sbdcsierra Chapter 1469 Is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of this?
Chapter 1469 Is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of this?
Chapter 1469 Is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of this?
"Cough-cough-"
The pitch-black night filled the entire alley, and even though he was very familiar with the area, Zhang Sanye still stumbled along, his steps uneven.
Even with just a sliver of moonlight, he could find familiar bricks or hard soil beneath his feet, but not tonight.
It was so dark, as if ink had been spilled on the sky.
Suddenly, a cough came from ahead, like a strange drop of ink falling into a pond, causing ripples to spread.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment; Zhang Sanye's body stiffened, and he struggled to hold his breath.
He knew that this cough was no accident and must have come with ill intent.
With a whoosh, a small spark lit up; someone had lit a match and lit a cigarette.
"May I ask who you are, sir?"
Master Zhang suddenly turned around and heard faint sounds from the direction he had come from, like footsteps.
He turned to look at the starlight ahead, his right eyelid twitching slightly, his nerves on edge.
"Is it Master Zhang from Fengcheng?"
The voice was neither high-pitched nor low-pitched, neither thick nor thin, and one could not discern the person's exact age, but it was definitely not that of a weak person.
Because the weak don't have that much confidence, their江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit won't be so obvious.
It was late autumn, and the night in Harbin was already quite cold, but at that moment, beads of sweat instantly appeared on Zhang Sanye's forehead.
He knew he was doomed; they had laid an ambush on him.
"A man of the martial world doesn't change his name or surname. Does Master Zhang not even dare to admit who he is?"
Amidst the flickering sparks, the man flicked the ash from his cigarette, his cold voice carrying through the air.
"A man of the martial world grows old in the martial world; matters of the martial world are settled in the martial world." Master Zhang tried to suppress his trembling body and asked in a clear voice, "Who comes here?"
"It's good that we didn't wait for the wrong person."
The man flicked the cigarette out of his hand, and footsteps followed immediately. Before he could finish speaking, he was already right in front of him.
"Zhou Ziqiang from Laoheishan has been waiting for a long time."
boom--
Master Zhang is no pushover either. He has been wandering the martial arts world for many years. He wouldn't have survived this long if he didn't have some skill.
He leaned against the brick wall of the alley, raised his foot and used the move "Rabbit Kicks Eagle" with all his might, his eyes filled with a desperate, life-or-death ferocity.
Zhou Ziqiang's attempt to show off backfired, and he retreated repeatedly, revealing his weakness within three steps.
What is a weakness? A weakness is when you haven't had time to prepare for the opponent's move, and the opponent has already made their move.
At this moment, Master Zhang had no time to fight him; the first thing he did after kicking the man away was to run forward.
Zhou Ziqiang struggled to prop himself up with his arm and blocked the other person's elbow, but was knocked away and could no longer retaliate.
"Come back to me——"
Zhang Sanye was not slow, but someone was faster than him. Just as he was about to start his leap, someone reached out and grabbed his collar.
This is something no ordinary person could do; according to physics, forces are mutual.
When Zhang Sanye ran forward, the man grabbed his coat collar and pulled him backward, slamming him to the ground with great force. You can imagine how strong this man must be.
"Ho-"
It seemed that he hadn't expected to be caught, let alone to be thrown to the ground in such a humiliating way, and so hard.
Readers who have experienced landing on their backs from a height of ten meters should know that even if they don't hit the back of their head, such an impact can definitely leave them breathless for a long time.
You're saying ten meters high is a mystery?
But at that moment, Zhang Sanye felt as if he had fallen from a height of ten meters and landed squarely on the ground.
His face turned red, his breathing became rapid, and he struggled to catch his breath for a long time.
This is a clear sign of lung trauma; oxygen deficiency is secondary, the respiratory tract is damaged.
He didn't know where he had fallen. At this moment, the disheveled Zhang Sanye had bloodshot eyes, but he could see who had brought him back: a man as tall as an iron tower.
"Fuck your mother, old Biden!"
Feeling humiliated, Zhou Ziqiang kicked him hard and said angrily, "Why aren't you running anymore?"
Even without Zhang Sanye's answer, he couldn't answer either, and someone was serving him at the moment.
The men brought by the Iron Tower Man quickly and skillfully used their methods on Zhang Sanye, who was lying on the ground unable to move.
The hemp rope used for sealing grain in Northeast China is so thin that it feels like a knife cutting into your wrist.
"Sixth brother, be gentle, don't kill him too easily."
Zhou Ziqiang took a deep breath, straightened his shaved head, and looked up at Ge Lin, asking, "Are you going to ask, or should I?"
"This is your territory."
Green remained as taciturn as ever, standing in the darkness like a terrifying Titan.
"Where is Lao-Lao Heishan?"
It was Zhang Sanye who had recovered. The first thing he wanted to ask after he was able to speak was this.
Before Zhou Ziqiang, who had squatted down, could answer, he said breathlessly, "I don't think I've ever seen you before."
“Hehe—” Zhou Ziqiang reached out and patted his mouth, raising an eyebrow as he said, “You don’t even know Lao Heishan? You’ve been in the underworld for nothing. Lao Heishan is in Jicheng.”
“Jicheng? Jicheng—” Master Zhang’s eyes widened as he looked at him and emphasized, “I don’t remember having any debts in Jicheng.”
“Your debt wasn’t in Jicheng.”
Zhou Ziqiang asked with a sneer, "Xi Yongzhong, do you still remember? We've come to take your lives."
"You are--"
Master Zhang had already guessed that the only thing that could be so relentlessly pursuing him was the iron plate he had kicked.
"You also have influence in Jicheng..."
At this moment, Master Zhang was filled with remorse. If he had known that these people were so powerful, he would never have resorted to such underhanded tactics.
I didn't get anything useful from Xi Yongzhong, but I learned how big this organization was.
Although Xi Yongzhong had already said at the time that the system called "recycling station" was spread all over the country.
Anyone can brag, but Master Zhang just thought he was scared to death and was using this kind of talk to frighten him.
If anyone regrets something, it's Zhang Sanye. He regretted it long ago, right when he led his men to kill Xi Yongzhong, causing an uproar on Fengcheng Road.
What's the point of saying all this now? The man is dead; he has to pay with his life.
"Hehe, I'm not afraid to tell you."
Zhou Ziqiang lit a cigarette, exhaled the smoke into Zhang Sanye's face, and said with a creepy smile, "They have them in Hong Kong. I'll see how bold you are in a bit."
Master Zhang felt a chill run down his spine. Someone had stripped him naked and was really going to test his courage.
"I take responsibility for my actions, and I hope my brothers won't make things difficult for my family."
Knowing he was doomed tonight, he tried to remain calm and said, "I also hope you won't make things difficult for my friend."
"Of course, what do you take us for?"
Zhou Ziqiang twitched the corner of his mouth and said with dissatisfaction, "The boss only said to do things according to the rules of the underworld. If you break the rules, then there will naturally be rules to deal with you."
"As for your small house, we're not interested. I can tell you this in advance, so don't keep bothering me."
He squinted slightly at Zhang Sanye lying on the ground and said softly, "Do you think they'll survive? We don't care about the few taels of silver you left behind, but we do care about this desolate place you chose."
"What a blessed place!"
Zhou Ziqiang ignored the furious Zhang Sanye, looked up at the dark distance, where he couldn't even see mountains and rivers. What a joke of a treasure land!
"Don't tell me you died unjustly."
He stood up and said calmly, "We are all wanderers of the martial world. When we first embarked on this path, we should have known that this day would come."
Do you know what you did wrong?
"The victor is king, the loser is villain; I'm willing to accept defeat." Old Master Zhang was quite frank, though his tone was somewhat desolate. "Even if I don't survive, at least our family will be reunited."
"I've enjoyed everything I was meant to enjoy in this life, and I haven't let them down."
pop-
Zhou Ziqiang applauded him and said admiringly, "Well said, you're a seasoned veteran."
"What a pity, you don't do any decent work."
He deliberately exposed the other person's weakness, saying, "Don't think that just because you're so generous, your friend will save you."
"If you hadn't crawled into his wife's bed, do you think we would have found you in this remote mountain valley?"
"Damn it—" Without waiting for Zhang Sanye to say anything more, Zhou Ziqiang stood up, spat, and said, "None of those guys who're out in the game have any sense of loyalty—"
"and many more--"
Seeing the burly man pull out a knife and prepare to attack him, Zhang Sanye struggled and asked, "Don't you want to know how I dealt with Xi Yongzhong?"
"You didn't seem that calm either."
Ergaizi reached out and pressed down on Ge Lin's arm, saying softly, "Brother Lin, let me do it."
"It's all the same, why bother with all this fuss at a time like this?"
Ge Lin, however, paid no attention to his thoughts. He gently broke free from his hand, squatted down, and pressed the knife against Zhang Sanye's stomach.
"You can tell the rest to my brother Xi Yongzhong after you go down. I'm not afraid of you complaining to the King of Hell. Remember, it was Cossack Green who sent you on your way."
"Ah-wu-"
-
Where did this bottle of red wine come from?
On the last weekend of October, Zhou Yamei returned to the steel city, where she would stay for a week.
Now that she's back, Li Xuewu has no intention of going home, or even staying at a guesthouse.
Zhou Yamei simply called his office and said she wanted to discuss the renewable energy processing plant that evening.
When there are important matters to attend to, one cannot avoid them.
But before they could even discuss the important business, Zhou Yamei brought out a bottle of red wine and questioned him about its origin.
"What? Where did this come from?" Li Xuewu asked her, looking at her suspiciously. "You've started drinking again?"
Where did the wine I hid go?
Zhou Yamei completely ignored his attempt to change the subject and continued to stick to her own pace.
Li Xuewu was no pushover either, and still feigned ignorance, saying, "You hid the wine? How would I know if you hid it? Did Banggeng Taoqi take it?"
“Mr. Li, are you challenging my professional ethics?” Zhou Yamei raised an eyebrow and said, “Do you know that you can be very serious when you’re lying?”
"So you mean I'm not serious all the time—" Li Xuewu interrupted again, "Where did that kid Banggeng go?"
"If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it—"
Zhou Yamei tilted the bottle of red wine she was holding and looked at him, saying, "Anyway, you've told me everything."
"..." Li Xuewu couldn't help but twitch his lips, watching her retreating figure as she walked up the stairs, and emphasized, "I really don't know who took your wine. You must be mistaken, right? Where did you hide the wine?"
“She wore my pajamas last time, and she’s drinking my wine this time.” Zhou Yamei stopped and turned around, looking at him and saying, “Please, show me some respect. If she really likes this place, just leave the guest room for her.”
After saying that, he ignored Li Xuewu, who wanted to continue explaining, and turned to go upstairs.
Hearing the noise, Banggeng peeked out of the room and looked around. Seeing that only Uncle Wu was there, he silently shrugged and said, "I didn't say anything."
“I know, men shouldn’t betray each other.” Li Xuewu smiled and praised him, “You’re loyal.”
“But… I just heard…” Banggeng looked at him hesitantly and said, “You’re not very considerate, Uncle Wu.”
"This is just a matter of helping someone in an emergency."
Li Xuewu knew he was referring to the sentence he had just used to pin the blame on him.
“When has Uncle Wu ever cheated you? Even if I say that, your teacher Zhou wouldn’t believe me.”
"Uncle Wu..." Banggeng looked at him hesitantly and said, "You told me that going to Yingcheng would be very interesting..."
"..." Li Xuewu was speechless. What's wrong with everyone today?
Zhou Yamei is back, so dinner will naturally not be ordered from a restaurant, and Banggeng is also very aware of this.
Li Xuewu sat on the sofa, looking at Zhou Yamei in the kitchen, and her lackey Banggeng who was helping her.
That lackey used to belong to him, but Zhou Yamei took him away without a fight.
Ugh—I shouldn't have bought that bottle of red wine to make up the numbers; it was just superfluous.
If Zhou Yamei really asks, just say you don't know. What else can she say? Now she's just admitting it without being asked.
"I heard you're planning to write another book?" Zhou Yamei asked casually at the dinner table. "What kind of book is it about?"
"Public security management." Li Xuewu looked up at her and replied casually, "I have some ideas, I'll write them down first and see how they go."
"You should start planning your writing now."
Zhou Yamei casually reminded him, "Given your current job position and influence, any new works you create will be scrutinized closely."
"It's just something I wrote casually, and I haven't decided to publish it yet," Li Xuewu said while eating. "Even if I publish it now, it's fine. I still have a job at the garrison, so I can just put it with the publishing house there."
"But you are ultimately working for the group."
Zhou Yamei looked up at him and said, "You can't fool anyone with this. They will definitely read your book and want to know what you're thinking."
"This is also why cadres don't like to write books; they're easy for people to figure out."
Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and said, "I'll think about it carefully."
"Also, let's think about dealing with the factory."
Zhou Yamei took a bite of rice and said, "Should we recruit people from the capital or from the local area?"
"Is that even a question? Of course, we'll use locals." Li Xuewu said without hesitation, "We'll use the local people wherever we open the factory, which will greatly reduce costs."
"What about the management structure?" Zhou Yamei reminded him, "Right now, the processing plant is still being managed by people transferred from the recycling station. What about in the future?"
"If there are more recycling plants in the future, will you send people from Beijing to manage them all?"
Li Xuewu ate quickly, put down his chopsticks and said, "In management, we cannot limit the growth of talent based on region or background. Talented people are common, but discerning mentors are rare."
“You should know what I’m worried about.” Zhou Yamei looked up at him and emphasized, “There are all kinds of birds in a big forest. They won’t just fly wherever you tell them to. What if things get chaotic?”
"Does being afraid of chaos mean you won't do anything?"
Li Xuewu twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "If everyone thinks like that, then the recycling station will never be able to leave the alley."
“But this is a factory after all,” Zhou Yamei emphasized. “This is the first time a recycling station has been operating on the ground.”
No, this isn't the first time.
Li Xuewu looked at her confidently and said, "The first time was in our west courtyard, where the north warehouse is the factory."
Do you think the recycling center can withstand this risk at this point?
Zhou Yamei breathed a sigh of relief, put down her chopsticks, and said, "I'm afraid that by then it will be too late to help."
"What trouble could possibly occur?"
Li Xuewu stood up, walked to the kitchen counter, poured a cup of hot water from the thermos, and carried it back, saying, "If things really get chaotic, it won't be because of people, but because the system is not standardized."
"How about we bring Zhao Dezhu back?"
Zhou Yamei looked at him and suggested, "The fourth brother is steady and reliable; he's perfect for working in the factory."
"What about Fengcheng?" Li Xuewu tilted his head, sat down, and said, "Fengcheng is also very important."
"I'm afraid they'll attract unwanted attention if they become too successful."
Zhou Yamei frowned slightly and said, "They've been too high-profile lately. Even if there's the matter of Xi Yongzhong, it's been two months already. The local authorities won't keep giving them face or buying into their schemes forever."
Upon first hearing the news of Xi Yongzhong's accident, Li Xuewu gave the two of them the order to disregard the local situation and accelerate market share expansion.
Zhou Changli and Zhao Laosi's influence is now far greater than before, thanks to their recent frenzied expansion.
"It's time to tone it down a bit."
Zhou Yamei advised with some concern: "Now is the perfect time to take profits and consolidate the existing foundation."
"But I haven't caught the fish I want yet."
Li Xuewu also frowned and said, "It's not quite right to just stop here like this."
Ring ring ring——
The phone rang in the living room, and Banggeng jumped off the stool and ran to answer it.
A moment later, he excitedly arrived at the restaurant entrance and reminded them, "Uncle Wu, Bingcheng called and said Zhang San has been found."
"Okay, sit down and eat."
Li Xuewu responded, but instead of being as excited as Bang Geng had imagined, he calmly stood up and walked towards the living room.
"Aunt Zhou—" Bang Geng looked at Zhou Yamei in confusion, but she pointed to the dining table and gestured for him to eat.
"It's none of your business, eat your food."
Zhou Yamei stood up and instructed, "After you finish eating, wash the dishes and go read your books early."
As she said this, she followed Li Xuewu to the living room and listened to the phone call on the coffee table.
"What's the point of saying all this now?"
Listening to Zhou Ziqiang's report over the phone, Li Xuewu frowned and asked, "Where are they? How were they dealt with?"
"As you instructed, according to the rules of the martial arts world."
Zhou Ziqiang is definitely a show-off; he's emphasized this point several times, and has said it to almost everyone involved.
"It was Ge Lin who performed the verification, so Xi Yongzhong's revenge has been achieved."
Li Xuewu ignored his question and instead asked, "Where are the others? It can't be just him, can it?"
"This old guy is really expensive—"
Zhou Ziqiang said bitterly, "He only brought his wife, children and elderly parents here, pretending to be the brother-in-law of one of his former subordinates. He's been hiding in the village for the past two months."
“Ge Lin said that the others are no longer important, as those directly involved have all been captured in Yingcheng.”
He paused, seemingly waiting for Li Xuewu's reaction. Seeing no sound on the phone, he continued, "We've taken care of everything. Ge Lin and the others will take the train back to Jicheng early this morning."
"Well, I see."
Li Xuewu nodded and emphasized, "Pay close attention to how things develop, and make sure nothing goes wrong."
“Understood—” Zhou Ziqiang stood at attention and repeated, “Closely monitor the development of the situation and make sure there are no problems.”
Li Xuewu hung up the phone before he could finish speaking, and said to Zhou Yamei sitting next to him, "The matter in Fengcheng is settled."
"That Master Zhang?" Zhou Yamei asked, frowning. "Where did you find him?"
"In a small ravine near Harbin."
Li Xuewu leaned back on the sofa, tapped his finger on his knee, and said, "I told you he wouldn't run away, because at this point, going anywhere would be a dead end."
“Now that the matter is over, Zhao Dezhu should withdraw,” Zhou Yamei reminded him. “You have to keep one of them, otherwise there will be problems.”
"Hmm, I do need to think about it."
Li Xuewu closed his eyes and pondered, saying, "By the end of this year, I will replace all the people who haven't moved in the last two years."
"Does that include the frontier?" Zhou Yamei asked, looking at him. "And, is Xilin in Jicheng also included...?"
“If you’re going to replace them, replace them all. What’s the point of keeping one or two?” Li Xuewu opened his eyes and looked at her, emphasizing, “Don’t make a fuss about it yet. Announce it only after you’ve thought it through. Half a month in advance will be fine.”
-
As the saying goes, "A big forest has all kinds of birds." Ding Zhichen from Shouqi was still here when Gu Litong from Dongfeng arrived.
"I've come to you for one thing: to get a diagnosis of our factory."
He had barely sat down in Li Xuewu's office when he got straight to the point: "The assembly line has been changed, we've gotten rid of as many burdens as possible, and we've even started tertiary industry operations, so why are we still losing money?"
"What kind of loss?" Li Xuewu asked him, looking at him with suspicion. "If you're calculating the investment in upgrading the assembly line, then of course there will be a loss. This project is too big."
“No, no—” Gu Litong shook his head repeatedly and emphasized, “Construction expenditures are not included; we are only making a comprehensive calculation to ensure a profit for the whole year.”
"And then you lost money?" Li Xuewu chuckled and gestured for him to drink some tea, saying, "Is it really worth coming all the way to Steel City to find me over something like this?"
"Such a small matter?" Gu Litong looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Are you sure you're not mistaken—"
"We have also received feedback on the situation you described, and our technical support team has experience in handling such cases."
Li Xuewu raised his chin and said, "Why didn't you go to our group to ask? You wouldn't have made a wasted trip."
"Hey, this trip wasn't for nothing."
Gu Litong looked at him and emphasized, "I've come here with sincerity and determination to invite you to visit our factory. We don't trust ordinary doctors."
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu found his words amusing and asked with a smile, "Where is your sincerity? Show it to me."
"Hey! You don't believe me, do you?"
Gu Litong took a document out of the briefcase his secretary handed him and said, "Take a look, is this enough sincerity?"
"What is this thing?!"
Li Xuewu hadn't expected him to be prepared. He took it with amusement and looked at it, but his smile froze on his face.
"are you serious?"
He raised his hand to indicate the documents in his hand, looked at Gu Litong and asked definitively, "You're going to give me a house?"
"As long as your opinion can help our factory turn losses into profits, we will never go back on our word."
Gu Litong explained very seriously, "You don't need to doubt our sincerity. The property rights of this house belong to our unit, and we have the right to dispose of it."
“That’s not what I’m asking.” Li Xuewu put the documents back on the coffee table, frowned, and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a precedent like this, getting a house just for giving an idea.”
“That’s because you haven’t heard of it.” Gu Litong raised his head slightly and said, “In the past, there were plenty of people who gave cars and houses as gifts. We just felt that giving cars as gifts had a bad influence, so we found this suitable property among our assets.”
"You're worried about the negative impact of giving a car, but giving a house would be better?" Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and said, "If I really accept this house from you, this matter will become the talk of the town in Beijing, and I can't stand that."
"Listen to me first—"
Before Gu Litong could speak further, he waved his hand and emphasized, "Full-process diagnosis of industrial production is one of the service standards provided by our group's technical service department."
"You don't need to go to such great lengths. As long as it's one of our joint ventures, and we have business dealings with them, especially those involved in the upgrading of production line equipment and the introduction of management systems, they are all eligible to enjoy this service and treatment."
But I only trust you—
Gu Litong seemed to have made up his mind about him, and pushed the property documents that he had pushed back back to him.
“We’ve never used the kind of service you’re talking about, we don’t trust it, and we’ve never seen it proven effective.”
He stared at Li Xuewu and emphasized, "But we have seen with our own eyes your actions and role at the Hongxing Factory."
"Therefore, it would be best if you could come to our factory for a detailed look and take a proper look."
"How did they manage to catch me?"
Li Xuewu said with a laugh, "Besides, even if you force me to take one of your houses, I don't have the power of a god to turn your losses into profits with just a word."
"Boss, General Manager Ding is here."
Zhang Enyuan appeared at the door, knocked gently, and then reported to Li Xuewu.
Before Li Xuewu could even respond, Ding Zhichen had already appeared at the door.
"Oh, do you have guests?"
Isn't that obvious? Can't you see a perfectly healthy person sitting on the sofa?
"This is Comrade Gu Litong, the deputy director of the Second Automobile Works in Beijing," Li Xuewu, as the host, naturally gave a brief introduction to both sides. "This is Ding Zhichen, the deputy general manager of Shouqi."
"Oh, nice to meet you!"
Gu Litong stood up, shook hands with the other person, and exchanged pleasantries, saying, "You're also from the capital?"
"I've been here for several days now." Ding Zhichen glanced at Li Xuewu and said deliberately, "If I don't get a reply from Secretary-General Li soon, I'll have to stay until the end of the year."
Gu Litong recognized them as fellow professionals, all there to cause trouble for Li Xuewu, and his gaze changed completely.
"That's perfect. If Secretary-General Li doesn't agree to our request, I'll just stay here."
He joked, "I'll stay here until the end of the year."
"This is a threat to me—"
Li Xuewu chuckled and gestured for Ding Zhichen to sit on the sofa, while also calling out to Gu Litong, "If you're staying until the end of the year, I can really entertain you."
"Our group plans to acquire a plot of land on the mountain to build a sanatorium. We have already reached an agreement with Gangcheng."
He tilted his head and explained, "According to Director Li, since hospitals can integrate business resources, they can also integrate resources like convalescent care."
"What do you mean?" Gu Litong asked, amused. "So, I couldn't invite anyone, so I have to contribute something?"
"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu said with a laugh, "Many hands make light work."
He then turned to Ding Zhichen and asked, "I wonder if Mr. Ding would be interested in participating in this project?"
"Should we build a sanatorium in the steel city?"
Ding Zhichen looked at him and thought for a moment, then said, "If we can reach a cooperation agreement this time, I will definitely try my best to get it from the company. This project will not be a problem."
"Sigh, my attitude is the same."
Seeing that he said that, Gu Litong chimed in, "If you can agree to that, we'll invest in this project too."
"Well, at least I've brought you all together."
Li Xuewu looked at the two of them with amusement and said, "Why don't you just skip us as middlemen and cooperate directly?"
“That won’t do.” Ding Zhichen looked at Gu Litong with a friendly expression and said, “We’re not here to build a sanatorium. What’s the point of a sanatorium if we can’t get Aries?”
Shouqi? Aries?
When these two words were put together, Gu Litong instantly knew Ding Zhichen's purpose in coming here.
“Exactly, we’re not here to build a sanatorium.” He knew, but still pretended not to know and emphasized, “If you think my project is feasible, then everything is negotiable. Not to mention jointly building a sanatorium, we’d even be willing to build another factory.”
"What wishful thinking you're doing—"
Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and said, "Cooperative factories? Our group is reducing its shareholding now."
"If you really want to cooperate, you can take a share of our operations; it's a lucrative business."
"I don't believe you!"
Gu Litong offered Ding Zhichen a cigarette, and they both puffed away, saying, "If your group can't even handle the joint operation, what's the point of us getting involved halfway? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble and causing problems for others?"
"How about we cooperate from a different angle?"
Li Xuewu gestured to Gu Litong and said to Ding Zhichen, "It just so happens that Director Gu has an idea..."
"Boss, Reporter Liu has arrived."
Just as Li Xuewu was about to dig the pit, Zhang Enyuan appeared at the door with a serious and troubled expression.
In fact, his reporting speed was not even as fast as the other party's speed at the door; he was completely blocked by the other party when he came in.
"Hello, Secretary-General Li, it's nice to see you again."
The last time I met her, Liu Hongmei, a reporter from the Northern Industry Daily, was standing at the door with a bag on her back. She seemed to be in an aggressive posture, and her tone was a bit sharp.
"I know you're busy, but there's no need to use excuses like 'I'm not available.' I can wait."
"Excuse me, who are you?"
Li Xuewu deliberately drew out his words and looked at her as he asked, "I've seen you before, but I don't remember your name."
"It's okay, my name is Liu Hongmei."
The female reporter nodded graciously and looked at him, saying, "May I wait for you in your office?"
"This...isn't it a bit inconvenient?"
Li Xuewu gestured to the two people on the sofa and said, "I have something to do. Why don't you go to the reception room and wait for me? It'll be ready soon here."
"Enyuan, please have Reporter Liu come here..."
"I'd like to observe your work process up close during this interview. I hope you don't think I'm being presumptuous?"
That's incredibly presumptuous!
Li Xuewu frowned slightly and tentatively asked, "I don't think I agreed to this, did I?"
"Well, our newspaper has already contacted your group, and General Manager Li arranged for me to come here." She said frankly, "Of course, if you refuse my request, I can find other ways, unless you ask me to leave immediately."
"We don't care, right, Mr. Ding?" Gu Litong was full of energy when he saw that there was a good show to watch, and he even pulled Ding Zhichen into the water with him.
Ding Zhichen watched the two battling with a meaningful look, and nodded in agreement.
"A friend has come from afar."
“Since neither of you mind, you can wait for me here, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give you an interview right now.”
Li Xuewu squinted at her and then said to Ding Zhichen, "I have submitted my opinions on the cooperation project to the group, and I have also reported your attitude and requirements to the management committee."
"I suggest you go back to the capital first. Any news will reach me from the capital, so it's definitely not as fast as it would be from the capital."
"I'll wait here."
Ding Zhichen showed no intention of getting up to leave. Instead, he sat on the sofa and slowly said, "What if your leader has already made a decision? Wouldn't I have to make another trip?"
"Director Li sent me to talk to you, so let's take our time and talk slowly."
He wasn't in a hurry at this moment; he was ready to watch Li Xuewu make a fool of himself.
Li Xuewu's lips twitched, but he ignored him and turned to Gu Litong, saying, "I'll think about your matter again, but you should take this back. I won't take it no matter what."
"Then I'll wait here for your reply?"
Seeing that he was quick to cut things off, Gu Litong knew that he wanted to get rid of them first, but at this moment the real show was about to begin, and they were reluctant to leave.
Li Xuewu raised his head and sized up the two of them. Are they all so free?
Or is it that he finds the spectacle so captivating that he neglects his own work and refuses to leave?
"Shall we continue with our previous topic?"
Li Xuewu's eyes darted around, and he looked at Ding Zhichen and said, "Let's put Aries aside for now. Are you interested in the Hongyun minivan?"
"You may not know this, but this minibus is a product of our collaboration with Beijing No. 2 Automobile Works."
He gestured in the direction of Gu Litong and explained, "Hongyun minivans have achieved their current status precisely because they incorporated some of the ideas provided by the Second Automobile Works."
Do you operate Hongyun minibuses?
Seeing that Li Xuewu was talking about serious business, Ding Zhichen also became serious and asked, "I have already seen this vehicle, but how can it meet the needs of foreign dignitaries with its complex cargo and passenger carrying requirements?"
"Who said it was for foreign affairs work?"
Li Xuewu raised his chin, gesturing to Gu Litong opposite him, and said, "If Hongyun minivans can be produced in Beijing, would Shouqi be interested in launching a taxi popularization and promotion project?"
"It means truly providing taxi services to the people and fulfilling the promise to serve the people."
"This—" Ding Zhichen frowned and asked, "Does it have to be this big?"
(End of this chapter)