But William Bolton was relentless, slapping George Parker again and again, first with his right hand, then with his left, a total of seven loud slaps. The force wasn’t great, but the sound was crisp. George Parker could no longer stand and plopped down on the ground, wailing loudly. This was just too much bullying—things are supposed to happen in threes, but he’d never seen anything this excessive. Was it ever going to end?

　　Ptooey!

　　William Bolton spat a mouthful of liquor-laced saliva right into George Parker’s open mouth, making George Parker so disgusted he nearly choked.

　　“Idiot, stay away from that girl from now on. If I catch you again, I’ll kill you!”

　　A lot of people, hearing the commotion, rushed over. They’d often seen George Parker bullying others, but never seen him get bullied himself. Today was truly an eye-opener.

Chapter 8: The Power of the Jinx

　　When Grace Cooper heard about it, she rushed over from the Sannong Restaurant right away. Seeing it was George Parker and his gang, she didn’t dare say much, just hurriedly shielded her niece and took her back to the broadcasting station.

　　William Bolton followed the two of them back as well, and before leaving, made sure to announce his own name, earning himself another wave of reputation points.

　　Young Master Zhang never changes his name or surname, truly carrying the air of a hero from ancient times.

　　Not long after William Bolton returned to his room, Grace Cooper came to find him—first to thank him, and second to tell him that he’d stirred up a hornet’s nest. George Parker was a local tyrant in Limiao Town, and now that he’d offended him, trouble was sure to follow. She warned William Bolton to be extra careful.

　　Although her niece had been harassed in public by those thugs, in the end Grace Cooper still chose to let things go. George Parker might not be a “dragon,” but he was a real local snake. She still had to work and live in Limiao Town, so it was best not to cross such a scoundrel. As the saying goes, good shoes don’t step in dog shit.

　　She was grateful to William Bolton, but after all, he was an outsider, and he’d gotten into such big trouble as soon as he arrived. It was inevitable that George Parker and his gang would seek revenge. Grace Cooper even suggested he apply to return to the county—if he stayed here, he’d suffer sooner or later.

　　Grace Cooper’s warning came true very quickly. That very night, someone climbed over the wall and smashed the broadcasting station’s windows.

　　When William Bolton heard the noise and came out of his room, the culprit had already fled. Both tires of the motorcycle parked in the shed had been slashed, and four characters were spray-painted on the gas tank—“Blood for blood.”

　　It wasn’t just the motorcycle; even the front gate of the town broadcasting station had been spray-painted. But on the gate, they’d added William Bolton’s name.

　　William Bolton reported the incident that very night, but it wasn’t until dawn that the police came. After taking photos, they found William Bolton to ask about the situation. He recounted his act of bravery that night, and said he was sure it was George Parker and his gang who did it. He was new in Limiao Town, had no other enemies, and hadn’t offended anyone else, so the suspects were easy to identify.

　　After the investigation, the police told William Bolton to keep his phone on and to call the police immediately if anything else happened. They also promised to investigate the matter as soon as possible.

　　After the police left, William Bolton was called to the station chief’s office. Peter Reed looked very unhappy—nothing this bad had ever happened at the town broadcasting station during his tenure.

　　Because of this, he’d made some inquiries about William Bolton. After learning the details, Peter Reed felt even worse. This guy was clearly a troublemaker, a thorn in the side. The county newspaper had sent him to the grassroots for “training” because pig farmers and slaughterhouse workers had caused a huge stir at the paper, so they sent the reporter who started the clenbuterol story away to let things cool down.

　　Peter Reed still had some connections at the county newspaper. A friend who provided information warned him over the phone to be careful—this intern reporter named William Bolton was definitely a jinx. Even the newspaper’s front door had been blocked several times.

　　He didn’t need his friend to emphasize it—Peter Reed had already felt the power of the jinx firsthand.

　　When William Bolton entered the office, Peter Reed immediately put on a smile, first greeting him, then praising his bravery the previous night, and asked with a kindly smile, “Little Bolton, have you found a place to stay?”

　　William Bolton was momentarily stunned by the question, but quickly understood—he was being politely shown the door. He replied deliberately, “The conditions are pretty good, thank you for your concern, sir.”

　　Peter Reed thought he hadn’t gotten the hint, that he’d been too subtle, so he made himself clear: “Little Bolton, originally, there’s no problem with you staying at the communications station, but recently the county broadcasting bureau is coming to inspect, focusing on the use of grassroots office space, so…”

　　William Bolton nodded. “I understand.”

　　Peter Reed smiled. “Good, as long as you understand. By the way, there are a few hotels in town—Hongda is pretty nice. If it’s inconvenient for you, there’s no need to come in every day.” In fact, grassroots “training” was just for show. Others had come before, and there was never a rule that anyone had to be there every day. Usually, you just checked in at the start and got your paperwork stamped at the end.

　　William Bolton still expressed his thanks to Peter Reed. He figured Peter Reed just didn’t want trouble. Who would have thought that a local punk like George Parker could wield so much power?