Before the two established a connection, Richard Howard was just an ordinary staff member like William Harris. The reason Richard Howard rose to prominence was entirely thanks to Steven Bennett; it could be said that Steven Bennett single-handedly supported Richard Howard. Of course, Richard Howard was also a capable person—otherwise, he couldn’t have been helped up.

It was only when the two went home for the New Year the year before last that they discovered this relationship. At that time, Richard Howard was merely a department staff member at the county level, and it was through Steven Bennett’s maneuvering that he became the deputy township head of Huan Cheng Township. The reasons Steven Bennett helped Richard Howard were, first, that they were cousins, and second, that Steven Bennett was constantly building his own team. Richard Howard had some abilities in various aspects and was someone worth cultivating.

Originally, Steven Bennett hoped that after Richard Howard gained a foothold in Huan Cheng Township, he could control the township. However, after nearly a year, Richard Howard still hadn’t entered the core of the township government; the exclusivity here was very strong. Township Party Secretary Ryan Reed was under County Party Secretary Robert Green, Township Head Edward Clark was under County Head Samuel Reed, and Deputy Secretary George Cooper was also under Robert Green. As a result, Ryan Reed and George Cooper firmly held the township’s power, and many times Township Head Edward Clark also sided with Ryan Reed. Although Richard Howard knew these three had many secrets, he struggled to find any evidence.

What made Richard Howard most uncomfortable was that the director of the Party and Government Office, David Carter, was a die-hard subordinate of Ryan Reed. That office was truly impenetrable.

Richard Howard had long analyzed the staff in the Party and Government Office: Lily Scott was undoubtedly aligned with the township head, Michael Reed was hard to read—sometimes he seemed well-connected, other times he seemed to have no influence at all. He would eventually return to the city, so he couldn’t be used, and even if he wanted to side with Richard Howard, it wouldn’t mean much. Henry White was both incompetent and had already sided with David Carter. The newcomer Little James was good-looking, but from the current situation, he was more likely to side with Ryan Reed. As for Old Brooks, relying on his old friendship with the county party secretary, he wouldn’t do anyone’s bidding. Old Brooks’s personality wasn’t suited for achieving big things—if he were, he would have been promoted long ago. In the end, only the present Little William remained.

According to Richard Howard’s observations, William Harris didn’t belong to anyone. Simply put, he wasn’t politically savvy and had low sensitivity to officialdom, though he was the most capable among them all.

Sitting in the car with his eyes closed, Richard Howard suddenly had an idea: why not test this Little William? If he could bring him over to his side, he’d have an informant in the Party and Government Office.

“Little William, how many years have you worked in the township?” he asked, seemingly casually.

“Township Chief Howard, I’ve worked in the township for three years, always in the Party and Government Office,” William Harris replied, pretending to be respectful, even omitting the “deputy” in the title.

“Not a short time! As far as I know, several people who joined the government with you have already been promoted. Your work is excellent; I’ll put in a good word for you when the time comes.”

Since he was sitting in the front row, William Harris could only see Richard Howard through the mirror. At this moment, Richard Howard wore a very sincere expression.

Hearing Richard Howard’s words, William Harris expressed his thanks while pondering the meaning behind them. Normally, a leader wouldn’t make promises lightly, but he had clearly indicated his willingness to speak up for him. This revealed several things: first, an intention to win him over; second, a hint of sowing discord. The implication was that those who joined at the same time had been promoted because someone spoke for them, but now, with no one to speak for him, it meant the leadership didn’t value him—in other words, Secretary Zhang didn’t favor him. If he truly wanted to advance, he’d have to side with Richard Howard, as only he would help.

This seemingly casual remark carried a sense of warmth, making William Harris feel grateful toward Richard Howard.

If this had happened before, William Harris might have avoided it altogether. In his previous survival philosophy, one rule was never to get involved in leadership struggles—when deities fight, it’s the mortals who suffer. Everyone knew how things worked in the township; the consequences of not aligning with the secretary or the township head were severe. However, after seeing Richard Howard’s official demeanor, this became an opportunity for him—one he didn’t want to miss.

Looking at the road ahead, it was an asphalt road, very straight, but up ahead it split into two branches, both also asphalt roads, making three roads in total. Seeing this, William Harris suddenly had an epiphany: officialdom was just like this road—not everyone could walk the main road, and sometimes taking a side road would reveal that it, too, was a main road.

“Please rest assured, Township Chief Howard. If there’s anything you need from me, William Harris, just give the order. I will certainly not let you down,” William Harris said, having considered the consequences and resolutely deciding to side with Richard Howard.

“Ha ha, well done, Little William!” Richard Howard said with a smile.

Richard Howard hadn’t expected William Harris to answer so straightforwardly. He felt a trace of joy, but also a bit of caution.