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

On Saturday morning, Chen Dapeng was reading at his residence when his phone rang.

It was Lin Chen calling.

"We've arrived. Send me your location."

Chen Dapeng was taken aback: "Where are we?"

"Qingshun County. Where do you live? I'm coming over."

Chen Dapeng sent the location.

Less than twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

He opened the door, and Lin Chen stood there, wearing a dark jacket and carrying a bag.

"This place is easy to find." Lin Chen walked in and looked around.

"Not bad." Lin Chen nodded. "My relative was worried you wouldn't be satisfied, so he asked me to ask you what you need."

"I have everything I need. It's great."

"Okay, I'll tell him."

Lin Chen sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and looked him up and down.

"You've lost weight."

No, I don't think so.

"Can't you tell yourself?" Lin Chen pointed to his face. "Your chin is so sharp. Is work that tiring?"

"It's alright, just a lot of overtime."

Lin Chen didn't press further, and stood up: "Let's go for a walk."

At noon, the two ate a bowl of noodles at a small noodle shop in the county town.

Chen Dapeng ordered two bowls of beef noodles, and Lin Chen ate them while sweating profusely.

"These noodles are good, chewy." Lin Chen wiped his mouth. "Better than those chain stores in the provincial capital."

"Well, it's a county town, so aside from everything else, the food is alright."

After dinner, the two took a stroll around the county town.

Lin Chen looked around curiously, pointing at the old city wall and asking, "What era is this from?" He then bought two skewers of candied hawthorn from a roadside stall, eating one himself and handing the other to Chen Dapeng.

"Your life is too peaceful," Lin Chen said, biting into a candied hawthorn. "Don't you have any entertainment?"

"That's just how county towns are."

"So what do you usually do at night?"

"Read books, write reports, sleep."

Lin Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

Around 4 p.m., the two returned to Chen Dapeng's residence.

Lin Chen opened the bag of braised food, and the table was full of pig's trotters, chicken feet, and peanuts.

He then took out six bottles of beer from the bag and lined them up.

"That's all for tonight, is that enough?"

That's enough.

The two sat down, opened their beers, clinked them together, and each took a big gulp.

By the time he finished the third bottle, Chen Dapeng had become more talkative.

"Lin Chen".

"Um?"

"What if... there's something you know you shouldn't do, but you still want to do it?"

Lin Chen chewed on a peanut and glanced at him: "That depends on what it is. You can't do illegal things, you can't do things that are immoral or unethical. As for the rest..."

"What about the others?"

"As for the rest, just do what you want." Lin Chen picked up his beer and took a sip. "When you live a lifetime, there aren't that many 'shoulds' and 'shouldn'ts'."

Chen Dapeng was silent for a while, then took another swig of beer.

"If there were someone..." he began, then stopped.

Lin Chen remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Never mind, it's nothing." Chen Dapeng shook his head and took another swig of beer.

Lin Chen looked at him but didn't ask any further questions.

He could tell that Chen Dapeng had something on his mind, and it wasn't a trivial matter.

But he could also tell that Chen Dapeng hadn't decided whether or not to say it.

"Dapeng".

Lin Chen put down the wine bottle, and for once he became serious.

"Um?"

"Whatever it is, if you want to talk about it, I'll listen. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. But remember, I'm in the provincial capital, not far from you. Call me if anything happens."

Looking at Lin Chen, Chen Dapeng felt a surge of indescribable emotion.

"understood."

The two drank two more bottles and chatted about their university days.

Who failed a course, who was rejected after pursuing whom, and who got drunk and fell into the school lake.

Lin Chen spoke with great enthusiasm, while Chen Dapeng listened with a constant laugh.

But after laughing, Chen Dapeng's heart sank again.

There are some things he can't say.

I can't say at least not now.

Around 8 p.m., Lin Chen had drunk quite a bit and stood up to pat Chen Dapeng on the shoulder.

"Alright, I'm leaving. I have something to do first thing tomorrow morning."

Where do you live?

"There are hotels in the county town, I've booked them." Lin Chen put on his coat, walked to the door, glanced back at him, and said, "Dapeng."

"Um?"

"Take care of yourself. Don't just keep working overtime; make sure you eat on time."

"understood."

Lin Chen left. Chen Dapeng closed the door, leaned against it, and closed his eyes for a while.

There was still some unfinished beer on the table, and peanuts were scattered all over the floor.

He went over, cleaned the table, took a shower, and lay down on the bed.

My phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Lin Chen.

"We're here. Time to sleep."

Chen Dapeng replied: "Okay."

Then I typed another line, thought about it, and deleted it.

He put down his phone and stared at the ceiling.

Lin Chen asked him several times today, but he didn't answer.

It's not that I don't want to say it, it's that I'm afraid to say it.

This is a huge matter; it concerns He Ying and his own future.

He cannot put everyone in danger just because of a momentary urge to vent.

But he also knew that if he kept it bottled up like this, problems would inevitably arise sooner or later.

Chen Dapeng turned over and pulled the blanket over his head.

……

Monday morning, Fang Zhiwen's office in Liuhe Town.

He was reviewing a project application when his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and answered.

"explain."

The person on the other end of the phone said a few words.

Fang Zhiwen's expression slowly changed, from nonchalant to slightly furrowed brows, and then to a deep frown.

He put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.

"What did you say?" His voice turned serious. "Is someone checking our town's data?"

A few more words were spoken on the other end of the phone.

"Who?"

The person on the other end gave a name.

Fang Zhiwen's expression darkened further: "A new guy in the government office? His surname is Chen?"

A few more words were spoken on the other end.

Fang Zhiwen didn't say anything more. After listening for a while, he said "I understand" and hung up the phone.

He tossed his phone on the table, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Qian Cheng pushed open the door and came in, holding a document in his hand and a smile on his face.

He walked to the table, saw Fang Zhiwen's expression, and his smile froze instantly.

"Secretary Fang, what's wrong? You look so pale."

Fang Zhiwen didn't say anything, but took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, took one out, and lit it.

Qian Cheng was rarely seen smoking.

Fang Zhiwen doesn't usually smoke; he only lights one when he's feeling down.

"Someone is checking our town's data."

Fang Zhiwen exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice deep.

Qian Cheng was taken aback: "Who?"

"The new guy in the government office, surnamed Chen."

Qian Cheng frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Is it that junior staff member who came with He Ying last time? The one sitting at the back taking notes?"

"It's him."

"How could a newly arrived junior staff member have the guts?" Qian Cheng put the materials on the table and lowered his voice. "He must have someone backing him, right?"

Fang Zhiwen took a deep drag on his cigarette and remained silent.

Qian Cheng took half a step forward, lowering his voice even further: "He Ying?"

Fang Zhiwen stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"What did he find out?"

"I don't know." Fang Zhiwen stood up and walked to the window. "But since it alarmed people over there to call specifically, it means he wasn't just checking casually."

Qian Cheng's expression also changed.

If someone is systematically investigating these things, and behind them stands County Head He Ying…

"Secretary Fang, what should we do?" Qian Cheng's voice was a little tense.

Fang Zhiwen did not answer immediately.

He stood by the window, looking at the Economic Development Zone in the distance, and remained silent for a long time.

"Don't move yet," he finally spoke. "Find out what he found out before deciding how to deal with it."

"I'll make the arrangements." Qian Cheng turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Fang Zhiwen called out to him, turning around. "Don't cause any trouble. That guy surnamed Chen is He Ying's man. If you mess with him, He Ying won't let it go."

Qian Cheng nodded: "Understood. Let's find out the situation first."

"Go."

Qian Cheng left, and the office became quiet again.

Fang Zhiwen sat back down in his chair and lit another cigarette.

He picked up his phone, scrolled to a number in his contacts, stared at it for a few seconds, but didn't dial it before putting the phone down again.

It's not the right time yet.

He needed to figure out first what that kid surnamed Chen had found out.