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

Old Huang brought over the fish soup, and Xie Shanquan took a spoon and served Chen Shi and Gu Jia a bowl of soup.

Chen Shi said, "President Gu, please have a taste."

Gu Jia took a sip and nodded repeatedly: "That's right, there's no fishy smell."

The dishes were served, and Xie Shanquan opened the wine bottle and poured wine for Chen Shi and Gu Jia. His role here was that of a waiter.

Seeing Lao Huang standing in the private room, Chen Shi treated Lao Huang very politely and poured him a glass of wine as well.

Old Huang raised his glass: "County Magistrate Chen, President Gu, let me toast you. If you ever want fish soup again, I can deliver it to you."

Chen Shi raised his glass: "We still have to come here to have fish soup; that's where the atmosphere is."

Gu Jia also picked up her wine glass. This old man had worked as a chef at the provincial party committee guesthouse, so he must know a few provincial leaders. She couldn't afford to be negligent.

"Old Huang, your fish soup is delicious. I'll come here for a bowl every time I come to Chunyang."

Old Huang thanked them repeatedly, clinked glasses with Chen Shi and Gu Jia, drank it all in one gulp, and left the private room.

Chen Shi looked at Xie Shanquan: "Xiao Xie, don't stand, sit down and eat with us."

Xie Shanquan then sat down, poured himself a glass of wine, and first toasted Gu Jia, then Chen Shi.

Gu Jia and Chen Shi chatted casually, while Xie Shanquan listened, mainly responsible for serving tea and wine.

Chen Shi looked at Gu Jia: "President Gu, the highway passes through five towns: Heyuan Town, Shangying Town, Fushan Town, Huangchang Town, and Laoyan Town. We'll go to that town first for our research trip tomorrow."

Gu Jia thought for a moment and said, "Heyuan Town is close to the county seat, and I know a bit about it. So we won't go to Heyuan Town. Tomorrow, our first stop will be Shangying Town."

Chen Shi looked at Xie Shanquan: "Xiao Xie, please inform the secretary of Shangying Town that we are coming down for an investigation tomorrow morning."

Xie Shanquan stood up, walked out of the private room, found a quiet place, checked the time, and saw that it was a little after seven o'clock in the evening, just after the evening news broadcast.

I found the phone number of Qian Dajiang, the Party Secretary of Shangying Town, in my contacts and dialed it.

The call was answered quickly: "Secretary Xie."

"Secretary Qian, County Chief Chen will be coming to Shangying Town for an inspection tomorrow morning. Please make the necessary preparations."

Qian Dajiang was completely bewildered. What was going on? Why was he suddenly being asked to come down for research, and why was he being notified so late? Had something happened?

"Secretary Xie, is there a specific purpose behind County Chief Chen's sudden request to conduct research in Shangying Town?"

Xie Shanquan generally doesn't reveal his superiors' intentions, which is a basic quality of a secretary. However, he is a local from Shangying Town, and his father, Xie Zhuguo, teaches at Shangying Town Middle School. Local officials are more powerful than county officials, so if he can maintain a good relationship with Qian Dajiang, he will always need to ask him for help sometime.

"Secretary Qian, this is a top-secret matter. I wouldn't reveal a word to just anyone, but I won't hide it from you. I'll tell you the truth."

A female business owner came from Yizhou to conduct investment research. Tomorrow's research will focus on investment opportunities.

Qian Dajiang thanked him repeatedly, finally feeling relieved.

Xie Shanquan returned to the private room and listened carefully to Chen Shi and Gu Jia's conversation. He learned that Gu Jia was the general manager of Jiajia Group, Mingzhou Jiajia Development Co., Ltd., and that Chen Shi had brought her in to invest in the construction of the highway.

After a satisfying meal, Gu Jia, her face flushed from drinking, said to Chen Shi, "Ms. Gu, that's enough for tonight. I'll take you to rest. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning in my car. The road conditions down there aren't good, and your sports car, with its low chassis, is prone to breaking down."

Gu Jia stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder: "Come pick me up at nine o'clock tomorrow."

Chen Shi said, "Mr. Gu, you've been drinking, so please don't drive. Let my driver take you to the hotel."

Gu Jia winked at Chen Shi: "Aren't you going to take me to the hotel?"

To avoid suspicion, Chen Shi said, "I won't go; I'll have the driver take you."

Gu Jia was somewhat disappointed. "Coward, I gave you a chance but you couldn't use it."

As they left the private room, Chen Shi said to Yang Bin, "Drive President Gu's car and take him to the best hotel in Chunyang. Book the presidential suite."

Xiao Xie and I have both been drinking. Take a taxi over later; we'll wait for you here.

After seeing Gu Jia off, Chen Shi dared not sleep with her; sleeping with this woman would cause him a lot of trouble.

When Chen Shi got home, it was almost ten o'clock. Jiang Yiqiu was sitting in the living room watching TV when she smelled a perfume scent.

"He was drinking with those leaders again tonight, and he smelled strongly of perfume."

Chen Shi sniffed his sleeve and smelled not perfume, but only alcohol.

"The general manager of Jiajia Group Mingzhou Jiajia Development Co., Ltd. came down to conduct investment and inspection, and I accompanied her to inspect the Greater Bay Area."

Tomorrow we're going to Shangying Town for a research trip, and I'll be accompanying him on those trips for the next few days.

Jiang Yiqiu asked, "What projects did she invest in?"

"Highway"

"Are you really going to build a highway?"

Chen Shi nodded: "As the executive deputy county head, I will do one thing: connect the lower half of the county with the expressway."

"With the highway open, it's much closer to home now, only half an hour away."

Chen Shi changed his clothes and took a shower; he had to get up early in Mingzhou.

Chen Shi arrived at the office early in the morning, arranged the work, and called Xie Shanquan to pick up Gu Jia.

I arrived at the hotel entrance at 8:40 and waited.

Gu Jia arrived at the hotel entrance at 8:50, just in time.

Chen Shi got out of the car, and Xie Shanquan jogged over to pick up Gu Jia's small briefcase.

Chen Shi smiled and said, "President Gu, have you had breakfast?"

"I've eaten; the hotel provides food."

Chen Shi thought to himself, "Luckily I ate, otherwise I would have gone hungry."

"Mr. Gu is really punctual."

Chen Shi opened the car door, and Gu Jia got in: "I like people who are punctual."

Chen Shi and Gu Jia sat in the back seat, while Xie Shanquan sat in the passenger seat. This was Gu Jia's first time in Shangying Town; she had only been to Heyuan Town before, and had never been to any other towns.

From Heyuan Town to Shangying Town, large coal trucks frequently travel on the road, leaving it full of potholes and very difficult to travel on.

After driving for more than forty minutes, we arrived at Shangying Town. Qian Dajiang, the Party Secretary of Shangying Town, along with other town leaders, greeted us at the intersection.

As soon as the car stopped, Qian Dajiang, beaming, jogged up and opened the car door: "County Chief Chen!"

Chen Shi and his group got out of the car. Qian Dajiang said, "County Chief Chen, the town government is up ahead. Let's drive there."

Gu Jia looked at Qian Dajiang: "Secretary Qian, how many people live in Shangying Town?"

Qian Dajiang didn't recognize Gu Jia, but guessed that she was a female boss who had come to invest.

Chen Shi said, "Secretary Qian, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Gu Jia, the general manager of Jiajia Group Mingzhou Jiajia Development Co., Ltd."

Qian Dajiang stepped forward and shook hands with Gu Jia: "Hello, President Gu."

Gu Jia shook hands and greeted each of the leaders from Shangying Town.

Qian Dajiang said, "President Gu, our Shangying Town has a permanent population of 98,000. Now, many of them go out to work, and there are about 40,000 to 50,000 villagers who stay at home most of the time."

Gu Jia then asked, "Where is the largest coal mine in Shangying Town?"

"Gou'ao Coal Mine is the largest coal mine in Shangying Town, located ten kilometers away from the town."

Gu Jia looked at Chen Shi: "County Chief Chen, let's not waste time going to the town government, let's go and take a look at Gou'ao Coal Mine."

Chen Shi said to Qian Dajiang, "Secretary Qian, please make arrangements. We're going to Gou'ao Coal Mine for research now."

Qian Dajiang immediately instructed the deputy mayor in charge of coal to call the person in charge of Gou'ao Coal Mine.

Xie Shanquan walked up to Qian Dajiang and whispered, "Secretary Qian, Chen County is going to build a highway in the lower half of the county. President Gu is here to invest in the highway construction. We need to pay attention to the permanent resident population."

Qian Dajiang instantly realized that he shouldn't have said earlier that there were only 40,000 to 50,000 people on weekdays, because the operation of the highway depends on the daily passenger flow.