After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

It wasn't anything earth-shattering; it was just a stack of papers, a few stamps, and a few trips back and forth.

But for him, this certificate was the first step he took onto the right path.

……

The clerk picked up his teacup, took a sip, and whispered to his colleague beside him:

"That person just now was quite interesting. His preparations were meticulous, and although he didn't say much, every word he uttered was to the point. He even mentioned Jiang Yan at the end..."

A colleague leaned closer: "You really know each other?"

The clerk smiled and said, "Whether he knows me or not is another matter. But I felt that he did know me—and he handled it perfectly, it didn't seem like he was abusing his power, it was just something he mentioned casually."

He shook his head, his tone tinged with admiration:

"This kind of person is hard to deal with. Unlike those who are arrogant because of connections, or those who are honest and simple and easily fooled. He understands the rules on the surface, but he also understands the rules beneath the surface."

"Did it get approved?"

"Yes, it's been verified." The clerk turned to the next document, his tone returning to its usual calm. "But only someone like him can pass. With the same documents, someone else would have to come at least three times today."

The words, spoken lightly, revealed the truth about this building:

Meeting the requirements is a threshold, but figuring out how to cross that threshold is something you have to figure out yourself.

Some people can take a step over it, while others will be tripped up.

Gong Yuelong has overcome this hurdle today.

……

……

In the construction committee parking lot, Lin Wei slammed the file bag onto the hood of the car, scattering several pages of paper.

"That clerk was deliberately making things difficult for me!" she said angrily, her chest heaving. "He said there were shadows on the edges of the photocopy of the property certificate for the site proof and made me reprint it."

I ran out and made three copies, then when I came back he said the landlord's ID copy wasn't attached—why didn't he mention this earlier? He's just playing with me!

Zhao Hongyuan frowned and took a drag of his cigarette:

"These people at the service windows love to nitpick over the wording. Isn't that just making things difficult for people?"

Liu Jing gently patted Lin Wei's shoulder, her tone softening:

"Don't worry, they're just following the rules, even if they're a bit rigid."

She paused, then said:

"These people have a little power, so they like to show off. The more detailed our materials are, the less they can say. I'll come with you next Monday, and we'll make up for anything that needs to be supplemented all at once."

Lin Wei shook her head, her eyes a little red:

"Replace it? It's not that easy! Today they say the property certificate is no good, tomorrow they can pick a date for your fire safety certificate, and the day after tomorrow they'll say the personnel resume format is wrong... If they want to hold you back, they can always find a reason."

Zhao Hongyuan flicked his cigarette ash and said in a deep voice:

"To put it bluntly, it's because our materials weren't watertight."

Liu Jing nodded:

"Yes, we can't just complain. We need to learn how he prepared. Before coming next Monday, I'll go through all the materials again, even checking the punctuation."

Ask around to find out what the clerk's habits are—does he value the format or the handwriting of the signature?

As Lin Wei listened, her anger gradually subsided, turning into a sense of exhaustion—it turned out that in this industry, being able to get things done was a skill in itself.

No matter what method or who uses it.

Lin Wei shook her head and said:

"I've worn out two pairs of shoes just from running around here this past month."

I asked three groups of people for help, drank four times, and revised the materials eight times.

And what happened? The person at the window always managed to find something new to criticize—it turns out they hadn't even fully grasped the new rules themselves, and were just using us as practice subjects.

Liu Jing took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to Lin Wei:

"The policy has just been implemented, and those in charge are still figuring it out. I heard from people in the planning department that they haven't even completed their internal training, and the interpretation of many clauses changes every day. We've stumbled upon this opportunity, so we've caught the pilot program."

Lin Wei suddenly remembered something and looked up at the two of them:

"By the way, there's someone I'd like to introduce to our little circle."

Zhao Hongyuan had just opened the car door when he heard this and stopped: "Who is it? What's your business?"

"Her name is Yu Yue. She doesn't take on projects herself; she has connections. She's the one who connects people and takes a cut."

Liu Jing raised an eyebrow: "Does she have powerful connections?"

"They're doing quite well," Lin Wei said. "Her sister is Yu Lili, who works in the building materials business; you might have heard of her. The two sisters work well together—one handles information, and the other supplies materials."

Lin Wei put the file bag away:

"Yu Yue contacted me on her own initiative. She said she knew that we were the ones who actually got things done, unlike some companies that just talked big but didn't deliver."

She has some information on small projects that big companies wouldn't consider, but which are perfect for us. She'll make the connections, we'll do the work, and the fees will be paid according to industry practice.

She paused, then added:

"She said that if we use her materials for a project, her sister Yu Lili, we can get an even better price—it's like a sisterly discount."

Zhao Hongyuan smiled:

"These two sisters certainly know how to do business. One sells information, and the other sells materials; they've created a closed loop."

Liu Jing thought for a moment:

"I can meet her. But not just anyone can get into our little circle. She has to be really capable, not just talk the talk."

Lin Wei started the car.

"That's what I meant too. So I was thinking of bringing her over to the next gathering so we can all chat. Whether it works out or not depends on how the conversation goes."

Lin Wei laughed self-deprecatingly:

"I've troubled you two to make another wasted trip today. I was hoping it would get done so we could celebrate, but... sigh."

Zhao Hongyuan waved his hand from the back seat:

"Mr. Lin, you're being too polite. Which of us hasn't run into trouble in this building?"

Last time I went to the office for five days straight to get a safety permit, only to find out the person at the window had put the documents in the wrong order—can you believe it? Eat and drink as usual; the work is for the company, but your stomach is your own.

Liu Jing took out a small mirror from her bag to fix her hair and replied:

"Exactly. It's not that we didn't try our best if we couldn't get it done, it's just that these rules are too tedious. Let's head to the Yellow River Fish Restaurant later, their fish is fresh, we'll talk about it after we eat."

Lin Wei's tone became more relaxed:

"Okay, I'll treat you. But before we get there..." She paused, then pulled up a number from her phone's contacts.

"I'll call Li Ke first and ask him what to do."

Zhao Hongyuan raised an eyebrow: "Now?"

"Hmm, while he still remembers us." Lin Wei pressed the dial button.

The phone rang several times before it was answered.

Her voice was gentle. "Hello, is this Li Ke? This is Lin Wei from Shunfa Construction, who handles labor service qualifications... Yes, yes, sorry to bother you. I just wanted to ask about..."

On the other end of the phone, Li Ke's voice interrupted her directly:

"President Lin, this document of yours... well, let me be frank."

We're both in the construction industry. Look at Gong Yuelong—his materials come to me and he gets them all sorted out in one go. I think you two know each other. How does he prepare his materials?

Lin Wei was taken aback.

Li Ke spoke faster, as if he were tapping away:

"Their materials are about the same thickness as yours, but every single sheet is useful!"

The parts that needed to be copied were scanned in high definition, and the parts that needed to be handwritten were filled in neatly with black pen. Even the seal across the seam was stamped clearly.

The order of attachments, the table of contents, the date of the commitment letter—everything is done according to the latest template; we can't find any fault with it…

Li Ke seemed to realize he had said too much, and coughed:

"In short, you should ask around and ask people for advice."

The phone hangs up.