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

Information Technology Department, Lunch Break

Chen Dapeng stood by the window, holding a water glass, looking down at the courtyard.

After finishing his meal, Liu Zhiguo came back and said he had to go to a meeting, then left again.

In the past two days, Liu Zhiguo has been holding meetings much more frequently—once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and sometimes two or three times a day.

Is it really going to be a lot, or is he making phone calls to someone?

Chen Dapeng didn't know.

But he noticed that every time Liu Zhiguo came back, he would glance at his desk to see which documents he had flipped through.

My phone vibrated.

He looked down and saw it was a WeChat message from He Ying.

"Su Wanqing has received the certificate."

Chen Dapeng's heart skipped a beat, and he replied, "What are you planning to do?"

The other person's typing prompt flashed for a long time, as if they were carefully considering their words.

Finally, He Ying's message arrived.

"This money is a special fund for rural revitalization allocated by the province. But as far as I know, the edible mushroom base in Shuangqiao Town also applied for this money, but it was eventually allocated to Liuhe Town."

Chen Dapeng stared at the line of text, a scene flashing through his mind—the last time he went to Shuangqiao Town for research, the person in charge of the base surnamed Wang said that the subsidy payment had been delayed for more than half a year, and He Ying immediately called the Finance Bureau and said, "It will arrive before next week."

At the time, he thought it was just a normal issue of government funding.

Looking back now, that subsidy and this special fund may have been different aspects of the same thing.

He typed: "Why?"

He Ying replied quickly: "Someone put in a good word for me at the provincial level."

Chen Dapeng's finger hovered above the screen.

The province.

It's not the county, it's not the city, it's the province.

He pressed further, "Fang Mingyuan?"

He Ying fell silent.

Chen Dapeng stared at the screen, waiting for one minute, two minutes, three minutes.

Finally, He Ying replied: "I'm not sure. But there aren't many people in the province who can make this request."

Chen Dapeng pondered these words.

"Not many" – This means that He Ying probably has a list in mind, but she can't be sure who it is, nor can she tell Chen Dapeng.

"So what do we do next?"

This time, He Ying remained silent for even longer.

Chen Dapeng stood by the window, holding his phone. Sunlight shone on him, but he felt a chill down his back.

If Fang Mingyuan has connections in the province, then He Ying's situation is more dangerous than he imagined.

She's not just fighting against local forces in a county, but against an invisible network.

This network extends from the county to the city, and even to the province.

After waiting for nearly five minutes, He Ying finally replied.

"Keep an eye on things. Don't act rashly."

A feeling that was hard to describe welled up in Chen Dapeng's heart.

"Keep an eye on it"—she was telling him that his work wasn't over yet.

"Don't act rashly"—she was reminding him that danger was closer than he realized.

He typed two words: "Understood."

After thinking for a moment, I added, "You too."

After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and went back to his seat.

The materials on the table were still piled up. He picked up a document, opened it, but couldn't read a single word.

He Ying's words kept replaying in my mind: "There aren't many people in the province who can make this kind of request."

who is it?

Who was able to put in a good word for Fang Mingyuan at the provincial level and divert funds that should have been allocated to Shuangqiao Town to Liuhe Town?

Chen Dapeng didn't know.

But he knew that this person must be of a higher rank and have more power than Fang Mingyuan.

Otherwise, He Ying wouldn't have been so cautious.

……

On the other side, in Fang Mingyuan's office

He sat behind his desk with a document spread out in front of him, but he didn't read a single word of it.

He was waiting for a phone call.

The phone on the table vibrated.

He picked it up and saw it was a short message with only one line: "Someone is investigating that special fund in Liuhe Town. The receipt from the Finance Bureau was taken away by Su Wanqing this morning."

Fang Mingyuan stared at the line of text, his fingers slowly tightening.

Su Wanqing.

He Ying's people.

He had long known that Su Wanqing would side with He Ying, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly or so completely.

Obtaining a certificate from the Finance Bureau—this isn't just ordinary "cooperation," but a clear sign of taking sides.

Fang Mingyuan put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a while.

Then he picked up the landline on the table and dialed a number.

The phone rang twice and was answered.

"Section Chief Liu, it's me."

"County Chief Fang," Liu Zhiguo's voice came from the other end of the phone, very low.

"What's that guy surnamed Chen up to lately?"

"Working as usual. Organizing materials, filing, and writing reports." Liu Zhiguo paused, "Nothing unusual."

"What documents did he handle?"

"He went through all the materials submitted by various townships and departments. I checked them when they were being filed, and nothing was missing."

Fang Mingyuan tapped his fingers twice on the table.

Just because nothing is missing doesn't mean there are no problems.

That young man, He Ying took him everywhere she went. He was transferred from the General Affairs Section to the Information Section. On the surface, he was marginalized, but would He Ying give up a pawn so easily?

impossible.

"Keep a close eye on him." Fang Mingyuan's voice turned serious. "Go through every single document he's touched. Including every page he's turned and every word he's written down."

"Understood." Liu Zhiguo's voice was crisp. "County Chief Fang, there's one more thing."

"explain."

"The day before yesterday at noon, he stayed in the office alone. When I came back, he wasn't there. Later, I ran into him at the top of the stairs on the second floor. I suspect he went to the fourth floor, but I don't know who he was looking for? He Ying? Or Su Wanqing?"

Fang Mingyuan frowned slightly.

"You only have suspicions, no evidence?"

“No, no…”

"Keep a close eye on things from now on; I don't want to hear any words like 'suspicion'!"

"Okay, okay, I'll keep a close eye on it."

After hanging up the phone, Fang Mingyuan remained silent for a moment.

It's not surprising that Chen Dapeng went to see Su Wanqing. Su Wanqing is in charge of the General Affairs Section, and Chen Dapeng used to work there, so it's normal for them to have work-related interactions.

If you're going to find He Ying—he used to be a liaison officer, so there shouldn't be any problem.

But we don't know who he actually contacted or what he said.

"That Liu Zhiguo is a complete waste; he can't even get the basic intelligence right!"

Fang Mingyuan looked out the window.

The autumn sky was high and blue, but he felt suffocated.

He picked up his phone, scrolled to a number in his contacts labeled "Old Li," hesitated for a moment, and then pressed the call button.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"County Chief Fang." The voice on the other end of the phone was low, with a deliberate calmness.

"Old Li, help me investigate something."

"you say."

"Has He Ying been in contact with anyone from the provincial departments recently? Especially the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Department of Finance?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"County Chief Fang, this is not easy to investigate. She has worked in the provincial department for so many years, she has many connections and a wide network of people. Even if there is a connection, it would be normal."

"I know," Fang Mingyuan said in a low voice. "What I'm investigating isn't normal contact. What I'm investigating is—whether someone is helping her do something she shouldn't be doing."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"I'll try. But I might not be able to find it."

"It's okay if we can't find out." Fang Mingyuan paused for a moment. "There's one more thing. How much do you know about He Ying's background?"

"You mean...?"

"Her maternal grandfather. I heard that her maternal grandfather's family has very deep connections in the province. I don't know the specifics of those connections. Could you help me find out?"

A soft inhale came from the other end of the phone.

"County Chief Fang, this... is not easy to investigate. Her maternal grandfather's side of the family is very tight-lipped."

"That's why I asked you to investigate." Fang Mingyuan's voice carried a hint of impatience. "You don't need to investigate too thoroughly, just find out which line it's on."

"I'll give it a try."

"As soon as possible."

Fang Mingyuan hung up the phone and placed it on the table.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

He hadn't paid much attention to He Ying's background before.

The director of the Industry Division of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, 30 years old, at the level of a full-fledged division chief—this resume itself says something.

But he thought she was just capable, lucky, and had been nurtured by the organization.

But now, he's starting to have doubts.

It's impossible for someone without connections to reach the level of a full-fledged department head at the age of thirty, to be parachuted into an unfamiliar county as county head, and to dare to take action against Liuhe Town in less than a month.

There must be someone behind her.

Moreover, this person is of a high rank.

Fang Mingyuan picked up the thermos on the table, unscrewed the lid, and took a sip of water.

The water had cooled down and had a rusty taste.

He put down the cup, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window was the county government compound, with several cars parked inside. Several officials were walking out of the building, talking as they went.

Fang Mingyuan looked at those people, but his mind was on something else.

If He Ying's background is really that powerful, then his current situation is very dangerous.

He wasn't incapable of fighting He Ying, but if the person behind He Ying was someone he couldn't afford to offend, then he couldn't just treat her as a "parachuted-in county magistrate."

He needs to know who's behind her.

We need to know how much power that person can mobilize.

We need to know if that person will step in at the crucial moment.

Only in this way can he decide what to do next.

Fang Mingyuan turned around, walked back behind his desk, and sat down.

He picked up a pen and wrote a line in his notebook: "He Ying—province—who?"

Then I drew a circle and put the three words together.

Outside the circle, he wrote two more words: "Grandpa".

He stared at those two words for a long time.

Who exactly is He Ying's maternal grandfather?

He had inquired before, but hadn't gotten any useful information.

All we know is He Ying's mother's surname, but that surname is very common in the province, and we can't find anything about it.

Looking back now, the fact that it couldn't be found is itself a piece of information.

A person who can keep their background completely undetectable is no ordinary person.

Fang Mingyuan closed the notebook and locked it in the drawer.

He picked up his phone, found "Old Li's" number, and sent a text message: "Investigate He Ying's grandfather's matter thoroughly. Spare no expense."

After sending the message, he placed his phone face down on the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

The office was quiet, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Fang Mingyuan opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

He worked in Qingshun County for more than a decade, rising from a township cadre to the position of executive deputy county head.

He served under three county party secretaries and four county heads.

He could find a way to get along with every new leader—some through benefits, some through personal connections, and some through threats.

But He Ying is different.

This woman doesn't accept his benefits, doesn't take his favors, and isn't afraid of his threats.

She was like a stone, cold and hard, impossible to chew.

Moreover, she had a knife.

That knife was what Chen Dapeng had found out.

Fang Mingyuan didn't know exactly how much Chen Dapeng had found out, but he knew that if those things fell into the wrong hands, everything would be over for him.

He had to break He Ying's knife before she could draw it.

……

Information Technology Department, 4:30 PM

Chen Dapeng was writing a news report when his phone vibrated.

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

"Du Jianguo has a batch of ledgers. If we can get our hands on them, they'll be more useful than any other voucher."

Chen Dapeng's finger paused for a moment—the bottom tent.

"Su Wanqing said that Du Jianguo had a special filing cabinet containing the records of all the large sums of money approved by the Finance Bureau over the years. If those records really exist, the things recorded in them are more detailed than any voucher—who applied, who approved, where the money went, and what it was used for."

"How do I take it?"

"You can't take it now. Du Jianguo is still observing; he won't easily reveal his secrets to anyone. But you must remember this. It will be useful later."

As Chen Dapeng looked at the words, a premonition suddenly welled up in his heart—the "future" that He Ying mentioned was not far away.

"clear."

"Also, Fang Mingyuan may already be investigating you. Liu Zhiguo spoke with Fang Mingyuan on the phone this afternoon."

Chen Dapeng's fingers tightened slightly.

How did you know?

"Su Wanqing told me."

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment. Su Wanqing had been in the office for many years, so finding a phone number shouldn't be difficult for her.

He replied, "I will be careful."

"It's not just about being careful. You need to be prepared. If Fang Mingyuan sees you as a threat, he'll find a way to transfer you, or..."

She didn't finish typing that line.

But Chen Dapeng knew what she wanted to say.

Or, shut him up.

Chen Dapeng put down his phone and looked out the window.

As darkness fell, the distant mountain outlines became blurred.

He recalled his sister Chen Yang's words—"You're helping the county magistrate fight against the local power. You're a newcomer who's only been in the job for less than a month, and you've gotten involved in this kind of thing. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

he knows.

But he's already involved.

Moreover, he didn't want to back out.

It wasn't just because He Ying had spent that night with him.

Rather, it was because he felt that what He Ying did was right.

He picked up his phone and sent He Ying a final message.

"No matter what Fang Mingyuan does, I will not back down."

The other person remained silent for a long time, then their phone vibrated.

He Ying only sent one word.

"it is good."

Chen Dapeng looked at the word and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

He put his phone in his pocket, lowered his head, and continued writing the news report.

The keyboard was being pounded away, and everything seemed normal.

But in his heart, a fire was slowly burning.