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

The weekend arrived quickly, and the lunar calendar entered October. The weather turned cold, and winter in Fushan Township was bitterly cold.

Chen Shi slept with Wang Yanhong in his arms until noon before waking up, stretching, and putting on a down jacket.

The two ate a bowl of rice noodles outside. Wang Yanhong was going back to her hometown to be a bridesmaid at her cousin's wedding.

Chen Shi made an appointment with Wang Tao, Liu Feng, Wang Haiyang, and Li Li to have dinner and drinks tonight.

After seeing Wang Yanhong off, Chen Shi boarded a bus and headed to Chunyang County.

Upon arriving in the county town at 5:30 PM, Chen Shi found a hotel to stay in. The dinner was scheduled for 6:30 PM. After resting for a while, he rushed over.

Chen Shi arrived at the restaurant where the dinner was to be held and asked for a private room. He was treating everyone tonight; it was he who invited Wang Tao and the other three to dinner.

Everything was arranged, and I stood outside the restaurant waiting.

Wang Tao and his three companions arrived at the restaurant at 6:20 sharp.

Wang Tao and Liu Feng's car was parked in front of the restaurant, and the four of them got out of the car.

Chen Shi hurriedly went up to greet them, chatting and laughing with the four of them. Anyone who didn't know them would think they were old friends, but in fact, this was only their second time having dinner together.

Upon entering the private room, the four men urged Chen Shi to sit in the main seat, but Chen Shi modestly declined and insisted that Wang Tao take the seat instead.

Wang Tao is the initiator of the four-person team and has a voice, so he should rightfully sit in the main seat.

If Chen Shi hadn't been a college classmate of Xu Ping'an, he wouldn't have been able to have dinner with these four people at all.

What kind of status do they have? A police officer at a township police station isn't qualified.

Seeing that Chen Shi was very sensible and had taken the main seat, Wang Tao pulled Chen Shi to sit on his left.

The five men toasted each other, ate and drank to their hearts' content, and chatted about trivial matters.

Wang Tao put down his wine glass and looked at Chen Shi: "Is Section Chief Xu free recently? The four of us would like to invite him for a couple of drinks."

Chen Shi also put down his wine glass. These four people came to eat not for him, but for Xu Ping'an.

If you're not part of their social circle, don't force your way in; they won't include you anyway.

"I came up late today and haven't contacted Section Chief Xu yet. I'll ask him tomorrow morning."

Liu Feng smiled and said, "Chen Shi, you come to the county town to visit people all the time. With such good connections, why are you still working at the township police station? With just a word from Section Chief Xu, you can be transferred to the county public security bureau."

Chen Shi reacted quickly. This was a test of his relationship with Xu Ping'an. If they were on good terms, nothing else would be possible. With Xu Ping'an's background, transferring someone to the county public security bureau wouldn't be difficult.

"I want to gain some experience at the grassroots level."

Wang Tao laughed and said, "Chen Shi, you can't really get any experience at the grassroots level. You'll have more opportunities if you come up to the county public security bureau."

Seeing that Chen Shi couldn't get Xu Ping'an to come out for a long time, the four people began to suspect the relationship between Chen Shi and Xu Ping'an.

Chen Shi's mind raced. These four were all shrewd individuals who wanted to test his abilities. If he couldn't be transferred back to the county public security bureau, it meant that his relationship with Xu Ping'an was just so-so, and there was no need for them to waste their time on him.

"There are more opportunities in the county public security bureau, but the competition is also fierce. Nobody wants to go to the township police stations. I'm in a lower-level position, so I have more opportunities to show my face."

Wang Tao glanced at Chen Shi, smiled without saying a word, and said, "Keep pretending, let's see how long you can keep it up."

After chatting for a while, Wang Tao said he had something to do, and the dinner party ended.

Chen Shi went to pay the bill and spent eight hundred, which he felt was not worth it. The four men, seeing that they could not get Xu Ping'an to come out, had obviously lost patience.

By the time Chen Shi paid the bill and came out, the four men had already left.

That's just how it is within the system; when you don't have the ability, nobody will pay attention to you.

It seems that building relationships isn't about treating people to meals, but about being useful to them. Isn't the adult world all about mutual benefit? If you have no value to them, no one will bother with you.

Eating is just a formality; if you're not on equal footing, people won't even give you the chance to eat at the same table.

Chen Shi returned to the hotel and arranged to meet Xu Ping'an at 11:30 the next day.

I felt very sleepy, so I took a bath and fell asleep as soon as I lay down on the bed.

I slept until ten o'clock, got up, tidied up, and went to Qingcheng Hotel. I asked for a private room and waited for Xu Ping'an to arrive.

Chen Shi stood at the restaurant entrance until noon when Xu Ping'an arrived on his electric scooter.

Chen Shi greeted him with a broad smile: "Section Chief Xu"

Xu Pingan stopped his electric scooter: "Chen Shi, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Something came up and I was delayed."

"Section Chief Xu, it's my honor to have waited for you. Please come in."

The two entered the private room, Chen Shi ordered the dishes, and asked the waiter to bring them.

Chen Shi became Xu Ping'an's henchman, serving him tea and water.

Xu Pingan felt the thrill of power. He was only a lowly deputy section chief, yet so many people fawned over him. He couldn't imagine how prestigious he would be if he were promoted to deputy section chief or even deputy director.

Xu Pingan picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Chen Shi, you came up here yesterday?"

"Yes, I arrived in the county yesterday, but it was too late, so I didn't dare to bother you."

"Who did you have dinner with last night?" Xu Pingan asked Chen Shi.

Chen Shi smiled and said, "I didn't go with anyone, just a few trainees from the last training course: Wang Tao and Liu Feng from the Public Security Management Brigade, Wang Haiyang from the Criminal Investigation Brigade, and Li Li from the Traffic Police Brigade."

Xu Ping'an's eyes lit up: "Not bad, you've already made friends with several capable students in just one and a half days of training."

Chen Shi wanted to take the opportunity to say that these four people wanted to invite him to dinner, but he swallowed the words back.

If he revealed it, it would expose the true purpose of these four people: their befriending him was for Xu Ping'an's sake.

The way he looked at me earlier clearly showed him a higher regard.

Many people want to meet a benefactor and receive their support, but why would a benefactor support you? It's because they see your value.

At this moment, Xu Ping'an saw Chen Shi's value.

If he could help Chen Shi transfer back to the county public security bureau, it wouldn't be difficult, but he would still owe him a favor.

This is not within his authority; personnel transfers are not under his jurisdiction. If he were to intervene, he would be confident that the HR department would give him the necessary face.

But favors owed must be repaid. Is it worth incurring this favor for Chen Shi's sake?

Chen Shi quickly raised his glass: "Section Chief Xu, I'd like to toast you."

Xu Pingan picked up his wine glass and took a sip, while Chen Shi drank his entire glass.

When toasting a leader, if they only take a sip, they're already giving you face. But if every subordinate toasts you and you drink a whole glass, how can the leader stand it?

Chen Shi put down his wine glass and looked at Xu Ping'an: "Section Chief Xu, I really want to be by your side every day, serving you tea and water, but Fushan Town is too far from the county seat, so I can only come up on weekends and don't have the chance to show my skills."

Xu Ping'an understood Chen Shi's idea: he wanted to ask him to transfer him to the county public security bureau. However, Chen Shi's value was not worth owing him a favor.

"Don't you have my phone number? If you miss me, call me. I'll answer as long as I'm not busy."

Chen Shi smiled and nodded, indicating that he was refusing to help Chen Shi transfer back to the county public security bureau.

"I'll definitely call you often to check on you when I get back."

The two chatted about the good old days in college. Xu Pingan glanced at his watch and stood up.

"It's getting late. I'm used to taking an afternoon nap. You can go back now. After all, Fushan Town is too far from the county seat. It's better to go back sooner."

After seeing Xu Ping'an off, Chen Shi felt empty inside. Asking people for favors is damn hard.