Inside the car, Henry Foster gently put down his pen and reached up to rub his temples.

The first draft was finished!

Now, Henry Foster had only one worry: he didn’t know whether Mason Parker had discussed the basic content of the article with Director Warren over the phone. If they had, then his little trick of swapping things out might be exposed.

But at this point, there was no turning back.

No matter what, he had to take the gamble.

Mason Parker's future, William Foster's future, and even his own future—all were on the line.

He didn’t want to repeat the same life trajectory as before.

That would be far too boring.

If you’re going to play, play big!

Chapter 3 Playing Big

Henry Foster really did play big.

On the very day the provincial newspaper was published, not long after the afternoon work session began, Governor Ethan Ray called directly to Mason Parker's office desk.

Mason Parker was forty-six years old, of medium and slightly thin build, with a square face and thick eyebrows. His refined demeanor carried a hint of determination as he walked slowly down the old wooden corridor of the Yan Hua Prefectural Committee office building, hands clasped behind his back, making soft “tok tok” sounds.

His office was on the west side of the third floor of the committee building, directly opposite the office of Party Secretary Gavin Grant at the other end of the corridor.

Along the way, the committee office staff, seeing Secretary Parker approaching, quickly stepped aside to make way and greeted him one after another. Mason Parker smiled and nodded in return.

Yan Hua Prefecture was established in the late 1950s, located at the southwestern tip of Qingshan Province, overseeing one city and eight counties, with a total population of over 4.7 million. It was one of the largest regions in Qingshan Province, and also one of the poorest. The area was mostly hilly and mountainous, with poor transportation and scarce arable land. Many people deep in the mountains still lived in a “primitive era” of slash-and-burn agriculture.

Four years ago, Mason Parker was transferred from his position as Deputy Director of the Provincial Government Office to serve as a member of the Yan Hua Prefectural Committee and Minister of Organization. A year later, he was promoted to Deputy Secretary of the Committee, in charge of party and mass organization work, ranking third in the committee, just after the Secretary and the Commissioner.

Mason Parker was highly knowledgeable, open-minded, upright, and caring toward his colleagues, enjoying great prestige among the committee and subordinate city and county officials.

It could be said that during his years working in Yan Hua, Mason Parker had been in a relatively good mood. The only thing he slightly regretted was that he had spent all these years on party affairs, while deep down, he wanted to work more on economic development. Although when assessing and promoting cadres, he always prioritized their abilities and achievements in economic development, and constantly encouraged his subordinates to free their minds and accelerate reform, focusing all efforts on economic construction, it still felt like scratching an itch through a boot—not as satisfying as taking charge himself.

However, not long ago, Governor Ray had privately hinted to him that Commissioner Edward Lee might be reassigned by the province, and the provincial party committee might be about to give him more responsibility.

Having spent years in officialdom, Mason Parker understood Ethan Ray's words perfectly.

If Ethan Ray wasn’t at least eighty percent sure, he wouldn’t have spoken so plainly.

Party Secretary Gavin Grant and Commissioner Edward Lee were both veteran cadres reinstated after the turmoil, both nearing sixty, and it was about time for them to retire.

It seemed that from now on, he needed to pay more attention to theoretical research and discussion on economic development.

As he walked into his office, Mason Parker was thinking about this.

Mason Parker firmly believed that no matter what work you did, theory was extremely important. With the right theoretical guidance and correct major policies, specific work would not stray off course.

Mason Parker's office was not large, just under thirty square meters, divided into two rooms.

It had originally been a large office, later partitioned into two; the outer room was for the secretary.

The furnishings in the inner office were also very simple: an old-fashioned large desk, a vintage rattan chair, and a black-lacquered glass-fronted bookshelf standing behind, looking a bit clumsy. The reception area had wooden sofas and a wooden tea table, all painted black.

These office items had all been purchased in the 1970s and were quite old.

Mason Parker didn’t mind.

He never cared much for material comforts.

As soon as Mason Parker sat down behind his desk and picked up a document to read, the red secure phone on his desk began to ring urgently. Mason Parker's eyebrows shot up and his expression grew serious.

Generally, only higher-level leaders would call this secure phone; for daily work, colleagues would use the regular black phone.

“Hello…”

“Minshan, if you have any complaints about me, you could just tell me face to face…”

Before Mason Parker could finish his greeting, Governor Ethan Ray's deep voice came through the receiver. From the sound of it, Governor Ray was very displeased.

Mason Parker was instantly confused.

What did this mean?

As far as he knew, he had never shown the slightest disrespect to Governor Ray.

“Governor, I… I’m a bit confused…”

Mason Parker hesitated for a moment before replying, utterly bewildered, his face full of surprise.