To be honest, Quinn Lewis didn’t really think much of Noah Johnson. However, he always had a fairly good impression of Nathaniel Johnson, probably because Nathaniel Johnson had always excelled academically since childhood, making him a rare model student and good kid among the children in the government compound. In the 1980s and 1990s, everyone tended to like “good kids” who did well in school. But having a good impression didn’t mean anything more—it was just a good impression, nothing else.

However, over the years, Nathaniel Johnson’s father, Noah Johnson, had always believed that his appointment as deputy director of the Public Security Bureau was thanks to Quinn Lewis giving him a push behind the scenes out of consideration for their years as neighbors.

In reality, back then, Quinn Lewis had only casually mentioned Noah Johnson to the main leader of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, with no intention of recommending him, and he didn’t even know that the committee leader was planning to promote Noah Johnson. Nathaniel Johnson knew better than anyone what kind of person Quinn Lewis was—greedy and arrogant by nature, the type who never acts unless there’s something in it for him. Even though their families lived across the hall from each other, if Noah Johnson didn’t “offer” something, it would have been impossible to get any “help” from Quinn Lewis.

In the third year after Quinn Lewis was transferred out of the Public Security Bureau, three deputy directors retired from the Haidu City Public Security Bureau at the same time, one of whom was a deputy bureau-level research officer. At that time, Noah Johnson was the deputy chairman of the bureau’s labor union, making him one of the more senior mid-level cadres in the bureau, and he was also included in the pool of reserve cadres. When it came time to promote new members to the bureau’s leadership, Daniel MillerSecretary Miller, who was then the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee and also the director of the Public Security Bureau, knew that Quinn Lewis lived across from Noah Johnson, so on one occasion he casually asked Quinn Lewis, “Old Lu, you’re a veteran leader of the bureau—what do you think of Noah Johnson?”

At the time, Quinn Lewis’s exact words were: “Secretary Miller, although Noah Johnson doesn’t have any outstanding abilities, he’s an honest and reliable person. Yes, his whole family is honest, especially his son, who’s a very good student.”

In the end, Noah Johnson’s promotion was really a matter of chance. First, there weren’t many suitable candidates who met the requirements for promotion; second, Secretary Miller of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee genuinely appreciated his reputation for honesty and reliability. In other words, Noah Johnson’s character and reputation were well known, and whether or not Quinn Lewis said that one sentence wouldn’t have affected Daniel Miller’s evaluation and appreciation of Noah Johnson—he would have been promoted anyway.

Unfortunately, Secretary Miller, this discerning leader, was soon transferred out of Haidu to become deputy secretary of the Qing’an Municipal Party Committee. Otherwise, Noah Johnson might have had even greater prospects.

But somehow, what Quinn Lewis said that day made its way to Noah Johnson’s ears. Noah Johnson was a sincere person, and upon hearing it, he felt grateful and even went to the Lu family to thank him in person. Although Quinn Lewis didn’t feel he had contributed much to Noah Johnson’s promotion, since Noah Johnson “believed” it, he was happy to accept the credit and certainly wouldn’t deny it.

The two families had been neighbors for more than ten years. Quinn Lewis’s daughter, Lillian Lewis, was the same age as Nathaniel Johnson; they attended the same school from junior high through high school, making them childhood playmates and close classmates.

However, Nathaniel Johnson’s academic performance was outstanding—he was always a top student at school; otherwise, he wouldn’t have scored so highly on the college entrance exam and been admitted to the Guanghua School of Management at Jinghua University. In contrast, Quinn Lewis’s daughter, Lillian Lewis, had only average grades. It wasn’t that she didn’t work hard, but she just wasn’t as well suited to the exam-oriented education system. As a result, after the college entrance exam, Lillian Lewis barely made it into an ordinary university, just meeting the minimum score for a bachelor’s degree.

Looking back now, Nathaniel Johnson could see it all clearly. The reason Quinn Lewis had a bit of appreciation for him might have been partly admiration for his steady and down-to-earth character, but more importantly, it was because his daughter Lillian Lewis had a secret crush on him. Nathaniel Johnson was a good student, and since the two families lived across the hall, Quinn Lewis and his wife naturally hoped Lillian Lewis would spend time with Nathaniel Johnson, often asking him to help her with her studies. Over time, when Quinn Lewis noticed his daughter’s feelings for Nathaniel Johnson, he seemed to develop the idea of having Nathaniel Johnson as his son-in-law.

Of course, this thought of Quinn Lewis’s was just a fleeting notion at the time—the two kids were still young, and it was far too early to talk about such things. Moreover, as his official rank rose, the gap between the two families became more and more obvious, and the distance grew. How could he possibly allow his precious daughter to marry Nathaniel Johnson? For a leader at his level, his daughter’s marriage was, in a sense, a bargaining chip for political alliances or greater personal gain.

However, compared to Quinn Lewis’s arrogance and pride, his daughter Lillian Lewis was kind and gentle by nature. She had liked Nathaniel Johnson since childhood, and from high school on, she subconsciously regarded him as her future husband. It’s true that seventeen- or eighteen-year-old high schoolers are just beginning to experience love, and many even have early romances, but Nathaniel Johnson simply didn’t feel anything for Lillian Lewis—there was no spark. After they went to different universities, the matter faded even more from Nathaniel Johnson’s mind.

Besides, Nathaniel Johnson knew very well that he and Lillian Lewis could never end up together. Even if they somehow did, there was a high chance that Quinn Lewis would forcibly break them up.