Since Xu Damao married Sun Jing, he has gradually drifted apart from his neighbors in the courtyard house. No one paid much attention to this, as it was Xu Damao's own choice.
Wei Hua knew this was the real Xu Damao. Previously, Xu Damao had only flattered him because of his position. Now that Xu Damao was the head of the publicity department at the steel rolling mill, at the same rank as Wei Hua, he no longer needed to fawn over him. Furthermore, given his current relationship with Li Huaide, he needed even less help.
In Xu Damao's eyes, she had lost her usefulness. Naturally, Xu Damao wouldn't fawn over her as before. In the adult world, there are no true friends, only interests.
Wei Hua didn't care about Xu Damao's actions. As long as Xu Damao didn't offend him, Xu Damao would still be the same Xu Damao he always was.
Xu Damao has no time to offend the people in the courtyard now; he only wants to climb the social ladder. His horizons have broadened since marrying Sun Jing.
To earn more money, you have to climb the ladder; power brings wealth. Everything else is irrelevant.
With Sun Jing's support, Xu Damao quickly gained control of everything in the propaganda department. Xu Damao wasn't appointed deputy section chief for nothing; he had built up his own supporters over the years.
After officially becoming the head of the publicity department, he immediately promoted his staunch supporter to deputy head. At the same time, he also improved the treatment of other supporters.
It's said that people die for money, and birds die for food. With tangible benefits, these people became even more devoted to Xu Damao. After stabilizing the propaganda session, Xu Damao began to cultivate relationships with other leaders at the steel rolling mill.
With Sun Jing as his strategist, Xu Damao gradually made connections with many influential figures. For a time, Xu Damao's prominence in the steel rolling mill was unparalleled.
The head of the publicity department at the steel rolling mill was a fairly high-ranking official; the next step up was the director of the steel rolling mill's office. Besides the director of the office, the only other position left was the head of the logistics department, which was slightly higher than Xu Damao's.
Strictly speaking, these two positions are at the same level as the head of the publicity department. However, due to the special nature of their positions, they are slightly higher, by half a rank.
The next positions available are union chairman and deputy factory director. At that level, it's not something Li Huaide can promote at will; the position above him has to become vacant first.
Xu Damao also knew that climbing the ranks wouldn't be easy. He was already doing well as the head of the propaganda department, and it was unlikely that he would be promoted anytime soon.
But this didn't stop Xu Damao from cultivating connections everywhere. To climb higher, he needed support and people to do his bidding.
This reminded Xu Damao of the people in the courtyard house. The easiest one to persuade was actually the newcomer Zhang Chu. If he could make him a permanent employee ahead of schedule, he could bring him under his command.
Given his relationship with Wei Hua, he should be able to win Wei Hua over as well. He already has helpers in the workshop; if he can also win over Sha Zhu, the logistics department will have its own people.
Once I've won over the people in the courtyard, I can cultivate my own strength and seize the opportunity to take over when a position becomes available.
Thinking that he was about to become one of the big shots in the steel rolling mill, Xu Damao had long forgotten his slightest unpleasantness. Moreover, not only had he not lost out, but he had also gained a wife and so much money for free.
Xu Damao also knew his own limitations; he wasn't as good at these things as Sun Jing.
"Jingjing, do you think I could bring all the people in the courtyard under my control? They're naturally close to me, so there shouldn't be too many problems."
“Your idea is indeed good. Wei Hua is your neighbor, and with that relationship, he shouldn’t object to you. As for trying to recruit him, that’s really too difficult.”
“His rank is no lower than yours, and he has been the workshop director longer than you, and his influence is no less than yours. Why do you think he would submit to you?”
"Don't forget that Wei Hua is the descendant of a first-class meritorious official. He hasn't been a workshop director for long, but he'll definitely be promoted in a few years."
"Do you think he will submit to you under these circumstances? So you must make a conscious effort to befriend Wei Hua. As for the other two, you can give them a try."
"You haven't been the head of the propaganda department for very long. The most important thing right now is to stabilize the propaganda department first. Then you can slowly look for allies."
"You were able to stabilize the propaganda department so quickly thanks to Li Huaide. If you appear too eager for quick success, Li Huaide will be wary of you. Besides, the other leaders in the steel rolling mill are not to be trifled with either."
"The reason I didn't tell you these things before was simply because I didn't want to dampen your enthusiasm. You can try to win over these people in the compound, but it's best to keep a low profile at the steel rolling mill."
"You're only in your early twenties, it's impossible for you to become the deputy director of the steel rolling mill. Besides your age, your experience is also a weakness. The most important thing for you right now is to focus on stability and then slowly develop your influence. In a few years, it's not impossible for you to become a leader of the steel rolling mill."
Hearing Sun Jing's words, Xu Damao's heart sank. The once ambitious Xu Damao was immediately speechless. Xu Damao wasn't brainless, he just lacked experience in political struggle.
"Then I'll try to win over the people in the courtyard first, and then slowly build up my strength once I've got them on my side."
Hearing Xu Damao's words, Sun Jing nodded. Then she took out a lot of receipts from the drawer.
"Go buy some nice things first, and treat them to dinner tonight. During dinner, try to gauge their attitude."
Upon hearing Sun Jing's words, Xu Damao put the receipts in his pocket and then went outside to buy a lot of nice things.
After bringing the chicken, duck, fish and meat into his own home, Xu Damao went to Wei Hua's house.
"Hua Zi, I haven't had time lately because I was recently promoted, but I finally have some time today. Come to my house for a meal later. Remember to bring your wife and kids so we can all have a good get-together. I'll go call Sha Zhu and the others now."
Hearing Xu Damao's words, Wei Hua nodded. Seeing that Wei Hua agreed, Xu Damao went to the central courtyard and spoke to Sha Zhu before finally calling Zhang Chu.
After calling everyone, Xu Damao went into the kitchen to help his mother prepare dinner.
Xu Damao and his friends had eaten together before, so no one thought much of it. When it was time to eat, everyone brought something and went into Xu Damao's house.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Xu Damao immediately invited them to sit down. He then had his mother bring out the prepared food, while he opened a bottle of Moutai and poured a glass for everyone.
Because he wanted to win over the people in the courtyard, Xu Damao adopted a very humble attitude.
"I was quite busy for the first half of the month, so I didn't get to treat everyone to a meal. Now that I'm finally free, I want to apologize to everyone."
After saying that, he downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. Then he quickly urged everyone to eat, all the while subtly probing their opinions.
Although Sha Zhu was under Yu Li's control, he didn't care much about his career. While their relationship was passable, why would Sha Zhu submit to his old rival?
Zhang Chu's tone softened. He had only been at the steel mill for a short time, and being promoted to a permanent position ahead of schedule would be a big deal for him. Xu Damao was his neighbor, and if Xu Damao could promote him early, becoming one of Xu Damao's men wouldn't be out of the question.
After learning about their attitudes, Xu Damao began to probe Wei Hua's attitude.
“Xu Damao, it’s not a bad thing to support you appropriately, but I don’t want to become one of your people. I just want to live my life peacefully. I don’t want to pursue a career in politics, so I don’t want to get involved in these things.”
"Once a faction is formed, it will bring me a lot of trouble. I don't care about promotion or making money; I just want to live my peaceful life."
Hearing Wei Hua's words, Xu Damao was somewhat angry. However, to avoid Wei Hua causing him trouble, Xu Damao could only force a smile. Due to Wei Hua and Sha Zhu's attitude, the meeting ended unhappily.
Wei Hua and Sha Zhu didn't take it seriously, but Xu Damao held a grudge against them.
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