The protagonist, Lin Chen, comes from a working-class family in an ordinary county town. He graduated from a university majoring in administration. Due to employment pressure and the desire for stability, he prepared for and successfully passed the civil service exam for a township in a remote county in a southwest province. He has a tolerant character, keen observation, combined with the ambition to be unwilling to accept mediocrity and the rationality to assess the situation. He not only believes in "no pain, no gain", but also is well versed in the way of life of "following the trend and leveraging strength".
