Even though Charlotte Clark had spent many years navigating the grassroots bureaucracy and could always find something to say in any situation, when faced with someone like William Bolton who didn’t know the meaning of humility, she suddenly found herself at a loss for how to continue the conversation.

For a moment, the two of them just looked at each other, the atmosphere growing a bit silent and awkward.

What a real bookworm, such a naive kid!

After a while, Charlotte Clark finally couldn’t help but pout slightly, rolling her eyes at him and chiding, “How can you be like this? I was complimenting you, can’t you be a little modest?”

At this moment, if anyone familiar with Charlotte Clark saw her pouting and rolling her eyes at a man, acting all coy and feminine, they would be so shocked their eyes would pop out. After all, she was the famously stern “Iron Lady” of Wenchang County, someone who never even cracked a smile in front of the county magistrate or party secretary!

William Bolton, of course, had no idea about this. Even if he did, he wouldn’t think much of it—he never smiled in front of his own mentor either.

But one thing William Bolton was very clear about: right now, this side of Charlotte Clark had a unique charm. Even though his cultivation allowed him to control his emotions well, when Charlotte Clark rolled her eyes at him like that, his heart still skipped a beat.

“You look much better like this than when you were all cold just now!” William Bolton said honestly.

Chapter 3: The “College Student” Who’s So Cool and Confident

Charlotte Clark never expected that, just after she’d called him a bookworm and a naive kid in her mind, this guy would turn around and, without the slightest embarrassment, compliment her to her face. For a moment, she felt a bit of a time-space dislocation.

Is he really a bookworm, a naive kid? Or is he actually a seasoned flirt?

But when Charlotte Clark met William Bolton’s clear and deep eyes, her heart couldn’t help but thump twice, and a faint blush appeared on her swan-like, fair, slender neck.

She had seen many men try to win her favor. Even though they tried hard to hide their dirty thoughts, there would always be a trace of lust in their eyes. But not this man—instead, even when meeting her gaze, his eyes remained clear and calm, open and upright.

Clearly, a man like this wasn’t some top-level womanizer; he really was a man with a bright and upright heart. Of course, it was also possible he was just a clueless bookworm!

“Really?” Charlotte Clark gently brushed the hair from her forehead with her fair, slender hand and smiled, revealing two rows of neat, pearly white teeth.

That feminine gesture, paired with her faint smile, made Charlotte Clark in that moment resemble a lotus blooming in the wind atop a snowy mountain—still tinged with a bit of coldness, but incredibly beautiful and captivating.

“Heh, you really do look beautiful when you smile!” William Bolton’s eyes flickered with a hint of daze, and he blurted out with a laugh.

“Such a smooth talker!” Charlotte Clark really couldn’t take William Bolton’s sincere compliments, and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at William Bolton again, pouting playfully.

At this moment, Charlotte Clark’s words and actions truly had a bit of flirtatious banter between a man and a woman.

But before William Bolton could recover from Charlotte Clark’s feminine eye-roll, Charlotte Clark had already noticed her own unusual behavior. She quickly coughed lightly twice, then sat up straight, instantly regaining her calm and composed expression—though a faint blush still lingered on her neck.

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Charlotte Clark, I work in a government office. Nice to meet you!” Charlotte Clark said with a serious face.

“My name is William Bolton, from Wuzhou University!” Seeing this, William Bolton also put away his smile and replied calmly.

“I knew you were still a student.” Hearing William Bolton introduce himself like that, Charlotte Clark suddenly felt a sense of relief, leaning back in her chair a bit lazily, the lines of her face softening.

It’s always harder for women to make it in officialdom than men, and even harder for a beautiful woman. Charlotte Clark entered the grassroots at 21, in the prime of her youth and beauty. If it hadn’t been for her uncle’s lingering influence and her own calm handling, she would have long since been taken advantage of by those old officials. Now, at twenty-eight, Charlotte Clark had finally made a name for herself in politics—party secretary of the town, a full section-level cadre. And after this round of party school training, she’d probably be promoted to deputy division level. Ordinary cadres didn’t dare make a move on her anymore; even those old officials who used to dare now acted like mice seeing a cat. But there’s always someone higher up the ladder. Even if she made deputy division, there would still be plenty of people in officialdom who’d try to make a move on Charlotte Clark. And at this level, her uncle, who’d been retired for years, had almost no influence left—she could only rely on herself.

Now, hearing that William Bolton was just a college student, Charlotte Clark naturally relaxed, even feeling a faint sense of superiority in status.

William Bolton noticed Charlotte Clark’s misunderstanding and wanted to explain, but since he wasn’t one for many words, and seeing that Charlotte Clark had already made up her mind, he couldn’t be bothered.

“Isn’t it still before the semester starts? Are you going early to get ready for a work-study job?” Now that she was relaxed, Charlotte Clark seemed to talk more. Seeing William Bolton silent, she asked curiously.