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

Chen Shi couldn't help but applaud. The beautiful woman walked off the stage. Hu Santai noticed Chen Shi's gaze lingering on the woman for a few seconds, then gave her a look. The woman sat down next to Chen Shi.

Ye Shanshan stood up and invited Hu Santai to dance, leaving the space to Chen Shi and the beautiful woman.

The beautiful woman took out a glass of red wine, poured herself a drink, and smiled sweetly: "Director Chen, I'd like to propose a toast to you."

Chen Shi picked up his wine glass, clinked it against the beautiful woman's, and took a small sip.

The beautiful woman asked, "Is this your first time here, Director Chen?"

Chen Shi hummed in agreement.

The beautiful woman continued, "I saw Director Chen dancing with Chairman Ye earlier. They danced very well. Would you like to dance with me?"

Chen Shi asked, "Did you graduate from the music academy?"

The beautiful woman nodded and said, "I graduated last June."

She stood up, extended her hand, and invited Chen Shi to dance. She knew the rules here very well. If she could keep the leaders who came here happy, she could earn 100,000 yuan in one night, which ordinary people couldn't earn in a year.

Lured by money, many young and beautiful girls have lost themselves.

Chen Shi wanted to refuse, but he still reached out and grabbed the beautiful woman's slender hand, walked onto the stage, and jumped up.

The beautiful woman had a good foundation in dance and danced passionately with Chen Shi. Every now and then, she would press her full breasts against Chen Shi's body, and she could feel that Chen Shi had a physical reaction.

The lights dimmed, and after the dance was over, Chen Shi realized that it was just the two of them there.

The beautiful woman smiled charmingly: "Director Chen, they've all gone to the private room to dance, let's go dance in the private room too."

Before Chen Shi could speak, the beautiful woman took his hand and led him into a small private room. The room was dimly lit and small, with a sofa that was big enough for two people to sleep on.

The beautiful woman locked the door from the inside and started playing DJ music, making a lot of noise to isolate herself from the outside world.

The beautiful woman's clothes were very soft and transparent, revealing her snow-white skin.

When she first came here, she couldn't accept it for a while. The manager told her that while she was young, she could be more open-minded and make more money. She could earn more money in a year than an ordinary person could earn in a lifetime. It didn't matter who she slept with, it was all the same. She should open her mind and make money easily.

Chen Shi hadn't expected that Hu Santai was so shrewd. Inside the large private room were smaller private rooms. He must have dragged countless leading cadres into his schemes. No wonder his business was so good.

The beautiful woman came to Chen Shi's side and took his hand, saying, "Director Chen, let's dance one more time."

Chen Shi did not refuse, and embraced the beautiful woman's slender waist, and began to dance.

The two were pressed tightly together, and Chen Shi's hands became restless, reaching inside the woman's clothes.

The beautiful woman didn't refuse, letting out a soft, seductive moan. A voice echoed in Chen Shi's mind: You can't do this. Have you forgotten that you can't touch beautiful women and money? You must hold onto your bottom line, or you'll become a slave to money and beautiful women.

Chen Shi instantly snapped out of his daze, shoved the beautiful woman aside, hurriedly opened the door, and walked out.

The large private room was empty, with no one in it. Chen Shi walked out of the room, and Hu Santai, having received the news, hurried over. Seeing that Chen Shi was about to leave, he jogged up to him.

"Director Chen, wait a minute, where are you going?"

Chen Shi said in a deep voice, "Boss Hu, thank you for your hospitality. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

Hu Santai said with a forced smile, "Director Chen, could you give me two minutes to come to my room and sit down?"

Hu Santai knew that if he didn't make things clear this time, it would be difficult to get Chen Shi to come out again later.

Chen Shi initially wanted to refuse, but considering Hu Santai's background, he knew he couldn't afford to offend him. His circle was too wide, and he didn't know how many leading cadres had gotten on his side.

We followed Hu Santai to his private room.

When Ye Shanshan saw Chen Shi enter, she stood up. She was very disappointed that her honey trap had failed and she had not been able to win Chen Shi over. So she could only offer an even bigger temptation.

Ye Shanshan poured Chen Shi a glass of red wine. Hu Santai's smile faded. "Sit down, Chairman Ye. Director Chen has something to attend to. Just say what's wrong. I have an upset stomach and need to use the restroom."

Hu Santai made an excuse to leave, leaving only Chen Shi and Ye Shanshan in the room.

Ye Shanshan picked up her red wine, took a small sip, and got straight to the point: "Director Chen, there are no outsiders here. I came to Chunyang this time to learn about the Education Bureau's project to rebuild three key high schools."

Our company is very strong and has undertaken many government projects. I hope that this time, we can cooperate with you to win the project from the Education Bureau.

Regarding profits, we will split them 30/70, so you don't need to worry about it. After securing the project, we will complete it with high quality and quantity. This project is worth at least two to three billion, and with a profit margin of 15% to 25%, that's several hundred million in profit.

We'll launder this money for you and transfer it to an overseas account. You can spend it however you want, unlike some companies that just give you money and you can only look at it but can't spend it freely.

Ye Shanshan stared at Chen Shi, observing his expression. Seeing that he remained calm and unmoved, she continued.

"Director Chen, you don't need to worry. Hu Santai is a shareholder of my company. We're all on the same side. He doesn't care about the company's operations. He just needs to wait for the dividends every year. If you're interested, I can give you five percent of the shares. You can get several million a year. It's a steady stream of income, every year."

Chen Shi thought to himself, Hu Santai is so cunning. He doesn't care about the operations and just sits and waits for the dividends every year. If the truth comes out, it won't have anything to do with him.

Not wanting to offend Ye Shanshan and Hu Santai, Chen Shi smiled and said, "Chairwoman Ye, the Education Bureau's project is open to bidding. Any company that meets the requirements can bid. The Chunyang County government doesn't have the funds, so we need to advance the funds upfront. Payment will only be made after the project is completed and accepted. As long as your company has sufficient funds, you are welcome to bid."

This was clearly official jargon. Ye Shanshan thought for a moment, preparing to bleed a lot: "Director Chen, you're not satisfied with a 30/70 profit split? We can talk about it. How about a 50/50 split?"

Chen Shi took a sip of red wine: "Chairman Ye, you've misunderstood me. The Education Bureau welcomes capable companies to submit bids; the door is always open."

Chen Shi put down his wine glass: "I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Watching Chen Shi's departing figure, Ye Shanshan felt a sense of defeat. A mere director of the Education Bureau, he remained unmoved by the temptations of money and beautiful women. These two things were his trump cards, always effective, but this time he failed.

Hu Santai walked into the room. Ye Shanshan picked up her red wine, took a big gulp, and said coldly, "He's gone."

Hu Santai sat down: "I see. Chen Shi is so young, yet he can hold his ground. He'll be someone important in the future. We can't afford to offend him."

Ye Shanshan said with a disdainful look: "What waves can a mere bureau chief make? He either resisted the temptation or he promised the county leaders to let someone else do the project."

Ye Shanshan looked at Hu Santai: "This is a project worth two or three billion. Are you really willing to give it up like this?"

Hu Santai said nonchalantly, "The project is open to public bidding, so you can come and submit your bids as usual."

Ye Shanshan said coldly, "Without getting the relevant leaders on your side, bidding is just a waste of time."

She stood up and walked outside.

Hu Santai exclaimed, "It's so late, and we still have to go back to Mingzhou."

"I don't want to stay in such an impoverished place as Chunyang County for even a second longer."

Hu Santai stood up and saw Ye Shanshan off.