fictionpage Chapter 1467 You also said bad things about her?
Chapter 1467 You also said bad things about her?
Chapter 1467 You've said bad things about her?
Are they going to sell the airport?
As soon as the Volga M24 pulled out of the guesthouse, Zhou Xiaoling couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to sell it to our group?"
"Yes, we do have that intention."
Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed, and said with his eyes slightly narrowed, "It's not decided yet."
"Is it because our company is unwilling? Or is there some problem?"
Zhou Xiaoling seemed very curious and concerned about this matter, and even took the initiative to inquire about it.
Li Xuewu turned to look at her before saying, "What do you think about the problems here?"
She asked first, and her second brother's question made her pause for a moment, then her heart started pounding.
What does it mean?
Is it because they think she's asking too many questions, or is it a test of her ability and vision?
If it's the former, then she needs to be careful about her behavior; if it's the latter...
Zhou Xiaoling thought about it carefully, wanting to give her second brother a very satisfactory answer.
Li Xuewu seemed to be testing her, or perhaps deliberately trying to embarrass her by not wanting to answer the question.
Just as she was racking her brains to recall the conversation between her second brother and the vice president of Shenfei at the dinner party, and pondering the question her second brother had just raised, Li Xuewu closed his eyes slightly, as if he had fallen asleep.
For a moment, the only sounds in the carriage were the noise of the train and Zhou Xiaoling's increasingly rapid breathing due to her nervousness.
Is it because the cost of acquiring the airport is disproportionate to the profits? Or are the operating costs too high?
Zhou Xiaoling wasn't an empty-headed girl; she was just limited by her own limitations and couldn't see things further ahead.
At this moment, Li Xuewu opened his eyes, looked at her seriously, and said, "None of those are true."
"Huh? --" Zhou Xiaoling's opinion was based on the conversation at the dinner party just now. Was that wrong?
Li Xuewu's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Have you ever heard of asking for an exorbitant price and then settling for a bargain?"
"You mean—" Zhou Xiaoling seemed to suddenly understand, but found it unbelievable, and her eyes widened.
"Well, it's just a tactic to drive down prices," Li Xuewu said casually. "Any cost investment is insignificant compared to rock-bottom prices."
"Airports are never the key to profitability; shipping is. Do you understand shipping management?"
He looked Zhou Xiaoling up and down and suggested, "You should read more books on this subject when you have time."
"Second Brother—" Zhou Xiaoling didn't understand his words, looking at him timidly yet pleasantly.
Li Xuewu did not continue the topic, as if he had never offered any tempting conditions.
When fishing, why would you add more bait to the water when the fish have already taken the bait? At this point, you should be pulling the bait.
"Under what conditions should the group take over this airport?"
Seemingly receiving affirmation and encouragement from Li Xuewu, Zhou Xiaoling bravely voiced her thoughts.
Li Xuewu didn't hide anything from her, casually explaining, "There are no absolutely perfect conditions. Every cooperation and transaction requires extreme tug-of-war and compromise."
"The final outcome will either be that they can't hold on any longer, or we'll just call it quits while we're ahead."
He glanced at the road ahead, patted the driver, Yu Zhe, on the shoulder, and instructed, "Go to the department store."
"Yes, boss." Yu Zhe didn't say much, or even anything at all; today he only responded to Li Xuewu with one sentence.
When Zhou Xiaoling heard him say he was going to the department store, her heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed slightly.
Being with my second brother was filled with uncertain excitement and thrills, as well as fantasies and surprises.
"What if—I mean, what if—they actually accept your suggestion and decide to cooperate?"
Zhou Xiaoling recalled that at the dinner table, her second brother suggested that the other party take the route of cooperation and joint venture, and build their own large aircraft.
“This is business management; there are no ‘what ifs’.” Li Xuewu glanced back at her and said, “Have you ever heard any leader in the group use those two words?”
"Ah—" Zhou Xiaoling learned another useless piece of knowledge today: it turns out that leaders don't say "if."
Do you think they'll listen to my advice?
Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said, "Believe it or not, Wang Xin might even think this is a trap."
“It’s not just Wang Xin; if he reports our conversation today to Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s leadership, they will also think my suggestion was a trap.”
"Why?" Zhou Xiaoling particularly enjoyed talking to him about work, as if she felt a great sense of accomplishment.
This is the group's secretary-general, she's just a flight attendant.
“They care too much about the cooperation with our group, especially this Wang Xin.”
With a meaningful smile, Li Xuewu looked ahead and explained, "His understanding and interest in the group far exceeds the scope of a deputy director of an aircraft manufacturing plant's business."
"You seem to know everything about our group, but in reality, you're just pretending to know what you don't."
"You mean he knows too much?"
Zhou Xiaoling seemed to understand some of his explanation, but was still somewhat confused.
Li Xuewu nodded and said, "The meaning of cooperation is for both parties to win, but he is wary that we will win too much. Don't you think he was wrong from the beginning?"
"He's afraid that we'll take advantage of them, or even use them as a stepping stone to achieve our own success."
"Ah—so that's how it is?"
Zhou Xiaoling suddenly realized, "But he seemed very enthusiastic just now, not like someone who would be suspicious."
"It's just a disguise. The more you lack something, the more you pretend to be it. He's still too naive."
Li Xuewu straightened his jacket, turned to Zhou Xiaoling and said, "My trick is called 'using a counter-strategy,' which is impossible to guard against."
“They won’t accept my proposal; they’ll have to be more proactive in trying to sell the airport.”
He patted his knees, let out a long breath, and said, "If they accept my advice, they should be prepared not to receive any profit sharing for fifty years."
"Because airport operations are not profitable?"
Zhou Xiaoling asked curiously, "If airport operations can't be profitable, how can shipping be profitable?"
"The value of some goods far exceeds the cost of shipping itself, and that's called profit."
Looking at the department store that appeared in front of the car, Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Sometimes the distribution channel itself is a high-value commodity."
"Have you ever considered what the group would gain from a shipping route if it used that airport to establish connections with Hong Kong, Tokyo, and even Paris?"
***
"This sweater is quite pretty."
Li Xuewu took Zhou Xiaoling to the department store. First, they went to the wine cabinet and chose a red wine that was similar to the one that Zhou Yamei had hidden away.
Of course, it's not the same brand; the one Zhou Yamei hid can't be bought in the country.
Then someone asked, can you buy red wine in China these days?
The answer is yes, you can. I won't go into too much detail here to avoid sounding like I'm explaining something scientifically, but you really can buy it at department store counters.
Zhou Xiaoling felt the weight of the red wine in her hand, her face slightly flushed. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had secretly drunk some wine again, but what was the truth?
I don't know if I felt ashamed or guilty.
After buying the red wine, Li Xuewu took her to the clothing section, where she took a liking to a red sweater hanging on the wall.
In those days, wool production was insufficient, and yarn was a scarce commodity. It wouldn't be until more than a decade later that the situation would ease somewhat.
How can we meet the demand for sweaters among ordinary people?
People generally don't buy ready-made sweaters in shopping malls. Although machine-knitted sweaters are more durable and fashionable, their prices are prohibitive for ordinary wage earners.
It's not that I can't afford it, it's that it's not cost-effective.
With the same amount of money, you can buy yarn and knit three sweaters, not to mention that sweaters are worn underneath.
For families that are not well-off, a wool sweater can last for ten years or even longer, and may even be passed down to the next generation.
Don't think it's an exaggeration. Some old sweaters are given directly to children to wear, while others are taken apart, washed, and re-knitted into smaller sweaters for children. These days, who hasn't worn an old sweater? Sweaters with varying colors and ages are old sweaters.
Of course, Li Xuewu stopped wearing it after he came of age, and Zhou Xiaoling didn't need it since she earned her own salary.
But when Zhou Xiaoling saw the price tag that the waiter glanced at casually, she still stared in surprise.
It's woven with gold thread! How can it be so expensive?
"Second brother, I have a sweater to wear."
She didn't dare to hold her second brother's hand in the mall, but gently touched his arm and explained, "I bought some in Beijing a few days ago."
"The style suits you quite well, and the color is nice too."
Li Xuewu didn't see the price tag, and even if he did, he didn't care. "Please bring it over for us to take a look."
The waiter was simply too lazy to explain; he wasn't blind, of course he could see that Li Xuewu was extraordinary.
As Lu Xun once said, there's a saying for those who travel the world: "Respect the clothes first, then the person; respect the appearance first, then the soul. If you don't believe me, just look at the wine in the cup; every cup is first offered to the rich."
He wore a well-tailored navy blue wool jacket and black trousers that accentuated his well-proportioned legs. His shoes, however, were clearly not from a department store.
If it wasn't bought from a shopping mall, where did it come from? Surely someone can't make it for him personally, right?
If I dare not think that way, then this is the answer.
However, the girl beside him didn't seem to be his type, judging from her clothes and demeanor.
Judging from their conversation, it was clear that this well-dressed VIP was taking care of the beautiful girl.
She didn't care about their relationship; since the other person dared to ask, she dared to show it to them.
Even if the other party didn't buy it, it must be because they didn't like the feel of it, not because they were just teasing her.
Li Xuewu asked the waiter to bring the clothes down, but it was Zhou Xiaoling who actually handled them.
Li Xuewu patted her on the shoulder, gesturing for her to look, and she stopped refusing.
"This is imported, not made domestically."
The waiter, worried that she might not recognize the quality, earnestly explained, "It's a Romanian craft, brought by boat."
"If you like it, give it a try." Li Xuewu didn't look at the red fitted sweater, but noticed the look in Zhou Xiaoling's eyes when she looked at it before making the suggestion.
Without waiting for Zhou Xiaoling to refuse, he asked the waiter, "Can I try it? Do I need to pay in advance?"
"Try it first, it's okay."
Seeing that Li Xuewu seemed to have plenty of money, the pretty girl genuinely wanted to buy it, so the salesperson didn't care.
She pointed to the cubicle behind the counter and said, "Come try it on over here, that's our changing room."
"Is it too much trouble? Thank you."
Seeing that her second brother was sincere, Zhou Xiaoling mustered up her courage and took the sweater to the counter.
The waiter looked Li Xuewu up and down and said, "We don't usually allow you to try on clothes here."
"I understand, thank you."
Li Xuewu smiled slightly, took out some money from his bag, and asked, "How much? Do I need a special ticket?"
"Seventy-five yuan, two industrial tickets."
Seeing that he was actually counting the money, the waiter couldn't help but explain, "Because it's an imported product, it requires an industrial invoice. We don't need one for domestically produced wool here."
“I understand, that’s normal.” Li Xuewu knew what she meant by that explanation. Some service staff in shopping malls would take advantage of customers’ lack of knowledge and would be very impatient when explaining, or even pretend not to see it.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
Seeing him place the money and tickets on the counter and push them towards him, the waiter remarked, "You don't look like that at all."
"Why do you ask that?" Li Xuewu smiled and countered, "Don't I have a strong Northeastern accent?"
"It has nothing to do with this—"
The waiter smiled and explained, "I rarely see such a polite customer like you; only people from Guanli are like this."
“You’re mistaken. I’m a true local.” Li Xuewu put away the ticket she gave him and made up a story: “My ancestors have lived in Steel City for generations.”
"You're really joking—"
The waiter raised an eyebrow, gestured to his clothes, and said, "No one in Steel City dresses like this."
"Oh? What's wrong with my clothes?"
Li Xuewu looked down at his clothes, then looked up and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Gangcheng Department Store is the largest and most comprehensive shopping mall in the area. I have worked here for eight years."
The waiter said confidently, "Let's not even talk about whether I've seen you before, we've never even seen the clothes you're wearing before."
She pointed to Li Xuewu's collar and said, "I bet there's no tag here, it's handmade, right?"
"Is that so—" Li Xuewu didn't actually take off his clothes to verify, but just looked at the waiter's proud and confident expression and smiled softly.
At this moment, Zhou Xiaoling walked out of the dressing room, no longer wearing the short jacket she had arrived in, but a bright red flame, the fuel of youth.
Li Xuewu raised her head slightly, while the waiter looked at her with admiration and envy.
A sweater costs seventy-five yuan, which is equivalent to two and a half months' wages for an average worker. She can't afford it.
There was only one of these sweaters in the mall, and she displayed it purely to save face; she never thought she could sell it.
"It's fine, wear it."
Li Xuewu smiled and nodded, indicating to her, "It's going to get colder today, so be careful to keep warm."
"Thank you, Second Brother—"
Zhou Xiaoling overheard the conversation at the counter while in the changing room and knew that he had already paid.
At this moment, she was dressed in her clothes, her face flushed red. She tidied her hair behind her ears and went to put on her coat.
These days, girls' clothes are either pure white, bright red, or gray, black, blue, or green.
Pure white and bright red are only worn by young girls, and they are also worth showing off their youthful assets.
If you say you're thirty years old and still dress like this, people will gossip and say you're promiscuous, do you believe it?
"I have work this afternoon, so I'll take you home first. Yu Zhe will take you to the airport later."
Li Xuewu wasn't rich and didn't know what to do with his money. Even if he couldn't remember how much money he had, he wouldn't spend it recklessly.
He only bought Zhou Xiaoling a red sweater, nothing else, and went straight out of the department store.
Before getting on the bus, he checked his watch and said this to Zhou Xiaoling.
Zhou Xiaoling was a smart girl, and naturally she understood the significance of what her second brother was doing today.
Taking her out to dinner shows he knows she yearns for and is curious about this kind of life. Buying her expensive clothes expresses his generosity and care. Informing her he has work in the afternoon is a reminder to be mindful of their relationship.
Finally, arranging for a driver to take her to the airport was a way of acknowledging their relationship.
Just from what she could think of and saw today, there were so many complex meanings. She knew the gap between herself and Li Xuewu; the two of them were simply not on the same level.
"I will clean up before I leave."
Zhou Xiaoling didn't say anything else, but obediently nodded and said, "If there's anything else, I'll have Jia Geng bring it to you."
Li Xuewu nodded, gesturing for her to get in the car with him.
Yu Zhe had already overheard their conversation and drove the car toward Guanshan Road without needing to explain.
Yu Zhe had many thoughts about the fact that Zhou Xiaoling had joined Li Xuewu's life, but he kept his eyes and mouth shut and dared not utter a word.
He wouldn't even tell his sister, because last time he went home on vacation, he only mentioned that Li Xuewu was staying at Zhou Yamei's house, which earned him a scolding from his sister.
His sister reminded him to be mindful of his position, and that as a leader's driver, he shouldn't blurt out everything.
Even their own family members wouldn't believe it.
From then on, he remembered this lesson and dared not utter a word about his feelings for the gold-rimmed glasses, no matter how much he longed for them.
It's not a big deal for the leader to have Zhou Xiaoling around, nor is it a big deal if she's gone. What's so surprising about that?
Aren't there plenty of women coming and going in this little villa? I have to see Zhou Xiaoling off this afternoon, and another one is coming tonight.
***
"Secretary-General, this is Mr. Ding from Shouqi."
Zhang Jing took the initiative to introduce them, saying, "This is our group's secretary-general."
"Nice to meet you—" Upon seeing Li Xuewu enter the room, the bald man sitting on the sofa stood up and proactively extended his hand to introduce himself: "Ding Zhichen from Shouqi."
"Hello, welcome to the steel city."
Li Xuewu shook his hand and said with a smile, "I have been waiting for you in Steel City for a long time after hearing about Director Li's news."
"I'm entangled in mundane affairs and have no choice in what I do."
Ding Zhichen was rather short and felt intimidated standing in front of Li Xuewu. After shaking hands warmly, he took a few steps back and sat down again at Li Xuewu's invitation.
"When I came here, I visited Director Li. He was very confident about our future cooperation and also shared many ideas."
"Oh, really? That's a good thing."
Li Xuewu smiled casually and nodded, saying, "Our Director Li has excellent organizational and analytical skills."
"Really? That's really impressive."
Ding Zhichen was a veteran cadre, so he understood what he was saying and just laughed it off.
He hadn't expected that there would be internal discord within the Red Star Steel Group, and that the secretary-general would turn a blind eye to the group's leader's attitude, even showing a disdainful attitude.
Before coming, he had done his research. Someone told him to talk to several vice presidents in charge of business at Hongxing Steel Group, especially Li Xuewu, the secretary-general in charge of Liaodong industry.
As for Li Huaide, the general manager of Hongxing Steel Group, you have to take other work seriously, but when it comes to business, just ignore him.
At first, he didn't believe it. Just think about it, how could General Manager Li, who led the steel rolling mill to establish Hongxing Steel Group and was recognized by the organization as a star of industrial and economic transformation, not understand business operations? That's ridiculous.
But after getting to know him, he realized that listening to Mr. Li's nonsense, it was clear that this man's business skills were really not that great.
No matter what specific work he talked about, General Manager Li always managed to evade the question vaguely.
What did General Manager Li say?
He talked about the development history of Hongxing Steel Group, personnel changes and organizational management, but he never talked about business.
Finally, when he got impatient with his questions, he sent him all the way from Beijing to the steel city.
Since you want to discuss business, here's a good way: go talk to our Secretary-General, who knows absolutely nothing about business or negotiation.
The fact that the other party came to find Li Xuewu shows that Old Li was really desperate, otherwise he wouldn't have acted so badly.
He made the decision after a drink with Shouqi, and he had his original intentions.
However, his initial enthusiasm was short-lived; before he had even sobered up, he started to back down.
He also knew his own capabilities and level in assessing business, and he needed to provide a response for his promises to go out.
So, go to Steel City and find Li Xuewu.
Li Xuewu only learned the whole story after hearing Liu Bin's explanation.
Well, it's not that Lao Li doesn't understand the business; he just missed the best opportunity to master it.
If you ask him to step down at this point to take charge of the implementation of specific business operations and the overall planning and promotion of the work, does he have the energy and time for that? His position no longer allows it.
He did not have a good grasp of the business discourse when he was in a deputy position, and later he was busy with large-scale learning activities and chose to delegate power to win over supporters.
Now that he wants to regain control of the business, it's not easy for him to launch a struggle that would overturn the existing organizational structure of Hongxing Steel Group. Does he dare to do that?
He can only look forward and choose to compromise with the organizational ecosystem that has developed to this point.
Ding Zhichen was full of anticipation for this trip to the steel city, especially for meeting Li Xuewu.
"I heard our Director Liu mention you a long time ago, saying that you are the most promising cadre in Hongxing Steel Group."
"You flatter me. Please thank Director Liu for me."
Li Xuewu smiled, without excessive modesty or arrogance, only confidence in his work ability.
Now is not the time to be humble. The other party is here to negotiate, and being too humble would be seen as a lack of confidence.
Ding Zhichen exchanged a few pleasantries about the books Ding had written before getting to the main topic.
"The cooperation was agreed upon by Director Li and Director Liu. I came here today to discuss the details with you."
He took a document from his secretary and handed it to Li Xuewu, explaining, "This is a cooperation plan we have drafted based on the opinions of the two leaders. Please take a look."
"Director Li told me that the cooperation with Shouqi is a powerful alliance and a win-win situation."
Li Xuewu only accepted the documents he was handed over but ignored his conversation, setting the documents aside and starting to ramble.
"Gangqi is still very young, and even if it has achieved some results, it has been accomplished through the collective efforts of the team."
He looked at Ding Zhichen and said, "I heard from Director Lü of the Steel and Automobile Factory that Shouqi was one of our first partners in Beijing to supply vehicles to the operating company."
“Last March, we bought ten Red Star Antelopes, which are the first generation of Antelopes.”
Seeing that he wasn't cooperating, Ding Zhichen knew he had to keep maneuvering and could only cooperate, looking for a way out.
Li Xuewu then made a sudden turn, pressing his hand on the documents on the sofa armrest and saying, "Even if Director Li doesn't bring up this plan, I will."
"Oh? You mean—"
Ding Zhichen didn't understand whether Li Xuewu meant that the car operation should cooperate with Shouqi or operate independently.
“Our group has a transportation fleet.”
Li Xuewu leaned back slightly on the sofa armrest and emphasized, "We have better logistics and transportation conditions and requirements, so we can definitely set up a passenger taxi business."
“Is that so—”
Ding Zhichen frowned as he listened to his rambling and asked, "Then why didn't Director Li mention it?"
"Our Director Li is too busy."
Li Xuewu said with a wry smile, "Even if I want to see him, I have to make an appointment in advance."
Ding Zhichen clearly didn't believe him, but he didn't refute him and just watched him show off with a smile.
"If I had to give a reason for setting up and operating the car company, it would be employee resettlement."
When Li Xuewu said this, he looked at him very seriously and emphasized, "We are willing to do our best to find a way for these employees to make a living."
"You're setting up a passenger taxi fleet with the aim of solving the re-employment problem for your employees?"
Ding Zhichen was surprised by Li Xuewu's words and frowned, saying, "It seems that our cooperation is not suitable this time?"
These words carried a threatening tone. You, Li Xuewu, are just a secretary-general, not the general manager of Hongxing Steel Group. Do you keep your word?
Li Xuewu doesn't cheat donkeys that follow the crowd.
If the other party is generous and sensible enough not to argue with him, how could they fall into his trap and be deceived by him?
You can't argue with someone like that. Just stick to your own point of view and negotiate. Ding Zhichen insisted on proving himself right, which only made him look bad.
"Of course we can cooperate on regular car models."
Li Xuewu was very serious, but his tone was conservative as he emphasized, "But this is limited to Red Star Antelope and Red Bull tricycles. Aries and Hongyun vans are not currently within the scope of our joint venture consideration."
"Why is that?" Ding Zhichen, who had originally intended to discuss the second generation of Red Star Antelope, asked with a frown, "Are you planning to operate your own taxi business?"
"Director Li does have such plans." Li Xuewu made up a story: "The Aries is the first streamlined three-box sedan in China, and it has independent heating and cooling systems. Our designers have also put a lot of effort into the interior space design."
He emphasized with particular concern: "This car is also exported. You can check its export sales data at customs to see that it is very popular abroad. Our Director Li believes that this car will definitely become a star product that redefines sedans in China."
Ding Zhichen was completely confused by his hype. If he didn't intend to cooperate with us on such a good car, why did he have to introduce it in such detail? Was he trying to entice me?
He frowned and sized up Li Xuewu, then asked, "What about the Hongyun minivan? Is it also a star product?"
"Data doesn't lie."
Li Xuewu said calmly, "I won't tell you. You can look it up yourself. I'm sure you can find it."
"The Hongyun minivan can be said to be the first domestically produced multi-functional utility vehicle."
He confidently explained, "Whether it's a 7-seater, 9-seater, or 12-seater model, each has its unique design requirements, and short-distance passenger transport is absolutely dominant."
"You can go to any government agency in the steel city and see if they use Hongyun bread."
Why bother going to government offices in the steel city? Shouqi has already bought several Hongyun minivans for field operations.
He already knew that they were excellent at both pulling people and equipment.
"You're not planning to operate the second generation of Antelope?"
Seemingly sensing a crisis, Ding Zhichen looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked him this question.
If Hongxing Steel Group doesn't intend to operate the second-generation Antelope itself, then they won't operate it either.
Compared to the second-generation Antelope, after Li Xuewu's introduction, he suddenly felt that the second-generation Antelope was not so appealing. On the contrary, the Aries, which had not performed well in the domestic car sales channels, was more in line with their definition of a taxi.
Why is Aries' performance in domestic car sales channels so inconspicuous?
The reason is simple: in Shanghai, cars are only used by officials at the city level or above; cars are still a luxury item.
Moreover, the price of the Aries is astronomical for ordinary people, making it unaffordable for them.
However, for businesses, while using Aries might look nice, it lacks brand confidence and social recognition.
For example, if all the city leaders drive cars with the "Magic City" brand, and you suddenly drive an Aries, how will people know your identity?
Regardless of whether the car Li Xuewu mentioned sells well overseas, he felt that the Aries was very suitable as a taxi, as it was inexpensive, beautiful, and in line with contemporary aesthetics.
"A second-generation antelope, huh—"
Li Xuewu's answer made Ding Zhichen scratch his head, "The second generation of Antelope is of course very good, yes, very good."
What a load of rubbish! You better explain exactly what's good about it, or you'll confuse me and make me misunderstand!
"I fully support SteelCar's negotiations with Shouqi regarding the operation of the second-generation Red Star Antelope."
Li Xuewu looked at him with a smile and said, "If you have any questions, you can contact me."
Are they kicking people out?
Ding Zhichen was furious and anxious. He hadn't come to Gangcheng for tourism, nor to be bullied; he had come to get his car back.
Where do you plan to conduct your operations?
“Well—” Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, feigning difficulty, “For now, we’re considering Beijing, Gangcheng, and nearby Tianjin.”
"Most of the employees we need to relocate from Beijing hope to stay and live in Beijing."
He explained, "And we also have some employee evacuation needs in the steel city and Tianjin, so..."
"What if we could take in some of the employees?" Ding Zhichen asked first, then looked at Li Xuewu and inquired, "Can we operate all the models of Steel Auto?"
"How can it be--"
Li Xuewu looked at him in surprise and said, "Gangqi currently has more than a dozen models, and it is impossible for them all to be put into operation."
"What about Aries?" Ding Zhichen asked, feigning a compromise. "If we want Aries to run the business, is that a suitable condition?"
"Well—" Li Xuewu played along, feigning hesitation as he said, "I still need to talk to the leader, but the chances are slim."
"I'm not just trying to brush you off."
He explained frankly, "Even if Aries is handed over to Shouqi for operation, how many employees can you take in? We have a shortage of several thousand people."
"Several thousand people is impossible. Shouqi doesn't have that kind of scale. If I agree to your request, it would be nonsense."
Ding Zhichen thought for a moment, then looked up at him and said, "Around 500 people is feasible. Some can be trained to work as drivers, and others can work in maintenance and support."
"It's too little. Even if Director Li agrees, the terms negotiated are too harsh."
Li Xuewu, feigning concern for him, said, "Why don't you buy some Aries taxis first and try them out, or wait until our taxi business is up and running before making large-scale purchases for independent operation?"
"Is there no other way?"
Ding Zhichen looked at Li Xuewu, frowned, and said, "Let's put this matter aside for now. I also need to communicate with the other comrades."
"I also hope you will consider this carefully."
Li Xuewu sincerely said, "Actually, the second generation of Antelope is very good and fully meets Shouqi's taxi needs."
"Thank you for your honesty, goodbye."
Ding Zhichen didn't want to listen to his nonsense anymore. Alarm bells were ringing in his mind. He needed to go back and sort things out to see if he had fallen into a trap.
Li Huaide had clearly agreed, but now Li Xuewu has gone back on his word and is blaming Li Huaide for everything.
Was Li Huaide playing a trick on him, or was Li Huaide's statement completely invalid, and he was outmaneuvered by Li Xuewu?
***
"My application was not approved."
After the meeting of the Industrial Leading Group, Xu Sinian followed Li Xuewu to the office.
He gripped the document in his hand, frowning as he emphasized, "What exactly does the group mean?"
"What did I tell you back then?"
Li Xuewu picked up his thermos and took a sip before looking at him and saying, "Taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble."
"Have we taken a big step forward?"
Xu Sinian insisted, unconvinced, "It's just expanding four docks to increase production capacity."
"Didn't the company support us in focusing on production? Why are they acting like this?"
He shook the expansion plan for Yingcheng Shipyard in his hand and said with dissatisfaction, "Isn't this just fooling people?"
"I'm not kidding you. The group supports your production, but we haven't promised to invest in you."
Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, took the project proposal from his hand, pointed to the last number in the proposal, and emphasized, "To tell you the truth, the group doesn't have this money."
"When you asked me to sign the document, I told you that you wouldn't be able to get past President Jing."
He put down the documents, shrugged, and said, "Now look what's happened. You forced me to sign it, but it still won't get through to the group. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Of course I'm not targeting you."
Xu Sinian said angrily, "But Yingcheng Shipyard really needs a new dock."
"I know better than you whether Yingcheng Shipbuilding needs a new dock, but the fact is we don't have the money."
Li Xuewu reached out and tapped his document again, saying, "Even a hero can be brought down by a penny. Without money, how do you think President Jing will approve it for you?"
Does she have a problem with me?
Xu Sinian suddenly leaned over and whispered, "Did I say bad things about her?"
"You also said bad things about her?"
Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, looking at him in surprise, and asked, "What's going on?"
"It's nothing, never mind."
Xu Sinian, not wanting to fall into a trap himself, stood up and said, "I'll think about it again when I get back."
(End of this chapter)