novelslam Chapter 1545 Is the World About to Change?
Chapter 1545 Is the World About to Change?
Chapter 1545 Is the World About to Change?
"Brother—" Zhou Xiaobai jogged into the lobby of the International Hotel, stomping his foot at the entrance.
"There's been a lot of snow in Beijing this year."
"Not only are there many, but they're also big!"
Zuo Jie was waiting for her. He took the broom from the waiter and handed it to her, gesturing for her to clean the snow off her trouser legs.
"What bad luck, I tripped and fell at the door."
Zhou Xiaobai muttered a complaint, took the broom and brushed the snow off himself. At the same time, he looked up curiously at Li Xuewu, who was talking not far away, raised his eyebrows and gestured to Zuo Jie, asking, "Who is that person?"
She greeted him when she entered, but Li Xuewu only glanced at her before turning back to continue their conversation. She really didn't notice what he was doing.
"Oh, it's from Sanhe Corporation."
Zuo Jie glanced at it casually and explained, "Brother Wu came tonight to see him off."
"Japanese? Tch—" Zhou Xiaobai straightened up, curled his lip, and asked, "You know him?"
"Stop joking, where would I know him?"
Zuo Jie waved his hand with a laugh and said, "It was Brother Wu who said it, otherwise how would I know who he is?"
"What are you doing here?"
Zhou Xiaobai shifted his gaze from the Japanese man, but instead gave Zuo Jie a quick look.
Zuo Jie almost laughed out of anger, and said irritably, "What? You think I'm in your way?"
"You still have some self-awareness."
Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes at him, walked past him, and headed straight for Li Xuewu.
"...Although it is regrettable that no further cooperation was reached, our cooperation continues."
Kenichi Nishida speaks excellent Chinese, and Li Xuewu has never had any trouble communicating with him since they met.
In fact, many Japanese and Koreans these days can speak Chinese.
After all, they came from a vassal state, and their admiration and covetousness towards the Chinese language back then were very complex.
As a result, in later variety shows, Koreans treat 80-year-old Chinese couplets as antiques, and Japanese is inseparable from Chinese characters.
Of course, the more unattainable something is, the more restless one becomes.
Kenichi Nishida was feeling this way. Seeing Li Xuewu's composed and dignified response, he was angry and anxious, but he still had to handle the situation carefully.
During his trip to Beijing, he admitted that he had underestimated Honggang Group and failed to place his opponent in the proper position.
This led to overly aggressive methods in handling cooperation negotiations, which hindered the next steps in the technological cooperation.
He knew that Honggang Group had introduced a lot of industrial technology from East Germany, but he didn't know the specifics.
This is the real problem, and the root of his anxiety: what if there's a technology collaboration in the electronics industry?
Although East Germany was a paper tiger, living off the remnants of its past, it was still the front line of the Cold War.
The OECD's overall technological bias allowed East Germany to live a comfortable life.
Inter-organizational economic cooperation is a normal occurrence in the international market. For example, the frequent visits of Japanese economic delegations to the mainland are also a form of economic cooperation.
This was essentially no different from a visit to East Germany by mainland China, but for Sanhe Co., Ltd., the gains and technological rise of Honggang Group were a crisis.
Having not rested well for several days, Kenichi Nishida also reflected on himself after his conversation with Li Xuewu. He even personally visited a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had worked in mainland China for many years to inquire about the current state of economic development in mainland China and the direction of economic policies.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has technical officers who specialize in this research, so his question will naturally be answered.
Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Japanese businessmen have reached positive conclusions.
They participate in the export trade fair held in Guangzhou every year, unless it is not permitted in mainland China.
Although some unrest occurred in mainland China starting in 66, which affected their trade activities.
However, after several years of repair and development, there is renewed hope for the mainland's trade environment.
In particular, policy adjustments and explorations, with companies like Honggang Group experimenting with a market-oriented economy, have given many Japanese businesses a glimmer of hope for cooperation.
It's not uncommon for people to criticize Kenichi Nishida's methods, deeming them too despicable.
Kenichi Nishida admitted that this mistake stemmed entirely from his arrogance and pride, and that he is learning from it.
Although it was regrettable, he did not pursue further cooperation, hoping that there would be a period of recovery after this contact.
Even though he was eager to sign a further technical cooperation agreement with Honggang Group before East German technology entered the mainland, he knew he couldn't rush things.
He will return to Japan with the delegation tomorrow, and Li Xuewu came today to see him off.
Li Xuewu, representing Honggang Group and as a partner of Sanhe Co., Ltd., attended the farewell banquet held at the Great Hall of the People. Afterwards, he returned to the International Hotel where he was staying during his visit with Kenichi Nishida.
His goal was to contact the Honggang Group, and with the International Hotel being such a convenient place, how could he not stay there?
The fact that Li Xuewu came to see him off also represents the attitude of Honggang Group.
"I look forward to seeing you again next time."
His tone remained calm. Li Xuewu had been talking to him the whole way, and they had chatted quite a bit while they were standing in the lobby.
It was clear that Kenichi Nishida really wanted to reach these agreements during the delegation's visit, but Li Xuewu simply wasn't going to give him that kind of face.
If we go along with his wishes, how will we talk next time?
The little devil's greed is insatiable; you have to keep him hanging on to prevent him from biting back. You also have to be careful not to let him get away with it, and give him a little nudge from time to time to keep him quiet.
"I must apologize for my rudeness last time." Nishida Kenichi noticed that there was a girl next to Li Xuewu, smiled and nodded, and said softly, "I have already handed over that car to the Beijing Liaison Office. I'm sorry for the trouble it caused you."
"It's alright, I can't accept a reward without having done anything right."
Li Xuewu smiled and nodded, gesturing upstairs as he said, "It's late, I won't see you off tomorrow. Sweet dreams, and have a safe journey tomorrow."
Kenichi Nishida thanked him reservedly, and even gave Zhou Xiaobai a serious look before going up the stairs.
Li Xuewu watched him leave before turning to Zhou Xiaobai and asking, "Aren't you staying in the dormitory?"
"The dormitory conditions are too harsh," Zhou Xiaobai said reluctantly, shaking his head. "And I'm scared."
“Afraid? Afraid of what?” Li Xuewu pointed in the direction of the lounge and called Zuo Jie over.
"Is someone in your dorm bullying you?"
“No, it’s not this—” Zhou Xiaobai walked beside Li Xuewu and explained in a rambling voice, “They all say that a student hanged himself in our dormitory before.”
"Heh—" Li Xuewu turned to look at her and asked, "You asked? Is it true?"
"Who am I supposed to ask?!" Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes and said, "I'll ask the dorm manager, but she wouldn't dare say that, though they're spreading it like it's true."
"It is said that he committed suicide by hanging himself because his family objected to his relationship on campus."
She followed Li Xuewu into the lounge, her body slumped weakly. Seeing that Li Xuewu didn't seem to care, she earnestly emphasized, "I keep hearing the bathroom door creaking at night."
"Was it blown by the wind? Was someone using it? Or was someone deliberately trying to scare you?" Li Xuewu explained several points, then sat down on the sofa and pointed to Zuo Jie, who had followed him in, asking, "Would this have happened when you were in school?"
"There were many more, but things were much worse back then."
Zuo Jie sat on the armrest of the sofa with a grin, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Our dorm faces the toilet right next to it. People often come to the toilet at night and disturb our sleep. Plus, the smell is awful, so a few of us made up ghost stories to scare them."
Zhou Xiaobai leaned against Li Xuewu on the sofa, looking sickly, and said to Zuo Jie, "That's really mean."
"There's nothing we can do. The school won't let us change dorm rooms, so we'll just have to avoid going to the toilet."
He grinned mischievously and said, "Back then, we also heard rumors that people hanged themselves, and that someone jumped out of the toilet window to commit suicide. They said it was haunted at night to scare people."
"My bunkmate Liu Dequan is really something else. He lives near the door and has a white string tied to the toilet ventilation window with one end and in front of his bed with the other. We chat until midnight before going to sleep, and he has to tinker with things for a while before going to bed."
He laughed and said, "Anyway, since then no one has dared to go to the toilet in the middle of the night unless the whole dorm goes together, then we can finally get a good night's sleep."
“No, that’s not true. The one at our school might be true—” Zhou Xiaobai looked up at Li Xuewu and emphasized, “They said that no family members came to claim the body, so it was sent to the lab to be used as an anatomical teaching aid.”
"You've already taken anatomy classes, what are you afraid of?"
Zuo Jie looked at her casually and asked, "Aren't nurses supposed to be dedicated to saving lives, moving heaven and earth, and impervious to all evil?"
"I'm studying medical school, do you think I'm some kind of Taoist priest?" Zhou Xiaobai glared at him, annoyed, and retorted, "Moving heaven and earth, my foot—"
"Then you should go home and live there. You're still using that little motorcycle, and it's convenient for going to school."
Li Xuewu let her snuggle into his arms; it was clear she was under some psychological pressure.
If it were a religious matter, someone would have already sent it to her, and they would definitely say she was after something.
Li Xuewu doesn't object to others believing in this, nor has he ever said whether this thing actually exists or not, but he doesn't believe it.
He only believes in the truth that is tucked in his belt; if the truth that is tucked in his belt does not work, he still has the great truth in his hand.
“Cold—” When she said this, Zhou Xiaobai snuggled closer to him, it was unclear whether she meant it was cold riding the motorcycle to school or that she was feeling cold.
Li Xuewu reached out and touched her forehead. She didn't have a high fever or low temperature, but her face was a little pale, which was probably due to emotional problems.
"What? Staying overnight?"
"Hmm—that would be best—"
When Zhou Xiaobai heard him say that, she grinned, showing her white teeth, but she looked listless.
Li Xuewu glanced at her with amusement, then looked up at Zuo Jie and asked, "How's it going with the task I assigned you?"
"Brother, don't worry, I'm reliable."
Zuo Jie said confidently, "Li Yuanchao and the others have all left. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. There are only a few left standing. We can get them to come back by offering them some benefits."
"Be careful, don't splatter."
Li Xuewu glanced at him and asked, "Did you handle this yourself, or did you have someone else arrange it?"
"How can we leave this kind of thing to someone else?"
Zuo Jie shook his head and said seriously, "But don't worry, brother. Who would notice someone as insignificant as me? And even if they did, what could they do to me?"
"What did you make him do?" Zhou Xiaobai asked, craning his neck curiously. "Do you need my help?"
"No need, you can't help."
Without a second thought, Li Xuewu refused her, looking down at her and saying, "Go back to your studies."
"I tried my best—" Zhou Xiaobai emphasized weakly, then mumbled something, drooped her eyelids, and started picking at her fingers.
Li Xuewu ignored her and instead instructed Zuo Jie, "Safety should be the priority. If anyone is watching you, get away as soon as possible and don't worry about anything else."
"I understand, brother, I definitely will."
Zuo Jie nodded seriously, glanced at Zhou Xiaobai, and asked, "Are you really not feeling well?"
He also suspected that the girl was doing it on purpose, pretending to be sick and acting cute in front of Brother Wu just to get a "meal".
"Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"
"I don't need you. If you have nothing else to do, you can leave." In front of him, Zhou Xiaobai actually took Li Xuewu's hand and placed it on his heart, then looked up and said dreamily, "This is a heart problem. I need to see a psychologist."
"Hehe—" Zuo Jie said with a wicked smile, "Brother Wu studies criminal psychology, you've got the wrong person."
"Mind your own business—" Zhou Xiaobai resented him for ruining the atmosphere she had worked so hard to create, glared at him, and then asked, "What else do you want?"
"Fine, I guess I'm in your way."
Zuo Jie smiled and stood up, saying, "I won't disturb your rest any longer, Your Majesty. This servant will take his leave—"
He even mimicked Zhou Xiaobai's playful antics by flicking his horseshoe sleeves and giving a deep bow.
"How did you get here?" Li Xuewu asked Zuo Jie. "Did you drive or ride a bike?"
“Driving? Riding a bike in this weather would freeze me to death.” When Zuo Jie heard him ask, he explained, “Li Yuanchao sold me that bike at a low price; he lost a thousand.”
"How much?!" Zhou Xiaobai was no longer intimidated. Hearing the price, he sat up in surprise and said, "He spent 7980 on that car, and transferred 1000 to you at a loss?"
“There’s no 7980—” Zuo Jie reminded her with a smile, “The approval slip I gave him even came with a discount.”
"Actually, he only spent less than six thousand on this car, just in time for the replacement of the Antelope."
“Well then—” Zhou Xiaobai raised an eyebrow and looked at him, asking, “Where did you get so much money?”
She asked suspiciously, "Did you rob a bank?"
"Stop joking, am I robbing a bank?"
Zuo Jie pointed to himself, laughing and crying at the same time, and said, "If I had that ability, I would have been shot long ago. Why would I be living like a human being now?"
"That car will cost me four thousand eight."
He counted on his fingers as he told Zhou Xiaobai, "I've saved some money myself over the years while working, and the rest I borrowed from Sister Yu. She's letting me pay her back slowly."
"Sister Yu? Sister Yu from the club?"
Zhou Xiaobai glanced back at Li Xuewu, then looked at him and asked, "Why would she lend you money?"
"You're going to meddle in all this?" Zuo Jie rolled his eyes at her, mimicking her earlier expression, and said, "Mind your own business."
"Perfect timing, you can give me a ride."
Li Xuewu had already stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "You can go to Haiyuncang on the way."
"Brother—" Hearing that Li Xuewu was leaving, Zhou Xiaobai forgot all about envy, jealousy and hatred. He pitifully grabbed Li Xuewu's hand and called out like a little dog.
"I'll get you a room in a bit, so you can get some rest. We can talk about school tomorrow."
Li Xuewu pulled his hand away and patted her head, comforting her, "Sweetie, if you don't have enough money, tell Zuo Jie, he can lend you some."
“Brother…” Zuo Jie smiled bitterly, not knowing how to explain. Did he not know who Sister Yu was?
"Then I'll come to your workplace tomorrow." Zhou Xiaobai still looked pitiful, tugging at his pants and asking, "Is that okay?"
"Okay, I'll find you a place to stay."
Li Xuewu glanced at the time on his hand and knew that she didn't want to go home, so he agreed to her request.
He could afford to stay at the International Hotel, but it's not very convenient with so many people coming and going.
If Zhou Xiaobai were still in his previous identity, it wouldn't matter, since he's a businessman after all.
But she's just a student now, and such extravagant spending will arouse suspicion from her classmates at school.
The capital city may seem big, but the social circles are actually quite small. It's very likely that her classmates will see her coming and going here.
Zhou Xiaobai's ability to enter medical school indicates that he has his parents' consent, and his coming to find him must also be due to his parents' tacit approval, but he cannot ignore this tacit approval.
Taking care of Zhou Xiaobai doesn't mean spoiling her or even harming her. I believe her parents also hope that she can be independent.
So we're finding her a place to live, so it will be convenient for her to go to school and even for her to work in the future.
Speaking of her studying medicine, Li Xuewu was speechless. Why is it that doctors are so popular and everyone seems to be doing it?
Guess what? Zuo Jie's ex-girlfriend, Luo Yun, also returned to Beijing and, like Zhou Xiaobai, entered medical school.
She acted all that way back then, just to get a better future in the army, and even had such a falling out with Zuo Jie. And what was the result?
Life is like a donkey pulling a millstone, going around in circles, seemingly never able to escape the same cycle.
-
"Brother, that money wasn't lent to me by Sister Yu."
As soon as he got in the car, Zuo Jie confessed that he would rather be scolded by Li Xuewu for not doing his job properly than bear the suspicion. He couldn't just use Sister Yu's name casually.
"Hmm, where did the money come from? Did you strike it rich?"
Li Xuewu got into the passenger seat. The interior of this engineering model car was quite ordinary, but the seats were alright.
He didn't really care about Zuo Jie's explanation. Even if Yu Li really lent him money, so what? He could distrust Zuo Jie, but why couldn't he trust Yu Li?
"Don't you know me? I'm a coward."
Zuo Jie turned the steering wheel and drove out of the International Hotel compound. He leaned out to look at the road and explained, "That money was what I saved up from selling seafood."
"Seafood distribution?" Li Xuewu turned around and looked at him in surprise, asking, "You did that back then too?"
"Well, but I didn't do it myself, my buddy did it for me." Zuo Jie explained somewhat timidly, "I was afraid you would say I was overstepping my bounds, so I didn't dare tell you."
"How dare you say that now?"
Li Xuewu glanced at him. In the dim light, this kid didn't dare to look in his direction. How dare he lie?
"It would be a lie to say I have a clear conscience, but I really didn't touch the money in the account, and Sister Yu knows about it."
Zuo Jie knew he couldn't lie. Brother Wu had said that one lie requires ten or a hundred lies to cover it up.
Faced with Li Xuewu's question, he answered whatever came to mind, and quickly added, "Please don't blame Sister Yu, I begged her not to tell you."
"Okay, tell me, what's going on?"
Li Xuewu reclined in his chair and asked, "If you want to make money, why are you doing it so secretly?"
"I'm afraid——"
"Ahem—" He had barely uttered a sentence when Li Xuewu coughed and reminded him irritably, "Don't try to pull this stunt like Zhou Xiaobai!"
Zuo Jie grinned, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Back then, I was in charge of coordinating distribution resources. I was afraid people would doubt my fairness and impartiality, so I didn't dare tell you. I was afraid of you... afraid of you..."
Everyone knows that money is easy to spend.
Before he could hesitate, Li Xuewu already knew what he was afraid of, and said calmly, "But a gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. Do you know what 'proper way' means?"
"The Way refers to rules and proper channels and means, that is, morality and ethics."
He turned to look at Zuo Jie and asked, "Think about it, is there any ethical way for you to make this money?"
Zuo Jie remained silent and drove very slowly.
"I understand you guys. Who the hell doesn't want a good life? Who the hell doesn't want to have money to spend?"
Li Xuewu raised his hand and scratched the scar on his face, saying, "But you need to know how to earn this money, and you also need to know how to spend it."
"Think about it yourself, why did this car end up in your hands, and why Li Yuanchao bought it but couldn't keep it?"
He said calmly, "If one's virtue is not commensurate with one's position, disaster will surely follow; if one's wealth is not commensurate with one's position, one will surely suffer losses."
“I don’t object to you making money, and I certainly don’t object to you using the resources at your disposal to make money, but I hope you know why you want to make money and what you will do with the money.”
"Brother, I think I understand what you're saying."
Zuo Jie was not a fool, nor was he a hot-blooded young man who only cared about money. He still trusted Li Xuewu a lot, especially his words and deeds.
"It's good that you understand; the worst thing is not understanding."
Li Xuewu tightened his clothes and taught him, "Cars and houses are just appearances, concrete manifestations of your wealth."
"I think you should know that Zhou Xiaobai earned no less than Li Yuanchao and the others back then, right?"
He turned to Zuo Jie and asked, "How much savings do you think she has right now?"
"This..." Zuo Jie hadn't really thought about this question.
“Do you believe me if I say she doesn’t even have a hundred yuan in her pocket?” Li Xuewu shook his head with a smile and said, “The money she handles could buy two cars, but all she has left is that little motorcycle.”
"When she was earning money, she vowed not to buy a car, but to save up to buy a house and be independent. And what happened?"
"I really didn't know that." Zuo Jie scratched his head and said, "Didn't they say the company paid for her stay here?"
"But she herself isn't good at spending money either."
Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Spending money can be addictive. Once you realize you're addicted, you've already lost control of yourself."
Credit cards work on the same principle. Banks cultivate your "good" spending habits, and they're not even afraid you won't be able to pay them back. Once you're addicted, you'll become a slave to your credit card.
"Don't just look at the immediate future. I know it's great to own your own car, but you have to be able to keep driving it."
Li Xuewu reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't let me down."
"I know, brother."
-
"Wang Xin from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation is here; he's in the reception room." Dong Wenxue reminded Li Xuewu as he came downstairs, "Do you want to go and see him?"
"It's alright, Mr. Gao will take care of this."
Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "Perhaps Wang Xin doesn't want to see me right now."
"Hehe—" Dong Wenxue nodded at him and then gestured in the direction of the general manager's office, saying, "Then let's go to Director Li's office. He just asked about you."
"Okay, I'll be there right away."
Li Xuewu cleaned the water out of his ears; they were still damp from not wiping them clean with the towel.
After changing his clothes in his own office, he went to Old Li's office, where Cheng Kaiyuan was also present.
"I heard you went swimming?" Li Huaide asked with a smile when he saw him come in, without even getting up.
Li Xuewu raised his hand to greet Cheng Kaiyuan before replying, "I must say, the water isn't cold at all."
"The water's running upstairs?" Cheng Kaiyuan asked in surprise. "Has the swimming pool reopened?"
"It's the first day today, didn't you know?"
Li Xuewu sat down next to him opposite Lao Li, and Liu Bin quickly brought him a cup of tea.
"Thanks, you look great today."
He was praising Liu Bin, and even Cheng Kaiyuan glanced at him again, not having a chance to answer Li Xuewu's question.
"People are in high spirits when they have good news!"
Li Huaide also joked with his secretary, pointing at him and explaining to the two of them, "He's going on a blind date at noon."
"Wow! That's great news!"
Li Xuewu turned around and sat sideways in his chair, looking at Liu Bin and asking, "Is the other party from our group?"
"No, it was introduced by my mother's colleague."
Liu Bin explained somewhat embarrassedly, "My situation is already considered one of the most difficult in our family."
"How can you say that?" Cheng Kaiyuan turned around and teased him, "Men become more attractive as they get older, don't you know that?"
"You're just trying to comfort me," Liu Bin said with a smile. "My mother gave me an ultimatum, saying that if this doesn't work out, I shouldn't come home."
"Oh dear, is it that serious?!"
Cheng Kaiyuan smiled and looked at him, then asked, "With your qualifications, you shouldn't be unable to find a partner, right?"
"We've looked, and every single one we find turns out to be a failure."
Liu Bin filled the thermos with hot water for him and Li Huaide, and explained with a wry smile, "You know my job, boss, I don't have time to get to know each other slowly."
"Hey! You can't be a hooligan—"
Cheng Kaiyuan was really wicked; he pointed at him and deliberately picked on the flaws in his words.
Liu Bin, naturally thick-skinned, explained without a care, "I'm 27 this year, and she's 25. We're both ambitious, so we're a good match."
How did you come up with this idea?
Li Xuewu glanced at him with amusement, then gestured to Li Huaide, who looked like an old cat across from him, and said, "Your relationships keep falling apart, you should ask Director Li to take responsibility."
"It's all his fault for assigning you so much work that you don't have time to date."
"No, no, I didn't mean that." Liu Bin waved his hands repeatedly and looked at Li Huaide, trying to explain. The secretary-general was too bad! Even worse than President Cheng. Neither of them were good people!
"Yes, I do bear some responsibility."
Li Huaide was easy to talk to. He reached out and stroked the two cricket whiskers on his head, and said with a smile, "I'll give you three days off this time. You must complete the task, okay?"
"Boss, that's really not what I meant."
Although Liu Bin was explaining, a smile had already appeared on his face. He really had to thank Li Xuewu.
"Alright, get out of here." Li Xuewu waved his hand with a smile, shooing him away, "Go find your own comfortable love, don't embarrass yourself in front of us."
"Hahaha--"
Liu Bin's father is from Sichuan Province, so sometimes he has a Sichuan accent, which gets worse when he's anxious.
After watching him leave, Li Huaide picked up his teacup, took a sip, and gestured towards Li Xuewu, asking, "When will the bus production project start?"
"Of course, the sooner the better."
Li Xuewu straightened his expression and looked at Li Huaide, saying, "My suggestion is that we can start preparing now, at least we should build the factory, right?"
He glanced at Cheng Kaiyuan again, tapped the desk with his finger, and emphasized, "The machinery can't come in March or April, and it'll be early May or June. We can't let the equipment wait for the factory, can we?"
"So soon?" Cheng Kaiyuan frowned slightly and asked him, "I heard that East Germany is dragging its feet. Could something have gone wrong?"
"It's just a pose they deliberately put on."
Li Xuewu shook his head dismissively and explained, "The bus project wasn't a contract directly signed with us, so they have no reason to delay it."
"As far as I know, Geely Star Shipbuilding has already begun allocating camera production technology and equipment."
He sat up straight, placed his hand on the desk, and said, "We can't pay for assumptions and what ifs. We should be able to make the necessary preparations."
“Building a factory, at this time.”
Li Huaide frowned and pondered, "The budget is easy to solve, the funds are sufficient, but we can't get enough building materials. Where can we apply for them now?"
"There's no other way but to rob Peter to pay Paul."
Li Xuewu picked up his teacup and said casually, "Anyway, the construction period is controlled by the construction company."
Li Huaide fell silent, and Cheng Kaiyuan didn't know how to respond to his comment.
Anyone could think of this method, but no one dared to say it aloud. They all knew which project Li Xuewu was trying to embezzle building materials from, and that was a red line.
"The three-prevention project in the steel city industrial zone started in October and didn't stop throughout the winter."
Li Xuewu put down his teacup and looked at Li Huaide, introducing, "Compared to other companies in the same period, we are already considered to be ahead, and we also have supporting industries for power plants."
He gestured towards the conference room on the same floor and said, "The talks with General Manager Gao went smoothly. Perhaps next year's building material quota will far exceed what we are currently diverting."
"You're gambling," Cheng Kaiyuan quietly reminded him. "What if?"
"Unless the project is postponed."
Li Xuewu shrugged indifferently and gestured to Li Huaide, saying, "We'll wait for news from the equipment side before starting the bus project. The time gap will be quite long."
"There's also the engine project."
Li Huaide was pondering the questions Li Xuewu had brought back; he did have some knowledge of them.
"It depends on how General Manager Gao handles the negotiations."
Li Xuewu replied, "I prefer Shenyang Aircraft Corporation to manufacture the products, conduct joint research and development, and share the scientific research results."
"Actually, we didn't lose out. We were able to leverage the entire research resources of Shenyang Aircraft Corporation with just one jet engine project, opening the door to exchanges for our research institute. Wasn't that worthwhile?"
He smiled and said, "To put it bluntly, that technology is just technology, and it's outdated technology."
"I don't cherish it and can't bear to part with it."
Li Huaide naturally understood his meaning, sat up straight and said, "Then let's prepare for both possibilities."
He pointed to the desk and looked at Li Xuewu, saying, "Your pressure is even greater now. You have to stabilize the three-defense project and ensure the construction of the bus project."
"The key is the power plant project. It's not that I don't trust Comrade Bu Qingfang, but you have to give her some oversight."
"Comrade Bu Qingfang can still be trusted."
Li Xuewu thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "If she needs support from Liaodong Industry, I will do my best to help."
Old Li's words were loaded with meaning; he couldn't just accept them without arousing his suspicion.
United Energy is a directly affiliated group company and is not under the jurisdiction of the Liaodong Industrial Management Group. Even though most of United Energy's major mineral development and other energy projects are located in Liaodong, it cannot act arbitrarily.
Old Li asked him to oversee the process, and he could only say he would try his best, otherwise Bu Qingfang wouldn't last long at United Energy.
He had no grudge against Bu Qingfang and believed that she could lead United Energy to a new chapter, so he wouldn't hold her back.
Li Huaide understood what he meant, nodded slightly, and then looked at Cheng Kaiyuan and said, "You should follow up on this project, since it's production work."
Cheng Kaiyuan knew he would have to take the blame. Li Xuewu was in charge of the work, and if anything went wrong, he would be responsible, and there was no reasoning with him.
Does he have a choice?
Even if he had a choice, he would have to choose this one.
If Li Xuewu succeeds in making this project a success, it will be an expansion within the scope of industrial production and fall under his management. Naturally, he will share in the credit for any achievements.
Even if Li Huaide didn't say anything, could he really escape it? Li Xuewu had just untied him, and he had neither the reason nor the ability to refuse Li Xuewu.
Seeing that he had no objections, Li Huaide pulled out the document that Liu Bin had already marked from the pile of documents beside him, and signed his comments and name with a fountain pen.
Li Xuewu took it and pushed it to Cheng Kaiyuan. The project needed the signature of the supervisor to be approved and to start work. It was not in accordance with the rules for Lao Li to have it on his own.
Of course, he also has to sign.
This report was sent without a single signature, precisely so that its approval or rejection could be discussed.
If Lao Li says it's okay, then it's okay.
This situation of inverted signatures is not uncommon in corporate management, but it carries extremely high risks.
Cheng Kaiyuan was a straightforward person. Since he couldn't resist, he would just silently endure it. What if he found it enjoyable?
He took the pen from Li Xuewu after he finished signing it, took out a Parker pen from his jacket pocket, quickly wrote the word "agree" and signed his name.
The Parker pen was a gift from Lou Xiao'e; its nib was made of pure gold, and it shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
It must be said that the Germans have indeed made many contributions to industrial development.
Of course, this isn't to defend Parker; he was one of those who supported art students who failed their college entrance exams back then.
There's no need to glorify any major brand; none of those that have grown to prominence are easy to deal with.
Li Huaide glanced at it and then paid no more attention, because he had many such pens.
It's expensive, but human relationships are not.
If you calculate it, there must be at least 800 to 1,000 people asking him for favors every year. And those who actually get things done, shouldn't they at least give him some reward?
These days, you don't really need to give a lot of gifts, but small favors are always a constant; it's always a society based on personal relationships.
Don't ever say that the air in Europe is cleaner, or that foreigners don't engage in bribery or extortion. Aside from some domestic magazines that boast about such baseless claims, even they themselves don't believe it. Just look at their movies; they're full of shady deals.
However, it must be said that there is indeed a sense of integrity in this era. Even Lao Li never thought that becoming a cadre was for the purpose of making money. You can say that his pursuit of advancement was impure, but you can't say that he didn't have the heart to do something.
After seeing Li Xuewu sign the document and leave, Cheng Kaiyuan felt a growing unease as he lingered any longer. He felt the weight of the burden on his back pressing down on him.
"I have something to tell you, so be prepared," Li Huaide said, taking a sip of hot tea and looking out the window. "Our group's management may be changing."
"Changes?" Li Xuewu frowned, suddenly remembering something, but feigning ignorance, he asked, "Where will it be assigned? Is there some change within the ministry?"
"The ministry doesn't have it, but the lower levels do."
Li Huaide turned around, sighed helplessly, and said, "After all this time, we're back again."
"If I had known this would happen, why did I bother with all this trouble in the first place?"
“It’s still going to be a hassle.” Li Xuewu already knew what he meant by the change of jurisdiction, and said with the same heavy heart, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
“Heh—” Li Huaide also tried to find humor in his predicament, and said to him, “This matter is not completely settled yet. I am also trying, but the chances are not great.”
He moved the teacup beside him and said, "I can barely squeeze into Director Du's office. The line of people going there to complain stretches outside the building."
"We'll try if we can, but there's nothing we can do if we can't." Li Xuewu scratched his head. He had indeed overlooked this matter, but he couldn't be entirely blamed.
The ownership of enterprises has changed countless times throughout the course of economic development. This time, the change took a long time, not until the late 1980s.
At that time, Li Xuewu had experienced the last wave of reforms, and he couldn't remember when the last reform was.
Judging from what Lao Li said, it should be this year. If we don't change it soon, the dates won't match up.
"Don't worry, the group is definitely stronger than the factory level." Li Huaide was already quite worried, so he had to comfort him, "At worst, you can just make a few more trips to the ministry."
"I'm afraid that by then it won't be up to us."
Li Xuewu looked at him with a wry smile and reminded him, "If you still don't get a definite answer after proposing the economic development plan of Honggang Group, then we'll have to keep something in reserve."
"Phew—" Li Huaide laughed and said, "What the hell is going on? Am I supposed to turn around and fawn over them?"
"It's not that bad," Li Xuewu comforted him again. "Just wait a bit. Maybe you can go further, or at least take on some other things."
"Forget it, I'd rather curry favor with people than get involved in those things."
Li Huaide is a man who can bend and stretch, and he is already mentally preparing for the upcoming turmoil.
"I've thought about it. Try to consolidate the industrial resources in Liaodong. If that doesn't work, set up a separate company to manage them."
As if he had made a decision, he emphasized, "Anyway, you can't put all your eggs in one basket."