“Heh heh, are you still confused? I think you’re quite clear-headed. You made that article look so splendid, you’ve thoroughly digested the spirit of Secretary Rowe’s speech, and your citations are very appropriate. The comrades are all praising you—your political insight is sharp, and your theoretical level is getting higher and higher.”

Ethan Ray spoke coldly, his tone icy and piercing.

Mason Parker was even more bewildered, completely at a loss, not knowing why Ethan Ray had suddenly erupted in anger. But from the sound of it, it seemed that some article he had written had angered Ethan Ray.

However, in recent days, he had only written one theoretical article a few days ago, and that article absolutely should not have angered Ethan Ray. It was written entirely according to Ethan Ray’s guiding principles.

So why was Governor Ray talking about the spirit of Secretary Rowe’s speech?

As for Secretary Rowe, Mason Parker naturally knew it referred to the Provincial Party Secretary of Qingshan Province, George Rowe.

In terms of governance philosophy, George Rowe strove for stability, which was completely at odds with Ethan Ray’s “radicalism.” The two had rather serious disagreements, and this was no secret in the entire Qingshan provincial officialdom.

“Governor Ray, I…”

For a moment, Mason Parker simply didn’t know what to say.

He was completely confused.

“Comrade Mason Parker, I really didn’t expect you to be this kind of person… You’d better take care of yourself!”

Ethan Ray said angrily, then with a “bang,” hung up the phone.

Facing the beeping receiver, Mason Parker was completely baffled. He stared blankly for two seconds before dejectedly putting the receiver back, running his hand through his hair, utterly perplexed.

He and Ethan Ray had been superior and subordinate for years, and were also alumni from the same school. Ethan Ray was seven or eight years older, and Mason Parker had always regarded him as an elder brother. Ethan Ray was capable and decisive, efficient and enterprising, and had always earned Mason Parker’s deep respect. Over the years, Mason Parker had wholeheartedly followed Ethan Ray, and Ethan Ray had always looked upon him favorably. Their relationship had always been extremely harmonious.

In Mason Parker’s memory, although Ethan Ray didn’t have the best temper and often sternly rebuked subordinates who made mistakes, he had always been very cordial to Mason Parker, almost never losing his temper at him.

For Ethan Ray to be so furious today was truly unprecedented.

It could be said that this wasn’t just a normal outburst—Ethan Ray was practically pointing at Mason Parker’s nose and calling him a “despicable villain,” wanting to sever all ties and end their relationship for good.

Something huge had happened.

Yet he had no idea what it was, not even the slightest clue.

Mason Parker was deeply frustrated!

What was going on?

No matter what, he had to get to the bottom of this—it just wouldn’t do not to.

After stewing for a while, Mason Parker decided to call Ethan Ray. Clearly, some kind of misunderstanding had occurred. Although Mason Parker knew full well that Ethan Ray was still bound to be furious, and that calling now would likely mean another round of scolding, compared to that, getting to the truth was far more important.

Just as Mason Parker reached out—before he could grab the receiver—his secretary pushed open the door and walked in, holding several newspapers, with a rather odd expression on his face.

The moment the secretary entered, he was startled.

Because Mason Parker’s expression was so grim. The secretary had worked with Mason Parker for years, but it was the first time he’d seen such a look of anxiety and frustration on his face.

What had happened?

“Secretary Parker, today’s ‘Qingshan Daily’ has arrived…”

Swallowing nervously, the secretary spoke in a low voice.

“Mm.”

Mason Parker nodded and withdrew his hand.

Such an important call, of course, couldn’t be made in front of the secretary.

The secretary carefully walked over and gently placed the newspapers in front of Mason Parker. After hesitating a moment, he quietly asked, “Secretary Parker, did you revise that article?”

“What?”

Mason Parker hadn’t been thinking about the newspaper at all, and frowned immediately upon hearing this.

“Um, it’s like this—the article published in today’s paper seems to have some differences from our original draft…”

The secretary watched Mason Parker’s expression as he spoke, very cautiously.

The secretary had helped draft the article, so he knew its content well. As soon as today’s ‘Qingshan Daily’ arrived, he noticed that the published article was vastly different from the original draft.

“Huh?”

Mason Parker’s eyebrows shot up, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He immediately picked up the newspaper in front of him and turned to page three. Generally, such purely theoretical articles would be published on that page.

“Constant Vigilance Against the Spread of Bourgeois Liberalization.”

A bold, black headline instantly caught Mason Parker’s eye.

That was nothing unusual.

In recent years, debates between radical and gradualist viewpoints had occurred frequently. Articles with opposing perspectives often appeared in party journals and magazines, while overseas media directly referred to this as a struggle between “reformists” and “conservatives.”