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

Chen Shi left the county party committee office, drenched in a cold sweat.

The next morning, Chen Shi arrived at the office. Yang Xiaobo was wiping the table, and Chen Shi sat down in the boss's chair.

"Old Yang, clean the office. You don't need to do it yourself; just have someone else do it."

"Director Chen, you have a lot of documents in your office. I'm worried that your staff might not know how to organize them and might put them in a mess, making them difficult to find later."

Yang Xiaobo is a meticulous person. When cleaning the office, he cleans every corner thoroughly, and he wipes many places little by little with wet wipes.

Chen Shi called out, "Old Yang, stop cleaning."

Yang Xiaobo was somewhat surprised to see that Chen Shi arrived twenty minutes earlier than usual this morning. He knew Chen Shi's habits; he usually wouldn't come to the office before the appointed time.

Throw the wet wipes in the trash can, walk to the desk, and stop.

When Chen Shi arrived at his office, he usually read the newspaper first. This morning, he didn't read the newspaper, which made Yang Xiaobo realize something was wrong.

Chen Shi looked up at Yang Xiaobo, but remained silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaobo felt uneasy. He reviewed his behavior over this period and realized that he hadn't done anything wrong.

Chen Shi looked away: "Old Yang, you arranged for the female teacher who reported Lei Liangping, didn't you?"

In such matters, it's generally best not to expose what's going on. Chen Shi directly asked what it meant, wondering if Wang Zhikai was trying to frame him. Yang Xiaobo thought about it carefully and realized he had no dealings with Wang Zhikai. If Wang Zhikai wanted to frame him, he would need evidence.

Yang Xiaobo initially wanted to deny it, but then he thought better of it and decided that if Chen Shi asked, he would definitely know what had happened.

Don't try to be clever in front of your boss.

"Director Chen, this female teacher came to me, so I helped her with a small favor."

Chen Shi's eyes turned cold: "Old Yang, you've been in the Party and Government Office for many years, how come you still have no sense of the big picture? What time is it now? It's a critical period for the special education fund support project. The Education Bureau needs stability and cannot afford any trouble."

Wang Zhikai and Lei Liangping need to clean up the mess, but not now; they should wait until the special education funding project comes through.

At this point, a corruption scandal broke out in the Education Bureau. What will the expert review panel think? With the Chunyang County Education Bureau so corrupt, they'll have an excuse to give Chunyang County a low score, rendering all previous efforts futile.

Chen Shi raised his voice: "Old Yang, you've ruined everything."

Yang Xiaobo originally intended to help Chen Shi deal with Lei Liangping and Wang Zhikai, but he didn't expect it to backfire. He didn't consider that the Education Bureau needed harmony at the moment.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead: "Director Chen, I didn't think this through. What should we do now?"

Chen Shi said solemnly, "Yesterday I went to see Secretary Liu to report this matter. Secretary Liu had already made arrangements and scolded me, pointing his finger at my nose and cursing me. I didn't dare to breathe loudly."

Wang Zhikai served as the deputy director of the Education Bureau for many years and had dealings with many officials. If investigated seriously, it would be a case involving a whole group of people. If Wang Zhikai himself went to jail, he would definitely not let these people get away with it. They would all confess and try to get lenient treatment from the organization.

The Education Bureau needs to maintain stability now; stability is paramount, and it cannot afford any disruptions.

Secretary Liu suppressed the matter, only investigating Wang Zhikai and Lei Liangping; as for the others, he said, "we'll see how they behave in the future."

Yang Xiaobo's clothes were soaked with cold sweat. Chen Shi looked at Yang Xiaobo and said, "Old Yang, the sound engineer in the cadre activity center and the KTV room is your nephew, right?"

Yang Xiaobo's heart jumped, and he dared not breathe. Don't think that you can get away with anything underhanded by your superiors. Those who can be leaders are all shrewd and know everything. They are fully aware of what their trusted subordinates are doing.

If he's a fool, he can't be a leader; before he even becomes a leader, he'll be betrayed and killed by his subordinates.

Chen Shi said sternly, "If Wang Zhikai makes baseless accusations and implicates you, do you think you can withstand an investigation?"

Yang Xiaobo blamed himself, realizing that he had been too successful over the years and had no sense of crisis. This incident served as a wake-up call, reminding him that he should not make decisions on his own in the future but should consult with his superiors.

It doesn't matter if you're not a leader, but once you become one, countless eyes are watching you. If you make a mistake, they will rush up and tear you to pieces.

"Director Chen, I was wrong, please punish me."

Chen Shi said in a deep voice, "Old Yang, I know you're helping me deal with them, which is a good thing in itself. However, you haven't considered the big picture and haven't thought things through. In the future, you should think about things from a holistic perspective and not just focus on petty gains."

"I will keep Director Chen's teachings in mind and will reflect on my actions seriously and write a self-criticism for you."

"Forget about the self-criticism. Go down and think carefully about what you should and shouldn't do. Don't look at things from your perspective; look at them from my perspective. You are the director of the Party and Government Office, and you represent me in public."

Yang Xiaobo repeatedly said yes.

Chen Shi looked at Yang Xiaobo: "Old Yang, call Yang Xiong, the principal of No. 1 Middle School, and tell him to come to my office now."

Yang Xiaobo walked out of the office, his shirt soaked. Back in his office, he slapped himself twice. He hadn't thought things through, and a good thing had turned into a bad thing. He deserved to die.

I poured myself a glass of water, drank it, adjusted my mindset, and called Yang Xiong.

Yang Xiong was in his office when he saw Yang Xiaobo calling, and he quickly answered the phone.

Director Yang

"Principal Yang, Director Chen wants you to come to his office now."

Yang Xiong smiled broadly: "Director Yang, what does Director Chen want with me?"

"I don't know"

"How is Director Chen's mood today?"

"This is bad, come here right away."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Xiong's heart pounded. Could it be that Wang Zhikai had implicated him, and the Discipline Inspection Commission wanted to take him to the school, fearing it would have a bad impact, so they told him to go to Chen Shi's office to be arrested?

Yang Xiong's mind raced, and his legs started trembling. He couldn't drive right now, so he asked the principal's assistant to take him to the Education Bureau.

Whether you cower or stick your neck out, you'll still get stabbed. It's too late to be afraid now.

Yang Xiong arrived at Chen Shi's office door. Seeing that there was nothing unusual at the Education Bureau, he calmed himself down and gently knocked on the office door.

Chen Shi called out, "Come in."

Yang Xiong pushed the door open, gently closed it, and forced a smile onto his face—a smile that looked worse than a grimace.

"Director Chen, you wanted to see me?"

Chen Shi raised his eyes and looked at Yang Xiong, remaining silent for a long time.

Yang Xiong grew increasingly frightened. He thought, "It's over. Chen Shi didn't ask me to sit down. Wang Zhikai will definitely implicate me. The Discipline Inspection Commission is probably waiting in the meeting room. Chen Shi will talk to me first."

Seeing Yang Xiong's forehead covered in cold sweat, Chen Shi said in a cold voice, "Principal Yang, Wang Zhikai has been taken away by the Discipline Inspection Commission for investigation. He said you bribed him with one million yuan. What do you have to say?"

Yang Xiong had only one thought in his mind: deny it, never admit it to the death. He claimed that the gifts were given in secret and that Wang Zhikai had no evidence.

"Director Chen, Wang Zhikai is desperate and making baseless accusations. When did I ever give him a million? Tell him to produce the evidence."

"You still won't admit it? You want me to call the disciplinary committee to investigate? Think it over carefully, can you withstand an investigation?"