Chapter 976: Kill Huang Silang

On the night of December 30th, the dinner carefully prepared by the shipyard became somewhat anticlimactic due to the sudden news.

Perhaps it was because everyone had just been drinking, so even if their complexions changed, it wasn't so obvious under the influence of the red wine.

But Andrew, as the main guest, could still see that after the secretaries came, everyone at the table seemed somewhat distracted.

Except for Li Xuewu, who considered himself the host, who still entertained enthusiastically and toasted.

Chinese people are particular about "eye for detail," and Westerners understand "sense of proportion" even better, so this wine slowly began to end under Andrew's initiative.

This was to let those who were sitting on pins and needles finish the banquet early and attend to their own business.

As Andrew put down his chopsticks, sounds of polite greetings came from the private room.

Liu Zhaolun and the others shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with Andrew as he stood up, exchanged a glance with Li Xuewu, and walked out.

Separating at the door, Liu Zhaolun and the others were in a hurry to make phone calls, while Li Xuewu went upstairs with Xu Si to see Andrew and the others off.

Obviously, the meeting originally scheduled after dinner could only be postponed; Andrew didn't ask much, being very experienced.

After coming downstairs, Xu Si took out a cigarette case, gave one to Li Xuewu first, and the two began to smoke at the corner of the stairs.

"Phew~"

At first, neither of them spoke; it was Xu Si who couldn't help but blow a long puff of smoke, narrowing his eyes slightly and saying: "An eventful autumn~"

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu lowered his head and exhaled a puff of smoke, paused, and said: "Winter is coming; we must be prepared for winter."

"How to pass it?"

Xu Si said helplessly: "How long will this cold winter last, and when will spring arrive?"

"Spring will definitely come!"

Li Xuewu raised his head and said firmly to Xu Si: "No matter how long the winter is, we must do what we have to do!"

Saying this, he took another puff of smoke, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Xu Si: "Are we not going to celebrate the New Year just because we hear the dragon roar?"

"Sigh~"

Xu Si sighed long and said: "I'm just afraid this New Year won't be easy to pass~"

"That depends on how you pass it!"

Li Xuewu raised his head and looked out the window; the machine processing workshop had long been brightly lit, working day and night.

He stood upstairs, as if he could still hear the roar of the machines and the enthusiastic work passion.

"You still insist on economic development, trade priority, and welfare priority, right?"

Xu Si, like Li Xuewu, stood in front of the window, looking at the factory area outside, and said: "You are still so maverick."

"No, it's not that I am maverick, but that you are walking in confusion."

Li Xuewu took a hard puff of his cigarette and said with squinted eyes: "Insisting on economic development, insisting on trade and welfare priority is not the result; it is the cause of enterprise development."

"You ask me, with winter approaching, where should we go? I can tell you: huddle together for warmth; when everyone gathers firewood, the flame is high."

"Huddle together..."

Xu Si smoked, looked at the illusory night sky, and exhaled the smoke from his mouth slightly.

He seemed to understand the meaning of Li Xuewu's words: only by continuously developing the economy can one create valuable commodities.

Only by possessing economic value can one take the initiative in trade, obtain market initiative, and occupy the maximum benefits of priority trade.

Only by obtaining efficient benefits can one have welfare benefits to complete the unity work of all factory employees, thereby ensuring the structural integrity of the shipyard and even the Steel Mill.

Only with a complete structure and normalized management order can the whole factory continue to develop the economy and form a closed loop.

Benefits and risks are a good couple; they never appear before you alone.

Choosing to hold hands with benefits means facing the challenges of risk.

For Xu Si, it is so; for the shipyard, for the Steel Mill, and even for everyone, it is so.

"If, I mean if,"

Xu Si looked at Li Xuewu and asked: "If this wind blows to the shipyard, how should it be handled?"

"What do you mean how to handle it?"

Li Xuewu hung his eyes and looked at him, saying with murderous intent: "What did I have you establish the Youth Commando for? What did I have you create the propaganda team for?"

"..."

Sweat beads appeared on Xu Si's forehead; Li Xuewu's meaning couldn't be clearer.

It wasn't just about the Youth Commando daring to take "black hands"; it was about using welfare benefits to stimulate them, and even more about using the propaganda team to justify their names and protect them.

This move was too ruthless; no wonder the Steel Mill could remain as stable as a rock despite the complex situation in Jingcheng.

Li Xuewu threw the cigarette butt in his hand and stepped on it, saying disdainfully: "A bunch of little brats; if they really let them go to heaven, that would be something!"

After saying this, he went to the corridor, leaving Xu Si, who was staring blankly out the window, to continue thinking about his words.

"Leader."

Peng Xiaoli took the initiative to greet him, then signaled toward the small meeting room with his eyes.

Li Xuewu patted his arm lightly and asked: "Have Regiment Commander Zhou and the others returned?"

"Yes."

Peng Xiaoli replied softly: "After dinner, they went upstairs, saying they were waiting for you in Zhou Xiaobai's room."

"Got it."

Li Xuewu nodded, stepped toward the small meeting room, and ordered: "Go and brew two cups of tea."

"Deputy Director Li."

Hearing the movement in the corridor, the door of the meeting room was pushed open.

Yu Daru stood up from his chair and greeted him somewhat awkwardly.

Li Xuewu didn't care and waved his hand: "Sit, have you eaten dinner?"

As he sat down, he signaled outside the door: "It's still dinner time; if you haven't eaten, don't be polite."

"No need, thank you."

Yu Daru sat down with Li Xuewu, but only sat on half of the chair, his body leaning slightly forward, somewhat lacking in confidence.

Li Xuewu, however, leaned back in his chair very casually, crossed his legs, and sized him up.

Peng Xiaoli walked in with two cups of tea, placing one in front of Yu Daru and one by the leader's hand.

Just when the leader went to see off the foreign merchants, Yu Daru appeared.

The leader naturally saw his reminder, just tilted his head slightly, and Peng Xiaoli brought the person to wait here.

Because of the previous unpleasantness, he didn't give the other party a good face, leaving him waiting here without even a cup of tea.

Since Yu Daru had shown his face, he naturally wouldn't care about the secretary's cold attitude.

At this moment, he didn't touch the hot tea in front of him, but took the initiative to speak to Li Xuewu: "Deputy Director Li, I've come to admit my mistake to you."

"Oh?"

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling Peng Xiaoli that he could go out; he raised his eyebrows slightly and asked: "Is it really that sincere?"

"Not quite~"

He picked up the teacup, lowered his gaze to look at the tea, and said: "Aren't you here to watch me make a fool of myself?"

"... How could that be?"

Yu Daru pulled the corners of his mouth awkwardly, unable to squeeze out a smile, hesitated, and then said: "I am sincere; I'm just afraid you'll misunderstand."

"Hmm, can't misunderstand~"

Li Xuewu took a sip of hot tea, sized up Yu Daru, and said: "I guess you arrived in Yingcheng before me, right?"

"Why?"

He hung his eyes, looked at Yu Daru, and asked: "Did you come alone? Didn't you bring people to arrest me?"

Yu Daru glanced outside the door, knowing that he had entered a "dragon's pool and tiger's den," all of his own seeking.

"You're joking; even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare to act wildly in front of you."

"You're too polite; it's me who should fear you, right?"

Li Xuewu put down the teacup, smoothed his shirt cuffs, and said nonchalantly: "I should give up resistance, surrender..."

"Deputy Director Li!"

Yu Daru interrupted Li Xuewu's words softly and said sincerely: "I am genuinely apologizing to you; not for this matter, but just for failing your trust."

Li Xuewu nodded slightly, looked at him without speaking, just waiting for his follow-up.

"Regarding the case, I can give you an explanation, an account, as long as you need it."

Yu Daru said earnestly: "I want to talk to you openly and honestly; actually, there is no blood feud between us, right?"

"Oh, who are you asking?"

Li Xuewu frowned, looked at him coldly, and said: "Whether it counts as a blood feud—the cold shot fired through the Foreign Affairs Department, is that something you don't know, or did I wrong you?"

"Are you trying to fool me like a child?"

"Please believe me!"

Yu Daru sat up straight and said to Li Xuewu: "Regarding the Foreign Affairs Department matter, it has nothing to do with us; I can guarantee that."

"How to guarantee?"

Li Xuewu tilted his head slightly, signaling outside the door: "Should I call Zhou Gancheng down to confront you, or should you play some 'jianghu' tricks and cut off a finger for me?"

Yu Daru was rendered speechless by Li Xuewu's words; any further defense became futile.

Li Xuewu, however, shook his crossed legs, looked at Yu Daru, and said: "If you want to play a 'delaying tactic' with me, then show some sincerity; sending a small shrimp like you to block my muzzle?"

Sizing up Yu Daru, he said disdainfully: "It's not that I look down on you, but your weight is a bit small."

After saying this, he stood up and said: "Remember what I told you; just bring it on, don't do these useless things."

"Deputy Director Li!"

Yu Daru stood up and called out to Li Xuewu, who was about to leave, and frowned slightly: "Whether you believe it or not, I really did come with sincerity today."

"Oh?"

Li Xuewu turned around, looked at Yu Daru, raised his head slightly, and asked: "Where is the sincerity?"

"I guarantee you, I will never interfere in this case again, and I will never intervene in the branch bureau's arrangements."

Yu Daru said sincerely: "We don't want the trade train anymore; just take it as an apology for my reckless behavior this time; I will never provoke you again!"

"Hehe~"

Li Xuewu chuckled, sized him up again, narrowed his eyes, and asked: "Did your leader tell you to say that?"

Watching Yu Daru's momentary daze, he shook his chin and said with a cold attitude, "Don't be childish, and don't think I'm as childish as you; that is an insult to my intelligence."

"Also!"

Li Xuewu turned sideways, pointed his finger at him, and said: "Tell your leader, I've accepted the cold shot from the Foreign Affairs Department, but this matter isn't over; let's play slowly."

Yu Daru watched Li Xuewu leave and hurriedly chased after him, calling out: "Deputy Director Li..."

"See the guest out!"

Li Xuewu didn't look back, but walked up the stairs with firm steps.

Yu Daru wanted to chase again, but was blocked by Peng Xiaoli.

"Li Kezhang Yu."

Peng Xiaoli also had a cold face, raised his hand to signal the entrance of the reception house, and said chillingly: "Please."

Yu Daru frowned at him, looked at the direction of the stairs, and then turned around helplessly and walked outside.

At the door, he wanted to turn back and say one more word to Peng Xiaoli, but as soon as he turned around, he saw Peng Xiaoli had already closed the door.

Well, it was truly "closing the door to see the guest out."

It seemed that this time he had offended the person deeply; it was truly an irreconcilable situation.

The sky didn't know when it had started snowing, scattering all over the ground; Yu Daru walked to the car, looked at the upstairs again, sighed deeply, and stepped into the car.

Upstairs in the reception house, in Zhou Xiaobai's room, three girls were chattering about something.

Li Xuewu knocked and entered, just in time to see Zhou Xiaobai trying on a short leather jacket; the jacket even had a fur collar, making her look extremely cute.

"Brother Li!"

Seeing Li Xuewu enter, Zhou Xiaobai greeted him excitedly, spun around in place, and asked: "Does it look good?"

"Hehe~"

Li Xuewu smiled, sized her up seriously, and nodded: "Extremely good; you have a great eye for buying clothes!"

"Sister Miaomiao helped me choose it!"

Zhou Xiaobai smiled and walked over, very naturally hooking his arm, and stood together to look in the room's mirror.

The more she looked at the pair in the mirror, the more they seemed like a match; she smiled until her eyes narrowed.

Li Xuewu only saw the "little" girl standing beside him in the mirror, extremely cute.

"You can be vain when you go out; it's stiflingly hot in this room; aren't you afraid of being smothered?"

"Hehe, no matter how I wear new clothes, I feel good~"

Zhou Xiaobai smiled and took off the jacket, unzipped it; inside was a white tight-fitting sweater, wrapping her youthful figure to the fullest.

Li Xuewu had no interest in "little" girls; even if he did, he wouldn't show anything under the eager gazes of Zhou Miaomiao and Luo Yun.

Both of them looked at Li Xuewu's clear gaze with some disappointment, but then covered their mouths and giggled under Li Xuewu's speechless expression.

Zhou Xiaobai had long discovered the clues of their mischief and angrily pouted and slapped them.

Obviously, the afternoon of playing had brought the relationship between the three closer.

She didn't know how Zhou Miaomiao managed it, but she thought it shouldn't be difficult.

Zhou Miaomiao was also only eighteen or nineteen, only two or three years older than Zhou Xiaobai and the others; they were all young girls, so they could naturally play together.

Especially with the help of money and coupons, shopping and buying, it was a catalyst for emotional fusion.

There were several pieces of clothing on the bed, some Zhou Xiaobai's, some Luo Yun's, and naturally some Zhou Miaomiao's.

When Li Xuewu came in, the three were just trying on clothes, showing off the day's spoils.

After the laughter, Zhou Miaomiao came out carrying a large bag, smiling and saying it was toys she had bought for Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu took it and weighed it, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said amusingly: "Even if you weigh it by the jin, the money I gave you wouldn't be enough~"

"It counts as the three of us."

Zhou Miaomiao glanced at Zhou Xiaobai and the others, smiling: "Actually, I didn't know what to buy; it was the three of us choosing together."

"Forgot to tell you."

Li Xuewu smiled helplessly and said: "Actually, anything is fine, as long as it's sturdy."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to signal the package, pouted, and said: "My daughter is still small, otherwise I'd let her play with hand grenades."

"Hahaha~"

All of them had younger brothers and sisters, so the three naturally understood the meaning of Li Xuewu's words.

They just felt embarrassed to hear him say that, and all blamed Li Xuewu for not saying such things about his daughter outside; it was so embarrassing.

"Alright! Received the things~"

Li Xuewu smiled and said to the three: "Played for a day, took a boat, went shopping; rest early."

As he said this, seeing Zhou Xiaobai walk over, he touched her head and exhorted: "We'll return tomorrow after lunch; you can go to the seaside for a tour, but pay attention to safety."

"Deputy Director Li!"

Seeing him about to leave, Zhou Miaomiao chased after him carrying another bag.

Li Xuewu looked at the bag she handed over and was stunned, asking: "What is this?"

"These are local specialties we bought while shopping."

She smiled, stuffed the bag into Li Xuewu's hand, and explained: "Afraid you wouldn't have time, so I specially brought a portion for you."

"Is that so? Thank you!"

Li Xuewu smiled and took it, signaled, and said: "Since it's your intention, I'll accept it with a smile."

"Thank you, Deputy Director Li~"

Zhou Miaomiao and Zhou Xiaobai sent Li Xuewu out together; at the door, she specially thanked him.

Being able to go shopping in the city today was all thanks to Li Xuewu's arrangements, including the money and coupons for buying clothes.

Driver Xiao Liu, from Director Xu of the shipyard, accompanied them the whole way; they could go wherever they wanted to play, and if they wanted to buy something, he would take the initiative to pay.

No need to ask; just look at the local tickets and receipts in the driver's hand, and you would know that Peng Xiaoli's words about the leader having arrangements weren't empty.

Zhou Miaomiao's salary was decent, but it couldn't withstand such spending; she didn't buy things casually when going out.

Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun were even more so, relying entirely on pocket money from home; it was enough for daily use, but far from enough for playing and shopping.

They were all at the age of being as beautiful as flowers; who didn't want to dress themselves up gorgeously?

If a man was willing to spend money on them, and picked whatever they liked without counting, which girl could resist such pampering?

After sending Li Xuewu away, Luo Yun pushed Zhou Xiaobai from behind, signaled toward the corridor with her eyes, and reminded her softly: "Why don't you hurry and chase him? ~"

"What is it~"

Zhou Xiaobai blushed and wanted to return to the room, but was blocked outside by Luo Yun and Zhou Miaomiao.

Zhou Miaomiao also smiled and instigated: "We played happily today all because of your face!"

She glanced at Luo Yun and said with great tacit understanding: "If I were to repay this favor, I couldn't afford it."

"So~!"

Luo Yun also smiled and took over: "We can only send you over as the favor!"

"Hahaha!"

Zhou Miaomiao and Luo Yun pushed Zhou Xiaobai, who was only wearing a white sweater, out of the door and closed it.

Zhou Xiaobai blushed; no matter how she knocked, the two in the room just giggled and told her to hurry up.

This was the reception house; people lived on both sides, so she didn't dare to shout loudly, and could only beg them not to mess around.

The so-called "helping people to the end, sending the Buddha to the west"—for Zhou Xiaobai's sake, the two could be ruthless; no matter how she pleaded, they just wouldn't open the door.

In the end, Zhou Xiaobai had no choice; she couldn't stand in the corridor forever, as people were passing by.

She could only mutter a hateful word at the two in the room, hesitated, and turned to go to Li Xuewu's room.

Li Xuewu had just tidied up the room and was taking off his clothes to take a bath when he heard a knock.

He put on a sweater and opened the door, only to see Zhou Xiaobai standing outside the door looking pretty.

"What's wrong?"

Looking at her "little daughter-in-law" appearance, he asked amusingly: "Anything else?"

"She..."

Zhou Xiaobai pouted, lowered her head and clenched her hands, and said embarrassedly: "They won't let me into the room~"

"Hehe~"

As soon as Li Xuewu heard it, he knew what was going on; he stepped aside, signaled to the room, and said: "Come in and sit for a while; I'll help you seek justice in a moment."

"Hmm~"

Zhou Xiaobai entered the room hesitantly; seeing the scattered clothes on the bed, and seeing him shirtless wearing only a sweater, she lowered her head and avoided his gaze.

"Find a place to sit; I'll take a bath first; I've already let the hot water run."

"Uh... okay."

Zhou Xiaobai agreed hesitantly, but when she turned back, she saw Li Xuewu take off his sweater again, revealing his muscular chest covered in scars.

She wanted to hide again, but found that Li Xuewu had already turned and gone to the bathroom, not caring about her presence at all.

Looking at the clothes on the bed and listening to the sound from the bathroom, the blush on Zhou Xiaobai's face spread to her earlobes.

Although very shy, she felt a little joy at Li Xuewu's frankness.

Bending her knees slightly, she carefully pinched Li Xuewu's clothes and tentatively looked toward the bathroom.

Seeing no movement, she began to move like a little deer.

First, she neatly folded the clothes he had worn today, and then placed the clothes Li Xuewu had taken out to wear tomorrow by the head of the bed.

After tidying up, she hesitated and walked to the door, gathered her courage, and pushed open the bathroom door.

"I... I'll help you scrub your back~"

Breakfast was very simple; they didn't eat together at one table; whoever got up first ate first.

Li Xuewu came down with Zhou Xiaobai; everyone just assumed they met by chance and didn't care.

Peng Xiaoli had long helped prepare breakfast; as soon as they appeared, he served it.

Zhou Xiaobai was still unaccustomed to his service; although there were service personnel at home, it hadn't reached the point of helping her prepare breakfast and pick up chopsticks.

But seeing Li Xuewu busy looking at the materials Peng Xiaoli had prepared, and Peng Xiaoli reporting, she had to thank him softly.

"The focus of the negotiation is still on engineering and equipment."

Peng Xiaoli smiled and responded to her, then continued to introduce the plan brought out by the shipyard to Li Xuewu, who was eating and looking at the materials.

"Regarding equipment investment and manpower investment, Jilixing also has requirements; they want to build a more perfect manufacturing team."

He sat beside Zhou Xiaobai and told Li Xuewu, who was eating and looking at the materials diagonally opposite, the core requirements of the other side, then waited for Li Xuewu's instructions.

"Not very realistic, but can be considered."

Li Xuewu took a sip of porridge, raised his head to look at Peng Xiaoli, and said: "Coordinate with the shipyard to see how much material and manpower they can provide."

"Also!"

He pointed to the file in his hand and exhorted: "Don't just listen to what the Jilixing people say; have your own ideas; it's us building the ships, not them!"

"Understood."

Peng Xiaoli took notes, put away the file opposite, and then put another file over, saying: "Work report submitted by the shipyard's security department."

Seeing Li Xuewu only glance at it, he reported softly: "It's mainly about personnel and management systems."

"What does Director Xu mean?"

Li Xuewu looked at him while holding the porridge bowl and said: "If it's a work report, follow the procedure; if it's a work plan, put it in next year's plan book."

As he spoke, he put down the porridge bowl and picked up his chopsticks, saying: "Why submit this at this time?"

"Director Xu's meaning is that we can transfer a security cadre from the Steel Mill's security office to build it as a whole."

Peng Xiaoli tentatively looked at Li Xuewu's expression; seeing him become serious, he said carefully: "Personnel is secondary; it's mainly the system."

He was able to grasp the key points and understood Li Xuewu's worries, which was why he put the office system that the factory had been promoting at the center of the topic.

"Director Xu intends to fully implement the Steel Mill's office management system in the shipyard, but current work is relatively difficult and needs the factory's help."

"System problems can be solved through the Commission Office~"

Li Xuewu watched Zhou Xiaobai break half a steamed bun and hand it to him, so he took it.

"Transferring security cadres still has certain drawbacks; it will create an impression of distrust toward the team."

Although he said so, he also knew Xu Si's difficulty here.

Compared to the complex situation of the Steelworks at the beginning, the shipyard was more prominent.

Xu Si intended to strengthen his own authority and was bound to grasp the security department in his own hands.

Li Xuewu supported his work, but "distant water cannot quench near thirst"; the shipyard's security department had many connections with local relations and was not easy to handle.

If Xu Si were to be this security section chief, he would naturally have the energy to deal with these people and things.

But after all, he had to control the overall situation and connect the inside and outside; where would he have the energy and time to specifically target one department?

So what should be said must be said, what should be understood must be understood, and what should be helped must be helped.

"Who does Director Xu want?"

Li Xuewu took a bite of the bun and used his chopsticks to pick up some pickles.

Peng Xiaoli was asked this question; he hesitated first, then answered: "Director Xu said... Li Kezhang Sha would be fine."

"..."

Li Xuewu's chopsticks, which were picking up pickles, paused; he looked at Peng Xiaoli speechlessly and said: "Would be fine? Do you want Deputy Team Leader Yu to follow over too?"

Peng Xiaoli also felt embarrassed, but when Director Xu communicated with him, that's what he said; what could he do?

The leader had ideas about Li Kezhang Sha's appointment; he was currently the Deputy Director of the Security Group's Comprehensive Office, but he was also concurrently holding the work of the Director of the Foreign Affairs Office.

Only waiting for the foreign-related work to end, or for foreign trade work to get on the right track, Li Kezhang Sha might be transferred to the Trade Office.

According to what Peng Xiaoli understood, the three directors of the Trade Office were Zhuang Cangshu in Jinmen, Cen Fuyao in Steel City, and Lv Peizhong and Jin Yaohui in Jingcheng.

These people were at least at the deputy section level; Li Kezhang Sha's next arrangement should be to go to Jinmen or Steel City to serve as a deputy director at the section level.

The Trade Office was currently in a period of development, and it was also a time to create achievements; as long as one grasped the opportunity, soaring to the sky was possible.

Importantly, after honing for a few years in the position of deputy director, taking over as director could solve the problem of the deputy section level.

If he were really in the position of the Commission Office, who knows how many years he would have to endure to solve it.

"Put this matter aside for now; we'll study it after we go back; handle the negotiation matter first."

"Okay, leader."

Peng Xiaoli tidied up the files on the table, nodded, and went outside the restaurant to find Xu Si.

Li Xuewu ate a bite of the bun, saw Zhou Xiaobai sizing him up, and smiled: "What are you looking at me for?"

"Hehe~"

Zhou Xiaobai laughed and said: "Seeing you so serious when working, you have a lot of charm."

"Is that so?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said to her: "Then I'll have to work seriously in the future."

"Hmm! ~"

Zhou Xiaobai nodded and said: "Men must have a career; only then can they show their true colors."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "Since you said so, I'll tell the cadres in the factory later that only men who work seriously have the most charm."

"Oh~ don't make fun of me~"

Zhou Xiaobai slapped the back of his hand embarrassedly and said coquettishly: "I'm not your colleague; you can't say that."

"So that was a lie?"

Li Xuewu teased her: "It seems you were deliberately fooling me~"

"That's not it~"

Zhou Xiaobai looked at Li Xuewu shyly and said: "You were indeed very charming just now, very domineering, the kind with a lot of charisma."

"Ah~"

Li Xuewu nodded, with an expression of "I know," looked at Zhou Xiaobai, and said: "You like the domineering kind, the strong kind~"

"That's not it either~"

Zhou Xiaobai lowered her head shyly and whispered: "It's just that you were just right~"

"Hahaha~"

Li Xuewu smiled, finished his breakfast, knocked on the table in front of Zhou Xiaobai, and said: "I'm going to seriously show my charm; you can act freely; remember to come back for lunch."

"Okay~"

Zhou Xiaobai stood up full of energy, took the initiative to help Li Xuewu tidy up the bowls and chopsticks, and urged him to get busy with work.

"You go get busy; I'll tidy up..."

"Yo~ who are you talking to~"

She didn't notice, thinking Li Xuewu was still standing beside her, but it was Luo Yun's voice that came.

Luo Yun was full of mischievous smiles, deliberately teasing: "I said I just arrived, but you told me to get busy; what am I busy with?"

"Ah~"

Zhou Xiaobai blushed and pushed her, pouting: "It's all your fault!"

Luo Yun glared and deliberately teased: "Killing the donkey after it crosses the bridge, huh!"

"You wouldn't dismantle the bridge after crossing the river, would you?"

Liu Zhaolun and the three blocked Li Xuewu in the corridor and pulled him into the small meeting room.

Gao Yaqin blocked the door; all three looked somewhat exhausted, it seemed they hadn't slept well last night.

Zhou Gancheng had bloodshot eyes, obviously having stayed up all night, and his whole body exuded the smell of smoke, like smoked meat.

"Deputy Director Li, I'm serious!"

Seeing Li Xuewu didn't answer, Liu Zhaolun became anxious; he stared and said: "The phone call was made, the matter was handled; now that something happened, you wouldn't..."

"Wouldn't what?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, stood in the room and scanned the three, asking: "When did I say I would dismantle the bridge?"

"Then..."

Liu Zhaolun frowned, looked at Li Xuewu, and asked: "Your plan now... still needs to continue?"

"That goes without saying!"

Li Xuewu turned around, looked at Gao Yaqin, and asked: "Li Kezhang Gao, what do you think?"

"..."

Gao Yaqin looked at Li Xuewu speechlessly, knowing that this kid was playing tricks again.

It was like this on the ship; he was always good at playing the "divide and conquer" game.

The three who were originally together had become like this after he beat and sold them; how could they not understand his routine?

But now that Li Xuewu asked, she could only grit her teeth and say affirmatively: "As long as you do what you say, I will never break my promise."

"Good!"

Li Xuewu shouted a "good" loudly, then looked at Zhou Gancheng and asked: "Li Kezhang Zhou, Yu Daru went to find you last night, right? How was it?"

Zhou Gancheng sat in the chair, listening to his question, not knowing how to answer, just raised both hands to cover his face.

Maybe it wasn't handled carefully after going back, plus staying up all night, the bump on his forehead was even bigger.

"You can go to the 'one-third of an acre' in the East City to inquire; I am the most honest person!"

Li Xuewu said solemnly: "Who doesn't say 'benevolence' and 'loyalty' when doing things with me!"

"Do you believe him?"

"Don't know."

Zhou Gancheng raised his head, looked at Li Xuewu, sighed, and said: "I don't know who to believe anymore."

"I won't force you; the path was chosen by yourself!"

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said: "Yu Daru and the others can betray me, and even come to Yingcheng to wait for me, which just means they are at their wit's end."

"It doesn't matter how you choose; anyway, I don't trust him, and I won't give him any damn chance."

Saying this, Li Xuewu put his hands in his pockets, glanced at the other two, and said: "If you want to play, play to the end; I absolutely won't let go until I kill a few."

"Deputy Director Li!"

Liu Zhaolun stood up and called to Li Xuewu: "We will cooperate with whatever needs to be done, but please finish the project negotiation as soon as possible and return to Jinmen!"

"Good~"

Li Xuewu sized him up, turned his head to look at Gao Yaqin, and asked: "Li Kezhang Gao, what do you think?"

Gao Yaqin sized up Li Xuewu; although she felt a heartache about giving up the supervision of this project, there was more urgent work at hand, so she could only nod: "I agree."

"That's good; I'll coordinate the matter here."

Li Xuewu nodded and promised: "Once the project negotiation is completed, we will return to Jinmen immediately."

As he was leaving, he even reminded the silent Zhou Gancheng: "Once you are at the gambling table, you must have the awareness to 'bet and leave'; otherwise, you won't please either side."

After saying this, he didn't care about the three anymore and went out to the meeting place.

Liu Zhaolun's brow was knotted; he looked at Zhou Gancheng and asked suspiciously: "Old Zhou, you wouldn't pull the ladder at this time, would you!"

Gao Yaqin also glanced at him, her tone somewhat impatient: "Do you think he's that stupid?"

After saying this, she turned sideways, signaled outside the door, and said: "Go do what you have to do; you are all men, you can't be more confused than me."

After mocking them, she also went out, as if she disdained to be with them.

Liu Zhaolun couldn't be bothered to pay attention to her; he rubbed his eyes hard, then rubbed his face, and said: "Let's go, Old Zhou; people are already shouting 'bet and leave'; if you hesitate again, be careful of losing the chips on the table."

Zhou Gancheng waited for Liu Zhaolun to leave before sitting there thinking for five minutes, then dragged his exhausted body out the door.

According to Li Xuewu's plan, Gao Yaqin reported her assessment and judgment of the project to the foreign economic and trade team in Jinmen, and also provided feedback and explanation to the higher-ups.

The opinion was to disagree with the Steel Mill's foreign business activities, for reasons including but not limited to non-economic reporting, foreign affairs risks, insufficient management capacity, and cooperation mechanisms not meeting regulations.

Liu Zhaolun, through a phone call, directly provided feedback to the leaders above, explaining and opposing this opinion.

In the opinion he gave, he stated that the shipyard had the ability to complete the shipbuilding industry construction, and even more ability to complete the output of foreign shipbuilding capacity.

At the same time, he also refuted Gao Yaqin's point of view, believing that the shipyard's management team was combat-capable, united, and down-to-earth.

Especially the leaders of the Steel Mill, who had a far-sighted development mindset, worthy of affirmation and support.

Following the two, Zhou Gancheng reported the dispute between the Foreign Economic and Trade Ministry and the Ministry of Industry through a phone call and gave his own opinion.

That was to suggest that higher-level forces participate in the resolution sequence of this matter and complete an overwhelming handling as soon as possible.

The three of them shook the phones one after another in the phone room, telling lies without blinking, each more professional than the last.

This plan was done very ruthlessly; three-way diversion, contradiction transfer, and possessed counterattack capability.

Now they were just waiting for the person who was anxious to take the bait; whether Li Xuewu would choose to kill with one stick or tease like a cat playing with a mouse, they couldn't control it anymore.

Clearly knowing that cooperating with Li Xuewu was no different from "skinning a tiger for its hide" or "dancing with wolves," but all three of them had no way out now and could only walk down one path to the dark.

Now they were not only deceiving the person behind the scenes, but in order to protect themselves, they were even deceiving the team in Jinmen and the leaders above.

Deliberately creating contradictions, deliberately transferring contradictions; two ministries were involved, and the sharp sword originally intended to strike Li Xuewu was entangled together; naturally, someone had to come out to untangle the contradictions.

And at this time, Li Xuewu only needed to stare at whoever stood out first and destroy them directly.

He didn't need to care if the person who stood out was really the Huang Silang behind the scenes; Huang Silang didn't understand how "he" died until he died.

Li Xuewu didn't need to really find Huang Silang; he only needed to kill the Huang Silang that everyone thought was him.

As for the person behind the scenes...

That was naturally whoever was the most anxious, whoever was the most eager to clean up the tail.

Even their own tail had to be cleaned up; what ability did they have to stand in the circle?

Li Xuewu didn't need to take action; naturally, someone would use this wind to clean them up.

Now all that was missing was Li Xuewu lighting the first fire; he didn't need to determine who to burn; naturally, someone would help him send the person behind the scenes to the stake.

In the morning, the shipyard coordinated several parties to continue the office meeting from last night; at the beginning, both sides were still arguing endlessly.

But when Li Xuewu began to speak, everyone chose to shut up.

They knew who could make the decision; their arguing had no meaning.

Li Xuewu first affirmed David's design ideas and contributions to development, and then specifically praised the advanced nature and responsible attitude of the shipyard's engineering team.

Finally... ===== CHAPTER 977 =====