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

A week later, Li Zhe came to Chen Shi's office with a smile on his face: "Director Chen, I'm here to report on the situation at Qinghe Village Primary School."

Chen Shi stood up to greet him: "Director Li, please have a seat."

The two sat down in the reception room, and Li Zhe handed the documents in his hands to Chen Shi with both hands.

"Director Chen, this is the situation after the on-site inspection of Qinghe Village Primary School. The school building, dormitory building, and teachers' building of Qinghe Village Primary School have become dangerous buildings and can no longer serve the teaching task. I suggest that they be demolished and rebuilt. Please invite a professional design institute to plan the reconstruction of the school."

All teachers and students of Qinghe Village Primary School must be evacuated immediately. Every day they stay inside increases the danger.

Chen Shi carefully reviewed the on-site survey report of Qinghe Village Primary School and nodded in satisfaction. Li Zhe's work efficiency was quite high.

"Director Li, thank you for your hard work. This on-site investigation report is very well done. We will hold a Party Committee meeting to discuss it in half an hour. Go down and print out a few copies, one for each person."

Li Zhe was pleased to receive Chen Shi's praise: "Director Chen, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."

Chen Shi called Yang Xiaobo to his office: "Old Yang, inform the three deputy directors that the Party Committee meeting will be held in half an hour."

Yang Xiaobo hurriedly went down to inform them.

Half an hour later, Chen Shi walked into the conference room. Huang Ming, Wang Zhikai, and Li Zhe were already waiting in the conference room, each holding a field survey report of Qinghe Village Primary School, which they were carefully reviewing.

Chen Shi sat down and placed the on-site survey report of Qinghe Village Primary School on the table.

"Have you all read the on-site survey report for Qinghe Village Primary School?" Chen Shi glanced at the three of them.

The three nodded, and Chen Shi continued, "This report was prepared by Director Li after a week of research. Please share your thoughts on Director Li's suggestion in the report to rebuild Qinghe Village Primary School."

Chen Shi looked at Huang Ming: "Director Huang, please share your thoughts first."

Huang Ming put down the report in his hand: "This report is very detailed. I find it hard to imagine that there are still students attending classes in dilapidated buildings. I agree with Director Li's suggestion to rebuild Qinghe Village Primary School."

Chen Shi nodded and looked at Wang Zhikai: "Director Wang, what are your thoughts?"

Wang Zhikai thought to himself, "What use are my opinions? The current Party Committee meeting has completely sidelined me. Of the four people in the meeting, three are deputy directors, and two of them are standing with Chen Shi. My opinions are no longer important."

Qinghe Village Primary School is the school in Chen Shi's hometown. If it needs to be rebuilt, it can be arranged directly. Why bother with a hypocritical Party group meeting to discuss it at the beginning?

Despite his dissatisfaction, he still wore a smile: "Director Chen, I've read the report. Director Li did a very detailed job. The teaching building, dormitory building, and teachers' building of Qinghe Village Primary School have all become dangerous buildings and cannot undertake teaching tasks. They must be rebuilt. But the problem is, rebuilding a primary school will cost at least two or three million yuan. Where will the money come from? The Education Bureau did not have this budget at the beginning of the year."

Wang Zhikai was deliberately trying to make things difficult for Chen Shi. He said, "You say you'll build a school, but where will the money come from? If you're so capable, go ask the Finance Bureau. If you can get the money, that's your responsibility as the top leader. If you can't get the money, then divert budgets from other places to build the school. When you can't plug the hole, let's see how you solve it."

Chen Shi said solemnly, "Director Wang asked a good question. Where does the money come from? The Education Bureau's expenditure budget for this year is 2.5 million yuan, which does not include the funds for rebuilding the three key high schools. The project to rebuild the three key high schools is a separate item, and the cost is not included in the Education Bureau's expenditure budget."

The Finance Bureau allocated 190 million yuan to us this year, leaving a shortfall of 60 million yuan. We don't have the money to increase the budget for rebuilding Qinghe Village Primary School.

Chen Shi paused here, picked up his thermos, took a sip of water, and looked at the three of them.

Wang Zhikai sneered inwardly, "You, Chen Shi, think you're so capable? Show me how you can conjure money like magic."

Li Zhe continued, "The school buildings of Qinghe Village Primary School cannot support teaching. Students and teachers are living in dilapidated buildings. Every day they stay there increases their danger. No matter how tight the Education Bureau's funds are, Qinghe Village Primary School must be rebuilt."

Wang Zhikai looked at Li Zhe and said with a forced smile, "Director Li, we all agree to rebuild Qinghe Village Primary School, but the problem is where will the money come from? Are we going to deduct teachers' salaries and squeeze this funding for building the school out of their meager wages?"

Li Zhe retorted, "I didn't mean that. How much does a teacher earn in a month? It's all for supporting their families. Only Director Wang would think of deducting teachers' salaries."

Wang Zhikai said coldly, "I never said I would deduct teachers' salaries. Director Li's on-site investigation report should have a way to get the funds for rebuilding Qinghe Village Primary School."

Wang Zhikai's meaning was very clear: he wanted to go against the grain. He said that Li Zhe had made this report and proposed rebuilding Qinghe Village Primary School, so the issue of funding for the school construction needed to be addressed.

Wang Zhikai knew very well that he wouldn't get anything good from Chen Shi, so he might as well do the opposite and oppose Chen Shi. He figured that some of the county leaders would be dissatisfied with Chen Shi and would come to him to make him their pawn.

Only if you have value to others can you seek refuge with the county leaders. If the leaders can use you, it means you are still useful and have a chance to advance further. If you have no value to others, you are completely finished, your political life ends prematurely, and you can prepare for retirement.

Li Zhe was outmaneuvered by Wang Zhi, and he had no choice but to retaliate when Wang Zhi had managed to raise two or three million to build a school.

When Wang Zhikai was in the Education Bureau, and Li Changming was the director, he always held a higher position than Li Zhe. He was the deputy director of the Education Bureau with real power, and his status was second only to Li Changming.

Li Zhe had long been dissatisfied with Wang Zhikai. When Chen Shi took office as the head of the Education Bureau and brought Huang Ming with him, the political landscape of the Education Bureau changed. Chen Shi's dislike for Wang Zhikai was very obvious.

Wang Zhikai didn't want to grovel and curry favor with Chen Shi. It wasn't that he had backbone, but he knew that even if he did, Chen Shi wouldn't give him an important position.

Seeing his chance, Li Zhe tried to make a good impression on Chen Shi and cling to Chen Shi's coattails.

Chen Shi was Liu Youguang's confidant and also had an uncle who was the mayor, so his political future was limitless.

Li Zhe dared not hope for much more, but clinging to Chen Shi's coattails, he believed it was still possible to secure a promotion to section chief.

Huang Ming looked at Wang Zhikai and stepped forward to help Li Zhe out of the predicament. He slowly said, "The Education Bureau doesn't need to pay for the reconstruction of Qinghe Village Primary School. Donghai Zhencheng Group has built many Hope Primary Schools. They won the bid for three key high school projects. I've been in contact with their executives. I'll go and see if they can help. Building a primary school for two or three million yuan isn't a big problem for them."

Li Zhe chimed in, "Director Huang really knows how to handle things. A living person can't be held back by their own bladder. As long as you're good at thinking, there's always a way to overcome difficulties."

We cannot be afraid of difficulties and thus dare not raise questions. Qinghe Village Primary School was built in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2008, the Fushan Town Central School sent people to conduct an assessment and found that the building was dangerous. Because they were afraid of difficulties, they dared not report to the Education Bureau, which resulted in the entire teaching staff and students of Qinghe Village Primary School still teaching in the dangerous building for three or four years.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened. If something had, it would have been a major incident, and we would have had to consider whose responsibility it would be. I propose that the relevant leaders of Fushan Town Central School who knew about the incident but failed to report it be punished.