However, William Bolton didn’t mind at all, continuing to handle everything with composure and courtesy. Samuel Foster and Eric Brooks thought even more highly of him, and by the end, the two of them simply started calling him brother.

They were seasoned veterans in officialdom and knew well the importance of having connections in the court. Now that they could build a good relationship with William Bolton, there would surely be plenty of benefits in the future.

As the atmosphere grew more lively, the five of them had nearly finished off four bottles of Wuliangye. Seeing that the timing was about right, William Bolton was the first to suggest returning to the hotel.

Samuel Foster and the others clearly couldn’t hold their liquor as well as he could; their speech was already starting to slur. William Bolton’s suggestion was exactly what they wanted, so the group left “Xiao’er Villa” together. William Bolton called a car for them, saying he needed to go to the Party School to pick something up, and didn’t leave with Samuel Foster.

After seeing Samuel Foster and the others off, it was already late. William Bolton strolled along the path on Tiger Mountain, his mind gradually calming down as he began to think about his next steps.

The position of secretary to the county mayor in the county committee office is no easy seat! Henry Clark is new here, his foundation is unstable, and by serving as his secretary, I’m essentially his trailblazer. There are many factions in Yongping County; if I’m not careful and make a wrong move, I’ll be cannon fodder.

Also, this promotion may look glorious, but isn’t it also a maneuver by Henry Clark? For Henry Clark to make such a big fuss, it’s probably not just about promoting me. He’s testing the waters, and also wants to show the Yongping officialdom his attitude, leaving everyone with the impression that he’s decisive and bold—a move that kills two birds with one stone!

But no matter what, William Bolton has no choice now. He must cling to this big tree without wavering. If Henry Clark can’t stand firm, he won’t have a good outcome either.

“Looks like I’ll have to step up my studies again for a while!” William Bolton shook his head and smiled wryly.

Suddenly, he heard voices up ahead at a fork in the path and quickly pricked up his ears to listen.

“Alice, don’t you know how I feel? If you stay with me, I promise you won’t lose out…” It was a man’s voice, and from the sound of it, he’d had quite a bit to drink—his words were slurred.

“Town Head Walker, you’re drunk. I’d better call someone to take you home!”

“No, no, Alice Bennett, you take me home… you… you…”

William Bolton felt awkward, thinking he was witnessing something he shouldn’t. He was about to take a detour, but a Nissan was parked at the fork, blocking the way, and he didn’t know what to do.

“Ah! No, no! Town Head Walker, oh!” As William Bolton hesitated, he suddenly heard a sharp cry, and a figure darted out from the left side of the fork—it was Alice Bennett.

William Bolton thought, “This isn’t good,” and quickly bent over, pretending to be drunk and vomiting, but Alice Bennett still saw him.

“Ah! Zhang… Director Zhang! Are you heading back to the hotel?” Alice Bennett hesitated for a long time before managing to say the title, her expression quickly regaining composure.

“Ah! Ah!” William Bolton decided to play along, pretending to vomit a few more times. After a while, he finally looked up, his eyes hazy, glanced at her, and slurred, “Oh, madam, hello! I… I… where am I?”

“Who are you? Where did you come from?” At this moment, Town Head Walker also walked over and spoke. His tone was unfriendly, probably startled just now; his tongue was now nimble, and the drunkenness on his face had vanished.

William Bolton, squinting slightly, sized him up. The man looked a few years older than himself, but was rather thin, dressed in a sharp suit, though his skin was so pale it was almost frightening.

“Town Head Walker?” There were only three towns in Yongping County, and the man’s surname was Wu. William Bolton immediately realized this was Richard Walker, the eldest son of Deputy County Chief Wu, and the mayor of Qinghe Town. Qinghe Town was right next to Chengguan Town and was considered one of the wealthier areas in Yongping.

“Ah! Ah!” William Bolton didn’t answer, continuing to pretend to vomit. Luckily, there was grass by the roadside and it was dark, so it was hard for others to tell he was faking.

“Here, Zhang… Director Bolton, here, wipe yourself off. Look how drunk you are, let me take you back!” Alice Bennett, desperate, called him Director Zhang since “Director” was a common enough title these days.

She then turned to Richard Walker and said, “Town Head Walker, this is Director Bolton. He’s so drunk, I need to take him back. If anything happens, it wouldn’t be good.”

Richard Walker was stunned, thinking, “Director Bolton? Where did this Director Bolton come from?” But since Alice Bennett said so, he couldn’t object, though in his heart he cursed William Bolton a hundred times. If it weren’t for wanting to maintain his image in front of a woman, he’d have loved to kick William Bolton a few times.

Seeing that Richard Walker said nothing, Alice Bennett stepped forward to help William Bolton up. William Bolton pretended to wipe his mouth with a tissue, and with Alice Bennett’s support, the two of them staggered toward the Nissan.

To make it look real, William Bolton would occasionally “accidentally” bump into Alice Bennett, making her feel awkward and causing a faint blush to appear on her face. Fortunately, it was dark and hard to see, or the embarrassment would have been even greater.

“In that case, I’ll go with you,” Richard Walker said, a bit unwillingly.