The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

Chen Shi stood up, refused his family's attempts to persuade him to stay, and drove back that very night. Coming back was truly a headache.

Chen Xing watched the police car disappear into the night, then looked at Wang Xiufen with a face full of anger and slapped her across the face.

"You foolish woman, now that you've offended Xiao Shi, don't expect him to help us in the future."

Wang Xiufen became agitated and shouted, "If you dare hit me, I'll fight you to the death!"

He used the Nine Yin White Bone Claw to scratch Chen Xing's face.

The two started fighting, but were pulled apart by Chen Yanshi and Wang Guihua.

Chen Xing now deeply understands that a man shouldn't marry just any woman. If a woman marries the wrong man, she will ruin herself, but if a man marries the wrong woman, he can ruin three generations.

She's ruined our family; it'll be destroyed sooner or later.

"We're getting a divorce tomorrow morning. Get the hell out of here."

Chen Xing said this and turned to leave.

Wang Xiufen was scared. If they really got divorced, she couldn't let someone else have the good life she had.

I'd rather die than leave.

Wang Guihua quickly chased after him and tried to persuade Chen Xing not to get a divorce.

Chen Yanshi's face was gloomy. This daughter-in-law was restless. Divorce might not necessarily be a bad thing.

If she keeps causing trouble like this in the family, she'll squander all her good fortune.

Wang Xiufen gradually calmed down and realized that she had acted too impulsively. When asking for a favor, she shouldn't have brought up the previous matter.

This would damage the brotherhood. If Chen Shi becomes the county magistrate in the future, I can't rely on him. But I have children. If he helps them, becoming a leader won't be a problem.

Even if not for yourself, you should think about your child. You can't ruin the relationship just because you didn't help once.

When she returned with her hair disheveled, Wang Guihua quickly comforted her, saying, "Go wash up and go to bed. Xiaoxing was just saying that in anger. The two children are so cute, he won't divorce you."

Wang Xiufen hummed in agreement and went into the room. She saw Chen Xing lying on the bed with his clothes on, and Wang Guihua was taking care of the two children.

Wang Xiufen lay down next to Chen Xing, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have brought up these old stories, which affected your brotherhood."

Chen Xing said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense, let's get a divorce tomorrow."

"Chen Xing, when I first met you, I was working on the coast. You didn't have a penny to your name and hadn't eaten for two days. I had to lend you money so you could make it to payday."

You proudly told me that you have a good younger brother who went to the police academy and sent all the money you earned to him for living expenses.

Every time you received your salary after that, you sent the money to your younger brother, keeping only a small portion for yourself as living expenses.

Back then, our wages were very low, and we didn't earn much money. When we got married, my parents asked for a dowry of 8,600 yuan, which you borrowed from friends. After the wedding, we worked together to pay it back.

Thinking of these past events, Chen Xing couldn't help but shed tears. Wang Xiufen had followed him since she was nineteen and had endured many hardships.

His unwavering resolve to divorce began to waver; he didn't want to give up either his brotherhood or his marital relationship.

As Wang Xiufen spoke, she became emotional: "I feel sorry for you. Half of Chen Shi's success today is thanks to you."

Why should he refuse when I ask for his help? Doesn't he ever consider whose credit he deserves for getting where he is today?

Chen Xing sat up abruptly, staring intently at Wang Xiufen, making Wang Xiufen feel intimidated.

Why are you looking at me?

Chen Xing said in a heavy tone, "You speak without thinking, you foolish woman. There are ways to do things. I support Xiao Shi's studies without asking for anything in return. Xiao Shi knows this too. It is because of this selfless dedication and our brotherly bond that Xiao Shi helps us."

I'll continue to help you from now on, understand?

If you ask him for a favor now, he'll bring up past issues. If you were him, would you feel comfortable hearing that?

This is called moral blackmail. If I don't help you once, I bring up the fact that I helped Xiaoshi before. Who can stand that? What does it mean to know when to stop? You should know how to be content.

They already helped us get into the power management office this year, so we need to give them a break. This is all a favor, and we'll have to repay it later.

I told you a long time ago that we should wait a couple of years before talking about your brother. He's still young. Let him go to the coast and experience life there so he'll realize how hard it is to have a stable job.

Now that he has easily obtained a stable job, he won't cherish it.

You just wouldn't listen. You insisted on getting into the power management office right after graduation. The power management office is yours to keep; you can just go in whenever you want.

That's incredibly foolish. Xiaoshi has already refused, so don't bring it up again. You're still not satisfied, so you bring up my support for Xiaoshi's studies.

If he returns the 30,000 yuan to me, our brotherhood ends here.

Think about it yourself, without Xiaoshi, could you have gotten a temporary job at the power management office?

You earn more than 30,000 a year on your own. You need to be clear about what's more important.

Xiao Shi is so young, yet he's already a section-level cadre. His future career path, let alone becoming a county magistrate, will certainly lead him to become a deputy county magistrate.

Clinging to this powerful tree, even if it means more than 30,000, or even 30 million, it's still not worth mentioning.

Many things lose their meaning when you say them out loud. Do you understand? Think before you act, don't just blurt things out like a machine gun.

Everything should be done in moderation; any relationship that exceeds this limit is unacceptable.

I supported him when we were in school, and he's always remembered that kindness. But we can't bring it up. Every time we do, that kindness diminishes; if we bring it up too often, the bond will be gone, and our brotherhood will end there, turning us into familiar strangers.

Wang Xiufen said softly, "Don't be angry, I was wrong, okay? From now on, you're in charge of this family, and we'll listen to you."

"I'm giving you one last chance. If you dare to mess around again, I won't consider our past relationship."

"Never again," Wang Xiufen said with a worried look. "Will Chen Shi stop talking to us from now on?"

"No, he's not a heartless person. Tomorrow, we'll ask our parents to come and sincerely apologize to him. For their sake, he'll forgive us this time."

Wang Xiufen was finally relieved; she didn't want to lose Chen Shi, this great patron.

Chen Shi hadn't drunk much and was quite sober. He drove the whole way, feeling very agitated.

He didn't want to go home. If he did, people would always ask him for help. The main problem was that these favors weren't things he could easily do himself; he would have to ask for help and owe others favors.

This favor must be repaid.

This is also why, once a person becomes successful, they rarely return to their original family. If you are the only successful member of a family, you are of little help when needed.

They come to you whenever they need something. If you help them once, they'll come back countless times. It's incredibly annoying. If you refuse to help them even once, they'll hold a grudge.

Now I finally understand some leaders who keep people at arm's length and always have a serious expression. If you get close to ordinary people, they will take advantage of you and try to get something for themselves.

I paid back the money my second brother used to support my studies, so I no longer owed him anything, and we were even. Before brothers get married, they are family; after they get married, they become relatives. They can never go back to the way they were when they were children, eating from the same pot.

It's best to have less contact with them in the future. With a wife like Wang Xiufen who is greedy and incompetent but still wants to control things and vie for power, my second brother will have a hard time making any progress and will be dragged down.