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

Su Wanqing looked into He Ying's eyes and remained silent for a few seconds.

"County Head, now that Xiao Chen has been transferred to the Information Department, who will take over the work he's currently doing?"

He Ying picked up her coffee cup, took a sip, and put it down. Her movements were slow, as if she was considering something.

"Let's put aside what he's doing for now."

Su Wanqing nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He Ying said "put it aside," meaning that the matter would be temporarily shelved, not that it would not be done.

"Director Su," He Ying leaned back in her chair, looking at her, "how many years have you been working at the government office?"

Five years.

"How many county magistrates have you served under?"

"Three terms," ​​Su Wanqing answered truthfully. "When I came here, it was the old county magistrate, then it was County Magistrate Li, and now it's you."

He Ying nodded, her lips twitching slightly: "Three terms as county magistrate, and you've managed to hold onto this position for so long, that's quite an achievement."

Su Wanqing did not respond.

She could tell that He Ying's words had a hidden meaning—the government office is the central hub of the county's power operation, and to stay in this system for five years without falling, one must either be highly capable, extremely shrewd, or have both.

"Has County Chief Fang mentioned anything to you recently?" He Ying suddenly asked.

Su Wanqing raised her head and looked at He Ying.

He Ying's expression was calm, as if she were asking about something extremely ordinary.

"County Chief Fang hasn't mentioned anything directly to me," Su Wanqing said, carefully choosing her words. "But his office has been in frequent contact with the IT department lately."

"Information Technology Department?"

"Liu Zhiguo. He went to County Chief Fang's office twice last week, and stayed for more than half an hour each time."

He Ying tapped her fingers lightly twice on the table.

What do you think of Liu Zhiguo?

Su Wanqing thought for a moment: "His professional skills are average, but he's very good at interpersonal relationships. He's worked in the government office for over ten years and gets along with everyone."

"Getting along with everyone"—this phrase isn't necessarily a compliment in government offices.

He Ying nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

"Alright, you can go now."

Su Wanqing stood up, walked to the door, then stopped and turned around.

"County Magistrate."

"Um?"

"Should I give Xiao Chen a few words of advice privately?"

He Ying looked at her, her gaze lingering for two seconds.

"No need. He'll handle it himself."

Su Wanqing nodded and went out the door.

She took a few steps in the corridor, stopped, and let out a long breath.

Just now, He Ying asked her, "Has County Chief Fang mentioned anything to you?" She sensed the probing behind those words.

He Ying was trying to confirm one thing—which side Su Wanqing was on.

She gave He Ying the answer she wanted: Fang Mingyuan was in contact with the Information Department, and Liu Zhiguo was one of Fang Mingyuan's men.

But what she didn't say was that Liu Zhiguo had also visited her last week. In the cafeteria, he sat opposite her with his tray, chatted for a few minutes, and then casually asked, "Director Su, does that new guy, Xiao Chen, have some kind of special relationship with the county head?"

She smiled and said, "What special relationship? He's a new clerk, and the county magistrate is the county magistrate; it's a superior-subordinate relationship."

Liu Zhiguo smiled and didn't ask any more questions.

But she remembered that smile very clearly.

Now, she sees some things more and more clearly—Fang Mingyuan transferred Chen Dapeng to the Information Department, ostensibly for "training," but in reality, he put him under Liu Zhiguo's nose.

The Information Technology Department is a department managed by Fang Mingyuan's people.

Chen Dapeng went there, and his every move would be watched.

Will he be able to stay in the Information Technology Department? Will he be able to withstand the pressure? Will he be able to continue doing what He Ying asked him to do under Liu Zhiguo's nose?

These are all tests.

If Chen Dapeng can't hold on, then his importance in He Ying's heart will come to an end.

If he can hold on...

Su Wanqing leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling, a feeling she couldn't quite describe welling up inside her.

She recalled that when Chen Dapeng first came to report for duty, he stood at the entrance of the General Affairs Department, bowed slightly, and called her "Director Su".

He really did look like a college student who had just graduated.

But now, he has been drawn into the power struggle at the highest level in the county.

And she, too, took sides.

He Ying's seemingly casual questions led her to make a choice.

"Has County Chief Fang mentioned anything to you recently?"

She answered.

That answer was taking sides.

Su Wanqing took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and scrolled to Chen Dapeng's WeChat.

She hesitated for a moment, then typed: "The work rhythm of the Information Technology Department is different from that of the General Affairs Department. Take your time to adapt, don't rush."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

Chen Dapeng quickly replied, "Okay, thank you, Director Su."

Su Wanqing looked at the words and her lips twitched slightly.

……

Third floor, Information Technology Department.

Chen Dapeng put his phone on the table and looked at the two messages Su Wanqing had sent.

"The work pace in the Information Technology Department is different from that in the General Affairs Department. Take your time to adapt and don't rush. If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me."

This message appears to be just ordinary concern.

But he always felt that Su Wanqing wasn't just saying this casually when she sent such a message at this time.

He looked up and glanced at Liu Zhiguo, who was sitting by the window.

Liu Zhiguo was still looking at his phone, occasionally glancing up at the computer screen before looking down at his phone again.

The work pace in the IT department is indeed different—slow, as slow as a snail.

Chen Dapeng came all morning, but did nothing except turn on the computer, connect the network cable, and tidy up the table.

Liu Zhiguo did not assign him any work, nor did he give him any materials.

"Section Chief Liu," Chen Dapeng said.

Liu Zhiguo looked up at him through his thick glasses: "Hmm?"

"What work do I have to do today?"

Liu Zhiguo thought for a moment, then pointed to the filing cabinet: "There are information briefings from previous years in there. Take a look and familiarize yourself with them. No rush. That's how the information department works; when it's not busy, it's incredibly quiet, but when it gets busy, it's really hectic."

Chen Dapeng stood up, walked to the filing cabinet, and opened the cabinet door.

Inside, dozens of folders were neatly stacked, with labels indicating the year and month.

He randomly picked one out and opened it.

The content is very simple—a few work updates and a few survey reports, with a fixed format and formulaic language.

He read a few pages, closed the folder, and put it back.

Then I sat back down at my desk, turned on my computer, and accessed the backend of the county government website.

Website maintenance is also one of the tasks of the information technology department.

Chen Dapeng browsed through the various sections of the website and found that some sections had not been updated for a long time—the last article in "Township News" was two months ago, and the "Policy Interpretation" section had been blank for more than half a year.

He picked up his notebook and wrote down the sections that needed updating, one by one.

Liu Zhiguo looked up from his phone, glanced at him, and then looked down again.

After taking notes, Chen Dapeng opened the document and began writing an information report.

What should I write?

After thinking about it, he decided to write a proposal on optimizing the county government website.

It wasn't because he wanted to show off, but because he was just too bored to stand it.

Instead of sitting around in a daze, find something to do.

My phone vibrated when I was writing.

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

"Are you settling in well with the IT department?"

He stared at the words, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

"It's alright, I'm getting used to it."

About a minute later, He Ying sent another message: "Liu Zhiguo from the Information Department, don't talk to him about personal matters. Report what needs to be reported at work, and don't say what shouldn't be said."

Chen Dapeng's fingers tightened slightly as he looked at the message.

He Ying was reminding him that Liu Zhiguo was not one of their own.

He replied, "Understood."

Then I deleted the message.

Liu Zhiguo stood up from the window, stretched, and walked to Chen Dapeng's table.

"Xiao Chen, want to go to the cafeteria together for lunch?"

Chen Dapeng looked up and smiled: "Okay, Section Chief Liu."

Liu Zhiguo nodded, turned around and walked back to his workstation.

Chen Dapeng lowered his head and continued writing the website optimization suggestions.

But he was thinking to himself—was Liu Zhiguo inviting him to the cafeteria just a normal colleague invitation, or was he trying to find out something?

He recalled He Ying's words: "Don't say what you shouldn't say."

In the cafeteria, the two of them carried their trays and found a corner to sit down.

Liu Zhiguo picked up a piece of food, chewed slowly, and suddenly asked, "Xiao Chen, did you and the county magistrate know each other before?"

Chen Dapeng paused for a moment while holding the chopsticks.

"I don't know him. I only met County Chief He for the first time on the day I reported for duty."

"Really?" Liu Zhiguo smiled. "I saw that the county head took you with him when he went to Shuangqiao Town for research, and he also took you with him when he went to Liuhe Town for research. I thought you two knew each other before."

"That's a job requirement," Chen Dapeng said calmly. "I'm new, and the supervisor is showing me around."

Liu Zhiguo nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He ate with his head down, eating very slowly, chewing each bite for a long time.

Chen Dapeng also lowered his head and ate quickly, finishing the food on his plate in just a few bites.

"Xiao Chen, eating so fast is bad for your stomach."

Liu Zhiguo looked up and stared at him through his thick glasses.

"I'm used to it." Chen Dapeng smiled. "I got into it because I was rushing to class in college."

Liu Zhiguo smiled too, a very kind smile.

But Chen Dapeng noticed that Liu Zhiguo's smile only reached the corners of his mouth and did not extend to his eyes.

In the afternoon, Chen Dapeng finished writing the website optimization suggestions, read it through, revised a few wordings, and then showed it to Liu Zhiguo.

Liu Zhiguo glanced at it but didn't say anything.

Chen Dapeng sat at his workstation, staring at the computer screen, feeling an indescribable sense of frustration.

Although he was busy and tired while working in the General Affairs Department, at least he knew what he was doing and that what he was doing was meaningful.

In the IT department, he was like a light bulb that had been unplugged—it was on, but it couldn't emit any light.

He picked up his phone, scrolled to He Ying's WeChat, and typed: "County Chief He, I'd like to ask, is my transfer to the Information Department temporary or permanent?"

After typing that line, I stared at it for a few seconds, then deleted it.

He put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the nearly withered pothos on the windowsill.

The leaves were yellowing and drooping.

Chen Dapeng stood up, went to the washroom, got a glass of water, and poured it on the roots of the pothos.

He stared at the potted green plant for a few seconds, then turned around, walked back to his workstation, sat down, and continued to look through the information briefings from previous years.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from my sister.

"Dapeng, you've been exiled?"