Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

It was on the very day Fang Yuan saved Qin Xiangye.

Inside the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

Only then did Lin Xianghua gain a preliminary understanding of why the steel mill cadres had reacted so strongly that day, based on the information reported from below.

This was indeed no coincidence.

Just as the newspaper reporter entered the steel rolling mill workshop, a mother and daughter went up to complain that someone had secretly exchanged their places with them for factory entry slots.

According to the report from the steel rolling mill, the man in the family was a worker at the mill who recently died in the line of duty. His wife was unable to do physical labor due to chronic illness, and his daughter was too young to take over the job. So, they privately negotiated a price with another family outside the mill and gave them the job.

In principle, this situation is definitely not allowed.

While principles and rules are important, the key is not the latter two words, but the word "speak" itself. Whose words carry weight is crucial.

In their vast Hongxing Steel Plant, such incidents were not uncommon, but they were certainly not rare either.

The problem is that it was put into the open, and coincidentally, a reporter came to interview them.

This kind of thing, if you don't weigh it, it's only three ounces; if you do, it's a ton.

The report clearly states that Huang Xiang, the director of the steel rolling mill, only hinted to his subordinates to seize the rubber rolls in order to maintain the overall situation.

Lin Xianghua looked at the report in front of him, and his brows slowly furrowed.

What he didn't expect was...

Su Haixiong actually already knew about this, and even had his office director, Wang Qingling, rush back from Anshan Iron and Steel Group ahead of time.

As soon as Wang Qingling, looking travel-worn, entered the administration building, he took a document from his own office and went to Lin Xianghua's office.

"Secretary Lin, I'm back."

As soon as Lin Zhihua saw Wang Qingling enter, he immediately came out from behind his desk and extended his hand.

The director of the factory office is the chief steward of Hongxing Steel Plant. Although his position is not as high as that of the deputy factory directors, his importance should not be underestimated.

After shaking hands, Lin Zhihua politely asked, "Director Wang, you haven't gone home yet, have you?"

Wang Qingling shook his head and said, "Secretary Su gave me instructions." As he spoke, he handed the documents in his hand to Lin Zhihua, and said with a slightly worried tone, "Secretary Lin, things may be more serious than we thought."

"Secretary Su asked me to tell you to call Ansteel at nine o'clock; he will be waiting for you there."

Lin Zhihua raised his hand and glanced at his watch; it was already 8:50.

After seeing Wang Qingling off, Lin Zhihua opened the documents in his hand and began to read them.

The more I looked, the more alarmed I became; things were indeed not that simple.

This also made him realize that Su Haixiong's control over Hongxing Steel Plant was not to be underestimated; even though he was far away at Anshan Iron and Steel, he knew everything about it.

With the time approaching nine o'clock, Lin Xianghua first mentally prepared his speech, going over everything he wanted to say in his mind, before picking up the red microphone on the table at the perfect moment.

After receiving the signal, Lin Xianghua first gave a detailed report on the course of events and his conversation with Wu Jinxi.

On the other end of the phone, Su Haixiong, a cigarette between his fingers, listened with a smile. He wasn't tall, but he had a very strong presence.

After listening to Lin Xianghua's report, Su Haixiong didn't say anything, but asked, "Xianghua, thank you for your hard work this time."

When Lin Xianghua heard Su Haixiong address him as Xianghua, rather than by his title or as Comrade Xianghua, he knew that the secretary was satisfied with his work this time, so he smiled and said, "It's only right that I work harder since you're not home."

Have you looked at the materials?

"I've seen it."

"Look at this report, it's completely different from what you presented. What exactly are they trying to do?"

"It's probably not just the steel mill; there's something fishy going on in the propaganda department too!"

"Bang!" Su Haixiong slammed his hand on the table, jumped up from his chair, and only slowly sat back down after realizing he was on the phone.

Lin Xianghua's hands were sweating slightly. He wondered if his statement had been too direct. In any case, as the squad leader, Su Haixiong would bear some responsibility if any problems arose within the Hongxing Steel Plant, especially since the other party was a middle-level cadre.

"Xiang Hua, you're absolutely right. There are not only ghosts in the propaganda department, but also a big one. They can remotely control the layout even though they're right next to me. It seems that the shift in our work focus recently has allowed some people to take advantage of the situation."

Upon hearing Su Haixiong's words, Lin Xianghua finally felt relieved. There was no doubt that this time, they were going to target Zhou Wencai, the director of the publicity department.

At that moment, Lin Xianghua went from standing to sitting, and a smile began to appear on his face.

Su Haixiong continued from the other end of the phone: "Comrade Xiang Hua, he's using a 'warning shot' tactic; this is a blatant show of force against us."

Lin Xianghua knew who Su Haixiong was referring to. If it was just a guess before, now he was certain.

"Secretary, what about the propaganda department?"

Lin Xianghua left his sentence unfinished, and Su Haixiong picked up his teacup, blew on it to cool it, took a sip, and then frowned, asking, "What are your thoughts?"

Lin Xianghua naturally had a plan in mind. As a subordinate, one must not only be good at identifying problems, but more importantly, have solutions to them.

He immediately replied, "Since they are so anxious and resorting to any means to undermine the good situation of stability and unity in our steel plant, I suggest that we be lenient on the outside but strict on the inside. On the surface, we should put this matter aside for now, but secretly let the comrades in the supervision department investigate and find out all the evidence."

"Well, but as Sun Daxing from the Inspection Section gets older, he's a bit too soft at crucial moments and isn't suitable for fighting tough battles."

Lin Xianghua didn't finish his sentence because he knew that Sun Daxing had been promoted by Su Haixiong, and there were some things he couldn't or shouldn't say.

Even now, with Su Haixiong's subtle criticism of Sun Daxing, Lin Xianghua didn't respond, but simply sighed and said, "Time is of the essence."

After he finished speaking, he paused, waiting for Su Haixiong's reaction, until Su Haixiong replied softly, "Continue."

"I suggest that Fang Yuan's position in the Comprehensive Section 2 be formalized and transferred to the Inspection Section. As far as I know, our Inspection Section originally had three divisions, but they were merged for a period of time. Now I think it might be possible to separate the three divisions again and let Fang Yuan work in the third division."

Su Haixiong pondered for a moment: "If it's really as you say, this kid is worth using. However, he's only been here a few days."

Lin Xianghua understood perfectly well that Su Haixiong wanted him to take the blame for Fang Yuan, meaning that if Fang Yuan shirked his responsibilities or failed to perform well in the future, he would have to bear the responsibility.

Without much thought, Lin Xianghua replied noncommittally, "Yes, precisely because we've only been here a few days, we won't attract their attention."

"We can have Fang Yuan select a few more people—not many, but they must be skilled and reliable; let them conduct their investigations in secret, and then bring them into the open once they have made significant progress."

Moreover, Lin Xianghua also proactively added leverage to Fang Yuan's position:

"Secretary Su, I have another suggestion. Some time ago, the ministry issued a document saying that it is necessary to strengthen the training of young worker cadres. I wonder if we can start a 'Young Talent Cadre Training Program'? With this name, I can also ask the Iron and Steel Institute for a few more students."

With Fang Yuan as a shining example, Lin Xianghua now has high expectations for the graduates of the Iron and Steel Institute.

Upon hearing Lin Xianghua's suggestion over the phone, Su Haixiong frowned slightly. This was clearly a case of ulterior motives being smuggled in.

However, thinking of the principle that you can't expect a horse to run without feeding it, Su Haixiong pondered for a while before agreeing, "Hmm, I think that's fine, but we need to broaden the scope. Not only universities, but also vocational schools, high schools, and the children of our own workers at Red Star—as long as they are outstanding talents, we can consider them all."

"You can discuss the specifics with the personnel department, draft the regulations first, and once the list is confirmed, I'll bring it up at the meeting when I get back."

Su Haixiong was reminding Lin Xianghua that personnel changes must be in his hands as the top leader.

"Also, your suggestion to go from overt to covert is excellent. Since you already have a plan, you can handle the arrangements. I'll personally speak to the Supervision Department." Su Haixiong sighed at the end, saying, "Sigh, the more desperate they become, the more we need to remain calm. They're racing against time."

Su Haixiong inadvertently dropped a bombshell.

Lin Xianghua had only been at the steel mill for a short time, so he still had some doubts about this statement.

Su Haixiong then immediately revealed the truth, saying, "You don't know, do you? His father is retiring in six months; his health isn't good enough anymore."

Lin Xianghua suddenly realized why the methods used this time were so direct and radical.

"Alright, it's almost time. I have some things to take care of. In urgent situations, we should act quickly. As for that Fang Yuan matter, you can talk to Jiang Bo in the personnel department and proceed with the formalities directly. I will personally speak with Sun Daxing."