Chapter 285 I know nothing: It's your own business.

In March, the roadside trees in Shanghai begin to sprout new buds, and the peach and apricot blossoms at the entrances of alleyways adorn the gray walls and black tiles; any frame of the scene could be a painting.

Unfortunately, Wang Xiao is destined not to be able to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Shanghai in early spring.

There was nothing they could do! Director Lu of Jinning Steel Plant called her again and again, saying he wanted to come to Shanghai to see her and represent tens of thousands of employees to express his condolences.

Isn't this putting her in a very difficult position? What makes her so special that she has to endure such a huge commotion?

So, even though she hadn't had a chance to sample all the local Shanghai cuisine, she still boarded the plane back to Jinning.

When she arrived at the airport, she was surprised—Director Lu had come to pick her up in person.

Given her current status, many leaders personally greet her at the airport, including some with higher positions than Director Lu.

The problem is that Wang Xiao is the son of a steel factory worker, and nominally, Director Lu watched him grow up. This move by the leadership is truly beyond the bounds of protocol. This also proves how urgent Director Lu's situation is right now.

Sure enough, as soon as Director Lu picked her up, he invited her into his car: "This will allow us to properly express the concern of everyone at Jinning Steel Plant for General Manager Wang."

"Oh dear, you broke your leg in the plane crash. You've suffered such a serious injury. It must have been so tough and unfair."

These words made Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao, who were listening nearby, want to flip through the calendar—the plane crash happened in January, and it's already March!

Wang Xiao smiled and declined, "No, it's inconvenient for me to use a wheelchair. I'll take my own car."

Lu Fengyan opened the passenger door, and wow! All the seats inside had been removed, leaving just enough space to secure a wheelchair. Wang Xiao couldn't help but wonder: Director Lu's car isn't cheap; how will they ever restore it after all this modification?

But she still shook her head: "It's only a short walk. I'm already overwhelmed by the factory manager's visit; I wouldn't dare cause any more trouble."

She should drive her own car, and naturally, she should conduct business on her own turf. As a wheelchair user, she wouldn't go to a steel mill to climb up an office building.

In the end, everyone sat down in the same villa where Wang Xiao had stayed during the Chinese New Year.

Lu Fengyan accompanied his father to the airport to pick up the person. Upon entering, he couldn't help but look the villa up and down, exclaiming with deep emotion, "This villa must cost tens of millions, right?"

Look, this is what quality of life looks like.

Wang Xiao, who was enthusiastically pouring tea, almost burst out laughing: "Director Lu, are you kidding me? Do you think this is Zhou Beifang's villa in the Mid-Levels of Hong Kong? Tens of millions!"

When Lu Fengyan saw her bring up Zhou Beifang, he was overjoyed: "Wang Xiao, then I won't beat around the bush or be polite, I'll get straight to the point—evidence, quickly produce the evidence! You want us to report someone, you can't just take a Hong Kong newspaper, can you?"

Steam rose from the teapot, and Wang Xiao, standing behind the billowing mist, looked bewildered: "Report? Report whom? Why report? What happened?"

Lu Fengyan panicked: "Zhou Beifang! Didn't you want to report him and bring down Shougang?"

Wang Xiao blinked and turned to Factory Director Lu: "Zhou Beifang? Shougang? Why would I report him? I don't even know him, is it worth it?"

Before Factory Director Lu could even speak, Lu Fengyan impatiently interjected, "Your real intention is not what it seems! Shougang is going to make chips, and you want to undermine your competitors!"

Wang Xiao waved his hands repeatedly: "What nonsense are you spouting? The chips I make are not even in the same league as Shougang's. Our target audience and markets are completely different. No matter how good Shougang's chips are, they won't affect my business. Why would I be so bored as to try and ruin Shougang?"

She wasn't lying; she never had any designs on Shougang.

Seeing her earnest expression, Lu Fengyan was completely confused: "Then why did you report Zhou Beifang?"

"You're the one who said I was going to report Zhou Beifang," Wang Xiao earnestly corrected his mistake. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Director Lu. You can't just say things like that—I didn't report him. I wouldn't dare offend anyone so easily."

Lu Fengyan couldn't sit still any longer. He took a newspaper out of his briefcase and slammed it on the coffee table, shaking the tea in his cup so much that it almost splashed out.

Wang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief after the tea had settled down without splashing onto the table. He glanced at the newspaper and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this newspaper?"

Lu Fengyan pointed his finger forcefully at Zhou Beifang's photo in the newspaper: "You asked Director Wang to bring the newspaper so that we could start with Zhou Beifang and report him for ruining Shougang, right?"

"What on earth is going on?" Wang Xiao said, both amused and exasperated. "My dad isn't a child who expects me to tell him what to do. He took it himself! I was worried about the negative impact, since it's a Hong Kong newspaper. But my dad said we should learn from Shougang's mistake and Jin Gang can't make the same error, so we must learn from it."

She looked nervous. "What? Did something go wrong while you were learning? Did someone above object and think you shouldn't have studied it? That shouldn't be... Zhou Beifang is living a life of debauchery. You all say I've made a lot of money, but I swear I don't own any property overseas to this day. Fruit is expensive in Moscow; I can't even afford bananas or oranges. I grow my own watermelons, cantaloupes, and strawberries."

Ivanov, who was originally just standing in the background, nodded in agreement when he heard the translator and testified to Wang Xiao: "It's true, last year when Wang bought oranges, he shared half with a lady."

Wang Xiao immediately perked up: "Did you hear that? I'm a self-employed individual, and I'm very frugal. This week, Bei Fang was using the government's money to live a life of extravagance. Shouldn't he be considered a negative example? My dad did nothing wrong."

Factory Director Lu, who had remained silent since entering the room, finally spoke up: "Then you need to produce evidence. Without evidence, just relying on a newspaper article to accuse someone of wrongdoing is not enough."

Wang Xiao was completely bewildered: "What evidence do I have? I read the newspapers too."

Lu Fengyan was completely confused by her words: "Didn't you arrange the news in this newspaper?"

"Oh my, Director Lu, you really think highly of me." Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated. "I've never even been to Hong Kong, how could I possibly arrange anything related to Hong Kong newspapers?"

Anyway, she made all sorts of excuses, which made Lu Fengyan suspect that his father was overthinking things.

It was purely coincidental that Shougang's Zhou Beifang appeared in the newspaper.

Wang Xiao never intended to bring down the Zhou family. Her chip factory did not compete with Shougang Group, and there was no conflict of interest between them.

He subconsciously turned to look at his father, feeling uneasy.

See? See? You so-called smart people love to play riddles. You never say things outright; you always use hints.

That's going too far; they didn't mean it that way at all.

Factory Director Lu raised his eyes, looked at Wang Xiao with a slight smile, and looked like a particularly kind old man, just like looking at his own granddaughter.

Wang Xiao, as if seized by a gossip, asked with great interest, "Are we, Jingang, going to bring down Shougang?"

Director Lu nodded: "Yes, Shougang is not bad, it's just too selfish. We at Jingang also have tens of thousands of employees, they all need to eat."

He figured it out.

This Wang family's daughter is very cunning; she doesn't get involved with anything and only intends to have the Jinning Steel Plant take the lead.

It doesn't matter.

Since they, Jin Gang, want to get the benefits, what's the big deal about being the one to stick their neck out?

Wang Xiao nodded, his face full of admiration: "Factory Director, you really have a broad vision and you even chose the right time. Really, you've made a huge contribution to the country. Otherwise, if you had gone out on your own, with your foresight, you would have been the richest man in East China without a doubt."

Lu Fengyan was truly captivated. His father had become the richest man in Hong Kong, so owning a villa in the Mid-Levels of Hong Kong would be a piece of cake.

But he couldn't understand why she said the timing was good.

Factory Director Lu remained unmoved, his smile unchanged, adopting the demeanor of an elder testing a junior: "Then tell me, why did you choose this time?"

Wang Xiao was old enough to be his granddaughter, and she immediately showed the childlike swagger, urging the bodyguard to bring her the newspaper: "It's the one about the old man spending the New Year in Shanghai."

The newspaper was delivered to her. She picked up the pen, which was still capped, and underlined a paragraph in the news article, concluding, "The old man emphasized that a new leadership core has been formed and called on everyone to unite closely around the leadership core."

She looked up, like a student seeking praise, "Isn't this the perfect opportunity? This person isn't from Beijing."

Lu Fengyan suddenly understood.

Although he was neither smart nor perceptive, his family background meant that he could obtain a lot of inside information that ordinary people could not.

Well, how should I put it? The more we emphasize unity, the more it implies the existence of disunity.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of its own; wherever there is a world of its own, there is conflict.

Throughout history, this has been true of both the imperial court and the common people.

Factory Director Lu nodded and praised, "Well said, anything else?"

Wang Xiao, like a top student given an extra question, was eager to try: "Oh, and there are also the Four Young Masters of Beijing."

She counted on her fingers, "Zhou Beifang is one, and Chen Xiaotong, the son of Mayor Chen from Beijing, is another."

She suddenly became gossipy, "Actually, I'm really curious, with their salary levels, how do they manage to be young masters?"

She pointed at Lu Fengyan, "If we're going to calculate it that way, our Director Lu is also a young master, but when has our Director Lu ever acted like a young master? Isn't that a problem?"

Factory Director Lu's heart pounded.

People like Chen Xiaotong, one of the "Four Young Masters of Beijing," sound arrogant, but in the eyes of a shrewd and experienced cadre like him, they are nothing.

The one who could sit at the table was his father, Mayor Chen.

Hearing this, he finally felt reassured. If Jin Gang were to start this, others would be eager to continue digging.

Thinking about it this way, the situation of the person mentioned above is actually quite similar to that of Secretary Fang.

They were both paratroopers, but one went from the local level to the central government, and the other went from the central government to the local level.

In either case, the indigenous people feel that their interests have been violated, and they will definitely band together to cause trouble.

Given the opportunity, how could the paratroopers not take action against them and weaken their power?

Look at Secretary Fang, he won't let go of the matter of Zhao Xiuzhi's illegal study abroad.

Not only did she place all the Jiangdong Province officials involved in the matter under investigation, she also dug up all the things related to studying abroad in the past few years and investigated them one by one.

If you find one, arrest a whole bunch.

I heard that the latest meeting of the Provincial Party Committee is to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the phenomenon of "ghost employees" in Jiangdong Province, in order to combat corruption, reduce fiscal expenditures, and effectively reduce the burden on the people.

Her bold and decisive actions not only won over the people but also allowed her to thoroughly investigate and reform the officialdom of Jiangdong from top to bottom.

Let's see who dares to band together and sideline her as the top leader in the future.

Factory Director Lu sighed inwardly.

As I've gotten older, my perspective has become limited. At my age, all I see is this small corner of the steel mill; I haven't thought about anything deeper or beyond.

He looked at Wang Xiao and sighed, "Xiao Xiao, if you were an official, your achievements would definitely be no less than Secretary Fang's."

As soon as he said this, he wanted to sigh.

When he first learned that Secretary Fang was going to clean up the problem of receiving salaries without working, he felt that this newly appointed female cadre was too hasty and shouldn't have been so impatient.

But now, after thinking it over, he understands.

She wasn't being impatient; it seemed she had timed it perfectly. At this moment, those above would definitely support her and help her stabilize the situation in Jiangdong.

Because the modern Jiangdong officialdom is a mirror, reflecting Beijing.

Wang Xiao was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Oh, factory director, you're just like a parent looking after their own child, you think he's perfect. With my brain, how could I possibly be an official? I can't even understand what officials are saying."

Lu Fengyan wanted to chuckle to himself. Who were they cursing? Clearly, their words were harder to decipher than the riddles on the Lantern Festival.

He was truly impatient with their roundabout way of saying nice things and couldn't help but urge them: "Wang Xiao, since you say this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then show me the evidence. Going to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor, daring to beat the drum of petition, you need to have evidence."

The teapot made a "click" sound and automatically shut off.

Ivanov poured tea for the guests and smiled, gesturing for them to taste it.

Wang Xiao spread his hands, looking utterly innocent: "Why would I lie to you? Where am I supposed to find evidence? If you want to report it, go investigate yourselves. Zhou Beifang's extravagant lifestyle is no secret. Shougang has so many workers, hundreds of thousands of them. Try to dig out information from them."

"Dig your ass!" Lu Fengyan said sullenly. "You have no idea how domineering and authoritarian the Zhou family is! In Shougang, whatever you say goes. Among all the people in Shougang, no one dares to say a bad word about the Zhou family."

Wang Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "My God, is this still a company in our socialist country? Looking at the whole world, apart from Samsung in South Korea, no other capitalist company would dare to do this."

She clicked her tongue in admiration and offered suggestions, "Why don't you try recruiting Zhou Beifang? He has a whole head of braids and he's very high-profile."

Lu Fengyan shook his head, his heart filled with mixed feelings: "Don't underestimate him. He played a crucial role in Shougang's backdoor listing in Hong Kong. Even I, who don't trade stocks, know how hot Shougang's stock is in Hong Kong."

Wang Xiao blinked: "If even our factory can't find out, how can I possibly do anything about it?"

Seeing that his son was about to lose his temper again, Director Lu felt embarrassed and spoke up first: "Xiaoxiao, then tell your uncle, where can we find evidence?"

Wang Xiao tilted his head, looking like a recent college graduate entering the workforce, and frowned slightly: "I don't understand either, and I don't mingle in their circles. However, I've heard that these Hong Kong newspapers don't release news all at once, but rather gradually release it."

Lu Fengyan was confused: "Why? To entice people to buy their newspapers again next time?"

Wang Xiao nodded and then shook his head: "That's one reason, and another is that we're waiting to collect hush money."

Lu Fengyan stared at the photos of the hillside villas in northern China in last week's newspaper, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Hong Kong reporters... just to earn some hush money?"

Wang Xiao picked up the purple clay teapot and personally refilled the tea for the distinguished guest. The tea water formed an amber arc: "Director Lu, how was the 'stock market scandal' in Bao'an County, Shenzhen in 1991 exposed? After the reporter finished writing the article, he sent it to the person involved first—the highest bidder wins. That's the rule."

She lightly tapped the edge of the newspaper with her fingertip. "This villa is worth tens of millions. How much do you think Mr. Zhou is willing to spend on 'rules'?"

"Especially when it involves the private lives of celebrities, if the celebrities feel it's not good to hear, as soon as the news starts to appear in the newspapers, they will take the initiative to buy out the rest of the news so that it won't be published and will avoid making things look bad."

Lu Fengyan felt he understood: "So that means that reporter has evidence against Zhou Beifang?"

"I don't know." Wang Xiao shook his head again. "Maybe Zhou Beifang bought it a long time ago? He's very generous outside, famously extravagant. He's almost as rich as Shi Chong."

Lu Fengyan was discouraged; all his talking had been for nothing!

He turned his anger on Wang Xiao: "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

Wang Xiao doesn't rely on him for a living, so she won't indulge him. She retorted directly, "How should I know? You didn't say beforehand that the factory was going to set up Shougang."

Director Lu let the two juniors go back and forth, then smiled at Ivanov and apologized in Russian: "I'm sorry, I made you laugh."

He was a college graduate from the 1950s, specializing in Russian. Jin Gang's rise to prominence is also thanks to the Soviet aid projects of that era.

So even though his Russian pronunciation was only so-so, Ivanov could still understand him by just uttering one word at a time.

Old Mao laughed heartily: "What's the big deal? However, I don't think Wang's guess might be accurate. Women's thoughts are always different from men's. I think Mr. Zhou might not care about this news."

He felt he could understand Zhou Beifang's mindset. "The Hong Kong tabloids say he spends money like water, which is actually a good thing for him. It proves that he is rich and powerful."

"What we business people fear most is that others think we don't have money."

“As long as people think we have money, then people will keep sending us money. Don’t you think so, Mr. Lu?”

Factory Director Lu nodded, agreeing that the business world was indeed like that.

Even banks are like this.

When news breaks that a bank is out of money, all depositors rush to withdraw their funds, fearing their money will be lost. And no matter how hard the bank tries afterwards, even if it desperately raises interest rates, it's difficult to attract deposits again.

Conversely, when people feel that banks have plenty of money, banks don't want people to deposit money; they only want people to deposit money into banks when they apply for loans.

Moreover, Shougang Group went public through a backdoor listing and issued shares. What stock investors look for when buying stocks is the size and financial backing of the issuer.

As for things like having an unsightly private life, few gay men care about that.

On the contrary, they would treat it as something they could brag about.

Judging from this, the Hong Kong newspapers' wishful thinking has most likely failed.

It's not surprising that they can't understand this point. After all, people in the capitalist world always have various stereotypes and preconceived notions about socialism.

In their view, Zhou Beifang's "red" background meant he had to be extremely careful with his words and actions. Otherwise, if his private life were exposed, according to Beijing's regulations, he would definitely be punished and finished.

In this situation, how could he not be nervous?

However, the Zhou family held absolute power in Shougang, and they felt they had very strong connections, so they weren't afraid at all.

The more Director Lu thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. He nodded and said, "The evidence is most likely still in the hands of that newspaper."

Then another question arises.

The newspaper is a Hong Kong newspaper; how could they possibly obtain evidence from it?

In 1994, there were no travel permits to Hong Kong and Macau. To put it simply, going to Hong Kong was more troublesome for people from Jinning than going to the CIS countries or Eastern Europe.

Factory Director Lu then turned his gaze to Wang Xiao's face: "Xiao Xiao, you are also a child of our steel factory. You have to help your uncle with this matter."

Wang Xiao readily agreed: "Go to Hong Kong? That's easy."

Lu Fengyan was overjoyed: "Then when can you bring the evidence over?"

“You’re the one who brought it!” Wang Xiao said seriously. “I have a company in Hong Kong, which I opened to facilitate the arrival of Soviet scientists. I can get you some credentials and invite you over to discuss cooperation. The rest is up to you.”

Seeing that Lu Yanfeng was about to back down, Ivanov laughed and said, "Don't worry, Hong Kong newspapers are experts at this. Zhou Beifang won't buy what they have, so those videotapes and recordings are useless to them. If you go and buy them, they'll definitely welcome you."

He winked at him again, "Besides, Hong Kong is a den of iniquity and a haven for women, you can have a good look around."

This time, he spoke in English, which Lu Fengyan could understand but not the factory director, making it perfect for discussing topics between men.

But he forgot that Wang Xiao was also there.

She immediately raised her eyebrows: "Don't do anything reckless. Don't forget, Zhou Beifang is the son of the head of the steel plant, and so are you, Director Lu. What if a reporter takes a video of you? Let's see how you pay to get it back."

Lu Fengyan was startled, and his little scheme immediately vanished.

He stammered, "That can't be, I'm not a celebrity."

Wang Xiao chuckled: "Don't underestimate yourself. Hong Kong reporters are everywhere; they know far more than you think."

She clapped her hands and smiled, "Alright, I'll get your documents processed as soon as possible. You can decide when to go."

This means it's time to see the guests off.

Director Lu has plenty of things to do, and he's already made himself clear, so there's no need for him to stay any longer.

He said a few more polite words, urging Wang Xiao to take good care of himself and recover his health as soon as possible, before taking his leave.

After leaving the villa and getting into the car, Lu Fengyan, who had been feeling excited and uneasy, finally regained his composure: "Hey, you said she has no grudge against Shougang, so why would she do this?"

Factory Director Lu was still pondering his next move when he casually remarked, "Who knows about her? Her business is huge."

Now, why Wang Xiao targeted Zhou Beifang is completely irrelevant.

The important thing is that this opportunity will not come again. If they, Jin Gang, cannot deliver a heavy blow to Shougang this time, then it will be their turn to act next time.

The newspaper that Wang Xiao had just taken out appeared in front of him.

The inscription reads: When the old man left Shanghai after the New Year, he repeatedly instructed the Shanghai officials who came to see him off: You must seize the last opportunity of the 20th century.

The same is true for King Kong.

He looked out the car window; the willows were sprouting tender buds, and the crabapple trees were forming flower buds, a scene of red flowers and green willows.

Roll down the car window, and a gentle breeze blows against your face.

Spring has truly arrived in Jinning.

Then spring should be coming for Jinning Steel Plant.

He took out a document from inside his briefcase, on which was marked in red: "We must allow some people to get rich first."

Resources are limited, and wealth and poverty are relative concepts.

Who gets rich first? You have to compete and fight to get rich.

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Good morning! I tried my best to make it clear.