"I'm afraid that's not possible. For Mark Goodwin, whether Uncle Zhen has any issues or what the final outcome is, it won't have much impact on him. You've noticed his attitude too, right? He looks out for himself—his words sound tough, but he's slippery and watertight, saying all the right things from both sides, covering both substance and appearance. But what about Uncle Zhen, left hanging like this? Just sitting and waiting is like sitting and waiting for death!"

William Carter sighed inwardly. Mark Goodwin might step up and exert some influence, but the arrival of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection probably makes him wary, so the extent to which he'll get involved is questionable. Besides, some of Zhen Jincai's personal conduct issues can't be hidden from this old fox either.

Would he worry that if he supports Zhen Jincai too openly, and those issues eventually come to light, it would affect the higher-ups' trust in him?

"Da Min, tell me honestly, is my dad really not going to make it through this?" After a long silence, Emily Jennings, sitting behind the car seat, finally spoke in a low voice.

"Emily Jennings, until the very last moment, no one can say for sure. We all trust Uncle Zhen when it comes to soliciting or accepting bribes, but what about the other things?" William Carter exhaled and said, "I'm just afraid that if some people can't find any real dirt, they'll start digging and won't stop until they've destroyed Uncle Zhen. Nobody's perfect, and after so many years working at the factory, it's inevitable that Uncle Zhen has made some mistakes. If someone grabs onto those and refuses to let go, and then blows them out of proportion, who knows what could happen."

Emily Jennings's mind was in turmoil. Of course she understood the implication behind William Carter's words. Normally, she hated it when anyone brought up these topics in front of her—if anyone even hinted at it, she'd turn hostile. But now, she couldn't care about that anymore, especially since William Carter was being quite tactful.

"Da Min, you must have a way." Emily Jennings didn't even know where this inexplicable sense of trust came from. "I believe you definitely have a solution."

"Emily Jennings, you really do have faith in me. If I had a way, would I have been sent back to my hometown in Nantang in disgrace?" William Carter laughed at himself. "But we have to at least try."

William Carter checked his watch—it was already noon. He rode his bike with Emily Jennings out of the factory area, heading straight for the post and telecommunications office.

Taking out the small notebook with the contact number, William Carter hesitated for a moment.

Lawrence Cole was his best friend from university, but now, right after graduation, he was already asking for a favor. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate.

But without outside intervention, William Carter was certain that history would continue on its original path. Even if he found the person from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and told them everything he knew, it probably wouldn't change much.

In the face of harsh reality, no one can change the established rules just by talking big. To change the rules, you need real power—at least for now.

Emily Jennings watched curiously as William Carter dialed the number. It was a long-distance call, and it seemed to be a Beijing area code. William Carter even used Mandarin with a Changxi accent, mixed with some Cantonese.

After William Carter explained the situation in detail over the phone, Lawrence Cole laughed on the other end. "Da Min, you really are lucky. Did you know my mom works at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection? What a coincidence!"

At school, Lawrence Cole had always been low-key and mysterious, rarely interacting with classmates. Even the other two people in the same dorm only had a normal relationship with Lawrence Cole. William Carter, with his outgoing and generous personality, actually got along quite well with Lawrence Cole.

But before that swimming incident, Lawrence Cole and William Carter were only relatively close.

Lawrence Cole grew up in the north and couldn't swim, but in Lingnan, not being able to swim was a real pain. In college, it was inevitable to go out and have fun on weekends.

During a boating trip at a reservoir, Lawrence Cole accidentally fell into the water. With his six-foot frame and weighing over 180 pounds, it took nearly all of William Carter's strength to drag Lawrence Cole to the shore. In his panic, Lawrence Cole clung tightly to William Carter, almost dragging him down as well.

That life-saving incident redefined the relationship between Lawrence Cole and William Carter, making them truly close. Only then did William Carter vaguely learn that both of Lawrence Cole's parents worked in central ministries, and his mother's family was among the founding generation of the republic.

But Lawrence Cole had a rebellious streak and hated using his family background, so he gave up studying in Beijing and chose to attend university in Lingnan.

William Carter only found out that Lawrence Cole's mother worked at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection many years later, when Lawrence Cole had already gone to Yugoslavia as a war correspondent for Xinhua News Agency. When the US bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, Lawrence Cole was lucky not to be in the embassy—he was in Montenegro.

Lawrence Cole's parents insisted on transferring him back to China, and it was only then, when William Carter got back in touch with Lawrence Cole, that he learned about Lawrence Cole's mother's job.

But after 9/11, Lawrence Cole once again threw himself into the Afghan war zone without hesitation, active in the most dangerous places in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran.