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

Weekend in Beijing.

The day before He Ying arrived, she called her grandfather and only said, "I'll come to see you this weekend," without mentioning anything else.

Mr. Shen replied "okay" on the other end of the phone without asking any further questions.

He knew his granddaughter wouldn't come to the capital for no reason, but he also knew that asking her about things she didn't want to talk about was pointless.

When He Ying entered, Grandpa Shen was sitting on the sofa with an old photo album open in front of him, looking at it intently with his reading glasses on.

Hearing the door open, he looked up, took off his glasses, and smiled.

"You're here? Have a seat."

He Ying placed the fruit she had brought on the coffee table and sat down next to him.

She glanced at the photo album, an old-fashioned black hardcover album filled with yellowed photos, some of which had curled edges.

Grandpa Shen didn't close the photo album. His finger hovered over a certain page, his gaze fixed on the photo, as if he were looking at something or thinking about something.

He Ying asked softly, "Grandpa, what are you looking at?"

Old Master Shen did not answer immediately.

He stared at the photo for a while, then spoke:

"It brings back some old memories."

He Ying followed his gaze and glanced at the photo.

It's an old group photo from a unit in the provincial capital. The people in the photo are standing in two rows, with an office building in the background.

She glanced around, her gaze lingering on the face of a man in the middle of the second row—she recognized him; it was Zeng Zhiyuan.

He Ying wondered if her maternal grandfather and Zeng Zhiyuan had some connection in the past.

She looked away, said nothing, and simply sat quietly beside him.

After a while, Old Master Shen spoke, his voice somewhat deep.

"Yingying, there's something I've been keeping to myself for ten years."

He Ying didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"Ten years ago, I witnessed something in the provincial capital. Some people did things that were against the rules, but I didn't say anything."

Old Master Shen paused for a moment, then continued, "At the time, I thought it was better to avoid trouble. Saying it wouldn't do me any good, nor would it do anyone else any good. But over the years, I've never felt quite at ease with myself."

He Ying looked at her grandfather's profile.

His expression was calm, but as he spoke, his finger unconsciously lingered on the edge of that page, not moving away.

She asked softly, "Who is it?"

Old Master Shen remained silent for a long time. He didn't say the name, but his gaze fell on the photo, specifically on the person in the middle of the second row.

He Ying glanced at him in the direction of his gaze but did not ask any further questions.

She knew the answer.

She reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of her grandfather's hand: "Grandpa, what do you want to do?"

Old Master Shen did not answer immediately.

He leaned back on the sofa, looking at the sky outside the window, and after a while spoke: "I haven't thought about it yet."

He Ying did not urge him.

She knew what this meant to her grandfather—a man who had been silent for ten years needed to speak up, not to be urged by others, but to figure it out himself.

She stood up, went to the kitchen, poured him a glass of hot water, and placed it on the coffee table.

Grandpa Shen picked up his water glass, took a sip, and didn't mention the matter again.

He Ying didn't press the matter further and changed the subject.

Grandpa, there's something I need to tell you.

Grandpa Shen turned to look at He Ying, somewhat curious: "Oh? What's wrong?"

He Ying smiled and said, "Grandpa, I have a boyfriend."

Old Master Shen looked at He Ying, his gaze scrutinizing yet tinged with amusement: "Finally willing to talk?"

He Ying felt a little embarrassed by his words: "What do you mean by 'finally'? I've been busy with work the whole time."

Grandpa Shen didn't respond to her question, but instead asked:

"Who is it?"

"His name is Chen Dapeng, and he's six years younger than me. He works in the Qingshun County Government Office and is currently on secondment to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection to participate in case handling."

Grandpa Shen was slightly taken aback: "He's six years younger than you, don't you think he's too young?"

He Ying thought for a moment: "At first, I also thought it was a problem. But later I realized that age is not the most important thing. He is reliable and dependable."

"Reliable?" Old Master Shen repeated the three words, as if weighing their significance. "That's more important than anything else."

He Ying smiled and said, "Grandpa, you don't object?"

"What's the use of my objections? Since you've told me, it means you've already made up your mind. If I object, will you just cut off all contact with him?"

He Ying didn't reply, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Old Master Shen leaned back on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought, before finally speaking again: "How is he to you?"

"Very good." He Ying answered briefly, but her tone was very certain. "He was injured three times for me."

The first time I was in Liuhe Town, I was beaten by people sent by Fang Zhiwen, and I had to get three stitches in my lip.

The second case was also in Liuhe Town. The person who was retaliating against stabbed his palm and he needed nine stitches.

The third time was in the provincial capital, someone wanted to target me, and he stood in front of me and got injured again.

Old Master Shen was somewhat surprised.

"three times?"

"Yes, three times. He's very brave; he's always at the forefront."

Old Master Shen didn't ask any more questions, but only said one sentence:

"Bring him over another day, so I can see him."

He Ying smiled and nodded: "Okay. I'll bring him to see you after the case is finished."

……

The following afternoon, He Ying left the capital.

She didn't go straight back to Qingshun County, but planned to stay in the provincial capital for one night to visit Chen Dapeng.

Before leaving, she sent Chen Dapeng a message:

"Dapeng, I'm back."

Chen Dapeng quickly replied: "Are you free tonight? Come over and sit with me."

He Ying replied with a single word: "Mm".

At six o'clock in the evening, He Ying arrived at the door of Chen Dapeng's residence.

The door was open, waiting for her to arrive.

After He Ying entered the house.

Chen Dapeng noticed that her expression was somewhat somber. Although she still had a smile on her lips, it was different from her usual smile; it didn't seem genuine.

He didn't ask any further questions, but turned around and went to the kitchen to pour her a glass of warm water.

He Ying took the water glass, sat down on the sofa, and held the glass without drinking, seemingly lost in thought.

Chen Dapeng sat down next to her without asking any questions.

He guessed that He Ying must have learned something when she went to the capital.

She hadn't figured out how to say it yet.

Chen Dapeng didn't urge her, waiting for her to speak on her own.

The living room was quiet for a while.

He Ying put down her water glass and said softly, "Dapeng, when I visited my grandfather this time, he told me something. He witnessed a certain leader violating regulations, but chose to remain silent for ten years to protect himself."

Chen Dapeng listened quietly without interrupting.

"When he told me about this, he was flipping through old photo albums, lost in thought. I asked him what he planned to do, and he said he hadn't decided yet."

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment: "Then what do you think he meant?"

He Ying paused for a moment: "If he didn't want to tell me, he wouldn't have. Since he did, it means he was already thinking about it."

Chen Dapeng didn't respond, but simply stayed quietly by his side.

After a while, He Ying spoke again, her voice lower than before: "Da Peng, if someone has done something wrong, is it too late for them to make amends ten years later?"

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment: "It's not too late. As long as he's willing to step forward, it's not too late."

He Ying turned her head to look at him, as if trying to confirm something from his face.

Chen Dapeng met her gaze: "Your grandfather is still alive. The best time will be when he is willing to talk about it."

He Ying didn't answer, but her shoulders relaxed a little.

She lowered her head, staring at the water glass in her hand. After a while, she said again, "If he tells me, I'm afraid it will have too much of an impact."

"He's kept silent for ten years, carrying this burden in his heart. But now that he's spoken up, it means he no longer wants to keep it to himself. Your grandfather is a wise man; he should be making a decision."

"Yes, your analysis is correct. I've been thinking about this on my way here today—some things aren't impossible, they're just missing the right opportunity to speak up."

Chen Dapeng didn't reply, he just nodded.

He Ying didn't say anything more and rested her head on Chen Dapeng's shoulder.

Chen Dapeng put his arm around her waist and gently comforted her, "Sister Ying, don't think about it anymore. Grandpa will tell you when he's thought it through."

He Ying hummed in agreement.

After a moment of silence, He Ying reached out and touched Chen Dapeng's face.

"Dapeng, I told Grandpa that I have a boyfriend, and it's you."

Chen Dapeng placed his hand on the back of He Ying's hand, looked at her, and smiled.

"Shall we go visit him together next time?"

"Yes, it's time to take you to see him. He's always been concerned about my marriage. He'll be very happy to see you."

"Really? What if he doesn't like me?"

He Ying glared at him: "What? You don't have confidence?"

Chen Dapeng quickly replied, "Yes, of course!"