Factional Struggles, Love, and Freedom

"Thank you so much for coming, it's a relief to see you here..." The president's smile was almost genuine, and some people around him subconsciously assumed that he had a good relationship with the Wo Delike, which was indeed the case.

Wo Delike looked to be only forty-two or forty-three years old. He was very well-preserved. In fact, he was fifty-one years old, but both his appearance and his physical condition made him look much younger than his age.

This is the benefit of money, or rather, wealth, which allows Wo Delike and his family to enjoy the best living conditions and environment in the Federal.

They have dedicated nutritionists to plan their daily meals, personal fitness coaches to maintain their physical fitness, and every so often, the most advanced Federal medical technology is used to diagnose whether they have any disease risks and to find ways to reduce that possibility.

As someone once said, scientific progress is not for the benefit of ordinary people and human society. Every technological advancement in human history has only served a small group of people.

Wo Delike's family was part of this small group, which made him look very young. This was also the main reason why Lin Qi was unsure about Sai Weiruila's relationship with them; they all looked too young, especially Sai Weiruila's mother.

She was a dignified and elegant woman, dressed in a dark, floor-length evening gown. She was graceful, poised, and beautiful, bearing an 80% resemblance to Sai Weiruila. She was like a woman who had exuded an intoxicating fragrance after years of refinement, and she looked to be no more than thirty years old.

"Although we may still have differences on some issues, our overall goals are not in conflict, so I will support you!" Wo Delike stated his position very directly.

For big capitalists, they are actually more aware of the value and benefits of international trade, or rather, international capital plunder, to them. If it weren't for the Conservative Party President's constant obstruction of their capital from entering the international market, believing that such capital behavior would trigger unpredictable political events, they would have already started to stir up storms on the international stage.

Now, the conservative dictator president of the Conservative Party has been defeated by these warriors, and it's time for the warriors to celebrate standing on the devil's corpse.

However, there are some minor issues here. Just like everything has two sides, the Moderate Faction and Radical Faction within the Progressive Party have recently been engaged in a fierce struggle over who is right and who is wrong, which is also related to the important outcome of the general election two years later.

There is no doubt that the Conservative Party has no chance of making a comeback, and the Progressive Party will dominate for at least the next six years. However, whether policies should be more radical or more moderate remains a point of contention.

The Radical Faction advocated standing with the Victorious Country alliance, demonstrating the Federal's military strength internationally, and gaining International Community recognition through a hardline approach.

This group is mainly composed of military personnel. During the Conservative Party's rule, the military personnel were almost bored to death. Now that they have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, they naturally want to stir things up.

The Moderate Faction hold a different view. The Bayer Federation has just begun to integrate into the International Community and should adopt a relatively harmless stance. Although they will stand on the side of the Victorious Country and help send troops to maintain World Peace, they should not take the initiative to do anything.

This has led to some divisions between opposing positions within the Progressive Party. Currently, the Radical Faction actually hold a certain advantage because they have received a lot of support from high-ranking military officials.

Those madmen with gunpowder in their heads couldn't wait to use military action to show others that the Federal was also powerful, and some even said they wanted to start a new war.

Of course, these are all thoughtless words, but they are a terrible sign. If the president loses the election two years later, it means they will have to put forward a Radical Faction Progressive Party president, which would be a disaster for the entire Federal.

Politics is so interesting; when there is an external enemy, everyone unites to fight a desperate battle against it.

Once they have eliminated the external enemies, they will quickly split into several factions and start fighting amongst themselves until a new, invincible external enemy appears, at which point they will reintegrate.

If the consortium represented by Wo Delike can support the president in winning the election, it will greatly relieve the president's pressure, and this help will come mainly from two aspects.

Votes – Wo Delike's consortium can provide the president with a huge number of votes, allowing him to maintain a certain lead from the very beginning of the campaign.

Funding – Every presidential election is a crazy money-burning process. The president wants his posters to appear in every state, every city, every street, and every corner, even on trash cans, with a picture of him smiling with his teeth gleaming white.

Why show off teeth that gleam with white luster? It's because the largest dental group in the Federal is also a major supporter of the election. In earlier years, they even persuaded the public to agree to separate Dental Insurance from Social Insurance and make it a separate insurance program.

Of course, this also means that people actually have to spend more money to get the services and protections that they could get for a small amount of money before, but who cares? People feel that this is the only way to get better medical services and protections, the country reduces its burden, and dental medical groups also make huge profits. Everyone feels that they have made a profit, so there is no problem.

In short, elections cannot be separated from the support of capitalists. Without capitalists, even a true politician can only lament that he was born at the wrong time.

But with the support of capitalists, even a clown, an actor, or a businessman could stand on the most dazzling stage in the Federal.

After exchanging a few more whispered words, the two shook hands with the president and parted ways temporarily, followed by other important figures.

People made way for the Wo Delike as they headed to the VIP lounge to rest and possibly change clothes. Mrs. Wo Delike, in particular, needed to change; her floor-length evening gown wasn't suitable for the upcoming reception, and she needed a more comfortable dress that wouldn't drag on the floor. This was a privilege reserved for important figures, but also a burden.

At least ordinary people don't need to do this to make themselves seem normal, but for important figures, not doing so might be considered... impolite.

Just as the Wo Delike were about to leave, they suddenly stopped. They both noticed Lin Qi standing to the side, along with his daughter, Sai Weiruila, who was holding Lin Qi's arm.

"Should I be surprised?" Wo Delike smiled as he looked at his daughter, but his gaze was more focused on scrutinizing Lin Qi beside her.

After a moment, he extended his hand. "Wo Delike, may I know your name?"

Lin Qi reached out and shook his hand. "You can call me Lin Qi, Wo Delike."

At the same time, Lin Qi nodded to Sai Weiruila's mother beside him. It was not appropriate for him to take the initiative to shake hands, as it was not suitable and did not conform to social etiquette.

"I thought my daughter would be at home practicing the piece she just can't seem to play, but I really didn't expect to run into her here. Anyway, since you're here, I hope you have a pleasant evening!"

Wo Delike did not give people a serious or heavy feeling when he spoke. He had a slight smile and his gentle attitude made people feel very comfortable. Lin Qi also had a good impression of him. This is a skill that important people must have.

"So Lin Qi, and Rui La, see you later?"

Lin Qi nodded, stepped aside slightly with Sai Weiruila, and the Wo Delike smiled, greeted the people next to them, and quickly left.

They would not reappear until the event officially began, but this brief stop drew the attention of many to Lin Qi.

Wo Delike had already left the crowd, said with some emotion, "He's a very young and handsome guy. I would hope that my son is like him, able to get by on his looks alone. But I don't want my daughter to meet someone like that; it would make everything very bad."

His wife smiled and whispered, "They look quite well-matched standing together."

Wo Delike didn't say anything until they entered the private VIP room to rest, then he sighed, "You always have to choose one; not everyone is as lucky as we are!"

What he meant was that people born into families like theirs had no say in their marriages, and Wo Delike and his wife were no exception; their marriage was essentially a "political alliance."

Power and wealth are the only things that can create something beautiful and wonderful, like Sai Weiruila. But for her, the beauty is only for now. In recent years, they have started looking for suitable marriage partners for the girl.

Once they find the right one, Sai Weiruila must fulfill her duty—from birth she enjoys everything that 95 percent of the world's population cannot, not even their descendants.

Therefore, in order to enjoy these rights, she also needs to fulfill her obligations diligently.

That is love, marriage, and freedom! This may seem cruel to girls like Sai Weiruila, but these people will never know that what they are experiencing and what they consider painful are things that most people in this world would never even dream of.

However, the girl is not without a choice. If she chooses to give up everything, leave with nothing, and even stop using her surname, then she can get everything she wants.

It sounds simple, but in reality, all the young people who have done this in the last hundred years have eventually returned to their families, knelt on the ground and begged their family members for forgiveness, and were willing to obey everything their families had chosen for them.

Wo Delike sat down in the room and then stood up again. He walked to the corner and picked up the phone. He wanted to investigate the young man, Lin Qi, in order to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.