Lin Zhou, a civil servant at the Development and Reform Commission in a small northern city, gets caught up in factional infighting over an application for a major project. His proposal is shelved, his superior gives him the cold shoulder, and his colleagues undermine him. He suffers a major setback as soon as he enters public service. But he comes to understand that “officialdom is like a chessboard,” so he keeps his ambition in check and quietly builds up his experience.
He gathers data on people's livelihoods through grassroots research, resolves land acquisition disputes with his expertise, secures support funding by leveraging information advantages, and skillfully balances competing interests when pressured by his superiors. From the county seat to the urban district, from junior civil servant to department head, every promotion involves careful document reviews and tests of character over drinks. Along the way, he also faces betrayals by allies and unexpected help from rivals.
Lin Zhou gradually realizes that advancing “one careful step at a time” in public service is not just about his own career. It is also about using his position to improve people's lives. When greater opportunities and crises arise, he must find his own path through the official world, balancing his principles with flexibility.
