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

Seeing Xiao Guang's smug and disdainful expression, Dong Xuexi cursed him inwardly, "Sycophant."

He looked out the window with a disdainful expression.

Upon receiving the task, Xiao Guang immediately assigned it to three young men, and they began their work.

Dong Xuexi picked up the thermos, opened it, and found it was empty. He stood up to get more water.

The water dispenser was empty. He glanced at the people in the office; two bosses were reading newspapers on their stools, while the others were busy working.

He picked up the empty bucket, went to the logistics department, carried back a bucket of water, and was panting heavily from exhaustion.

I placed the water bucket on the water dispenser and waited two or three minutes for hot water to come out. I filled my thermos with water, returned to my seat, and started getting busy.

He dared not act like the two bosses. He had to do the work Yang Xiaobo assigned him. If he didn't do it well, Yang Xiaobo could easily find an excuse to send him to a remote town. It was just a matter of a word.

Even if Yang Xiaobo was dissatisfied with himself, he still didn't dare to kick himself out of the Party and Government Office without a proper reason.

Two bosses sat on stools. When Dong Xuexue brought water, they waited a few minutes, then filled their thermos cups, sat down, read the newspaper, and waited to get off work.

They were sitting by the window when they saw Chen Shi walking towards the office. They quickly put away their newspapers and pretended to be busy with work.

Xiao Guang had the best view from his seat. When he saw Chen Shi walking towards the office, he quickly left his office. He wanted to find an opportunity to talk to his boss more so that his boss would remember him.

If you make a good impression on your boss, they will think of you when there are benefits to be gained.

He walked over to Chen Shi, greeting him with a broad smile: "Director Chen."

Chen Shi nodded to him and walked over. Xiao Guang stopped and saw that Chen Shi did not go into the Party and Government Office but walked directly over, so he turned back.

Dong Xuexi stared at Xiao Guang's performance with a look of disdain, thinking him a despicable sycophant.

At noon, Dong Xuexi went home for lunch. His wife teaches at a rural primary school in Huangchang Town. His father-in-law is sick and has been hospitalized in the county hospital, so his wife took leave to come up and take care of him.

When he got home, his wife packed the cooked dishes into lunchboxes and plates, but they were empty; she hadn't left any for herself.

Dong Xuexi's face darkened: "Why didn't you leave me any food when you cooked? Am I supposed to come back and eat nothing?"

His wife, Huang Feng'e, said coldly, "You wanted to come back for dinner, but you didn't tell me in advance. I didn't cook for you; if you want to eat, cook for yourself."

What kind of attitude is that?

"This is my attitude. What kind of attitude do you want me to give you? I have to take care of the old and the young, while you have nothing to do. You just sit in the office drinking tea and reading the newspaper all day, and you're always depressed, acting like the whole world has wronged you."

Dong Xuexi was in a bad mood and was being scolded by his wife. He yelled, "Am I not going to help you take care of me? You're in Huangchang Town, and I'm in the county town. We're so far apart. How am I supposed to take care of you?"

Huang Feng'e slammed the lunchbox down on the table: "When we got married, who was it that kept saying he would help me transfer to the county town? We've been married for almost ten years now, what happened to your promise?"

Look at Yang Xiaobo. He was your junior high school classmate, but he's still a vocational school graduate, while you're a college graduate. You were assigned to the Education Bureau right after graduation, while he was assigned to Laoyan Town, a godforsaken place. He relied on himself, step by step, to become your leader. He brought all his relatives to the county town, some to do business, some to work in government units.

You can't even help your own wife find a job, let alone help your relatives.

The gap between people is greater than the gap between people and dogs. Yang Xiaobo's wife, a substitute teacher, graduated from high school and never went to university, but she got a bachelor's degree through correspondence courses and is now the vice principal of the Experimental Primary School in Chengnan Street. As for me, even being transferred to the county seat has become a pipe dream.

Dong Xuexi hated it most when people compared him to Yang Xiaobo. He grabbed the bowl on the table and smashed it on the ground.

He shouted, "Don't mention Yang Xiaobo in front of me!"

Huang Feng'e kicked away the chair next to her: "Why are you showing off in front of me? If you're so tough, go outside and show off. That's what a real man should be like."

Why can't I mention Yang Xiaobo? I insist on mentioning him. Yang Xiaobo was more successful than you. How could I have been so blind to fall for you? My whole family suffered because of you, living apart from each other like widows. Did you ever care about anything at home?

If you want to be high-minded, don't get married, don't have children, you'll only drag my daughter and me down with you.

Dong Xuexi shouted, "What's so great about Yang Xiaobo? He's just a sycophant who knows how to flatter the boss. His relatives are just contract workers. If they're so capable, let's see them get permanent jobs."

Huang Feng'e sneered, "If you're so capable, transfer me to the county town and bring your brothers and sisters from your hometown to work as contract workers in government units."

Dong Xuexi opened his mouth wide, unable to utter a single word. Yes, his own brothers were still toiling in the fields back in their hometown, making a living from the soil.

Yang Xiaobo's family had long since escaped the land and started living the life of cadres by taking advantage of his power.

Even his brother-in-law, who is illiterate, got a job as a gatekeeper at the Experimental Primary School Affiliated to Chengnan Street.

What is the meaning of studying? For someone from a rural area, isn't it about changing the fate of the entire family? Yang Xiaobo did it, but he was so good at studying that he couldn't even solve his wife's employment problem.

That's terrible.

Huang Feng'e said coldly, "Speak up, aren't you very capable? When you were pursuing me, you talked a lot, saying that you would become a section-level cadre in three years, a deputy section-level leader in five years, and the director of the Education Bureau in seven years."

Now, more than ten years have passed. From a young clerk to an old clerk, count on your fingers how much time you have left. You're practically buried in the ground, and all you do is yell at me.

No matter who you are, don't take yourself too seriously. If you take yourself too seriously, no one else will take you seriously. On the contrary, if you don't take yourself seriously, others will take you seriously.

Dong Xuexi plopped down in a chair, his face ashen. Yes, looking back on the past ten years, he realized he had taken himself too seriously.

When I first came to the Education Bureau, I was a graduate of a prestigious university, one of very few in the bureau. Now, look around, any young person you randomly pick in the Education Bureau is a graduate of a prestigious university.

Not only are they all undergraduates, but many are also graduate students.

My past pride now seems so ridiculous. It wasn't that I didn't have opportunities, but my arrogance kept them all out.

Dong Xuexi secretly resolved to change. If he couldn't make it in the world, not only would outsiders look down on him, but even his family, wife, and children would despise him.

Being aloof seems so ridiculous. Who are you trying to impress with your aloofness? And who cares about you anyway?

Huang Feng'e sighed, "Even if it's not for my sake, I have to think about the children. Can rural education compare to that in the county town? I've suffered a lot in my life, but this is my fate, and I accept it."

But my child can't endure that. I'm suffering so that she won't have to suffer in the future. If you're going to be a good father, you need to find a way to change all of this.

Huang Feng'e picked up her lunchbox, left home, and rushed to the hospital, leaving Dong Xuexi behind, consumed by deep self-reproach.