Just as I was in a daze, Lao Nie pressed me again, asking, "What trouble did you encounter at the Ancient City Protection Administration? ... It's alright, just ask. As long as it's within our authority, we can definitely get it done for you."

I snapped out of my daze, gave Chen Jin, who was still on the phone, a brief explanation, and then quickly told Lao Nie, "Here's the thing: This year, my friend and I set up our own studio in the Jiulongju commercial street. The purpose of the studio is to boost the popularity of the Jiulongju commercial street. You know Jiulongju, although the environment is nice, the infrastructure is terrible. The entire commercial street doesn't even have streetlights, so it's pitch black at night. Since we want to fully develop this commercial street, the first thing we need to do is a lighting project that will affect the overall image of the commercial street... But this matter is stuck with the Ancient City Protection Administration. We don't dare to do it on our own, since this commercial street is within the ancient city's boundaries. So, to get this project done, we need the Ancient City Protection Administration's approval."

"This is a good thing! What's their reason for not approving your application?"

"They're definitely afraid of taking responsibility. After all, installing streetlights will inevitably involve modifying the circuitry, and there's still a very small chance that there might be a safety hazard."

Old Nie nodded and replied, "I understand. The people who make a living in the system are most afraid of taking responsibility. Everything is fine as long as nothing goes wrong, but once something goes wrong, whoever approved this project will be the first to suffer!"

"But we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater... If everyone thinks like that, how can society progress?"

Old Nie touched his chin and then said to me, "You seem a bit like a radical youth. You probably don't interact with people in the system often, do you?"

I nodded, acknowledging the fact.

Old Nie smiled and said, "Dangdang's aunt has the authority to approve this matter, so it can definitely be done. But we can handle it better and create a win-win situation."

"Hey bro, do you have some brilliant ideas?"

Old Nie gestured for me to get him a cigarette, as if he wanted to give him some instructions; Nie Dangdang, who was standing next to him, was very clever. Before I could even lift a finger, she took a Zhongnanhai cigarette from my pack and lit it for Old Nie...

Nie Dangdang's quick thinking pleased Lao Nie, who praised her, saying she was definitely destined for success within the system because of her keen eye... The cigarette he lit for Lao Nie wasn't just a gift, but also a favor to me. With this favor, he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to learn my basketball tricks in the future.

This also gave me more confidence in Lao Nie. After all, like father, like son. Nie Dangdang is already so "skilled," let alone his father.

Old Nie took a drag of his cigarette before speaking to me, “Actually, in this society, the good and bad nature of many things is separated by a fine line… Take the matter of you wanting to install streetlights in Jiulongju, for example. Are there any safety hazards? Of course there are, but no one can say for sure how serious they are. But it is precisely this uncertainty that makes some people think it’s a bad thing… But if we artificially manipulate this matter, is it possible for it to become a good thing?”

Instead of answering directly, I asked Lao Nie in return, "Installing streetlights in Jiulongju is the kind of thing you mentioned where the good and bad are not obvious, right? ... So, we have to treat this matter differently depending on the person."

"You have insight, that hits the nail on the head... Think about it from another angle. If we repackage this story, imagine a young person with ambition wants to assist Dali in developing its ancient city. The leaders of the Ancient City Protection and Management Bureau give this young person the green light all the way, providing maximum policy support. Ultimately, this young person revitalizes Jiulongju, a place that was on the verge of collapse, and brings significant economic benefits to the entire ancient city's tourism industry. Wouldn't that be a political achievement for the leaders of the Ancient City Protection and Management Bureau who gave the green light all the way?"

“It’s definitely a political achievement. Without his (her) support, this ambitious young man would not have had the political conditions to develop Jiulongju.”

"Then you should understand what I mean, right?"

I looked at Lao Nie and tentatively replied, "I am that ambitious young man, and Dangdang's aunt is the leader who gave me support?"

"That's right... I'm very familiar with Jiulongju... Years ago, the developer advertised it with all sorts of hype, saying how promising this commercial street was, which lured a lot of people to buy shops. And you've seen the result... Let me tell you, one of the people who was tricked into buying shops by the developer was a relative of a high-ranking official in the province. He felt cheated. Last time, this official was talking to our city leaders about work, and he specifically mentioned this matter... He demanded that the relevant departments in our city strengthen the review of projects, and not allow such bad projects to appear in the ancient city again, and even more so, not let such bad projects ruin the investment environment of Dali... So, Jiulongju is also a thorn in the side of our city leaders."

I was a little surprised, and then asked, "This isn't just a rumor, is it?"

Old Nie smiled, but he didn't elaborate further, as it concerned the work of the "government," making it a sensitive matter.

Taking a drag of his cigarette, Old Nie spoke again, but changed the subject. He said, "Tomorrow I'll talk to Dangdang's aunt first, then find a local reporter to do an exclusive interview with your studio, and then publish it in the media. We need to let the outside world and the leaders know that someone is doing this... That way, the 'nature' of your matter will completely change for the better..."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!