Li Letian, a junior civil servant just starting out, is swept up in absurd rules, bizarre power struggles, and tangled personal relationships, constantly struggling to stay afloat in the maelstrom of power. Under Chen Yuanshan's guidance, he sees just how absurd and complicated officialdom can be: some play the game with acting skills, some rely on empty talk to do evil, and some pursue reform over tea... As he rides the waves of political intrigue, Li Letian becomes enmeshed in a complicated web of relationships with Song Mingyue, Zhou Zixuan, and others, and gradually comes to understand the true nature of survival in officialdom. From an invisible nobody in the bureaucracy, he stumbles onto the stage of power, suffers a setback after a mistake, and rises again. Along the way, he faces schemes, shifting friendships, and choices in love. In the end, he grows and transforms amid the absurdities of power, meets the curtain call with a smile, and gains insight into the truth of human nature and power.
