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

At 5:30, He Ying's phone rang.

She glanced down at the screen—Chen Yang.

She answered the phone, and before she could speak, Chen Yang's voice came from the other end:

"Yingying, are you in the provincial capital now?"

He Ying was taken aback: "How did you know?"

Chen Yang chuckled to himself: "I guessed. It's the weekend, you must have gone to see Dapeng. Let's have dinner together tonight, it's been a while since we got together."

He Ying hesitated for a moment: "But...we've already ordered takeout."

"Why order takeout...?"

Chen Yang's tone left no room for argument:

"I cancelled the order, but I'll treat you to something nice. Tell Dapeng I'll book the restaurant and send you the address. Seven o'clock, don't be late."

The call was ended abruptly, leaving He Ying no room for rebuttal.

He Ying, holding her phone, turned to look at Chen Dapeng:

"It was your sister who called. She said we should have dinner together tonight and asked us to cancel the takeout."

Chen Dapeng was looking at the explanation of a wrong question when he looked up:

How did she know you were in the provincial capital?

"She said she guessed..."

He Ying blushed slightly and added, "Your sister's intuition is even more accurate than the investigators'..."

She didn't say anything more, opened the food delivery app to cancel the order, and then stood up to tidy up the books on the table.

Chen Dapeng also closed his book.

The two changed their coats, held hands, and went out the door.

……

When they arrived at the restaurant, Chen Yang and his family of three were already there.

The restaurant has a quiet environment, and the wooden signboard reads "Family Banquet".

Chen Yang and Li Tianqin sat on either side, while Li Zilong, who looked about seven or eight years old, sat in the middle.

As Chen Dapeng walked over.

Chen Yang waved to him, then looked at He Ying with a smile in his eyes:

"You're here? Have a seat."

He Ying sat down next to Chen Yang, and Chen Dapeng sat opposite her, next to Li Tianqin.

Li Zilong looked at Chen Dapeng and suddenly asked:

"Uncle, who is this older sister?"

Before Chen Dapeng could speak, Chen Yang had already replied with a smile:

"Zilong...this is your future aunt."

Chen Dapeng blushed deeply at the sudden use of the term "aunt," and secretly glanced at He Ying.

He Ying's ears also turned slightly red.

She didn't say anything, but simply lowered her head, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and pretended not to have heard.

The dishes were served one after another.

Chen Yang picked up a piece of fish and put it in He Ying's bowl: "Have you lost weight again recently?"

He Ying glanced down at the fish in the bowl:

No, I don't think so.

"You looked better when you came to our house for dinner last time."

Chen Yang picked up another piece of green vegetable and put it into her bowl.

"Eat more, don't just focus on work."

He Ying didn't refute, but lowered her head and took a bite of the fish. The fish was tender and cooked just right.

Chen Dapeng sat across from her, watching his sister serve food to He Ying, and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Li Tianqin would occasionally chat with Chen Dapeng about matters concerning the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection:

"Is your task force still working on that case?"

Chen Dapeng nodded: "It's still in the final stages. The workload is a bit less than before, but we're still following up."

Li Tianqin did not press for details, but simply said:

"I should be able to breathe a sigh of relief once this busy period is over."

Chen Dapeng responded with a "Mm".

After eating for a while, Li Zilong couldn't sit still anymore and started squirming in his chair.

Chen Yang glanced at him, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl, and said in a low voice:

"Zilong, eat your food properly."

Li Zilong obediently lowered his head and ate a few mouthfuls of rice, then looked up at He Ying, as if he wanted to say something but held back.

Halfway through the meal, Chen Yang put down his chopsticks and turned to look at He Ying:

"Yingying, when will this case be over?"

He Ying also put down her chopsticks: "It's hard to say. But it should be soon."

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

After the meal, Chen Yang paid the bill and returned with his car keys in his hand.

"Then we're leaving. Li Zilong has class tomorrow."

She glanced at Chen Dapeng, then at He Ying:

"Take your time browsing."

Without giving any further instructions, he took Li Tianqin and Li Zilong and left first.

As I stepped out of the restaurant, a night breeze blew in my face, carrying the chill of early winter.

Li Zilong turned around and waved to Chen Dapeng:

Goodbye, Uncle!

Then he glanced at He Ying again, as if he wanted to say something, but Chen Yang pulled him away by the hand.

Chen Dapeng turned to He Ying and asked, "Shall we walk back?"

He Ying nodded.

The two walked slowly side by side along the sidewalk.

Chen Dapeng walked for a while, then glanced at her sideways:

"Did my sister scare you today?"

He Ying said somewhat helplessly, "I was really startled when she said I was my aunt..."

Chen Dapeng chuckled softly: "That's just her personality..."

He Ying glared at him but didn't reply.

She walked quietly for a while, then spoke:

"She's right."

Her voice wasn't loud, but Chen Dapeng heard it.

He didn't reply, but simply reached out and took her hand that was hanging by her side.

He Ying's fingers twitched slightly as she gripped his hand in return.

The two walked forward slowly, hand in hand...

It was almost 9:30 when I got back to my place.

He Ying changed into slippers and walked into the living room, hanging her coat on the hanger.

Chen Dapeng followed behind, closed the door, and placed the key on the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

He Ying stood by the sofa for a while, then turned to look at Chen Dapeng:

"I want to take a shower."

"I'll go get you some hot water."

As Chen Dapeng spoke, he walked towards the bathroom.

He Ying watched his retreating figure and suddenly said, "Wait a minute."

Chen Dapeng stopped and looked back at her.

He Ying stood in the living room, motionless and silent for two or three seconds, then her voice was a little lower than before:

"You said you'd scrub my back... is that true?"

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

He had actually said this casually before, with a hint of joking, but he didn't expect her to bring it up now.

He saw her standing under the light, and she didn't look away from him.

He spoke, his voice softer than usual:

"It's true..."

He Ying did not answer, turned around and went into the bedroom, took out a change of clothes from the closet, and then went to the bathroom.

She didn't stop or look at Chen Dapeng as she passed by, but her pace was slower than usual.

Chen Dapeng understood what she meant and followed her into the bathroom.

Hot water cascaded down.

As the heat began to rise, a thin layer of mist gradually covered the glass door.

He Ying turned her back to him, reached out to test the water temperature, then turned around to look at him without saying anything or asking him to leave.

Chen Dapeng stepped forward and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

He Ying didn't move or make a sound; she just stood there quietly.

She let his hand slowly slide down her shoulder, his fingertips carrying warm water that gently flowed down her shoulder blade...

……

The rising steam blurred their outlines...

He Ying closed her eyes, and after a long while, she spoke in a low voice:

"The water temperature is just right..."

Chen Dapeng hummed in response, but didn't say anything else.

His fingers parted the water...

Slowly moving on her back...