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

On the last day of the one-month deadline mentioned by Chen Shi, the construction team officially entered the site and began construction on the dilapidated housing renovation project.

As the roar of construction equipment filled the air, the residents of Xiaxin Neighborhood Committee spread the news with joy, for they had finally waited for this day.

Chen Yuanjin, the secretary of Xiaxin Neighborhood Committee, was dismissed by Zhao Xiongcai. Now free from official duties, he felt that his efforts were worthwhile when he learned that the dilapidated housing renovation project had started.

He asked his wife to cook a few dishes so he could have some drinks to celebrate.

Chen Yuanjin's son, Chen Dazhi, walked into the house and saw that Chen Yuanjin was in a good mood, drinking a little wine and humming a song.

"Dad, you seem to be in a good mood," Chen Dazhi said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Sit down and have a couple of drinks with me. Today is a good day, worth celebrating. The renovation project for dilapidated houses, which has been stalled for many years, is officially starting today."

"You didn't seem to care at all about the Party Secretary being dismissed. You sacrificed so much for the residents of Xiaxin Neighborhood Committee, but who knows? No one cared about you after your dismissal; not a single person asked. Was it worth it?"

Chen Yuanjin put down his chopsticks and looked at Chen Dazhi: "Kid, there's no such thing as worth it or not. As long as I feel I have a clear conscience, that's enough."

Using my position as Party Secretary to replace the dilapidated housing renovation project is, in my opinion, very worthwhile, as it concerns the survival of seven or eight hundred households in Xiaxin Neighborhood Committee.

Chen Dazhi sat down: "If you think it's worth it, don't drag me into this. It's because you secretly manipulated the residents of Xiaxin Neighborhood Committee to besiege the county government, and even made Chen Youfu self-immolate in front of the county government, coercing relevant county government leaders to resolve the dilapidated housing renovation project..."

Chen Yuanjin slammed his hand heavily on the table, interrupting Chen Dazhi: "You call him Chen Youfu? I have to call him Second Uncle when I see him. You should call him Second Grandfather. He's still within our five degrees of kinship, we're family. Don't become an official and then turn your back on your relatives."

"Who told you that I orchestrated the blockade of the county government? That's a complete fabrication. I'm going to sue them. These are residents of Xiaxin Neighborhood Committee, petitioning spontaneously. There's no one organizing them behind the scenes."

Chen Dazhi sneered: "Dad, do you think the leaders of the street office are fools? Zhao Xiongcai has been having people investigate you behind your back for a long time, but he doesn't have any evidence yet, otherwise he would have arrested you long ago."

The leaders of the neighborhood committee all believe that you are the one manipulating everything behind the scenes, and they have a lot of grievances against you. The dismissal of you as secretary was unanimously approved, and if there is evidence, you will face imprisonment.

Chen Yuanjin snorted coldly: "I didn't want to be the Party Secretary for a long time. Let whoever wants to be the Party Secretary be the Secretary. They have grievances against me, and I have grievances against them. If they have the guts, they can produce evidence to arrest me."

Chen Dazhi shouted, "You don't want to be the deputy director, but have you considered me? I'm still working under the street office. I finally managed to become the deputy director of the Party and government office. You dragged me down with you. They can't do anything about you, but they have plenty of ways to deal with me. Zhao Xiong just found some excuse to dismiss me from my position as deputy director of the Party and government office. After working hard for three or four years, I'm back to square one."

The main problem is that the leaders of the subdistrict office have a lot of complaints about you and can't do anything about it, so they take it out on me. Working in the subdistrict office is very difficult, and there's no way I can get ahead.

Are you suggesting I quit my job and come back to do odd jobs with you?

Chen Yuanjin stopped talking. He felt sorry for his son. He was only focused on forcing the county government to rebuild the dilapidated houses, and he hadn't considered his son's situation at all.

Chen Dazhi looked at Chen Yuanjin and wanted to say, "Whether I am your biological son or not, it's always the son who ruins the father's life. But in my case, it's the father who ruins the son's life."

Chen Yuanjin thought for a moment and said, "When problems arise, we solve them. You were indeed implicated because of me. If you can't stay in the subdistrict office, then go to the county government."

Chen Dazhi laughed angrily: "You think you're the county magistrate, that you can just let me into the county government? I can't even get through the main gate of the county government."

"If I say you can get in, you can get in," Chen Yuanjin said with a serious expression.

Seeing that Chen Yuanjin wasn't joking, Chen Dazhi asked, "You really have a way?"

"That day when we surrounded the county government, I saw someone, your distant cousin Xie Shanquan. I congratulated him when he was admitted to the county government and even gave him a gift."

Xie Shanquan was a top student from Tsinghua and Peking Universities. Many people went to celebrate at the time. Later, for some reason, he offended the leaders of the government office and was seconded to Laoyan Town for a year before being transferred back.

Others, seeing that he had no hope, mocked and ridiculed him behind his back; it was really just jealousy.

I visit their home every year, and this family relationship has been maintained. I believe Xie Shanquan will amount to something.

He was standing next to the executive deputy county head at the time. Later, I found out that he was the executive deputy county head's secretary, practically stepping into the deputy section chief level.

Chen Dazhi became interested; he couldn't stand staying in the neighborhood office for even a day—it was too unbearable.

"My distant cousin, how come I've never heard you mention him?"

"Xie Shanquan's mother is your mother's sister, who is within five degrees of kinship. They're not very close, so I haven't mentioned her."

Chen Dazhi smiled and said, "Dad, you're really something, managing to make connections like relatives. But even if Xie Shanquan is the secretary to the executive deputy county head, he doesn't have the authority to transfer me to the county government."

"A secretary is half a leader. Transferring someone to the county government isn't a big problem. The main thing is to let him see whether you're worth it and make him put in the effort."

Chen Dazhi was completely bewildered: "What should I do to make him see that I'm worth his effort?"

Chen Yuanjin thought for a moment: "Strike the snake at its vital point. Do whatever he needs right now."

I suspect that Xie Shanquan's position in the government office was not stable; he only rose to prominence after becoming the secretary to the executive deputy county head.

What he needs most right now is someone on his own side, someone who listens to him.

"So, he's going to transfer me to the government office?"

Chen Yuanjin shook his head: "Xie Shanquan wants his own people, and he needs capable ones even more. We don't have any backers, so we can only rely on him."

You need to prove your abilities to Xie Shanquan. If he transfers you, you'll be an asset, not an obstacle. He needs partners, not incompetent teammates.

Chen Yuanjin looked at Chen Dazhi and said, "You don't need to do anything. I'll invite his family to dinner, and you can attend. Just do your best. He'll be able to tell whether he's a partner or a liability. Don't overdo it. Just do your job well."

"It's that simple?" Chen Dazhi said in disbelief.

"Simple when it's simple, complex when it's complex. We need to simplify complex things."

Chen Dazhi was skeptical: "You think you can get me transferred to the government office just by treating his family to a meal? It sounds like you're trying to fool me."

"I'm your father, why would I lie to you?" Chen Yuanjin said angrily.

Chen Dazhi still felt it was very unreliable, a complete fantasy. If it wasn't his own father saying this, anyone else saying it would be fooling him.