“William Thompson, the Executive Vice Mayor, got taken away by the provincial disciplinary commission during the government meeting!”

By 10 a.m., this explosive news had rocked Yunshan’s political circle like a tornado.

“Davy’s definitely going down with Thompson.”

Some folks in the city hall’s admin office were already gloating, while everyone in Section Two looked over at Davy Lethbridge. He just sat there at his desk, frozen, lost in thought.

Davy was the deputy head of the secretarial section and more importantly, William Thompson’s personal secretary.

Not long ago, the former Mayor resigned due to liver cancer. William Thompson had taken over city affairs and was widely expected to become the next Mayor.

That meant Davy, just 28, seemed like he was on the express lane to a brilliant career.

But now? That lane just collapsed.

In politics, when the boss goes down, the secretary usually gets dragged down too. That’s just how it goes.

Davy ignored the stares. Instead, he pinched his arm — hard — then looked dazedly at the Olympic-themed calendar on his desk:

May 28th, 2008.

He had really come back. From 2024, all the way to sixteen years ago — right to the moment everything had gone south.

In his past life, when William Thompson got hauled off, Davy believed he was innocent. That he’d be fine, that it was just a misunderstanding.

But a day later, it all fell apart.

Thompson died from a sudden brain hemorrhage during the interrogation at the municipal guest house. They didn’t even make it to the hospital in time.

Then the central commission stepped in and did a full investigation.

Their final report? The bribery accusations were fake. Thompson had been set up. And his death wasn’t just an accident.

He was murdered — on purpose.

By the time the truth came out, it was far too late.

Thompson, a man dedicated to the people and clean governance, had died with no justice.

And Davy? He got transferred to the water bureau that same day. Shipped off to some remote reservoir. Political career, over.

Alone at the reservoir, Davy kept turning over Thompson’s case in his mind. The frustration, the helplessness — it ate at him, day after day. All he could do was read newspapers and bury himself in books, trying not to fall apart.

Now, those memories came crashing back.

His fists clenched under the desk.

Last time, he got crushed by fate and couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

But not this time.

He was back. And he’d make damn sure that tragedy wouldn’t repeat itself.

Right then, the office door swung open.

Felton Hayes walked in.

The notorious son of Yunshan’s police chief, working as a deputy section head at the city’s development bureau.

Felton was your classic spoiled brat — using his dad’s power to get away with anything. There were no shortages of horror stories. Way too many young girls had suffered because of him, and he never paid the price.

Two years ago, he got his eyes on Chloe Sullivan, one of Davy’s high school classmates who was working at the local police station.

He pulled strings to get the station chief to drag her out for a dinner. At the table, they kept pushing drinks on her. Later, Felton tried to drag her back to a hotel — intent on forcing himself on her.

Chloe fought back and locked herself in the bathroom. Managed to call Davy.

Davy rushed over in time and stopped him.

But afterward, Felton flipped the whole thing — said Chloe had come onto him after drinking too much.

There was no solid evidence, and with his dad covering it up, Davy couldn't do anything for Chloe. Instead, he ended up on Felton’s bad side.

Before, Felton at least kept his distance — Davy was still Thompson’s man, after all.

But now Thompson had fallen, and Felton was all too eager to rub it in.

As soon as he walked in, he sneered, “Hey, Davy, just heard the Vice Mayor got taken away. Shouldn’t you be with the investigation team too?”

What a piece of trash.

Everyone in Section Two cursed him silently.Ever since William Thompson took the deputy mayor seat in Yunshan City, he’d been laser-focused on improving people’s lives. He poured his energy into boosting the local economy and never forgot to check in on folks like them working at the grassroots level. No wonder he earned their deep respect.

Meanwhile, Davy Lethbridge, his secretary, was known for being approachable and considerate. No airs, no nonsense.

So when Felton Hayes showed up spouting off garbage right after Thompson’s scandal broke, it hit a nerve. Everyone was already on edge, but Felton just had to make things worse.

Still, anger aside, no one dared speak up. They pretended like they didn’t hear a thing, even avoided looking Felton’s way.

“That’s not something you need to be worrying about,” Davy said coolly, staring him down.

Felton blinked in confusion. Shouldn’t Davy be panicking right now? His boss was in trouble, for crying out loud. Why did he look so calm? Why did he carry that quiet authority like he had nothing to fear?

Felton scoffed, regaining his smug tone. “Still putting on a show? News flash, Davy—you’re just a dead man walking. Won’t take long before you’re done for too.”

He’d heard enough to know William Thompson had disrupted some serious power plays, stepping on toes across Yunshan and even the entire Dongjiang Province. This was bound to end badly. And Davy? Just collateral damage.

Davy narrowed his eyes. “Or maybe you’re the one whose days are numbered, Felton.”

His memory from the previous life was clear—Melville Wallace, Vice Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and head of Political and Legal Affairs, was the mastermind behind framing Thompson. And Felton’s dad, Police Chief Marty Hayes, was Wallace’s right-hand man.

Felton laughed like he’d just heard a bad joke. “Still dreaming you’re the mayor’s golden boy, huh?”

“You should look into Mayor Thompson’s background before opening your mouth next time,” Davy shot back.

He had a purpose—stir the pot and buy time. Thompson wasn’t just any official. He had real backing, so high up it stayed hidden. Back in Davy’s last life, after Thompson’s death, the central authorities ordered a full-scale investigation—no matter who was involved. What followed was an anti-corruption storm that rocked the nation.

So who exactly was behind Thompson?

Everyone froze at Davy’s words. Felton included. The rest of the Secretary Division stared at Davy, hoping for some kind of reveal.

But Davy's attention shifted to the doorway.

Right on cue, Director Carter of the City’s First Disciplinary Inspection Office walked in with two serious-looking men. They’d heard everything Davy just said and were now eying him with curiosity and caution.

“Davy Lethbridge, these are leaders from the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission. They’d like to speak with you,” Director Carter said, breaking the silence.

One of the inspectors stepped forward. “Please come with us.”

Davy nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”

He stood up calmly and walked toward them.

As he brushed past Felton, Felton leaned in, voice low and oily. “Don’t worry, Davy. I’ll take good care of your girlfriend while you're gone.”

He figured Davy was bluffing again, just putting on a brave face. No way Thompson had stronger support than that mysterious heavyweight from the province. That man was the real kingmaker in Dongjiang.

Davy stopped, giving Felton a long hard look.

“Felton,” he said coldly, “you’ll see soon enough. Scum like you will be dragged out into the daylight and judged by the law. The clock’s ticking.”