At this moment, the members of The Johnson Family in Taishan Town, Qing’an City, were just about to have dinner. The electric light in the courtyard was bright, and a small red round table had been set up, covered with a fairly sumptuous spread of farmhouse dishes—meat, fish, and vegetables. Although the food didn’t look particularly delicate or attractive, it actually tasted quite good.

The whole family sat together, just about to start eating, when a young woman in her early twenties—wearing a white T-shirt, sky-blue denim skirt, and gray leather women’s flat sandals, with delicate features and a slender figure—ran into the courtyard of The Johnson Family with a smile.

“Grandpa, Grandma, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good!”

This was none other than Henry Johnson’s only daughter, Jane Johnson, two years younger than Nathaniel Johnson, twenty years old this year. Her academic performance was average, and she didn’t get into college, only attending a vocational high school. Now she worked at a township enterprise in town, and her boyfriend, from a neighboring village, also worked at the same factory.

“Oh! Uncle, Aunt, you’re back!” Jane Johnson rushed in and suddenly noticed Noah Johnson and his wife, quickly stopping in her tracks a bit nervously and respectfully, greeting them with a smile.

She felt a certain awe toward her uncle, who was a high-ranking official. After all, a deputy director of the city public security bureau, a deputy county-level cadre, a leader even higher than the town mayor—in the eyes of Jane Johnson, a country girl who had never traveled far, that was already a very big official.

Noah Johnson nodded and smiled, “Little girl, just got off work? Come, eat with us.”

Paige Walker also smiled, got up, and took Jane Johnson’s hand, praising her, “Dad, Mom, our family’s Jane is getting prettier and prettier. I think, in these ten miles around, she’s really one of the best—so lovely!”

Jane Johnson shyly tugged at Paige Walker’s hand, acting spoiled, “Auntie, you’re teasing me again…”

Megan White smiled, got up to serve her daughter a bowl of porridge, pulled over a chair, and said softly, “Sister-in-law, don’t praise her too much… The more you praise her, the more unruly she gets! By the way, Jane, weren’t you working overtime tonight? How come you’re back…”

“Mom, a colleague switched shifts with me.” Jane Johnson giggled as she sat down, looked around, and then asked in surprise, “Auntie, where’s my brother? Why isn’t he here?”

Chapter 012 The Strange Behavior of The Lewis Family

Nathaniel Johnson actually understood very well that, at present, his father hiding out at home was just a last resort, a stopgap measure, and couldn’t truly resolve the potential crisis facing Noah Johnson. To really get out of this crisis, there was only one outcome: Quinn Lewis and William Thompson must be brought to justice. As long as William Thompson and Quinn Lewis were still free for the time being, everything remained uncertain. Conversely, as soon as Quinn Lewis and the others were taken down by the disciplinary committee, everything would be settled.

According to common sense, Quinn Lewis, William Thompson, and the others had close “economic” dealings with David Scott. With David Scott arrested, they naturally felt uneasy. However, first, they hadn’t expected the higher-ups to be so determined, to investigate so thoroughly and relentlessly, and even less expected David Scott to dare to confess about them; second, their backer was the municipal party secretary Jackson Scott, who himself was a leader with powerful connections—supported by Vice Governor Emily Howard.

With such a powerful protective umbrella and so many bureau-level officials involved and banding together, they felt somewhat fearless. At least, that’s how it looked for now.

In Nathaniel Johnson’s view, at present, Quinn Lewis and the others were separated from exposure by only a thin layer, like a sheet of paper—poke it lightly and it would break. Because in his previous life, he had paid close attention to the case of Quinn Lewis and the others, and still clearly remembered many details of this collusion case that were widely reported by the media and discussed for a long time among the public. He sorted through his memories from his previous life, connecting the key points, and basically figured out the general picture, which was actually not far from the truth.

Jackson Scott, Quinn Lewis, William Thompson, Leonard Johnson, and other city officials—their close connection with David Scott was not through David Scott’s Dehai Group, but through another company, an import-export trading company registered under Jackson Scott’s mistress Nicole Bolton: Sunshine Trading Company.

This trading company wasn’t large and had no real business operations—it was basically a shell. But all the “economic dealings” between David Scott and Jackson Scott and the others were covered and supported by this company… Jackson Scott and the others were all secret shareholders of this company. To put it bluntly, Sunshine Trading Company was a tool for these high-ranking officials to receive large bribes and launder money from David Scott.

In addition, there were later rumors that David Scott and Jackson Scott shared the same mistress. Jackson Scott’s mistress Nicole Bolton was originally the secretary who made David Scott’s bed and warmed his quilt, but later caught Jackson Scott’s eye and became his mistress. However, David Scott always maintained a close and ambiguous relationship with Nicole Bolton. In fact, it’s easy to understand—Nicole Bolton was a key figure for David Scott to keep a hold on Jackson Scott and other high officials, so how could David Scott possibly let go?