The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

Xu Wen led Xie Shanquan to Chen Shi's office. The office door was open, and Xu Wen knocked gently.

Chen Shi looked up and saw Xu Wen and Xie Shanquan. He called out, "Director Xu, please come in."

Xu Wen and Xie Shanquan entered the office. Xie Shanquan closed the door behind him, but Chen Shi called out, "Don't close the door. My door is usually open."

Xu Wen said, "Chen County, this is Xieshan Spring."

Xie Shanquan quickly replied, "Chen County."

Xu Wen looked at Chen Shi: "County Magistrate Chen, I'll go and get back to work."

After Xu Wen left, Chen Shi said, "Xiao Xie, have you ever served as a liaison officer for a leader?"

"No"

"It's okay to have no experience, you can learn, but you must be quick-witted, that's innate and can't be learned."

"You have only one requirement for being my liaison: you must be responsible. When I assign you tasks, you must complete them on time and to a high standard."

Xie Shanquan, holding a notebook, quickly wrote down Chen Shi's request.

Chen Shi looked at Xie Shanquan: "Do you have any questions? You can ask me anything."

Xie Shanquan quickly replied, "County Chief Chen, I have no problem."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll officially be my liaison. Get busy."

Xie Shanquan left Chen Shi's office, found a quiet spot, and called his father.

"Dad, do me a favor. Take a bus to the county town now, buy two packs of good cigarettes and two bottles of good wine, and deliver them to Uncle Lu's house. Just tell him you're passing through the county town and want to stop by. Put the things down, don't call Uncle Lu, just leave."

"Okay, I have one more class. I'll have another teacher watch over the students for me."

Xie Shanquan asked, "Do you have any money on you? I'll transfer five thousand to you."

"No, Dad has money on him."

After hanging up the phone, Xie Shanquan went to Lu Nan's office: "Director Lu, County Chief Chen asked me to be his liaison."

Lu Nan smiled broadly: "That's great! You'll have a bright future following Chen County. I've investigated, and everyone who follows Chen County gets promoted."

"Thank you for your guidance, Director Lu. Director Lu, are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner and ask you for some pointers on how to be a good liaison officer."

Lu Nan smiled and said, "Xiao Xie, there are some things that are hard to say in the government office. Let's go out tonight and have a good talk."

"Thank you, Director Lu."

Xie Shanquan left the office and called the courtyard family to reserve a private room.

After get off work, Xie Shanquan went to Lu Nan's office. Lu Nan was shutting down his computer, and the two went downstairs together.

Xie Shanquan had a second-hand Corolla, so he quickly opened the back door.

Lu Nan opened the passenger door: "I get carsick, sit in the front."

Xie Shanquan drove to Xiaoyuan Renjia, went into the private room, and asked the waiter to order.

Xie Shanquan ordered dishes that Lu Nan usually likes to eat, and also ordered a bottle of good wine.

The waiter brought the wine, Xie Shanquan took it, opened the bottle, and poured wine for Lu Nan.

The two chatted for a while, and then the food was served. Lu Nan was in a good mood when he saw that it was all food he liked.

Xie Shanquan raised his glass: "Uncle Lu, let me toast you. Without your help, I would still be eating coal dust in Laoyan Town."

Lu Nan raised his glass: "Shan Quan, you are a talent, you are gold, you can shine anywhere."

"Uncle Lu, I'm not gold. Even if I were, a tattered rag could cover me up, so where would I shine?"

Lu Nan laughed heartily and finished his drink in one gulp.

Xie Shanquan kept offering toasts. Seeing that Lu Nan had drunk enough and was full, Lu Nan put down his chopsticks, took out a cigarette, and Xie Shanquan quickly lit it for him.

Lu Nan took a drag of his cigarette, and Xie Shanquan said, "Uncle Lu, I've never been a liaison officer for a leader before, and I don't know how to carry out the work. Please teach me, Uncle Lu."

Lu Nan looked at Xie Shanquan: "If you don't have experience, you can learn. The most important thing for a leader's liaison is not to take yourself too seriously. You have to be low-key and not show off."

Xie Shanquan nodded, listening intently.

Lu Nan took a few puffs of his cigarette, put it out, and continued, "What you need to know now is who Chen County's confidants are, who Chen County's friends are, and who Chen County's enemies are. You must be very clear about this."

Every day, heads of various departments come to report to County Magistrate Chen. County Magistrate Chen's confidants can report to his office at any time. His friends are arranged to report according to rank, first come, first served. His enemies are reported last.

Xie Shanquan nodded repeatedly, and Lu Nan continued, "You should listen carefully to the work that County Chen arranges. What he repeatedly emphasizes, you must do immediately. What he just mentioned casually, you can do slowly."

Lu Nan took a sip of tea and thought for a moment: "And the office door of County Chen, whether to close it or not is very important. If the door is closed, the office is a private personal space; if the door is open, the office becomes a meeting room for others to see."

Generally, when he's talking to a trusted confidant, you pour tea, prepare to leave, and close the door behind you. But if it's a friend of County Chen, and you see County Chen doesn't look too happy, they might be seeking his support, and he doesn't want to refuse. In that case, you should leave the door open and stay. There are some things the leader can't say directly, but you should speak on his behalf, offering a word to help him out of an awkward situation.

Xie Shanquan took out his notebook and began to take careful notes.

Lu Nan thought for a moment and said, "As a leader's secretary, you need to be perceptive. When they need you, you should appear immediately, and when they don't need you, you should disappear instantly."

Lu Nan took out another cigarette, and Xie Shanquan put down his notebook, quickly took out a lighter, and lit it for Lu Nan.

Lu Nan, smoking a cigarette, said, "That's all I can think of for now. Go down and observe carefully, and gradually summarize your experience."

Xie Shanquan put the notebook away: "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Lu."

"Work hard. With your talent, you'll soon be promoted to deputy section chief if given the opportunity."

The two chatted for a while, and then Xie Shanquan went to pay the bill. He had been drinking and couldn't drive.

"Uncle Lu, I'll take you home by taxi. I've been drinking and can't drive."

"No need, I'll take a taxi back myself."

Xie Shanquan went out to hail a taxi. The car drove into the courtyard of a house, and Xie Shanquan opened the car door. Lu Nan got in.

Xie Shanquan also got in: "Uncle Lu, I'll take you home."

Xie Shanquan escorted Lu Nan to his doorstep before getting into his car and leaving.

When Lu Nan got home, he saw two bottles of fine wine and a pack of good cigarettes on the table and asked, "Who sent these?"

His wife came out of the bathroom: "Your old classmate, Xie Shanquan's father."

Lu Nan sat down: "Xie Shanquan is a very insightful kid. He's a talented person with a limitless future."

"What's wrong with you? You don't help your own relatives, but you help an old classmate's son. What's the use?" Lu Nan's wife complained.

"It's not that I don't want to help my relatives, it's that they're not cut out for it. Xie Shanquan graduated from Tsinghua and Peking Universities, he's intelligent, and he's been tempered and honed by society. His future career will far surpass mine."

Helping Xie Shanquan was a gamble I was taking in advance. Even after I retire, at least I'll have someone to speak up for me, and no one will dare underestimate me.

"What if he becomes successful and ignores you?" his wife retorted.

"I knew Xie Shanquan right. He is a grateful person. I helped him when he was in the most difficult time, and he will remember it for the rest of his life."