I slept with my sister's classmate, and she turned out to be my boss.

When Chen Dapeng returned to his residence, it was almost 8 p.m.

My sister Chen Yang came to Qingshun County on a business trip in the afternoon, and the three of us had a meal at Qingshun Renjia Restaurant.

At the dinner table, his sister and He Ying chatted enthusiastically, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise, feeling like a mere guest the whole time.

But He Ying glanced at him as she left.

That glance was very faint, and you could hardly tell what expression it held.

But Chen Dapeng always felt that there was something in that look—not a warning, not an implication, but more like... confirming something.

Chen Dapeng came out of the shower, and his phone vibrated.

A WeChat message from He Ying:

"Are you asleep?"

Chen Dapeng's heart skipped a beat, and he replied, "No."

"Come to my office in twenty minutes."

Chen Dapeng stared at the words for a few seconds, put down his phone, and started changing his clothes.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Dapeng arrived at the back gate of the government compound.

This door is usually used only by people who work overtime and leave late.

He slipped inside and went up the stairs to the fourth floor.

The corridor was quiet.

The door to the county magistrate's office was closed, but light shone through the crack in the door.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He Ying's voice was very low.

Chen Dapeng pushed the door open and went in, then closed it behind him.

He Ying sat behind her desk, with several documents spread out in front of her and a cup of coffee beside her.

She wore a light gray thin sweater today, her hair was down, and she wasn't wearing makeup, making her look much softer than during the day.

"sit."

Chen Dapeng sat down opposite her.

He Ying didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "The data in the report you compiled doesn't match the data that Fang Zhiwen reported and the data that the county has."

Chen Dapeng nodded: "There are discrepancies in the industrial growth rate, fiscal revenue, and project investment."

Do you think Fang Zhiwen made a slip of the tongue, or did it on purpose?

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment: "Once or twice might be a slip of the tongue, but several items don't match up, so it doesn't seem like I made a mistake."

He Ying nodded, took a USB drive from the drawer, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Chen Dapeng.

"This contains all the data that Liuhe Town has officially reported to the county over the past three years. Economic indicators, fiscal revenue and expenditure, project investment, land approvals—everything that can be reported is in here."

Chen Dapeng looked at the USB drive but didn't reach for it.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Check it." He Ying leaned back in her chair. "Compare these data with the original data from the Statistics Bureau, Finance Bureau, and Development and Reform Bureau. Check them one by one, line by line. I need to know how much of the data reported by Liuhe Town is true."

Chen Dapeng reached out and picked up the USB drive, holding it in his hand.

"How far have they investigated?"

He Ying looked at him, her gaze darkening.

"We'll keep going until we find out someone is coming after you."

Chen Dapeng's fingers tightened slightly.

He understood—He Ying didn't just want data; she wanted "movement."

The data from Liuhe Town is flawed; the Fang family couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

If someone begins to systematically examine this data, the news will surely reach Fang Zhiwen's ears.

Fang Zhiwen found out, and then Fang Mingyuan found out. And when Fang Mingyuan found out, he would react.

What He Ying was waiting for was that "reaction".

"When will you start investigating this data?"

"Now. Take the contents of the USB drive back and investigate. Work normally during the day and don't let anyone know what you're doing. Work overtime tonight and be careful."

She said the words "Be careful" very softly.

Chen Dapeng put the USB drive into the inside pocket of his coat and zipped it up.

"County Chief He, who else knows about this document?"

"Just you and me."

"Where is Director Su?"

He Ying shook her head: "Don't let her know for now."

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

After He Ying took office, Su Wanqing became her most trusted person, and Su Wanqing participated in almost all important tasks.

But now, He Ying says, "I won't let her know for the time being."

Chen Dapeng didn't ask any further questions and nodded: "Understood."

He stood up, ready to leave.

When he reached the door, he stopped and turned around.

He Ying was looking down at the documents when she felt his gaze and looked up.

"Is there anything else?"

"County Chief He," Chen Dapeng looked at her, "why me?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "With so many people in the government office, why did you choose me to do this?"

He Ying looked at him for a few seconds.

"Because you are someone I trust. There aren't many people I can trust in this county."

Chen Dapeng's heart started racing.

"Go ahead." He Ying lowered her head and continued reading the documents.

Chen Dapeng opened the door and went out.

He took a deep breath, put his hands in his pockets, and gripped the USB drive tightly with his fingers.

"There aren't many people I can trust in this county."

When He Ying said this, her expression was very calm, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

But Chen Dapeng understood the weight behind those words.

She was a cadre parachuted in from the province, with no connections or people of her own in this unfamiliar county.

In the government office, Cui Yongming is a veteran of several administrations.

Although Su Wanqing was involved in many things, she chose to remain silent on this matter.

There are indeed not many people she can trust.

And he—a newcomer who had been on the job for less than a month, a man who had spent a night with her by a twist of fate—had become someone she could "trust" in this county.

Chen Dapeng didn't know whether he should feel honored or pressured.

All he knew was that the contents of the USB drive were very important.

Back at his residence, Chen Dapeng did not immediately begin the investigation.

He plugged the USB drive into the computer, opened the folder, and browsed through its contents.

Three subfolders: 2021, 2022, and 2023.

There are more than a dozen Excel spreadsheets for each year.

He unplugged the USB drive and locked it in the drawer.

Chen Dapeng took a shower, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.

He Ying's words kept replaying in my mind—

"Because you are someone I can trust."

He turned over and closed his eyes.

I don't know how much time passed, but my phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw that it was a WeChat message from He Ying.

"Take your time checking the contents of the USB drive, no rush. But be very careful."

Chen Dapeng replied, "Understood."

He paused, then added, "You should get some rest too."

There was no reply.

Chen Dapeng put down his phone and closed his eyes.

……

The next morning, Chen Dapeng arrived at work at 8:20 as usual.

He sat down at his workstation in the General Affairs Department. Zhao Zhiyuan was already there, engrossed in writing something.

Lin Xiaowan was making tea when she saw him come in and greeted him with a smile.

"Xiao Chen, didn't you sleep well last night? Your eyes are a little red."

"It's alright, I went to bed a little late last night."

Chen Dapeng turned on his computer and began working on his tasks—organizing meeting minutes, checking several documents, and running errands to deliver materials.

Business as usual.

No one knew that he had a small USB drive in the inside pocket of his coat.

……

That evening, Chen Dapeng returned to his residence, locked the door, and drew the curtains.

He turned on his computer, plugged in the USB drive, and opened the first spreadsheet of 2023.

"Value added of industrial enterprises above designated size".

Data reported by Liuhe Town: growth of 9.2%.

He opened the county government's website and found the same indicator in the statistics bureau's database: growth of 6.8%.

The difference is 2.4 percentage points.

Chen Dapeng made the first note in his notebook.

Then the second table, the third table, the fourth table...

The night grew deeper and deeper...

Chen Dapeng sat at the table, the light from the desk lamp shining on his notebook, page after page filled with dense numbers and annotations.

At one o'clock in the morning, he rubbed his eyes and looked at what he had written in his notebook.

One night, he checked a third of 2023.

Seven discrepancies were found.

Chen Dapeng closed his laptop, unplugged the USB drive, and locked it in the drawer.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind filled with those numbers.

9.2% vs 6.8%.

These data don't match; there must be a problem.

But where exactly does the problem lie? Is it Liuhe Town that's fabricating data, or are there people in the county cooperating with it?

he does not know.

But he knew that behind these numbers lay things that some people didn't want others to see.

He Ying wanted him to find those things.

"He Ying has just taken office as county head. Shouldn't she be quickly familiarizing herself with the county's situation and getting into the role? Why is she in such a hurry to investigate these things?"

"What is her purpose?"