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

Led by the beautiful waitress, Chen Shi arrived at the private room and asked the waitress to serve the dishes.

Huang Ao sat in the main seat, with Zhou Quanfu and Chen Shi sitting on either side of him.

Fine wine and delicacies were served quickly, and the three of them ate and chatted. Chen Shi listened from the side, but he couldn't join in on the topics that Zhou Quanfu and Huang Ao were discussing.

After a hearty meal, Zhou Quanfu suggested going to a sauna. Huang Ao took out a cigarette and just put it in his mouth when Chen Shi took out a lighter, leaned over, and lit it for him.

Huang Ao took a drag and exhaled smoke: "Old Zhou, I just went to a sauna last night. If I go again, my skin will be scabbed. The three of us are short one for mahjong, so how about we play some card games for fun? Let's not play big, just 100 per point."

Zhou Quanfu quickly said, "Okay, the three of us will play Landlord."

Chen Shi called the waiter and gave each person 10,000 yuan. They went to another private room to play cards.

Chen Shi was a skilled card player who rarely lost, but he couldn't win against Huang Ao and Zhou Quanfu. In less than an hour, he lost his 10,000 yuan to Zhou Quanfu and Huang Ao.

Huang Ao won the most, his face beaming with joy, in high spirits: "I'm on a good winning streak tonight, Director Chen, let's try to win back what we lost."

Chen Shi then called the waiter and asked him to bring 20,000 yuan.

When playing cards with your boss, your card skills can't be bad, but they can't be too good either. You need to make your boss feel excited, like they're about to lose, but then they win. That's what makes it interesting.

This level of skill is difficult to grasp; one must have exceptional card-playing ability.

Huang Ao was in a good mood, and Zhou Quanfu was very satisfied with Chen Shi's performance. Zhou Quanfu basically broke even, while Huang Ao, amidst the thrills and excitement, won more often than he lost, finding it very interesting.

The three of them played cards until 2 a.m. Huang Ao yawned a few times and said, "I didn't sleep well last night, so let's call it a night. We have a standing committee meeting tomorrow, so I'm going back to rest."

Huang Ao won quite a bit, mostly against Chen Shi, and Zhou Quanfu won a small amount. Huang Ao was in a good mood and patted Chen Shi on the shoulder: "Director Chen, your card skills are good, you just had bad luck. Next time you come to Mingzhou, let's play Landlord again. Playing Landlord with you is a lot of fun."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Secretary-General Huang, I'll give you a call next time I come to Mingzhou."

Huang Ao had a very good impression of Chen Shi, considering him a good young man. Coupled with his relationship with Wang Mingzhang, his goodwill towards Chen Shi increased even more, and he gave Chen Shi his private phone number.

Chen Shi was secretly delighted; losing this little bit of money tonight was totally worth it.

Having connections among the members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee is essential for a chance at becoming a deputy director-level official.

After seeing Huang Ao and Zhou Quanfu off, Chen Shi did the math. Huang Ao had won less than 40,000, Zhou Quanfu had won more than 10,000, and he himself had lost more than 50,000.

After paying the bill, I went back to the hotel to rest.

Chen Shi slept until eleven o'clock before getting up, feeling full of energy. This trip to Mingzhou was very fruitful, yielding four hundred million, which satisfied Chen Shi.

As long as we are willing to find a way, we can definitely solve the funding difficulties.

After lunch, as I was preparing to return to Mingzhou, I received a call from Jiang Yiqiu.

"Honey, are you still in Minnesota?"

"Having finished my business, I'm getting ready to return to Chunyang County."

"The Education Bureau organized a training session this weekend. I just came up here this morning. Don't go back yet. The training will last until 5 p.m. Wait for me at the hotel."

There wasn't much to do when Chen Shi went back home for the weekend. Hearing Jiang Yiqiu's voice, he thought of the girl who massaged him at the Water Cube, and then he thought of Huang Xin's sexy figure, which aroused his physical reaction.

"Has your training ended?"

"The morning training has ended. We just finished lunch and will take a short break. The training will start again at 2:30 pm."

Chen Shi checked the time; it was only 12:30.

Send me the address and I'll have Yang Bin come pick you up. I'll be waiting at the hotel.

"Okay," Jiang Yiqiu sent the address to Chen Shi, who then asked Yang Bin to pick up Jiang Yiqiu. Chen Shi returned to the hotel, booked a room, and waited.

Less than twenty minutes later, Jiang Yiqiu appeared at the hotel entrance. Chen Shi couldn't wait to pick him up and carry him into the room, locking the door behind him.

Just as Jiang Yiqiu was about to speak, Chen Shi covered his mouth, and the two kissed passionately.

After a deep conversation, Chen Shi finally released the anger in his heart, and lay on the bed, feeling weak and listless.

Jiang Yiqiu got out of bed, still happy. Chen Shi's eagerness to do this meant that he hadn't been messing around outside.

Men have limited energy; if they were to mess around outside, they certainly wouldn't be in such a hurry.

Jiang Yiqiu kissed Chen Shi on the lips and said with a smile, "Darling, you're amazing. This kiss is a reward for you. I'm going to take a shower. You wait for me at the hotel. I'll come over after the training. Tonight, we'll go shopping and see a movie."

Jiang Yiqiu went to the bathroom, took a shower, and got dressed. Chen Shi then asked Yang Bin to take Jiang Yiqiu to training.

Chen Shi slept in the hotel all afternoon, and only got up after Jiang Yiqiu returned from training.

After washing up, I went out with Jiang Yiqiu.

Jiang Yiqiu asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Chen Shi himself didn't know what he wanted to eat, so he smiled and said, "You decide. What you like to eat is what I like."

Jiang Yiqiu took Chen Shi's hand, a happy smile on his face: "I want to eat Mingzhou's pickled cabbage and pig's feet."

"Okay, let's go eat pickled cabbage and pig's feet."

Yang Bin had been following Chen Shi to Mingzhou for the past two or three days and had carefully studied the map of Mingzhou's main urban area. As the leader's driver, he had to memorize the routes.

Jiang Yiqiu is very familiar with Mingzhou. His family owns a house there and often visits.

After getting into the car, Yang Bin asked, "Director Chen, where are we taking you?"

Jiang Yiqiu then asked, "Do you know about MixC?"

Yang Bin quickly replied, "I know."

"Go to MixC," Jiang Yiqiu said to Chen Shi. "There's a sauerkraut and pig's feet restaurant in MixC that's the most authentic in Mingzhou. It's been open for thirty years. Before, when I came to Mingzhou, my mom would always ask me to bring some back with me."

Chen Shi had never tried Mingzhou's pickled cabbage and pig's feet before. When he walked around the streets, he often saw signs for pickled cabbage and pig's feet, which piqued his interest. He decided to try it and see if it was delicious.

Upon arriving at MixC Mall, Chen Shi got out of the car and tossed Yang Bin a pack of cigarettes: "Yang Bin, we're going to shop around the mall for a while. If there's anywhere in Mingzhou you'd like to go, feel free to make your own arrangements. I'll call you in advance when it's time to head back."

Yang Bin smiled and said, "Director Chen, I don't have anywhere to go. I'll just wait here. You can take your time looking around. I'll be there whenever you call."

Chen Shi was satisfied with Yang Bin, nodded, and said no more. He then went with Jiang Yiqiu to eat Mingzhou's specialty, pickled cabbage and pig's feet.

This shop is doing very well; a huge crowd has formed outside.

Jiang Yiqiu took a number and waited for more than half an hour before it was their turn.

The taste was indeed good, and Chen Shi ate it in large bites.

Jiang Yiqiu asked, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

Chen Shi nodded repeatedly: "That's right. Next time I come to Mingzhou, I'll eat pickled cabbage and pig's feet here."

Jiang Yiqiu was delighted to see that Chen Shi liked pickled cabbage and pig's feet, because what he liked was also what Chen Shi liked.