William Carter knew that this was Nancy Jennings's mother, Helen Lee, a cadre of the factory's labor union. In her youth, she was also a top talent in the arts at Factory 195, and together with the dashing and elegant James Jennings, they were hailed as a match made in heaven at Factory 195. Aside from being somewhat snobbish, this woman didn't really have any major flaws. Even though she knew her husband was entangled with some women at the factory, she was still able to restrain her emotions.

However, when it came to the relationship between William Carter and Nancy Jennings, she played a rather negative role, firmly opposing their romance, believing that the two were not a good match and that nothing good would come of it.

The sound of William Carter's footsteps startled the people inside the house.

The discipline inspection commission had come to take James Jennings away. Although James Jennings was shocked, he did not resist. He just furiously insisted that he was being framed and demanded that the commission conduct a thorough investigation and give him justice.

But James Jennings's wife Helen Lee and eldest daughter Emily Jennings were at a complete loss, especially after Frank Brooks warned them as he left that this was only the initial investigation stage by the higher-level commission, and nothing had been concluded yet. He hoped the family would consider the bigger picture, cooperate with the investigation, and not spread the news, which left Helen Lee and Emily Jennings even more unsure of what to do.

Both of them knew exactly what the discipline inspection commission did. At this point, the only person who might be able to help was the factory party secretary, Mark Goodwin. But earlier, Frank Brooks had said that it was still just an investigation, with no clear outcome. If they rashly went to Mark Goodwin to report the issue, would it just make things worse and cause rumors to spread everywhere?

If, by then, it turned out that James Jennings was innocent and came back, but the damage to his reputation had already been done, that would be another problem.

That was why the mother and daughter were so lost and didn't know what to do.

Emily Jennings pushed open the screen door and immediately saw William Carter hurrying in.

Emily Jennings tried hard to control her emotions and pretended to be calm as she said, "Damin, Nancy Jennings isn't here. She went to my uncle's place. We have some family matters to deal with, so you'd better go back for now."

William Carter sighed inwardly. Emily Jennings was a very smart and capable girl. You could say that both sisters inherited the best features of James Jennings and Helen Lee—Emily Jennings resembled her father more in personality and her mother more in appearance, while Nancy Jennings was more like Helen Lee in temperament and looked more like James Jennings.

"Aunt Le, Emily Jennings, did something happen to Uncle Zhen?" William Carter asked solemnly, his expression serious.

His words struck the mother and daughter like a bolt of lightning, making them both tremble. Helen Lee almost collapsed to the ground. How did William Carter know? If even William Carter knew, did that mean the whole Factory 195 was already talking about it? What should they do now?

"William Carter, how did you find out?!" Emily Jennings's beautiful eyes, slightly red and swollen, showed a look of shock, and her tone changed dramatically. She glanced at her unsteady mother and quickly supported her. "Tell me, how did you know?"

"Emily Jennings, Aunt Le, I just came by and saw Frank Brooks with a few people. I also saw two men escorting someone into a car. Uncle Zhen didn't notice me, but I saw the look of grief and anger on his face, so I guessed something must have happened to him." William Carter quickly explained, "What exactly happened? Who were those people that Frank Brooks brought?"

Helen Lee could no longer control her emotions and burst into tears, while Emily Jennings turned away, tears streaming down her face, not knowing how to answer.

After all, this kind of thing was far beyond anything they could have imagined. When James Jennings saw the visitors reveal their identities and intentions, he was indignant but dared not act rashly. Except for showing no courtesy to Frank Brooks, he was quite respectful to the others.

"Damin, this has nothing to do with you. You should go back. Something happened to our family, and we're all in a mess right now. Nancy Jennings went to my aunt's place in Baoqing and won't be back for a few days. We can't reach her at the moment." Emily Jennings took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, then handed it to her mother. Now that her mother was completely at a loss and there was no one else at home, she didn't know what to do.

"Emily Jennings, tell me what happened. The more critical the situation, the more you need to stay calm. If you trust me, why not tell me? We can figure something out together."

William Carter also knew that, aside from James Jennings who neither approved nor disapproved of his relationship with Nancy Jennings, both Helen Lee and Emily Jennings were against it. If Helen Lee objected because she thought they weren't a good match, then Emily Jennings felt that she herself was nothing special and pitied her younger sister, so she was rather cold toward him.

William Carter's tone was very firm, his gaze sharp and unwavering, nothing like the dejected and dispirited person he had been when he failed to get transferred back to the factory. Today, William Carter seemed to be enveloped in a mysterious strength and confidence that touched Emily Jennings's heart.

Chapter 4: Taking Responsibility for Offering Advice