Chapter 201 is not the best choice

Chicago South Side, Covenant Community Church.

Mu Xin had been waiting at the fried chicken shop across from the church for nearly an hour and a half, and just as his patience was about to run out, a message from Governor DeWine arrived.

"He is willing to see you. Use the side door when you come in; the main entrance is under renovation. Also, the coffee he brews is terrible—you won't like it."

Mu Xin crossed the street and entered through an iron gate on the side of the church. The walls on both sides of the corridor were plastered with dozens of photographs, all records of community activities.

Young Black men in graduation gowns standing at the church entrance, a group of elderly women harvesting tomatoes, children taking computer classes in the church basement.

Underneath every photograph, a date and a line of notes were written in silver marker; the most recent ones had been taken three months ago.

At the end of the corridor was an office, where Parks sat behind an old oak desk.

It was hard to tell his age; his hair was shaved very short, and his hairline had receded significantly.

"Mr. Mu," Parks said without standing up, gently pushing the steaming cup of coffee on the desk with his finger.

"Governor DeWine sat here with me for over an hour. It's been a long time since anyone was worth his time like that."

"Reverend Parks, what Governor DeWine told you was that I want to establish a community education fund in the South Side—"

"He spoke of a community education fund," Parks interrupted Mu Xin, "but the real reason you are here is the Obama Foundation."

Mu Xin did not deny it. He picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip. Governor DeWine was right—it was indeed terrible, so bitter that he almost spat it out immediately.

"Then I will be direct," Mu Xin said, setting down the cup. "Do you think the Obama Foundation path is worth taking?"

Parks looked at him for a moment, then stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window was the church's backyard, where a few teenage Black boys were playing basketball on a court where only half the paint remained.

"Do you see those kids down there?"

Mu Xin walked to the window and looked down.

"The one in the red T-shirt is named Marcus; he is seventeen. His older brother was shot and killed two years ago at a gas station four blocks from here," Parks said in a calm voice.

"The one in blue is named Terrence; he is sixteen. His mother was taken away last week because she stole a can of baby formula at Walmart. She just gave birth to a daughter and had no breast milk."

Parks turned around to look at Mu Xin.

"The Obama Presidential Center is less than a mile from here. They spent eight hundred million dollars building that massive structure, using designs from the world's top architectural firms. The skyline along the shores of Lake Michigan was altered because of that building."

"But those kids outside, they are very close to the Obama Presidential Center, yet they face the problem of whether they can get enough to eat every single day."

"I have been working in the South Side for nearly thirty years. I have seen countless politicians walk into this community with their slogans and checkbooks—taking photos, giving speeches, making promises."

"They return to their own districts and continue to use the name of the Chicago South Side to earn applause at their fundraising dinners."

"So you think he doesn't care about the suffering of the people?" Mu Xin asked.

"I think he cares, but there is too great a disconnect between the way he cares and his political position."

"He was the first Black president. This identity dictated that he had to calculate every move with extreme precision: he couldn't be too radical, couldn't appear to favor the Black community, and couldn't give the Republican Party any leverage."

"He spent eight years carefully balancing this identity, then retired and began building his presidential center. The fact that he chose to build it in the South Side is in itself a very clear statement."

Parks sat back in his chair and looked at Mu Xin. "You want to enter the political legacy circle of Washington through the Obama Foundation; I understand your goal."

"But I want to ask you one thing: after you enter the Obama Foundation, what do you think you can actually accomplish in the next few years?"

"Or rather, is there any point to it?"

"My lawyer and I believe there is value in it. Barack Obama has been out of office for a long time, and his political influence within the Democratic Party is greater than all other living former presidents combined," Mu Xin replied.

"Governor DeWine mentioned your lawyer," Parks nodded. "His logic is not how realpolitik works. In realpolitik, influence is not calculated by how long one has been out of office, but by how many chips you still have in your hand that can be activated."

"Look, or think for yourself: how many chips does Barack Obama have left?"

Mu Xin did not respond; he was waiting for Parks to continue.

"The first chip is his prestige within the Democratic Party. A large portion of that chip was spent in 2024."

"At the time, the party primaries were deadlocked. He stepped in to mediate several rounds, but the position of a mediator is that you cannot take sides."

"The result of him not taking sides was that everyone felt he helped the other side. Prestige is like burning firewood; after 2024, he didn't have much firewood left in his hand."

"The second chip is his network of connections. The proportion of officials he promoted during his term who remain in the White House and the Cabinet has continued to decline in recent years; this is a normal turnover."

"No matter who the new administration is, the core decision-making circle will always be their own people. Barack Obama's former subordinates have either retired on their own or been diluted to secondary positions; there are not many people left with real power."

"Your network isn't about how many people you have in the system; it's about how long those people can stay in the system and how much authority they hold."

"The third chip is his foundation. This is currently the most important chip he has."

"But the Obama Presidential Center and the foundation itself are in a transition period—a transition from the construction phase to the operational phase."

"The biggest characteristic of a foundation in a transition period is instability: management is changing, fundraising strategies are changing, and the approval processes for external cooperative projects are changing."

"If you enter at such a time as a foreign donor, you are not facing a mature reception system, but an organization that is redefining its own internal rules."

"Your lawyer told you a year to a year and a half; that was estimated based on a stable state."

"But the Obama Foundation is not in a stable state right now. You are entering an unstable organization during a transition period, so the timeline itself is uncertain."

Parks picked up the coffee and took a sip.

"So, you want to build your network in Washington through the Obama Foundation. This path is not impossible, but once you start, you may find that the influence you get in return for the time, resources, and political risks you invested is not what you expected."

"It is not because he lacks weight, but because his influence can no longer directly help you in Washington, nor can it help you block future unknown risks."

"Then what is your advice?" Mu Xin asked.