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

At his workstation in the General Affairs Department, Chen Dapeng stared blankly at the computer screen.

It's been three days since he started working, and he still hasn't officially spoken a single word to He Ying alone.

That chance encounter in the corridor that day, and that WeChat message saying "Forget that night," were all the connections between him and her.

But he could see her every day.

At 8:30 a.m. sharp, she appeared downstairs, carrying a briefcase, her steps neither hurried nor slow.

At noon, she went to the cafeteria for lunch, and she was always surrounded by several people—Cui Yongming, the director of the government office, Su Wanqing, the deputy director, and sometimes several bureau chiefs.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, the light in her office was still on, and sometimes it wouldn't be turned off until eight or nine o'clock.

Chen Dapeng figured out her daily routine; it wasn't intentional, he just unconsciously memorized it.

"Xiao Chen."

Zhao Zhiyuan's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Oh? Section Chief Zhao, you called me?"

"Deliver this document to the county magistrate's office." Zhao Zhiyuan handed over a manila envelope. "It's urgent, go now."

Chen Dapeng took the envelope, his heart suddenly racing.

He Ying's office.

"What are you standing there for? Go on!"

Zhao Zhiyuan urged him on.

"Okay, okay."

Chen Dapeng stood up, took the envelope, and walked out.

As he reached the door, Lin Xiaowan called out to him, "Do you know where the county magistrate's office is?"

"Know."

Chen Dapeng arrived at He Ying's office door, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock.

"Come in."

He Ying's voice came from inside.

Chen Dapeng pushed open the door and went in.

The office was larger than he had imagined, but not luxurious.

A dark-colored desk, piled with files and materials, a computer, a pen holder, and several pens.

Behind the desk was a row of bookshelves, crammed with various file boxes and books.

He Ying was sitting behind her desk, looking at a document.

She wore a white shirt today, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she didn't wear much makeup, but her skin looked great.

Chen Dapeng sighed inwardly:

"He Ying is truly beautiful. She doesn't look like she's 30; she looks more like she's in her early 20s."

"She must take good care of herself."

He stood at the door, looking intently at He Ying, momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say.

He Ying raised her head.

Eyes facing each other.

It felt like the air had been sucked out.

"……document."

Chen Dapeng finally managed to squeeze out two words, his voice dry and strained.

He Ying looked at him for two seconds, then shifted her gaze from his face to the envelope in his hand, before lowering her head to continue reading the documents.

"Put it on the table."

Her tone was flat, no different from when she spoke to any other clerk delivering documents.

Chen Dapeng walked over and placed the envelope on the corner of his desk.

As he got closer, he could smell that faint perfume scent again.

He put down the envelope and should have turned and left.

But he stood there, his feet rooted to the ground.

He Ying looked up at him again.

There was a question, a doubt, and something else in his eyes—like wariness, or something else entirely.

"Is there anything else?"

No, no.

Chen Dapeng turned and walked out.

As he reached the door, he heard He Ying's voice behind him.

"etc."

He stopped and turned around.

He Ying looked at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing.

She lowered her head, picked up the pen, and signed the document.

"It's alright, you can go now."

Chen Dapeng walked out of the office and gently closed the door.

He stood in the corridor, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

"Wait a minute"—what did she mean when she said "wait a minute"?

He stood at the door for a while, thinking, but couldn't come up with an answer.

……

In the General Affairs Department, Lin Xiaowan was making tea.

Seeing Chen Dapeng return, she asked, "Did you deliver it?"

"It's been delivered."

"Did the county magistrate say anything?"

"no."

Lin Xiaowan said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

Zhao Zhiyuan looked up from the documents and glanced at Chen Dapeng, his eyes holding an indescribable meaning.

Chen Dapeng didn't notice that as he sat down, his mind was filled with the scene from earlier.

The way she sat behind the desk, the way she looked up at him, the slight curve of her lips when she said "wait."

And then there's that unfinished "wait"—

What exactly is she trying to say?

……

At 3 p.m., Su Wanqing came to the General Affairs Section to give instructions.

She stood by Zhao Zhiyuan's table, said a few words to him, and then her gaze swept over and landed on Chen Dapeng.

"Xiao Chen, there's some material you need to write next week."

Chen Dapeng looked up: "Okay, Director Su, what materials?"

"Let's start with a draft of the county magistrate's quarterly work report. You're new here, so get some practice."

Zhao Zhiyuan's expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Lin Xiaowan whispered to her, "Xiao Chen is really lucky, he got to write such a big report right away."

Su Wanqing glanced at Lin Xiaowan, didn't reply, and turned to leave.

Chen Dapeng sat down, turned on his computer, and felt a little dazed.

The county magistrate's quarterly work report?

He's only been here three days, and he doesn't even know which departments are in the county yet. How can he be asked to write a report for the county head?

He looked at Zhao Zhiyuan, wanting to ask how to write this document.

But Zhao Zhiyuan was already engrossed in reading the materials, his face expressionless.

He then looked at Lin Xiaowan, who smiled at him and whispered, "Director Su has high hopes for you, so write well."

Chen Dapeng nodded, but he had a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Zhao Zhiyuan and Lin Xiaowan seemed to be gloating a bit?

"It seems that the interpersonal relationships in the General Affairs Department are quite complicated. We'll have to be more careful in the future."

"Old people just love to see newcomers make fools of themselves and make mistakes. They enjoy watching the spectacle."

"Oh, I just arrived. I don't know anyone here. That's normal."

He silently reminded himself, and at the same time, he was comforting himself.

……

At 7 p.m., the lights in the general affairs department were still on.

Chen Dapeng didn't leave; he was researching.

The county head's quarterly work report must include the county's overall economic performance, progress on key projects, and completion of initiatives to improve people's livelihoods...

He had never heard of any of these things before, so he could only flip through the documents one by one, studying them word by word.

Lin Xiaowan left at 5:30, and Zhao Zhiyuan left at 6:00.

Chen Dapeng didn't leave; he continued to bury himself in the materials.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

It's very light and rhythmic.

Chen Dapeng looked up and saw a figure walk past the entrance of the General Affairs Department.

It's He Ying.

She hasn't left yet either.

He hesitated for a moment, then stood up, walked to the door, and peeked out.

The corridor was empty. He Ying's figure turned a corner at the end of the corridor and disappeared at the stairwell.

Chen Dapeng stood at the door, looking in that direction, for a long time.

Then he returned to his workstation and continued reviewing the materials.

But all I can think about is that image of her back.

……

at the same time.

He Ying drove back to her apartment, threw her bag on the sofa, and sank into it.

I'm very tired today.

I held two meetings in the morning, received people from the city in the afternoon, and approved a bunch of documents in the evening.

But those weren't what tired her.

It's Chen Dapeng.

When he delivered the documents today, she almost lost control of herself.

He stood at the door, holding an envelope in his hand, looking completely lost.

It reminded her of the night he rolled over and pinned her down—it was completely unlike the same person.

That night, he was wild, like a wild beast.

He wanted her again and again...

She was a completely different person during the day.

She lowered her head and continued reading the documents, not daring to look at him.

But he stood there and didn't leave, and she could feel his gaze.

She couldn't help but look up and saw him staring at her, his eyes filled with tension, unease, and something else.

What she almost blurted out was, "Can you please stop looking at me like that?"

But she held back.

She said "wait a minute," then realized she had nothing more to say, so she just said "it's okay."

He Ying closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"He Ying, wake up!"

She said to herself.

"You are the county magistrate, and he is your subordinate. You are his sister's classmate, and you are six years older than him."

"But... I slept with him one night..."

"Should we just pretend nothing happened? But some things, once they've happened, become unchangeable facts..."

She shook her head, opened her eyes, and picked up her phone.

In WeChat, Chen Dapeng's profile picture lay quietly in the contacts list, without him sending a single message.

She clicked on his profile picture and glanced at his Moments—visible for only three days, with no content whatsoever.

She put down her phone, stood up, and went into the bathroom.

As the hot water poured over her, she saw the marks on her collarbone again.

He left behind...

It has faded a lot; you can hardly see it unless you look closely.

But it still exists...

……

On Friday afternoon, Chen Dapeng was writing materials when his phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from He Ying.

"Come to my office at 10 a.m. on Sunday. I have some work to explain."

Chen Dapeng stared at the message, his heart racing.

Sunday.

office.

There were only the two of them.

He typed two words: "Okay".

send.

Then he placed his phone face down on the table and took a deep breath.

Beside him, Lin Xiaowan was packing up to leave work. Noticing his strange expression, she asked, "What's wrong? You look so pale?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."

"That's how it is for newcomers," Lin Xiaowan smiled. "Have a good rest this weekend."

Chen Dapeng nodded, his gaze fixed on the phone screen.

Sunday.

Two more days.

He didn't know what task He Ying wanted to assign.