Reborn in 2000: I'm the Boss's Driver

After New Year's Day, the temperature in the provincial capital continued to drop, but Lin Fan's life gradually stabilized.

Zhou Wenyuan has been firmly in his position as chairman of the provincial power company for over half a year. As the head of a key state-owned enterprise in the province, his schedule is packed: Monday mornings are usually for the leadership team's routine meeting; Tuesday through Thursday he either goes to the grassroots level for research, attends meetings at the provincial government, or receives visitors from sister units or partners. Fridays are relatively more relaxed, generally for handling internal documents, and sometimes for arranging some informal business negotiations.

Lin Fan's role was clear: driver, assistant, and confidant. Every morning at 7:30, he would arrive promptly downstairs at Zhou Wenyuan's apartment building. Around 7:40, Zhou Wenyuan would leave on time and get into the back seat of his Audi A8. In the car, Lin Fan would briefly report on the day's important schedule and matters requiring Zhou Wenyuan's special attention. Some of this information Lin Fan obtained through internal company channels, while some he compiled and organized through his own network of contacts.

Around eight o'clock, the car entered the provincial power company compound. Lin Fan dropped Zhou Wenyuan off at the main building entrance and then went to park in the underground parking lot. After parking, he didn't rush to leave but sat in the car for a while to organize his thoughts or handle some personal matters on his phone—mainly matters concerning Wang Xin's company.

At nine o'clock sharp, he would appear in the assistant's office next to Zhou Wenyuan's office. The office was not large, but it was in a good location, with a view of the main road of the company compound through the window. As the secretary, Yang Zhiyuan was mainly responsible for written materials and official arrangements; Lin Fan was more like a "housekeeper," handling more specific and flexible matters, including but not limited to coordinating vehicles, arranging receptions, and handling some miscellaneous matters that leaders could not directly deal with.

This work rhythm gave Lin Fan a great deal of freedom. As long as Zhou Wenyuan didn't have any outings planned, he had plenty of free time during the day.

Lin Fan decided to make good use of this time.

Having worked within the system for so many years, Lin Fan knew one thing well: a leader's driver often understood the actual situation better and was more well-informed than many middle-level cadres. Although they didn't participate in decision-making, they were with the leader every day, hearing and seeing a lot, and sometimes a casual remark could reveal important trends.

More importantly, drivers have their own circles. This circle may seem insignificant, but it wields considerable power—today Director Zhang's driver tells you that a certain approval is stuck in a certain department, tomorrow Director Li's driver reminds you which aspect of the work the leader is dissatisfied with recently. This information often comes faster and more accurately than through official channels.

Lin Fan decided to take the initiative to break into this circle.

His first step was to observe carefully.

The provincial power company has its own fleet, but Zhou Wenyuan, as the top leader, is assigned a dedicated car and driver, and has few opportunities to interact with the drivers of other leaders. Lin Fan turned his gaze to the provincial government compound.

Zhou Wenyuan attends at least two meetings at the provincial government every week. Sometimes it's a special meeting chaired by the governor, and sometimes it's a coordination meeting convened by the vice governor in charge. Every time he goes to the provincial government, Lin Fan has to wait in the parking lot for one or two hours, or even longer. And the provincial government parking lot is the drivers' "social space".

The first two times, Lin Fan simply observed silently. He noticed that there were several fixed "gathering spots" in the parking lot: under an old locust tree, three or four drivers would often gather there to smoke and chat; at the entrance of the rest room on the east side of the parking lot, a few small stools would always be placed there when the weather was nice; and there were even a few drivers who would bring thermos cups and chess sets and play chess on the trunk lid of their cars.

The drivers all seemed relaxed and familiar with each other. Lin Fan carefully observed their clothing, demeanor, and the types of cars they drove—from these details, he could roughly determine the level of leadership and department they served.

On his third visit to the provincial government, Lin Fan decided to take the initiative.

That morning, Zhou Wenyuan went to attend a symposium on energy security, which was expected to last two and a half hours. Lin Fan parked his car and took out his thermos—it contained the Pu'er tea that Wang Juan had brewed for him that morning. He deliberately walked to the old locust tree, where two drivers were already smoking and chatting.

"Masters, can I borrow a light?" Lin Fan greeted them with a smile, taking out a cigarette case from his pocket—he didn't smoke much anymore, but he always carried a pack of good cigarettes with him.

One of the drivers, a slightly overweight man in his forties, glanced at Lin Fan, took out a lighter from his pocket, and handed it to him: "A new face, huh? Which company are you from?"

"It saves electricity, from Chairman Zhou." Lin Fan took the lighter, lit his cigarette, then handed the lighter back, along with two cigarettes. "Here, have mine."

The driver took the cigarette, glanced at the brand—a premium Zhonghua cigarette—and his smile became more genuine: "Jay Chou's driver, huh? I've heard of him. My surname is Liu, and I work for Vice Director Wang of the Transportation Department."

The other driver, who looked younger, in his early thirties, also accepted the cigarette Lin Fan offered: "My surname is Zhao, and I work for Deputy Director Li of the National Development and Reform Commission."

"Master Lin," Lin Fan introduced himself, "I'll be attending meetings here often in the future, and I hope you two will take good care of me."

"Sure, sure." Master Liu was very talkative. "Your boss Zhou must be quite busy lately, right? I heard the power company is going to launch several big projects this year."

"The leaders are all busy," Lin Fan smiled and gave a vague reply, then changed the subject, "How long has Master Liu been with Director Wang?"

"It's been more than five years." Master Liu exhaled a smoke ring. "I followed Director Wang when he was transferred from the prefecture-level city."

"Then you must be a veteran," Lin Fan said, offering a timely compliment. "Are there any rules about parking near the provincial government? I've been here a few times, and I'm always worried about parking in the wrong place."

This question was asked skillfully—it avoided sensitive information while giving the other person an opportunity to showcase their experience.

Master Liu became interested: "See those cars over there?" He pointed to the parking spaces closest to the main building. "Those are the special spaces for the governor and vice governors. Regular drivers don't park there. We drivers park in this area." He gestured a space. "But you have to be careful. Some department drivers like to park in groups, like those from the Finance Department and the Development and Reform Commission. They usually park together. You guys from the company can park anywhere, just don't block the way."

Mr. Zhao added, "Mr. Lin, next time you come, if you see that black Audi A8L with the license plate ending in 008, try to park it far away. That's Secretary Zhang's car. His driver, Old Chen, has a bad temper and complained that other cars were too close and scratched his car."

"Thanks for reminding me." Lin Fan took note. "It's true, these details can easily lead to misunderstandings if you don't pay attention."

The three chatted for a while longer, and the conversation gradually opened up. Mr. Liu mentioned that last week he accompanied Deputy Director Wang to inspect highway construction in a certain county. They had dinner in a county where the county leaders had prepared Moutai liquor. As a result, Director Wang got angry on the spot, saying that it was now the Central Government's Eight-Point Regulation, and how dare they do this? Mr. Zhao complained about the many meetings at the National Development and Reform Commission. He said that Deputy Director Li had to hold at least three meetings a day, and he often had to wait in the parking lot for four or five hours.

Lin Fan mostly listened, occasionally interjecting with a few words, which were usually innocuous but sounded very sincere. For example, "It's not easy being a leader either," or "Our job as drivers is to serve the leaders well."

After finishing his cigarette, Lin Fan took out two small boxes of tea from the car—this was something he had prepared in advance. It was a decent mid-range Pu'er tea that Lin Fan had acquired, costing only two or three hundred yuan per box. It wasn't expensive, but it was presentable.

"Gentlemen, this is tea from my friend's shop. The quality is alright, please try it." Lin Fan handed it over. "We'll meet often in the future, so let's exchange ideas more often."

Master Liu and Master Zhao declined briefly, but then accepted the gift. People within the system are used to these small gifts, and generally don't refuse them unless they're cash.

"You're too kind, Mr. Lin." Mr. Liu patted Lin Fan on the shoulder. "If you need anything in the future, just let me know. We drivers should look out for each other."

My first encounter with them was a good start.

Over the next two weeks, Lin Fan went to the provincial government four more times. Each time, he consciously stopped in the same area and then "reported" to the old locust tree. Gradually, he got to know more drivers: Lao Qian, the driver of Director Sun of the Finance Department; Xiao Sun, the driver of Director Zhou of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department; Da Li, the driver of Director Liu of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission…

Lin Fan adhered to one principle: not to rush things, not to inquire about sensitive information, and not to deliberately curry favor. He integrated into this circle as an ordinary driver. The conversations were mostly limited to work-related matters, family and children, and safety-related topics such as car maintenance.

But he carefully observes each person's personality traits. For example, Lao Qian is cautious and always holds back some of what he says; Xiao Sun is young and lively and likes to talk about new things; Da Li is a seasoned veteran who seems rough and tough but is actually very shrewd.

Lin Fan would also offer small "help" from time to time. For example, once, Xiao Sun's car suddenly wouldn't start, and he was sweating profusely in a panic—Director Zhou needed the car after his meeting. Lin Fan went over to take a look, determined that the battery was dead, took jumper cables from his own car, and solved the problem for him.

These actions were small, but heartwarming. Gradually, everyone in the driver community knew that Xiao Lin, the driver for Chairman Zhou of the provincial power company, was a good person, honest, and reliable.

Of course, Zhou Wenyuan knew about Lin Fan's actions. Once, in the car, Zhou Wenyuan casually asked, "Have you been getting along well with the drivers from the provincial government lately?"

Lin Fan glanced at Zhou Wenyuan in the rearview mirror and honestly replied, "Brother Zhou, I just think it's good to know more people. Sometimes you can glean some information from their casual conversations."

Zhou Wenyuan nodded, saying nothing more. This was tacit approval.

Lin Fan knew that although Zhou Wenyuan held a high position of power, in the provincial capital, having more eyes and ears was always a good thing. Information from the driver's circle was often more accurate and timely.

In addition to the provincial government, Lin Fan also began to expand into other fields.

Through Director Liu of the vehicle management office, he attended a "section chief salon"—actually a private gathering organized monthly by section chiefs with some real power from government agencies and state-owned enterprises, who took turns hosting. There were over twenty attendees from various systems: transportation, public security, education, healthcare, state-owned enterprises…

Lin Fan kept a low profile on his first visit. The gathering was held at a farmhouse restaurant in the suburbs, where everyone ate, drank, and played cards. The organizer was a section chief in his fifties surnamed Zheng, who had served under three different provincial public security bureau chiefs and was now a powerful section chief in the provincial public security bureau, enjoying high prestige within the circle.

Upon hearing that Lin Fan and Zhou Wenyuan were together, Section Chief Zheng took the initiative to come over and greet them: "Section Chief Lin, I've heard so much about you. I heard about you when Chairman Zhou was in Steel City; you're decisive and efficient, quite a figure."

Lin Fan respectfully toasted Section Chief Zheng: "Section Chief Zheng is a senior colleague, please give me more guidance in the future."

That night, Lin Fan didn't say much, he just listened. He heard many "stories": a leader's driver was transferred for talking nonsense; they started rehearsing driving routes three days in advance for a major event, including contingency plans; the approval process for a certain project had been circulating in the industry for a long time, but the official documents hadn't been issued yet...

Lin Fan realized that the value of this circle was far greater than he had imagined.

For his second time attending the gathering, Lin Fan made some preparations. He obtained some exquisite gifts from Wang Xin's company—not very expensive, but well-made. At the end of the gathering, he gave one to everyone.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, please don't mind." Lin Fan smiled sincerely. "If there's anything I can do to help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

The gift was perfectly chosen—not too expensive, so it wouldn't put any pressure on anyone; and it was also very practical, exactly what the family needed. In addition, Lin Fan's humble nature quickly won him favor within the circle.

Section Chief Zheng said to Lin Fan privately, "Lin, you're young, but you're steady in your work. There are all sorts of people in this circle; some are loose-lipped, and some love to show off. Remember, listen more and talk less. Listen to what you should listen to, and let what you shouldn't listen to go in one ear and out the other. The most important thing for our position is to keep your mouth shut."

"Section Chief Zheng, I've got it." Lin Fan nodded earnestly.

In addition to these organized interactions, Lin Fan also creates opportunities for "chance encounters".

For example, he knew that Deputy Director Wang of the Provincial Department of Transportation would go to the Provincial Sports Center to play tennis every Wednesday afternoon, and that Mr. Liu would always wait for him in the parking lot. So one Wednesday, Lin Fan "happened" to go to the sports center to work out as well—he did have a gym membership, but he rarely went. After "bumping into" Mr. Liu in the parking lot, the two naturally started chatting again.

For example, he learned from Yang Zhiyuan that Director Liu of the Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission liked to eat roast goose from a long-established restaurant in the east of the city and often asked his driver, Da Li, to buy it. So one time, Lin Fan "happened" to pass by that shop and happened to see Da Li queuing up, so he offered to help him queue for a while, and the two chatted while queuing.

These seemingly accidental encounters were actually meticulously planned by Lin Fan. The goal was simple: to deepen the relationship and build trust.

Of course, Lin Fan always maintained a proper distance. He never inquired about his superiors' work secrets, nor did he spread any gossip. His strategy for dealing with people was clear: be a good person first, then do things; make friends first, then discuss information.

Hard work pays off. After a few months, Lin Fan's "network of connections" has begun to take shape.

At the provincial government, he established good relationships with the drivers of five or six major department leaders; at the section chief salon, he got to know more than a dozen section chiefs from different systems; and he also had some scattered acquaintances, such as friends from the provincial court, the provincial procuratorate, and the provincial education department.

These connections may not seem to be of great use yet, but Lin Fan knows they are like underground pipes, invisible most of the time, but capable of delivering resources when needed.

Sure enough, the opportunity came soon.

One day, Lin Fan was organizing documents in his office when his phone rang. He looked at it and saw it was Mr. Liu calling.

"Master Lin, are you busy?" Master Liu's voice was a little low.

"No rush, Mr. Liu, please go ahead."

"There's something I'd like to ask, but I'm not sure if it's convenient," Mr. Liu paused, "Is your power company in talks with a German company about importing wind power equipment?"

Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat. He knew about this; it was a collaborative project being promoted by the company's international department, still in the early stages of contact, and not many people knew about it.

"Master Liu, I really don't know about this. Why are you asking about it?"

"I just asked casually," said Mr. Liu. "This morning, our Director Wang attended a foreign trade coordination meeting and overheard someone from the Commerce Department mention that a German company is looking for partners in China and seems to be interested in your power company. On the way back, Director Wang said in the car that this kind of technology transfer is a good thing, but we must pay attention to compliance."

Lin Fan immediately understood. Master Liu was reminding him that this project had come to the attention of provincial leaders, and that some leaders were concerned about compliance issues. Although it was said that "Director Wang believes compliance should be taken into account," it was very likely that other leaders had raised similar concerns at the meeting.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master Liu," Lin Fan said sincerely. "I really didn't know the specifics of this matter. I'll look into it later. In any case, compliance is definitely the top priority."

"That's good." Master Liu smiled. "I was just saying. We drivers sometimes hear rumors and remind each other, it's only right."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Fan immediately sent Zhou Wenyuan a message, briefly reporting the situation. Ten minutes later, Zhou Wenyuan replied: "Understood, we'll discuss it in a meeting this afternoon."

During the afternoon team meeting, Zhou Wenyuan specifically instructed the international department to prepare more comprehensive materials for the German project, with a focus on reporting compliance risk control measures. Lin Fan later heard that a leader had indeed raised compliance issues at the meeting, but because Zhou Wenyuan was well-prepared and handled the situation appropriately, the project progressed smoothly.

Afterwards, Zhou Wenyuan said to Lin Fan in the car, "The news from the provincial government was very timely."

With just that one sentence, Lin Fan knew that all his efforts over the past few months had been worthwhile.

Of course, Lin Fan wouldn't just take without giving back. He would reciprocate these connections when appropriate.

For example, Wang Xin's company's crane business sometimes requires going through certain approval procedures. Lin Fan, through his network, learned which departments had fast processing times and which steps were prone to delays, and then shared this information with Wang Xin. Although he didn't directly contact anyone, this "insider information" had already saved the company a lot of time and effort.

For example, once Mr. Zheng's son wanted to get a job at a state-owned enterprise, but after passing the written test, he didn't hear back from the interview. Lin Fan, through the power company's human resources department, found out who the recruitment manager of the state-owned enterprise was, and then naturally made the connection—without asking any favors, just introducing them. Later, Mr. Zheng's son successfully got the job, and Mr. Zheng was extremely grateful to Lin Fan.

These interactions have made Lin Fan's network of drivers increasingly solid.

In this process, Lin Fan gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of "connections." It's not simply an exchange of benefits, but a network of relationships based on trust and mutual assistance. You will only receive genuine treatment in return for treating others sincerely; you will only receive value in return for providing value to others.

Of course, Lin Fan never forgot his identity and bottom line. He was Zhou Wenyuan's driver and assistant, and under no circumstances could he harm Zhou Wenyuan's interests or leak information that shouldn't be disclosed. His networking efforts always proceeded within safe and compliant boundaries.

Lin Fan had a rare weekend off. He took his parents, Wang Juan, and the children to a hot spring resort in the suburbs for two days.

Soaking in the warm hot spring, watching his parents' happy smiles, and listening to the children playing and laughing, Lin Fan felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Wang Juan leaned close to him and whispered, "You've been quite busy lately, with company matters, things with Brother Zhou, and expanding your network. Aren't you tired?"

"It's tiring, but it's worth it." Lin Fan held his wife's hand. "Juanzi, you know what? I'm increasingly realizing that the greatest wealth in life isn't how much money you have, but understanding what's truly important."

"What is it?"

"Family, friends, and inner peace." Lin Fan looked at the misty mountains in the distance. "Money can be earned again, power can be pursued again, but the people around you and the peace of mind in your heart, once lost, can never be found again."

Wang Juan rested her head on Lin Fan's shoulder: "I'm relieved that you think that way. I was really afraid that you would go faster and faster, farther and farther away, and forget why you started in the first place."

"No, I won't," Lin Fan said solemnly. "All my efforts are to protect this family and to protect you all. This is my bottom line, and also my motivation."

The steam from the hot spring rose up, blurring the view, but the path in Lin Fan's heart became clearer and clearer.

He knows that the road ahead is long and the challenges are many. But he has found his own rhythm: making steady progress within the system, carefully planning his business ventures, diligently cultivating his network, and wholeheartedly dedicating himself to his family.

All of this is for that simple yet precious wish: a stable and prosperous life.

And now, this wish is gradually becoming a reality.