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

That evening, Chen Shi booked a private room at Chunlai Restaurant for a dinner party at 7 p.m., but Qin Jiang arrived at 6:50 p.m.

Chen Shi came out to greet them, and the two shook hands with smiles.

"Director Qin, please come in."

"Director Chen, you're too kind. It's too kind of you to come out and meet me."

The two entered the private room. Chen Shi asked Qin Jiang to sit in the main seat, but Qin Jiang insisted on not sitting there and told Chen Shi to sit instead.

Chen Shi didn't stand on ceremony and took the seat of honor, accepting the menu handed to him by Sun Ruyi.

Sun Ruyi, with a beaming smile, asked, "What would you two like to eat?"

Chen Shi asked, "Commander Qin, do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"I don't have any dietary restrictions; I like most people's food."

Chen Shi ordered six dishes and a soup. Sun Ruyi quickly went out to arrange for the chef to prepare them, as these two were distinguished guests and could not be neglected.

Chen Shi brought a bottle of good wine. His aunt had asked him to bring it to his father, Chen Yanshi, when he went to the municipal party committee compound last time. Chen Yanshi didn't like drinking, so he gave the wine to Chen Shi.

This wine is expensive; it's worth a month's salary for me.

Qin Jiang could tell at a glance that this wine was not cheap, and that Chen Shi still valued his own.

At a dinner party, the amount of alcohol served determines the amount of food served to the guests.

Chen Shi invited Qin Jiang to dinner for three reasons: first, to thank him for his help today; second, to try to get closer to him; and third, to ask him for help with something else.

The food arrived quickly, with both spicy and non-spicy options.

Chen Shi poured wine for Qin Jiang and picked up the wine glass.

"Commander Qin, I respect you."

Chen Shi lowered his glass, and Qin Jiang lowered it even lower. After clinking glasses, the two drank it all in one gulp.

Qin Jiang exclaimed, "Good wine!"

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Last time I went to the county town, County Chief Liu invited me to his house. This bottle of wine was a gift from County Chief Liu."

Listening to the implication, Chen Shi's relationship with Liu County is unusual. The fact that his subordinate would come to his home and bring him wine can only be explained by one thing: Chen Shi is Liu County's confidant.

Qin Jiang felt that this time, getting in touch with Chen Shi was the right thing to do. He didn't ask for anything else; getting transferred back to the county shouldn't be a problem.

"I should drink a few more cups of the wine that County Liu sent."

After the two men toasted each other and finished their meal, Qin Jiang lit a cigarette and took a couple of puffs.

Chen Shi also lit one.

"Commander Qin, are you from Fushan Town?"

"No, I'm from the county town."

"Fushan Town is too far from the county seat. Your family lives in the county seat, so traveling back and forth must be quite tiring."

"I've been in Fushan Town for three years now, and I have to make several trips every month. It's exhausting."

"You can apply to be transferred back to the county seat; this constant running around is not a good thing."

"I've applied several times, but my supervisor just won't approve it. There's nothing I can do."

Qin Jiang's position as director was arranged by his uncle, who is the deputy director of the power supply bureau. In the power supply bureau, every leadership position is crucial, and there are people behind each one. You can't just move whoever you want.

The position of director of the Fushan Town Power Management Station was vacant. It was far from the county seat, and those with connections were unwilling to take the position, so it was his turn.

At the time, I thought that with my uncle around, I could stay in Fushan Town for two or three years, and then be transferred back when there was a vacancy in the leadership position in the bureau.

Even if I can't be transferred back to the bureau, I'd be happy to be transferred to a township closer to the county seat.

Man proposes, God disposes. Just six months after he arrived in Fushan Town, his uncle suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died suddenly.

With his powerful backer gone, his chances of being transferred back to the county are slim, and even transferring him to a township closer to the county seat has become a pipe dream.

For the past two years, he has been trying to find people to give him gifts, hoping to pull some strings and get transferred back to a township closer to the county seat.

If you don't have the right relationship, you can't even give a gift.

Seeing that Chen Shi was someone appreciated by Liu County, he felt that his opportunity had come. When he learned that Zhang Gao was Chen Shi's brother-in-law, he did not hesitate to fire Niu Xingde and arrange for Zhang Gao to be the administrator.

This was a gesture of goodwill towards Chen Shi; Chen Shi was his only chance to be transferred back to the county.

You must burn incense before you can worship Buddha. You can't wait until Chen Shi is transferred back to the county and promoted before trying to curry favor with him. By then, it will be too late, and he won't pay any attention to you.

Qin Jiang was making an investment. He had a feeling that Chen Shi was no ordinary person and could at least become a section chief.

If I cling to Chen Shi now, even if I don't get promoted to deputy director, I'll be able to get transferred back to the county.

Chen Shi knew Qin Jiang's thoughts; they were both cunning foxes, and neither knew the other's hidden intentions.

In short, it's all about equivalent exchange. If you have no value, people won't even give you a second glance.

"Director Qin, some things can't be rushed. Finding the right person at the right time will make all the difference."

"Yes, Chief Chen is absolutely right." Qin Jiang nodded repeatedly. "Chief Chen, where are you from?"

This is exactly what Chen Shi was waiting for.

"I'm from Qinghe Village, Fushan Town. I was already in elementary school when our village got electricity. My brother is three years older than me. He was in junior high school, but his family was poor, so he dropped out of school to work. He's still working on the coast. We originally wanted to arrange for him to be an auxiliary police officer at the police station, but the salary was too low to support his family. So he had to leave his hometown. There was no other way."

After Chen Shi finished speaking, he let out a long sigh.

Qin Jiang understood that they wanted him to arrange a job for his brother at the power management office.

The salary and benefits at the power management office are high, far exceeding what an auxiliary police officer at a police station can offer.

Returning a favor by arranging for Zhang Gao to be an administrator was a favor in itself, but helping Chen Shi's brother get into the power management office this time is because Chen Shi owes me a favor.

The strongest relationships within the system are based on one thing: mutual favors. You owe me, I owe you, and eventually, it becomes unclear who owes whom. People are all in the same boat, deeply intertwined.

"Director Chen, our power management office does have one opening this year. It's a mandatory requirement: applicants must have a college degree or above and an electrician's license."

"An electrician's license is easy to get, but is it this associate's degree?"

Chen Shi quickly said, "My brother has a correspondence college diploma and has already received his graduation certificate. With such a good opportunity, I'll have him come back to register."

The two raised their glasses and drank a glass.

An equivalent exchange was reached: Qin Jiang would help Chen Shi's brother get a job at the power management office as a permanent employee, and Chen Shi would later help Qin Jiang get transferred back to the county.

Qin Jiang can wait; he's not in a hurry. Chen Shi hasn't been transferred back to the county yet, so there's no point in rushing things.

The most desperate thing is not seeing any hope. But Qin Jiang now sees hope. He believes that Chen Shi will not stay in Fushan Town for long.

Chen Shi kept thinking about how to find a job for his second brother in town so that he wouldn't have to leave his hometown and have his children become left-behind children.

This has been a major concern for him since he became deputy director.

If I want to pursue a career in government, I certainly won't have time to take care of my parents. My brother is not at home and works away from home all year round. This is not a long-term solution.

The problem was solved, and I felt much better.

Chen Shi had foresight; before his brother got married, he had him study for a correspondence college diploma, and now it was coming in handy.

A correspondence associate degree isn't enough. When he comes back, let him study for a correspondence bachelor's degree. What if he needs it someday?

Chen Shi warmly saw Qin Jiang off and returned home. He then called Chen Xing, urging him to come back quickly and apply for an internal position at the power management office.

This time, he didn't dare to say anything definitively, only that there was a chance. He had a good relationship with Director Qin of the power management office and had even arranged for his brother-in-law to become an administrator and enter the power management office.

Chen Xing was overjoyed to hear about the opportunity. If he could get a job at the power management office, the salary would be high, the benefits would be good, and most importantly, it would be close to home so he could take care of his children and parents.

The couple immediately quit their jobs and went home.