Li Xuewu's office.

After seeing Yang Zhenhua off, the factory leaders and middle-level cadres of the First Branch Factory held a study session on Yang Zhenhua's speech during his inspection of the factory. After the meeting, Li Xuewu called Xu Damao to his office.

“Da Mao, Secretary Yang thinks highly of you this time. Judging from his tone, he might want to transfer you to the main factory,” Li Xuewu said abruptly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao was startled, but felt no joy.

Having followed Li Xuewu for the past few years, Xu Damao had practically earned Li's label. But why was Yang Zhenhua suddenly interested in him, a mere section-level cadre? Did he genuinely believe Xu Damao was a talented individual, or was it a ploy to sow discord?

In terms of talent, Xu Damao didn't consider himself to be at that level. There were plenty of college graduates in this steel rolling mill; what chance did a junior high school graduate like him have? Of course, in handling administrative affairs and dealing with people, Xu Damao believed he was no worse than anyone else.

To say that they would use a divisive tactic would be impossible. At present, Yang Zhenhua and Li Xuewu do not have much conflict of interest; their relationship is simply that of superior and subordinate.

In a flash, Xu Damao put aside his worries.

"Really? This is great news!" Xu Damao exclaimed with delight.

"However, I don't want to go back now. I'm all alone there. Factory manager, are you about to be promoted? When you go back, you must take me with you."

"I don't need any position, I just want to drive you around and carry your bags." Xu Damao expressed his sincerity at the opportune moment.

"You little brat, are you planning to keep me tied up like this?"

"However, although you're not good at technical things, you're quite capable at handling administrative matters. Don't worry, I won't forget you." Li Xuewu pointed at Xu Damao, laughing and scolding.

In fact, Li Xuewu and Xu Damao had known each other for several years and both understood what kind of people the other was.

The two are different. Li Xuewu is somewhat ruthless in achieving his goals, while Xu Damao still has a bottom line.

However, the two also have many similarities. Both of them came from non-technical backgrounds, yet they both had a strong desire for advancement in factories and mines like steel rolling mills.

Because of this common ground, Xu Damao was willing to follow Li Xuewu and do his best to complete various tasks; and Li Xuewu was also willing to help Xu Damao get promoted.

Furthermore, thanks to the special relationship between Xu Damao, Wang Minzhi, and Li Tong, the relationship between the two became even stronger.

After Xu Damao left, Li Xuewu was also considering how to arrange things for his old subordinates. Yes, he was indeed leaving soon as well.

He stayed at the branch factory for more than two years. During those two years, under his leadership, the branch factory was thriving, with all production indicators improving by leaps and bounds, and even showing a trend of catching up with the main factory. Thus, he was qualified to go to the main factory.

Going back wouldn't be difficult for Li Xuewu, but he needed a good position; an ordinary deputy factory director wasn't what he wanted. The latest round of internal restructuring was brewing, and he'd been working on it for a long time; the results were about to be seen.

But what about his subordinates? As a leader, if you only care about your own advancement and don't care about the well-being of your subordinates, sooner or later no one will follow you.

Let's talk about the three people who are close to him. As the deputy factory director, Qiao Dayou certainly doesn't want to leave the current branch factory, but he also hopes to improve his ranking.

Xu Damao was easy to arrange. He knew Xu Damao well; the man didn't have any special family connections, but he was quite resourceful and familiar with the leaders of the main factory. Now, he was also on Yang Zhenhua's side. Plus, he was a newly promoted section-level cadre, so frankly, he was easy to arrange.

The problem lies with his office director, Gao Yan. She's served him very well these past few years, and he's quite taken with her. However, Gao Yan is originally from Tongzhou, and she has a family here. If she were transferred to the main factory, would she be willing? Would her family be willing?

Besides, he was the boss at the branch factory. Even if everyone knew about his affair with Gao Yan, no one would say anything, and he could easily smooth things over. But at the head factory, with so many people watching, and under the emperor's nose, it would be easy for others to use him as a pretext to attack him.

Li Xuewu had been thinking about these things for a while.

Yang Zhenhua's appointment to the branch factory was something he had strongly advocated for. As the current top leader, Yang Zhenhua doesn't have the authority to decide on the appointment of his deputies, but he does have the authority to make suggestions. Moreover, once Yang Zhenhua explicitly opposes something, the higher-ups will generally listen to his opinion.

The purpose of inviting Yang Zhenhua over was twofold: firstly, to showcase my achievements over the past few years and demonstrate my work capabilities; and secondly, to provide a better opportunity for exchange.

Fortunately, the results were quite noticeable. Through communication, Yang Zhenhua, while not explicitly supporting him, also did not oppose him, which was the best possible outcome.

As for what he just told Xu Damao, it was true. Yang Zhenhua did indeed admire Xu Damao's communication skills and was thinking of transferring Xu Damao back to the General Office's Comprehensive Section to be in charge of reception.

These days, steel rolling mills belong to the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, and there's a lot of internal communication within the system. Good hospitality is very important for the steel rolling mill's public image.

The current General Affairs Section is specifically responsible for meetings and receptions, but the section chief is an older man who lacks the ability in this area. Yang Zhenhua has long been dissatisfied with him and is preparing to replace him.

Yang Zhenhua, an ordinary section-level cadre, wouldn't have cared, but this concerned the steel rolling mill's public image, so he wanted to investigate personally. He searched the political department but couldn't find anyone satisfactory. Unexpectedly, he discovered Xu Damao, a promising candidate, at the No. 1 branch factory.

So he took the opportunity to talk to Li Xuewu. After all, almost everyone now knew about the relationship between Li Xuewu and Xu Damao.

······

Xu Damao was not as calm as one might expect after returning home.

More than two years ago, I came to this place, which was considered a desolate wilderness at the time, with a group of people. Many of them were even unwilling to come.

However, the hard work of the past two years has brought Xu Damao a promotion, a broader perspective, and an improvement in his abilities.

Looking at my office, I realized it might soon belong to someone else. "The camp remains, but the soldiers come and go"—nothing is permanent.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Damao went to the newly established Workshop 3.

"Old Wang, how's the new workshop going? Is it running well?" Xu Damao went straight into the office of Wang Dafa, the workshop director.

"Oh my, isn't this our Section Chief Xu? What brings you here for an inspection today? Come in, come in, let me make you some tea," Wang Dafu greeted him warmly.

"I'm just providing door-to-door service. I mainly want to see if your new workshop needs anything in terms of personnel, and whether you're satisfied with the people we've recruited," Xu Damao said with a smile.

The two chatted for a while longer until a worker came in looking for Wang Dafa.

"Director Wang, are you free tonight? Come to my dorm, I'll treat you to dinner. I've prepared drinks and food in advance, I guarantee it'll be just as good as the cafeteria," Xu Damao invited.

"Oh, that's great! I'll head over after get off work," Wang Dafu readily agreed.