When he got home, William Bolton finished writing his report in one go. At this moment, he was feeling very excited—not just because he had run into Henry Clark, but more importantly, because he realized his own judgment had been spot on. Henry Clark, being new here, had already sensed how difficult it would be to get work done, which was evident from his cautious behavior today.

William Bolton believed that it wouldn’t be long before Henry Clark made a move. Although his own chances weren’t great, he couldn’t rule out the possibility entirely.

“William, you’ve been shut in your room for ages by yourself. What are you doing in there? Come out and eat, your aunt is here.” His mother’s voice called from outside the door.

William Bolton stretched lazily and strolled into the living room.

“Oh, our family’s official is back? So, how long can you stay home this time?” William Bolton’s aunt, named Emily Sutton, looked a lot like his mother, but was a bit younger and didn’t wear glasses.

In William Bolton’s memory, his father had only one brother, and his mother only one sister, so the two families had always been close. His aunt and uncle were both in business and well-off, and they had doted on William Bolton since he was little.

William Bolton smiled sheepishly and said, “Auntie, don’t tease me. I end up in the middle of nowhere for two years at a time—serving the people isn’t easy!”

“You little rascal!” Emily Sutton laughed. “What’s wrong with our William? Last time I talked to Sister Ma about setting up Julia Carter with our William, but she wasn’t interested. She said Julia Carter is still too young, and Robert Carter is planning to send her abroad for further studies, so she’s not looking for a boyfriend right now. I was so mad I almost fell out with her on the spot.”

William Bolton looked a bit embarrassed. His family had worried plenty about his love life, but he was stuck in that remote place, and his family’s situation was just average—a classic case of not quite good enough for the best, but too good for the rest. Every time they tried to set him up, it never worked out.

He knew the Julia Carter that Emily Sutton mentioned—she was his high school classmate. Her mother was also a teacher, but her father was rich, running a coal mine, and was quite a big shot. If his aunt tried to arrange something with her family, it was definitely a lost cause.

Chapter 0005: Classmate Dinner

“Auntie, give it a rest! You should focus on finding a boyfriend for Little Helen first—that’s more important. I’ll handle my own business.” William Bolton laughed. The Little Helen he mentioned was Helen Reed, his cousin, just a year younger than him.

“Little Helen doesn’t need me to worry!” Emily Sutton laughed. “It’s you I’m worried about. You’re good-looking and have a job, so why haven’t you found someone you like? You’re driving us crazy!”

“Oh, enough already, let’s eat! No more talk about this!” William Bolton shouted. Once older women started on this topic, they’d never stop, and besides, he really wasn’t in the mood for a girlfriend right now.

Seeing William Bolton react so strongly, Emily Sutton exchanged a glance with Grace Sutton, and both shook their heads, dropping the subject.

“If you want to eat, help out. Your dad will be home soon—go to the room and get the wine ready for him.” Grace Sutton said with a hint of annoyance, clearly dissatisfied with William Bolton’s earlier attitude.

William Bolton stuck out his tongue and was about to get up when his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.

“Hey, is that William? Come out and hang out! A few of us brothers are at Golden Century, and there are some pretty girls with us!”

The call was from William Bolton’s high school buddy Andrew Brooks. Andrew Brooks had taken the civil service exam with him, but his own father was the chief of the public security bureau, so with that background, after a few years Andrew Brooks was already the captain of the third traffic police squad. He didn’t have an official administrative rank, but the perks were good, and he was doing much better than William Bolton.

“What’s the occasion today, Brother Brooks! I’ve been in the county for a month and haven’t heard a peep from you.” William Bolton laughed.

“Peep my ass, I just got back from training at the city bureau. Enough nonsense—are you coming or not?” Andrew Brooks chuckled.

“How could I refuse a summons from Brother Brooks? I still want to make it in Yongping! Alright, I’ll be right there!” With that, William Bolton hung up.

Since he had plans, William Bolton didn’t eat at home. Grace Sutton didn’t ask what he was up to either—her son was grown and out of her hands now.

Golden Century was a well-known entertainment venue in the county, offering dining, karaoke, and massages. It was said that the owner of Golden Century was a relative of Deputy County Chief Wu. William Bolton wasn’t surprised—without some serious connections, opening an entertainment venue was just a pipe dream.

After getting Andrew Brooks’s call, William Bolton was sure this guy was about to get promoted. Anyone who’d just returned from city-level training was bound to be moving up—maybe next year he’d be the squad leader.

William Bolton could only smile wryly at this. He knew that Andrew Brooks’s father, Matthew Brooks, was close to Deputy County Chief Wu, but now that Henry Clark had arrived, and Matthew Brooks was still pushing for his son’s promotion, his political instincts really weren’t that sharp.

By rights, given his relationship with Andrew Brooks, William Bolton should have given him a heads-up. But William Bolton knew that at this point, any advice would fall on deaf ears, or even backfire, so he decided to drop the idea.

Andrew Brooks was a bold guy, but not stupid—he was good at networking. William Bolton could only let him find his own way. It’s good for young people to experience some ups and downs.