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

On Monday morning, Chen Dapeng got up very early.

He was wearing a white shirt, dark trousers, and his hair was neatly combed.

I looked in the mirror and thought it looked alright, but then I felt it was too formal, like I was selling insurance.

But it's always good to be formal on your first day.

He picked up his bag and went out the door.

The Qingshun County Government compound is located in the center of the county town. It is an old six-story building with a beige exterior, which looks quite old.

There are two large banyan trees at the entrance of the compound, their canopies providing shade that covers the entire street.

Chen Dapeng stood at the door and took a deep breath.

"From today onwards, you are a member of the system."

He straightened his collar and stepped inside.

The government office is on the fourth floor.

Chen Dapeng's heart was pounding as he climbed the stairs.

It wasn't because of climbing the stairs, it was because of nervousness.

He was never good at dealing with leaders; he wasn't good with words or social skills. His only redeeming quality was his penmanship.

"I hope the boss is easy to get along with."

He silently recited it in his mind.

At the end of the fourth-floor corridor hangs a sign that reads "Director of the County Government Office".

Chen Dapeng knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Inside sat a middle-aged man with his hair neatly combed and wearing gold-rimmed glasses; he looked shrewd and capable.

Chen Dapeng walked in and bowed slightly: "Hello, Director Cui, I'm Chen Dapeng, the new guy."

Cui Yongming looked up, glanced at him, and gave him a formulaic smile: "Oh, Xiao Chen, have a seat."

Chen Dapeng sat down opposite him, his back ramrod straight.

Cui Yongming flipped through the materials on the table and said slowly, "I have a general understanding of your situation. You passed the provincial civil service exam and your written and interview scores were both good. Our government office only hired you this year."

"Thank you, Director Cui. I will do my best."

"Hmm." Cui Yongming nodded. "Our government office has a fast pace of work, and overtime is the norm. Can you handle it?"

"able."

"That's good." Cui Yongming stood up. "Let's go. I'll take you to the General Affairs Section. You'll be working there from now on. Our County Magistrate He Ying's liaison work is also in the General Affairs Section. You can learn from her and try to get up to speed as soon as possible."

When Chen Dapeng heard the name "He Ying," his heart skipped a beat.

But he didn't show it on his face and followed Cui Yongming out of the office.

The general affairs department is at the other end of the corridor.

I pushed the door open and went inside; there were three people there.

A middle-aged man sat by the window, engrossed in writing something.

A young woman was answering the phone; her voice was soft but she spoke very quickly.

There was also a woman who looked to be in her early thirties, drinking water from a cup.

Cui Yongming clapped his hands: "Everyone, stop for a moment, let me introduce our new colleague."

The three people looked up and their gazes fell on Chen Dapeng.

"This is Chen Dapeng, he just joined this year and will be in the General Affairs Section." Cui Yongming pointed to the middle-aged man. "This is Zhao Zhiyuan, the head of the General Affairs Section."

Zhao Zhiyuan stood up, shook hands with Chen Dapeng, and said with a faint smile, "Welcome."

"Hello, Section Chief Zhao."

Cui Yongming then pointed to the woman who answered the phone: "This is Lin Xiaowan, the deputy section chief."

Lin Xiaowan hung up the phone and smiled at Chen Dapeng: "Hello."

"Hello, Section Chief Lin."

"Don't call me Section Chief, just call me Sister Xiao Wan."

Cui Yongming finally pointed to the woman drinking water: "This is Su Wanqing, deputy director of the government office, in charge of the comprehensive section."

Su Wanqing put down her water glass and stood up.

She wore a dark blue suit jacket, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she had delicate features and a capable demeanor.

She looked at Chen Dapeng and smiled slightly: "Hello, welcome to the team."

Her hands were very cold; holding them felt like holding a piece of jade.

"Hello, Director Su," Chen Dapeng said.

Su Wanqing nodded, said nothing more, and sat down again to continue drinking water.

Cui Yongming said a few polite words and then left.

Zhao Zhiyuan assigned Chen Dapeng a workstation—the worst one, right by the door.

It's normal for a newbie.

Chen Dapeng put his things away, sat down, and looked around.

The general studies department wasn't big; four people were crammed together, their desks next to each other.

Zhao Zhiyuan was at the very back, Lin Xiaowan was in the middle, and Su Wanqing's office was next door, but she often stayed here.

"Take a look at these materials first." Zhao Zhiyuan handed over a stack of documents. "They're all about the basic situation of our county. Familiarize yourself with them."

"Yes, Section Chief Zhao."

Chen Dapeng took the materials, turned to the first page, which was an administrative division map of Qingshun County.

He looked down, but his mind was elsewhere.

He Ying.

Is she here to report for duty today too?

Just then, footsteps sounded in the corridor.

It wasn't just one person, it was several people.

Chen Dapeng looked up and saw a group of people walking towards him from the other end of the corridor through the open door of the General Affairs Department.

Walking at the very front was a woman.

She was wearing a white silk shirt, black trousers, her hair was down over her shoulders, and she wore light makeup.

She walks with a graceful posture, her back straight, her steps neither hurried nor slow, exuding an aura of composure.

Chen Dapeng stared at that face, his pupils suddenly contracting.

How could it be her?

Although the light was dim that night and everything was blurry, the feeling was unmistakable, especially after the intimate contact.

She is He Ying, the newly appointed county head!

Now it makes sense.

Chen Dapeng's mind went blank with a "buzz".

He Ying walked past the entrance of the General Affairs Department, glanced at the room, and didn't linger.

After she walked over, Chen Dapeng came to his senses and realized that the materials in his hand had been crumpled.

He quickly let go, smoothed out the materials, and his heart was still pounding like crazy.

"Is that our county magistrate?"

Lin Xiaowan asked Zhao Zhiyuan in a low voice.

"Yes, He Ying, she came from the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology." Zhao Zhiyuan also lowered his voice, "A thirty-year-old county head, the youngest county head in the entire province, right?"

"She's rare not only in the province, but throughout the whole country," Lin Xiaowan remarked. "And she's really beautiful."

"What's the use of looking good if you can't do it?" Zhao Zhiyuan said indifferently, and continued to write his report.

Chen Dapeng sat next to him, not listening to a single word.

He had only one thought in his mind—it's over.

The person that night was the county magistrate.

She was his sister's classmate and best friend.

He was his boss.

He actually...slept with her one night without even realizing it.

The key point is... she even gave him her precious first time!

Chen Dapeng closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

calm.

She might not recognize him.

She was also drunk that night, and her eyes were closed, so she probably didn't see his face clearly.

Yes, I probably didn't see it clearly.

As long as he behaves normally, she won't recognize him.

Chen Dapeng opened his eyes, picked up the materials and continued reading, but the words floated in front of his eyes, and he couldn't concentrate on any of them.

……

At 10:00 AM, a meeting of all county-level leaders and cadres was held.

This is the press conference announcing He Ying's appointment.

Chen Dapeng went to the meeting venue with the people from the General Affairs Section.

He sat in the third-to-last row, in an inconspicuous corner.

On the stage, Zhou Mingyuan, the county party secretary, presided over the meeting, and a person from the municipal party committee's organization department read out the appointment documents.

"After deliberation by the Municipal Party Committee, Comrade He Ying was appointed as a member, standing committee member, and deputy secretary of the Qingshun County Party Committee, and nominated as a candidate for mayor of the Qingshun County People's Government."

Applause erupted.

He Ying stood up and walked to the podium.

Chen Dapeng watched her from below the stage.

The way she looked on the stage was different from how she looked in the corridor.

She was composed and elegant just now, but now she is authoritative and distant.

That sense of distance wasn't something she deliberately put on; it was a natural aura, as if she was born to stand in that position.

"Respected leaders, comrades..."

He Ying spoke up.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear, and each word landed steadily in every corner of the venue.

Hearing this voice, Chen Dapeng's palms started sweating again.

He had heard that voice before.

That night in the hotel room, that voice had breathed, hummed, and whispered in his ear.

He closed his eyes, and those images flooded back—long hair scattered on the pillow, lips pressed against his shoulder, warm breath on his neck…

Chen Dapeng suddenly opened his eyes and pinched his thigh hard.

"Stop thinking about it," he cursed himself inwardly. "We're in a meeting."

He Ying's speech was short, lasting about ten minutes.

She talked about her resume, her initial impressions of Qingshun County, and her future work plans.

It was standard, nothing out of the ordinary, but also nothing superfluous.

"I will work together with all the cadres and people of the county, with one heart and one mind, to contribute all my strength to the development of Qingshun County."

After the last sentence was spoken, applause rang out again.

He Ying bowed slightly and left the podium.

As Chen Dapeng watched her sit down, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up inside him.

This woman was beneath him that night…

No, I can't think about it anymore.

He lowered his head, pretending to look at the meeting materials.

……

After the meeting, Chen Dapeng followed the crowd out.

The corridor was crowded, and he was squeezed against the wall.

As I was walking with my head down, I suddenly smelled a familiar perfume scent.

He looked up and saw He Ying walking towards him from the opposite side.

The distance between the two was less than a meter.

Chen Dapeng froze, standing there, unsure whether to move forward or move aside.

He Ying's gaze swept over him, lingering on his face for a moment.

It was just a fleeting moment.

Then she looked away and walked past him expressionlessly.

As they brushed past each other, Chen Dapeng became even more certain that the perfume scent was exactly the same as the one from that night.

He stood there, his heart pounding like a drum.

Someone pushed him from behind: "Go on, don't block the way."

He snapped out of his daze and quickly walked outside.

As he walked out of the government compound, his phone vibrated.

He looked down and saw it was a WeChat message from He Ying.

There are only four characters.

"Forget about that night."

Chen Dapeng stared at those four words, his finger hovering above the screen.

He wanted to reply with something, but his mind was blank.

After a long while, he finally typed a single line.

"County Magistrate He, about that night..."

He deleted it before he even finished typing.

Another line was typed.

"I've already forgotten."

Looking at those four words, he felt they were too fake.

In the end, he didn't reply to anything, put his phone in his pocket, and strode forward.

The sun was shining brightly, warming him, but a chill settled in his heart.

……

Meanwhile, in the county magistrate's office.

He Ying sat at her desk with her notebook open in front of her, but she hadn't written a single word.

She stared at her phone screen, looking at the message she had sent.

"Forget about that night."

There was no reply.

She waited for a while, but still received no reply.

She put down her phone, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

She saw him in the hallway just now.

He stood in the crowd, wearing a white shirt, his hair neatly combed, looking clean and energetic.

It was similar to the vague impression she had seen that night.

Thick eyebrows, and a mole below his left eye.

And those eyes.

She glanced at it only once before looking away.

But she knew he recognized her.

Because his expression was so obvious—he looked frozen, his eyes wide open, his mouth slightly agape, as if he had seen a ghost.

He Ying opened her eyes, picked up a pen, and wrote two words in her notebook.

"forget."

Then she crossed it out and wrote it again.

"forget."

Cross it out again.

She found she couldn't write anything at all, so she simply closed her notebook, stood up, and went to the window.

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

He Ying looked out the window, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

She didn't know what she was thinking, nor did she know what she should be thinking.

The only thing that is clear is—

The days ahead will not be easy.

Newly appointed cadres all go through a difficult and lengthy adaptation process.