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

"What has County Head He's response been to the online posts?"

"Some people say that County Chief He practices nepotism. What's your opinion?"

Chen Dapeng looked at the reporters and remained silent for two seconds.

"I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to give interviews. Please contact the county government office."

He pushed through the crowd and strode out.

Behind him, the reporters' voices continued to follow: "What's your name?" "Which department do you work for?" "Do you know County Magistrate He?"

Chen Dapeng didn't turn around and quickened his pace.

After walking out of that street and turning a corner, he slowed down and let out a long breath.

My phone vibrated again.

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

"I know about the reporter's situation. Su Wanqing is handling it."

Chen Dapeng replied: "Okay."

After sending the message, he stood on the street, watching the traffic flow by, his heart heavy.

This battle of public opinion has only just begun.

He Ying sat behind her desk, staring at the computer screen.

The post is still gaining traction, with views already exceeding 30,000. The comments section is a chaotic mess, with supporters and opponents arguing fiercely.

Some people criticized her as a "parachuted-in executive who doesn't understand grassroots work," while others said she was "young and promising, and has threatened some people's interests."

He Ying read through the comments one by one, and her finger paused when she saw one comment.

That comment was just one sentence: "Do you know who her maternal grandfather is?"

Without naming names, the meaning was clear—implying that her promotion was questionable and that she rose to the position through connections.

He Ying stared at the line of text for a few seconds, then closed the page.

She picked up her phone, scrolled to an unmarked number in her contacts, hesitated for a long time, and didn't dial it.

This number belongs to her grandfather's former secretary.

She wanted to call and ask if anyone from the Shen family had been inquiring about anything lately.

But she dared not.

It wasn't out of fear, but because she didn't want to involve her grandfather.

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

Downstairs, those reporters finally left.

The courtyard returned to silence.

She looked at the empty courtyard, one comment repeating in her mind: "Do you know who her maternal grandfather is?"

Fang Mingyuan's people are investigating her background.

Moreover, they have already found some things.

He Ying closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She remembered what her former boss had said on the phone—"Don't mention your grandfather's situation to anyone for now."

She did as instructed.

But Fang Mingyuan's people still managed to find out.

They didn't know exactly who her maternal grandfather was, but they knew she had powerful connections.

This is enough.

In the realm of public opinion, the phrase "you have someone backing you" doesn't require evidence, only implication.

If you give too many hints, even those who don't believe will start to have doubts.

He Ying opened her eyes, turned around, and walked back behind her desk.

"Fang Mingyuan is waging a propaganda war. His goal isn't to oust me, but to throw me into chaos. If I'm thrown into chaos, I'll make mistakes. And if I make mistakes, he'll have an opportunity to retaliate."

She won't panic. She can't afford to panic.

She picked up the cup of coffee, which had gone completely cold, and drank it all in one gulp.

The bitter taste made her frown, but she didn't put down the cup. Instead, she held the empty cup and stared out the window.

"Fang Mingyuan," she repeated the name in her mind, "You've made your move, I'll take it."

She put down her cup, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed Su Wanqing's number.

"Director Su, how's the matter with the reporter going?"

"I've already spoken with them. They said they would report objectively, but I doubt it."

"No matter what they write, our consistent message is: 'We are investigating the situation and will provide updates as soon as possible.' We will not say anything else."

"clear."

"And one more thing," He Ying paused, "Could you arrange an appointment for me with someone from the Cyberspace Administration of China? It'll be at my office at 3 PM."

"Yes, County Head."

He Ying hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair.

She was pondering a question—Fang Mingyuan's propaganda war was just beginning. What other moves would he make next?

she does not know.

But she knew that no matter what tricks he played, she had to catch them.

She lost because she couldn't catch it.

She wasn't the only one who lost; so were those who believed in her—Su Wanqing and Chen Dapeng.

She can't let them lose.

……

At 2:55 p.m., there was a knock on He Ying's office door.

"Come in."

Su Wanqing pushed open the door and came in, followed by a man in his early forties. He was short, slightly overweight, wore black-rimmed glasses, and had his hair neatly combed.

He was wearing a dark blue jacket, holding a notebook, and looked somewhat reserved.

"County Head, Director Gao from the Cyberspace Administration Office has arrived."

Su Wanqing stepped aside to make way.

"Hello, County Chief He."

Director Gao bowed slightly, his voice low and cautiously polite.

"Director Gao, please sit down." He Ying pointed to the chair opposite her, and then said to Su Wanqing, "Director Su, please sit down too."

Su Wanqing sat down next to Director Gao, opened her notebook, and placed the pen tip on the paper.

He Ying didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Director Gao, you should have seen the post online."

Director Gao nodded, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead: "I saw it. I noticed it around seven o'clock this morning and have already arranged for people to follow it."

"What's going on?"

Director Gao opened his notebook and cleared his throat.

"The post was published at 1:12 AM today, first appearing in the 'People's Voices' section of the 'Qingshun Forum'. The poster's ID is 'truthful123', which was registered at midnight today, so it should be an account specifically registered for this post."

"Have you checked the IP address?" Su Wanqing asked.

"I checked." Director Gao glanced at his laptop. "The IP address shows it's from the provincial capital."

He Ying's eyebrows twitched slightly.

provincial capital.

It's not the county, it's the provincial capital.

Fang Mingyuan had someone in the provincial capital send it.

"How's the forwarding going?" He Ying asked.

"What we are currently monitoring is that the post has received over 40,000 views and more than 600 replies on the 'Qingshun Forum'."

In addition, seventeen local WeChat groups had records of forwarding the message, with five of these groups having a relatively large number of forwards, initially estimated to be over two hundred times.

Director Gao paused for a moment and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Several local public accounts also reposted screenshots of the post this morning. Among them, "Qingshun Big and Small Matters" has over 10,000 views, and "Qingshun People" has over 8,000 views.

Both of these WeChat official accounts don't have many followers, and their usual readership is only a few hundred. This time, they were clearly given a boost.

He Ying tapped her fingers lightly twice on the table.

"Is it possible to find out who's behind this?"

Director Gao hesitated for a moment: "Judging from the data, it seems that someone is manipulating things behind the scenes."

The pace of forwarding, the density of comments, and the concentrated push from the official account were all very well organized.

This is an effect that ordinary netizens could not achieve through spontaneous dissemination.

"Is it possible to find out exactly who it is?"

Director Gao shook his head: "This... is not easy to investigate. The other party used an IP address from the provincial capital. We contacted the operator of the public account, and they said it was a 'submission by netizens' and were unwilling to provide more information."

He Ying remained silent for a few seconds.

"Director Gao, your task now is not to find out who sent it."

Director Gao was taken aback: "What is that?"

"Let's control the further spread of this situation." He Ying looked at him. "The post has already been sent out, should we delete it or not?"

Director Gao thought for a moment and said, "From the perspective of public opinion management, deleting the posts now will only cause a greater backlash."

Netizens might say, "He's acting like a thief with a guilty conscience," or "He's hiding something."

My suggestion is—don't delete it, but provide positive guidance.

"How to guide them?"

"Organize a batch of positive comments to offset the negative impact."

Additionally, we suggest you issue a brief response through official channels. This doesn't need to explain the specific issues; simply state your position: "The county government is investigating the situation and thanks everyone for their concern and oversight."

He Ying leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment.

"You handle the positive comments. As for the official response..." She looked at Su Wanqing, "Director Su, you draft a statement. It doesn't need to be too long; just get the gist of it."

"Yes, County Head."

Su Wanqing wrote it down in her notebook.

"Director Gao, there's one more thing," He Ying said, looking at him. "The other side might make some moves in the next few days. You need to keep a close eye on things, and let me know immediately of any new developments."

Director Gao nodded: "Don't worry, County Chief He, I will arrange for people to monitor 24 hours a day."

He Ying nodded, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.

"Director Gao, how many years have you worked at the Cyberspace Administration of China?"

"It's been more than three years."

"Which department did you work in before?"

"Publicity Department. I've been working there for over ten years."

He Ying put down her teacup and looked at him.

"Director Gao, you're a veteran in propaganda; you must have seen plenty of things like this. What do you think their next move will be?"

Director Gao thought for a moment, carefully choosing his words: "Judging from the current situation, their goal is very clear—to smear your reputation and make it impossible for you to stay in this county. Today's post is just the beginning, a test of their reaction. Next, they may launch their attack from several directions."

"explain."

"First, we'll continue to dig deeper into your 'problem.' Today's post only touched on work-related matters, which is rather general. Next, they might look for specific 'cases,' or even fabricate some 'insider information.'"

"Secondly, they might start with your personal background. Someone has already mentioned 'background' in the comments section of today's post, and they might make a big deal out of that next."

"Third, find some 'parties involved' to speak out. For example, find a few cadres who are dissatisfied with your work, or a few members of the public who are unaware of the truth, and have them come out as 'eyewitnesses' to reveal the truth."

After Director Gao finished speaking, he glanced at He Ying cautiously.

He Ying's expression didn't change much, but she tapped her fingers lightly on the table twice.

"What do you think we should do?"

Director Gao thought for a moment: "First, don't respond to specific questions or provide the other side with new material. Second, accelerate the pace of positive publicity, shifting public attention from the 'person' to the 'event.' Third…"

He paused for a moment.

"Third, be prepared. If the other party really calls for the 'person in charge' to speak, we need to have a contingency plan."

He Ying nodded.

"Director Gao, thank you. Please go back and make the arrangements. Contact Director Su anytime if anything happens."

Director Gao stood up, closed his notebook, and bowed slightly: "Don't worry, County Chief He, I will keep a close eye on things."

Su Wanqing stood up and saw Director Gao out.

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

She had thought of most of what Director Gao said.

But there was one thing she hadn't expected—Fang Mingyuan was using an IP address from the provincial capital.

This shows that Fang Mingyuan has connections in the provincial capital.

It's not just about having connections to say hello or pass notes; it's about having connections who can help him manipulate public opinion and control the pace of events.

This kind of person is no ordinary person in the provincial capital.

Fang Mingyuan's network in the provincial capital was larger and deeper than she had imagined.

There was a knock on the door.

Su Wanqing pushed open the door and came in, then walked back to her seat and sat down.

"County Head, do you think Director Gao is reliable?"

He Ying looked at her: "What do you think?"

Su Wanqing thought for a moment: "He has worked in the publicity department for more than ten years, so his professional skills are not a problem. But he is a cautious person and doesn't like to take sides."

"So, what he said today, do you think was genuine, or just to appease him?"

Su Wanqing remained silent for a few seconds.

"I think he was telling the truth. Because he said 'what the other party might do next'—if he were just being perfunctory, he wouldn't have said so much, wouldn't have gone into such detail."

He Ying nodded.

"Director Su, please write the official response as soon as possible. It doesn't need to be too long, just make sure the situation is clear."

"OK."

"And another thing," He Ying looked at her, "can you help me think of who in the county might be used by Fang Mingyuan to come forward and 'reveal information'?"

Su Wanqing paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I'll go back and sort it out."

Su Wanqing stood up, walked to the door, then stopped and turned around.

"County Magistrate."

"Um?"

"Don't take those posts online to heart. Everyone in the county knows how much you've accomplished since you arrived."

He Ying's lips twitched slightly.

"I know. Go ahead."

Su Wanqing went out.

The office fell silent.

He Ying sat there, staring out the window.

The afternoon sun shone through the window and fell on her, making her feel warm and cozy.

But she felt a chill in her heart.

Fang Mingyuan's propaganda war came faster, more fiercely, and more professionally than she had anticipated.

He wasn't testing the waters; he was attacking.

Moreover, his attack was not limited to public opinion.

He set up operations in the provincial capital, in the counties, and in every possible place.

He Ying picked up her phone, found her former boss's number, hesitated for a long time, and didn't dial it.

Now is not the time.

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

In the courtyard downstairs, several staff members were moving things, chatting and laughing.

They may not know what's happening online yet.

They might know, but pretend not to.

As He Ying looked at those people, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind—what would Fang Mingyuan's next move be?

All three points that Director Gao mentioned are possible.

But she felt that Fang Mingyuan wouldn't play by the rules.

He'll definitely come up with something she never expected.