All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

He Yuzhu felt that life in the future would not be as easy and carefree as he had imagined. He knew that his affair with Qin Jingru could never happen again. In addition, he knew that Xu Damao had to be brought down.

At least we can't let him have the chance to be that deputy director anymore. That guy has too much power. Once he finds out that he and his wife are having an affair, he'll definitely resort to dirty tricks. His little head is full of despicable schemes, and we can't guard against them at all!

Getting Xu Damao out of office is the first step. The second step is to sever ties with Qin Huairu. We must find an opportunity to do so in front of everyone in the compound, so that when I get married, she won't have the nerve to try and get close to me.

Cherish life, stay away from this scheming and toxic woman. After I settle these two things and marry Teacher Ran, I can live my own life peacefully. After the storm subsides, I'll find a way to make some money and move out of this compound!

Anyway, recalling what Qin Jingru said last night, and combining it with Qin Huairu whom he had met over the past year, He Yuzhu felt a chill run down his spine, and almost fell for her.

He Yuzhu spent the whole day thinking about these trivial matters. Taking down Xu Damao was both simple and difficult.

The simple thing is that Director Li is now in charge of the steel plant, and Xu Damao is just one of the seven deputy directors. If Director Li wants to remove someone like that, it's just a matter of a word from him.

However, it's not an easy task either. Xu Damao is a man full of schemes and tricks, and he has almost become Director Li's top strategist. He is deeply trusted by Director Li, so it would be difficult for Director Li to remove him.

Moreover, if we're going to do it, we have to make sure there's absolutely no possibility of him fluctuating anymore. We have to get it all done in one go, so that Director Li will never use him again!

He Yuzhu also fell into deep thought for a moment!

Chapter 68: A Wolf's Ambition!

Taking down Xu Damao isn't that difficult; the original novel provides a good example, and He Yuzhu thinks that method is quite good.

So He Yuzhu turned his gaze to Liu Lan, who was chatting enthusiastically, then coughed, interrupting their banter, and stood up with a stern face, saying to Liu Lan.

"Liu Lan, come out for a moment, I need to talk to you about something!"

Liu Lan nodded in confusion and followed He Yuzhu to the back warehouse.

Seeing that no one was around, He Yuzhu spoke softly.

"Liu Lan, I've been running around every day these past few days. Director Li doesn't seem to have any complaints about me, does he?"

Liu Lan was even more puzzled now, as He Yuzhu wasn't usually like this.

Seeing that he had overacted, He Yuzhu smiled and explained.

"Liu Lan, please invite Director Li out tonight. I've come up with a few new dishes for him to try. I've been taking leave and being late these past few days, and I haven't even stayed out to prepare a banquet for Director Li. I reckon he's probably upset with me, so I'll make it up to him!"

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, Liu Lan nodded. Although this was somewhat unlike He Yuzhu's personality, Director Li had indeed complained several times recently because he had been taking leave and sneaking away after get off work.

Seeing that He Yuzhu had suddenly become more sensible, Liu Lan thought it was only natural and nodded, indicating that the matter could definitely be arranged.

Director Li hadn't had He Yuzhu's cooking for almost two weeks and was indeed missing it, so he readily agreed to stay for the evening so that He Yuzhu could have a good show.

So He Yuzhu prepared several dishes in the afternoon and even took out two bottles of his treasured wine from the cafeteria's small storage room.

At 6:30 p.m., He Yuzhu hosted a banquet for Director Li and Liu Lan in the small living room of the canteen. He Yuzhu put in a lot of effort to entertain Director Li, and every dish was perfect in color, aroma and taste.

Director Li ate heartily, his face glowing. He Yuzhu even poured wine for Director Li, a rare occurrence, and his attitude was quite proper, which greatly impressed Director Li.

Director Li is now the god of the steel plant. Anyone who disobeys him will face ruin and death with just a word.

But he was particularly fond of this silly Zhu. Even though the silly Zhu contradicted him several times, he chose to forgive him. Even though He Yuzhu was promoted by the original factory director, Director Li did not investigate further. This was not because there was any shady deal between the two, but simply because Director Li could not live without him.

Food and sex are intertwined, with food being the most important. Director Li is clearly no exception. Fortunately, He Yuzhu hasn't been as troublesome as before in the past year, and their relationship has improved considerably.

"Silly Zhu, do you know what I like most about you?"

He Yuzhu paused for a moment, clinked glasses with Director Li, and then spoke.

Do you like my food?

Director Li chuckled and shook his head.

I like you as a person!

He Yuzhu was stunned.

Director Li continued with a smile.

“Look at our steel mill, anyone from a slightly better family background who has the ability to curry favor with me bows and scrapes to me. Everyone wants to climb the ladder, but you are the only one who doesn’t compete or fight. Even though we meet every day, you never give me a kind look. You just do your job well. That’s the kind of personality I like the most!”

He Yuzhu smiled awkwardly and remained silent.

Director Li sighed again.

"You have another advantage, which is that you don't care about politics. Look at you, I've never seen you bring any quotes. In your department, look at that guy... that Liu... something."

He Yuzhu tried to answer.

"Liu Haizhong"

"Yes...yes, it's that guy with the bangs. He can barely read, but he loves to act like a cultured person. He always carries a few pens with him and loves to talk about policies and grand principles. In front of me, he's all obsequious, but he's completely ignorant. This kind of person also loves to brag about how good our relationship is. I hate this kind of person the most!"

He Yuzhu was also speechless, but seeing that they had already drunk several rounds of wine, and that his purpose today was not to listen to Director Li's flattery, he took this opportunity to speak.

"If we're talking about who understands Director Li the most, there's someone else in my compound who understands Director Li the most!"

Director Li picked up a piece of food, paused in mid-air, and looked at He Yuzhu with curiosity, waiting for what would happen next.

He Yuzhu smiled and said.

"That must be Xu Damao! He rose from an ordinary projectionist to become one of the most valued talents under your command, Director Li. I don't need to tell you that, do I?"

Upon hearing the name Xu Damao, Director Li paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Xu Damao is indeed a talented person, but he is too petty. However, these are minor issues. What I value most is his ability to get things done. He is honest, decisive, and never indecisive. He is a truly talented person!"

He Yuzhu was speechless. Sure enough, Xu Damao had a very good impression on Director Li. So He Yuzhu nodded and said.

"Yes, yes, Director, you have such keen insight. Xu Damao is just too petty. If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost wouldn't have remembered. A while ago, I took leave, didn't I? It was Director Zhang from the south of the city who asked me to come over and help prepare a meal for his wife's birthday. There were several guests there. Director, guess who I saw at Director Zhang's house?"

Director Li also became interested and immediately took a liking to He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu, however, pretended to be casual and said jokingly.

“I saw Xu Damao that day. At first, I thought I was seeing things. I was busy in the kitchen and didn’t go to the living room. Later, I asked the secretary, and it turned out that it really was Xu Damao from our steel plant. The secretary also told me that Xu Damao was a regular visitor to Director Zhang’s house. I was very surprised at the time. Xu Damao’s network of connections is really not simple!”

He Yuzhu casually recounted what he had seen and heard that day, while Director Li, standing to the side, paused in mid-air with his wine glass in hand, his eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

Director Li's smile gradually froze. He Yuzhu's words contained too much information. This silly Zhu didn't quite understand some of it, but he quickly came to understand some of the key information.

The Director Zhang that Sha Zhu mentioned was a high-ranking official at the steel mill, and Li's direct superior. Even Li hadn't received an invitation to Director Zhang's wife's birthday banquet. So why was Xu Damao, a deputy director, qualified to go, and even considered a regular guest?

The sheer amount of information contained here sends chills down my spine.

He Yuzhu seemed to realize something at this moment, and quickly picked up his wine glass and said.

"Director, come, let's not talk about that today. I'm here to let you try my new dish, Braised Wild Turtle Stew. It's specially prepared for you; I simmered it in old duck broth for three hours..."

Director Li was in no mood to savor the turtle at this moment. No matter how good the dish was, it tasted bland to him. He had only one thought in his mind: Xu Damao was too ambitious and could not be allowed to live!

For a deputy director to curry favor with his superior—isn't that an open secret? What is he trying to do? He's unhappy with his deputy position and wants to take over the director's role.

They have wolfish ambitions! They have wolfish ambitions!

Chapter 69: Dealing with Xu Damao

During this meal, Director Li went from being very enthusiastic at first to finding it tasteless. His mind went through a lot of emotional ups and downs.

He Yuzhu pretended not to know anything, but it was clear that Director Li was no longer in the mood for a meal. After a few drinks, he made an excuse to leave, and the meal ended hastily.

This was a good deal for He Yuzhu, who packed it all up and took it home. Director Li wouldn't have the chance to enjoy the stewed wild turtle, so he took it back himself to give the deaf old lady some collagen.

That night, Director Li instructed several deputy directors to collect materials about Xu Damao as quickly and urgently as possible and submit them to his office the next day.

Several deputy directors who had received instructions were already itching to make a move; it was clear that Director Li was about to take action against Xu Damao.

Xu Damao had offended many people in order to secure his position, including several of his peers. Now, the time for retribution has finally come.

In the past year or so, Xu Damao has offended countless people and received countless letters of complaint. Even the second and third uncles in the compound have secretly written several letters of complaint against him.

Normally, when Xu Damao is at the height of his power, these letters of complaint would just lie in the mailroom gathering dust. But when it comes to actually taking action against Xu Damao, these letters of complaint could cost him half his life.

However, Xu Damao, that cunning old fox, was clearly not a kind person either. The reason he could act so arrogantly in the steel plant was simply because he relied on Director Li's trust.

Unless someone actually manages to remove Director Li from his position, no one can touch him.

The things He Yuzhu and Director Li said were not baseless. Although some of what they said to Director Li was exaggerated, it was absolutely verifiable.

Xu Damao had actually been making underhanded moves behind the scenes since he became deputy director, trying his best to climb to a higher position. He just didn't expect that He Yuzhu would give this information to Director Li in advance.

If someone else had told Director Li this information, Director Li probably wouldn't have believed it. But He Yuzhu, this notorious hothead from the steel mill, unintentionally revealed his words, which made Director Li choose to believe him.

The next day, Xu Damao walked into the office with a dark face and immediately sensed that something was wrong. He didn't have many other skills, but he was excellent at reading people. He quickly noticed that the other deputy directors were intentionally or unintentionally distancing themselves from him that day.

This is clearly not right. Normally, although Xu Damao has been sidelined by Director Li, as Director Li's top advisor, people are not close to him, but they dare not be too distant either. When they meet, they will give him a smile.

Today, everyone's behavior was clearly a bit off. Then, Director Li's secretary came to inform everyone that they needed to attend a certain conference in the afternoon.

Xu Damao, the top strategist, was unaware of the content of the conference. Director Li did not ask him to write a speech. Considering the attitudes of others towards him, Xu Damao should have vaguely sensed the truth after only half an hour in the office.

Director Li is going to deal with me. Holding this meeting is definitely to publicly punish me. Xu Damao felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

When bad luck strikes, even drinking cold water can cause problems. Ever since that stupid woman fed him poison, nothing has gone smoothly for the past few days.

Now, at this critical juncture of life and death, Xu Damao slowly sat down in his chair, his mind racing. Since Director Li was going to deal with him, he must have already collected all the materials.

Moreover, an internal meeting has already been held, and the other deputy directors have been informed. Now that things have come to this point, it is clearly impossible for him to keep his position as deputy director.

But at this moment, it's no longer about keeping your position, but about saving your own life.

Once the afternoon meeting begins, my crimes will be made public, my nameplate will be displayed, and others will be allowed to re-educate and reform me. I reckon my life will be over sooner or later.

Xu Damao felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He wiped it several times, but couldn't get it clean. On Xu Damao's still not fully recovered dark face, a hint of ruthlessness appeared almost imperceptibly.

If you, Director Li, want to ruin me, then be prepared to be dragged down with me!

He gritted his teeth, quickly picked up his pen, opened a blank folder, and began writing rapidly. Half an hour later, Xu Damao put down his pen, put away the two pages, stood up, and walked into Director Li's office under everyone's gaze.

That afternoon, the meeting was not held, but the steel plant still issued a notice that Xu Damao had been removed from his position as deputy director due to some violation, and was also dismissed from the steel plant and transferred to a certain movie theater in the city as an ordinary projectionist.

He Yuzhu never expected that Xu Damao would escape unscathed. He originally thought that, given Director Li's cunning nature, he would never leave Xu Damao a way out. But unexpectedly, Xu Damao managed to slip away and leave the steel mill, and was transferred to the movie theater.

However, after leaving the steel mill, Xu Damao was no different from an old dog with its teeth pulled; in a small place like a movie theater, it was difficult to make a name for himself.

I reckon this guy won't have the ability to resort to underhanded tricks anymore.

With Xu Damao's problem resolved, the next step is for me and Qin Huairu.

Thinking about everything Qin Huairu was doing, He Yuzhu felt as if there was a pair of eyes staring at him from behind at all times.

Qin Huairu is not like Xu Damao. This woman has basically not revealed any clues that could be used against her. She has both a reputation and a good word-of-mouth. In addition, she has deliberately released those rumors about him. Right now, if he tries to mess with her, he will only suffer the consequences.

Besides, she's already barefoot, so she has nothing left to lose. All I have to do is find a way to keep her away from me.