The petite and delicate figure, fair skin, and exquisitely beautiful face blended together perfectly. With her slightly wavy short hair and dressed in a valiant police uniform, David Carter almost made up his mind without hesitation to pursue this girl.

David Carter knew that his own circumstances were not great. In terms of family background, he came from an ordinary working-class family; as for connections, most of his relatives were from rural areas or small towns; in terms of talent, getting into the police academy was already an overachievement for him. Although he was tall and sturdy, who cared about that these days?

Besides, there were plenty of people like him in the police academy, but David Carter managed, with his thick skin and stubborn persistence, to beat out many competitors and become Evelyn Turner's boyfriend. This even caused quite a bit of dissatisfaction among others at the academy, who thought it was a case of a flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.

But sweet days always seem to pass so quickly. The harsh reality of job assignments after graduation soon made both David Carter and Evelyn Turner feel the gap between them. Jiangkou County was still forty kilometers from the city center of Andu, while Evelyn Turner was assigned to the Household Registration Section of the Tianhe District Sub-bureau. That mere forty kilometers seemed to have distanced their relationship quite a bit.

Although David Carter would go to see Evelyn Turner whenever he had free time, and Evelyn Turner would come over whenever she could, the criminal police team was always busy. Often, Evelyn Turner would come but couldn't find him. Communication was also inconvenient. Both Evelyn Turner and David Carter realized that if things went on like this, their relationship would eventually run into problems, but this was not something the two of them could change.

Instinctively resting his arm under his head and gazing up at the somewhat mottled ceiling, David Carter's heart gradually filled with bitterness.

Wherever Evelyn Turner went, her beauty and lively personality would surely attract many admirers. The Tianhe Sub-bureau's jurisdiction was in the city center, with much better economic conditions—far superior to Jiangkou County Bureau. There would definitely be plenty of young men vying for Evelyn Turner's attention. Even if Evelyn Turner could hold on for now, what about over the long term?

The only solution might be to transfer to the city bureau or one of the district sub-bureaus, but that was easier said than done. Thinking about how he hadn't even secured a stable position in the county bureau's criminal police team before being sent to Jiangmiao, David Carter felt a wave of frustration.

The farther he was from Evelyn Turner, the farther their hearts would drift apart. David Carter, who had always been quite confident, knew that if he couldn't change the situation soon, he might really lose Evelyn Turner.

"Xiao Zhao, come to my office for a moment." Just after finishing his first station affairs meeting, before David Carter had a chance to go downstairs, he heard Frank Quinn's voice.

"Have a seat, Xiao Zhao. I already know all about your situation coming to Jiangmiao. Captain Lee is a close buddy of mine. You really did him a solid this time, and you should be quite familiar with Jiangmiao as well. I heard your family is from the textile factory, so that's convenient—you're closer to home now. Coming from the criminal police team, you should really show what you can do. I have high hopes for you."

Frank Quinn looked a bit cramped sitting in the rattan chair, the rattan strips bulging outward from his body. He was a fat man, not yet forty but already out of shape. Still, this didn't affect his abilities—at least, his words were quite impressive.

David Carter looked a bit surprised. Only two people in the team knew about him taking the fall for Captain Lee; everyone at the bureau thought it was his own doing. How did this guy know? Did Captain Lee tell him? Was their relationship really that close? But since the other party didn't bring it up directly, David Carter didn't ask further.

"Director Quinn, don't worry. Wherever you assign me, I guarantee I'll get the job done. You can count on that," David Carter said, puffing out his chest and speaking straightforwardly.

"Good. The division of labor was already decided at the station affairs meeting just now. You'll be stationed in Daguan'kou and Tuling townships. Coach Quinn is getting older and not as strong as before, so I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you a bit more." Frank Quinn spoke earnestly: "Daguan'kou and Tuling have been rather unsettled for over a year now. The security officers in both townships' security offices have been timid, and the party and government leaders have their concerns. The work hasn't been getting done, and the public has a lot of complaints. You need to get familiar with the situation quickly. Remember, you can't do all the work alone. You must rely on the local party and government, and lead the security office team well to achieve some results."

David Carter nodded while taking notes in his notebook. "Understood. I'll go to Daguan'kou this afternoon."

"No need to rush. You've just arrived at the station. How about this: take today to rest. It's the weekend anyway, so you can go home for a bit. Official work starts on Monday. Take George Hughes with you to Daguan'kou—he's from there and knows the situation well. Get to know the township party and government leaders and the village cadres as soon as possible. It'll make it easier to get their support for your work in the future."

Frank Quinn lit a cigarette that David Carter handed him and took a deep drag. The pale blue smoke ring formed a faint barrier between the two of them, as if instantly widening the distance between them.