Never underestimate anyone, especially any woman!

A trace of severity flashed in David Carter's eyes. If William Harris hadn't been secretly observing, he might not have noticed it.

With a smile on his face, David Carter joked, “Our little Zhao really has a great figure. Haha. Little Scott, in a bit, go to Township Chief Clark and check if he’s looked at the materials you sent over.”

Well, David Carter isn’t someone to mess with either—he also took a jab at Lily Scott.

Sometimes people joke around in the office. Henry White immediately chimed in, “The director’s taste is beyond words—absolutely top-notch!”

Lily Scott proudly straightened her ample chest, clearly in a good mood.

This left several of the men a bit stunned.

Looking at Lily Scott, William Harris felt a bit dizzy. Was this woman just oblivious, or what? She seemed to really enjoy the first half of David Carter’s comment.

Ugh! Suddenly, William Harris noticed that, in the midst of this flattery, a faint white aura of officialdom appeared above Henry White’s head. It was so subtle that you’d miss it if you weren’t paying attention, but it was definitely there. Just as William Harris was about to take a closer look, the aura vanished again.

What’s going on? William Harris frowned. This was a bit mysterious! It’s not that people without official positions have no official aura.

“What’s up, Little William? Looks like you have a different opinion. Why are you frowning?” Michael Reed said to William Harris.

Damn it! William Harris really wanted to curse. This guy was up to no good—clearly trying to show David Carter that he wasn’t on his side.

Sure enough, although David Carter was smiling, his eyes didn’t look friendly.

“Haha, Brother Michael, why would you say that? I just saw the materials from Majie Village. There’s a family there that fought over their inheritance so badly they drove their own mother to death. Can you even call these children human?” William Harris put on an indignant expression.

“People will do anything for their own interests these days!” Lily Scott also looked indignant.

Seeing that he’d successfully diverted everyone’s attention, William Harris noticed that David Carter’s expression had improved a lot. Thinking about Lily Scott’s words, he secretly laughed—wasn’t this woman the same? To get more benefits, she’d even gotten involved with the Township Chief!

Wait! As William Harris thought of this, he looked seriously at Lily Scott. Logically, since she’d gotten close to the Township Chief, there should be some official aura above her head. Why wasn’t there? Could it be, like Henry White, her aura appeared and disappeared?

Just then, Little James walked in from outside, looking excited.

There it was! William Harris saw a cloud of white official aura suddenly appear above Little James’s head—much denser than Henry White’s. However, as she entered the room, the aura slowly faded away.

Even denser than Henry White’s! That meant Little James was really favored by the leadership!

William Harris couldn’t help but sigh. Now he was sure—one way to gain official aura was to win the leader’s favor.

“Director, I’ve delivered the materials,” Little James said to David Carter.

Beaming, David Carter asked Little James, “Did Secretary Reed give any instructions?”

“No, but Secretary Reed praised the work of our Party and Government Office and told me to learn more from the director,” Little James said innocently. She first refilled David Carter’s cup, then poured water for herself.

Hearing this, William Harris noticed that David Carter’s face was glowing with happiness, and his official aura had grown even stronger.

Seriously! William Harris found the way official aura was gained truly strange. There was no pattern at all!

“Haha, Little James, not bad! You’ve only been here a few days and you’re already up to speed. From now on, you’ll be responsible for delivering materials and documents to Secretary Reed. Don’t let down the leader’s trust.” David Carter said to Little James in a heartfelt tone.

Damn!

William Harris was speechless. David Carter really was something else! To curry favor with the leaders, he’d use any trick in the book. Honestly, David Carter was the least competent person in the Party and Government Office, but you had to admire that he’d managed to stay director for two or three years without being replaced. Sometimes William Harris wondered if you really didn’t need much ability to survive in officialdom—maybe all you needed was the ability to flatter.

Little James’s official aura appeared again, growing even denser.

Seeing this, William Harris sighed to himself—there’s something to learn everywhere!

He hadn’t expected that pleasing the leaders and getting their praise were both ways to gain official aura.

It seemed that Little James’s position was very secure. Did that mean he himself would really be eliminated? William Harris felt a strong sense of crisis. After all, the Party and Government Office was an important department, very close to the leadership. If he got sent down, especially to work in a village, he’d be utterly depressed.

The office soon returned to a peaceful atmosphere, everyone acting as if everything was perfectly harmonious.

Suddenly, the phone rang. David Carter picked up the receiver, answering repeatedly.