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

Monday morning at 8:30, in the conference room on the fourth floor of the county government building.

The long table was filled with people on both sides.

This was not a standing committee meeting, but an impromptu meeting of the county mayor's office. The attendees were members of the county government leadership team—He Ying, Fang Mingyuan, Song Xiaofeng, Chen Lihua, Ma Jianguo, Zhou Tao, Yang Liu, and Wu Tiejun, plus Cui Yongming, the director of the government office.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was somewhat somber.

The post from last night is still gaining traction, with views already exceeding 60,000.

Although the county government issued a brief response on its official website, the effect was not significant.

The criticism only grew louder, with some even demanding that He Ying "publicly respond to the criticism."

Fang Mingyuan sat to He Ying's left, with a meeting agenda spread out in front of him.

His expression was calm, showing no sign of anything unusual, but those who knew him well knew that this calm was often a sign of an impending storm.

Song Xiaofeng sat on the right, looking down at the materials, occasionally glancing up at He Ying with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Chen Lihua slowly sipped her tea, her gaze sweeping back and forth between He Ying and Fang Mingyuan.

He Ying glanced around the conference room.

Everyone has arrived.

She closed the folder in front of her and spoke.

"The main reason for this impromptu meeting today is to respond to the recent online comments about me."

The meeting room fell silent.

Fang Mingyuan tapped his finger lightly on the table, but his expression remained unchanged.

"I've read the post. It says I 'don't understand the county's situation,' 'give orders blindly,' and 'preference for cronies.' At today's meeting, I won't explain or defend myself; I'll just do a few things."

She picked up the top document and held it up.

"These are all the approval documents for the Shuangqiao Town homestay project—from project initiation, feasibility study, environmental impact assessment to planning permit, every step of the process is documented here. I brought the originals with me, and everyone can pass them around."

She handed the document to Song Xiaofeng, who was sitting next to her.

Song Xiaofeng took it, flipped through a few pages, and handed it to the next person.

He Ying picked up another document.

"This is the fund disbursement record for the Shuangqiao Town homestay project—proof of every penny disbursed from the county finance, records of every penny used at the town finance office, and the final destination of every penny. From the first payment to the last, it's all crystal clear."

She handed over the document as well.

Then, He Ying picked up the third document.

"This is the special audit report for the Shuangqiao Town homestay project. The county audit bureau conducted a comprehensive audit of the project in March of this year, and the conclusion was that the use of funds was standardized, the project management was compliant, and no violations were found."

She also handed over the audit report.

The three documents were passed around the long table one by one.

The only sound in the meeting room was the rustling of papers.

He Ying waited for a while, until everyone had seen enough, before she spoke.

"The Shuangqiao Town homestay project, from its inception to completion, all the procedures, all the funds, and all the audit reports are here. Anyone is welcome to come and inspect. This isn't just lip service; it's a genuine welcome. Auditors, discipline inspection commissions, media, ordinary citizens—whoever wants to inspect, is welcome to come anytime."

She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"This is my response to claims of 'misguided command' and 'waste of manpower and resources'."

The meeting room remained quiet.

Chen Lihua put down her teacup, glanced at He Ying, and her lips twitched slightly, as if she was trying to suppress a laugh.

Song Xiaofeng leaned back in his chair, looking more relaxed than before.

Ma Jianguo picked up the documents, flipped through them, nodded, and said nothing.

Zhou Tao lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

Wu Tiejun remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Fang Mingyuan sat there, his expression still calm, but the fingers on the table tightened slightly.

He Ying opened the folder in front of her and turned to a new page.

"I am also paying attention to the data issues regarding Liuhe Town."

The atmosphere in the meeting room changed abruptly as soon as those words were spoken.

Fang Mingyuan's fingers stopped.

Zhou Tao raised his head.

Chen Lihua put down her teacup and sat up straight.

Song Xiaofeng looked at He Ying with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"I have arranged for the audit bureau to conduct a special audit of the fiscal revenue and expenditure of Liuhe Town over the past three years."

He Ying's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

Fang Mingyuan suddenly raised his head and looked at He Ying.

"County Chief He, shouldn't this matter be discussed at the Standing Committee meeting first?"

He Ying turned her head and looked into his eyes.

"County Chief Fang, auditing is a statutory duty and there is no need to 'discuss' it beforehand."

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

The two people stared at each other.

Fang Mingyuan's eyes held shock, anger, and wariness. He Ying's eyes were calm, as calm as a still pond.

A few seconds later, Fang Mingyuan looked away.

He leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"County Chief He is right." His voice regained its calm. "Auditing is a statutory duty and does not require prior discussion. I just feel that Liuhe Town is an important economic center in the county, and if the audit is too sudden, it may affect their normal work."

"It won't have any impact." He Ying's tone was calm. "The Audit Bureau will try its best to shorten the time and minimize interference with normal work. County Chief Fang, please rest assured."

Fang Mingyuan didn't say anything more.

He put down his teacup, picked up a pen, and wrote a line on the agenda in front of him. The handwriting was messy and illegible.

He Ying looked away and continued speaking.

"The audit will begin next week. It will be led by the Audit Bureau, with the Finance Bureau and the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission assisting." She looked at Cui Yongming, who was sitting in the middle of the long table. "Director Cui, after this meeting, could you coordinate and bring the relevant units together for a coordination meeting?"

Cui Yongming nodded: "Okay, County Chief."

"Is there anything else?" He Ying glanced around.

No one speaks.

"The meeting is adjourned."

The sound of a chair being moved could be heard.

He Ying didn't move. She sat in her seat and slowly closed the folder.

Fang Mingyuan was the first to stand up, picked up the materials on the table, and strode out of the conference room.

He walked very fast, much faster than usual.

Song Xiaofeng walked over and lowered his voice: "County Chief, regarding the audit of Liuhe Town, will County Chief Fang take any action?"

He Ying looked up at him: "What action?"

Song Xiaofeng hesitated for a moment: "You saw his reaction. He won't let this go so easily."

He Ying nodded: "I know. But the audit is a legal procedure, and he can't stop it."

Song Xiaofeng glanced at her, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Only He Ying and Su Wanqing remained in the conference room.

"County Head, isn't it a bit too fast for you to announce the audit of Liuhe Town at the meeting today?"

He Ying looked at her: "You think it's fast?"

"County Chief Fang wasn't ready yet," Su Wanqing said in a low voice. "He thought you would negotiate with him first, or test the waters at the Standing Committee meeting. Your direct announcement of the audit caught him completely off guard."

He Ying's lips twitched slightly.

"We need to catch him off guard."

She stood up and picked up the folder on the table.

"He thought I would take his approach—respond to public opinion, explain the issues, and prove myself. I didn't. I made my own moves."

Su Wanqing looked at her and suddenly understood something.

Fang Mingyuan is waging a propaganda war, trying to throw He Ying into chaos.

He Ying not only remained calm, but also came up with a move that Fang Mingyuan hadn't expected—directly auditing Liuhe Town.

This tactic is called "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron".

It's not about taking a hit, it's about counterattacking. It's not about defending, it's about attacking.

"Director Su," He Ying stopped at the door, "keep an eye on the coordination meeting. Tell the audit bureau to prepare. This audit isn't just a formality."

Su Wanqing nodded: "Understood."

He Ying left the conference room at a moderate pace, her heels clicking crisply on the terrazzo floor.

At the other end of the corridor, Fang Mingyuan's office door was closed.

As she passed by, light shone through the crack in the door, and someone was talking inside, their voices very low, making it impossible to hear what they were saying.

He Ying didn't linger and walked straight over.

She returned to her office, closed the door, placed the folder on the table, and sat down.

Then I picked up my phone and went to Chen Dapeng's WeChat.

"At today's meeting, I announced that Liuhe Town will be audited."

Chen Dapeng quickly replied: "What was Fang Mingyuan's reaction?"

"You look terrible."

"Could he tamper with the audit?"

"Yes. But he can't be moved." He Ying typed. "I've already made arrangements with the Audit Bureau. The team is led by Deputy Director Han Bing, who came from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. She won't be involved in Buying Mingyuan's accounts."

Chen Dapeng was silent for a moment, then replied with a single word: "Okay."

He Ying looked at the word "good," put down her phone, and leaned back in her chair.

She stared at the ceiling, reviewing today's meeting in her mind.

Fang Mingyuan's reaction was calmer than she had expected.

He suggested, "Shouldn't we discuss this at the Standing Committee meeting first?" but after she said "no need," he didn't insist.

He did not confront her directly at the meeting; he did not slam the table or lock the door.

What does this tell us?

This shows that he is enduring.

This indicates that he was not yet ready to confront her directly at the meeting.

This means he is waiting.

What are you waiting for?

Should we wait for news from the provincial capital? Wait for He Ying to make a mistake? Or wait for something else entirely?