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

The phone hangs up.

He Ying put her phone on the table, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes for a while.

Someone is investigating her background.

Investigate her maternal grandfather.

Are they Fang Mingyuan's people? Or Fang Mingyuan's superiors?

she does not know.

But she knew that the other party was someone important—her former boss had said that "the way they inquired was very professional," something that not just anyone could do.

This shows that Fang Mingyuan, or the people behind him, have begun to take her seriously.

Instead of treating her as a "parachuted-in county magistrate," we should study her as a real opponent.

He Ying opened her eyes, picked up her phone, and scrolled to a number in her contacts labeled "Grandpa".

My finger hovered above the screen, hesitating for a long time.

She wanted to call and ask her grandfather if anyone had inquired about their family recently.

But she didn't want her grandfather to worry.

My grandfather is getting old, and his health is not as good as it used to be.

She didn't want to bother him with these official matters.

He Ying put down her phone, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the main street of Qingshun County, bustling with cars and people.

Her gaze was fixed on the distance, but her mind was preoccupied with something else—her old boss's words: "The fact that they're investigating you means they're afraid of you."

What are they afraid of?

Are you afraid she'll find out the truth about the 1110 million in Liuhe Town?

Are they afraid she'll threaten Fang Mingyuan's foundation?

Or are they afraid that she really has a powerful force behind her that they can't afford to offend?

He Ying didn't know.

But she knew that from today onwards, she could no longer treat Fang Mingyuan as just a "representative of local power."

Fang Mingyuan has already started investigating her background.

This means that the competition between the two sides has escalated.

It's no longer a game of strategy at work, no longer just about reconciling data; it's a real, life-or-death struggle.

He Ying turned around, walked back behind her desk, and sat down.

She picked up her phone and scrolled to Chen Dapeng's WeChat.

She wanted to tell him that someone was investigating her, but after thinking about it, she put it aside.

It's not that I don't trust him, it's that I don't want him to worry.

He was already nervous enough.

The drawer had been rummaged through, and Liu Zhiguo was watching him closely; every day in the information department, he felt like he was walking on thin ice.

She couldn't put any more pressure on him.

He Ying put down her phone, picked up the documents on the table, and continued reading.

But the words floated before her eyes, and she couldn't focus on any of them.

She was thinking about a question—what exactly did Fang Mingyuan find out?

Does he know about her maternal grandfather's family?

If he finds out, what will he do?

If he doesn't know, what will his next step be to investigate?

These questions kept swirling in her mind, and she couldn't stop thinking about them.

At 5 p.m., Su Wanqing came to deliver the documents.

She pushed the door open and saw He Ying sitting behind her desk, looking somewhat tired.

"County Magistrate, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"

He Ying shook her head: "It's nothing. I probably didn't sleep well last night."

Su Wanqing placed the documents on the table, hesitated for a moment, and lowered her voice: "County Magistrate, there's something I'd like to tell you."

"you say."

"This afternoon, Liu Zhiguo and Du Jianguo talked for a long time in the cafeteria. When I passed by, I heard them mention a word."

"What word?"

"Provincial Department".

He Ying's fingers tightened slightly.

"I didn't hear the specifics clearly, but Liu Zhiguo's voice was very low, and Du Jianguo's expression wasn't good either."

He Ying remained silent for a few seconds.

"I understand. Keep an eye on things, but don't alert them."

Su Wanqing nodded, turned around and left.

The moment the door closed, He Ying leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh.

Liu Zhiguo was talking to Du Jianguo about the "provincial department".

Du Jianguo is the director of the Finance Bureau, and Liu Zhiguo is the head of the Information Section. These two people don't usually have much interaction at work.

What does it mean that they are talking about "provincial departments"?

This indicates that Fang Mingyuan was contacting Du Jianguo through Liu Zhiguo, hoping to learn some things from Du Jianguo.

What's wrong?

It might be related to her previous work experience in the provincial department.

It could also be the approval process for that 300 million yuan.

Du Jianguo signed the approval form for that money; he was one of the parties involved.

If Fang Mingyuan wants to find out where the money went, Du Jianguo is the most crucial link.

However, if Fang Mingyuan wants to cover up the problem with that money, Du Jianguo is also the most crucial link.

Du Jianguo is now a key variable.

He had the records and knew where the money really went.

He signed the approval form and was one of the approvers of the money.

If he sides with He Ying, Fang Mingyuan will be in danger.

If he sides with Fang Mingyuan, He Ying will be in danger.

He's still observing the situation.

But He Ying knew that Du Jianguo wouldn't be able to observe for long.

Because Fang Mingyuan won't give him much time.

She stood up, picked up her bag, closed the door, and left work.

The corridor was empty; everyone from other departments had already left for the day.

She paused for a moment when she reached the top of the stairs.

Footsteps came from downstairs; someone was going upstairs.

He Ying stood at the top of the stairs, looking at the corner of the stairs.

A few seconds later, Chen Dapeng appeared on the stairs.

He was holding a folder, wearing a dark jacket, and his hair was a little messy, making him look like he had just finished working overtime.

He was stunned when he saw He Ying.

"County Magistrate He."

"Still not off work?"

"Just finished what I was doing." Chen Dapeng walked up the last few steps and stopped in front of her. "You just left too?"

"Um."

The two stood at the top of the stairs, neither of them speaking.

"Dapeng," He Ying suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

"You should be careful lately."

Chen Dapeng looked at her, his gaze holding something indescribable.

"I know. You do too."

He Ying nodded, walked past him, and went downstairs.

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

He lowered his head and looked at the folder in his hand.

Inside was a summary of information he had compiled today, which he planned to report to Liu Zhiguo tomorrow.

But that's not what he was thinking about.

He was thinking about what He Ying had just said—"Be careful lately."

Her tone was different from before.

The previous "be careful" was a reminder, a word of advice.

Today's "caution" carries an indescribable heaviness.

It was as if she knew something he didn't.

Chen Dapeng stood at the top of the stairs, remained silent for a few seconds, and then turned and went downstairs.

As he reached the front gate, his phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from He Ying.

"Someone is investigating me. Be careful, but don't worry too much. I can handle it."

Chen Dapeng stared at the line of text, his fingers tightening slightly.

Someone is investigating He Ying.

Who?

Fang Mingyuan?

Or is it someone above Fang Mingyuan?

He typed a few words: "Who's investigating you?"

He Ying replied, "It's not certain yet. But I'll handle it."

Looking at these words, Chen Dapeng felt a sense of powerlessness.

He Ying said, "I will handle it," but she has limited resources to mobilize in Qingshun County.

She was facing a network that stretched from the county to the province.

Can she handle it?

But he couldn't help much.

He was just a junior staff member in the information department, unable to even protect his own drawer, and powerless to do anything about being watched every day.

All he could do was continue to keep an eye on those materials, continue to collect those data, and continue to tell He Ying what he found.

Chen Dapeng put his phone in his pocket and walked out of the compound.

My phone vibrated again.

He picked it up and saw that it was the last message He Ying had sent.

"No matter what happens, don't act rashly. Wait for my news."

Chen Dapeng stared at the line of text, remained silent for a long time, and then replied with a single word.

"it is good."