Ryan Carter blinked and replied evasively, “I’m a recent graduate from the Chinese Department of Binzhou University. While at school, I served as vice president of the student union, and I was also commended by the National College Student Youth Federation. Oh, and I have a classmate who’s from Lanxi.”

At this point, there was no need to spell things out too clearly. Ryan Carter believed that, given William Owen’s abilities, he would naturally understand the message being conveyed. However, it was not only important to leave an impression, but even more crucial to let William Owen see his capabilities.

Although William Owen was a bit surprised that his high-ranking old classmate would come here to see him, what puzzled him even more was that Charles Grant had actually left his phone number with this young man. After four years as bunkmates in college, William Owen didn’t think Charles Grant would do such a thing for no reason. After thinking it over, he said to the nervous Adam Reed, “In that case, give him the documents. Let this Lu…” As he spoke, he turned and asked, “What’s your name again?”

“Secretary Ou, my name is Ryan Carter.”

“Alright, let Ryan Carter handle it. Hmm, Little Ryan, how long do you think it’ll take you to finish? I have a district meeting tomorrow morning, and this is very important.”

Ryan Carter chuckled, glanced at his watch, and said steadily, “There are still three hours left before the end of the workday. In two and a half hours, I’ll deliver it to your office.”

William Owen was taken aback, surprised by Ryan Carter’s confidence. He looked at him with a mix of doubt and belief, nodded, and then turned to leave the office.

As soon as he left, Adam Reed hurriedly handed a stack of materials to Ryan Carter, grinning broadly. “Sorry to trouble you, Brother Ryan. If you hadn’t been here today, Secretary Lu would definitely have been upset.”

Waving his hand, Ryan Carter said calmly, “It’s fine, you go ahead with your work. I’ll take a look at these materials.”

For him, writing this kind of thing was second nature. After all, in his previous life, he worked with words, and even if he hadn’t written this kind of empty, grandiose report before, he’d seen plenty of them. What’s more, Ryan Carter had even written online novels about officialdom back in the day, so this sort of thing didn’t require much effort. Plus, John Smith had already given him some data from various units and villages, so it wasn’t difficult for Ryan Carter to write it—he basically completed the report in one go.

He spent nearly three hours writing a report titled “Sustainable Development—A Long-term Plan for Industrial and Agricultural Development and Environmental Protection in Yanjiang Township,” almost ten thousand words in total. Ryan Carter sat there, typing while gradually incorporating some of the ideas that would later be promoted by the government. Of course, he also included some real data in this area. Unexpectedly, he lost track of time while typing, and when he finally came to his senses, he realized that more than three and a half hours had passed.

What surprised Ryan Carter even more was that Michael Thompson, who sat across from him at the computer, was looking at him with a very strange expression. Just as he was about to speak, a voice came from behind: “What a brilliant and insightful piece of writing!”

Chapter 014 Ryan Carter’s Question

William Owen hadn’t come specifically to wait for Ryan Carter; he was just feeling a bit anxious waiting in the office, both curious and worried that Ryan Carter might not do a good job. So he came to the office a little early, only to find Ryan Carter fully focused on typing away, quietly walking up behind him to see the young man’s fingers flying across the keyboard.

At first, William Owen thought Ryan Carter was copying something from the internet. Although the internet wasn’t very developed yet, there were already some articles circulating online. But to his surprise, Ryan Carter had only opened a single document and was earnestly writing something himself. In other words, what this young man was writing was entirely tailored to the actual situation in Yanjiang Township.

Staring at the words on the screen, William Owen felt anything but calm. Although he wasn’t an economic official in charge of industrial development, after years of working at the Party School and being a highly educated intellectual himself, William Owen could naturally see the weight of Ryan Carter’s article. That’s why he couldn’t help but voice his praise.

Hearing William Owen’s admiration, Ryan Carter was naturally delighted, but he kept a straight face, scratching his head a little embarrassedly as he said, “Secretary Ou, I’m really sorry, I didn’t expect it to take so long. Please wait a moment, I’ll print it out right away.”

William Owen waved his hand. “Not bad, not bad, you did very well. Little Ryan, where are you from?”

Ryan Carter smiled and replied respectfully, “Thank you, Secretary Ou. My family is from Yanjiang Township.”

Hearing this, William Owen was taken aback and asked in surprise, “What made you decide to come back and work here? With your education, it should be easy to find a good job in the south, right?”

Ryan Carter nodded and replied, “Quite a few of my classmates went south. But I think there’s still room for development in my hometown, and it’s a place where I can realize my ambitions!”