He himself was at least a deputy head of the Organization Department, and he had a say in personnel transfers. Most young cadres, when they saw him, would fawn and flatter—where could you find someone as carefree and natural as this kid!

“Truly, heroes emerge from the youth! This time, the organization has assigned me to be in charge of the youth training class, and I have a lot of feelings about it! Little William, you’ve been at Lizi Ping for more than two years now, and your Party membership is relatively long as well. You’re also one of the top students in the class this time. I’m planning to report your situation to the organization. What do you think about this?” David Thompson said with a smile.

William Bolton smiled, knowing that David Thompson was testing him. He had already prepared his answer for this question, so he said, “I trust the organization. This time, the county leaders personally gave instructions and assigned you to be in charge of the youth training class. That shows how much they value young cadres like us! I will follow whatever the organization arranges!”

When David Thompson saw William Bolton respond like this, he felt even more uncertain. When young cadres know they’re about to be promoted, who can sit as calmly as this kid? Could it be that he really has some secret connection with County Head Li? Then he remembered that William Bolton had transferred into the class—was there some story behind that? For a moment, he was really stuck in a dead end.

“Little William, you’ve been in the youth training class for over a month now. Do you have any opinions or suggestions about our work here? Don’t hold back—just speak freely. That’s the only way we can improve!” David Thompson said.

William Bolton glanced at David Thompson, but his mind was on his own affairs. Whether he could get a transfer or not, this person was truly a key figure. He didn’t know anyone else, so he could only rely on this guy to put in a good word for him. As long as no one above objected, maybe he really could get a move—after all, many of those who took the civil service exam with him were already deputy section chiefs. In terms of qualifications, he definitely had no problem!

Thinking of this, he quickly said, “Principal Thompson, you don’t need to pursue perfection too much. In my opinion, the fact that County Head Li could come to our youth training class today already shows how much the leadership values us! There’s more than one youth training class in the western suburbs—the Tobacco Bureau, the Hydropower Bureau, and the Forestry Bureau are all in the west city! County Head Li is new here and doesn’t know the situation yet, so it’s reasonable for him to be a bit cautious in his work!”

David Thompson was taken aback, but after thinking about William Bolton’s words, he realized they made sense. As soon as County Head Li arrived in the western suburbs, he got close to the Party School, so it was inevitable that other departments might have opinions.

“Huh, this William Bolton is quite a talent! His perspective is insightful. If he could come to the Organization Department, he might become a great help to me!” After a while, David Thompson thought to himself.

“Actually, I haven’t thought much about it. You know the situation in the Organization Department—there’s a lot of responsibility! I’m careful every day, afraid of making any mistakes! Little William, we’re really short of young cadres in the Organization Department right now. Are you interested in working there?”

“The Organization Department?” William Bolton was startled. “That’s a deep pool of water!” But since things had been said so directly, William Bolton couldn’t refuse outright, so he tactfully said he would follow whatever the organization arranged.

When David Thompson saw that William Bolton didn’t refuse, he immediately became happy, raised his glass, and had another drink with William Bolton. After that, the two of them tacitly stopped talking about work and instead chatted freely about all sorts of things.

The more they talked, the more David Thompson felt that William Bolton was no ordinary person. This kid’s conversation was so sophisticated and his way of handling things so smooth—he might even surpass himself. For a moment, he was already thinking about how to manage his subordinates.

But William Bolton had other thoughts. In fact, the Organization Department wasn’t really a good place to go, but there was no other way now. David Thompson had spoken so directly—if he refused, he would definitely offend him.

More importantly, he had no background. If he could get into the city, even if he just muddled along in the Organization Department, he’d have more chances to meet leaders. That was still better than staying in that remote place, Lizi Ping.

Both of them had their own thoughts, so the conversation gradually lost its spark. In the end, when William Bolton saw it was getting late, he suggested going home. David Thompson had the same idea. To show his appreciation for William Bolton, David Thompson didn’t ask the driver to drive, but personally took William Bolton to his neighborhood.

……

Just after New Year’s Day 2000, Yongping County’s annual economic work conference officially opened at the county government. As the meeting began, William Bolton had nothing much to do at the Xihu Hotel, so he focused all his attention on his studies at the Party School, and the days passed by one after another.

He didn’t tell his family about the possibility of being transferred to the Organization Department, since nothing was settled yet, and going there would only be a temporary measure. The head of the Organization Department, George Harris, was one of Deputy County Head Wu’s people, and from the looks of it, David Thompson’s position in the Organization Department wasn’t stable either. He figured he wouldn’t have much chance to stand out there, so he could only keep waiting patiently for an opportunity.

“Qingyun, your aunt has found you another girlfriend—a teacher at No. 5 Middle School. I’ve seen her photo, she looks pretty good. Why don’t you two meet?” One day, just as William Bolton returned from the Party School, Emily Sutton said.

“No, no! I’m busy to death these days.” William Bolton replied weakly.

“How can you not go? You’re not young anymore, you need to think about marriage. You’ll go tomorrow!” His father, Edward Bolton, snorted coldly from the side.