"Xiao Chen, let's go, take me to He'er Village."
The next day, Chen Feng was meticulously cleaning the car, waiting for Qin Yan to use it. Unexpectedly, instead of Qin Yan, Deputy Director Wang from the water conservancy department arrived.
"Deputy Director Wang, I apologize, but I need to call Deputy Mayor Qin to confirm. I'm afraid if I take the car away, Deputy Mayor Qin might need it."
Chen Feng was being cautious.
By asking Qin Yan for instructions on every matter, big or small, he wouldn't go wrong.
The world of politics was a great whirlpool; one misstep could lead to utter ruin. One had to be extremely careful.
Deputy Director Wang didn't stop Chen Feng. On the contrary, he greatly admired Chen Feng's composure, a rare trait in someone his age.
"Deputy Mayor Qin, Deputy Director Wang wants me to take him to He'er Village. What do you think..."
Chen Feng asked cautiously.
"I asked Deputy Director Wang to go. He's paired up with some impoverished households in He'er Village and needs to check in on them a few times a week. It just so happens I don't need the car today, so you can take him."
Chen Feng was taken aback.
Something felt off. Deputy Director Wang was several ranks below Qin Yan. By rights, Deputy Director Wang shouldn't be eligible to use the official car. The only reason he would come specifically to borrow the car for such a minor matter was that Qin Yan was testing his driving skills.
With that thought, Chen Feng felt reassured.
The road to He'er Village was not easy, but it couldn't stump Chen Feng. During his university days, Chen Feng had worked part-time, often driving into the mountains late at night to help a boss with his cargo. Four years of work-study had honed Chen Feng's driving skills to an exceptional level.
The journey was supposed to take three hours, but with his superior driving skills, Chen Feng reached He'er Village in just one hour, driving steadily and swiftly.
Deputy Director Wang was very pleased and praised Chen Feng, "Driver Chen, your driving skills are excellent. Deputy Mayor Qin won't be inconvenienced tomorrow if she needs the car."
"You're too kind, Deputy Director Wang,"
Chen Feng replied humbly.
What happened next shattered Chen Feng's worldview.
It turned out that Deputy Director Wang's visit wasn't just for a check-in; he was also there to distribute money.
On one hand, he was representing the town in giving money to the impoverished households.
Chen Feng understood this.
Even though he was just a leader's driver, only having one foot in the political arena, he still understood basic principles.
Distributing money and comfort items to impoverished households was a routine operation in politics, demonstrating humanitarian care.
However, on the other hand, Chen Feng didn't understand why Deputy Director Wang was privately giving money to a stranger.
"Deputy Director Wang, that stranger doesn't seem to be from this village. Why are you..."
Chen Feng asked quietly during a break.
"Driver Chen, you're Deputy Mayor Qin's driver, so you're not an outsider. I won't hide anything from you. I hired this stranger to do work for me at 150 yuan a day. Pairing up for poverty alleviation isn't as simple as just checking in every few days; it also involves helping the impoverished households with their work. I'm so busy every day that I can't come here to help the impoverished households, so..."
Deputy Director Wang explained with a knowing look.
Chen Feng instantly understood.
He had to admit, the depths of this matter were truly profound.
It was formalism taken to the extreme!
He used to think that after reading a few books on power, he understood things quite well. Now, he realized he was still naive.
The day after returning from He'er Village, Qin Yan indeed came to find Chen Feng.
"I've already spoken to the accountant. You can go and collect one hundred thousand yuan now, and we'll head to Jiangcheng."
Chen Feng didn't overthink it. Since Qin Yan had made arrangements, he would go and collect the money.
"Remember to bring back the expense receipts. I need them for accounting records,"
the accountant reminded Chen Feng.
Chen Feng nodded perfunctorily.
A wave of doubt washed over him. What kind of expense would require one hundred thousand yuan to be taken to Jiangcheng?
Buying benefits for everyone in the unit? That wasn't right. Even if it were for the unit, why travel so far to Jiangcheng?
He thought about it for a moment but then dismissed it. He was just a driver; why think so much about it?
An hour later, the car reached the city.
Chen Feng expected to stop at a large department store, but Qin Yan didn't tell him to stop as they passed by the city's big malls.
Chen Feng was perplexed. Wouldn't buying employee benefits be best done at a large department store? Why didn't they seem to be stopping?
Despite his confusion, Chen Feng continued to drive, albeit hesitantly.
He was just a driver; he drove wherever the leader told him to.
After another half an hour, they arrived at a secluded alleyway, and Qin Yan asked him to stop.
"See that lottery shop?"
Qin Yan pointed to a spot not far away.
"I see it, Deputy Mayor Qin."
Chen Feng's confusion grew. Could this woman also be fond of playing the lottery?
"The lottery shop owner is very familiar with me. Go inside and buy a Shuang Se Qiu lottery ticket with a second prize using the hundred thousand yuan. I have a use for it."
Qin Yan instructed.
"Deputy Mayor Qin, winning the lottery isn't that easy,"
Chen Feng was a bit bewildered, unable to understand Qin Yan's actions.
"Ah, you're still too young. To be honest, I'm not expecting to win. I just plan to buy a lottery ticket that has already won a second prize in Shuang Se Qiu but hasn't been redeemed yet."
"Deputy Mayor Qin, that's still not right. Since this ticket has won a second prize in Shuang Se Qiu, shouldn't one go to the welfare lottery center to claim the prize? Who would keep it there?"
"A second prize ticket worth ninety thousand yuan, bought for a hundred thousand yuan. Naturally, someone would be willing to sell a winning Shuang Se Qiu ticket."
At this point, Chen Feng's mind went blank, and he understood everything.
Damn it, Qin Yan was so ingenious. She had elevated gift-giving to a new level!
Knowing that the higher-ups were wary of accepting cash, she directly converted the cash into anonymous lottery tickets.
To be honest, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes today, he would never have conceived of such a clever method.
People in the political arena were different; they were as slippery as loaches.
"By the way, Deputy Mayor Qin, what about the expense receipt the accountant needs?"
Chen Feng asked softly.
"This small matter, you handle it as you see fit."
Qin Yan replied dismissively.
Chen Feng felt a wave of dizziness. He thought it was just a simple drive, but unexpectedly, he had to help clean up some mess.
However, from another perspective, Qin Yan was increasingly trusting him. She was having him handle such shady matters.
If that was the case, he had to find a way to handle this matter properly.
In less than five minutes, he obtained a Shuang Se Qiu lottery ticket with a second prize worth ninety thousand yuan.
"Go to Xingfu Garden in the northern suburbs of Jiangcheng."
Qin Yan instructed.
Chen Feng understood. Xingfu Garden in the northern suburbs of Jiangcheng was the largest and most luxurious villa area in Jiangcheng. Those living there were either wealthy or powerful.
In less than half an hour, the car arrived at the entrance of Xingfu Garden.
It was exactly as he imagined; Xingfu Garden was opulent, with villas lining the street...
"You go and sort out the receipt issue first. Come back to pick me up in the evening."
"Understood, Deputy Mayor Qin."
Chen Feng replied softly.
Watching Qin Yan's receding figure, Chen Feng felt a sense of unease.
It was such a pity that such a charming and graceful woman was about to be abused by an older, powerful man.
But then again, looking at Qin Yan, she didn't seem like the type of woman who would climb the ladder by selling her looks.
But the problem was, could Qin Yan resist the unwritten rules that had been followed in the political arena for thousands of years?
Chen Feng's mind was in turmoil; he couldn't quite figure out Qin Yan.
Forcing himself to stop his wild thoughts, Chen Feng drove away from Xingfu Garden.
Next, he had to figure out how to resolve the issue of the hundred thousand yuan expense receipt.
This was the first thing Qin Yan had asked him to do, and he had to do it well.
If he handled it well, he would get closer to Qin Yan in the future, and his prospects would be limitless.
Conversely, if he couldn't even handle such a minor matter, his path would end here, and he would remain a chauffeur for life.
After thinking for a long time, Chen Feng couldn't come up with a good solution.
Helplessly, Chen Feng had to call his university classmate Jiang Zihan.
Jiang Zihan had passed the civil service exam right after graduation, so she should know how to handle the matter of receipts.
"The receipt issue is easy. When you were working part-time in university, didn't you know many bosses? Just ask them for receipts totaling a hundred thousand yuan,"
Jiang Zihan replied without hesitation over the phone.
"But why would they give me receipts for a hundred thousand yuan for no reason?"
Chen Feng asked tentatively.
"If you were just an ordinary person, they definitely wouldn't give you receipts for a hundred thousand yuan for no reason. Honestly, buying a hundred thousand yuan in receipts on the black market would cost at least a thousand yuan. The problem is, you're not an ordinary person anymore. You're the leader's exclusive driver. Just reveal your identity to them..."
Jiang Zihan said with a knowing smile.