The hall was quiet before the broadcast began.
Rows of empty chairs stood under soft LED lights, cameras positioned at calculated angles. The backdrop displayed a simple yet powerful slogan:
"Urban Futures: By the Young, For the Young."
Lu Zhen stood at the center of the platform. He wasn't dressed in a tailored suit or expensive watch. Just a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, black slacks, and polished shoes—casual, focused, ready.
This was a test.
Not just of policy or speechcraft, but of resonance.
Could his words reach hearts, spark debates, and build the kind of momentum a rising dragon needed to break through the heavens?
The broadcast light turned red.
Live.
---
The First Voice
Lu looked straight into the camera, his voice calm but resonant.
"Good evening. I'm Lu Zhen, 20 years old. A junior policy advisor with the Urban Planning and Coordination Office."
"I'm not here as an expert. I'm here as someone who listens."
"I believe young people deserve to be more than statistics—unemployed, overworked, left behind by progress. And this space is for you."
He paused. The comment feed beside the screen started slow, then lit up:
> "Who is this guy?"
"He looks like a student..."
"Real talk from a government guy? Strange."
"Finally someone under 40 up there."
Lu smiled faintly.
He had them.
---
The Real Agenda
The town hall wasn't just a public service—it was a networking weapon.
System Alert: Public Awareness Mode Active
> Skill: "Charismatic Projection (Lv.1)" activated
Passive: +15% audience retention
+1% chance of favorable social media virality per minute of engagement
Side Quest Progress: "Voice of the Masses"
Lu presented a slide of real data:
Urban youth unemployment had reached 14.7%
62% of startup incubators funneled funds into already successful companies
Rural migration to urban centers had dropped for the first time in six years
Then he shifted tone.
"But data doesn't change lives. Opportunities do."
He proposed three ideas:
1. A Micro-Scholarship Fund using reallocated community development surpluses
2. Public-Private Partnership Hackathons for urban youth
3. Subsidized Small-Rent Spaces in second-tier cities to encourage creative economies
The audience leaned in—figuratively and literally.
---
Xu Qinglan Watches
In a quiet office in the Central Strategy Division of the Party Personnel Bureau, Xu Qinglan watched the stream from her terminal.
She said nothing as Lu spoke.
But her fingers drummed lightly on the desk.
An assistant beside her commented, "This is going to stir attention."
She glanced sideways.
"He's not trying to stir. He's preparing to lead."
The assistant blinked. "At this rate, he'll bypass two levels before he's twenty-five."
Xu Qinglan gave a rare smile.
"That's the idea."
---
Echoes of Momentum
Over the next three days, the stream amassed 2.3 million views across five platforms. Commentary ranged from cautious optimism to cynical disbelief, but the trend was clear: people were talking.
Lu's face, voice, and quotes began appearing in youth forums, editorial columns, and even a popular short-video meme remixing one of his lines:
> "We don't need handouts—we need stepping stones."
He wasn't just an advisor anymore.
He was becoming a public figure.
---
Behind the Curtains
But popularity was a double-edged sword.
In a smoky private club in Chengdong District, several older bureaucrats from the Urban Fiscal Reallocation Committee sat frowning around a low glass table.
"He's drawing too much attention," said Director Wang Hai, a man known for blending legality with personal benefit.
One of his aides muttered, "The boy's naïve. Still playing idealist."
But another man, Deputy Chief Peng Shaoli, leaned back and said darkly, "He's not naïve. He's dangerous."
The others paused.
Peng continued, "He's building visibility, planting allies, and shifting the narrative—all under our radar. That's what the next generation of leadership looks like. If we don't control him now, we'll serve him later."
The room fell silent.
---
Side Mission: "Ripples Become Currents"
New Objectives Unlocked
> Secure three public endorsements from civic figures
Neutralize negative media campaign within 48 hours
Convert 10,000 followers into "Active Advocates"
Reward:
> Skill Upgrade: "Charismatic Projection (Lv.2)"
Unlock "Public Narrative Management Suite"
Lu smiled as the system pinged him.
Game on.
---
The Smear Campaign
Two days later, a sudden wave of microblogs and anonymous articles hit major forums:
> "Who Is Lu Zhen Really?"
"A Silver Spoon Adviser Pretending to Care"
"From Rural Nobody to Sudden Star—How Much of It Was Engineered?"
The comments section exploded.
Lu read the headlines calmly.
Then he pulled up his crisis map.
---
Countermeasures: Precision and Truth
Lu didn't fight fire with fire.
He fought with clarity.
First, he recorded a short video at his childhood home in rural Xinjiang County, walking through the single-floor mud-brick house where he was raised.
He spoke to the camera plainly.
"I wasn't born into power. My mother was a village medic. My father passed before I turned eight. Everything I've become was earned."
Then he invited three civic activists, whom he had helped anonymously via budget redirection, to speak live.
They shared their stories—how Lu quietly expedited grants, supported a local food shelter, and fought red tape to help a vocational center reopen.
Public sentiment flipped.
---
Proxy Moves: Huang Shuo Steps Up
Meanwhile, in Xichuan District, Huang Shuo launched the first "Night Market Culture Revival" festival, which drew 80,000 visitors and created 220 temporary jobs in one weekend.
He did it under Lu's indirect command.
System Update:
> Proxy Influence: 36%
Local Approval Rating: 72%
Strategic Command Bonus Active
Lu's network was growing.
Silently.
Effectively.
---
A Quiet Conversation with Power
That week, Lu received a discreet invitation.
The address led him to a private tea house near East Lake—favored by retired Party officials and mid-level kingmakers.
Inside, he met Old Master Guo, a former Vice-Minister of Economic Strategy, now a quiet force behind personnel recommendations.
"You stirred waters," Guo said, sipping tea. "Good. But waters fight back."
Lu bowed respectfully.
"I didn't stir for the sake of it. I stirred because the waters were stagnant."
Guo smiled.
"Your generation may just surprise us. But you'll need shields."
He slid a card across the table.
It had one name: Cao Tianyi.
A veteran political strategist.
Now retired, but still influential behind the Party's think tank reforms.
"He might take you seriously," Guo said. "If you can prove you're not just another flash in the pan."
Lu pocketed the card.
Another door opened.
---
Network Expansion
System Update: Political Contacts Map Unlocked
> Central Bureau Contact (1): Xu Qinglan (Trust: 47%)
Provincial Strategist (1): Guo Xuecheng (Trust: 31%)
Proxy Officer (1): Huang Shuo (Influence: 36%)
New Feature Unlocked:
"Echo Threads" – You can now influence policy conversation beyond your level via indirect seeding of white papers and leaked public proposals.
---
Preparing the Policy Seed
Lu opened his draft file.
Title: "Digital Integration Zones for Regional Youth Employment and Innovation"
It proposed converting underused second-tier city buildings into low-cost incubation hubs, supported by smart infrastructure and tied to rural youth employment programs.
It was radical—but legally sound.
And it fit every demographic struggling for relevance in the modern economy.
He knew the risk.
If it failed, he'd look like a delusional theorist.
But if it worked—
He'd rewrite what junior advisors were capable of.
---
The Final Moves of the Chapter
Xu Qinglan, impressed, shared the policy seed with a Central Committee member during a quiet dinner.
Old Master Guo made a phone call to Cao Tianyi, saying only: "There's a young one worth watching."
In Xichuan, Huang Shuo was approved for a second development grant, signaling rising internal trust.
And on national microblogging platforms, the hashtag #RealVoicesOfPolicy began trending, featuring Lu Zhen quotes and town hall clips.
Lu stood before his desk late at night, looking out the window of his tiny apartment.
The city lights no longer looked distant.
They looked like a map.
And he was learning how to move across it, square by square.
---
End of Chapter 13