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

As Jiang Yiqiu left the Civil Affairs Bureau, she looked at the red marriage certificate in her hand, her feelings were complicated. Marrying Chen Shi as she had wished felt like a dream, and she was somewhat dazed, unable to believe it was real.

I pinched my thigh and felt the pain; it wasn't a dream, it was real.

Looking at Chen Shi sitting in the driver's seat, she saw that he was capable and handsome, the prince charming she had always dreamed of. She had won her gamble.

When I was in college, I made a secret decision: I must find someone I like who can help me advance in my career.

Donghai Normal University is full of beautiful women, and Jiang Yiqiu was one of the top ten beauties in the university. From her freshman year, she had no fewer than 10 boys pursuing her.

She has always adhered to the belief that it's better to have none than a bad one; when it comes to dating, she wants to find a man who makes her heart flutter.

During her four years of university, she didn't find a man who could move her heart. She had countless suitors, but she longed for love and wouldn't just find any man to date.

Jiang Yiqiu knew what she wanted, and none of her suitors in college could satisfy her.

After graduating from university and being admitted to Chunyang No. 1 Middle School, he became a teacher. He still had many suitors, including middle-aged men like Tian Guangliang who held power.

Jiang Yiqiu scoffed at these suitors, none of them were the kind of person he was looking for, and none of them met his requirements. He would rather remain single for life than lower his standards.

Until Chen Shi appeared, the two were junior high school classmates. In junior high school, they were naive about feelings. Jiang Yiqiu had a good impression of Chen Shi. Chen Shi was handsome and better at studying than her. She admired smart boys.

When she saw Chen Shi again, she recognized him as the person she was looking for.

Today, I finally married Chen Shi, fulfilling my long-held wish.

Seeing Jiang Yiqiu staring at him in a daze, Chen Shi asked, "Yiqiu, where do we go next?"

Jiang Yiqiu snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at his watch; it was a little past nine.

"It's still early, let's go to Jingtai Garden and take a look at the wedding room."

Chen Shi had never been to Jingtai Garden before, but Jiang Yiqiu was very familiar with Chunyang County and gave Chen Shi directions, leading him to Jingtai Garden.

Jiang Yiqiu said, "I drove directly to the underground parking lot. When I bought the house, a parking space was given to me."

Chen Shi drove into the underground parking lot, and Jiang Yiqiu said, "Drive to Unit 1 of Building 7, turn right into the garage."

Under Jiang Yiqiu's guidance, Chen Shi parked the car in the underground parking lot.

Jiang Yiqiu led Chen Shi to room 601 by elevator. After opening the door, Chen Shi went inside. The room was nicely decorated.

The entire house is tiled, and is fully furnished with furniture and appliances. It has four bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and two bathrooms.

The lighting was excellent. Chen Shi stood by the balcony window, overlooking the entire community, which was lush with greenery and had buildings spaced at least fifty meters apart.

The apartment building has a ceiling height of over 3 meters and seven floors. Chen Shi is generally satisfied with the apartment; it's much better than the suite he lives in, which is located in the Education Bureau's staff housing.

"Are you satisfied with this house? If not, we'll sell it and buy one you like."

Chen Shi looked at Jiang Yiqiu beside him: "Do you like it?"

"I bought this house four or five years ago, but I've never lived in it. It's pretty good."

"This house is pretty nice."

Jiang Yiqiu's face lit up with joy: "If you like it, this will be our little home from now on."

Chen Shi asked, "How much did you pay for this house?"

"It cost over 400,000 yuan, and with the renovations, it came to over 600,000 yuan."

"We should give the more than 600,000 yuan to your parents; we can't just take their house for nothing."

"This is my dowry. When we bought the house, it was meant to be my wedding home."

Jiang Yiqiu looked at Chen Shi and said, "My parents are in business and have made some money. If they ever need money in the future, we will support them."

Chen Shi thought for a moment and said, "Alright, we don't have that much money right now. We can't take the 300,000 yuan in cash your parents gave us."

Jiang Yiqiu smiled and said, "We've already got our marriage certificate. My parents are our parents now, so when we go home, we should call them Mom and Dad."

Chen Shi smiled and nodded.

Jiang Yiqiu added, "Let's accept the 300,000 yuan in cash. After all, Mom and Dad have money. If we don't accept it, they'll be unhappy."

"The money is for you; you can do what you want with it."

Chen Shi looked around, with Jiang Yiqiu following behind, and asked, "Are you satisfied with the renovation? If not, renovate it in a style we like."

"The renovation is fine, don't make any more changes. I like this simple style of decoration. Don't make it too complicated. A home should feel like a home, not like a hotel."

Jiang Yiqiu complained that the decor wasn't luxurious enough and wanted to redecorate. Seeing that Chen Shi liked it, he smiled and said, "I also like this simple decor; it's very cozy."

She glanced at the bed in the master bedroom: "This bed isn't comfortable. Let's get a bigger one."

"You can take care of these small things."

Jiang Yiqiu took Chen Shi's hand and rested her head on his shoulder: "Darling, when we get married, we should have a couple of tables and invite some friends over."

Chen Shi asked, "When will your parents' days end?"

The sixth day of the first lunar month

"We'll wait until the twelfth day of the first lunar month, after the Spring Festival holiday, to have a small gathering with relatives and friends, and we won't hold a wedding ceremony. We're sorry to trouble you."

Jiang Yiqiu longed for a grand wedding. Life can't be perfect, and even if it's nine-tenths perfect, we should be content. She convinced herself to accept the reality that she couldn't have a grand wedding.

"The wedding isn't important; what's important is that we can stay together."

When Chen Shi saw Jiang Yiqiu, he realized she hadn't developed any princess-like behavior or acted unreasonably. He immediately pulled Jiang Yiqiu into his arms.

"I'm running for deputy county magistrate, and at this critical juncture, I can't afford to give my political enemies any ammunition against me."

Jiang Yiqiu said softly, "I will be the woman behind you. Even if you are charging into battle on the front lines, I will protect the rear for you."

Chen Shi looked at Jiang Yiqiu. His feelings for her were complicated. He didn't really like her; in many ways, she was indifferent to him.

Seeing Chen Shi staring at him without saying a word, Jiang Yiqiu said coquettishly, "Do I have a flower on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Chen Shi smiled and said, "You look beautiful today."

Overjoyed by Chen Shi's praise, Jiang Yiqiu hugged Chen Shi tightly and kissed him.

The two became entangled and both experienced physical arousal.

As he took off his clothes and threw them on the ground, Chen Shi overcame his hormones and whispered in Jiang Yiqiu's ear, "I didn't wear a condom."

Jiang Yiqiu said breathlessly, "We've already got our marriage certificate, why would I still wear that thing? I want to have a baby for you."

Jiang Yiqiu knew that Chen Shi had married him to resolve his personal issues in order to run for deputy county magistrate, and he wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Getting married without having a child is like not being married at all; the marriage is unstable. She needs a child to stabilize her marriage with Chen Shi.

Chen Shi thought for a moment and realized that since they had already gotten their marriage certificate, there was little point in using a condom.

The two became entangled, completely absorbed in each other, engaging in deep intercourse, sweating profusely, and enjoying each other's bodies.