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

At 10:30, the door lock clicked.

Chen Dapeng suddenly stood up and stared at the door.

The door opened, and Chen Yang walked in, his expression more complex than when he left—a heavy feeling, as if he had just confirmed something.

"sister……"

"Sit down." Chen Yang closed the door, walked over, sat down on the sofa, and patted the seat next to him.

Chen Dapeng sat down and waited for her to speak.

Chen Yang did not speak immediately.

She put her bag aside, leaned back on the sofa, stared at the ceiling, and remained silent for a long time.

"I went to see He Ying."

"I know."

"She said you were doing something for her." Chen Yang turned to look at him. "Someone doesn't want you to do this. So they transferred you to the information department, wanting to keep you away from core work."

Chen Dapeng remained silent.

"I asked her what you were doing for her," Chen Yang said calmly. "She said she couldn't tell me. It wasn't that she didn't trust me, it's just that the fewer people who knew about this, the safer it would be."

Chen Dapeng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"Dapeng," Chen Yang turned around to face him, "tell me, what exactly did He Ying say?"

Chen Dapeng lowered his head and stared at his hands.

"If she won't tell me, then you tell me."

"sister……"

"If you don't tell me, I'll tell Mom and Dad."

Chen Dapeng suddenly raised his head: "Sis, don't—"

"Then tell me."

Chen Yang's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the ground.

"Dapeng, I'm your older sister. From childhood to adulthood, you've always told me everything. Now that you're in trouble, if you don't tell me, who will you tell?"

Chen Dapeng opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He knew he couldn't escape this time.

He knew his sister's personality very well—she would never give up if she didn't know the truth.

Moreover, she does what she says; she really does tell her parents.

Things will only get more complicated then.

"Sis," he said in a low voice, "I told you, don't tell anyone."

"you say."

"You promise."

"I promise."

Chen Dapeng took a deep breath before speaking.

"County Chief He asked me to check the data for Liuhe Town."

Chen Yang frowned slightly: "Liuhe Town?"

"The Party Secretary of Liuhe Town is Fang Zhiwen, who is the cousin of Fang Mingyuan, the Executive Deputy County Head. Fang Mingyuan has been operating in the county for more than ten years, and Liuhe Town is his base."

Chen Dapeng kept his voice very low, as if afraid of being overheard.

"County Chief He asked me to check the economic data of Liuhe Town for the past three years and compare it with the original data from various departments in the county."

"What did you find out?"

Chen Dapeng hesitated for a moment.

810 million.

He didn't want to tell his sister about this money.

But now that things have come to this point, there's no way to hide it anymore.

"Many data don't add up." He opened his notebook and pointed to the densely packed records. "The industrial growth rate was overstated by 2.4 percentage points, fiscal revenue by 13 percent, fixed asset investment by 39 percent, and investment attracted by investment by 62 percent."

Chen Yang's expression grew increasingly grim.

"The most serious thing is..." Chen Dapeng turned to the last page, his voice lowering even further, "There is a 'other expenditure' item in Liuhe Town's fiscal expenditure, totaling 810 million yuan over three years, but there is no record of any allocation in the county finance bureau's accounts."

"810 million?"

Chen Yang's voice unconsciously rose a few octaves.

"Shh—" Chen Dapeng made a shushing gesture, "Sis, keep your voice down."

Chen Yang covered his mouth, his eyes wide open.

She paused for a few seconds, lowered her hand, and asked in a low voice, "Where did this money go?"

"I don't know." Chen Dapeng shook his head. "County Chief He said that we can't investigate now. The timing isn't right."

Why?

"Because Fang Mingyuan has too much influence in the county. County Chief He just arrived and hasn't settled in yet. Moving against Liuhe Town now would be tantamount to directly starting a war with Fang Mingyuan." Chen Dapeng paused for a moment, "So she told me to hold back for now and wait for the right opportunity."

Chen Yang leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes for a while.

"So Fang Mingyuan found out you were checking data from Liuhe Town, and transferred you to the Information Department?"

"It should be." Chen Dapeng nodded. "Liu Zhiguo, the head of the Information Department, is Fang Mingyuan's man. I was transferred to the Information Department, ostensibly for job rotation, but actually to put me under his watchful eye so that I can no longer be involved in core work."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"County Chief He said that the Information Section also has its advantages." Chen Dapeng's tone was calmer. "The Information Section can access information submitted by all departments in the county and can know where the problems are immediately. Moreover... now that I've been 'marginalized,' I won't attract much attention."

Chen Yang looked at him, his gaze filled with complex emotions.

"Dapeng, do you know what you're doing?"

"I know."

"You don't know," Chen Yang shook his head, "You're investigating an executive deputy county head. You're helping the county head fight against local power. You're a newcomer who's only been on the job for less than a month, and you've gotten involved in this kind of thing. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"I know," Chen Dapeng repeated, "but sister, some things have to be done. County Chief He is all alone here, without a single trustworthy person. She asked me to investigate, so I did."

Chen Yang stared at him for a few seconds.

"You and He Ying..."

"Sister," Chen Dapeng interrupted her, his voice a few decibels louder than before, "what I just said is all. Nothing else."

Chen Yang looked at him, and the scrutinizing look in his eyes made his back tense.

He tried his best to keep his expression normal and not let any unnecessary emotions show.

He couldn't talk about what happened that night.

It can never be said.

It wasn't for myself, it was for He Ying.

"Okay." Chen Yang finally nodded. "I trust you."

Chen Dapeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"But you have to promise me one thing." Chen Yang looked at him, his expression more serious than ever before.

"What?"

"No matter what you find out, no matter what happens, tell me immediately. Don't bear it all alone."

Chen Dapeng hesitated for a moment: "Sister, there are some things..."

"Tell me immediately." Chen Yang interrupted him, repeating each word carefully. "If you don't tell me, I'll go directly to He Ying. If you don't let me contact you, I'll go to her. The choice is yours."

Chen Dapeng looked into his sister's eyes and knew she wasn't joking.

"Okay." He nodded. "I promise you."

Chen Yang reached out and patted him on the head, just like he did when they were kids.

"This is my brother."

Chen Dapeng's head tilted to the side after she patted him, and the corner of his mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.

"Sis, you still hit so hard."

"You won't remember if it's not important." Chen Yang stood up, took a few steps around the room, then suddenly stopped. "Dapeng, what does He Ying plan to do about the 810 million?"

She said she would wait for the right opportunity.

"At what time?"

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment: "Maybe they're waiting for Fang Mingyuan to make the first move, or maybe they're waiting for more evidence. I didn't ask for specifics."

Chen Yang nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

She walked to the window, looked outside, and stood there for a long time.

"Dapeng".

"Um?"

"I know He Ying well." Chen Yang didn't turn around, his voice very soft. "Back in college, she was the kind of person who, once she set her mind on something, would definitely make it happen. The fact that she asked you to look up this data means she's already decided to take action against Liuhe Town."

Chen Dapeng remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"But she's only in Qingshun County, her connections are too weak. Fang Mingyuan has been operating in the county for over a decade, and his people are all over the place. If He Ying wants to take him down, it's not enough for her to just look up data on her own."

"Then what else is needed?"

Chen Yang turned around and looked at him.

"She needs someone backing her up. Either from the city or the province. Otherwise, she can't compete with Fang Mingyuan."

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

He hadn't thought about this before.

He thought that as long as he found evidence, He Ying would be able to take action against Fang Mingyuan.

But now, after hearing what his sister said, he realized that things weren't so simple.

Fang Mingyuan was able to operate in the county for more than ten years; he couldn't have done it all on his own.

He must have someone above him.

"Sister, what about County Magistrate He...?"

"If she dared to make a move, she should have been prepared." Chen Yang walked back, picked up his bag, and said, "Alright, I won't ask anymore. Be careful."

"Sis, are you leaving?"

"Aren't you leaving? Are you staying here for lunch?" Chen Yang walked to the door, put on his shoes, turned around and looked at him. "Da Peng."

"Um?"

"No matter what happens, remember—your sister is in the provincial capital. Call me if anything happens."

Chen Dapeng nodded.

Chen Yang opened the door and went out.

This time, she didn't look back.

Chen Dapeng stood at the door, watching her figure disappear at the top of the stairs.

He closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a long sigh.

My sister knows.

Although not all of them, at least most of them are known.

He didn't know if what he did was right or wrong, but at least his sister wouldn't keep asking He Ying any more questions.

He walked back to the sofa, sat down, and picked up his phone.

The message He Ying sent is still there—"Your sister is gone. She didn't find out anything."

Chen Dapeng stared at the line of text for a few seconds, then typed: "My sister just came back to see me again."

The other party replied quickly: "What did she ask you?"

"I asked about Liuhe Town."

"You said it?"

"I said so."

The other party remained silent.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes.

Chen Dapeng stared at the screen, his heart pounding.

Finally, He Ying replied: "What was her reaction?"

"She was very worried. But she promised me she wouldn't tell anyone."

"Your sister is a smart woman. She knows what to say and what not to say."

"Um."

"Dapeng".

"Um?"

"You didn't have to tell your sister about this. You did, because you trust me. Thank you."

As Chen Dapeng looked at the words, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up inside him.

"It's what I should do." He typed a few words, then felt it was too stiff, so he added, "It's not easy for you all alone here."

There was no reply.

Chen Dapeng waited for a while, then put down his phone.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the street outside.

The sun was shining brightly, and the streets were bustling with people.

Unbeknownst to anyone, in some corner of this small county town, an unseen contest is slowly unfolding.

And he has already been drawn into it.