handed it to Li Xuewu. “Q4 profits were under 30,000 yuan.”

“Of course, this is because tertiary industry has been through commissioning, trial runs, and adjustments, affecting production.”

“Q1 is projected to yield 40,000 yuan in profit—but it’s nowhere near enough to cover the costs of new construction. A drop in the ocean.”

“Mm, mm—tertiary industry can’t be the main source of construction funding; the pressure’s too great.”

Li Xuewu frowned, pencil in hand, calculating as he asked, “The metalworking industry has begun foreign trade and is fulfilling orders.”

“Still not enough.”

Jing Yunong shook her head slightly, shifted forward, and tapped the budget report. “The gap is huge—current funds and budget can’t plug it.”

“Then complete it in phases and steps.”

Li Xuewu rubbed his brow. “Next year, the trade train won’t stop. Trade orders won’t stop.”

“All monthly profits from tertiary industry projects, after funding residential area construction, must be channeled into the production and construction budget pool.”

“What? Any problem?”

Seeing Jing Yunong frown, Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow at her.

“Mm, regarding budgeting, we still need to follow Director Li’s guidance and arrangements.”

Jing Yunong spoke hesitantly: “Combining tertiary industry and trade profits with next year’s budget requires monthly allocation for construction, investment, management—this is no small challenge.”

“I’ll coordinate with Director Li.”

Li Xuewu understood Jing Yunong’s concerns and took on the difficulty himself.

“Next year is a year of development—and hardship. Workers’ benefits cannot be cut. Production and construction speed cannot slow. Only we, the cadres and leadership, can tighten our belts and endure.”

“I agree with that—but…”

Jing Yunong looked at Li Xuewu with concern. “Your reputation is out now. Things like the auto plant merger will only become more frequent.”

“Still, we must block them.”

Li Xuewu thought for a moment. “We really need to talk to Director Li—either take out loans, or establish a factory-owned financial institution to expand financing channels.”

“Loans aren’t realistic.”

Jing Yunong shook her head slightly. “Too little is useless; too much won’t be approved—unless higher-ups give the green light.”

“That’s why we need Director Li.”

Li Xuewu explained: “Regarding production and construction, Director Li has long instructed us to prioritize the overarching goal of building a high-standard conglomerate.”

“What do you think of a factory-owned financial institution?”

Jing Yunong knew Li Xuewu was Li Huai De ’s strategist—his words carried more weight than most.

Since he’d already said he’d coordinate with Director Li, it meant there was room to discuss this.

As for factory financial institutions, she wasn’t inexperienced—she’d handled such work frequently in her former department.

She had ideas about establishing a factory savings office, but due to the mill’s practical conditions and financial constraints, she’d never raised it.

Now that Li Xuewu had brought it up, their views aligned perfectly.

“First, the mass base—the mill already has over 20,000 employees; by next year, it’ll exceed 30,000.”

Li Xuewu tapped the documents on the coffee table. “Our factory holds enormous latent savings potential—just wages alone generate over a million yuan monthly.”

“Second, financial account management.”

He pointed to the financial report she’d given him. “Controlling profits from production projects must be prioritized—separate the accounts.”

“Third, joint enterprise cooperation—we have multiple joint ventures; they all need stable, reliable savings and financial services.”

“Finally, financial exchange for foreign trade.”

Li Xuewu lifted his teacup. “Based on this, we can pursue loans and financing—I lean toward financing.”

“So you don’t think loans are viable?”

Jing Yunong frowned, watching Li Xuewu sip tea. “What’s your idea for financing?”

“Mm, if we’re solving problems, we take whichever path works.”

Li Xuewu set down his teacup, paused, then said: “These projects operate under tertiary industry, so profits stay—but above won’t allocate construction budgets.”

“What we can do now is secure investment funds through multiple channels—take loans if possible, take as much as you can.”

“As for financing, I prefer to allocate part of project profits to connect with banks and credit cooperatives.”

“Not easy.”

Jing Yunong shook her head slightly. “Since this year, above has imposed strict limits on enterprise fund usage.”

“If not for the intensive study campaign disrupting this plan, our factory might already be under audit.”

“Then let’s exploit the gap before this wind dies down.”

Li Xuewu smiled, raising his teacup as if in a toast. “I believe you’ll succeed.”

Jing Yunong stared at him, speechless for a long moment. “You’ve been waiting to trick me into this, haven’t you?”

“Where did you get that idea?”

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, set down his teacup. “We’re class comrades—pure and united.”

“...”

Jing Yunong’s lips twitched. Whether purity was real was debatable, but “united”? That was going too far—who was united with you?

“You clearly knew above wouldn’t allocate budgets to tertiary projects, yet you still submitted them under that category—what else is that but intentional?”

“And!”

Jing Yunong turned her face to him. “You know how much money is in the factory’s accounts. You launched so many projects in the second half of this year—waiting for this wind, right?”

She shook her head slightly, as if unable to understand him. “Are you Zhuge Liang with divine foresight—or just reckless, playing blind luck with me?”

“What do you think?”

Li Xuewu shifted his seat, moved to sit closest to her, leaned close, raised his eyebrows, and asked: “Do you believe I’m Zhuge Liang reborn—or...”

“...”

Jing Yunong stared at the rascal leaning toward her, feeling his masculine scent, her right eye flickering slightly.

The office door was still half-open—anyone walking down the corridor could clearly see what the two of them were doing.

“I believe you’re just a brazen bastard—mm...”

“How’s your new position going?”

Li Xue smiled and greeted Peng Xiaoli, watching him smoke by the window, waving her hand to disperse the smoke.

Peng Xiaoli glanced back at her, crushed his cigarette on the windowsill, and replied, “You’re not here to fish for information, are you?”

“Heh~ You flatter yourself.”

Li Xue chuckled, placed her documents on the windowsill, stood beside him, and gazed out at the steel rolling mill. “Or do you look down on my second brother?”

“Look here~!”

Peng Xiaoli grinned, lifted his chin, stretched his shoulders. “You’re not denying it—you’re already pointing fingers at me, aren’t you?”

“You’re something else~”

Li Xue pursed her lips, shot him a glance, then folded her arms on the documents and stared out the window. “You wanted to be a secretary—now you’ve got it. What, still not satisfied?”

“Stop digging pits for me—I’ve spent this whole time watching others fall into them.”

Peng Xiaoli chuckled bitterly: “I’ve seen more pits in this time than I’ll ever see in my whole life.”

“I’ve matured~”

He feigned an air of world-weariness as he looked at Li Xue and said: “Can you see any trace of time’s hardship on my face?”

“Hmm, actually, I can!”

After carefully studying him for a moment, Li Xue bit her lip and nodded: “Look—you’ve got crow’s feet now.”

“…”

Peng Xiaoli’s expression froze, then he sighed: “I meant the aura of hardship, not my face looking worn out.”

“Same thing.”

Li Xue smirked silently, gazing out the window: “From now on, I’ll call you Old Peng.”

“You might as well call me Uncle.”

Peng Xiaoli helplessly rubbed his face and said: “I used to envy the glamour of secretaries to leaders, never realizing that glamour hides nothing but hardship.”

“Oh~ So many feelings, huh~”

Li Xue glanced at him: “Working under Deputy Director Li is that exhausting?”

“How could that be? It’s not that Deputy Director Li sets too high standards—it’s just that I’m not capable enough.”

Peng Xiaoli emphasized this point before continuing: “Our department’s work is relatively simple, but who else is carrying Deputy Director Li’s heavy burdens?”

“Still complaining~”

Li Xue poked him playfully: “Comrade Peng Xiaoli, this is immature behavior—you need to do a deep self-criticism!”

“Yes, I reflect, I reflect deeply.”

Peng Xiaoli playfully went along with Li Xue’s joke, gesturing toward Deputy Director Jing’s office: “How about you?”

“Same as always~”

Li Xue glanced back at Deputy Director Jing’s office and said: “Deputy Director Jing isn’t any less burdened than my second brother—his work pressure is immense.”

“I totally understand. Everyone’s like this.”

Peng Xiaoli nodded seriously: “The Security Group now has one head and two deputies, but Director Dong is in Gangcheng, and Deputy Director Li has to coordinate work for the Committee Office—the pressure is unbearable.”

“Thankfully, Deputy Group Leader Yu has returned—the Security Group is back to its old order: busy but never chaotic.”

“Ah!”

Li Xue poked Peng Xiaoli with her finger, then gestured toward the office and asked: “Is my second brother strict with you? Are you afraid of him?”

“It’s respect! Admiration! Reverence!”

Peng Xiaoli corrected her misunderstanding earnestly: “I’ve learned so much from Deputy Director Li—how could I possibly be afraid?”

“Eww~~~”

Li Xue gave him a disgusted look and sneered: “You’re not just hypocritical—you’re also a show-off. I can’t take you seriously~”

With that, she shook her head in exasperation, picked up the documents on the windowsill, and turned to leave.

But Peng Xiaoli stopped her: “Just chat a bit longer, okay?”

“You don’t really think you’re the only secretary in the whole factory who’s busy, do you?”

Li Xue sized him up and asked: “You said you’re busy—then why are you standing here daydreaming?”

“Heh~ I’m stuck—I can’t even go home now.”

Peng Xiaoli pointed downstairs: “Some bastard’s down there… Hey! He’s gone!”

With that, he gathered the documents on the windowsill, gave Li Xue a quick nod, and hurried downstairs.

Li Xue watched him go, pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and turned back to the office with the documents in her arms.

As soon as she entered, she saw her second brother sitting with his legs crossed, sipping tea while still discussing work—specifically, the halted confidential freight train.

“It’s winter now, so refrigerated freight is manageable—but what happens come spring?”

Jing Yunong looked at Li Xuewu, his swollen lips pressed together: “I don’t care if you’re targeting the Confidentiality Department or have some other plan—right now, the steel plant’s economy is struggling. Don’t make things worse.”

“Hmm, I’ll handle this matter.”

Li Xuewu thought for a moment and asked: “What if we coordinate another refrigerated train?”

“Fine, I agree.”

Jing Yunong nodded decisively: “You figure out the manufacturing costs—Finance can’t spare a single cent.”

As she spoke, she stood up, returned to her desk, dug through the pile of documents, pulled out one, and showed it to Li Xuewu: “The factory’s overall budget has been reviewed. If you can conjure up money, you can spend it however you want.”

Li Xue watched as Deputy Director Jing argued finance with her second brother. She dared not interrupt, only refilled Jing’s tea.

Listening to their exchange, it sounded like a married couple—the husband wanted to buy something new, the wife said the household was broke, but if he could magically produce money, go ahead and buy anything.

And her second brother’s reply was just like most men facing their frugal wives: “Your finance department always says there’s not a single cent left on the books, right?”

Li Xuewu stood up, tidied the documents on the coffee table, smiled, and waved to Deputy Director Jing: “I’ll go conjure up some money for you.”

Jing Yunong shot him a disgusted glance, twisted her lips, and returned to her documents.

Li Xue stared helplessly as her second brother left, stealing a glance at Deputy Director Jing’s expression—why had things gone from calm to angry so suddenly?

She’d always known her second brother and Deputy Director Jing didn’t get along, but they’d been working together for so long—why was it still like this?

Just moments ago, her second brother had joked with the leader, and now over money, they’d broken out in open conflict—this…

Who understands the agony of being caught between a leader and your own brother? Family members, can you even imagine?

“Leader, have some tea.”

Li Xue carefully placed the teacup beside Jing Yunong’s hand and whispered a reminder.

Jing Yunong first murmured “Hmm,” then, after a moment, noticed Li Xue still standing beside her desk, looked up, and asked: “What is it?”

“Um…”

Li Xue noticed Jing’s lips were swollen again and thought: My second brother really is something—he’s made the leader so angry she’s biting her own lips.

“Have some tea. Should I get you another cup?”

“Would you like some candy…”

“Huh~ What are you doing?”

Jing Yunong looked at Li Xue with amusement: “Do you have something on your mind?”

“N-nothing.”

Li Xue hesitated, glancing at Deputy Director Jing, who was watching her intently. After a pause, she asked: “Is my second brother…”

“What?”

Jing Yunong looked at her: “If you’re not going to say it, I’m going back to work.”

“A bit domineering and self-righteous, right~”

Li Xue spoke hesitantly: “He’s always been like this since childhood—loves to control everyone—but he never means harm to his work or people. I just…”

She felt her second brother had been disrespectful to the leader and feared Jing might hold a grudge against him.

Worrying for her brother while managing Jing’s pressure made her speech cautious, unsure how to phrase anything.

Jing Yunong listened, nodded thoughtfully: “Yes, he’s quite domineering.”

Then she pressed her lips together and asked: “What do you think I should do to make him learn to respect leadership and unite with comrades?”

“Ah? No…”

Li Xue realized she’d made things worse—now it was turning into a matter of disciplining her own brother!

“Hehehe~”

Seeing Li Xue’s nervous expression, Jing Yunong laughed, lifted the teacup lid, and said: “I was just teasing you.”

“I…”

Li Xue was speechless—do leaders really joke like this? It wasn’t funny at all!

“Deputy Director Cheng”

In the staff canteen, Li Xuewu came for lunch with a food box.

He saw Cheng Kaiyuan at the serving window and greeted him with a smile.

Cheng Kaiyuan turned, smiled faintly, and nodded: “What have you been up to these days? Why haven’t I seen you at the canteen?”

“Heh~ I’ve been worn out.”

Li Xuewu shook his head helplessly, smiling bitterly: “I got stuck with a bizarre case—called in for interrogation support by the branch.”

“Really~”

Cheng Kaiyuan acted as if hearing this for the first time, raising his eyebrows slightly as he looked at Li Xuewu: “Talented people get more work. I read your book on criminal psychology—it was quite profound.”

“You flatter me—it’s just some personal insights.”

Li Xuewu smiled: “That period was busy with cases, and a friend who’s a psychologist and I discussed criminal psychology—that’s what inspired me to write.”

“Rarely seen.”

Cheng Kaiyuan had finished his meal but didn’t leave, waiting beside Li Xuewu as he commented: “Cadres who can both act effectively and write meaningfully are few and far between now.”

“I’m young—I’ve had more opportunities for organizational education.”

After letting Sha Zhu help him pack his food, he gestured upstairs, inviting Cheng to go first: “But in practical experience, I still need to learn from the older comrades.”

“Too modest.”

Cheng Kaiyuan held his food box in one hand and patted Li Xuewu’s arm, signaling they should walk together.

“In my view, if you can do it, you can do it—if you can’t, you can’t. Capable people must be placed in key positions to fulfill their proper role.”

“Yes.”

Li Xuewu walked beside him, his peripheral vision sweeping the first-floor lobby—dozens of eyes were fixed on him.

Cheng Kaiyuan acted as if he hadn’t noticed, climbing the stairs as he said, “When the office was rolling out the new administrative system, Old Ding mentioned to me that you’ve required everyone below to submit weekly work reports and news articles—I think that’s a good idea.”

“Even the best wine fears a deep alley~”

He turned to look at Li Xuewu and nodded. “I think when we do our work, we need the confidence of Wang Po selling melons, right?”

“Yes, mainly to provide supervision and foster competition.”

Seeing they had already reached the upper floor and couldn’t shake him off, Li Xuewu found an empty partition and sat down with him.

I have a daughter who’s quite mischievous; when she gets too wild, I’ve even thought about giving her a slap.

The two sat down, each unpacking their lunch boxes. Li Xuewu took the teacup and teapot from the table and poured Cheng Kaiyuan a cup of hot tea.

“I’ve always been a troublemaker since childhood. My father believed in the rod-and-stick education theory, and that made me think.”

“Go on.”

Cheng Kaiyuan smiled as he took the teacup, picked up his chopsticks but didn’t start eating yet, waiting for Li Xuewu to continue.

Li Xuewu nodded and said to him, “My psychologist friend told me that good children are raised through praise.”

“Oh?”

Cheng Kaiyuan glanced at Li Xuewu, then slowly nodded and said thoughtfully, “Praised into being.”

“Yes, she calls it positive reinforcement.”

Li Xuewu explained to him: “I’ve watched her raise her own child—she never starts by denying or criticizing. She always begins with affirmation, then guides and encourages.”

“Northerners, right? Mothers always say, ‘You look just like…’”

“Like when taking a kid out, and the child sees someone eating an apple and wants one too. Most parents would say, ‘You look like an apple,’ or just say, ‘We don’t have money.’”

“She doesn’t do that. She says, ‘Your clothes look so nice and clean today. If you eat an apple, you’ll get them dirty, and then no one will say you look nice.’”

Li Xuewu looked at Cheng Kaiyuan and nodded. “In the military, I lead by strict discipline. But at home, it doesn’t work. In a factory, it doesn’t work either.”

“Harsh management inevitably breeds emotional and psychological resistance. Unless you have strict discipline, clear rules, and uniform schedules for living and working, rigid systems aren’t suitable for daily corporate management.”

“My interactions with my daughter made me wonder: should I also offer more tolerance and encouragement to those under me?”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

Cheng Kaiyuan nodded, gestured for Li Xuewu to start eating, and said while chewing, “My experience is somewhat similar to yours. I also transferred to a machinery factory. Back then, I didn’t think this deeply—I took many wrong turns.”

“Maybe I’m the kind of person who listens to advice.”

Li Xuewu smiled at him, implying something deeper: “Listening to advice means you eat well, huh?”

“True, heh.”

Cheng Kaiyuan laughed and nodded at Li Xuewu. “If I’d had your mindset back then, I wouldn’t have kept banging my head against walls.”

“There are downsides too.”

Li Xuewu took a bite of rice, looked up at him, and said, “No practice, no right to speak.”

“That’s true.”

Cheng Kaiyuan nodded understandingly. “But you’re still young—you have plenty of time to think and study. That’s precious. You don’t always need firsthand experience to learn advanced methods.”

“By the way, you mentioned that case earlier—the branch coordinated you to assist. I fully support you engaging more with such resources.”

He looked at Li Xuewu seriously. “Your starting point is already high. Slowly, you’ll realize your work isn’t always in the office—in fact, more often than not, it’s outside.”

“True.”

Li Xuewu nodded. “Like Director Li—he’s been extremely busy lately. Some tasks can only be handled by him personally.”

“Hmm, I hadn’t noticed.”

Cheng Kaiyuan looked up. “What’s Director Li so busy with? I haven’t seen him lately.”

“I don’t know.”

Li Xuewu shrugged. “This morning I went looking for him. Director Yu Hua said he went to visit Deputy Director Shi.”

“Oh, I see.”

Cheng Kaiyuan nodded at Li Xuewu and smiled. “I still don’t know exactly how Comrade Shi got injured.”

“I don’t know.”

Li Xuewu ate two bites, then shook his head slightly. “That day we were at an event. I turned around and found him lying on the ground. At first, I didn’t pay much attention.”

“I heard it was serious.”

Cheng Kaiyuan, whether genuinely unaware or pretending, said while eating, “No wonder Director Li went to visit. We should organize a group visit soon. After all, he was injured on duty.”

“Good, that’s only right.”

Li Xuewu glanced at him, silently sneering, but replied warmly: “I’m ready whenever you give the word.”

Cheng Kaiyuan was using Shi Ruoweng as a shield, hoping to see Li Huai’s embarrassment—or even testing Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu didn’t mind going to the hospital to watch the spectacle, but he wondered whether Shi Ruoweng would still be there when Cheng Kaiyuan decided to go.

Li Huai definitely didn’t go to the hospital this morning. Shi Ruoweng should have been silenced last night.

Today’s outing? Li Huai was almost certainly going after the vacancy created by the case.

Now Cheng Kaiyuan was deliberately trying to cozy up to him—there’s no way he had no other motive.

Li Xuewu’s eyes flickered, and he asked casually, “Do you have connections with the Dongcheng Credit Cooperative?”

Before Cheng Kaiyuan could answer, he continued: “We’ve been working on this case for so long, yet we’ve never met their leadership.”