Chapter 986: The Dog, Cornered, Jumps the Wall

“Being a leader really is different, huh~”

He Yushui walked into Li Xuewu’s office, glancing around curiously at everything.

Li Xuewu didn’t ask Peng Xiao for help; the security building had a habit of taking a nap at noon, and it was currently rest time.

He brewed tea for Yushui from the tea cabinet and placed it on the coffee table.

“Sit anywhere, have some tea.”

“I heard leaders always have good tea leaves.”

He Yushui walked back to the sofa, looked at Li Xuewu, and asked: “Is that true?”

“Not entirely—certainly not here.”

Li Xuewu understood what she meant: leaders don’t have to buy their own tea~

But he’d never accepted tea from any subordinate, nor had he ever gifted tea to anyone; instead, it was the leaders who got stripped bare by him.

As he answered Yushui’s question, he put away his lunch box.

“You’re a leader now—do people bring you tea leaves?”

“What leader am I~?”

He Yushui smirked and said: “You do plenty of work, take plenty of abuse, and your salary barely went up.”

She glanced around the room and said: “No one’s as comfortable as you.”

“So you came here to complain?”

Li Xuewu chuckled at her, sat down on the armchair, and picked up his teacup.

He Yushui avoided his gaze, feigning casualness as she looked at the room’s furnishings, yet stubbornly said: “No~ Just saying it out loud.”

“The workshop director’s position is important.”

Li Xuewu spread his right hand and said: “I’m not lecturing you—it really is important.”

“I know~”

He Yushui replied softly, then quickly added to prevent misunderstanding: “I’m not complaining~”

“I understand—work is always like this.”

Li Xuewu pointed to the towering stack of documents on his desk and said: “Sometimes even I get frustrated seeing all this.”

He Yushui turned her head, puckered her lips, and said: “Complaining to me won’t help~”

“Heh~”

Li Xuewu gave a light laugh, sensing her mood, took a sip of tea, and asked: “Is it work that’s bothering you, or life?”

“Neither~”

Yushui looked up at him and said: “I just never came to see you here.”

“And came empty-handed~”

Li Xuewu teased her, then nodded slowly and said: “If you ever have trouble, come to me anytime.”

“Of course~”

Seeing Yushui fall silent, he smiled and added: “But don’t break the workflow—no bypassing your superiors.”

“Pfft~”

Yushui rolled her eyes, knowing he was teasing her, and said: “What trouble could I possibly have~?”

After saying that, she glanced at Li Xuewu and added: “I heard you’ve had plenty of trouble lately.”

“I’ve always had plenty of trouble.”

Li Xuewu waved his hand casually and said: “Don’t listen to their gossip—offices are like this; you know it well.”

“I thought so too~”

Yushui smiled faintly and said: “They made it sound so dramatic, I actually thought you were facing some huge crisis.”

“Thanks for the concern—nothing’s wrong.”

Li Xuewu set down his teacup, looked at her, and said: “But you—really nothing’s wrong?”

“Nothing~”

Yushui bit her lip, hesitated, then asked: “It’s just… I’m a bit lost~”

“That’s perfectly normal~”

Li Xuewu smiled at her and said: “Which young person isn’t lost? Isn’t being lost what makes you young?!”

“What about you?!”

He Yushui stared at him, dumbfounded, and asked: “You’re young too—youthful even—so are you lost?”

“Lost! I’m totally lost! Seriously!”

Li Xuewu gestured around his head and said: “So lost I sometimes feel dizzy, confused, spinning out of control.”

“Pfft~”

He Yushui didn’t believe his nonsense; she smirked and said: “You’re just overthinking everything, your mind spins too fast—gets itself dizzy.”

“Sigh~”

Li Xuewu sighed, looking helpless: “You all treat me like a life coach—you come to me when you’re lost, but who do I talk to when I’m lost?”

“Eeeeee~”

He Yushui looked at him with disdain, grinning: “Look at you, so shameless—life coach?!”

“What else?”

Li Xuewu looked at her and said: “I said young people get lost—you didn’t believe me!”

“I said I’m lost too—and you still don’t believe me.”

“So does that mean I’m young and wise, and not your life coach, then?”

He waved his hand with a smile, cutting off her reply: “Honestly, it’s normal for young people to hit roadblocks and feel stuck.”

“Don’t overcomplicate things—who’s born knowing everything, right?”

Li Xuewu gestured to Yushui: “I said I’ve been lost before—you didn’t believe me. Not just you—no one believes me.”

“Just before lunch, right here.”

Li Xuewu pointed toward his desk and said: “The factory newspaper and radio station staff wanted to interview me—to ask how young people should work, how they should live.”

“And then?”

He Yushui looked at Li Xuewu curiously: “Did you agree?”

“I refused~”

Li Xuewu said seriously: “I’m still young myself—I don’t even know how to work or how to live, so what would I tell them?”

“I’m just an ordinary worker, a plain, unremarkable laborer—nothing else!”

“…”

He Yushui stared at Li Xuewu, speechless.

She wasn’t sure anymore how to judge the standards of “ordinary” and “unremarkable.”

“Everyone thinks I’m lucky, talented, that every step I take is smooth, my life effortless, my career rising steadily—is that possible?”

He lifted his teacup, sipped the hot tea, then tilted his head and said to Yushui: “Of course not!”

“You see me here today, seemingly glorious, unmatched—but you don’t see the hardship behind me.”

Hardship behind…?

He Yushui studied Li Xuewu—rarely had he spoken such words!

Why hide the hardship behind? Why not show it to the front?

“So, whose youth isn’t lost~”

Li Xuewu spread his hands: “The path I walked, the hardships I endured—all came from my own effort.”

After saying that, seeing Yushui looked slightly nauseated by his pep talk, he added a dose of plain truth: “And a bit of strategic planning~”

“Strategic planning?”

He Yushui raised an eyebrow, amused, and said: “That word choice… no wonder they say you’re brilliant with words, the best writer around!”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

Li Xuewu teased with a smile, sipped his tea, and gestured for her to help herself.

Yushui picked up her cup, sipped, and teased: “They all say you’re calculating, full of schemes, always ten steps ahead, always holding the advantage.”

“Was that your brother who said that?”

Li Xuewu’s lips twitched slightly; he shook his head slightly, put down his teacup, and said sincerely: “Maybe—I’m just cautious, and I hate causing others trouble.”

“I’d really like to hear you explain that part~”

After sipping tea, He Yushui looked at Li Xuewu and said: “I can’t do any of that—I only realize my mistakes long after I’ve made them.”

“Explain what? Calculating?”

Li Xuewu smiled and asked; seeing her nod seriously, he thought a moment and said: “Calculating is just computing—it sounds complicated, but it’s actually not hard at all…”

“…”

Yushui felt he’d said not a single honest word; she shifted closer and asked: “Do you even distrust your own people?”

“Heh~ Who’s your own person?”

Li Xuewu looked at her, teasing: “You?”

“Fine!”

Yushui set down her cup, glared at him, nodded, and stood up to leave.

Li Xuewu grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back down onto the sofa.

“Just teasing you, why’d you get so worked up~”

“Then tell me! What are you saying?!”

Yu Shuili glared at Li Xuewu and said: “Can you say something serious for once? You think it’s funny to mess with me?”

“Say! Say what?!”

Li Xuewu looked at her and said seriously: “I’m telling you, I’ve never schemed against anyone. I’m a very simple person. Do you believe me?”

“You don’t believe me, right!”

He pointed at Yu Shuili and added earnestly: “But I really have never schemed against anyone. My principle is ‘just do it’—I don’t overthink.”

Yu Shuili stared into Li Xuewu’s eyes. She felt he was pulling another fast one on her, but couldn’t find proof.

“About confusion, there’s one explanation.”

Li Xuewu brought over another bowl of chicken soup and said: “That’s thinking too much and doing too little.”

“You’re saying I’m indecisive, lacking conviction?”

Yu Shuili glanced at Li Xuewu in surprise—he’d actually said something profound.

Li Xuewu shrugged and said: “It depends on the context—like your job.”

“So what?”

Yu Shuili raised an eyebrow and asked: “What about your job?”

“I just emphasized to you that the workshop director position is crucial.”

Li Xuewu said seriously: “At the steel rolling mill, and at your Textile Factory No. 3, or any other factory, the leadership team always includes people who rose from that position.”

Yu Shuili nodded. She knew this well—deputy directors in charge of technology, daily operations, and business all needed solid management experience.

“With someone like that in place, there’s always a channel for advancement between middle and grassroots management.”

Li Xuewu said sincerely: “Especially in technical and production management, you don’t need to scheme or fight. Just do your job well in your position.”

“Of course, you could say it’s not absolute—I admit that—but the workshop director role definitely trains you to handle these relationships well.”

Yu Shuili nodded slowly, thinking: “Actually, I’d prefer to stay on the front line—it’s more fulfilling.”

“It’s tied to your personality.”

Li Xuewu agreed: “I can’t say working in an office or on the shop floor is better—but what suits you is best.”

“Hmm, that makes sense~”

Yu Shuili nodded again, then asked: “How should a workshop director pass down pressure? I mean…”

“I get it.”

Li Xuewu interrupted her question, nodding understandingly: “You’re the link—acting as a pivot.”

Then he smiled and asked: “You’re stuck on this, aren’t you? Confused, doubting your original choice?”

“Will you just say it!”

Yu Shuili, caught off guard, scolded him playfully.

Then, embarrassed, she covered her face and whispered: “You know as well as I do—I’ve got two mothers-in-law to deal with, plus all the workers in the workshop—there’s trouble everywhere.”

“Yeah, it’s annoying.”

Li Xuewu nodded understandingly: “Too many masters. The steel mill is one mother-in-law, the textile factory is another. The workers’ origins are complicated too. This is my fault.”

Under Yu Shuili’s surprised gaze, he nodded slightly and explained: “I was the one who proposed the joint tertiary industry project. The plans and rules were all my ideas.”

“...”

Yu Shuili finally found the source—this jerk was the one who created the system that had worn her out.

“Why?”

She asked, puzzled: “Why couldn’t it have been...”

“What?”

Li Xuewu looked at her and said: “You know there are two mother-in-laws—interests and conflicts are irreconcilable.”

“And!”

He paused, then added: “At the time, the steel mill’s working conditions weren’t good. I wasn’t sure how long the joint tertiary project could last.”

“So you admit you schemed!”

Yu Shuili protested: “You deliberately stirred up trouble, dug pits, and mixed mud!”

She slapped the sofa arm and snapped: “You—you—you tricked me, you know that!”

“Hehehe~”

Li Xuewu didn’t mind her accusation—he just smiled: “I never meant to make things hard for you. At least I wouldn’t scheme over a workshop director position... right?”

“Fine! So I’m just imagining things!”

Yu Shuili said, exasperated: “A tiny workshop director isn’t even worth your scheming—or your ‘planning,’ is it?”

“In other words, I’m not even worth your scheming, right?”

“Hehehe~”

Li Xuewu just chuckled lightly, neither confirming nor denying. He spread his hands: “Once the Tertiary Industry Management Office takes charge, none of these problems will exist.”

Hearing this, Yu Shuili suddenly understood. She narrowed her eyes and nodded: “So you left the loophole at the Management Office!”

She truly understood now. As Li Xuewu said, once the Management Office took over, the pressure would be absorbed there.

The Management Office would directly coordinate conflicts and interests between the linked enterprises—instead of dumping it all onto the workshop director.

Li Xuewu had also mentioned the steel mill’s poor conditions back then—he might have planted a trap, waiting for someone to jump in.

Whoever controlled the Management Office director’s position could tighten or loosen the reins at will.

Tighten it, and work runs smoothly—problems stay hidden. Loosen it, and chaos erupts—tertiary industry collapses.

So cunning!

Yu Shuili thought back—who had been the first Tertiary Industry Management Office director?

Oh! Right!

It was Yu De, now deputy head of the Security Team. He’d previously served as head of the Security Department’s General Office and deputy director of the Service Office.

No wonder! His scheming wasn’t aimed at workshop directors—it was aimed higher!

“But!”

Yu Shuili glared at Li Xuewu: “What’s going on with the Management Office now? It’s a mess—and your factory’s working conditions are bad again?”

As Yu Shuili said, the current heads of the Joint Tertiary Industry Management Office were Lu Peizhong and Jin Yaohui.

One was Xiang Yujing’s man, the other Li Huai’s. Their backgrounds and work histories were completely different.

Their superiors got along fine, but when their subordinates were forced into the same department, could Lu Peizhong, who came from production, and Jin Yaohui, a secretary who’d caused trouble in the frontier office, possibly get along?

Lu Peizhong wanted to make achievements in the Tertiary Industry role—he saw it as a stepping stone, aiming for deputy director rank, then returning to production leadership.

Jin Yaohui, however, had been crushed in the frontier office. His spirit was gone.

The romance and glamour of the frontier had long worn away what little ambition he’d ever had.

Ambition was gone. Now he only had fights.

Lu Peizhong says one, Jin Yaohui says: “No, one’s bad—two’s better.”

Why’s two better?

He couldn’t say why. If you pressed him, he’d just say: “Director Li said two’s better.”

Isn’t that infuriating? How can you work like this? Who the hell can go ask Director Li if two really is better?

Jin Yaohui used to be Director Li’s secretary—he waved the boss’s flag like a banner. Who dared challenge him?

True as it was, how could Li Xuewu explain? He couldn’t air family dirty laundry.

Yu Shuili was trustworthy, but if he said this often, outsiders would think he had a grudge against Lu Peizhong and Jin Yaohui.

It didn’t matter if he disliked them—but his position was extremely delicate. He was favored by Li Huai and trusted by other factory leaders.

He looked powerful, but walked on thin ice. One misstep could ruin everything. He couldn’t afford to take sides.

If he spoke up, it might make the higher-ups think he had a grudge against them.

Seeing Li Xuewu say nothing but laugh awkwardly, Yu Shuili overinterpreted.

“Are you planning to trap someone again?”

“No!”

Li Xuewu looked at her, exasperated: “We’re all colleagues. Who would I trap?”

“I don’t believe you!”

Yu Shuili thought again, then suddenly opened her eyes wide: “Someone said one of the two Management Office director spots was yours—now it’s not, right?”

“Hehe, what are you talking about? That’s nonsense~”

Li Xuewu sipped tea: “All positions belong to the organization—to the public. None are marked with my name. Don’t believe rumors.”

“So you did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

Yu Shuili now looked clever, as if solving a case: “Since you couldn’t win, you threw them out to fight each other—then you step in to clean up, right?”

“...”

Li Xuewu’s lip twitched. He asked Yu Shuili: “Do you really see me as such a scheming villain?”

Yu Shuili pursed her lips, didn’t answer, but returned to the question Li Xuewu hadn’t answered earlier.

“You still haven’t told me what I should do.”

“Simple. A pivot—what matters is being smooth. I mean in your work!”

Li Xuewu feared she’d misunderstand again and emphasized: “To upper management, the workshop director is a production role. To the workers, it’s a management role. So you must be flexible—and smooth.”

“But how do you be flexible? How do you be smooth?”

Yu Shui frowned slightly and said, “You said it’s about work, not teaching me how to be a person, right?”

“Yes, it’s just work!”

Li Xuewu nodded and said, “To sum it up: you are you, and yet you are not you.”

Amid Yu Shui’s confused gaze, he explained, “Whether in the workshop or facing your superiors, you are a part of the factory—you belong to the factory, so you are not you.”

Yu Shui stared at him and asked, “Then what am I?”

“A screw, a small component in a vast machine.”

Li Xuewu looked at her seriously and said, “You must carry out your duties without compromise—round when needed, square when needed, and always hold to principle.”

“Then what does ‘you are you’ mean?”

Yu Shui understood the previous point: it told her to be strong in her own right, to excel at her core work—something she firmly believed she could do well.

“You are you—you are a person, a living individual, incapable of performing every task with mechanical precision.”

Li Xuewu tapped her lightly and asked, “People make mistakes, have personalities, have tempers—do you get angry?”

He tilted his head slightly and teased her, “Show me a fierce one.”

“Go to hell~”

Yu Shui pouted and scolded him half-heartedly.

But Li Xuewu shook his head seriously and said, “Too much restraint won’t do—your superiors will think you’re easygoing, your subordinates will think you’re easy to bully.”

“Your personality, your temper—you must boldly express your opinions and attitudes.”

After trying to explain to her, he tapped his own chest and asked, “Has anyone ever said I have a bad temper? Has anyone ever said I’m dishonest or incompetent?”

“...Oh~”

Yu Shui suddenly understood something, her mouth slightly open, as if struck by revelation.

“So all these things you show at the factory...”

She waved her hand, paused, then asked, “Are they all deliberate?”

“Natural. Just do the job.”

Li Xuewu smiled, took a sip of tea, and asked, “Now do you understand what I meant?”

“I understand.”

Yu Shui nodded slowly, lips pressed together, looking at him seriously: “You’re terrifying~”

“Hahaha~”

Li Xuewu laughed aloud, set down his teacup, and teased her, “So your brother told you to stay away from me, so you don’t go bad.”

“No, no, you’re not bad~”

Yu Shui shook her head slightly, and under Li Xuewu’s questioning look, confirmed: “You’re ruthless, cunning, and deceitful!”

“I’d rather you called me bad!”

Li Xuewu waved his hand irritably and said, “If you keep talking like that, you’ll have no friends.”

“I never had many friends anyway~”

Yu Shui glanced at him and sneered, “Yu Haitang used to be one, but because of you, she won’t even go to the courtyard anymore.”

“What’s that got to do with me!”

Li Xuewu protested, “From start to finish, I’ve been pure, upright, and clean.”

“Hmph~”

Yu Shui gave him a look that said, “Don’t pretend—I see right through you,” and said, “But talking to you really helps—I’ve figured out so many things.”

“So I’m your life mentor, then!”

Li Xuewu smiled and said, “Now you know where my office is—if you’re not afraid of going bad, come often.”

“Like I just said.”

He spread his hands and said, “If you have trouble, you can always talk to me.”

“Mm, thank you~”

Yu Shui scolded him half-heartedly, then unconsciously smiled.

Li Xuewu’s openness and confidence truly reached into a person’s heart—she couldn’t help but be drawn to his charm, and following his guidance, she truly gained something.

“Before, I cared most about what others thought of me—you know that.”

She pressed her lips, lowered her head, and said, “I lost my mother young, my father left, my brother’s always clueless—I’ve felt inferior.”

Li Xuewu nodded understandingly and said, “I can see—you live stubbornly, fiercely, afraid of being hurt, afraid of offending others.”

“Mm.”

Yu Shui nodded quietly, silent for a long while.

Li Xuewu sat with her in silence, waiting for her to calm down.

“Thank you, heh~”

Yu Shui lifted her head, smiled at him, as if a long-held knot had untied—her smile brighter than before.

“You’re welcome~”

Li Xuewu smiled too, teasing her, “We’re family, right~”

Yu Shui pressed her lips and glared at him, then her smile grew even warmer, like the sun melting ice and snow.

“Also, thank you for the tea.”

She stood up and said to Li Xuewu, “I won’t disturb your work anymore. One talk with you is worth ten years of reading—I’ve gained much today.”

“That’s because you’re naturally intelligent—I didn’t help you much.”

Li Xuewu stood up but made no move to see her off; though he teased her about not being “family,” his actions showed he treated her as anything but a stranger.

“I need to learn your art of speaking.”

Yu Shui smiled, waved goodbye, walked toward the door, nodded to Peng Xiao as he entered, and added, “You speak so well.”

Peng Xiao stared at Yu Shui in bewilderment—he’d never seen anyone speak to a superior like that.

But Li Xuewu merely smiled, ignoring him, and walked to his desk—he had plenty of work to do.

Yet before he could sit down, Yu Shui—who had already left—stood again at the door, ignoring Peng Xiao’s presence, and smiled at him: “I’ve figured it out!”

Li Xuewu nearly jumped, helplessly asking, “Figured what out?”

Yu Shui smiled brightly at his expression and said seriously, “Actually, I really like you.”

“...”

Peng Xiao looked around in confusion: Is this something I’m supposed to hear?!

Does the boss hate me?

Or is he testing me?

Will he soon find some excuse to exile me to the frontier—or kill me?

Which foot did I even step in with?

Li Xuewu ignored his reaction, pointed irritably at the door, and shouted, “Enough already!”

Why hasn’t she left yet?

What’s she doing in there?

How long has she been in there?

He Yuzhu had been pacing the ground floor lobby of the main office building for over half an hour, his eyes fixed on the guard tower across the way.

He muttered to himself, ignoring everyone, utterly unnerved.

The guards on duty in the main building stared at him, grimacing.

When a visitor arrived and Deputy Director Ao came out to greet them, the visitor paused, startled by He’s state.

Had it not been for Ao’s explanation, they might have thought the steel mill had turned into an asylum.

The guards knew who he was—they knew he wouldn’t harm the bosses—but He the cook just seemed off.

A few days ago, people had whispered He was mentally unwell, but everyone assumed it was malicious slander.

He was straightforward, sharp-tongued—he’d offended too many people.

In this era, mental illness was an incurable curse, and slanderers always used it as an excuse.

But when you saw He yelling while cooking, which of those behaviors was truly insane? Everyone just laughed it off.

But today was different—He’s behavior looked exactly like madness.

He Yuzhu didn’t notice the guards’ wary glances—he kept staring at the guard tower.

He’d seen Yu Shui walk into the office building with Li Xuewu, laughing and chatting.

Back in the canteen, he’d trusted Li Xuewu and trusted his sister—but now, seeing them vanish together for half an hour, he couldn’t trust it anymore.

Not because of anything else—he’d been to Li Xuewu’s office, and he knew there was a rest room inside.

Just thinking of Li Xuewu’s rest room made him restless, like an ant on a hot pan.

Just as the guard was about to approach and probe him, just as he was about to storm into Li Xuewu’s office to find Yu Shui—

At the guard tower’s entrance, Yu Shui appeared—cheeks flushed, spirit bright, eyes gleaming, lips curved in a satisfied smile.

Oh no! Oh... damn it!

Cold sweat poured down He Yuzhu’s forehead—he froze, stunned.

Just as the guard placed a hand on his arm, he snapped back to awareness.

Ignoring the guard’s questions, he shook off the hand and bolted forward.

The guard jumped in surprise, watched him run, and followed after him.

He had only run two steps before he stopped chasing, for the guard had seen who He Master was chasing—it was his younger sister.

“These two siblings… playing hide-and-seek?”

The guard muttered in exasperation, then shook his head with a chuckle and returned to his post.

On this side, Sha Zhu hadn’t noticed what was happening behind him; he caught up to Yu Shui from behind, grabbed her arm, and asked, “Where’d you go?”

Yu Shui jumped in surprise, about to scream—then saw it was her brother, so she frowned and replied, “What are you doing? You scared me!”

“You scared me!”

Sha Zhu glared, then gestured toward the upper floor with his eyes and asked, “What were you just doing?”

“Didn’t you see?”

Yu Shui kept her hands in her pockets, walking forward as she asked, “Are you spying on me?”

“Don’t be ungrateful.”

Sha Zhu glanced back at the guard’s building, then followed his sister as she walked, asking again, “What were you just doing?”

Yu Shui looked up at her brother, saw his stubborn, probing expression, and laughed. “I just sat in his office. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing.”

Sha Zhu snorted and pressed on: “What did you do in his office?”

“!”

Yu Shui glared at him, her impatience rising, her tone turning cold—but she said, “We chatted.”

“Chatted?”

Sha Zhu still didn’t notice her change in attitude and kept pressing: “What about?”

“...”

Yu Shui took two more steps, about to get angry—then suddenly realized something was off with her brother’s demeanor. She stopped and studied him.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Seeing her stop and look at him like a sick patient, Sha Zhu’s mouth twitched as he pressed: “You haven’t told me what you talked about yet.”

“Just small talk.”

Yu Shui now understood her brother’s state. She sighed. “We talked about work, about life, about the future.”

“...”

Now it was Sha Zhu’s turn to be speechless—his eyes screamed: I don’t believe you!

This was impossible to believe!

A man and a woman alone in a room, especially since he knew his sister liked Li Xuewu.

She says they talked about work, life, and the future—what do you think they actually did?

Sha Zhu thought: any normal person, thinking rationally, would know this was a lie!

What annoyed him more was her attitude—if you’re going to lie to me, can’t you put in some effort and pick a better excuse?

Yu Shui saw her brother’s skeptical expression and felt equally helpless.

Upstairs, she’d drunk so much chicken soup—she’d genuinely talked to Li Xuewu about work, about life’s attitude, about the future.

But if her brother didn’t believe her, what could she do? Who was to blame? He’d already assumed she was hitting on Li Xuewu!

Just thinking about it exhausted her—because of her own feelings, her brother had nearly gone mad.

“Fine. You think whatever you want.”

“I knew something was off!”

Seeing his sister “nervously” turn away, Sha Zhu became even more certain she was hitting on Li Xuewu.

He muttered under his breath as he chased after her, trying to persuade her to turn back before it was too late.

Li Xuewu watched the sibling drama from upstairs, amused—his smile refused to be hidden.

Peng Xiao didn’t dare look down—not because he disliked drama, but because he feared being exiled to the frontier and silenced.

“Leader, someone from the Confidentiality Department has arrived.”

“Hmm?”

Li Xuewu’s expression turned icy instantly; he narrowed his eyes toward the main office building.

A Shanghai-brand sedan was parked at the entrance—not one belonging to the factory.

Peng Xiao stood beside Li Xuewu and reported softly: “I saw Deputy Director Ao come down and escort them up. They must be meeting Director Li.”

“Mm.”

Li Xuewu murmured, raised an eyebrow, turned, and walked to his desk to dial the Discipline Inspection office.

When the call connected to Xiang Yun’s line, he spoke: “Director Xiang, there seems to be trouble.”

Xiang Yun was startled by Li Xuewu’s words—he hadn’t even spoken yet when Li Xuewu dropped this bomb.

After hearing about the Confidentiality Department’s recent actions, especially regarding Yingcheng, he frowned.

“The case is already under urgent investigation.”

He hesitated slightly, then asked, “Do you have any concerns—or requests? You can tell me.”

“What concerns could I have?”

Li Xuewu stood beside his desk, eyes narrowed toward the main office building: “And no requests. I just want to know when this case will end—I’m sick of it.”

“Soon.”

Xiang Yun paused, then added: “It must be concluded before the New Year. There’s heavy pressure from above—many leaders have given directives.”

“I understand.”

Li Xuewu had only wanted to hear that—Xiang Yun knew exactly what he wanted to hear.

They hung up without another word, as if nothing had been said—yet everything had been said.

Peng Xiao quietly gathered the documents on his desk and headed for the door.

He needed to call Gu Cheng back at his office—the situation upstairs was heating up, and his position made it unsuitable for him to go; Gu Cheng was better suited.

Li Xuewu stood by the window for only a few minutes, then returned to his desk and resumed work.

I am myself, yet I am not myself.

He hadn’t fooled Yu Shui with that phrase—it was a small insight he’d gained from his work.

That morning, Yu Daru had invited him to dinner, clearly intending to apologize over wine—but he refused, choosing to stand his ground.

Why?

Because Li Xuewu knew this wasn’t simple—it couldn’t be resolved with one meal.

He didn’t want to meet the man behind Yu Daru—he wanted to meet the one who set the whole scheme in motion.

If it were only Yu Daru’s superior, this would be easy—no invitation needed, just a few moves and it’d be over.

Ever since this case reached the branch, that person had already mobilized Yu Daru and others to intervene—aiming squarely at the branch.

But the final goal wasn’t the branch. Starting from the branch, the ripples would inevitably rise higher, achieving his hidden agenda.

Even if the schemer himself came to invite him to dinner, would Li Xuewu accept it?

Don’t dream it. If he knew who the mastermind was, he’d call his father-in-law immediately and launch a sudden strike to bring the man down.

In scheming, he wouldn’t allow anyone to outplay him!

This game wasn’t about brute force—it was about wit. As Yu Shui said, it was about playing mind games, about calculation.

The opponent truly meant to kill him—just look at what happened in Yingcheng: destroying his foundation was like killing him.

Li Xuewu had handled things skillfully—but he hadn’t harmed the opponent, nor forced him to reveal himself.

Their power levels were vastly unequal: Li Xuewu was in the open, the opponent in the shadows. Every step felt like walking on a razor’s edge, dancing on a blade.

To this day, he hadn’t suffered because of only a few reasons: the case had already erupted—and grown larger, with worsening repercussions.

His background was deep; someone was watching over him, so no one dared touch him lightly.

His influence was great: a model worker at the steel mill, a backbone of the Third Guard Regiment, a criminal investigation expert at the branch.

Moving against him would only expose the schemer’s identity—there’d be no chance of mutual destruction anymore.

And finally, Li Xuewu’s “divine strategy” had been perfectly timed.

Xiang Yun had leaked him a piece of news: the higher-ups had already issued directives—this case must be fully exposed, no one could suppress it, it must be investigated to the end.

The Discipline Inspection Office, after careful consideration, was willing to conclude the case before year-end—meaning Li Xuewu had just over a month to plan. If he could dig out the mastermind, the threat would be eliminated.

Conversely, if the case ended after the New Year, the schemer would have escaped, with no reason left to pursue Li Xuewu.

The enmity between them was now sealed. After this round was settled, the next one might begin at any time.

Li Xuewu wasn’t the type to let grudges linger overnight—he wouldn’t tolerate some old man lurking behind him. He’d dig up the man’s ancestral grave, grind his bones to dust.

You think he’s anxious? Don’t you think the other side is anxious too?

Impossible. That morning, Yu Daru left in defeat; that afternoon, the man who’d planned to invite him came to visit Li Huai.

It looked like they were desperate—jumping off a cliff!