After taking another big gulp of his drink to calm himself down, Little James said gloomily, “Whether you believe it or not, that’s exactly what’s bothering me. If something really happens to Ryan Reed, my position in the Party and Government Office will definitely be unstable, so I need your help.”

“I help you? You’d be better off praying that Ryan Reed doesn’t get into trouble.”

Ryan Reed isn’t a good person. Even if he stays in power, he won’t help me—unless...

Although Little James didn’t say it out loud, William Harris understood what she meant. It’s hard to be a woman, even harder to be a beautiful woman, and being a beautiful woman in government is the hardest of all!

“This time, they’re definitely going to get into trouble. To tell you the truth, I already got what was in David Carter’s drawer, and I’m the one who made the report this time.” Little James stared at William Harris as she spoke.

Although he was quite shocked inside, William Harris still asked, “Why are you telling me? You could have kept it to yourself.”

“I want to take this person down. The reason I’m telling you now is to let you know that I’m putting myself in your hands. I’ve come to realize that officialdom isn’t a place for women. There are many things I just can’t do.”

Seeing William Harris staring at her in a daze, Little James suddenly realized her words sounded a bit ambiguous. She chuckled softly, “Don’t get the wrong idea. I just hope you can look out for me, that’s all.”

Who knows how much of it was true? Once William Harris snapped out of it, he immediately began to doubt Little James’s words. He changed the subject: “Even if David Carter falls, it won’t be my turn, right? How exactly do you expect me to help you?”

“There’s hope. The key is how we operate. I just don’t believe that, with the two of us working together, we can’t handle this.”

Looking at Little James’s expression, William Harris said, “You might as well handle it yourself.”

Shaking her head, Little James said, “You think I don’t want to? I’ve thought about it long ago. Unfortunately, I haven’t been working long enough, I don’t have enough seniority, and I’m seen as one of the Zhang faction, so there’s no way it’ll be my turn. Now, the only way is to help you rise up, and then rely on you to help me!”

A thought flashed through William Harris’s mind. If something really did happen, and the Zhang faction fell, Richard Howard would definitely make a move. He might even get promoted himself. At that point, there really would be a change of regime in the Party and Government Office. Looks like he should find time to check out the situation with the other deputy township head.

“What’s your plan?” William Harris asked.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll find a way to get more evidence of the Zhang faction’s crimes. What you need to do right now is get close to the two deputy township heads—as close as possible, ideally become their trusted person.” Little James looked very confident.

Seeing Little James like this, William Harris figured there must be some kind of grudge between her and the people in Ryan Reed’s faction. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting this way. William Harris didn’t believe Little James was some kind of anti-corruption crusader. Since Little James wasn’t saying what the reason was, William Harris didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask too much.

Unconsciously, Little James had placed her bet on him, which made William Harris feel like he couldn’t quite keep up with her pace.

Seeing the hatred in Little James’s expression toward Ryan Reed, William Harris was basically certain that the disciplinary committee’s investigation into Ryan Reed and the others was definitely related to this woman. If she was really determined, it wouldn’t be hard for her to get evidence of David Carter and the others’ crimes, since they worked in the same office. If she was prepared and they weren’t, she could definitely get something. Was it really her doing? He wondered if the material in the report would be enough to bring down Ryan Reed.

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Main Text Chapter 10 Acceptance

After the two finished eating, they chatted for a while longer. Little James left the restaurant first, and half an hour later, William Harris left as well. There were many things that needed careful thought. Now that something was happening in the township, he had to be prepared; otherwise, he’d be in trouble. After observing for the past few years, William Harris believed that there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

William Harris also felt that he was changing. His once simple nature had changed rapidly after gaining the ability to see official aura. Sometimes he worried about these changes—if this kept up, many of his beliefs would change as well. He didn’t know if this was good or bad.

“You can’t leave! You think you can just run after hitting my kid? No way!” As he walked down the street, William Harris suddenly heard a familiar-sounding argument ahead. Damn, it was Henry Arnold again, definitely up to no good!

This Henry Arnold was an unemployed guy in the township. Both his parents were retired workers from a local enterprise. With no job, he often hung around the streets, pulling off insurance scams.

William Harris walked over to take a look, and sure enough, it was that guy.

An Audi was parked there, and Henry Arnold was kneeling on the ground, clutching a child and acting as if he was in great pain.

Looking at the people in the Audi, there was a middle-aged man in his forties and someone who was clearly the driver.

“There’s no bleeding or injury anyway. How about I give you a hundred yuan and we call it even?” The driver was negotiating with Henry Arnold.

“Nice try! Who knows what happened to the kid after being hit? If you don’t give me a thousand yuan, you’re not leaving.” Henry Arnold threatened.

The middle-aged man just stood there, watching the driver negotiate with the other party without saying a word.

William Harris glanced at the middle-aged man unintentionally.

Ah! William Harris thought to himself in surprise, “He actually has a red official aura!”