America: You Play Politics, I'll Do Some Perspective

1999, Washington. On the day he was kicked out of a top law firm, Lin Shaoan only had $4,800 left in his account. Rent, student loans, credit cards, health insurance. Twenty-seven days later, he will discover for the first time that some bills cannot be paid at the same time. It was also on this day that he discovered that he could buy a special product—— objective facts that already exist. One cent to know the amount of the check in the sealed envelope. For four hundred dollars, you can confirm whether two people who are not supposed to meet have met. Thirty thousand dollars might buy the entire contents of a secret meeting. There is no good or evil in truth. But facts have a price. In Washington, knowing a fact that others don't know sometimes means a different price. From fired small-time lawyers, to political money, lobbying groups, investigative agencies, campaign committees and those who actually get to decide the rules... Lin Shaoan soon discovered that what he really needed to learn was never how to get the answer. But—— How to ask the most valuable question.