"You are...?" Flora Huang froze in place as the person in the back seat of the car had already pushed open the door on the other side and stepped out.
His face, carrying a faint, steady smile and a touch of mature composure, gradually emerged under the streetlight.
When Flora Huang saw Thomas Liu’s face clearly, she was suddenly startled: "Secretary Liu!"
She had once seen the newly arrived secretary from afar at a dinner with Victor Deng, heard he was parachuted in from a city post, and now transferred to this somewhat impoverished county of Whitewood. Whether it was a promotion or a demotion, outsiders couldn’t really tell.
All Flora Huang knew was that since taking office, the new secretary had been frequently visiting the county’s towns and villages to gauge public sentiment, and had done a lot of practical work for Whitewood. The Whitewood Resort development project was also personally organized by him to use tourism to drive the county’s economic growth.
"Hello, you must be Director Deng’s wife." Thomas Liu glanced at Flora Huang standing nearby and nodded slightly.
Flora Huang’s face lit up with delight; she hadn’t expected Thomas Liu to remember her, so she hurriedly nodded: "Yes, yes, my husband always says you work diligently and have a kind attitude."
Flora Huang deliberately spoke loudly, aiming her words at Joy Zheng and the others not far away. After all, in a county, the top officials hold the most power.
Being recognized by the county’s top leader was enough for Flora Huang to brag at school for days: "By the way, Secretary, my husband Deng is also having dinner over at the guesthouse."
"Yes, I had something to attend to, so I left early."
Thomas Liu finished speaking and nodded lightly.
Flora Huang wanted to say something more, but in her eyes, Thomas Liu walked straight toward Evan Lin, who was standing not far in front of the car.
Flora’s face froze, and she turned to look.
Joy Zheng and the others were also watching Thomas Liu. Evan Lin’s expression was indifferent, not giving him much attention, but Thomas Liu didn’t look angry at all. He walked over cheerfully and reached out to Joy Zheng: “Hello, are you this young student’s mother?”
“Yes, did my Evan cause you any trouble?” Joy Zheng shook hands with Thomas Liu, a bit nervous.
“Not at all. He didn’t cause me any trouble—in fact, he helped me out a lot.” Thomas Liu laughed heartily. “If it weren’t for the excellent child you raised, our whole county would’ve been in big trouble.”
Hearing Thomas Liu’s words, Joy Zheng was stunned. Flora Huang’s face turned ashen; she really couldn’t understand how that kid Evan Lin could possibly have a connection with Thomas Liu.
“Young man, could I have a word with you?” Thomas Liu looked at Evan Lin and nodded slightly.
Ken Feng, standing nearby, got excited and grabbed Evan Lin’s arm.
Evan Lin glanced at Thomas Liu for a moment, was silent for a while, then finally nodded.
Watching Evan Lin and Thomas Liu walk off toward a quiet, empty path, Joy Zheng was still in a daze, while inside Flora Huang’s heart, a tidal wave was surging. She was dying to know what had happened at the guesthouse to make Secretary Liu come looking for Evan!
He was the top official in the whole county!
The road was quiet on both sides, and since it was summer, the night wasn’t too dark yet.
Along the gravel path, a string of lonely street lamps flickered, and sometimes you could hear the low chirping of crickets from the grass.
“Your name is Evan Lin?”
As they walked, Thomas Liu glanced at the boy beside him—not tall, not burly, but ever since he’d first seen him at the guesthouse and now walking here, Evan always gave off a quiet vibe.
Thomas Liu prided himself on being a good judge of character; he’d met plenty of talented young people in his life, but for someone Evan’s age to have such composure, there were only a handful.
“Yeah. What do you want to talk about? Just say it.” Evan nodded, his words neither timid nor polite.
Thomas Liu smiled at that. “How did you know that guy was a con artist?”
Thomas Liu had called someone to check the number, and it turned out to belong to a habitual scammer who went around pretending to be Victor Lee from Hong Kong, targeting poor counties because they were desperate for investment. That’s how he kept getting away with it.
That guy had been wanted for ages but never caught—now, getting arrested in Whitewood County not only saved the county from loss, but also earned it a big achievement.
With that kind of merit, it would be much easier to ask for funding from higher-ups.
“I overheard him on the phone in the restroom. He said it himself,” Evan replied coolly.
Thomas Liu couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.” Evan’s simple answer made Thomas Liu even more curious about him.
Most people would make the discovery sound complicated, just to seem special—especially since Thomas Liu was the county’s top leader, whose words could change an ordinary person’s fate.
But this teenager was brief and casual, with no intention of claiming credit. It was honestly surprising.
Evan Lin and Thomas Liu walked along the road. Thomas Liu glanced around; not far away, you could see a wheat field.
“See that spot over there?”
Thomas Liu pointed toward the wheat field. “That land was supposed to be developed by the Hong Kong group—a modern plaza, five hundred million in investment, with the county waiving some of the land fees.”
“Whitewood County’s economy is too limited, surrounded by mountains. My Whitewood Resort plan, and Magistrate Ma’s modern plaza idea, would center around a big supermarket, forming a dense commercial zone. Plus, moving township residents into the county seat would build up foot traffic and drive economic growth.”
[Irrelevant: Webnovel navigation prompt. Skipped.]
“The ideas are good, but Whitewood is just too poor. Outside investment is hard to attract, so I don’t blame Magistrate Ma for being impatient and signing a contract with that scammer before checking everything—he was trying to get things done, after all.”
“But it’s tough. Even attracting investment is a struggle, let alone development. That line you said when you left—‘Now you see why Whitewood is poor’—is true. But we can’t just focus on facts; we have to find solutions.”
Thomas Liu felt much better after saying all this. He’d had a smooth life when he was young, but now, assigned to this county, the more he learned, the more he realized how tough things were.
He’d tried to seek investment before, but as soon as companies heard it was Whitewood County, they backed off—too much money needed, uncertain prospects, and no one’s money grows on trees.
Thomas Liu had worried about this a lot, feeling frustrated but with no one to talk to.
Today, saying these things out loud, Thomas Liu surprised even himself. He glanced at Evan Lin, shook his head, and smiled: “I think you’re a kid with real ideas. If you don’t want to listen, just treat it as me rambling.”
“And by the way, Selina Shi is a good girl.”
Thomas Liu finished, shook his head. “It’s getting late and windy—head home soon. Once everything’s wrapped up, your school will be notified. You might not care about honors, but you deserve recognition.”
Thomas Liu turned to leave.
But as Evan Lin stood there, hearing those words, he watched Thomas Liu’s back, thought for a moment, then spoke up calmly: “If you really want to do real work, I can help you get the funding.”
“You can get the funding? How much can you find?” Thomas Liu turned, looked at Evan Lin, and couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s not a small amount.”
“The five hundred million you talked about.”
Evan Lin’s face stayed calm, his tone steady.