As Long As You Wear a Mask, Everyone Is a Great Actor

"A deal's reached?" The mayor turned his gaze from the window, glanced at Ferral, and asked, "How did the talks go?"

Back in his office, Ferral met with the Mayor. At that moment, his complex emotions were like a truck crashing into a chemical store, with various reactions coming one after another.

The only thing that made him feel a little better was the check that belonged to him in his breast pocket. Actually, agreeing to Lin Qi's request might not have been a bad thing.

The City Hall does not provide salaries for people like Ferral; their salaries are paid by the mayor's private office. In other words, the mayor pays their Ferral, so the salaries cannot be too high. This is why his salary is only a little over five hundred dollars; it is difficult for the mayor to give him a high salary.

It's true that we can't afford to pay, but it's difficult to pay too much. Ferral's salary, which is part of the Mayor's private office, including the expenses of the private office, comes from Political Donation donations from capitalists.

There are certain standards and requirements for the use of Political Donation. It is not that capitalists give this money to politicians and politicians can spend it however they want. There is a relatively complete process, and it is also subject to supervision.

If the salary of Ferral, a personal staff member employed by the Mayor, is too high, the group responsible for overseeing the use of these funds has the power to reduce Ferral's salary or request the mayor to dismiss him.

This is a very rigorous, complex, and somewhat comical process. To put it simply, after capitalists give money to politicians, they need to prevent politicians from taking the money without doing anything, and at the same time, they need to prevent politicians' greed from expanding. Therefore, they have come up with a lot of ways to restrict how this Political Donation donation is used, so that this political cash can be withdrawn unconditionally to the maximum extent when certain requirements are met.

But before that, it has to follow the rules, and many eyes are watching them.

This also became the biggest weakness, or rather, a shortcoming in the work, of staff members like Ferral.

Once they are fired for some reason, it is very difficult for them to find the same job again. Even if they go to ordinary companies, it is difficult for them to be given a satisfactory job. So even if they suffer some grievances outside, they have to try their best to endure it.

If one day mayors are able to realize their political ambitions and ideals, they may have the opportunity to step out from behind the scenes and into the limelight.

Throughout Federal history, there have been many examples of staff members who became politicians. They helped their former employers achieve their life goals, gained ample experience, and, more importantly, earned the friendship of capitalists.

With the support of capitalists, coupled with their experience and knowledge, they can easily achieve success. This is why Lin Qi acted somewhat aggressively, and Ferral did not resist.

Firstly, the whole thing was too ugly. If Lin Qi just packed up and left, people would only say that his political stance was not aligned with the mayor's, so he left.

But Ferral is prone to problems. When people talk about Lin Qi, they also talk about the mayor. It's not funny that a mayor drove away a capitalist. It will make more capitalists wary.

In the end, Ferral will be the one who suffers. It's not just him and Lin Qi who can act; the mayor can too—"I'll put you through this for a while..." and then his life will be over.

If he didn't do that, maintaining a certain level of closeness with Lin Qi would actually be helpful to his future plans.

Once he decides to run for a position, Lin Qi, who has a good relationship with him, can immediately become his supporter. These days, the key to winning an election is not how capable a person is, but whether he can act and how much campaign money he has.

The mayor was sipping his coffee, looking at Ferral as he did so.

He did have a lot of work, but he also had quite a few staff members. Including Ferral, he had a total of four staff members, as well as two young men who did the dirty and hard work.

Often, his job is simply to bring everyone together, discuss the work, and then complete his "assignment" based on the collective wisdom. So, in reality, the mayor's job is not as complicated as people imagine.

The truly difficult tasks were not so much related to his paperwork, but rather to people in society.

His staff discovered the secondhand goods auction and immediately realized its value: buying what people need for less money or reducing their desire to shop can save a family more money.

Having financial reserves means that even if life is difficult, you won't be completely unable to survive.

These are just the most basic views; what really matters to the staff is the word "action."

When faced with problems, most leaders use phrases like "we are dealing with it," "we are discussing countermeasures," or even "we are powerless" to explain why no action has been taken.

Although most people don't expect their leaders to provide immediate solutions, they are content as long as things don't get worse.

However, people sometimes feel dissatisfied and angry about the inaction and indifference of those in power. Therefore, a successful politician or leader must make the people see that they have not done nothing when facing difficulties, but have done something.

The secondhand goods trade is the Mayor's best answer to the economic recession. He can use it to send a signal to the people of Sabine City that he has contributed to the city and its residents, and that he is not a "zombie".

As for the outcome, if it is a good one, then people will not hesitate to praise him, and he will receive high praise from both the general public and the political arena.

If it's a bad outcome, firstly, he at least tried his best; secondly, whether the execution was effective, whether it aligned with his initial plan, or whether there were problems that led to the plan's failure—none of that is his responsibility.

On the contrary, he can take this opportunity to accumulate experience, as a kind of political experience and knowledge reserve, which can be used when necessary.

It was a perfect plan, one that he could accomplish without paying any price, so why not do it? Ferral nodded in response to the mayor's gaze. He had composed himself and become calm, as if everything was going according to plan.

"I have reached an agreement with Lin Qi, and we discussed some deeper matters. With my help, Lin Qi has come to understand the importance of you, Mayor, and your party to the Sabine City. He very much hopes to have dinner with you..."

When Ferral got to this point, the Mayor just smiled. The city has more than 800,000 people, but at most only one in Ten Thousandth has such an opportunity. He didn't think Lin Qi was one of those Ten Thousandth.

Ferral was well aware of the Mayor's style and his attitude towards work and life, so the mayor's silence was within his expectations.

"Lin Qi promised to build a statewide secondhand goods distribution channel centered on Sabine City, creating at least 500 jobs by early next year, and also..."

Ferral took the transfer check out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "This is a donation he spontaneously organized from his employees to thank you, Mayor, and the Progressive Party for their help to the Sabine City. He hopes it can help you and the Sabine City as well."

The mayor raised an eyebrow, showing some interest. He took the check, glanced at it, flicked it with his index finger, and then handed it back. "Give it to the accountant for processing..."

Political Donation are handed over to a special accountant, and then the money goes into a special public account, nominally under the control of the mayor.

He paused for a moment, then asked, "What did you just say?" Before Ferral could answer, he answered himself, "Lin Qi wants to invite me to dinner?" A smile appeared on his face. "Tell him I agree. As a local manager, I should pass on my still relevant experience to some responsible young entrepreneurs and help them avoid some detours."

He raised an eyebrow. "Take a look at my schedule and help me make arrangements."

It's clear that His Mayor in a very good mood.