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

Before he knew it, it was the end of October. Chen Shi looked at the calendar and felt that time had flown by. There were only two months left in 2012.

The phone rang, and Chen Shi picked it up to see that it was Zhou Hua calling.

"Hey, Zhou Hua."

"Boss, are you busy?"

"What leader? Calling him by his name is more friendly."

"I wouldn't dare call you by your name; a leader is a leader."

"Stop talking nonsense. You're not part of the system, so why are you calling yourself a leader?"

"I also feel awkward, but I'll still call you by your name from now on, just like in high school, it feels familiar."

Zhou Hua stammered, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

Chen Shi asked, "Just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush."

"Then I'll say it: I'm getting married and I'd like you to be my best man."

Without a second thought, Chen Shi immediately said, "Okay."

Zhou Hua was somewhat incredulous: "You actually agreed? Such a high-ranking leader, condescending to be a best man."

"We were high school classmates, and I witnessed your happy moment. Why should I lower myself?"

"When you came to Yizhou last time, I wanted to tell you this, but I couldn't say it. I remember when I was in high school, I said that you had to be my best man when I got married. I only dared to ask you today. I feel like something is missing if you're not my best man."

"Zhou Hua, don't treat me like a boss. Let's act like we're in high school. Just say what you want to say."

The two chatted for a few minutes before hanging up.

Zhou Hua was getting married, and Chen Shi went to Yizhou a day early. Zhou Hua booked a hotel where all the relatives and friends attending the wedding would stay.

Zhou Hua arranged a presidential suite at a five-star hotel for his groomsmen. The three groomsmen were Zhou Hua's childhood friend, Xiao Wu, and his business partner, Wu Guang.

Xiao Wu works in a coastal city, but he made a special trip back to attend Zhou Hua's wedding.

The three introduced themselves. Wu Guang, seeing Chen Shi's extraordinary bearing, sensed he was no ordinary person and asked, "Chen Shi, where do you work?"

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Education Bureau."

"Being a civil servant is great. The job is stable and the income is guaranteed, unlike us business people who don't know where our next meal will come from."

Xiao Wu chimed in, "You business people can go a year without making a sale, but when you do, you can live off that for three years. One deal can make more than we can earn in a lifetime."

Wu Guang smiled and said, "It's not easy to do business these days. One wrong move and you'll lose money and be back to square one."

Zhou Hua walked in: "Brothers, are you settling in alright?"

Xiao Wu said, "This is too extravagant. It's the first time in my life I've stayed in a five-star hotel."

Zhou Hua patted him on the shoulder and said to the others, "You should get some rest tonight. We'll pick up the bride at 10 a.m. tomorrow, have dinner at her house, and then pick her up at the hotel around 2 p.m. The wedding will start at 4:30 p.m.

Zhou Hua was busy, so he patted Chen Shi and Wu Guang on the shoulder and said, "Brothers, get ready for the wedding tomorrow."

Wu Guang asked, "What preparations should we make?"

"Prepare for drinking, Mr. Wu. You have a high alcohol tolerance, so we'll be counting on you tomorrow."

Wu Guang looked at Chen Shi: "He's a civil servant, and he can hold his liquor better."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Not all civil servants have a high alcohol tolerance; I'm the exception."

Zhou Hua punched Wu Guang: "Don't be modest. I asked you to be the best man so you could drink more. You're a heavyweight, don't embarrass me."

"President Zhou has spoken; watch me tomorrow."

"That's right," Zhou Hua said to the three of them and left the hotel.

Wu Guang made an excuse to come out with Zhou Hua and whispered, "Your classmate seems to have a lot of leadership qualities. Is he an official?"

When it comes to doing business, they have a keen sense of smell when they encounter officials.

Zhou Hua looked at Wu Guang: "Mr. Wu, you're trying to poach my employees."

"Mr. Zhou, given our relationship, would I possibly steal your business? We have resources, so let's share them. I'm your supplier, I won't steal your business, and I have connections, you can't keep them to yourself."

Zhou Hua chuckled: "Go ask him yourself."

Zhou Hua got on the elevator. He didn't want to introduce Chen Shi to Wu Guang; he wanted to stick close to this powerful figure.

Wu Guang returned to his room and tried to start a conversation with Chen Shi. Chen Shi chatted with him for a couple of minutes but didn't want to talk to Wu Guang. He went to take a shower and prepared to go to sleep.

Xiao Wu is straightforward. When he chats with Wu Guang, Wu Guang doesn't want to talk to him. Xiao Wu is just a laborer and has no value to him.

When adults make friends, value comes first; what you can offer the other person is the most important thing.

Even if you have no money, you can provide emotional value, which is also a form of value. Being able to make people laugh and chat with you makes them feel happy.

Emotional value is unstable; if you make someone happy today, they might forget about you tomorrow when they get bored.

Stable friendships are often based on mutual benefit; the most stable relationships are those where you need me and I need you.

When they woke up in the morning, Zhou Hua brought clothes to the three of them, giving each of them a set of clothes worth more than 10,000 yuan.

Xiao Wu asked, "These clothes must be expensive, right? If they get dirty, can I return them?"

Zhou Hua patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder: "Xiao Wu, these are for you. Wear them and take them back with you."

Xiao Wu beamed, "I've really struck it rich this time. This outfit is worth at least several thousand."

Wu Guang looked at Chen Shi, wondering where Zhou Hua had found this country bumpkin who was no good.

Chen Shi took the clothes and went to his room to change.

Zhou Hua's wedding procession was very luxurious, consisting of high-end cars; the rental alone cost over 100,000 yuan.

They drove in a grand procession toward the bride's house.

Su Lin is a local from Yizhou. He held a banquet in the community, which was very lively. Su Lin's parents had informed the property management in advance, and the convoy drove directly into the community and parked in the designated location.

The first thing I saw after getting off the bus was a table piled high with three glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and nine glasses of beer.

Chen Shi said to Wu Guang, "You have a good alcohol tolerance, so you can have the baijiu, and we'll take care of the beer."

Wu Guang chuckled: "Watch me."

The bridesmaid smiled and said, "It's our custom here that the more wine you drink, the happier the newlyweds will be. Groom, if you want to marry Su Lin, show us your drinking capacity and let us see your sincerity."

Zhou Hua smiled and said, "Our groomsmen are all heavy drinkers, so you guys knock them out first, then I'll drink."

Wu Guang stepped forward and said, "You all see clearly whether the groom's heart is true or not."

He downed three cups of baijiu in one go. The bridesmaids exchanged glances, thinking, "Not bad for his alcohol tolerance."

Chen Shi and Xiao Wu came up and drank nine glasses of beer.

The wedding procession arrived at the second checkpoint. A table was set up at the entrance, with nine glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and nineteen glasses of beer on it.

Chen Shi took a deep breath and whispered to Zhou Hua, "Your wife's family has this custom. Why didn't you say so earlier? Bring a few more people who can hold their liquor."

"Su Lin said he wanted to drink, but he didn't say he wanted to drink this much. Everyone says that Miao people can drink a lot, so this is definitely not something he was forced to do."

"The Miao people drink alcohol like water; we probably couldn't handle it."

Zhou Hua broke out in a cold sweat: "I thought they would be more restrained in the city, but I didn't expect them to drink so much alcohol."

Wu Guang looked at Chen Shi: "It's alright, I'll handle the baijiu, you two can take over the beer."

The bridesmaids jokingly said, "Come on, if you want to marry a Miao girl, show us how much you can drink."

Wu Guang shouted, "I'll show you what a massive amount really is!"

A large crowd of onlookers had gathered around.