Chapter 65: Without weighing it, it weighs less than four ounces; on the scale, it weighs over a thousand pounds.

Mu Xin did not bring Jessica or Victoria on this trip to Columbus.

He drove that G63 4x4², heading north along Route 73, then switching to Interstate 71.

During the two-plus hour drive, the scenery outside the window slowly shifted from cornfields to rolling hills, and then from hills to the gray-white industrial buildings on the outskirts of the city.

John sat in the passenger seat, wearing a dark blue polo shirt. His hair was cut short, his beard was clean-shaven, and he looked like a completely different person.

He sat up straight, his gaze fixed on the road ahead and the side mirrors. Occasionally, he would glance at the speedometer on the dashboard, but he never urged Mu Xin to drive faster.

It was a professional habit; the person in the passenger seat was either a navigator or a bodyguard.

Today, he was both.

The reason Mu Xin drove himself was that he wanted to; he was feeling a bit restless.

"You look a bit nervous?" Mu Xin glanced at John.

"Not nervous." John's voice was calm. "I'm just wondering, how much power does a Governor actually have? Why would he agree to see you?"

"Because he needs me."

"A Governor, needing something from you?"

Mu Xin smiled and didn't answer.

Some things lose their value once spoken; you have to let the other person ponder it themselves to make yourself, the boss, look impressive.

The car exited the highway, turned into downtown Columbus, and drove along the wide boulevard toward the city center.

This time, the Governor didn't choose to meet at a hotel, but at an office building next to the State Legislature, a gray-white building in the Classical Revival style.

Mu Xin parked the car in the visitor parking lot. John didn't get out; he knew his boundaries. "I'll wait here for you. Call me if you need anything."

Mu Xin nodded, pushed open the car door, straightened his collar, and walked toward the office building.

The security personnel at the entrance had already been notified; they checked his ID and let him through.

The hallway was carpeted in deep red, and the walls were hung with oil portraits of past Governors of Ohio.

From the black-and-white photographic style of the 19th century to the color digital prints of the 21st century, they were lined up era by era, like a condensed history of American politics.

Mu Xin saw the portrait of Governor Mike DeWine in the second-to-last row; in the painting, he was at least ten years younger than he was now.

His hair wasn't completely white yet, and the wrinkles on his face weren't as deep, but those eyes were the same—sharp, shrewd, and carrying that calculation unique to old-school politicians.

An assistant led him to a small conference room on the second floor. The room wasn't large; a rectangular table could seat six people.

There were two glasses of water on the table; no coffee, no tea, nothing else.

This was a private meeting, not an official reception.

Mu Xin sat down and waited less than five minutes before the door was pushed open.

Governor Mike DeWine walked in, wearing a dark gray suit and a white shirt. He wasn't wearing a tie, and his collar was open, revealing a bit of slack skin on his neck.

He looked a bit older than when they last met—not haggard, but a kind of indescribable weariness.

It was as if he knew he was about to leave this position, and the power games that once excited him were now down to their final few rounds.

"Mr. Mu." Governor Mike DeWine extended his hand. They shook, but the grip was lighter than last time.

"Governor." Mu Xin released his hand and sat back in his chair.

Governor DeWine sat opposite him, leaning against the back of his chair with his hands crossed on the table, watching Mu Xin without rushing to speak.

The silence lasted for a few seconds. It wasn't awkward; it was a tacit understanding. Two people who both knew what they wanted didn't need unnecessary small talk.

"Jessica called me." Governor Mike DeWine finally spoke, his voice low and raspy. "She said you want to buy the Oxford Municipal Electric Company."

"Yes." Mu Xin nodded. "The Oxford Municipal Electric Company, it's public, managed by the town's Public Utilities Commission."

"I want to buy it and privatize it."

Governor DeWine looked at him, silent for a moment, then picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip, his fingers gently rubbing the rim of the glass.

"Mr. Mu, your hotel project is already going through the approval process, and you've received the strategic project designation."

"ODNR is cooperating fully, and the approvals for Butler County and Preble County are all complete."

"What else are you dissatisfied with? Why do you want to touch the electric company at this time?"

"It's not dissatisfaction." Mu Xin shook his head. "It's that the hotel project's power demand is too high; the existing power grid in Oxford Town can't support it."

"I need to expand the substation, upgrade the power supply lines, and might even need to bring in a new high-voltage line from elsewhere."

"If the electric company were private, I would just talk to the owner directly, but it's public and managed by the town. To save time, I have no choice but to come to you."

Governor DeWine looked at Mu Xin and sighed slightly. "Mr. Mu, do you know that I am leaving office next year?"

"I do."

"Then you should also know what a Governor who is about to leave office needs most?"

"Stability." Mu Xin said.

Governor DeWine's mouth twitched slightly. It wasn't a smile, just a change in expression from having his thoughts guessed correctly.

"Yes, stability." He repeated.

"It's not because I'm afraid of trouble; it's because I don't have time to deal with all that messy stuff."

"I have less than a year left. During this year, I cannot make any mistakes, there cannot be any controversy, and I cannot let anyone get a handle on me."

"I want to finish this last term smoothly and then leave with dignity."

"What does this have to do with the electric company?" Mu Xin asked.

Governor DeWine looked at him, silent for a few seconds, then leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering as if telling something he didn't want anyone else to hear.

"Mr. Mu, you are Chinese."

Mu Xin's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't speak.

"I don't mean anything else by it." Governor DeWine waved his hand. "I'm just stating a fact."

"You are Chinese, you are investing in this country, you are building hotels, buying the Water Plant, donating police cars, and developing infrastructure—these are all good things, and no one would say a word against them."

"However, if you want to turn a public electric company into a private one, and the object of this privatization is a Chinese person—"

He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the tabletop. "This matter, to use a saying from your country, it weighs less than four ounces off the scale, but on the scale, a thousand pounds won't hold it down."

Mu Xin leaned back in his chair, watching Governor DeWine.

He wondered if this old fox was rejecting him or testing him.

If he were rejecting him, he wouldn't need to say so much; he could just say "No."

If he were testing him, that meant this matter was negotiable; it just required finding a narrative that everyone could accept.

"Governor, what are you worried about?" Mu Xin asked.

"Public opinion? The State Legislature? Or the federal government?"