My Manor

"This guy is Mayor Kirk's nephew. I heard that Mayor Kirk has recently applied for state funding to turn Winthrop into a small tourist destination. His father is in charge of the tourism industry for the state government," Cindy Clive whispered to Jiang Hai after hearing his words.

Jiang Hai immediately understood why the guy was so arrogant.

From what Jiang Hai knew, if it weren't for his own interests, this guy wouldn't have dared to speed down the road in front of the school, putting the children's lives in danger. If he had done this around fishermen or rough workers, they wouldn't have tolerated it—they'd have beaten him up without caring who his father was.

Not that his father was anyone extraordinary. Even if his father was the governor, that wouldn't give him immunity. In the United States, equality is the principle. People's honor and status are not granted by the higher-ups but earned by the people.

If such a scandal got out, not only would this guy suffer, but his father would be in deep trouble too.

In America, public opinion is very powerful. Dozens of people expressing discontent is already a force to be reckoned with, and hundreds could bring even the state government to heel, sometimes even needing intervention from the U.S. Congress. This is the essence of power being decentralized to the people.

The reason he was so bold was because of his father.

Winthrop is on the outskirts of the Boston metropolitan area, and technically no longer part of Boston. It's been a major fishing area for over a hundred years, but with fish stocks depleting in Boston Bay, things have changed.

Fishery resources have dwindled, and the local fishing industry, though not as bad as the Newfoundland fisheries, has been hit hard. Fish prices are plummeting, and the cost of living is rising. Coupled with the weakening value of the U.S. dollar, it's become an inevitable situation.

For Winthrop to prosper, it needs to develop an auxiliary industry. Tourism is one of the best options. It could attract tourists from other places, making the town famous and giving local residents opportunities to run small businesses.

The families of the children attending Winthrop Town Elementary School are mostly poor. This is precisely why the tourism industry is so important to them—they hope it will improve their financial situation.

That's why this guy is acting so arrogantly—if not for his father's influence, he would have been driven away by now.

As for Cindy Clive, she had come here to be a tour guide for her brother at Mayor Kirk's invitation the week before. It was during that time that this guy noticed her and had been bothering her ever since.

"You dare to hit me? You dare to hit me?! I'll tell you, you're dead!" The man, clutching his lower back, climbed out of the car. Seeing his beloved car in ruins, his anger flared.

"Hit you? What evidence do you have that I hit you? You can eat anything you want, but you can't say anything you want. Which of my eyes saw me hit you? Do you have proof? You clearly sat on it yourself," Jiang Hai said, arms folded, looking at the guy with contempt. This guy had already offended the public and was still shouting?

"Do you think these people are blind? They all saw it!" The man roared in frustration.

At first, he hoped one or two brave people would speak up, but when he looked around, no one was saying anything. Everyone just stared at him with amusement.

"You... unruly people! There are cameras here, and videos too!" he shouted, pointing to the camera at the school gate.

"Are you sure you want to see it? You know, you started this whole thing. You were speeding. If I remember correctly, you even said you were speeding on purpose to hurt someone," Jiang Hai replied calmly with a laugh.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" The guy stepped forward, but then hesitated, recalling Jiang Hai's strength. He stopped and the insults he had been about to unleash turned into something else. Though he still acted tough on the outside, anyone with a keen eye could see he was afraid.

"I can prove it. He said he was going to hit someone to death," said Uncle Kyle, the old security guard who had been standing behind Jiang Hai and the others. This was the same old man who had been chatting with Jiang Hai earlier. Now, he couldn't stand Kirk's attitude and spoke up for Jiang Hai.

"You're cruel!" Kirk muttered under his breath. Realizing he wasn't welcome, he reluctantly swallowed his anger. A good man doesn't lose face in front of others, and he wasn't about to challenge Jiang Hai anymore.

He cursed under his breath, ignoring the bouquet that had fallen, and got into his Ferrari. Though not the top model, it was still very valuable—much more so than an ordinary Mercedes or BMW. It started up, and he quickly drove off.

As Jiang Hai watched the car drive away, he couldn't help but smirk. But his thoughts were also with what Cindy Clive had said earlier.

Winthrop needed development. Jiang Hai had come to consider this town his home, and if he could help with its development, he was willing to contribute. But he would need to talk to the mayor.

"Cindy, do you know Mayor Wallis's address?" Jiang Hai asked, noticing the worried expression on Cindy's face. Although Cindy didn't know exactly what Jiang Hai had in mind, she suspected he wanted to talk to the mayor, understanding that beating up this guy might interfere with the town's development.

"I do, but it's okay. Mayor Wallis is a well-respected mayor. He won't blame you for this," Cindy said with a reassuring smile.

"I know, I have something else to discuss with him. Let's go eat first. After that, you can take me to the mayor's house," Jiang Hai replied with a smile, and they headed to his car.

The onlookers were envious of Jiang Hai's car, and some even envied him for being so close to Cindy Clive. After all, she had been considered a goddess by many.

Of course, some women were also envious of Cindy, who had managed to land such a wealthy man. However, neither Jiang Hai nor Cindy thought much of it, as their relationship was still developing.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at a western restaurant based on Cindy's directions.

After parking, they went inside for a romantic but somewhat awkward dinner.

Jiang Hai didn't care much about other people's opinions. He knew western food is rarely filling, and the portions are small, but he was willing to spend until he was full. Naturally, this style of eating attracted attention, but Jiang Hai didn't mind as long as he was satisfied.

Cindy, who knew Jiang Hai's habits, wasn't bothered by it.

Once they were full, they went to the local supermarket, bought a bottle of red wine as a gift, and headed to Mayor Wallis's house.

Mayor Wallis lived just five minutes away from the town hall. He usually walked to work, given the short distance.

As Jiang Hai's car pulled up to the mayor's house, the old man came out to take out the trash. Upon seeing the car, he paused. It was hard to mistake this vehicle, especially with its unique license plate, the only one in town.

"Jiang, oh, and Cindy, what brings you here?" Mayor Wallis asked, wiping his hands on his pajamas after throwing out the garbage. Though his hands weren't dirty, it was polite to wipe them before shaking hands.

"Uncle Kirk, don't you know what happened earlier?" Cindy asked in surprise. It had been over two hours since the incident at the school gate, and she thought Mayor Wallis would have heard about it by now.

"Ah, about the altercation between Jiang and Hutley? Yes, that guy came yelling at me, but I kicked him out," Mayor Wallis replied, chuckling. He seemed completely unconcerned, leaving both Jiang Hai and Cindy speechless.

"If that's the case, then you should go back. Jiang did the right thing. I have no complaints. If I had known what that guy was doing lately, I would have kicked him out myself. It's too embarrassing for me!" Mayor Wallis said, waving his hand. Though he wanted Winthrop to develop, he wasn't willing to compromise his principles.

"That's one thing. But I also wanted to discuss the tourism development with you," Jiang Hai said with a chuckle. He knew Mayor Wallis was an honorable man, and this was exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Oh? Well, come in!" Mayor Wallis said, surprised but not opposed. Though he knew Jiang Hai was wealthy, he hadn't realized how much, and from Jiang Hai's usual behavior, he didn't seem too interested in the town. But if he was talking about tourism, Wallis was more than willing to listen.

As they entered the house, Mayor Wallis introduced his wife, Maggie, who was sitting on the couch watching TV. She stood up, curious, and Wallis introduced the three of them.

"This is my wife, Maggie. This is Clive's eldest daughter, the best teacher in our elementary school. And this is Jiang Hai, Cindy's boyfriend, and also the wealthiest man here, the owner of Tenglong Manor," Mayor Wallis said with a smile.

Maggie, after taking the wine gift, went to the kitchen to prepare coffee.

Wallis led Jiang Hai upstairs to his study, where they sat down. After a few minutes, Maggie returned with coffee.

"Try this. The coffee made by my wife is very good," Mayor Wallis said with satisfaction.

Though Jiang Hai wasn't fond of coffee, he took a sip, noting it was strong. But he didn't come for coffee. He set the cup down and looked at Mayor Wallis, saying, "Mayor, I'm here to discuss tourism development."