Chapter 977: Too Funny!

"I suggest the shipyard designate the No. 3 dock as the dedicated dock for yacht engineering construction."

Li Xuewu raised his hand to signal the Chief Engineer of the Jilixing Company and said: "According to the letter of intent, it will be handed over to David's team to be responsible for design and transformation."

"And regarding project management, my opinion is to insist on self-reliance, insist on overall planning, and insist on collective leadership."

His voice was very loud, and his serious aura carried its own pressure; one could tell from the attitude of everyone at the scene that his words were very convincing.

"Insist on scientific and technological innovation, insist on self-reliance, arduous struggle, establish a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development view, and promote the comprehensive development of the whole factory's production and ideological work."

Li Xuewu spoke with a serious attitude: "The current development situation can be described as 'pioneering through brambles and thorns,' having experienced wind and frost, and furthermore, time waits for no one; it is urgent!"

"Contending for a moment is not as good as contending for a thousand autumns; contending for a thousand autumns and not contending for a moment..."

On December 31, 1966, Comrade Li Xuewu, Deputy Director of the Management Committee Office and Deputy Team Leader of the Security Group of the Red Star Steel Mill, led a team to conduct research at Yingcheng Shipyard.

And together with representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Economic and Trade Ministry, and Foreign Affairs Ministry, he participated in the overall planning work of the two-way OEM trade agreement between Red Star Steel Mill and Italy's Jilixing Yacht Manufacturing Company.

At the overall planning work meeting, Comrade Li Xuewu gave an important speech titled "On Insisting on Self-Reliance, Arduous Entrepreneurship, and Insisting on Establishing a Scientific and Technological Development View."

The speech pointed out: All organs, departments, branch factories, offices, and other branches of the whole factory should, according to the requirements of "overall planning for supply and demand development, overall planning for production development, overall planning for joint trade economic development, overall planning for the whole factory's employees and organs and all departments to work together for common development, overall planning for the Steel Mill and various joint enterprises to work together for mutual benefit and win-win," solidly promote the methodology for the reform and development of all work and undertakings of the whole factory—the Scientific and Technological Development View.

This was the first time Red Star Steel Mill had determined and formally issued a guiding document for reform work in the new era in the form of a file, and it was also a major strategic thought for Red Star Steel Mill to deal with the challenges and major opportunities of the new era.

The meeting finally determined that Red Star Steel Mill and Italy's Jilixing Yacht Manufacturing Company would sign the final cooperation agreement at the Red Star Trade Management Center in Jinmen on December 31, 1966.

With the final determination of the two-way OEM trade agreement, the Italian brand Jilixing Yacht would officially settle in Yingcheng Shipyard.

This marked that Red Star Steel Mill had achieved new progress and another victory in the reform of shedding excess capacity and reconstructing a healthy production system.

According to the agreement, the Jilixing brand would send one project deputy manager, one chief engineer, seven shipbuilding engineers, and seventy technicians to form a technical guidance team.

Yingcheng Shipyard would send one project manager, two deputy chief engineers, three shipbuilding engineers, and two hundred technicians to form a technical production team.

This team would form the Yingcheng Shipyard Jilixing Yacht Project Technical Management Team together with the Jilixing team...

On the last day of 1966, Zhou Xiaobai only felt particularly fulfilled and particularly beautiful.

Because she had good sisters by her side, new friends accompanying her, and even more so, the person she liked before her eyes.

As accompanying service personnel, Zhou Miaomiao and the others boarded the yacht first under Peng Xiaoli's arrangement.

They stood at the portholes of the ship's side, looking at the team seeing them off on the wharf, their hearts hard to calm down from excitement and worship.

At this moment, whether it was Zhou Miaomiao, who had already started working, or Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun, who were wasting time in the club, they all had a new understanding of power.

Just as everyone on the wharf was exchanging pleasantries, more than a dozen young clerks led by Secretary Xiao Liu of Director Xu moved large boxes onto the ship.

Seeing that they were sealed very tightly, and asking the accompanying Peng Xiaoli, they learned that it was local specialties sent by Director Xu to the leader.

Zhou Miaomiao looked at the outer packaging boxes with some curiosity and suddenly had an absurd feeling.

The boxes didn't contain anything else; they were the Yingcheng specialties she had specially bought to give to Li Xuewu when she went shopping yesterday.

The difference was that she had bought many kinds and one bag could hold them, while Director Xu's had to be loaded by the ship.

This was really somewhat embarrassing; Zhou Miaomiao really didn't understand this; it turned out that the interaction and interaction between leaders was so "plain and unadorned."

Only until this moment did she understand the meaning behind Li Xuewu's smile when he received her local specialty gift last night.

It wasn't that leaders on business trips didn't have time to buy local specialties for their families and friends, but that they didn't need to spend time doing these things.

As long as leaders could provide more support to branch factories and branch institutions in terms of business or policy, then these things were not a matter at all.

After inner emotion, looking at Li Xuewu, who was being surrounded by shipyard cadres and coming onto the ship on the wharf, her thoughts were thousands, and her mood could no longer be calm.

Seeing her stop talking after asking, Zhou Xiaobai looked outside with some surprise, only to find that she was looking at the team boarding the ship.

"Very imposing, right~"

Zhou Miaomiao had already discovered Zhou Xiaobai's attention, turned to Zhou Xiaobai and smiled slightly: "This is the beauty of power."

Zhou Xiaobai didn't quite understand and pursed her lips; it wasn't that she didn't understand the sentence, but that she didn't understand Zhou Miaomiao's obsession with power.

She had seen plenty of such imposing manners at her father's place, and she didn't feel there was anything beautiful about it.

Instead, in her cognition, her father was always trapped by work, trapped by these displays.

There were people watching him all day, not to mention that going out to take a car or eat a meal was news.

If one was slightly careless, said a wrong word, or did a wrong thing, it could affect many people.

Even those cadres around Li Xuewu, she didn't feel there was anything good about them.

Her father also had such "sycophants" around him; they would praise you to the heavens with their mouths, but who knows how they would talk about you behind your back.

Now, because of her father's work position, he possessed the ability to allocate resources, but what if one day he lost these?

Zhou Xiaobai could guarantee that these people would slip away faster than a rabbit; by then, who would praise her, or praise her father?

For such "beauty," she hadn't heard her father boast about it, only complaining at home that people were hard to be, and officials were even harder to be.

Looking at the longing and envy flashing in Zhou Miaomiao's eyes, Zhou Xiaobai only felt it was absurd.

After getting along for these two days, from what others said, she learned a little about Zhou Miaomiao's identity, and even more so, from that night in Jinmen, she knew about her abnormal relationship with that Director Li.

This really corresponded to her father's words: some people, in order to advance, really would do anything.

Body, health, reputation, and even risking their lives; in order to gain power, they were even willing to trade their souls with the devil.

And when one day they really gained power, they found that they were already "medicine jars," poisoned in five ways, politically and physically critically ill, and couldn't enjoy anything; what for?

Zhou Xiaobai didn't quite understand, but she wouldn't bluntly tell Zhou Miaomiao the thoughts in her heart.

In Luo Yun's eyes, she might be young and inexperienced, or naive and confused, but were there any children raised in that kind of family who were confused?

For life experiences or playing, they might have interests different from ordinary people, but when they really returned to the fields that belonged to them, these resources that ordinary people couldn't reach were actually their ordinary lives.

The people seeing them off finally shook hands with Li Xuewu and the others one last time; accompanied by Director Xu Si, Li Xuewu boarded the yacht.

After the ship sounded its whistle, it slowly set sail; the cadres seeing them off on the wharf waved goodbye, and Li Xuewu and the others stood at the bow and waved goodbye.

Far apart, the crowd entered the cabin; Zhou Xiaobai and the others took the initiative to help them brew tea, while Peng Xiaoli and Xiao Liu were busy tidying up the overcoats for the leaders.

The temperature inside the cabin was suitable; Li Xuewu only wore a sweater and greeted everyone to sit on the sofa.

Andrew was somewhat unaccustomed to the shipyard's farewell scene and had boarded the ship early.

He came out to greet everyone and then returned to his room to rest.

Li Xuewu really didn't stand on ceremony, just treated the living room as his own home and called everyone to drink tea and chat together.

Zhou Xiaobai and the three hid in the corner after finishing their service and chatted and laughed in low voices.

Young people always lack persistent attention to troubles and sorrows, as if no amount of trouble can withstand the nature of forgetting as soon as they turn around.

"Seeing you with peach blossoms on your face, is there any happy event?"

Luo Yun saw Zhou Xiaobai carefully putting away the leather jacket, narrowed her eyes slightly, and said: "Could it be that you were really bought by someone's money offensive?"

"That sounds so ugly~"

Zhou Xiaobai pouted in dissatisfaction: "It's just that I got it; didn't you buy it?"

"Can that be the same?"

Luo Yun blinked her eyes and teased: "I didn't have the chance to 'serve in bed' last night~"

"Ah! You're still saying it!"

Zhou Xiaobai complained in a low voice angrily: "I haven't settled this account with you yet, but you're provoking me first!"

"Settle what? Thank me?"

Luo Yun said amusingly: "Without us helping you, maybe you would still be tossing and turning, unable to sleep all night~"

"Go away~ I wouldn't~"

Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes and pouted: "You are just bad, just unreasonable~"

Luo Yun pouted and said: "I ask you, that matter that didn't succeed last time, did it succeed this time?"

"What are you saying~"

Zhou Xiaobai blushed and pretended to be confused, resisting: "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Hmm~ hmm~ pretend! Keep pretending!"

Luo Yun signaled to Zhou Miaomiao and said: "Neither Miaomiao nor I saw you come back; and you still say you're innocent?"

"I am innocent~"

Zhou Xiaobai pouted: "Don't use your filthy thoughts to measure my bottom line and standards, and don't underestimate his good character."

"Oh~ character~"

Luo Yun secretly pointed at Li Xuewu, who was chatting and laughing on the sofa, and asked Zhou Xiaobai: "If your character is good, tell me what kind of person would use a cup to smash someone?"

Seeing Zhou Xiaobai didn't speak, Luo Yun looked at Zhou Miaomiao and asked: "Sister Miaomiao, what do you say?"

"Me?"

Zhou Miaomiao glanced at her amusingly and signaled to the sofa: "Don't you know he is my leader?"

"Pfft~ hypocritical~"

Luo Yun muttered, then said unconvinced: "He is not your direct leader; what are you afraid of?"

"Who told you he is not my direct leader?"

Zhou Miaomiao glanced at her and then explained seriously: "He is the Deputy Director of the Management Committee Office, a leading cadre responsible for coordinating the work of the whole factory, especially propaganda, especially us; he is our supervising leader."

"Eww~ he manages quite broadly~"

Luo Yun pouted somewhat unexpectedly, signaled to Li Xuewu, and asked: "Is he the kind who is particularly serious in your factory, or the kind who is a 'good old man'?"

"What do you think?"

Zhou Miaomiao smiled slightly and asked back; she wouldn't answer this little girl's question; this girl had too many "heart eyes."

You say she is still a little girl?

But she came out to play with Li Xuewu; can you guarantee that if you said your evaluation of Li Xuewu, she wouldn't go and tell Li Xuewu later?

"I think he is quite terrifying~"

Luo Yun pouted and evaluated: "Just looking at his face, you know he is not a good person; the first time I saw him, I didn't even dare to talk to him."

"You're just talking nonsense!"

Zhou Xiaobai pouted: "The first time we met, it was clearly you who took the initiative to talk to Li Ge, and you're still saying this here."

"How come I don't remember?"

Luo Yun reversed the blame: "Wasn't it you who took the initiative to talk to Li Ge?"

"Go away~"

Zhou Xiaobai pouted: "You just like to find fault; I won't bring you out to play next time~"

"Yo~ yo~ yo~"

Luo Yun teased amusingly: "This is already protecting him; are you really together?"

"Li Ge is a decent person."

Zhou Xiaobai said very seriously: "He is a good person, a person worthy of trust and entrustment."

Luo Yun didn't believe it and asked in a low voice: "So he held you and slept for a night, and didn't do anything?"

"Then you have to be careful!"

She shook her head meaningfully and pouted: "Either he can't, or he thinks you can't, or he has a bigger plan."

"This is called 'measuring a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart'!"

Seeing her say this, Zhou Xiaobai couldn't bear it for her sweetheart, and directly retorted, making Luo Yun so angry that she wanted to tickle her.

Zhou Miaomiao stood on the side watching the fun and just smiled, but in her heart, she was thinking about Zhou Xiaobai's words.

Deputy Director Li looked full of "bandit spirit," acting domineering and majestic, but he was so gentle and considerate toward women.

If... if Li Xuewu... or Li Huai De had as much "emotional appeal" as Li Xuewu, it would be great.

"What are you talking about?!"

Perhaps Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun were making too much noise, disturbing the conversation on the sofa side.

Li Xuewu looked back at them, saw that they were all blushing, and beckoned them over.

Zhou Xiaobai's face was even redder now; she pushed Luo Yun embarrassedly, but still followed Li Xuewu's intention and went to the sofa side with them.

At this moment, sitting in the living room were Li Xuewu, Xu Si, Xia Zhongquan, and other cadres from the Steel Mill, as well as accompanying cadres from the Ministry like Zhou Gancheng, Liu Zhaolun, and Gao Yaqin.

Actually, Liu Zhaolun and the three wanted to talk to Li Xuewu alone; he was always a bit worried.

But Xu Si followed the ship to Jinmen, and the accompanying cadres from the Steel Mill chatted non-stop after boarding, so they didn't have a chance to interrupt.

Now three more girls came, which meant Li Xuewu really didn't want to talk to them about that plan.

Li Xuewu gave up the sofa seat beside him to Zhou Xiaobai, and Peng Xiaoli and Xiao Liu moved chairs for Luo Yun and Zhou Miaomiao.

Very casually, after they sat down, Li Xuewu took the initiative to introduce the identities of the three to the leaders in the living room.

Zhou Miaomiao was the head of the factory's dance troupe; some cadres from the Steel Mill knew her, and some didn't.

She introduced herself very generously and thanked Li Xuewu for bringing her to Yingcheng.

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling her not to be restrained; everyone had drunk a lot of wine at the lunch banquet, and there was a smell of alcohol in the living room at this moment.

Andrew, don't look at how he was bustling about; he actually couldn't drink much; Li Xuewu exerted a little effort, and this "old guy" became dizzy.

He told Zhou Miaomiao to just treat it as a casual chat and not to care too much about the rules.

When introducing Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun, Li Xuewu only said they were the younger sisters of club classmates and also from the "big courtyard."

Just this simple introduction, no need to be too detailed, everyone understood the identities of the two.

Compared to Zhou Miaomiao's formality, Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun's self-introductions were somewhat casual, also lacking social interaction experience.

With Li Xuewu here, these people didn't care; some praised, some asked, exchanged pleasantries, and the atmosphere became heated again.

Li Xuewu smiled and asked Zhou Xiaobai beside him: "I saw you chatting happily just now; tell me, what were you chatting about?"

"Chatting..."

Zhou Xiaobai straightened her body, just wanted to speak, but hesitated again.

She couldn't say they were chatting about "male-female relationships," or chatting about the relationship between the two of them.

Luo Yun looked at her teasingly, just waiting to see how she would answer this question.

Zhou Miaomiao also looked at this side interestingly; she knew what the two were chatting about just now.

Zhou Xiaobai scanned the crowd looking over and said with a slightly red face: "Chatting about how you don't forget your original intention and insist on your essence in the process of exercising your power."

Everyone: "..."

"???"

Luo Yun looked at Zhou Xiaobai speechlessly, not expecting her to be so mischievous, actually being able to pull the topic to this.

Zhou Miaomiao was also completely confused; were they chatting about this just now?

Who said this girl was naive!

With just one answer, she raised the atmosphere in the living room to a new height.

Look at the cadres who were a bit "loose" because they had drunk wine; they all sat up straight and put on a "gentlemanly" appearance.

Who could refuse recognition from a young girl?

Li Xuewu looked at Zhou Xiaobai amusingly and asked: "Have your casual chats already become so high-end?"

"What's high-end is not the topic, but the environment."

Zhou Xiaobai looked at him and smiled: "Because sitting here are all high-end cadres, so what we chat about can only be high-end topics."

"Ahem~"

Xu Si coughed lightly, nodded at Zhou Xiaobai, and said: "Still Comrade Xiaobai has a unique vision; you saw our essence at a glance; amazing!"

"Heh~"

Li Xuewu looked at him amusingly, then looked at Zhou Xiaobai, and said: "Don't play smart!"

After saying this, he took a sip of tea and continued to ask: "Did you chat out any insights?"

"No~"

Zhou Xiaobai looked at Luo Yun and pouted: "Luo Yun is just messing around; I said I wanted to come and ask you, but she wouldn't let me."

"Hmm???"

Luo Yun raised her eyebrows; she thought, "Little sister, don't be ungrateful when you say this!"

I didn't stop you from asking him this question!

Sister! I didn't want you to come and complain to him!

Zhou Xiaobai didn't care about her threatening gaze, scanned the thoughtful Zhou Miaomiao, and asked Li Xuewu: "Li Ge, tell us about it."

"Yes, Deputy Director Li."

Xu Si started the commotion and nodded: "Hurry up and tell us how you remained unswerving and didn't forget your original intention in the torrent of officialdom."

"Yes, tell us~"

Xu Si was playing bad and starting the commotion; Gao Yaqin, who didn't like Li Xuewu, also took the initiative to say: "Director Li is young and promising; compared to us, he must have more insights; tell us so we can learn."

Luo Yun leaned beside him and smiled: "Just treat it as giving a lesson to me and Xiaobai~"

"Did you pay tuition?"

Li Xuewu looked at Xu Si starting the commotion, and others following the laughter, especially Luo Yun and the others.

He smiled and said this to her, then rubbed Zhou Xiaobai's head and said: "You really are good at helping with trouble~"

"Hehe~"

Zhou Xiaobai covered her mouth and giggled, then nodded seriously: "Luo Yun and I both want to learn."

"Good, then I'll tell you!"

Li Xuewu was also "forced onto the duck's back," giving a political lesson for the first time, and there were so many bad colleagues eavesdropping.

But eavesdropping is eavesdropping; Li Xuewu didn't intend to let them go.

Just think, what did he do that was purely aimed at one direction? If he didn't pull two or three people to be cushions, it would be a waste of his "honeycomb coal-like" heart.

"First of all, we must talk about an objective fact!"

Li Xuewu said half-seriously and half-jokingly: "This world is unfair; for example, some people live in wealthy areas, and some live in barren lands; it's like this from birth, and life is also like this."

"Let's talk about the obstacles to power."

He smiled and asked Zhou Xiaobai: "Who is the biggest obstacle to our obtaining power?"

"It's not others; it's yourself!"

Without waiting for Zhou Xiaobai to answer, and without waiting for everyone to think more, he just paused for a few seconds and lectured: "In our work, in the planning of our career, we generally set limits for ourselves."

"Think carefully, after you started working, what goals did you set for yourself?"

What goals?

Hearing him say this, everyone asked themselves this question in their hearts.

Maybe, from the beginning, they hadn't thought about what kind of achievements they wanted to reach in the future.

So they walked with their heads down too much; when they raised their heads to look at the surrounding environment, they became confused and at a loss.

Even if they wanted to find a direction to move forward, it seemed to have become extremely difficult.

Li Xuewu took a sip of tea and gave everyone a few minutes to think.

Just when some people had figured it out and were nodding secretly, he continued: "People who possess power generally possess seven traits."

He counted with his fingers:

"First, ambition."

"Second, infinite energy."

"Third, focus on doing things."

"Fourth, full of confidence."

"Fifth, possess the ability of self-reflection."

"Sixth, possess the ability of empathy."

"Seventh, possess the ability to face conflict."

As soon as this was said, only the sound of the ship's machinery and the wind outside the cabin remained in the living room.

Everyone was comparing themselves to these seven standards to see if they possessed these qualities.

After comparing, they looked at others in the living room, thinking about whether the other party possessed these qualities.

And at the end of the comparison, everyone's gaze fell on Li Xuewu.

Young and promising, absolutely not lacking in ambition.

Healthy body, absolutely not lacking in energy for struggle.

Harmonious family, even more not lacking in conditions for focus.

Deep background, also not lacking in confidence and determination to do things.

As for the remaining three abilities, from this handling of the trade negotiation and the influence of the forces behind the scenes, everyone had experienced Li Xuewu's excellence.

Self-reflection, empathy, proper handling of affairs, and fearlessness in the face of danger.

If it weren't for this occasion, if it weren't for the fact that things were right before their eyes and everyone had insights, they would have wondered if Li Xuewu was bragging.

"Then... how to obtain power?"

Zhou Xiaobai looked at Li Xuewu blankly and asked: "Possess goals, cultivate qualities, and then through effort?"

"Half and half."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "Half depends on effort, half depends on calculation."

After saying this sentence, ignoring Zhou Xiaobai's surprised eyes, he asked Xu Si: "Isn't that right, Director Xu?"

"Why ask me!!"

Xu Si smiled and waved his hand: "I've walked to today walking on thin ice, step by step, all relying on effort; I've never calculated!"

"Hahaha~"

Everyone in the room naturally knew their own situations; how could they believe Xu Si's words?

But while laughing at Xu Si, they were also reflecting on themselves; wasn't this also a mockery of their own past?

"Then how to calculate?"

Luo Yun dared to ask; she was a young girl and hadn't started working, so no one would blame her for being curious.

Li Xuewu looked at her and said: "The first step, become the most eye-catching one."

"And then?"

Luo Yun was confident she could do this; with her open and generous personality, and a background that wasn't ordinary, she was also a leader in her small circle.

"Then it is to acquire resources."

Li Xuewu patted her thigh and pointed to the cigarette case on the tea table.

Luo Yun very "sycophantically" took the initiative to help him light the cigarette, as if she were very keen on climbing power.

Li Xuewu puffed on the cigarette and continued: "Because whoever possesses resources possesses power."

"For example, now!"

He shook the cigarette in his hand and lectured Luo Yun: "You want to acquire knowledge from me, so you have to obey my command; this is called resources and power."

"Ah?!"

Luo Yun looked at the cigarette in Li Xuewu's hand in surprise: "It's already started?"

Look at Luo Yun taking the initiative to curry favor with Li Xuewu, serving him to get him to say more; actually, it was just a temporary interest.

Those who really took Li Xuewu's words to heart and wrote them in their notebooks were actually the secretaries standing in the corner of the living room.

"The third step, weave relationships; this is the eternal way to maintain power."

Li Xuewu pointed to everyone in the room and said to Luo Yun: "If you get everyone's contact information, and keep in touch often, maintaining friendship, in the future, they will be your relationships."

"Yes~"

Luo Yun widened her eyes and looked at everyone in the room; that eager and straightforward gaze made several leaders laugh out loud.

She really had the intention to put it into action, making Zhou Xiaobai pull her hard, not letting her make a fool of herself.

Li Xuewu patted Zhou Xiaobai's hand, signaling it didn't matter, and continued: "The fourth step is to act and speak."

"What do you mean?"

He puffed on his cigarette and explained: "You might be an introverted person, but you have to force yourself to appear extroverted; you must be good at communication and exchange."

"Speak, is to bravely say what you have done, and even more so, express your opinions through reasonable ways and methods, letting others hear your voice."

"For example, you, Luo Yun,"

Li Xuewu looked at her and said: "If you want to be the Security Section Chief of the club, you have to show your serious and responsible side, and you have to tell the person in charge about your performance."

"I know!"

Luo Yun's eyes lit up; she pointed at Zhou Xiaobai and said in surprise: "No wonder Zhao Lao Si performs so actively every time Li Ge comes to the club, and even takes the initiative to go over and curry favor!"

"Go~"

Li Xuewu patted her and taught: "Correctly understand my meaning; I'm not teaching you to do bad things."

"The fifth step,"

He pointed to Luo Yun's thigh, who was sitting on the armrest of the sofa beside him, and said: "Win people over with virtue and establish your own good reputation."

"Zhao Lao Si is like this!"

Luo Yun had finally found a teaching benchmark; after reorganizing Li Xuewu's words, she truly realized that there was such a "big toad" hiding in the club

To someone like Zhao Lao Si, these kids who had just started out were nothing but childish fools; he could fool them however he pleased.

Zhou Xiaobai also recalled every step Zhao Dezhu had taken at the club, and it was truly just as Li Ge had said.

"How magical!"

Like Luo Yun, after she figured these things out, she let out an exclamation of surprise.

Hearing their exclamations, the others in the room all gave a carefree laugh; Li Xuewu had stripped the essence of being a cadre completely bare.

Now that they were sitting here, being watched by the staff behind them, it felt as if they weren't wearing any clothes.

Li Xuewu's lecture really wasn't pleasant to hear; it had hooks in it, and damn it, it had traps too!

"Now, let's talk about the steps to turn defeat into victory when encountering difficulties in the workplace."

As soon as Li Xuewu finished saying this, the reactions of everyone in the room varied.

Liu Shaozong and the other two, in particular, looked at Li Xuewu with an especially strange expression.

The meaning was: you've finished mocking the cadres of the Steel Mill, and now you're going to execute us in public, right?!

"First!"

Li Xuewu wouldn't care about their attitude at all; he said to Luo Yun very casually, "Don't give up on yourself!"

"Secondly, continue doing what you are good at."

"Finally, and this is the most critical point!"

Li Xuewu's gaze swept over Liu Shaozong and the other two, and he said with pointed meaning, "Always act as if you are going to win the final victory!"

Damn!

Liu Shaozong really wanted to jump up and curse right now!

This wasn't a public execution; this was spitting in their faces!

This person had no shame, using talk meant for teaching children to point at us!

Can't you see it?!

Looking at Liu Shaozong's wide-eyed stare, Gao Yaqin really wanted to say I can't see it, but you have to give me the opportunity.

You're damn near bulging your eyes out to the size of lightbulbs!

She was also itching with anger at Li Xuewu's mockery and ridicule; it turned out everything he showed on the boat when they arrived was just to fool them.

Now that they were already on the pirate ship, fine, he didn't have to worry about the three of them turning back, and now he was starting to make sarcastic remarks.

This person is truly hateful!

Zhou Gancheng was more realistic than the other two; he was already clutching his forehead, his head starting to ache.

Truly, his head was splitting with pain, and he couldn't tell if Li Xuewu was deliberately playing with them or taking revenge on them.

In any case, his brain's processing speed couldn't keep up with Li Xuewu's rhythm; he only felt that this kid still had many follow-up moves waiting for them.

Haven't I told you now? I was just bluffing; it was all to scare you.

But as long as they showed even the slightest sign of resistance, he would unleash another round of thunderous force, completely cutting off their retreat.

How about that?

By then, he wouldn't even need to fulfill what he promised to give them, because they were the ones who went back on their word first.

If you went to find him, he would surely say: I was just saying that to tease the children; you actually believed that?!

What would you say?

Would you say that you took it seriously when he was teasing children, and you actually believed it?

Wouldn't that be self-inflicted humiliation!

So, just listen to what he says; out of ten sentences, ten might be true, but behind those ten sentences, not a single one is true.

If you take it seriously, you are the biggest fool in the world.

Liu Shaozong hadn't suffered at the hands of this type of person in the Ministry, nor had he seen such a ruthless and black-hearted character, but there were many such rough-and-tumble types at the grassroots level.

Zhou Gancheng had contact with many people and understood a lot; it was truly rare to see someone as full of malice as Li Xuewu.

But it wasn't as if he hadn't seen people with malice in their bellies before.

So, suffering a loss and being fooled once was enough; from now on, whatever Li Xuewu said, he would just treat it as farting!

No! Even farting might be true!

But! Li Xuewu's words must absolutely not be trusted!

Seeing Zhou Gancheng remain silent, Gao Yaqin pondered it in her heart and realized it was the same story.

So, watching Liu Shaozong mutter and stare in exasperation, she just turned her face away helplessly and disdainfully, not wanting to look.

Why?

Because the more she looked, the angrier she got; how did she end up in this state, daring to associate with such people and even engaging in dealings that were like asking a tiger for its skin!

Watching Li Xuewu sitting over there, looking at Liu Shaozong's anger with a wicked smile, Gao Yaqin became even more certain of her inner thoughts.

Where did this little bastard pop out from!

"Hey! There are gains, and there must be losses."

Li Xuewu smiled and blinked, explaining to Luo Yun and the other the costs one must pay for power:

"First, the pressure under a great reputation is not small; this is a psychological burden."

"Secondly, there is the gradual loss of the right to self-restraint and autonomous management."

He pointed at Peng Xiaoli and said, "Now he is my leader, and I have to discuss everything I do every day with him."

Peng Xiaoli laughed dryly and waved his hand, not daring to respond; the leader had killed it in this game today, not leaving a single person in the room out!

Li Xuewu smiled, not minding his performance, patted his own thigh, and sighed, "You also have to sacrifice family and personal life; you spend more time with colleagues than with family."

"Furthermore, in the workplace, not everyone is worth trusting."

Speaking of this, Li Xuewu smiled and waved his hand, gesturing to everyone in the room: "Everyone, don't take it to heart; I'm not talking about you all; I still trust you very much!"

"..."

"Hehe."

Someone echoed with a laugh, but the laughter was somewhat bitter and somewhat absurd.

Listen to that, the biggest joke of the day has arrived!

Did you hear that!

Deputy Director Li says he trusts us!

Too hilarious!

Xu Sinian was biting his teeth hard at this moment, forcing himself not to laugh out loud.

Is there anyone in this world that Li Xuewu can trust?

It's possible there is, but he would bet his life that this person is definitely not on this boat!

Li Xuewu knew his performance wasn't good enough, so he pretended not to see the mocking gazes of the crowd.

"The last point, and also a very helpless one!"

He shook his head slightly and said with regret, "Power has the characteristic of being addictive~"

"Addictive..."

Everyone fell silent again; this bastard was truly remarkable—a few words could make you furious, a few words could leave you speechless, and a few words could make you fall into deep thought.

A person like this deserves to advance!

Zhou Xiaobai felt it deeply; from the moment Li Xuewu started talking about this section, she and Luo Yun stopped talking.

It was only because their fathers and mothers were just like this; if they weren't busy with work and obsessed with power, how could they let them out to run wild?

At home, they were like sheep, with no one to discipline them; they could do whatever they wanted and play whatever they wanted.

She told Li Xuewu that her family knew, but actually, they knew nothing; there wasn't even anyone at home, so who was there to report to?

Her mother had gone down as a member of a working group to support the four clean-ups, and her father had gone to another province to guide work.

So she understood everything Li Xuewu was talking about; she couldn't have been clearer.

She felt a bit emotional at this moment, her mood not very beautiful, and she leaned against Li Xuewu's side in silence.

"Everything has a beginning and an end."

Li Xuewu patted the hand Zhou Xiaobai had placed on his arm and said, "Just as there is the emergence of power, there is the demise of power."

He swept his gaze over the crowd with pointed meaning and said, "Now let's talk about how people lose power."

"First, after possessing power, you will become blindly arrogant, rude, and look down on everything, feeling that everything is taken for granted."

"Second, excessive self-confidence and lack of vigilance."

"Third, you will lose patience."

"Fourth, fatigue will make you lower your guard."

"Fifth, you are quite conceited about your past experience."

"Sixth, you are reluctant to let go of power."

At this moment, outside the cabin, the sunlight had dissipated at some point, and darkness had quietly descended.

Everyone in the living room was still immersed in Li Xuewu's words, unable to extricate themselves.

Li Xuewu also sighed leisurely after finishing these points and said, "It's easier said than done; who can guarantee they won't make mistakes?"

"So~"

He patted Zhou Xiaobai's hand and said, "Take good care of yourself at all times; don't expect fairness and justice."

"Because the excessive pursuit of fairness and justice is, in itself, unfair and unjust."

Under the night sky, the Jinmen Port terminal was exceptionally brilliant, and the lights of the not-so-prosperous city had a unique charm in the darkness.

The yacht arrived at the port on time at five o'clock and, with the help of the shipping staff, slowly docked at the terminal.

Under the lights, Li Xuewu had already seen the figure of Sha Qizhi, the Director of the Foreign Affairs Office, who had come to meet the ship, through the porthole.

This trip to Yingcheng was a full harvest, whether for the Steel Mill, the Shipyard, or even for himself.

It was just that the people around him, who were dressed and packing up to get off the boat, had different expressions.

Some had gained something like him, while others had lost their souls in Yingcheng.

Sha Qizhi looked at the figure appearing on the yacht and smiled slightly; he would be responsible for taking the leader and the foreign business delegation back to the Jinmen Management Center.

The signing ceremony and the grand banquet had already been prepared over there.

However, in the current complex situation, could this signing and banquet proceed smoothly?