Who Was Really Tricked Was Anyone's Guess

"Attendant Official" is a respectful term for the staff of a high-ranking official, which also reflects the special status of these people.

They have close relationships with important figures and can influence their thoughts and decisions to some extent, but at the same time, they are not particularly noticeable.

This is a very special job, but it's not all good; it also has many disadvantages.

However, now is not the time to discuss these things. Ferral is facing a choice. Lin Qi's statement is accurate and simple: he does not need Ferral to provide any services other than "advisor" or even to advocate for himself in any way. He only needs to answer Lin Qi's questions occasionally or share his own opinions.

This is legal income, and no one can say it's illegal. The purpose of coming here today was clearly to make Lin Qi compromise, but I never expected... that I would be the one to compromise in the end.

A silence fell over the room, broken only by the sound of increasingly shallow breathing. Lin Qi looked at Ferral, Ferral was looking at the checks on the table.

He needed to give himself a reason to stand firm in his decision; he needed to convince himself not to pick up the check, but if he failed to convince himself...

In fact, he had already lost the moment he started trying to convince himself not to pick it up.

Everyone knows that when people make excuses for themselves, anything can become an excuse.

About four or five minutes later, Ferral picked up the check on the table, folded it a bit, and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. Lin Qi stood up and extended his hand, shaking Ferral's hand with a grateful expression. "With you joining us, I believe that my company and I will continue to create miracles."

Judging from Lin Qi's expression, it seemed as if he had gone to great lengths to persuade Ferral, and that Ferral's help was an honor for him. But both of them knew in their hearts that this was the most difficult thing to grasp in this society, and also the most important thing—performance.

After their tearful expressions of gratitude ended, the two sat down again, and the atmosphere in the room had subtly changed.

"Mr. Advisor, I'm facing a bit of trouble..." Lin Qi leaned back. "Someone told me that gatherings of more than fifty people in Sabine City require prior application to the Social Services Bureau, and we don't have enough time for that. So, do we have any other way to solve this problem without delaying our auction tomorrow?"

At that moment, Ferral felt a powerful aura surging from Lin Qi, seemingly elegant but actually violent.

He had met many people: the mayor, the top Chief of various departments, some celebrities in Sabine City, big capitalists, all sorts of people.

Some people do possess a certain aura, but none can compare to Lin Qi. He may look young, but he gives the impression of a powerful figure in his forties or fifties who is influential in the Federal and internationally renowned.

Just the language, tone, eyes, attitude, even the slightest gesture, can make you involuntarily straighten your spine and hold your breath.

He shifted subconsciously, which made him uneasy, but the check was now in his pocket, and something had changed the moment he picked it up.

The reason he came here this time was not to cause trouble for Lin Qi; on the contrary, it could be said that he came to offer Lin Qi benefits.

Perhaps the young man was unaware of the uproar his flyers had caused in this small city. Although it was just a belt, it had already attracted a lot of attention and people were planning to participate. In some places, people were even discussing it.

This is an unprecedented first-time event, giving away free belts, and the mayor's Office Outside City Hall —every leader has a private office separate from the Federal Government, which is responsible for some other aspects of the leader's work and business.

This includes some business activities, which is unavoidable. In the Bayer Federation, to do anything, one cannot do without the support of the Presidential Cabinet and the capitalists.

There are still ways to get things done without the support of the Presidential Cabinet, but there are no ways to get things done without the support of capitalists...

The office noticed that Lin Qi's auction had already caused quite a stir, with at least two or three thousand people expected to attend, and possibly more.

If the mayor wants to gather so many people together, he may need to mobilize a lot of resources, including reaching agreements with some capitalists. This is not an easy task and may take two or three months to prepare.

But Lin Qi was able to gather these people in just one week, and the office immediately had some ideas.

Like other cities in the Federal government, Sabine City was facing many troubles: economic recession, rising unemployment, increased crime rates, and growing unease in the city. Before this, the mayor had some new ideas and planned to hold an open-air public speech.

On the one hand, it is to boost the morale of all citizens of Sabine City, and on the other hand, it will announce some newly promulgated policies to appease public panic.

Of course, it would be a bit too low-class for Lin Qi's auction to become the venue for the mayor's speech. This was just a warm-up. Meanwhile, the staff in the office had a further idea: to portray Lin Qi's large-scale second-hand goods auction as one of the public welfare assistance programs promoted by the mayor.

The staff in the office have already discussed it, and this is indeed an effective method; even if the economy is in recession, people's desire to consume will not be completely extinguished.

Using affordable secondhand goods to satisfy the latent consumption desires of some people can not only soothe public sentiment but also solve some social problems.

More importantly, they noticed something on the flyer that people hadn't paid much attention to: Lin Qi's company was also recycling all kinds of second-hand goods!

Whether revitalizing the secondhand goods economy can solve the needs of people at the bottom of society remains to be seen, but at least it is a hope. The sky is gradually darkening, and even if this "star" is not very bright, it can still shine with some light.

If Lin Qi and his team can do this well, then there is no doubt that this will become one of Mayor governing Sabine City.

If Lin Qi fails to do this job well, and it ends inconclusively, or if some problems arise, it only proves an age-old truth: the policies are well-made, but problems arise during implementation.

As for whether Lin Qi will agree? There's no need to worry about that. They've already investigated Lin Qi. He has indeed made some money recently, but it's just some money. They can crush him with a flick of their wrist.

Lin Qi's failure to apply for a gathering permit from the Social Services Bureau was merely a temporary excuse; if he didn't agree, even if he postponed the auction, he wouldn't be able to obtain any permits or venue.

There are just too many ways to get stuck in a rut like an ordinary person.

Ferral hadn't expected that he'd get himself into trouble before even getting things done. But he soon felt a sense of satisfaction. If Lin Qi knew that his intentions weren't necessarily bad, would he feel bad about the five thousand dollars in his pocket? He was looking forward to it, so he cooperated and gave the answer to the question Lin Qi was concerned about.

As long as Lin Qi cooperates with the City Hall in a series of publicity campaigns, the City Hall will send people to hold an unveiling ceremony or something similar, positioning this as a policy that benefits the people. Then Lin Qi won't need to apply to the Social Services Bureau — the City Hall's power and functions are higher than those of the Social Services Bureau, and they can just notify him afterwards.

He also talked about some of the benefits, and then carefully observed Lin Qi, but he was destined to be disappointed.

Lin Qi didn't show any distress about the extra five thousand yuan; he simply asked another question, "Is there any subsidy?"

Ferral was taken aback by these words. He wondered if he had misheard something, and leaned forward slightly as if to ask, "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"I asked if there are subsidies?" Lin Qi slowed his speech and made each word clearer. "If the auction is considered an action promoted by the City Hall, or even an important decision, then there should be corresponding subsidies, right?"

"How many are needed, how do we apply, and to whom should we apply?"

Suddenly, Ferral realized that this consulting fee wasn't so easy to get; Lin Qi had given him a hard time right from the start.