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

Wang Jianming was kicked out by his wife and then returned to the apartment.

He is now very remorseful. He spread rumors that Chen Shi was in mortal danger, causing his family to live in fear and they would definitely retaliate against him. He has not restrained himself recently and has been doing this with Xu Linlin, handing over the evidence to Chen Shi.

If Chen Shi were to have someone report him for misconduct, Lei Heng would certainly not protect him.

Chen Shi doesn't think much of the position of director. Will he let Zhang Hu take the position, since he feels Zhang Hu doesn't have enough prestige?

Wang Jianming was in a real bind. He had originally planned to find something wrong with Chen Shi and ask Lei Heng for credit.

The budget for the operation was 500,000 yuan, and Chen Shi didn't take a single yuan of the remaining 110,000 yuan. He distributed it all as bonuses, leaving himself no chance whatsoever.

This kid is young but shrewd; I'm no match for him.

Thinking of this, he slapped himself twice. Of all people to mess with, he had to mess with Chen Shi. Now Chen Shi was about to be promoted. He should just keep a low profile and wait for Chen Shi to be transferred. The police station would still be his territory.

There's only one way now: to submit to Chen Shi and beg for mercy, clinging to his coattails—that seems like a good option.

Thinking about this made me feel a little better.

Another tricky issue is how to appease my wife and stop her from making a scene. The only way is to go to my father-in-law, admit my mistake, and have him persuade my wife not to escalate the situation.

Liang Luping, the father-in-law, is the former principal of the central school. He is now retired and at home. He is reasonable and knows how to make choices. Losing his position as principal will not benefit his daughter or children.

He divorced her; his daughter was old and faded, and it was impossible for her to find another deputy section-level leader.

Most of the time, the relationship between husband and wife is the result of weighing the pros and cons, and wise people know how to make choices.

Only naive people pursue whether or not they are in love.

For an old married couple, love is not important; what matters is the bond of shared interests.

Think of a solution and lie down to sleep.

The next morning, Wang Jianming called Chen Shi and asked him to keep Chen Shi calm and not report him.

Chen Shi's phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Wang Jianming calling. He waited for more than ten seconds before answering.

"Hey, Director Wang, what's the matter so early?"

Wang Jianming said with a fawning smile, "Director Chen, are you free tonight? I'd like to report to you on some work."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi chuckled. "You're the top leader, and you're reporting to me, the second-in-command? What kind of nonsense is that?"

He instantly realized that Wang Jianming was bowing down to him and coming to rely on him.

Chen Shi's current strategy is to keep a low profile and wait for things to settle down; he doesn't actually want to report Wang Jianming's misconduct.

Bringing Wang Jianming down would not benefit Chen Shi. He was about to take up the post of head of the public security management brigade at the Public Security Bureau and had no interest in Wang Jianming's position as station chief.

Wang Jianming had obviously thought of these things as well, which is why he came to seek refuge with him.

"It's better to have one more subordinate than one more political enemy," he readily replied, "I'm free tonight; you can arrange the location."

Wang Jianming beamed with joy: "Thank you, Director Chen, for giving me this opportunity."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jianming felt relieved. Chen Shi was clearly giving him a chance. The next step was how to tell his father-in-law about it.

He quickly put on a mask to cover his swollen face, walked out of the police station, and went to the supermarket to buy cigarettes and alcohol.

Carrying fine cigarettes and liquor, he arrived at his father-in-law Liang Luping's house.

His mother-in-law has passed away, and his father-in-law has found a woman who is twenty years younger than him.

Wang Jianming knocked gently on the door. Liang Luping opened the door and, seeing it was Wang Jianming, exclaimed, "Jianming's here! What are you doing? You've hidden yourself so well, I almost didn't recognize you!"

Wang Jianming followed him into the house, smiling apologetically, and said, "It's cold this morning, so bundle up."

He looked around but didn't see the woman, which suited him perfectly, making it easier for him to ask his father-in-law for help.

He put the cigarettes and alcohol on the table and took off his mask.

Liang Luping poured Wang Jianming a glass of water and, noticing the swelling in his cheek, asked, "Who hit you on the face?"

Wang Jianming lowered his head: "Tingting made the call."

Liang Luping frowned: "This is outrageous. I'll talk to her."

He took out his phone, ready to call Liang Ting.

Liang Luping only has one daughter, Liang Ting, who was spoiled and pampered from a young age and has no political sense whatsoever.

Now that I've retired, Wang Jianming is now the head of the police station and also the deputy mayor of the town, someone I can't control.

Wang Jianming quickly stopped him: "Dad, stop hitting him. Listen to me, it's all my fault, it's not Tingting's fault."

Liang Luping put down his phone. Being a man, he instantly knew what had happened.

Wang Jianming stammered out what happened last night. Upon hearing this, Liang Luping stood up and pointed at Wang Jianming: "How could a man with a wife and daughters do such a thing? How shameful! How can I ever face anyone in town again?"

"Dad, I know I was wrong. I promise you that from today onwards, I will cut all ties with Xu Linlin and never contact her again."

We can't let Tingting make a scene like this. We're all respectable people in town, and if this continues, it won't be good for anyone.

If this gets back to the bureau leaders, I'll lose my job as the station chief.

"Now you know how to have a sense of shame? Where were you before?" Liang Luping struggled with his thoughts. If this matter escalated, it would be bad for everyone. His daughter was over forty years old. If they really got divorced, where would he find a deputy section chief as a son-in-law?

Besides, his daughter was the vice principal of the middle school, and she got the position because of Wang Jianming. If it weren't for Wang Jianming protecting her, her father would know better than anyone else what she was capable of.

He himself is even worse off. He has been retired for many years, and people have forgotten him. The leaders of the central school still give him some face, but he relies entirely on Wang Jianming's influence. If he relies on himself, no one will pay any attention to him.

Having figured this out, his tone softened.

"Jianming, as a leader, you must maintain your integrity and not leave any leverage for your political enemies."

I know something about your relationship with Deputy Director Chen Shi. Since you two are not on good terms, you should be even more careful about your words and actions.

I'll try to persuade Tingting not to make a scene later. Do you think Chen Shi would let such a good opportunity pass without reporting her to his superiors?

Wang Jianming quickly said, "Dad, don't worry, I've taken care of Chen Shi. He won't report me to the bureau leaders."

Liang Luping felt relieved: "Wait here, I'll go check on Tingting."

"Okay, Dad, thank you for your hard work."

Liang Luping arrived at Wang Jianming's house and knocked on the door: "Tingting, are you home?"

When Liang Ting recognized her father's voice, she realized she had been thinking about it all night and couldn't swallow her anger any longer. She was definitely not going to get a divorce; she wasn't stupid, and where would she find a deputy section chief if she did?

When she opened the door, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and Liang Luping felt a pang of heartache upon seeing her.

Entering the house, Liang Luping sat down, and Liang Ting exclaimed, "Dad, Wang Jianming is no human being; he's been messing around outside."

Liang Luping waved his hand: "Dad knows everything, don't cry, it's not a big deal."

He really wanted to say that if you want to be an official's wife, how can you avoid being cheated on? Is it that easy to be an official's wife?

He swallowed the words back; after all, she was his daughter, and he couldn't say that.

Liang Ting looked at Liang Luping in disbelief: "Dad, what are you saying? This is a huge deal for me."