"Damn! William, you’ve really changed a lot since I last saw you. Dressed so sharp, I almost didn’t recognize you." As soon as William Bolton pushed open the private room door, Andrew Brooks shouted.

William Bolton looked around and saw that quite a few people had come. He recognized several of them—they were all high school classmates who had stayed in the county. One of them was Andrew Brooks’s girlfriend, Laura White, the daughter of the Environmental Protection Bureau director. Two classmates were teachers at No. 1 High School, named Michael Harris and Linda Brooks. Two others were from the People’s Hospital: Thomas Bolton and Peter Grant. Even Julia Carter, the one Emily Sutton had mentioned, was there.

There were a few people he didn’t recognize, but judging by their attire, William Bolton guessed they were from the Public Security Bureau. Anyone who could get into this gathering was definitely one of Andrew Brooks’s trusted followers or allies.

"Haha, Brother Brooks, you still remember to invite your buddy for a drink! I thought you’d forgotten about me!" William Bolton laughed heartily. The two of them shared a bear hug, and then William Bolton greeted everyone else one by one.

William Bolton really had changed a lot. He used to be a bit introverted and sloppy, but now he dressed with care and spoke with wit, making all his classmates see him in a new light.

"William, let me introduce these two brothers to you: Mary Smith, captain of the fourth traffic police squad, and John Smith, captain of the fifth squad." Andrew Brooks pulled over the two men beside him and said to William Bolton with a grin.

William Bolton shook their hands warmly, thinking to himself that his guess was right—Andrew Brooks was definitely on the rise, and this was him bonding with his subordinates.

After everyone exchanged pleasantries, they all took their seats. Only then did William Bolton realize he was sitting next to Julia Carter. Normally, this wouldn’t matter, but after hearing Emily Sutton mention the dating thing, he felt a bit awkward. Still, he nodded to Julia Carter in a friendly way.

"Hey, William! You should come work at the Public Security Bureau. I can’t bear to see my brother stuck in that backwater by himself!" Andrew Brooks patted William Bolton on the shoulder and said seriously.

William Bolton smiled, feeling a bit touched. Honestly, joining the Public Security Bureau would be a good choice. With his relationship with Andrew Brooks, landing a decent position wouldn’t be hard at all.

But he had other plans. The Public Security Bureau might be lucrative, but promotions weren’t easy. Besides, Matthew Brooks promoting Andrew Brooks was already controversial—if he got involved too, people would definitely accuse them of forming a clique.

Thinking of this, he half-joked, "Comrade Andrew Brooks, that kind of thinking won’t do! If the organization needs us in the sticks, that’s where we go. We can’t negotiate with the organization!"

Andrew Brooks was stunned for a moment and immediately fell silent. William Bolton nodded to himself—this guy had really matured over the years. If it had been right after graduation, he would’ve argued back for sure.

"Come on, let’s all raise a glass! It’s rare for all us high school classmates to get together like this." Seeing Andrew Brooks a bit embarrassed, William Bolton quickly picked up his glass to change the subject.

With William Bolton leading, the atmosphere in the room immediately livened up. Linda Brooks also raised her glass and said, "Come on, let’s toast our officials! William, Andrew Brooks, especially Andrew Brooks—now that you’ve been promoted, you have to drink two glasses!"

William Bolton laughed, clinked glasses with Linda Brooks, and said to Laura White with a smile, "Laura, you’d better keep an eye on this guy. The higher his position, the more social events he’ll have. Who knows, one day someone might steal him away and you’ll be in trouble."

"Oh, come on! You’re always saying things like that. What kind of official am I? I’m not even a deputy section chief—just a nobody." Andrew Brooks gave William Bolton a shove and laughed, though he still looked a bit smug.

Chapter 0006 Julia Carter

After that, the main target for drinking was, of course, Andrew Brooks. In his previous life, William Bolton had never gotten drunk, and today, after a little warm-up, he was still going strong. While everyone else was getting tipsy, he still felt perfectly clear-headed.

"William, come on, let’s have a drink! You’re an official too, you know!" Just as things were getting quiet, Julia Carter suddenly raised her glass to William Bolton.

William Bolton glanced at her. Honestly, even though they were high school classmates, he didn’t remember interacting much with Julia Carter. It was just that there were so few classmates left in the county that they seemed closer at gatherings.

Julia Carter had already had quite a bit to drink. Her delicate face was flushed, making her look rather alluring.

"Hey, William, what are you waiting for? A beautiful woman is toasting you!" Andrew Brooks shouted, then grinned mischievously and said, "Oh, right, I almost forgot—our William is still single, and Julia Carter doesn’t have a boyfriend either. How about you two just..." As he spoke, he made a matching gesture with his hands.

William Bolton’s expression changed slightly. He quickly picked up his glass and downed it in one go. Julia Carter blushed even more, her face burning. To hide her embarrassment, she took a big gulp, but drank too fast and started coughing, then ran toward the restroom while still coughing.