Chapter 322: Different Paths

"What are your thoughts on this data?"

Seeing Li Xian remain silent, Sun Weimin asked.

"Uh..." Li Xian pondered for a moment, somewhat hesitant. "I'm not sure what aspect you're referring to, Secretary Sun?"

Although Li Xian's level was relatively low, Sun Weimin felt that the person before him was being rather unconvincing. He had already hinted, and the matter was clearly laid out!

"I'm talking about the issue of economic system reform. The temporary control group's stance is that these state-owned enterprises cannot be touched, at least not extensively. But our province needs to develop and progress. As an entrepreneur, what are your views on this? That's what I'm asking."

Perhaps because Li Xian's status was too low, Sun Weimin didn't bother with subtlety and directly revealed the underlying issue.

Unexpectedly, Li Xian responded with a blunt assessment, "If this continues, Longjiang Province will become the poorest and slowest-developing province in all of China in twenty years. There's no doubt about it."

Upon hearing this, Sun Weimin was initially stunned, and then an inexplicable anger surged within him. "Speak responsibly. What's the basis for your claim?"

---

As an argument seemed about to erupt in Sun Weimin's office, a young armed police officer at the door had just returned a work pass to a woman, saluting briskly.

The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties but looked older due to her dark blue professional suit and thick black cotton coat.

Her short hair was neat, and her features were well-defined. If one were to score her appearance out of a hundred, she would easily score eighty. Yet, a tear mole under her eye added a charm that even a perfect score would struggle to match.

Some women are initially striking but become mundane over time, while others seem ordinary at first but grow increasingly appealing the more you look at them. This woman clearly belonged to the latter category.

After parking her Phoenix bicycle in the shed behind the provincial committee building, the woman looked at the grand and solemn building, as if making a firm decision, and walked up to it.

Lai Yunhao was lounging in a leather chair, chatting on the phone with his legs crossed. When he heard the knocking at the door, he immediately got up to open it. Upon seeing the woman outside, his face lit up with surprise. "Oh, Xiao Xue, you're here!"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Is my dad... busy?"

"Oh!" Lai Yunhao glanced at his watch and replied with a smile, "The Secretary is receiving a guest. Xue, why don't you wait in my office? It should be over soon."

The woman shook her head with a smile. "No need to be polite, Director Lai. I'll wait here."

Lai Yunhao nodded, casting a quick glance at her captivating face, and sighed inwardly.

It seemed that the Secretary's son was simply not destined for this.

At that moment, a loud shout came from Sun Weimin's office.

"Nonsense! Even if Longjiang isn't doing well, it's still the eldest son of the Republic! Even if we have nothing else, we still have the Daqing Oilfield and Daqing Petrochemical, Beidahuang Group and Jiu San Grain and Oil, Xilin Steel, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, First Heavy Industry, Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing, and Special Steel..."

"Secretary Sun, those enterprises are indeed important, but frankly speaking, you're aware of their current management situation. These enterprises exist for the sake of national planning and require financial support from the local government and central finance. It's impossible to rely on them to create economic benefits for the region!"

Hearing the heated argument in the office, Lai Yunhao and the woman named Xue exchanged glances and almost simultaneously walked to the door, knocking.

"Come in!"

When they received the response, they entered Sun Weimin's office to find the old Secretary with his chest heaving, hands on his hips, glaring angrily at a young man before him.

Seeing the woman who had just entered, Sun Weimin was momentarily taken aback and lowered his hands from his waist.

Li Xian, indifferent to Sun Weimin, rubbed his temples. He hadn't intended to say so much, but faced with Sun Weimin's unrealistic optimism and blind hope for old industrial bases, as someone who witnessed the decline of the Northeast and the transformation of the Republic's "eldest son" into its "giant baby," he couldn't help but speak out about the situation as he foresaw it.

He hadn't anticipated that such an opinion would provoke Sun Weimin's ire.

Seeing a guest arriving and feeling that he had already spoken too much, Li Xian decided to leave, striding out as Sun Weimin grunted coldly.

---

Watching Li Xian's retreating figure, Xue Ling frowned. "Dad, who was that? Why are you getting so worked up with him?"

Sun Weimin waved his hand dismissively. "Just an arrogant young man. His views on developing our province's economy are similar to yours, but he's too pessimistic and overly serious, lacking the spirit a young person should have!"

Hearing this, Xue Ling smiled slightly. "Dad, you're over sixty now, and frankly, you're about to retire next year. Why get so worked up over a young person?"

Sun Weimin waved his hand, his complex emotions too tangled to express clearly. The anger he felt earlier was mixed with fear and frustration. He tried to set aside his feelings and asked Xue Ling, "By the way, why are you here?"

"Well," Xue Ling glanced at Lai Yunhao at the door. Realizing this was a family matter, Lai Yunhao nodded in understanding and exited, closing the door behind him.

"Dad, I want to resign."

"What?" Hearing his daughter-in-law's decision, Sun Weimin's eyes widened again. "Why? Are you unhappy with the Policy Office?"

"Not exactly," Xue Ling shook her head. "Dad, it's not about the office. I just feel... it's too comfortable. I just go to work and come home every day, and with you around, everyone is catering to me. I get all the honors and accolades without much effort. It feels like being raised like a pig."

"Is that the only reason?!" Sun Weimin was both amused and exasperated. "I'll talk to your director about it..."

"Dad!" Xue Ling's face grew stern. "There you go again. I told you it's not about the office. I feel that this kind of life is too empty. I want to leave and try something in the real world, to build a career and prove my value. I can't achieve that here."

Sun Weimin was taken aback and then showed a hint of sadness. "I see. I didn't consider it deeply enough. Xiao Wei left two years ago, and now you..."

"It's not like that," Xue Ling reassured him, shaking her head. "I just think that with my background in economics and the many opportunities out there, I want to test my own value. I can't achieve that here."

Sun Weimin sighed, reflecting on Li Xian's earlier comments. "That young man was right in some respects. Neither state enterprises nor the government can retain good people."

"What did you say, Dad?" Xue Ling tilted her head.

"Nothing," Sun Weimin waved his hand. "Do you have any plans after resigning?"

Xue Ling thought for a moment and replied, "I want to go out and see the world. It would be great to find a management position, but if not, I have some savings and can start a small business."

Sun Weimin sighed. "Since you've made up your mind, I'll speak to your unit tomorrow."

After instructing her, he glanced at the wall clock, noticing it was getting late. "Since you're here, why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"

At this command-like invitation, Xue Ling nodded and sat down on the sofa.

"By the way, Dad, who was that young man earlier?" Feeling idle, Xue Ling asked.

Having overheard Li Xian's earlier discussion, she felt his views were somewhat extreme. Although she wasn't fond of her current job, she believed that Longjiang's situation wasn't as dire as he had described.

Sun Weimin recounted Li Xian's dramatic statements and pulled out a document from a file cabinet, placing it on the table.

---

On the other end of the corridor, Lai Yunhao was complaining to Li Xian. "I said, Mr. Li, how can you be so rigid? Don't you think before you speak? How many entrepreneurs want to meet Secretary Sun and can't even get an appointment for weeks? And here you are, arguing with him! With your temperament and emotional intelligence, how do you expect to succeed in business?"

Facing Lai Yunhao's reproach, Li Xian sighed. 

He had indeed said too much today, but some things needed to be said. Now that it was off his chest, he felt relieved.

He didn't care much about Lai Yunhao's criticism. He had no personal ties with Sun Weimin and wasn't concerned about the impact on his business. As long as he didn't offend Sun Weimin too badly, the provincial support would still be there.

Seeing Lai Yunhao's dissatisfaction, he waved it off, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to him. Changing the subject, he asked, "Who was that woman who came in just now?"

As his business grew, Li Xian had developed a smoking habit. Although he only smoked a few cigarettes a day, he always carried a pack with him for social occasions.

Lai Yun

hao gave Li Xian a disapproving glance, declined the cigarette, and pointed to an A4 sheet on the wall that read, "No Smoking, Please Keep Quiet."

Since it was a family matter, Lai Yunhao didn't elaborate.

He simply waved his hand. "She's from the Policy Office."

Li Xian wasn't particularly interested in the woman but wanted to maintain a good relationship with Lai Yunhao, hoping he could help smooth things over and avoid a completely bad impression with Sun Weimin.

Lai Yunhao declined the offer to stay for dinner, saying he had other matters to attend to and would get in touch later.

As Lai Yunhao left, Li Xian felt slightly reassured and, after a few more casual conversations, exited the provincial committee building.

As he waited for his car at the gate, he heard someone call out, "Hey."

Turning around, he saw the woman from Sun Weimin's office walking towards him from the compound.