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

There's a reason why middle-aged men tend to prefer obedient and well-behaved young and pretty girls.

They achieve success in their careers and also need to project leadership authority at home. Often, their wives don't give them this feeling, and they can't project their authority. Only the women they find outside the marriage give them this feeling—obedient and submissive.

Chen Shi, slightly drunk, chatted idly with Hong Xiaojia, while Gu Jia and Wan Xirong had a lively conversation. Wan Xirong was all smiles, and Chen Shi noticed that Gu Jia had asked for Wan Xirong's phone number.

Gu Jia is a social butterfly with strong social skills. She knows how to use her feminine advantages to deal with men.

Hong Xiaojia said, "We've had enough to drink, let's go play mahjong."

Wan Xirong chimed in, "Tonight, Director Hong is going to wreak havoc again."

Hong Xiaojia said confidently, "Director Chen and Ms. Gu are here tonight, so we'll have to ask them."

Gu Jia smiled and said, "I'm just a newbie, here to make up the numbers. Director Hong, please go easy on me."

The four of them chatted and laughed as they walked toward the entertainment room.

Gu Jia is a mahjong expert. She brought 100,000 yuan with her and plans to lose it all tonight to please Wan Xirong and Hong Xiaojia.

If I can serve these two big shots well, my sales in Minnesota can double.

Building materials from major brands are all pretty much the same, and there's not much difference in price. The main factor is who buys them and who sells them, which is very important.

It doesn't matter whose you use, you should definitely choose the one that brings you benefits.

The four of them were playing mahjong in a private room. Chen Shi was also a mahjong expert, and he worked with Gu Jia to make sure that Hong Xiaojia and Wan Xirong didn't think that Gu Jia had deliberately lost to them.

Hong Xiaojia is also a master at mahjong. When masters compete, the difference between winning and losing is often very small.

The slightly weaker one is Wan Xirong. Wan Xirong wants to befriend Chen Shi and help Chen Shi win the game, which is quite obvious.

Gu Jia helped Hong Xiaojia and Wan Xirong win without leaving a trace, allowing the two to win very happily.

The four played mahjong until 2 a.m. Hong Xiaojia won the most, Chen Shi and Wan Xirong were evenly matched, and Gu Jia lost all of her 100,000 yuan, losing more than 90,000 yuan.

As Hong Xiaojia grew sleepy, she exclaimed, "That's enough for tonight. Ms. Gu's mahjong skills are top-notch, but her luck is just a little off."

Gu Jia smiled and said, "Go down and practice more, and try to beat Director Hong next time."

Wan Xirong chimed in, "I can't stay up late these days. If I do, I get a headache. I'll go back and rest."

The three left the hotel, first seeing Hong Xiaojia off. After Hong Xiaojia left, Wan Xirong said goodbye to Chen Shi and Gu Jia.

After Hong Xiaojia and Wan Xirong left, Gu Jia looked at Chen Shi and said, "Director Chen, where do you live? I'll take you home."

"No need, I have a car."

Gu Jia said, "I didn't drive here, could you give me a ride?"

"Where do you live?" Chen Shi asked Gu Jia.

"I haven't booked a room yet. Wherever you're staying, I'll stay next to you."

Chen Shi looked at Gu Jia: "You didn't book a room, so you'll stay here. You drank quite a bit tonight, so don't wander around. I'm going back to rest."

Before Gu Jia could speak, Chen Shi got into the car and told Yang Bin to drive to the hotel.

Gu Jia watched the taillights disappear into the night, a smug smile appearing on her lips. She had developed a slight liking for Chen Shi, and it wasn't all an act. She thought to herself, "This damn man, I'm going to sleep with you."

Tonight was very fruitful. I connected with Wan Xirong and even got a buy-one-get-one-free deal. I also met Hong Xiaojia, who is the God of Wealth in Mingzhou. He will be of great help in developing the Mingzhou market.

I turned around and went back to the hotel, where I asked for a room to rest.

Chen Shi returned to the hotel, feeling sleepy, and fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed, not getting up until ten o'clock the next day.

At eleven o'clock, Chen Shi called Ding Yi.

"Section Chief Ding, has Director Zhao returned from the meeting?"

"You're back, Director Chen. You were in Yizhou?"

"I'm in Yizhou. Is Director Zhao free this afternoon? I'd like to report to him on my work."

"Please wait a moment, let me check Director Zhao's work arrangements."

Chen Shi waited for more than ten minutes before Ding Yi called back.

"Director Chen, Director Zhao has 20 minutes at 3:20 PM to give his report. Please come during this time."

"Okay, thank you, Section Chief Ding. I'll be there at three o'clock."

At 3 p.m., Chen Shi arrived at the Education Department, in Ding Yi's office.

Ding Yi stood up to greet him: "Director Chen, please have a seat. Please wait a moment while I go check if anyone is in Director Zhao's office."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Thank you for your help, Section Chief Ding."

Ding Yi poured Chen Shi a cup of tea before leaving the office.

After waiting for a while, Ding Yi returned: "Director Chen, Director Zhao's office is empty. He wants you to come over."

Chen Shi arrived at Zhao Ji's office, beaming, and said, "Director Zhao..."

"Director Chen is here." Zhao Ji put down the documents in his hand and sat down in the reception room.

Chen Shi took out the documents on rebuilding three key high schools from his briefcase and handed them to Zhao Ji with both hands.

"Director Zhao, this is the information on the reconstruction of three key high schools in Chunyang County. The bidding process has been completed, and the winning bidder is Donghai Zhencheng Group. Donghai Zhencheng Group won all three bids, with a total bid amount of 26.46 billion yuan."

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held on May 1st, and the three key high schools will begin enrolling students simultaneously by September of next year.

Chen Shi did not mention inviting Zhao Ji to the groundbreaking ceremony, as Zhao Ji's attendance would cause him trouble.

This is a message to all impoverished and educationally backward counties: Zhao Ji intends to invest the education department's special education funds in Chunyang County, making Chunyang County a focus of attention, and Chen Shi will become the target of public criticism.

This is a billion yuan. Many impoverished counties will do everything they can to find out the relationship between Donghai Zhencheng Group, Zhao Ji, and Chen Shi in order to get this funding.

Great things are accomplished in secrecy; if everyone knows about them, great things cannot be done.

Zhao Ji is in charge of 1 billion yuan in special funds for education support projects, and wherever he goes, he becomes the focus of attention.

The special education fund support project was implemented in the form of a document to support Chunyang County. Other impoverished counties, seeing no other opportunity, would then give up.

As long as things haven't settled down, there's always room for change, and everyone will try every possible means to fight for it.

Zhao Ji looked through the documents on rebuilding the three key high schools and nodded repeatedly: "Chunyang County has done a very good job in this regard. I can see that the Chunyang County Party Committee, the County Government, and the Education Bureau really want to change the backward state of local education."

Personally, I support, in principle, allocating 1 billion yuan of the special education fund to Chunyang County. The specifics depend on expert evaluation of eligible impoverished counties with underdeveloped education. This isn't a decision I can make alone; it requires expert evaluation to be convincing.

Chen Shi naturally understood the intricacies of the situation. Zhao Ji was in charge, and he could give the prize to whomever he wanted. The impoverished counties below would definitely object, asking why he should be given the prize and demanding a basis for his decision. The expert assessment would serve as the basis, allowing Zhao Ji to avoid offending anyone by presenting the expert assessment as evidence to shirk his responsibility.

Chen Shi nodded repeatedly, indicating his approval.

Zhao Ji added, "After May Day, the official documents for the special education fund support project will be released. Registration will begin in May, and the poverty-stricken counties that have registered will be reviewed in June. In July and August, experts will evaluate the poverty-stricken counties that meet the criteria for backward education. The results will be announced after October."

"Director Chen, please remain calm during this time. Go back and wait. Try to come to the Education Department as little as possible. If you need any documents, I will have Xiao Ding contact you. You don't need to deliver them in person; just mail them to me."

Chen Shi knew that it was especially important to avoid suspicion at times like these, so he quickly said, "Thank you for your support, Director Zhao. I know what to do."

Zhao Ji nodded and looked at Chen Shi: "Director Chen, I won't keep you any longer. I have another meeting to attend later."

Chen Shi stood up: "Director Zhao, thank you for your support. I'll head back now."

Chen Shi left the Education Department, overjoyed; the matter was basically settled.