sbdcsierra Chapter 1389 Playing Mahjong is also an option
Chapter 1389 Playing Mahjong is also an option
Chapter 1389 Playing Mahjong is also an option
"Good morning, leader!"
"Boss, you're back."
"lead--"
……
Hearing the greetings, Li Xuewu felt a sense of loss and change, even though he had only been away from Beijing for less than a month.
Zhang Enyuan followed closely behind him, trying to straighten his back and put on a serious expression.
Li Haiyang, who kept turning back to introduce the situation of the unit before and after the New Year to Li Xuewu, felt a little awkward seeing him like this. He felt sorry for him; his face must be a little numb from exhaustion.
Zhang Enyuan doesn't feel tired yet; he just doesn't want to lose Li Xuewu's prestige, and even more so, he can't let down the prestige of the group's cadres in Liaodong, which is why he's doing this.
"Okay—um—okay—"
As Li Xuewu walked, he listened to Li Haiyang's report while smiling and nodding in response to the greetings from people in the corridor.
Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Everyone who was supposed to go back to work has returned, and the Spring Festival holiday is over.
Even the two deputy directors Yang from the Steel City Metallurgical Plant had returned to Steel City, but Li Xuewu simply didn't run into them.
"When the leader heard that you had returned from Liaodong, he postponed his afternoon schedule to wait for you."
Li Haiyang smiled and explained before walking to Li Huaide's office and knocking on the door.
At this moment, Li Xuewu also "complained" at the opportune moment: "How did it come to this? I already told the office, and the leaders still have to worry about it. I'm really too embarrassed."
The rhythm of this segment clearly demonstrates Li Haiyang's competence as a secretary and also shows Li Xuewu's position in the group and in his mind.
What is this doing?
Of course, this was to set the stage for Li Xuewu, attributing today's special arrangements entirely to Director Li's concern for Li Xuewu.
Similarly, when Li Xuewu answered, he also knocked on the door, and this polite remark was "coincidentally" overheard by Director Li inside the room.
They cooperated seamlessly and complemented each other perfectly.
Regardless of the relationship between Director Li and Li Xuewu, and without considering the sordid incident between the two some time ago, Li Haiyang, as Li Huaide's secretary, must abide by his duties and dare not make any rash moves, otherwise he will surely face severe consequences.
Having served as Li Huaide's secretary for almost five years, he knew Li Huaide very well, as well as the group's leaders.
If he were to say who he knows best, it would undoubtedly be Li Xuewu, his teacher and senior.
Although Li Xuewu never acknowledged him, and he never expressed his feelings, the two were more like master and disciple than master and disciple.
Keen observers have noticed that the group's chief secretary, Li Haiyang, has become increasingly reserved and mature in his work and personal conduct over the past few years. His style of doing things is quite similar to Li Xuewu's capable demeanor, which is quite remarkable.
He took Li Xuewu as his role model, so he naturally observed carefully and understood thoroughly. Just based on Li Xuewu's methods and abilities, even if Director Li was annoyed and angry about what happened a while ago, it has been almost two months now, and his anger has long since subsided.
As for why Director Li still insisted on picking him up at the station with a large red flag, even though Li Xuewu had already called to request that he travel light, he dared not speculate on his intentions.
"Director Li, Li Xuewu is back."
Li Haiyang entered the house first, greeted everyone with a smile, and then stepped aside.
Just as Li Huaide looked up, Li Xuewu strode into the office.
"Wow, Li Xuewu is back!"
Li Huaide smiled, got up from behind his desk, walked around to the desk, and extended his right hand to Li Xuewu.
He was shrewd, and Li Xuewu understood his reserve, so he took his hand without letting him walk any further.
"Director Li, I'm back."
"Hahaha—" Li Huaide laughed heartily, patted Li Xuewu's hand, and then raised his hand to indicate, "It's good to be back. Please sit down and let Haiyang make some tea."
"Hey—" Li Haiyang had already taken action, and only responded after walking to the tea cabinet.
Zhang Enyuan entered the room with Li Xuewu somewhat awkwardly, but when he saw the two leaders shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, he stood aside, feeling rather embarrassed.
Li Haiyang is a very clever person, one of the most astute in the group, and he has already been asked to sit down.
The location was certainly not on the sofa, but on a chair next to it. The chair was positioned neither too close nor too far from the sofa, just right for the secretary to take notes and await instructions.
The reason he followed him in was because he was carrying Li Xuewu's briefcase, which contained some materials and documents that the leader would need to use on his return to Beijing.
"I was discussing your schedule with Haiyang this morning, trying to figure out what time you'd arrive."
Li Huaide sat on a single sofa, looking at Li Xuewu sitting on a three-seater sofa beside him with a smile, and said, "When he heard that you were coming back, he volunteered to pick you up."
"Thank you, Haiyang." Hearing what Lao Li said, Li Xuewu turned to look at Li Haiyang, who had come to bring tea, and said with a smile, "It's just that the procession was a bit big, it startled both me and the train attendant."
"Hahaha—" Li Huaide just laughed without paying attention, but Li Haiyang had already heard the hidden meaning in his leader's words. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, leader, I was just too eager to pick you up."
There is an art to speaking. With just one sentence, Li Huaide pinned his opinion on his secretary, silencing Li Xuewu and preventing him from speaking.
It's no longer important who arranged for Da Hongqi to pick him up on the train station platform, and there's no need to speculate.
To put it simply, without Li Huaide's explicit instructions, how much courage would Li Haiyang have to do this?
Of course, on the other hand, now that things have come to this, if Li Huaide doesn't admit it, can Li Haiyang really undermine his leader?
Even if Li Xuewu asked again, Li Haiyang could only say that he had misunderstood the leader's intentions and that it was he who decided to use the big red flag to greet them at the station. But if it really came to that, everyone's face would look ugly.
So you see, Li Xuewu first thanked Li Haiyang, and then subtly expressed his dissatisfaction and refusal with a little joke.
Li Huaide just laughed. Li Haiyang had already explained it, but he still had to take the blame now.
Zhang Enyuan sat to one side, listening attentively and watching intently. Even with his more than ten years of experience and energy, he still felt as if knives were whizzing past his eyes.
Everyone in the steel city says that the capital is a treacherous place, and today's visit gives us a glimpse into that.
"Alright, Li Xuewu has received it. Your mission is complete."
Li Huaide smiled and waved his hand, saying to Li Haiyang, "Let's take this comrade to your place for a while."
“It’s my secretary at the metallurgical plant, Zhang Enyuan.”
Li Xuewu first introduced Li Huaide, then turned to Zhang Enyuan, nodded, and instructed, "Leave the documents to me, and ask Comrade Haiyang to show you around."
"Yes, sir." Zhang Enyuan answered readily, stood up and handed the file bag to him, said goodbye to Li Huaide, and then left with Li Haiyang.
In the office, Li Huaide saw him open his briefcase and asked with a smile, "I heard you've been doing research?"
"How's the result?" He crossed his right leg, picked up his teacup, and said, "I'm sure I'm not the only one who's getting impatient."
“Too many units, too broad a scope.” Li Xuewu sorted out the documents he had just taken out of his bag and replied, “I also want to find out what’s going on in Liaodong.”
"I understand you perfectly well."
Li Huaide took the document from Li Xuewu's hand, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "You've always been the type to plan before you act; some things really can't be rushed."
"You're from Fengcheng?" he asked, glancing at the research report in his hand. "How's it going in Yingcheng? Has the ice storm been resolved? What's the situation at the Fengcheng Machinery Factory?"
He asked several questions in a row, seemingly lacking some confidence in his research report.
Li Xuewu did not rush to introduce the situation. Instead, he placed another report on his lap and looked at him before saying, "I arrived in Yingcheng on the second day of the Lunar New Year. The situation there is not optimistic."
He gave a very detailed account of the actual situation of the ice storm in Bohai Bay, focusing on the difficulties encountered by ships and the port area in Yingcheng during the storm and the corresponding countermeasures.
In his presentation, he also emphasized that Yingcheng Shipbuilding and the port area are actively collecting relevant materials, formulating emergency plans, and making preparations for the future operation of the port area. The port area's design team is also conducting relevant experiments.
Li Huaide's gaze never left the documents on his lap, yet he didn't turn the page even after Li Xuewu had been reporting for so long, showing how attentive he was to his report.
When Li Xuewu explained that the Bohai Bay Port Authority and Shipping Management Office had applied for aircraft and explosives to break the ice, he looked up and said with great emotion, "If you fall behind, you will be beaten; if you are technologically backward, you will be beaten by God."
"This is blatant bullying!"
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Yingcheng Port Area and the shipyard need to come up with a practical and feasible solution to this situation as soon as possible."
"This is both a challenge and an opportunity."
Li Huaide put down his teacup, looked at Li Xuewu, and said earnestly, "No one is better equipped to face such disasters or has a better chance of gaining firsthand experience than Yingcheng Ships."
"Yes, I think so too."
Li Xuewu solemnly introduced, "During the discussion with the cadres of Yingcheng Shipbuilding and the port area, I emphasized your instructions on the group's technological development work, and also stressed the warnings that this disaster should give us."
"The comrades were very confident and spoke enthusiastically at the meeting, sharing many methods and goals."
At this point, a smile appeared on Li Xuewu's face. He selected representative opinions and suggestions to report and explain to Li Huaide, and also mentioned new technologies.
Li Huaide listened attentively, nodding occasionally, and asked questions about some key aspects of the report.
Li Xuewu came prepared this time, and Li Huaide specially set aside the entire afternoon to wait for him, so the two of them naturally had plenty of time to discuss, and thus the conversation was very comprehensive.
***
The third-floor corridor was bustling with people today, especially in the afternoon.
Many people have heard that Li Xuewu returned in Director Li's car and went straight to the office upon arrival.
No one knew what the two leaders were talking about, but they could guess that the topics must be very important.
The group is connected with various industrial enterprises and public institutions. Who can stand aside and decouple from the group's business?
The heads of most companies and the staff of most organizations have some connections with other companies within the same group.
To put it simply, if something major happens in a unit of the group, the news can spread throughout the entire group within a day.
Building a network of relationships involves not only bottom-up sycophancy but also top-down proactive networking.
Who dares to say they'll always work in a group company? Without connections at the grassroots level, won't they be in trouble when they're demoted?
Besides, even if they work in the group company, they still need connections at the grassroots level. Otherwise, they'd be blind to what's going on below, and how would they hear about what's happening below?
Leaders use them and give them opportunities for advancement because they value their abilities.
These grassroots relationships and foundations are also a form of management ability; at least, that's what the people passing by on the third floor thought.
Whoever can obtain the main points of Li Xuewu's conversation with Director Li as soon as possible will have first-hand information and can make some "deals" with those below.
Trading work or relationships is still a transaction.
Of course, it's fine for them to "pass by" the third-floor corridor once or twice, but if they walk around too often, even a fool would see their purpose. They still need to pretend.
So people came and went, and the third-floor corridor was particularly lively this afternoon, but a certain degree of restraint was maintained.
But for Zhang Enyuan, the way these people looked at him held a deeper meaning beyond greed.
Although Li Xuewu had said that he could ask Li Haiyang to show him around the various offices of his unit, he dared not leave. What if the leader summoned him at the last minute, or ended the conversation at any time and left?
He can slack off when the leader is not around, but he must be there when the leader needs him.
Li Haiyang understood his insistence, and only asked him one question. Seeing that he was unwilling to go, he arranged for him to rest in his office and went out to work.
Zhang Enyuan also kept his distance from Li Haiyang, as this group's chief secretary was also the director of the management committee and the deputy director of the general manager's office, and was no ordinary person.
He warned himself countless times before he arrived that he must not embarrass Li Xuewu, and he must not cross the line.
He had nothing to do with Li Haiyang, but he had already noticed the probing and disdain that the other party inadvertently revealed.
It wasn't that he was arrogant and proud, but rather that he didn't want to cause trouble for Li Xuewu.
In the steel city, he represented Li Xuewu, and even more so in the capital. What if someone used him as a scapegoat?
You say Li Haiyang is a good person, but where in the company are there good people? Li Xuewu didn't say he could cultivate relationships within the group.
After so many years of silence, he had long since figured out the rules of survival in the workplace: he would never do anything that his superiors hadn't told him to do.
Instead of trying to curry favor with the other party, it is better to be humble and orderly, and to stick to one's principles, so that the other party will not dare to look down on you or deceive you.
Being Li Xuewu's secretary, and following the leader around, doesn't mean you lack opportunities to come to Beijing? What's so great about this workplace?
Zhang Enyuan was neither surprised nor curious; he simply sat in his office organizing his superiors' documents.
He has been studying Li Xuewu's writing style lately. Even if he can't match Li Xuewu's copywriting skills, he still has to work hard to contribute his modest efforts to the leader.
So when these idle people in the group couldn't find Director Li's office, they were about to turn their attention to the secretary that Li Xuewu had brought with him, only to find that the secretary was really calm and collected, and was actually writing something.
This left those who wanted to go in, say hello, and make friends with the person being turned away, without even a chance to speak.
Is Deputy Director Li Haiyang really that busy? He doesn't even have time to entertain Zhang Enyuan.
How could that be? He anticipated this would happen, which is why he deliberately hid away.
If he stayed inside with them, whether he helped Zhang Enyuan deflect these attacks or introduced those people, he would end up pleasing neither side.
How could he possibly do such a losing deal? There must be some kind of test to become the secretary of the group's leader.
Of course, he didn't go far. His eyes were always on the door of his office, on guard against Zhang Enyuan suddenly leaving, or anyone daring to investigate.
He had to keep an eye on Zhang Enyuan, and also on those who willingly fell into the trap; that was the deputy director's skill.
Fortunately, Zhang Enyuan's age has not been wasted, once again proving Li Xuewu's ability to judge people.
Similarly, the people in the unit still had some respect for Li Xuewu and did not think that they could do whatever they wanted just because Li Xuewu went to Liaodong.
Li Haiyang kept an eye on his office for another reason: to prevent Zhang Enyuan from being "bullied".
After all, he was Li Xuewu's secretary, someone brought back by the group's leaders. They could test and probe him if they wanted, but if things really got out of hand, he would be the first to be criticized. Wouldn't that embarrass the leaders?
Director Li and Li Xuewu had just instructed him to entertain Zhang Enyuan, so if something goes wrong now, he'll be the first to suffer.
Wang Lu came out of the office and saw him standing furtively at the corner of the stairs, smoking. Amused, she teased him, "Didn't you hear that smoking is prohibited on the third floor?"
"Wow—you scared me!"
Luckily, he had just exhaled the smoke, otherwise he would have been scared to death by Wang Lu's sudden attack.
Li Haiyang glared at him, both amused and annoyed, and demanded, "Don't you know that people can be terrifyingly frightening?"
"Just trying to scare you, you coward—"
Wang Lu twitched the corner of her mouth, followed his gaze, and asked, "What are you peeking at? Did I catch you doing something wrong?"
"You're really being unreasonable." Li Haiyang rolled his eyes, took a deep drag on his cigarette to calm his tense mood, and then said, "What wrong could I possibly have to do?"
"Have you set your sights on someone?"
Wang Lu followed the direction of his gaze but didn't see anything, only the direction of his office.
What's so interesting about this? Are they catching a thief?
However, despite her doubts, she still joked, "You can't tell the truth in this workplace, you just talk nonsense."
Li Haiyang, being quite witty, raised the finger holding the cigarette and pointed in the direction of his office, saying, "Can you see anything wrong with this? Let's test your eyesight."
"You're just killing time, aren't you—"
Wang Lu looked him up and down as if he were an idiot, and said, "Are you fishing or catching a thief?"
"Hey! You were right!"
Li Haiyang smiled mischievously, exhaled a smoke ring, and said, "I'm both fishing and catching a thief."
"You're crazy! Take your medicine already!"
Wang Lu rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to argue with him, and walked forward with the documents in her hands.
Li Haiyang's eyes darted around, and he quickly stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe. He then whispered to Wang Lu, "Aren't you curious about the secretary that Li Xuewu brought?"
"Ah—so that's how it is."
Wang Lu turned back to look at him knowingly, and said with a meaningful look in her eyes, "Kid, you're pretty good!"
“Go away—” Li Haiyang waved his hand, both amused and exasperated, and said, “If you keep calling me that, I’ll call you Little Wang…”
"You dare!" Wang Lu glared at her and said, "I heard you've got a boyfriend? It's hard for me to play matchmaker, but it's too easy for me to trip him up."
"Wow! You're really something!"
Li Haiyang glared at him, then laughed and said, "Alright, alright, consider it my good intentions unappreciated. I was even going to introduce you two."
"Do I need you to introduce me?" Wang Lu rolled her eyes at him and gestured towards the office, saying, "Go stand guard."
***
Li Haiyang would naturally have to stand guard, but Li Xuewu's conversation with Director Li would definitely last a long time.
If he just stands there doing nothing, he'll really become a member of the security department; even the leaders will scold him for being unreliable.
It's understandable to keep watch over the boss's office to prevent anyone from entering and disturbing them, but there's no need to stand guard at the door. Who would be so foolish as to come asking for instructions at this time? That would be utterly ridiculous.
The news of Li Xuewu's return had already spread throughout the entire group; everyone knew that the leaders had something to discuss.
Of course, there are many people in this unit, and some of them have even fought with donkeys, so they just happened to run into trouble.
"Hello, Deputy Director Su."
Seeing that Su Weide was about to walk towards Director Li's office, Li Haiyang cleverly blocked his way.
Su Weide raised an eyebrow at him, smiled, and nodded, saying, "Comrade Haiyang, is the director home?"
"He's at home. Li Xuewu is back, and he's giving a report to Director Li right now."
Li Haiyang couldn't let Su Weide pass by, but he also couldn't stop him; what would that look like?
It's better to be blunt now. If Suweide had any sense of organization or self-respect, he wouldn't make things difficult for him.
Unfortunately, Li Haiyang underestimated Deputy Director Su's moral character; he was still too young.
"Oh—Li Xuewu is back!"
Su Weide nodded in surprise and said, "Perfect timing, I also have something to report to Director Li about, which is about the Liaodong Industrial Management Group."
As he said this, he walked straight ahead. Li Haiyang's expression changed, and he quickly explained from the side, "Why don't you come back later? Director Li just scolded me and told me not to go in and disturb him."
What he meant was, "If I can't even get in, who do you think you are? Have you no shame?"
Suweide had no shame whatsoever; if he had any, he wouldn't have done so many incomprehensible things.
He glanced at Li Haiyang and asked with a smile, "Can't I even report to Director Li?"
Look at that question! It would be better to just slap Li Haiyang across the face; that would be much more direct.
So, Li Haiyang's words were a subtle reminder not to go too far, but he misinterpreted them as "Who do you think you are?"
That's right, he said that to Li Haiyang. What's a secretary compared to him? Does he, as the group leader, have to ask Li Haiyang's permission to report to the main person in charge?
Li Haiyang cursed inwardly, but he wasn't about to take the bait. He just laughed louder than when they were talking earlier and said, "I can't make that decision. After all, you're the leader, and I have to follow your orders."
Su Weide didn't treat Li Haiyang as a human being, and Li Haiyang wasn't going to treat him as a leader either; this was a direct conflict.
For no other reason than to guard the door for the boss.
They're now very close to Director Li's office; they're sure to be heard talking so loudly.
Look again at the third-floor corridor that was just teeming with tourists; now there isn't even a single ant left.
Li Haiyang is so mean. If you, Su Weide, want to be tough and aggressive, then don't come at me.
He stepped back and calmly watched as the other party uttered harsh words.
This means that even if you're shameless, I can't stop you from making a fool of yourself, as long as you dare to go over there.
Anyway, I've done what my boss told me to do, and it's not my fault that I couldn't stop the other party.
He didn't take the ball from Suvid, and instead kicked it back to him exactly as it was.
Now it was Suvid's turn to react.
If he slunk away, he would become the laughingstock of the company. Although he has made many jokes before, he can't afford to be played like this.
If he forces his way forward, he will not only fail to hear anything, but he will also offend Li Huaide.
Just then, a greeting came from the direction of Li Huaide's office; it was someone calling out to Li Haiyang.
Li Haiyang responded first, then glanced at Su Weide before hurrying towards his office.
Before he could even get close, Director Li appeared at the door, scolding him in a slightly reprimanding tone: "How do you do your job?"
After reprimanding his secretary Li Haiyang, Li Huaide turned to Su Weide, who was standing there, and waved with a smile, saying, "Comrade Weide, you've come to see Li Xuewu, haven't you?"
Look, that's what it means to use minimal effort to achieve maximum results. Li Huaide has made up for the skills he lost in his professional work by focusing on governance.
"I told you you wouldn't be able to go back today. Look, even Deputy Director Su has to wait in line to see you."
Li Xuewu in the office didn't reply. Seeing the suspicion and surprise in Old Li's gaze, he shrugged and said, "I don't know."
The tacit understanding between the two was naturally beyond what Su Weide could match. From outside the door, it seemed that Li Huaide was joking with the people inside the office, teasing Su Weide about his impatience.
But from inside the house, Li Huaide seemed quite annoyed and also doubted Su Weide's motives for coming at this time.
Su Weide gave Li Haiyang, who had stepped back and was standing to the side, a cold look before forcing a smile and saying, "What a coincidence! I was just about to talk to you about the fire safety inspection at the beginning of the year. I heard that Li Xuewu is back, so I have to meet him."
"Is it inconvenient?"
He had already walked up to Li Huaide when he asked, feigning concern, "Should I come back later?"
"Oh, you, Deputy Director Su, can't be that petty—" Li Huaide laughed and pulled him by the arm to walk into the house, teasingly saying, "Come on, come on, Li Xuewu and I were just discussing who has time at home."
"Perfect, you've walked right into our trap. Don't leave tonight, let's play a couple of rounds."
Damn, this is outrageous! Can Suweide believe that these two guys are hiding in the office, chattering away, trying to play mahjong?
Burning newspapers at gravesites—that's just fooling the ghosts!
As soon as Li Xuewu returned from Liaodong, he went into Old Li's office and talked for an hour.
To put it simply, it's not just Suvid who's getting anxious; others are probably starting to feel uneasy too.
It wasn't that she was in a hurry to see Li Xuewu, but rather that she didn't want to see Li Xuewu and Li Huaide rekindle their old relationship and reunite.
Since Dong Wenxue returned to Beijing, Lao Li has gained a stronger grasp on the group, and has reorganized and restructured the group's organizational structure and ecosystem.
The ability to quickly reorganize the group's organizational structure is absolutely inseparable from Dong Wenxue's strong support.
One Dong Wenxue in Liangmahe Industrial Zone is enough. If Lao Li acts like a tyrant in the group and Li Xuewu in Liaodong unconditionally supports him, then no one else can have a good time.
Others might be able to tolerate it, but Su Weide couldn't. If Li Huaide wanted to play a pure suit, then he wouldn't hesitate to flip the table.
The attack on Li Haiyang was just a test, and seeing how nervous he was, Su Weide became genuinely nervous.
Especially considering Li Huaide's attitude when he reprimanded his secretary—is that what you call a reprimand? It's just scratching the surface.
The fact that even a secretary dared to stop him was enough to show that Li Huaide really didn't take them seriously.
Upon entering the office, the first thing he saw was Li Xuewu sitting on the sofa. He narrowed his eyes, and with a slight twitch of his lips, he was about to speak.
But he was no match for Li Xuewu's quick reaction. Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, the other man stood up.
"Oh, Deputy Director Su, you actually came."
Look at that, what kind of talk is that!
Li Xuewu is a master at silencing people; if he wants to stop someone from speaking, he has plenty of dirty tricks up his sleeve.
Seeing Su Weide roll his eyes, he looked at Li Huaide and said with a smile, "You said that Deputy Director Su's card skills were so-so that he would definitely not want to come. Look, speak of the devil, and he appears."
Keep making things up—
Su Weide's eyes nearly rolled back, and he seized the opportunity to retort, "So Li Xuewu rushed back from Liaodong just to play cards with Director Li?"
"Of course, what else could it be?"
Li Xuewu glanced at him and said with a smile, "If you don't take advantage of your annual leave to have a few rounds of cards, are you going to wait until you go back to work and watch you guys get together to play cards, only to sigh in vain?"
Seeing Su Weide rendered speechless by Li Xuewu, Li Huaide's lips twitched inwardly, finding it amusing, but he still tried to smooth things over, acting as a peacemaker.
"See? Now the atmosphere is there, isn't it?"
He patted Su Weide's arm, gesturing towards the sofa, and then waved to Li Xuewu, indicating that he should sit down.
The three of them exchanged witty remarks, but they still had to maintain appearances; they couldn't very well resort to violence.
Su Weide chose the singles position opposite Li Huaide, leaving the three-person position for Li Xuewu; his attitude couldn't be clearer.
Li Xuewu ignored him and turned to Li Huaide, smiling as he said, "If it weren't for the fact that Steel City is so cold, I would have liked to take my wife and kids there with me."
“That must have been too much trouble for you, and it’s not convenient for Dr. Gu either.” Li Huaide picked up the conversation perfectly, as if the two of them had just been chatting casually in the office.
"When spring comes, you'll be almost done with your work, so make a few more trips to the capital."
He picked up his teacup, smiled at Li Xuewu, and said meaningfully, "Learn from Director Dong, he's family-oriented."
Is he referring to the family in this conversation, or is he referring to the family itself?
Perhaps both are true: Li Xuewu should learn from Dong Wenxue to take care of his family, or rely on the Gu family's influence.
Li Xuewu was too lazy to joke with him, so he turned to Su Weide and smiled, saying, "I heard that Deputy Director Su's hometown is in Northeast China? He hasn't been back all these years?"
“I’m from Longjiang. My relatives back home are long gone.” Su Weide felt that the tea Li Haiyang had just served was bland and tasteless, just like the conversation between Li Xuewu and Li Huaide.
Was he just bored and came here to listen to Da Li and Xiao Li spout nonsense in front of him?
Of course, even if he wanted to hear something else, it would depend on whether Da Li and Xiao Li were willing to perform for him.
"Tsk tsk—" Li Xuewu really knows how to talk nonsense. After getting a comment from this side, he turned to Li Huaide and said, "The Northeast is really cold this year. Although it can't compare to Heilongjiang, Liaodong is also dry and cold. I can hardly stand it."
"It's so unexpected. I've tried going to Northeast China in winter a few times and it was almost unbearable." Li Huaide, always good at playing the straight man, rubbed his knees and said, "The first time I went, I didn't wear knee braces, and it hurt so much when I got back—"
Are you two ever going to stop? Are you messing with me? Is this funny?
Su Weide glanced at Old Li, then at Young Li, before coughing and asking, "Did you come back from Fengcheng?"
"That's right, I miss home."
Li Xuewu suddenly uttered a phrase in Northeastern dialect, which made Su Weide roll his eyes in exasperation.
He raised an eyebrow at Li Huaide and said, "Director Hu insisted on coming to join in the fun the night before and almost got drunk."
This is even more inhuman. Su Weide had never heard of Li Xuewu being drunk before, so he was treating him like someone who couldn't count.
"Isn't he the former deputy director of the Liaodong Liaison Office in Beijing?"
Su Weide tried his best to steer the conversation toward Liaodong, and now he asked bluntly, "Where was he transferred to after he went back? Was he still in the prefectural office?"
"Industry Bureau, the competent authority."
Li Xuewu nodded and said calmly, "Speaking of this person, we have to mention Deputy Director Lu."
He smiled and looked at Li Huaide, saying, "They said they were going to set up a trap, but I don't have time, and neither does he."
"Look, knowing that I'm staying in Fengcheng for one night, they called Hu Ke over to join in the fun and even brought a lot of local specialties."
Before Su Weide could reply, he said to Li Huaide, "I'll have Zhang Enyuan give you some later, everyone gets a share."
At this point, as if he had just remembered that Su Weide was still there, he turned to look at him and said, "What a coincidence, you can have Gu Cheng come down and take some back with him later."
That's quite an honor, with the three top leaders of the group sitting here sharing local specialties. It seems we're getting off-topic here.
"That would be great. If you're willing to give it to me, I won't stand on ceremony."
Su Weide smiled, put down his teacup, and said, "It's just that you've shared the things with us, which is a waste of Deputy Director Lu's good intentions."
He then looked at Li Huaide and said, "Do you know this Deputy Director Lu?"
"We're not close; we've only had one drink together."
Li Huaide's answer seemed flawless, seemingly answering Su Weide's question, but it contained absolutely no crucial information.
Su Weide was also annoyed. He glanced at the two of them with a cold smile, propped himself up to stand up, and said, "Fine, I'll take advantage of Li Xuewu's reputation and eat Liaodong specialties tonight."
"Where are you going? Just stay for a while."
Seeing him get up to leave, Li Huaide said politely, "I was just saying that I was about to get off work and we could leave together tonight."
"Never mind, I just came to talk to you about the fire inspection. We can discuss it again tomorrow."
Su Weide glanced at Li Xuewu indifferently, then waved to Li Huaide, who had stood up, and said, "You don't need to get up. Keep Li Xuewu company."
After saying this, as if afraid the two would misunderstand, he added, "It's not easy for me to come back."
Well, the more he explained, the more resentful she became. Li Huaide raised his eyebrows as he listened, which showed that the other party had already left and was no longer angry.
"Prevention of fire and disasters before and after the New Year."
Li Huaide sat down again, picked up his teacup, and said, "This disaster is insidious; we must actively eliminate hidden dangers to prevent a chain reaction of fires."
He wasn't talking about firefighting, and Li Xuewu understood that, but he had to pretend not to.
If he really eliminates all the "hidden dangers" in Liaodong, the first person to lose sleep will be Old Li.
"If you are not in your position, you will not seek political power."
Li Xuewu smiled and glanced in the direction of the office door, saying, "I only gave some pointers and emphasized the fire safety work of various industrial enterprises and production units."
He sat up straight, put down his teacup, and continued, "Saying too much is useless, saying too little is not worthwhile."
Li Huaide glanced at him, his eyelids drooping, and asked, "Are there many problems in Liaodong?"
"The main issues are resource integration and personnel reform." Li Xuewu frowned slightly and continued the topic that Su Weide had interrupted, "If the group wants to achieve technological innovation and production transformation in the next three years, it must increase its efforts in personnel reform and bring forth new ideas."
"I can't rule out that this research report may have omissions or be based on one person's opinion, but I have a basic understanding of the situation. Now I just need to figure out what to do next."
"Hmm, haste makes waste," Li Huaide said, looking out the window. Then he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Do you have a work plan yet?"
"I do have some ideas that I wanted to share with you when I came back this time," Li Xuewu said with a smile. "Without your support, I always feel uncertain."
"Hehe, what did I tell you?"
Li Huaide felt extremely pleased to hear Li Xuewu's words, but he still emphasized, "I told you when we left Gangcheng, go for it without worry."
He frowned, then smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about me, but you still need to be mindful of the impact."
“I understand, you’re right.”
Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and looked at him, saying, "How about we really have a table tonight? It'll be my treat."
"Forget it, I won't be the bad guy."
Li Huaide smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's already quite uncomfortable that we haven't spent the New Year at home."
He waved his hand and said, "Alright, you should go home early today. We'll call up Wenxue tomorrow and have a match."
"Whatever you say," Li Xuewu said, standing up. "Playing mahjong is fine too, I'm available anytime."
Does Li Huaide care about playing mahjong? What he cares about is Li Xuewu's attitude.
Whether or not Liaodong should be handed over to Li Xuewu was something he was very uncertain about, hesitant and uncertain about.
(End of this chapter)