Why did Ryan Reed end up in such a situation? This indicates that he is currently in a very dangerous period—if he’s not careful, he could lose his official position at any moment.

William Harris also checked David Carter’s official aura at the same time. Compared to Ryan Reed, his official aura was even worse. After not seeing him for two days, his aura had become even fainter, even weaker than the original William Harris’s.

For a moment, William Harris lost all motivation to write. He took a big gulp of tea to steady himself and began to analyze the situation.

Both the township party secretary and the county head had changes in their official aura, which meant both of their positions were likely to change. If things got serious, Ryan Reed would lose his post, and the township head would also be dismissed. Thinking of Richard Howard’s situation, William Harris suddenly had a thought: could it be that both the township head and secretary would have problems, and instead, the deputy township head Richard Howard would rise to power? That would be a major event for him.

While he was deep in thought, Deputy Secretary George Cooper suddenly poked his head into the room and asked, “Where’s David Carter?”

“Director Carter went to the secretary’s office with Secretary Reed,” Henry White stood up and replied obsequiously. Don’t be fooled by the fact that George Cooper is only a deputy secretary—he wields considerable power as well.

George snorted and walked toward the secretary’s office. William Harris saw that George Cooper was almost running.

“What’s going on?” Michael Reed asked.

Everyone sensed something strange—both the secretary and deputy secretary were looking for David Carter. Could something have happened?

“Something big is definitely about to happen!” William Harris sighed again.

George Cooper’s situation was exactly the same as Ryan Reed’s—his official aura was also unstable and fluctuating.

What major event is about to happen in Huan Cheng Township? The more William Harris thought about it, the more he felt that something big was indeed brewing. The top three leaders all had problems with their official aura—this leadership team could collapse! What kind of event could cause such a huge disturbance?

“What else could it be? Both secretaries are looking for the director at the same time, which shows how much they value him. Maybe the director is about to get promoted,” Henry White said loudly as soon as he heard Michael Reed’s question.

This matter involved David Carter, who was everyone’s direct superior, so no one dared to speak carelessly. If the wrong words reached David Carter’s ears, there would be trouble.

“Promoted? I think they’re about to start discussing staff reductions. County Chief Clark already said it—it’s going to happen in the next few days,” Lily Scott said, curling her lips.

After hearing this, William Harris noticed several glances directed at him.

“Damn it, they’re so sure I’ll be the one to get reassigned,” William Harris thought, feeling extremely frustrated. In his heart, he muttered, “Just wait, you’ll see that Little Gordon is as solid as iron—if things change, you’ll know.”

Looking around, William Harris noticed that even Old Brooks, whose head had never left his notebook, was now frowning in deep thought.

Then he glanced at Little James. This beauty was also scribbling on the table with her pen. Although he couldn’t see what she was writing, William Harris guessed it wasn’t anything meaningful. Based on his understanding of her, her mind must be in complete chaos as well.

Lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, William Harris quickly analyzed his own gains and losses. He had already seen the official aura, but as for how things would actually change, it was still uncertain. What if what he saw was just an illusion? Maybe he’d been seeing things after being hit by a brick. Whatever is meant to happen will happen—he just had to see if his observations would really come true.

“Wait a minute, the secretary and deputy secretary usually never come to our office. Something must have happened, and it’s something big,” Michael Reed muttered to himself, raising his teacup. It seemed he’d been thinking about this for a while—people who work in offices love to speculate about internal affairs.

“Could it really be that the staff reduction is about to start? No way, I haven’t heard any news about that,” Michael Reed continued to mutter.

As soon as he said this, the entire office fell silent.

Main Text Chapter 9 Countermeasures

The “Little Sichuan Restaurant” was in a rather remote location. It was run by a Sichuan native, and because the food was quite good, it attracted a lot of customers. William Harris had eaten there many times, and sometimes the whole office would come together for a meal.

After finishing his work, William Harris hailed a cab and headed over. When he arrived, Little James had already reserved a private room and ordered the dishes.

Walking into the private room, William Harris felt like he was doing underground work. He and this beauty were now linked together—someone who didn’t know better might think they were dating. The thought made William Harris want to laugh. Not long ago, this woman had considered him her number one target to take down. Life is truly unpredictable!

“Little James, what made you think of inviting me to dinner?” William Harris joked as he looked at Little James.

“We’ll split the bill,” Little James said, showing no intention of treating.

“No way, you’re the one who invited me.”

“You should be glad I’m not making you pay. Having a beautiful woman accompany you to dinner—don’t you have any sense of chivalry?”

“Then let’s order fewer dishes. The two of us can’t finish too much food anyway.” William Harris wasn’t about to fall for Little James’s trick—he definitely wasn’t going to offer to pay. Of course, treating a beautiful woman to dinner wasn’t a big deal, and he actually wanted to, but knowing how scheming this woman was, William Harris didn’t dare get too close to her.