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

Soon after, the food was served, and the two began drinking. They drank two bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and Chen Shi got drunk. Yang Bin helped him into the car.

Back at the hotel, Chen Shi vomited in the bathroom. Yang Bin cleaned up the bathroom and asked the waiter to bring him a bowl of hangover soup, which Chen Shi drank.

Chen Shi felt dizzy and lay down to sleep.

Yang Bin was afraid that Chen Shi would need water at night, so he slept on the sofa, ready to be at Chen Shi's beck and call at any time.

When Chen Shi woke up in the morning, he saw Yang Bin sleeping on the sofa, so he took a blanket and covered him with it.

Yang Bin opened his eyes and saw Chen Shi standing beside him, so he quickly got up.

Chen Shi said softly, "Why didn't you go back to sleep last night?"

"Director Chen, you were drunk last night. I was worried you'd want some hot water, so I stayed to wait for you. Before I knew it, I fell asleep."

"Go back and rest. I'll call you if you need anything."

Yang Bin quickly replied, "I'm not sleepy."

"You need to get enough sleep before driving; you can't drive when you're tired."

Yang Bin then went back to catch up on his sleep.

Chen Shi stayed in his room until 11 o'clock, then took out his phone and called Ding Yi again. He had no other connections, so he could only rely on Ding Yi to find a way to see Deputy Director Zhao Ji first.

The call was answered quickly this time.

"Director Chen, Director Zhao is unavailable today, and not in the near future. You should go back first, and I'll call you when he's free."

"You can't fool a ghost with that," Chen thought to himself, but a smile appeared on his face. "Section Chief Ding, are you free today?"

"I'm very busy today; I have some personal matters to attend to."

"What personal matter is it that I can help with?"

"After buying a new house, I need to start decorating and find a suitable decoration company."

Chen Shi quickly said, "I have a friend who does renovations. I'll ask them to come over now, take measurements for your house, and create a design plan."

Is this renovation company reliable?

"They're reliable, Section Chief Ding, you can rest assured. They've been in Yizhou for many years and have a very good reputation."

"Okay, have them contact me at 2 PM to come over and measure the house."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. When it came to getting things done or finding a leader, the hardest thing to do was to be indifferent and have no desires or demands.

If you just ask for something, it will be easy to get things done.

Chen Shi called Zhou Hua.

"Zhou Hua, I need your help with something."

"Just tell me what you need, and I'll do it for you as soon as I can."

"Section Chief Ding from the Education Department's office bought a new house and wants to renovate it. Contact him at 2 PM this afternoon to come over and measure the house. I don't trust anyone else. You need to handle this personally and make sure it's done well. Strictly follow Section Chief Ding's requirements. Use environmentally friendly, big-brand materials. You need to supervise the workmanship carefully to avoid any problems."

"Don't worry, I understand how things work within the system. Leave this to me, I'll get it done for you."

"As for the price, you can give me a 90% discount, and I'll make up the difference for you."

"No need. We're brothers. You can introduce me to this Section Chief Ding. I'm in Yizhou and don't have any connections with leaders yet. This little bit of money is just a stepping stone. Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it."

"This is official business, one thing at a time. If you don't accept it, I'll find someone else to do it."

"Okay, I'll send you the quotation later."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shi sent the phone number to Zhou Hua.

That evening, Zhou Hua called to say that everything was settled and that the design plan and renderings would be ready in two days. Section Chief Ding was very satisfied and told Chen Shi to rest assured.

The next afternoon, Chen Shi received a call from Ding Yi and answered it immediately.

Section Chief Ding

"Director Chen, I can spare some time tonight. Let's have a couple of drinks together, at Xinfulou again."

Chen Shi was overjoyed and repeatedly said yes.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Shi arrived at Xinfulou and ordered dishes and two bottles of good wine based on Ding Yi's tastes from last time.

After waiting for an hour, Ding Yi finally arrived at Xinfulou.

Chen Shi stood up to greet him, and Ding Yi shook Chen Shi's hand: "Director Chen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Director Zhao has an emergency meeting, so I have to wait."

"Section Chief Ding, you're too kind. It's an honor for me that you could take the time to come and have a couple of drinks with me. The waiting list for drinking with you is practically until next year."

Ding Yi smiled broadly: "Director Chen, that's going too far."

Chen Shi opened the wine bottle, personally filled Ding Yi's glass, and called the waiter to serve the dishes.

The table was laden with dishes. The two ate and chatted, and after a satisfying meal, Chen Shi put down his wine glass. "Today we can get down to business."

"Section Chief Ding, I'd like to trouble you with the matter of the special education fund support project. Could you please introduce me to Director Zhao and raise the issue of the backward state of education in Chunyang County with him?"

Ding put down his chopsticks: "Director Chen, to be honest, many county leaders have heard the news and have tried to use their connections to get Director Zhao to secure education support funds."

Many people have contacted me. You were recommended by Zhang Kai. Given my relationship with Zhang Kai, I'll give you an idea.

Going to Director Zhao won't help you with this. Even if it were your county party secretary, it wouldn't make a difference.

Chen Shi listened attentively and filled Ding Yi's cup with wine.

Ding Yi continued, "Director Zhao has a friend, and they have a very good relationship. This friend is in the real estate business. If you go to the chairman of Donghai Zhencheng Group, the success rate will be very high if he helps you introduce him to the company."

"Of course I can help you get the job, but it will be through the normal procedures. You're not familiar with Director Zhao, so I'll only give you five minutes to report at most, which isn't enough to leave a good impression on him."

Chen Shi nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your guidance, Section Chief Ding. I understand what to do."

He raised his glass: "Section Chief Ding, this is a toast to you."

After they shared a drink, Chen Shi asked, "Section Chief Ding, do you have the private contact information for the chairman of Donghai Zhencheng Group?"

"Yes, I've met Chairman Wan a few times, but we're not familiar with each other, so I can't help you get him in. You'll have to do it yourself."

Ding Yi took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and gave Chen Shi the private number of Wan Xirong, chairman of Donghai Zhencheng Group.

After finishing their business, the dinner was over. Yang Bin paid the bill, and Chen Shi saw Ding Yi to his car and back to the hotel.

He turned on the computer in the hotel and checked the business scope of Donghai Zhencheng Group. In addition to real estate, it was also involved in finance, insurance, entertainment venues, etc.

The fixed assets of Donghai Zhencheng Group have reached 100 billion yuan.

Chen Shi wondered to himself, would such a powerful company be interested in a project worth more than 2 billion?

The idea was quickly rejected in their minds. A project worth over two billion yuan is no small project anywhere. Only they know how much of the 100 billion yuan in fixed assets is inflated.

Whether it's an acquaintance or a stranger, profit is the only constant. If he has projects in his hands, Wan Xirong will not refuse to cooperate.

On second thought, if I could get in touch with Zhao Ji through this incident, it would be helpful for my future career.

Zhao Ji has a very strong background. He is only 43 years old this year and is the number two person in the Education Department. The Director of the Education Department will retire next year, and Zhao Ji is very likely to succeed him as the Director.

Making friends with such important figures is always beneficial.

When pursuing a career in government, one should not put all their eggs in one basket; it is essential to have an extra layer of protection.

Having figured all this out, Chen Shi decided to go see Wan Xirong tomorrow and present him with a pledge of loyalty.