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

Two days after Chen Shi returned to Chunyang County, he received a call from Wan Xirong.

"Director Chen, are you still in Yizhou?"

"Chairman Wan, I'm going back to Chunyang County."

"Director Zhao is free tomorrow night. Come to Yizhou, and I'll help you with the introduction."

"Thank you, Chairman Wan. There are only two days left until the registration deadline. Please register as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Director Chen, I've already arranged for the relevant personnel to register."

The two tacitly agreed to cooperate.

The next day, Chen Shi arrived in Yizhou and stayed at the same five-star hotel as before. At four o'clock in the afternoon, he received a call from Wan Xirong.

"Director Chen, have you arrived in Yizhou yet?"

"Chairman Wan, I just arrived. I have an appointment with Director Zhao for a certain time."

"I have an appointment with Director Zhao for seven o'clock. You can rest for a bit, and I'll send you the address later."

At 7 p.m., Chen Shi took a private car to the address given by Wan Xirong. When Chen Shi got out of the car, he thought he had gone to the wrong place. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary farmhouse.

Chen Shi called Wan Xirong: "Chairman Wan, I've arrived."

"Director Chen, please wait a moment. I'll have my secretary come out to meet you."

A short while later, Wan Xirong's secretary came out, and Chen Shi went to greet him.

The secretary smiled and said, "Director Chen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Please come with me."

Chen Shi and Yang Bin, following their secretary, entered through an iron gate and arrived at the hall, which was magnificent and eye-catching. The outside was made of adobe, while the inside was luxuriously decorated.

Yang Bin arranged for a private room outside, and his secretary asked the waiter to set up a table for him.

Chen Shi followed his secretary to the private room inside. The secretary opened the door, and Wan Xirong was talking to Zhao Ji.

There were only two people in the private room: Wan Xirong and a middle-aged man wearing glasses, who was definitely Zhao Ji.

Chen Shi strode forward and extended his hand, intending to shake hands with Zhao Ji, but Wan Xirong reached out and grasped Chen Shi's hand instead.

"Director Chen, let me introduce you. This is Director Zhao."

Chen Shi released Wan Xirong's hand, reached out to Zhao Ji again, and said with a smile, "Hello, Director Zhao, I am Chen Shi, the director of the Education Bureau of Chunyang County."

Zhao Ji smiled, shook Chen Shi's hand briefly, and then let go.

"Director Chen is very young, please have a seat."

The three took their seats: Zhao Ji sat in the main seat, Wan Xirong sat on the left, and Chen Shi sat on the right.

The secretary took a wine dispenser, filled the bottles for the three people, and left the private room.

The dishes were served quickly, all of them wild game. Wan Xirong looked at Chen Shi and said, "Director Chen, this is your first time here. You can eat whatever you want. If you don't like these dishes, you can call the waiter in and order some of your favorite flavors."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Thank you, Chairman Wan. I have a wide range of tastes and can eat a little bit of everything, so there's no need to order anything special."

He raised his glass: "Director Zhao, let me toast you."

Zhao Ji did not pick up his wine glass: "Director Chen, no need to rush. Wine should be drunk slowly. Eat some food first. I didn't eat much at noon because I hosted provincial leaders who came to inspect the Education Department. My stomach is empty. Let me eat something before we drink."

Chen Shi put down his wine glass and repeatedly said "good".

After eating for a while, Wan Xirong raised his glass: "Let's have a drink."

Zhao Ji put down his chopsticks, picked up his wine glass, and Chen Shi followed suit. The three of them clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhao Ji nodded: "Yes, it's good wine."

Wan Xirong sent a message to his secretary, asking him to send two bottles of wine from the private room to Zhao Ji's car.

The three chatted idly. Seeing that Wan Xirong didn't bring up the project, Chen Shi didn't feel comfortable bringing it up himself. So he kept the two company, making small talk and saying all sorts of random things.

After a hearty meal, Wan Xirong suggested playing mahjong, but they were short one player.

Zhao Ji said, "We're one short for three, so let's play Landlord instead."

Wan Xirong said, "Director Zhao, your skill at playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) is absolutely terrible; you completely outclass me. I have no chance against you."

"Playing Dou Dizhu is not like playing chess, where luck plays a role. With Director Chen here today, the outcome is uncertain."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "I'm so-so at playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game)."

Zhao Ji chimed in, "It's so-so, not bad at all. We'll see how it performs."

Wan Xirong said, "Director Chen, it's all up to you tonight."

The three entered a private room. The waiter brought the name cards, and Wan Xirong's secretary stood by to serve them, telling the waiter to leave.

Chen Shi thought to himself that with Wan Xirong around, he could avoid losing a single penny and even win a little, letting Wan Xirong cover the losses.

The three played Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) for two or three hours. Wan Xirong's Dou Dizhu skills were indeed very poor, and that's no exaggeration. Zhao Ji's skill level was first-rate, but unfortunately, he encountered Chen Shi, a top-notch player, who instantly defeated both of them.

Chen Shi let Zhao Ji win, and was very happy.

Let Wan Xirong win a couple of times occasionally to boost his morale.

Wan Xirong lost over 100,000, Chen Shi won over 10,000, and the rest were won by Zhao Ji.

Leaders in high positions often find everything going smoothly, and over time, they may develop the illusion that they are invincible.

Zhao Ji was a little sleepy and suggested going to the sauna for a soak.

The manager came in and asked, "Do you want a flight attendant, a model, a college student, or the girl next door as your technician?"

Chen Shi found it intriguing; did they even have role-playing here? The manager seemed to sense Chen Shi's thoughts and added, "We use real people here, not role-playing. If you don't like it, you can change it anytime."

Wan Xirong said, "I'd like to hire a flight attendant."

Zhao Ji said: "College students"

Chen Shi then added, "University students."

Zhao Ji glanced at Chen Shi but said nothing. The three of them were led by the waiter to a private sauna room.

Chen Shi glanced around; the decor was luxurious, and the hot spring was steaming, supposedly a natural one.

A knock came from outside the private room, and a soft voice said, "Sir, may I come in?"

Chen Shi called out, "Come in."

The girl walked in; she looked innocent and sweet, and was definitely a college student.

She walked to Chen Shi's side: "Sir, let me help you take off your clothes. We'll take a bath first, then have a massage. If you're not satisfied, you can change anytime."

Chen Shi deliberately teased the girl: "Can customers do anything to the technician?"

"Sir, the customer is king. We can do whatever we want, as long as the customer is happy."

The girl changed Chen Shi's clothes, and even tried to help him take off his underwear, but Chen Shi quickly stopped her, saying, "I'm not used to running around naked."

Chen Shi walked into the hot spring. The girl took off her coat, revealing her fair skin, full figure, and wearing a bikini. She went down into the hot spring to wash Chen Shi's body.

In this environment, a man who can control his desires is definitely a master.

Chen Shi desperately wanted to leave; the blatant temptation was too much to resist. Yet, he couldn't leave; he had to integrate into their circle.

It's more effective for two people to do one bad thing than to do ten good things together.

Chen Shi stepped out of the hot spring: "I'm not soaking anymore, give me a massage."

After a two-hour massage, Chen Shi resisted the temptation, sent the masseuse away, put on his clothes, and his phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was Wan Xirong calling.

"Director Chen, Director Zhao has something to attend to and has left. He asked me to tell you to go to the Education Department at 3 PM tomorrow to report on your work."

"Thank you, Chairman Wan."

"Take your time playing. I've already paid the bill. I also have something to do, so I'm leaving now."

Chen Shi quickly said, "I'm also preparing to leave."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shi was still worried that they would stay overnight; he had wanted to leave for a long time.