books44 Chapter 736 One overt, one covert, two storylines? Not enough!
Chapter 736 One overt, one covert, two storylines? Not enough!
Bang!
With a long whistle and a heavy screech of brakes, the special train finally came to a smooth stop at a station in an industrial city.
As soon as the special train came to a stop on the platform, a deafening sound of gongs and drums erupted.
Several huge banners were displayed on the platform: "Warmly welcome the inspection team from higher authorities!" "Learn from and pay tribute to the comrades in the inspection team!"
Officials dressed in brand-new four-pocket shirts and holding colorful flags stood in neat rows, their faces beaming with enthusiastic smiles.
The main leaders of several audited entities were waiting early at the train carriage door, their faces full of respectful yet slightly apprehensive smiles, their eyes fixed on the soon-to-open door.
They only learned from acquaintances that the inspection team was led by "Yang Youning" and "Li Huaide," but they knew nothing about their specific backgrounds or temperaments.
This kind of unknown is what makes people most uneasy.
The car door slid open with a "whoosh".
The first to appear was Yang Youning. It must be said that his attire truly exuded leadership: a crisp, dark blue Zhongshan suit, a stern face, sharp eyes like a hawk, and not a trace of a smile on his face. His imposing aura instantly silenced the entire platform.
Even the noisy sounds of gongs and drums seemed a little hesitant.
Yang Youning's sharp gaze swept over the crowd on the platform, he nodded slightly, and steadily walked down the steps. Several leaders who came to greet him quickly extended their hands, their faces plastered with the warmest smiles:
"Leader! You must be tired from your journey! Welcome to visit and provide guidance!"
Yang Youning extended his right hand and shook hands with the leading leaders one by one. His movements were decisive, using only a fraction of his strength, and he didn't say a single unnecessary word.
There's really no way to exchange pleasantries. These days, each system is like a closed circle. Aside from meetings to compete for resources, we basically never meet. How can we possibly become familiar with each other?
Seeing that there were quite a few people in charge, Yang Youning, who was already impatient with them, simply put on airs, ignoring the little Kalami waiting behind him for a handshake, and spoke directly:
"Work comes first, skip the formalities. Go straight to the conference room to report on the overall progress of the Dongfeng 113 project, current technical bottlenecks, and resource allocation."
His direct and unceremonious attitude caused the smiles on the leaders' faces to freeze, and their hearts to skip a beat.
This leader doesn't seem easy to deal with! He's all about business and gets things done quickly and decisively!
Is this Leader Yang or Leader Li? Why didn't they even introduce themselves? Was it an oversight, or was it intentional?
Haha, your thinking is really divergent! I have to say, people who feel guilty tend to think more...
The scene was a little awkward.
Fortunately, Jiang Xia had made preparations in advance and arranged for the shrewd Li Huaide to come over.
Seeing that Yang Youning had made the atmosphere awkward with just a few words, and sensing the hesitation in Yang's expression, Li Huaide immediately took a half-step forward from Yang's side and behind, smiling broadly as he tried to smooth things over:
"Oh dear! Thank you all for coming to greet us personally! You're too kind! We are unworthy of such a grand welcome!"
He first bowed to the leaders in the front row, then turned to the side, cleverly separating Yang Youning from the group of overlooked cadres behind him, and took the lead in speaking loudly: "Let me introduce you all. This is Team Leader Yang Youning, the head of the inspection team appointed by the higher authorities! He is mainly responsible for the audit and supervision of the Dongfeng 113 project."
Then he smiled and pointed to himself, adopting a humble posture: "I am Li Huaide, assisting Team Leader Yang and helping everyone with tasks and errands!"
Immediately afterward, Li Huaide smoothly turned to the row of little karaomis who had been left hanging by Yang Youning. His enthusiastic smile remained unchanged, his eyes quickly scanning their clothes, and he began to greet them familiarly in rapid succession…
“(＾u＾)ノ~yo, isn’t this so-and-so! How have you been lately? Long time no see…” Then an elderly man with gray hair and glasses shook his hand vigorously and warmly, as if they were old friends reuniting.
"Oh my god! You came in person too! Thank you for your hard work! It's so cold!" Li Huaide patted a stocky middle-aged man next to him.
This guy seemed to have a natural talent for social interaction, breaking the cold atmosphere created by Yang Youning with just a few words. He not only introduced Yang Youning, but also radiated enthusiasm, instantly bridging the gap between them.
The leaders who were precisely "named" by him immediately showed flattered smiles, and felt much more relieved. They thought to themselves: This Comrade Li Huaide is indeed easy to talk to and knows how to get along with people! It seems that the key still lies with him!
The junior cadres waiting in line to shake hands also relaxed their guard due to this sudden "familiarity effect," and they all put on even warmer smiles, while their minds were still quickly thinking: at which meeting or on which project had they had any interaction with this Deputy Team Leader Li?
My memory is a bit hazy, but since their leader remembers us, it must be my own bad memory!
However, they had no idea that Li Huaide was playing a clever game of "getting something for nothing".
That enthusiastic identification and greeting were actually full of extremely cunning ambiguity:
“Oh my! Look at my memory! Brother, we had the best chat at the department meeting last time!” — He gripped the hand of a slightly overweight leader tightly and shook it vigorously.
The last departmental meeting? Which one? What did we talk about? It was all nonsense, but the words "we clicked" were comforting, and the chubby leader immediately beamed, as if he really remembered a pleasant conversation.
"Oh! It's you! You look so energetic, getting better and better! Is everything alright at home? Have you arranged jobs for your children?" — He turned to another tall, thin leader.
This universal greeting formula applies everywhere: "You look good" is a compliment, "You're doing well at home" or "Your child is working" is a sign of concern. As for which child or what job they are referring to...
If you don't mention it at all, the other party will only think that the leader has a great memory and is very considerate.
“(＾u＾)ノ~yo, comrade! Yes! It’s you! You look like a backbone of the technical team, so reliable! Our team leader Yang admires experts like you the most!” Li Huaide patted the shoulder of a man who looked like a technician.
"Technical expert," "key member," "reliable," and "expert"—once these positive labels are applied, the other party immediately develops a favorable impression. Whether Li Huaide actually knows him or not is completely irrelevant.
He even managed to say to a slightly reserved female comrade next to him during a handshake: "It's not easy being a woman, you have to be busy with revolutionary work and take care of your family at the same time, you've worked so hard!"
Well, a simple expression of understanding and praise immediately won the other person's great favor.
The whole process was smooth and natural. Li Huaide always had a sincere and enthusiastic smile on his face. His movements were large and friendly, and he spoke as if he didn't care about money. Every sentence seemed to have a hidden meaning, but none of them could be used to find any specific fault.
This social skill of "creating something out of nothing" made Yang Youning, who was standing half a step behind him, twitch his lips almost imperceptibly. He cursed inwardly, "This old fox!"
But it must be admitted that in this kind of situation, only someone like Li Huaide can handle it.
Those girls who had received Li Huaide's "precise greetings" were still feeling pleased and slightly confused even after shaking hands: Deputy Team Leader Li is so approachable and has an amazing memory... But where exactly did we meet before?
Li Huaide had a bright smile on his face, but he knew perfectly well in his heart: he didn't recognize a single one of them!
But what does it matter? Enthusiasm is the best disguise! Ambiguity is the best cover! As long as the atmosphere is right, who cares about the details? He has mastered this combination of "universal address + enthusiastic enthusiasm + vague scene recall" to perfection, a cure for all kinds of "shyness" and "awkward silence"!
“Alright, the situation is urgent and the task is important.” Yang Youning spoke up at the right moment, interrupting Li Huaide’s “socializing”, his voice still cold and stern, “Lead the way to the conference room.”
"Yes, yes, yes! Team Leader Yang is right! Work is the priority! Work is the priority!" Li Huaide immediately chimed in, his smile unwavering. "Leaders, shall we head to the conference room now? Let Team Leader Yang and everyone else hear a good look at the progress of our 'Dongfeng' project!"
Then, the large group of people, surrounding Yang Youning and Li Huaide, left the platform amidst the deafening sounds of gongs and drums and enthusiastic applause.