Inside the villa, Lin Fan was sitting on the sofa, staring at the television in front of him, but his gaze was blank.
"Still pondering over your shattered worldview?"
Chen Jiayi walked over with a cup of coffee and curled up in Lin Fan’s arms, smiling.
"Yes, I’m indeed having trouble accepting it."
Holding the delicate Chen Jiayi, Lin Fan sighed and said, "I knew the officialdom was dark and interpersonal relationships were complex, but after stepping in, I realized that what I knew before was just the tip of the iceberg. Thinking about these indulgences like a pond of wine and a forest of meat, it seems truly terrifying now."
"This is just the beginning. Have you thought about it? There are many details you didn’t notice, like your transfer order. If it was signed by Mayor Zhu, why did it still need to wait a few days?"
Chen Jiayi leaned on Lin Fan’s shoulder. The smile at the corner of her mouth seemed to have already seen through everything.
Lin Fan was stupefied for a moment; he indeed hadn’t thought about this question.
"Of course, it was to give you more chances to move around. You met everyone you should have met yesterday, so these next few days are to gather your own network, and each one of them is at the rank of vice director. Do you think anyone could just call them together for dinner, especially on short notice? Actually, it’s all for laying the groundwork. Each of them has their own connections, and you need to make the most of these days."
Chen Jiayi sipped her coffee and continued, "The cigarettes and liquor Chu Shihan left you were also for this moment. As for those bosses that took you out, they were essentially there to pick up the bill, just needing a phone call, and the rest would be handled by their subordinates."
"Putting it that way, Zhu Defu has been rather good to me."
After hearing Chen Jiayi’s analysis, Lin Fan asked curiously, while she just smiled and shook her head: "You’re wrong. It looks like he’s paving the way for you, but he’s actually pushing you to the forefront. Fengqing Town involves more than a dozen towns and counties. Not to mention anything else, just the tunnels alone add up to eight, and there are over a hundred kilometers of county roads. Just these projects are worth billions. Add to that the future development of scenic rural tourism, these are all funded by higher authorities, and everyone wants a slice of the cake. As the person in charge of attracting investment, you hold considerable power."
"Is that so, so this is a swap of interests."
Having been analyzed by Chen Jiayi, Lin Fan suddenly had an epiphany. Clearly, Zhu Defu was making everyone aware that Lin Fan had become his spokesperson, and all future projects would naturally have to pass through him.
"Exactly, and now that you’ve been suddenly pushed to the front, you’ll also become a target for others. Especially Guo Baoming, who has always been at odds with Zhu Defu. After all, this project is the biggest thing in the city in recent years, and many are eyeing this piece of meat. Now that it has fallen into your lap, you’ll soon witness dogs biting dogs."
Chen Jiayi smiled as she handed a cigarette from the coffee table to Lin Fan, having absolute authority on this topic.
"Based on this theory, Hou Changyao must have done this kind of thing quite a bit, right?"
Lin Fan took the cigarette Chen Jiayi handed him, looking at the former Mayor’s Wife. Her deep understanding of the meaning behind everything stemmed from her experience.
"Right, and this pattern will continue, just like how you’ve now entered Zhu Defu’s gaming loop, and he, in turn, is just a chess piece in the game played by those above. It’s just one ring in a chain. Hou Changyao strayed from this, wanting to be in charge, which led to his current plight. So, before you are strong enough, you must be patient."
Chen Jiayi’s words left Lin Fan silent once more, making it apparent that he would be busy in the days to come.
"I might as well get to work too."
Having a beauty by his side, Lin Fan couldn’t just focus on enjoying himself; he had realized that women were just a minor allure in this game, and what he needed to do was more than just sleeping with beautiful women; he had to manipulate the power he’d acquired.
He then took out his phone and dialed a number. Soon, the call connected, "Lin, did you enjoy yourself last night?"
"I enjoyed it so much that I want to thank big brother. How about I host you for a drink tonight?"
Holding the phone, Lin Fan walked to the French window, watching Zhao Jiaqi busily working in the Garden.
"Of course, no problem, but you don’t need to bother hosting, we all earn a salary, there’s no need to waste money. Let Old Zhao arrange it, he’ll send you the location later, and I’ll call a few brothers to sit together tonight."
The person on the other end laughed and hung up the phone. Old Zhao was his top henchman, so naturally, the task of spending money did not fall to Lin Fan; his presence alone represented Zhu Defu.
"Power, truly a wonderful thing."
Lin Fan smiled wryly and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"He who lies long, journeys far; he who crouches long, flies high; fish thrive in water, birds soar on the wind; a gentleman keeps his talents hidden, ready to act when the decision is made. You should understand the meaning of this saying, genius boy."
Chen Jiayi wrapped her arms around Lin Fan’s waist from behind, pressing her voluptuous body against his back.
"I understand, ’See much, hear much, speak little.’"
Lin Fan smiled as he caressed the delicate, boneless hand on his belly. After finishing her tasks, Zhao Jiaqi also walked back, wiping the sweat from her forehead, and with a joyous smile, approached Lin Fan; her face, nourished by her toil, radiated a fairy-like beauty.
"What have you two been conspiring about behind my back?"
Taking the initiative to hug Lin Fan’s waist, Zhao Jiaqi lifted her head, her classic, beautiful almond-shaped face showing a hint of shyness.
"Talking about how to deal with you tonight."
Lin Fan kissed Zhao Jiaqi’s delicate lips and playfully pinched her nose.
"Do you even have the energy for that now? Take care of your back."
Zhao Jiaqi stuck out her tongue, and at least for the short term, the relationship among the three was quite harmonious, especially between Chen Jiayi and Zhao Jiaqi. The affectionate sisterhood between them did not seem to bring any jealousy into certain matters, making this arrangement of keeping concubines quite rational.
"You’ve been quite the public figure lately; be careful to see if anyone’s following you before coming over, and since Zhu Defu has given you an apartment, you might as well move in. Don’t worry about us."
After several minutes of warm intimacy, as she was leaving, Chen Jiayi didn’t forget to remind Lin Fan. This small villa, being far from the city center, made travel time-consuming, but of course, that was also part of the joy of keeping a concubine, occasionally visiting this backyard garden was also nice.
As Lin Fan drove away, he continued to reflect on the recent events that had thoroughly shattered many of his understandings, and just as he was about to reach the city center, his phone rang. Glancing at the incoming number, it was from the stunningly attractive young woman, Bai Xue.