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

The next morning, Chen Yang sent He Ying a message.

"Yingying, are you free at noon? Let's meet up."

The other party replied quickly: "Yes. Where to?"

"That coffee shop from last time. 12 o'clock."

"it is good."

Chen Dapeng was still asleep when he left.

He slept very soundly last night, perhaps because he took painkillers, or perhaps because his sister's arrival made him feel at ease.

Chen Yang changed his clothes, grabbed his bag, and went out.

She didn't call Chen Dapeng—she wanted him to sleep a little longer.

When Chen Yang arrived at the coffee shop, He Ying had already arrived.

She sat in the same spot as last time—a booth by the window, with a cup of Americano in front of her.

Her hair was down, and she had faint dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept well for several days.

He Ying stood up when she saw Chen Yang come in.

The two exchanged a glance.

Chen Yang walked over and sat down opposite her.

He Ying also sat down, picked up her coffee cup, and then put it down again—perhaps she wanted to take a sip to relieve her tension, but then felt that drinking coffee at this time was not quite right.

You've lost weight.

"The same to you."

They both smiled, but the smiles were very faint, disappearing as soon as they appeared on their lips.

The waiter came over, and Chen Yang ordered a latte.

A few minutes later, the latte was served.

Chen Yang picked up the cup, blew on it, took a sip, and put it down.

"Yingying," she looked at He Ying, "do you know who did the beating of Dapeng?"

He Ying did not avoid her gaze.

"It must be one of Fang Mingyuan's men."

"should?"

Chen Yang's voice wasn't loud, but his tone was a bit harsh.

"There's no evidence right now, so we can't be sure," He Ying said calmly, but something was weighing on her voice. "But I know it was him."

Chen Yang stared at her for two seconds.

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I'm investigating."

"When will the investigation reach you?"

Chen Yang raised his voice slightly, then lowered it again.

She took a deep breath, as if trying to control her emotions, but her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the handle of the coffee cup.

"Yingying, Dapeng is your man. He works for you, and you can't even guarantee his safety?"

The air seemed to freeze as soon as those words were spoken.

He Ying lowered her head and looked at the coffee cup in front of her.

Her fingers gently caressed the inside of the cup.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Chen Yang looked at her.

She had known He Ying since college.

In all these years, she had never seen He Ying like this before—

It's not weakness, it's not retreating, it's a feeling of helplessness—knowing you're wrong but not knowing how to make amends.

During her university years, He Ying was the most outstanding student in her department. She received scholarships, served as a student leader, and was the project leader. She never said "sorry" because she never made a mistake.

After graduation, He Ying became the youngest section chief in the provincial department. She was decisive and efficient, never procrastinating, and never said "sorry" because she did everything perfectly.

But now, He Ying said "I'm sorry," and it wasn't just politeness or perfunctory; it was a genuine apology.

Chen Yang sighed, a long sigh, as if he wanted to vent everything that was stuck in his heart.

"I'm not here to blame you."

He Ying looked up at her.

"I'm here to tell you—" Chen Yang's voice softened, "Dapeng is my brother. I can't watch something happen to him."

He Ying looked at her and remained silent for a few seconds.

"I know. Chen Yang, I assure you—I will investigate this matter thoroughly. No one who hit Da Peng will escape."

Chen Yang looked at her: "What guarantees do you have?"

He Ying did not answer immediately.

She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip.

"Take myself."

Chen Yang looked at her and remained silent for a long time.

He Ying is someone who never talks about things she can't do.

"Okay." Chen Yang nodded. "I believe you."

She took an envelope out of her bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of He Ying.

"What is this?"

He Ying looked at the envelope.

"Some things I found out in the provincial capital. Fang Mingyuan's network of connections there—the Nie line."

He Ying picked up the envelope, but didn't open it; she just held it in her hand.

The envelope was quite thick; there must have been more than one sheet of paper inside.

"When did you find out?"

"A few days ago. I was planning to finish organizing it before giving it to you, but Dapeng had an accident, and I felt you should have known sooner."

He Ying put the envelope into her bag and zipped it up.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Chen Yang picked up his latte, took a sip, and said, "I'm not helping you, I'm helping Da Peng."

He Ying looked at her, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"You two siblings speak with the same accent."

Chen Yang paused for a moment, then smiled.

The two remained silent for a while.

But this silence was different from the previous one—it wasn't the oppressive, tense silence, but a quiet, mutually understanding silence.

"Yingying." Chen Yang put down his cup.

"Um?"

"Tell me the truth—do you truly like Dapeng?"

He Ying looked into her eyes without hesitation or flinching.

"Yes."

One word, very light, yet very heavy.

Chen Yang looked at her, his eyes slightly red.

She took out a tissue from her bag and dabbed at the corner of her eye.

There was a little mascara on the tissue—she had put on light makeup when she left home this morning, not wanting Dapeng to know she had been crying.

"You're six years older than him." Chen Yang put down the tissue, his voice slightly hoarse. "You're his boss. You're my classmate. Have you thought all of this through?"

"I've thought about it all."

"No regrets?"

He Ying remained silent for two seconds.

No regrets.

Chen Yang nodded, then picked up a tissue and dabbed at the corner of his eye.

She didn't know why she wanted to cry.

"Chen Yang".

He Ying's voice was very soft.

"Um?"

"You don't object?"

Chen Yang looked at her, crumpled the tissue in his hand into a ball, and held it in his palm.

"What's the point of my objecting?"

He Ying didn't say anything.

"That's Dapeng's temper. He's been like this since he was little—once he's made up his mind about something, nothing can change it. If I object, does that mean he won't like you anymore?"

She shook her head.

"If he listened to me, he wouldn't be called Chen Dapeng."

He Ying's lips curved slightly—not a smile, but a relaxed feeling of being understood.

"Thank you, Chen Yang."

"Don't thank me." Chen Yang looked at her. "I didn't agree. I had no choice."

He Ying looked at her.

"You're still the same as you were in college—you say no, but you're soft-hearted than anyone else."

Chen Yang didn't reply, but picked up his latte and took a sip.

"Yingying."

"Um?"

"What do you plan to do with the things Dapeng is looking up for you?"

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

"Wait for the provincial audit office to get involved. Then, we'll resolve this once and for all."

"When?"

"Director Gu said before the end of the month."

Chen Yang nodded.

"I'll continue to keep an eye on things in the provincial capital for you. I'll find a way to get to the bottom of that Nie line."

"Chen Yang," He Ying said, looking at her, "you need to be careful too. Fang Mingyuan has connections in the provincial capital. If you investigate too deeply, they might notice you."

"I know." Chen Yang stood up, picked up his bag, "but I'm not afraid. He hit my brother, I can't just let it go."

He Ying also stood up.

The two stood facing each other, separated by a table.

"Yingying."

"Um?"

"I'm entrusting Dapeng to you." Chen Yang looked at her, his voice slightly hoarse. "You must keep your promise to me."

He Ying looked into her eyes.

I promise you.

Chen Yang nodded and turned to walk out.

He took two steps, then stopped and turned around.

"Yingying."

"What's wrong?"

"It's not easy for you to be here all alone, take care of yourself."

He Ying's eyes were a little red.

"The same to you."

Chen Yang smiled slightly, a faint but genuine smile.