Chapter 68 Identity Transformation

When Mu Xin returned to Oxford Town, it was already dark.

He didn't return to the Morris Building, but instead had John drive directly to the Starbucks in the town center.

The Starbucks was empty at night; a couple sat in the corner whispering to each other, and behind the counter, only one employee was wiping down cups.

Mu Xin pushed the door open, ordered a hot chocolate, and found a seat by the window.

John didn't come in, but instead leaned against the wall by the entrance, hands in his pockets, his gaze scanning both sides of the street.

Mu Xin picked up the hot chocolate and took a sip. It was a bit hot, but he didn't put it down.

He was thinking about something—something that had been turning over in his mind ever since he left Governor DeWine's office.

A glove.

When Governor DeWine met him for the first time, he said he needed him to be a glove.

At the time, he thought it was a transaction—a fair one where both sides got what they needed.

But now, he didn't think so.

A glove is a consumable; it's something that can be replaced at any time.

You can use this glove today, but if it doesn't feel right tomorrow, you just swap it for another.

Mu Xin didn't want to be a glove, not because he was being pretentious, but because a glove's fate is not in its own hands.

If you do things for Governor DeWine today, and tomorrow Governor DeWine leaves office and a new Governor takes over, how will that person see you?

You were the previous Governor's glove, so in the new Governor's eyes, you are someone who needs to be cleaned out.

Mu Xin didn't want to end up in that position, so he needed to go from being the glove to being the one who holds the glove.

How to change?

Governor DeWine was no fool. He would be leaving office next year, so before he left, there was a limit to what he could give Mu Xin.

But Governor DeWine had one thing that Mu Xin needed most right now.

Power.

Not Governor DeWine's own power, but the power he could leverage.

A Governor who had served for eight years—his secretaries, assistants, and department heads were spread across every corner of the Ohio State Government.

They had worked with Governor DeWine for so many years; the favors, the relationships, and the bonds were still there.

If Governor DeWine gave a nod, these people would cooperate.

What Mu Xin wanted wasn't for Governor DeWine to personally run the approvals for him; he wanted Governor DeWine's people to do it.

Regarding the electric company, he could win it by following the normal procedures.

The Oxford Municipal Electric Company had been losing money for years, its equipment was aging, and the Town Council had long wanted to offload this burden.

As long as Mu Xin offered a reasonable price, the Town Council had no reason to refuse.

But how long would it take to go through the normal process?

Jessica had estimated before that it would take at least three to six months, and Mu Xin couldn't afford to wait.

The hotel was set to open next summer, and the power expansion had to be completed before the hotel was finished.

In other words, counting from now, there was less than ten months at best.

If the acquisition of the electric company dragged on for three to six months, there wouldn't be enough time left to upgrade the power grid.

That was why he wasn't taking the normal route; he was taking a shortcut.

With a nod from Governor DeWine, some cooperation from the State Public Utilities Commission, and Robert smoothing things over with the Town Council, he could get it done within a month.

This was his reason for seeking out the Governor.

It wasn't about whether he could win it, but how quickly he could win it.

But that wasn't the only reason.

There was an even more important reason, one that Mu Xin hadn't told anyone, including Jessica.

He wanted to change his position in Governor DeWine's eyes.

During their first meeting, Governor DeWine said he needed him to be a glove.

That was a condescending stance: "I give you protection, you do things for me."

He said, "You are Chinese, some things are inconvenient for you."

This wasn't stating a fact; it was a reminder to Mu Xin: "Your status dictates that you can only depend on me."

Mu Xin didn't refute it at the time because he knew refuting it was useless.

In Governor DeWine's eyes, he was just a glove—a wealthy, useful glove with no political background.

But when the second meeting ended, the way Governor DeWine looked at him had changed.

It wasn't because of those conditions regarding his descendants, but because Mu Xin had said one sentence: "It's not that I've arranged things for you, but that I've helped arrange things for your future."

This sentence made Governor DeWine realize that the young man before him wasn't asking him for favors, but was making a deal with him.

A fair, two-way transaction where neither side owed the other anything.

From that moment on, in Governor DeWine's eyes, Mu Xin was no longer a glove, but a partner.

A partner who had resources, had methods, and could help him solve his worries.

This was what Mu Xin wanted: not Governor DeWine's protection, but Governor DeWine's respect.

Protection is charity; respect is an exchange. Charity can be cut off, but an exchange cannot.

Because you never know when you might need the other person to help you again.

This is the essence of power; it's not about how much you have, but how much others need you.

...

The next morning, Mu Xin met Richard Miller on the third floor of the Morris Building.

Richard was a bit thinner than the last time they met, the lines on his face were sharper, and he was wearing a dark blue suit, a white shirt, and a dark red tie.

His hair was cut short, his beard was clean-shaven, and he looked much more energetic, but there was a faint bluish tint under his eyes—the mark of sleep deprivation.

"Director Miller, please sit." Mu Xin pointed to the sofa and sat down on the chair opposite him.

Jessica brought in two cups of coffee, placed them on the table, then retreated and closed the door.

"Don't call me Director anymore." Richard smiled, picked up the coffee, and took a sip. "I've already resigned."

"Then Richard it is." Mu Xin leaned back in his chair. "How is the campaign going?"

Richard put down the coffee cup, took a stack of documents out of the briefcase he brought with him, and placed them on the table.

"Michael OBrien is pushing forward every day, and the voter canvassing has already covered about 60 percent of the households in the district."

"The polling data is also slowly climbing, and my name recognition has risen from the initial 8 percent to 23 percent."

"23 percent?" Mu Xin frowned slightly.

"It's not bad already." There was a hint of helplessness in Richard's voice. "I've lived in this district for over twenty years, but not many people really know me."

"In the eyes of ordinary voters, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency's Southwest Branch is no different from an ordinary civil servant."

"And my opponent is that old politician who has sat in the State Legislature for twelve years; his name recognition was over 60 percent from the start."

"That's quite a gap." Mu Xin tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest. "Can the gap be narrowed?"

"Yes." Richard nodded. "Michael OBrien's strategy is to build name recognition first, then differentiate."

"Once the voters know who I am, then I'll tell them how I differ from my opponent."

"What difference?"

"My story." Richard's voice suddenly became a bit hoarse. "My son's story."

"A rich kid who killed someone while driving drunk, spent a million dollars to bribe the judge and witnesses, and has been at large for over a year."

"And that rich kid's father is the Williams Family, who have ruled Oxford Town for over half a century."

"This is my story, and it is also my weapon."