Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 292, Section 290: Whispers in the Night (Part 1)

The familiar space is like a warm cocoon, temporarily isolating the noise and complexity of the outside world.

"Phew, putting on makeup is so tiring."

"I never want to wear makeup again."

After her best friend dried her hair, Gu Caiwei quickly finished washing up, stepped barefoot onto the soft cashmere carpet, and went straight to the cloud-shaped sofa in the center of the living room, sinking into it completely.

"I don't need to wear makeup anyway. I'm having dinner with my mom, there are no outsiders here."

Li Zhi went to the kitchen and took out two bottles of chilled sparkling water from the built-in refrigerator.

"But you're wearing makeup!"

Gu Caiwei spoke with righteous indignation.

"Please, I have to go to work. Law firms have appearance requirements, okay? Otherwise, who would get up early just for bottles and jars?"

The short-haired girl rolled her eyes, but her voice sounded a little guilty.

If Leying Law Firm and Mingli Company weren't as close as they are now...
She would definitely not care at all, and would rather wear sunscreen and go makeup-free.

"Here, add some water."

She handed a bottle to Gu Caiwei, who was slumped on the sofa, and sat down beside her, bending her knees and resting her chin gently on them.

Only a few curved wall lamps were lit in the living room, casting a warm yellow light that lazily illuminated the soft contours of the two sisters' faces.

A romantic drama was playing on the TV screen, while outside the window, the city lights twinkled.

Gu Caiwei unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted her head back and took a big gulp, then squinted her eyes contentedly.

"Eh!"

"Baby~"

As if suddenly remembering something, she put the remote control she was about to use to change the channel aside.

"I didn't quite understand what you were saying to me on the way here."

"You mean he won an award, right?"

"correct."

Li Zhi nodded and responded casually, her gaze naturally falling on the male and female protagonists on the screen.

“Mingli Company has been selected as a pilot unit for community comprehensive governance innovation in East Lake High-tech Development Zone and an advanced unit for safe community construction.”

"What's the use of this?"

Gu Caiwei crossed her legs, her bright eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"It's just a nominal title within the system, and he doesn't get a single penny of bonus."

"what?"

Li Zhi turned her head and couldn't help but tap her best friend's silly nose.

While it's true that this kind of profit-driven statement has always been Gu Caiwei's style.

But Li Zhi has more experience and is more socialized, so she at least understands the key points.

The fact that the little princess put the prize money before the honor precisely points out the most common misunderstanding outsiders have about the relationship between politics and business.

In the business world, especially in China's unique business environment, the intangible value brought by government endorsement is often far more precious and powerful than direct monetary rewards.

It is a powerful tool that can open countless doors of convenience, but it can also become a high wall that hinders competitors.

"Don't be so narrow-minded and only care about money."

"This is an imperial sword!"

"The Imperial Sword?"

Gu Caiwei repeated, resting her chin on her hand.

Let me give you an example.

Li Zhi's voice was very soft, like a feather brushing the surface of water.

"Weiwei, do you really think running such a big company is as easy as opening a coffee shop?"

“Take the coffee shop for example. If Zhou Mingyuan hadn’t been running around taking care of all those messy procedures and maintaining good relationships with the surrounding government agencies, we would have been in a lot of trouble.”

"Not to mention companies like Mingli."

"In the legal services industry, which is extremely trust-dependent, official recognition is the highest level of credit endorsement, which naturally reduces their customer acquisition costs and the threshold for building trust."

"That's it."

Gu Caiwei seemed to be deep in thought.

"And think about it. Our law firm has countless competitors, not to mention those who provide legal services."

"If someone wants to attack Mingli through normal business competition or illegitimate means, they need to consider the government authority behind them."

"Most importantly, we can communicate more efficiently when dealing with government departments in the future."

As Li Zhi spoke in a measured tone, Gu Caiwei's eyes gradually lit up.

"Oh yeah, that's true!"

The example the short-haired girl gave was exactly what she was comfortable with.

Even small physical stores like the Relief Coffee Shop benefit greatly from maintaining good relations with the government.

Opening and operating a coffee shop involves multiple departments, including industry and commerce, taxation, fire protection, health, environmental protection, and urban management.

Having good government relations means that the process of obtaining various licenses and permits may be smoother, and problems can be addressed more promptly, avoiding unwarranted delays or difficulties.

As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors.

During her time running her shop in Beiyuan, Gu Caiwei heard many stories from other shop owners. Among them were vivid examples of how difficult it was to get in, how unfriendly the staff were, and how complicated things were to get things done.

The various approval procedures are lengthy and require repeated submission of materials. A simple permit can take months to process, causing you to miss the best time to open for business.

Not to mention the selective enforcement and hidden costs, people on the streets lack emotional intelligence and can easily be fined or targeted in certain gray areas.

"That's quite impressive. No, it's very impressive."

Smart people don't need much explanation.

Gu Caiwei grasped the concepts quickly and could apply them to other situations.

"Oh my god, I had completely forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it. The more I think about the details, the more exaggerated they seem."

As she pondered this, the girl turned to her best friend, her bright eyes filled with amazement.

"Sometimes I really don't understand. He's the same age as us, so how does he understand all these complicated relationships?"

"He must have planned all of this in advance, right?"

"The Relief Coffee shop has faced numerous inspections before, but he always handles them exceptionally well, either by sending this or that."

Gu Caiwei leaned close to Li Zhi's ear and whispered something.

"."

Before Li Zhi could respond, she eagerly continued, mimicking Zhou Mingyuan's tone.

Imitating his tone, which was somewhat nonchalant yet full of confidence.

“He also told me before that once Jieyou has opened 100 stores in Jiangcheng, after the financing, leaders will definitely come to visit and inspect, and then it will be considered a star enterprise.”

"A star enterprise!"

Gu Caiwei paused for a moment, then laughed out loud, her shoulders swaying slightly.

"Haha, this guy can really brag without batting an eye. We employees in the store were all dumbfounded."

"But despite his boasting, his line of thinking always seems to be the same."

"right."

Li Zhi listened quietly, a slight smile curving her lips upwards.

Is it really possible to open 100 Relief Cafes?
The enormous and specific numbers, so vividly spoken by Gu Caiwei, jumped straight into her heart.

It turns out he had always had plans and strategies in place for the "Worry-Relieving Coffee" and his startup with Weiwei.
He was very serious, and so was she.

From scratch to the thriving Optics Valley store, the number of employees at Relief Coffee is about to reach double digits, and everything is developing in a positive direction.

Perhaps only I myself would think it's just child's play.

She lowered her head, her long eyelashes drooping down, concealing the fleeting emotion in her eyes.

She gently shook the sparkling water in her hand, watching the tiny bubbles rise and burst one after another, and bit her lip tightly.

On the television, the male and female protagonists kiss amidst the snow-covered landscape, with melodious background music playing.

A brief silence fell over the living room.

Gu Caiwei chuckled for a while, then, feeling a bit thirsty, picked up a bottle of sparkling water and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

Long, slender fingertips circled the tassels of the sofa cushions, round and round.

"Speaking of which, Zhou Mingyuan is quite an interesting person at times."

The short-haired girl's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up: "What do you mean?"

"He can be, well, sometimes, unexpectedly different."

Gu Caiwei turned her head, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Sometimes, he would often complain or even swear in private. He hated those formalistic, garbage platitudes and clichés the most. He just couldn't say anything human!"

"But!"

"When I saw his speech, he was so good at saying all sorts of polite things, he didn't even need to write a draft."

"Hahahaha, don't you think it's a contrast?"

She laughed so hard she almost fell over, as if she had imagined the most hilarious scene in the world.

"They say one, two, three, but in their hearts they're rolling their eyes."

"Wouldn't that make him a two-faced person?"

Gu Caiwei vividly imitated Zhou Mingyuan's possible expression and tone at the time.

"."

Li Zhi tucked her legs in and listened intently, images involuntarily flashing through her mind.

Zhou Mingyuan, who shines brightly at the awards ceremony, also has moments when he complains behind people's backs about the excessive use of platitudes.

But the legal profession itself is full of clichés!

A world without platitudes was something she had never imagined.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside me; I wanted to laugh, but also felt a strange, bittersweet ache.

Because it was Gu Caiwei who shared this secret, not her.

"Is that so?"

Li Zhi cleared her throat, her voice calm.

"He actually complains about these things to you."

(End of this chapter)