The suit fit him perfectly, and his hair was slicked tightly back, giving him a big, shiny head—just like they say, every successful man’s hair never falls forward!

Ugh! William Harris suddenly sat up with a start, his eyes wide in shock.

William Harris’s sudden movement really startled Eric Bennett, who took several steps back and assumed a defensive stance, only to realize it was William Harris on the hospital bed.

After squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, William Harris looked at Eric Bennett again. A bureaucratic aura, even thicker than David Carter’s, appeared above Eric Bennett’s head.

“What’s wrong, Brother Harris?” Emily Clark asked nervously, watching the IV drip.

“It’s nothing.” William Harris lay back down on the bed.

He watched as Little Emily and Eric Bennett left together, looking quite close.

Something must have happened to him—could that blow to the head have given him some kind of special ability? William Harris lay in bed, letting his thoughts run wild.

He couldn’t figure out what this bureaucratic aura was all about, but there was one problem he had to face: competition in the office was already fierce. There was one director and six staff members. Director David Carter was the party secretary’s trusted aide, so he was safe. But it was rumored that one of the six staff would be cut. That was dangerous—no matter how William Harris calculated it, he always felt he’d be the one to go.

Unconsciously, William Harris started thinking about the news of the upcoming staff reduction in the office.

Little Henry was David Carter’s man, Little Michael supposedly had connections in the city, Little Scott, that flirtatious woman, was rumored to have hooked up with the township chief, so she definitely wouldn’t be cut. Old Brooks was a veteran—rumor had it he’d even shared a dorm with the county party secretary. Little James was a great beauty, and every time the secretary saw her, his eyes lit up.

William Harris counted up the people in the office and realized he was the only one without any backing or connections. His only advantage was his outstanding work ability. In previous rounds of restructuring, he’d survived thanks to his competence. They always needed at least one person to actually get things done, right? But who knew if he’d be so lucky this time!

This was a critical moment—he absolutely couldn’t stay in the hospital. David Carter was clearly looking for an excuse to get rid of him. William Harris felt a strong sense of crisis.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and his mind returned to the matter of the bureaucratic aura. It had appeared twice now, so it couldn’t be a coincidence. Why did some people have it above their heads, while others didn’t?

He looked at the other patients in the ward—none of them had any bureaucratic aura either.

Could that blow to the head have given him a concussion? This was a critical time; he absolutely couldn’t afford to have any problems.

As soon as his IV drip was finished, William Harris left the hospital. No matter what, he couldn’t just lie there—there were so many things waiting for him to do tomorrow, and he couldn’t give anyone an excuse to cut him. Even though William Harris knew this probably wouldn’t help much, it was still better than doing nothing. Those with power always thought about how to get more benefits, while those without power just tried to hold on to what they had!

Looking at the several-hundred-yuan prescription from the hospital, William Harris could only shake his head. Poor people really can’t afford to get sick—one illness could ruin you!

Ever since the county’s industry took off, Huan Cheng Township had become lively. Don’t be fooled by the title of township chief—this was a big township, with a very high industrial output. The township was gradually shifting from agriculture to industry. Of course, there were still a few villages that lagged behind, mostly those farther from the county seat.

Walking down the road, under William Harris’s deliberate observation, he really did spot a few people with bureaucratic aura—some thick, some thin. Maybe there just weren’t that many officials here, so not many people had it.

William Harris basically summed up a rule: anyone who reached a certain official rank had bureaucratic aura; ordinary people didn’t have it. It was something unique to officials. Of course, maybe there was also a “wealth aura”—who knew.

He also checked himself—there was nothing above his own head. This was a big blow to William Harris; without it, it meant he had no chance of becoming an official.

How could he obtain bureaucratic aura? This became the question William Harris most wanted to solve.

Now William Harris was actually a bit grateful to the person who hit him with the brick. If it hadn’t been for that blow, he might still be working aimlessly. It seemed that even striving required the right method—without it, no matter how hard you worked, you’d get nowhere.

Why did all the good cabbages get eaten by pigs? It could only mean the pigs had a way to get to the cabbages!

It was as if William Harris suddenly had an epiphany, and he began to deeply reflect on his previous attitude of just keeping his head down and working hard.

As long as he could uncover the secret of the bureaucratic aura, his life would surely change. William Harris, who often read web novels, suddenly wondered: did he now have a “golden finger”—the ability to see everyone’s bureaucratic aura? Was this ability actually useful?

William Harris noticed that the bureaucratic aura varied—some were thicker, some thinner, and some even changed color slightly.