Chapter 84 Own People

When Director Dai saw the waiter leave the private room, he took the opportunity to say to Li Jiandong:

"Jiandong, Director Yang has told me about your situation. Haodang and Dazhuang are both our people."

"You don't have to worry about us. Pay more attention to Song Ming from the Party Building Office, Zhao Gang from the Railway Team, and Qu Hongna from the Women's Federation. Except for Xu Kai from the Discipline Office, who is Li Huaide's father-in-law's man, you can try to win over other team members."

Since he knew he was one of them, Director Dai had no worries when speaking and pointed out the direction to Li Jiandong with just a few words.

He also brought Hu Haodang and Cao Dazhuang with him, who helped him get three votes at once. It turned out that joining a faction also has its benefits.

"I see. Let's not talk about this today. The chef here is a great cook. The three section chiefs, you must eat and drink well today."

Li Jiandong stood up and poured wine for each of them. After a few drinks, the four of them started to treat each other like brothers.

On the other side, Li Huaide was also taking action.

However, things were not going smoothly on his side. He contacted two team members in a row, but they both rejected his invitation.

This made Li Huaide alert, knowing that there must be a competitor.

Otherwise, these team members are all shrewd people and would never refuse me if it is something that goes with the flow.

But who will compete with him?

After thinking about it, it seems that only Li Jiandong is qualified to compete with him.

"What are you thinking about, Wilder?"

Li Huaide's wife, Ye Xiaoning, looked at him with a frown and a sad face, and asked with concern.

Li Huaide shook his head: "Nothing, your father helped me arrange the position of director of the political duty office, but something may have happened."

Ye Xiaoning frowned when he heard this.

"Why is there another change? Previously, they said you would go to the steel mill for three to five years to train and become the deputy director directly. Now they have lowered the goal and asked you to become the director of the political duty department. How come even this is difficult?"

Li Huaide sighed and said, "It should have been easy, but who knew someone would show up halfway? The Li Jiandong I brought back last time has now become my competitor."

Ye Xiaoning immediately remembered the man with a unique temperament who came to her house last time.

He couldn't help but say:

"Didn't you say he has no background? How can that threaten you?"
After Ye Xiaoning mentioned this, Li Huaide became even more depressed.

Li Jiandong did have no background before, and even Li Huaide had thought about winning him over.

Who knew that he would grow so fast, and after making a contribution, he was directly admitted into the factory leadership team, and now he is on an equal footing with me.

I encountered so much resistance this time. It was obvious that Director Yang was promoting Li Jiandong.

If Li Jiandong gets the position of director of the Political Affairs Office this time, his trip to the steel mill will be a complete failure.

"He really didn't have any background before, but now he should be together with Yang Jianye."

Li Huaide said in a deep voice.

Although Ye Xiaoning had never participated in a job, her father and Li Huaide did not deliberately avoid her when it came to matters between them.

In fact, many things were helped by her going to her father, which enabled Li Huaide to improve continuously.

Including the last time, it was agreed that Li Huaide would go to the steel rolling mill to train for three to five years and then become the deputy director directly.

Since he failed to become the deputy factory director this time, he had to settle for the position of director of the political value department.

It was Ye Xiaoning who was helping Li Huaide behind the scenes.

So, she knew very well that Li Huaide was indeed in trouble now.

"How about I go back and find my dad and ask him to transfer Li Jiandong to another place?"

As soon as Ye Xiaoning finished speaking, Li Huaide shook his head.

“No, since Yang Jianye wants Li Jiandong to compete with me, he will definitely protect him. If your father wants to transfer him, there will definitely be resistance.

Moreover, this Li Jiandong is indeed a rare talent. When I get promoted, I will still need him to help me with things.”

"But the key point is that he is now blocking your way."

Ye Xiaoning sighed.

Li Huaide was also thinking of a solution, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind and he said, "I got it, Li Jiandong is indeed very capable, but we can do something about his style.

Xu Kai from the Discipline Department of the Steel Rolling Mill is your father's man. I just need to find someone to throw some dirty water on Li Jiandong and let him make the matter as big as possible. Then he won't be able to argue with me."

Ye Xiaoning's eyes lit up when he heard this.

Work style issues are very serious problems. Once exposed, not only will there be no progress, but you may even be demoted to the lowest position.

The more Li Huaide thought about it, the more he felt that this method was a good one.

"I have an old classmate who is not on good terms with Li Jiandong. Not only was he kicked out of the steel mill by him as a level 7 fitter, but he also broke his arm because of him. He and Li Jiandong happen to live in the same courtyard. I can use him to deal with Li Jiandong."

"However, before that, I would like to confirm with Li Jiandong again. If he is willing to work for me, I will let him go. Otherwise, I will have to be rude."

Li Huaide still wanted to bribe Li Jiandong, even though he knew the chances were slim, he still wanted to try again.

Ye Xiaoning also supported his approach, although he felt it was a bit shameless.

But if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog. After all, Li Huaide is his man.

…………

Li Jiandong really drank too much that night. It was the first time he drank too much since his physique was strengthened.

Of course, Director Dai and the other two were not having a good time either, and they all ended up crawling under the table.

Fortunately, the hotel owner knew them and had Director Dai and others sent to the steel rolling mill guesthouse. He also notified He Daqing to take Li Jiandong back as well.

There was a cold wind on the road. Li Jiandong slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on someone's back.

"Qing?"

Li Jiandong opened his mouth wide and called out.

He Daqing was walking in the snow, one step deep and one step shallow, when he heard Li Jiandong wake up, he turned his head and looked back.
"Hey, Lao Li, you're awake. You're awesome. You got Director Dai and Hu Haodang drunk together. How much did you drink?"

"..."

Li Jiandong was a little confused, and after a long while he said, "Not much."

"Not much yet. Director Dai is known as the steel mill's wine god. Once at a party, he drank 3 kilograms of white wine with others, but he didn't have any reaction at all.

Hu Haodang is known as the one who drinks all the time in the Northeast. His hometown is in the Northeast. When he first joined the security department, he once set a feat of drinking all six captains and deputy captains down by himself. "

"These two are the famous drunkard and drunkard in our factory. They were both carried out today. Do you still have the nerve to say that you didn't drink much?"

He Daqing is also an alcoholic, but his alcohol tolerance is not as good as that of a bottle of white wine.

When he and Li Jiandong drank in the past, he thought that they had similar alcohol tolerance. Although he could not drink as much as Li Jiandong, it was only about half a catty to one and half a catty to another.

I didn't expect that I underestimated Li Jiandong. This guy could defeat all the drunkards in the steel rolling mill by himself. He is simply the god of wine.

For alcoholics, people like Li Jiandong are big brothers and they must be respected.

The restaurant was quite far from the courtyard, and when Li Jiandong returned home, he fell asleep again.

He Daqing put Li Jiandong on the kang and left. Qin Huairu took great pains to take off his clothes, and then used a wet towel to wipe his face, neck, hands and feet. Then she turned off the light, covered him with the quilt and went to sleep.

When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

Li Jiandong opened his eyes dazedly and asked, "Huai Ru, what time is it?"

"It's almost ten o'clock."

Qin Huairu had just come back from doing laundry outside. She was supposed to go to the pub today, but she didn't go in order to take care of Li Jiandong.

"Ah? It's so late already?"

Li Jiandong tried hard to get up, but he felt dizzy as soon as he stood up.

I'm feeling hungover from last night because I drank too much.

Qin Huairu walked in from outside and said, "Don't worry, I've asked Dongxu to ask for leave for you. I don't know how much you drank last night, and I called you for a long time this morning but you didn't wake up."

"How much did you drink? I think five or six bottles?"

Li Jiandong didn't remember either. They were drinking happily with their good friends. Who would remember how much they drank?
However, this drunkenness also brought Li Jiandong closer to the three team members.

Especially with Director Dai and Section Chief Hu, these two hadn't been drunk for a long time, and they really drank to their heart's content last night. Although he had already asked for leave, Li Jiandong decided to go to the steel mill now that he was awake.

He first went to the hotel entrance to ride his bike, and then came to the steel rolling mill.

Li Huaide just walked out of his office today. After thinking about it all night last night, he still felt that he should have a good talk with Li Jiandong first.

He felt that Li Jiandong was a man who knew the times, although his current position was not as high as that of Director Yang.

But he has people behind him, which is something Director Yang cannot compare to.

Of course, Director Yang also has someone above him, but the relationship between him and the person behind him is just that of superiors and subordinates, while behind him is Ye Xiaoning's father. Smart people know the difference between them.

However, when I arrived at the office, I found that Li Jiandong was away on leave today. I was wondering where he had gone on leave when I suddenly heard the sound of a doorbell coming from outside the office building.

"Jiandong, why did you come at this time? I just went to your office to look for you, and they said you took a leave."

Li Huaide was very enthusiastic.

Even if they are competitors, they don't necessarily have to be tit-for-tat. Who among those who do big things doesn't say one thing in public and another behind the scenes?
Although Li Jiandong disdains these things, it does not mean that he does not understand. He speaks differently to different people.

Since Li Huaide was so polite, he smiled and responded: "Director Li, do you have something to talk to me about?"

"Oh, don't call me Director Li all the time. We both have the last name Li and we are both directors. It's weird for you to call me that. Just call me Huaide from now on."

Li Huaide finished his casual talk before getting down to business: "I don't have anything important to do here. It's almost the end of the year, and I haven't bought many things at home. I wonder if your logistics department has unplanned purchases, can you help me get some good cigarettes and good wine? You also know the situation of my wife's family. There are many people who need to visit during the New Year."

Li Huaide's words were ambiguous. He pretended to ask Li Jiandong for help, but in fact he was implicitly reminding him that the person behind him was very powerful.

Of course, it is true that he asked Li Jiandong for help, not because he was incapable of getting the tickets, but because it is easier to build closer relationships by asking someone to do something than by helping them do it. Only people who have been leaders can understand this.

Li Jiandong understood the hidden meaning in Li Huaide's words, but at this point, it was a bit childish for the other party to still say these things.

"Okay, since you don't like the name Director Li, I'll call you Huaide from now on. Good cigarettes and good wine are no problem. Just tell me how much you want."

Li Jiandong also understood that people said one thing and did another. It was just a small favor, so it didn't matter if he helped.

After all, things haven't fallen out yet, so everyone has to continue acting.

"Three or five is not too few, ten or twenty is not too many, and the same goes for wine, the more the better."

Li Huaide said that he actually didn't need so much, and even if he really needed it, he could just go to his father-in-law's house and get it. There was no need to buy it.

"Okay, I'll remember that. I'll contact you when I come back to purchase."

Li Jiandong agreed and was about to walk into the office building.

Li Huaide quickly stopped him: "Hey, wait, Jiandong, I haven't finished talking yet. You've done me such a big favor, I have to treat you to a meal. Choose a place tonight, and let's go out and sit together."

There was no way Li Huaide could let him leave like that when they hadn't discussed the main business yet.

Of course, it’s not convenient to say it now. It’s not too late to say it when we’re drinking in the evening.

Li Jiandong knew what he wanted to do and refused directly:
"Forget about the meal. I was injured while drinking with someone yesterday. Didn't you ask me why I came so late? It's because I drank too much. I thought that at least before the New Year, I would not want to drink again."

"Really? That's unfortunate. How about I treat you another day?"

"Okay, let's get together another day."

After Li Jiandong finished speaking, he really left this time.

Watching his back disappear into the office building, Li Huaide's expression also turned gloomy.

There doesn't sound anything wrong with what Li Jiandong said just now.

But Li Huaide could tell from the other party's words that he was keeping people at a distance.

This shows that Li Jiandong is determined to stand on the side of Director Yang.

After Li Huaide understood, he didn't say anything more.

"Jiandong, it's very dangerous to stand on the wrong side, but considering your good ability, I will let you go when the time comes."

Li Huaide sneered and began to prepare his plan.

…………

Back in the office, Li Jiandong continued his day's work.

It was almost noon when Hu Haodang suddenly ran over. Seeing Li Jiandong working there as if nothing had happened, Hu Haodang shouted on the spot.

"Lao Li, when did you come? Were you not drunk last night?"

Hu Haodang had just woken up, and the first thing he did was to ask how everyone who had been drinking last night was doing.

When he heard that Director Dai was still sleeping, Hu Haodang smiled proudly.

Last night, he, Director Dai and Li Jiandong drank basically the same amount. He woke up but Director Dai didn't. Doesn't this indirectly prove that his partner is better than Director Dai?

Before, the two of them, one was a wine lover and the other was a drunkard, and they had always been on par in the drinking rankings at the steel mill.

The two of them had never competed with each other before, so today Hu Haodang was of course very happy to learn that he could drink more than Director Dai.

However, while being happy, Hu Haodang asked about Li Jiandong again.

In short, when it comes to drinking, Hu Haodang still cares very much about winning or losing.

But unexpectedly, Li Jiandong not only came to work, but also looked energetic and as if nothing had happened. This made Hu Haodang feel frustrated.

"It's Chief Hu. I was drunk last night and woke up around ten this morning. I just sat down for a while."

When Li Jiandong saw Hu Haodang, he knew why this drunkard came.

Hu Haodang felt a little better when he heard him say that he woke up after ten o'clock.

He woke up at around half past ten, which means that the two of them had similar alcohol tolerance.

No, it’s not a problem of alcohol tolerance. It’s that he hasn’t gotten enough sleep these days because of working the night shift, otherwise he wouldn’t have woken up so late.

Thinking of this, Hu Haodang became even happier and said with a smile, "Old Li, you can drink quite well. You look gentle and refined, but I didn't expect that even I could get drunk by you. We didn't win this time. I will definitely find a chance to drink a few more glasses some other day."

Li Jiandong smiled bitterly and said, "Chief Hu, please forgive me. Although I like to drink a little, I really don't like to get drunk."

Hu Haodang couldn't help but laugh when he saw his helpless look. After all, he was the better one because he was not afraid of getting drunk.

As it was almost lunch time, Hu Haodang pulled Li Jiandong to his office and insisted on having two more drinks.

At this time, Li Huaide also came to Yard 40 and waited for a long time until a child came out.

Li Jiandong took out a dime, squatted down and said to the child, "Little boy, do you want this dime?"

The child looked at the money in his hand and nodded vigorously...

Li Jiandong drank a lot last night and didn't want to continue drinking, but Hu Haodang was so kind that he dragged him to the security office.

"Xiao Sun, go outside and prepare some dishes for Director Li and me, and bring me back a few bottles of wine."

As Hu Haodang spoke, he took out a wad of money from his pocket, took out a 10-yuan note and handed it to Xiao Sun, the security guard on duty.

Xiao Sun got the money and asked, "Captain, how many bottles do you want to buy?"

Hu Haodang waved his hand indifferently: "Whatever, take as many bottles as you can. If you want good ones, buy the expensive ones first."

In fact, he always keeps wine in his office, but they are all ordinary wines that he drinks with his brothers in the security department. Today, he has to buy something a little higher-end to invite Li Jiandong.

"Captain Hu, please buy two fewer bottles. I drank too much last night and my body hasn't metabolized it yet."

Li Jiandong was a little speechless. It was really hard on his body to meet such an alcoholic buddy.

"What is metabolism?" Hu Haodang asked casually, and then continued without waiting for Li Jiandong to answer: "Old Li, you are an outsider. You have to drink continuously to increase your alcohol tolerance. Besides, you don't have to drink all the wine you bought. You can save the rest with me and we can drink it next time you come."

Li Jiandong thought about it and it made sense. If he couldn't drink this time, he could drink next time. However, based on Hu Haodang's performance last night, Li Jiandong doubted whether he could really stop drinking once he started.

The security guard on duty went there immediately. Hu Haodang asked Li Jiandong to sit down first, and he picked up the duty phone on the table and dialed.

The steel rolling mill has its own switchboard, but it has less than 10 telephones. Not every department has a telephone, but the Security Department must have one.

After Hu Haodang dialed the number, the operator's voice soon came from the other end.

Hu Haodang said in a teasing tone, "Xiao Cui, have you eaten? Brother Hu asked someone to buy some groceries. Do you want to come over and eat with me? ... You have to be on duty, so forget it. Please help me take over for Director Cao of the Raw Materials Department."

After more than a minute, Director Cao's voice came from the other end. Hu Haodang said again, "Come over quickly and have a drink," and then hung up the phone instantly.

Cao Dazhuang is in charge of the raw materials department and often needs to travel, so he can drink a lot.

(End of this chapter)