City Hall Courtyard

Under the shade of century-old ginkgo trees, the undercurrent of power never stops. Municipal Party Committee Secretary Lin Shen's wicker chair still retains the warmth of his predecessor, businessman Zhou Mingyuan's sandalwood box has knocked on the door - a fake jade seal contains temptations, and faded files contain suspicions about the land expropriation from twenty years ago. Executive Vice Mayor Huo Bingdong's teacup always contains the scalding power of development, but Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission Chu Xingwan's silver teaspoon always weighs the importance of the bottom line. Secretary Chen Mo was caught in the middle, watching the ginkgo leaves fall and grow again. The flashlight of the night inspection of the construction site shone on the unapproved steel bars, the bamboo chairs used to petition the elderly creaked on the silent carpet, and the diagnosis in the physical examination report became a factional code word. When the snow prints reach under the office window, when new leaves climb up the old marks, everyone in this compound is counting their heartbeats between defending and losing ground. This novel and its characters are purely fictitious. Any similarity is purely coincidental and should not be imitated.