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

After driving for nearly an hour, we finally arrived at Shuangqiao Town.

The town is small, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with a main street running north to south. Most of the houses on both sides are three or four-story buildings, with shops on the first floor and living quarters on the second floor and above.

There weren't many people on the street. A few elderly people were enjoying the shade under the trees. When they saw the Coaster driving by, they craned their necks and peered at it.

The car was parked in front of the town government building.

Mayor Liu Yang was the first to get out of the car and jogged to the door to wait.

He is the mayor of Shuangqiao Town. He is thirty-seven years old, not tall, with dark skin and a bright white smile. He looks more like a village cadre than a town mayor.

As He Ying got out of the car, Liu Yang bowed slightly: "County Chief He, welcome, welcome."

"Mayor Liu, you're welcome." He Ying glanced around. "Where's Secretary Zheng?"

"Secretary Zheng is in the village. He asked me to receive you first, and he will come over as soon as he finishes dealing with things there."

He Ying nodded without saying anything more.

The Party Secretary of Shuangqiao Town is Zheng Guoliang, who is fifty years old and a veteran cadre from the agricultural system.

He Ying had seen his resume before. He had worked in Shuangqiao Town for six years and transformed the town's agriculture from traditional planting to a distinctive industry. He was a capable person.

A group of people entered the town government building, and Liu Yang led them to the conference room on the third floor.

The meeting room was small; a long table could seat more than a dozen people.

Liu Yang arranged for He Ying to sit in the main seat, and the others took their seats in turn.

Chen Dapeng found a corner to sit down and took out his notebook and pen.

Su Wanqing sat next to He Ying, opened the folder, glanced at Chen Dapeng, and then looked away.

"Mayor Liu, tell me about the progress of rural revitalization in your town first," He Ying said, getting straight to the point.

Liu Yang stood up, walked to the projection screen, and opened the PowerPoint presentation.

"County Chief He, distinguished leaders, our Shuangqiao Town is focusing on three industries this year..."

Chen Dapeng lowered his head and took notes, writing very quickly.

His handwriting wasn't particularly beautiful, but he wrote quickly, and he basically remembered all the key points Liu Yang mentioned.

As he was writing, his pen paused for a moment.

Out of the corner of her eye, He Ying's gaze swept over him and lingered on him for a moment.

He didn't look up, pretending not to know, and continued writing.

But my heart was already racing.

Liu Yang spent more than half an hour presenting his PPT, covering topics from industrial development to infrastructure construction, from improving the living environment to building civilized rural customs. His presentation was rich in data and detailed in case studies, showing that he had put in a lot of effort.

He Ying didn't say much throughout the entire process, only occasionally asking one or two questions, all of which were key points.

"How's the yield at your edible mushroom farm?"

"How much was it for the whole of last year? How much is it projected for this year?"

"What about sales channels? Where are they mainly sold?"

Liu Yang answered each question one by one, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

After the presentation, He Ying closed her notebook: "Let's go check it out on-site."

……

Our first stop was an edible mushroom base.

The base is located on the east side of the town, covering an area of ​​more than 50 acres. Rows of greenhouses are neatly arranged, and the white film reflects the sunlight.

The person in charge of the base was a woman in her forties surnamed Wang, wearing a faded work uniform with thick calluses on her hands.

When she saw He Ying, she became a little nervous and even stammered.

"Hello, County Head."

"Sister Wang, don't be nervous." He Ying smiled. "I just came to check on you. If you have any difficulties, just tell me."

Sister Wang rubbed her hands together: "There are difficulties... there are, but..."

"Speak."

"The subsidy for the greenhouses should have been paid out at the end of last year, but it still hasn't come through. We farmers all paid for the greenhouses ourselves first, and after more than half a year of delays, we really can't afford to pay anymore."

He Ying turned to look at Liu Yang.

Liu Yang quickly explained, "County Chief He, this subsidy is managed by the county. Our town has already submitted the application, but the finance department..."

"How long has it been dragging on?" He Ying interrupted him.

"It was reported last November..."

"It's been almost half a year now." He Ying's voice wasn't loud, but her tone turned cold. "Farmers paid for the greenhouses themselves, and after six months they haven't received subsidies. How are they supposed to continue?"

Liu Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead: "I'll urge the finance department again later..."

"You don't need to rush me."

He Ying took out her phone and made a call on the spot.

The call was answered quickly.

"Director Du? This is He Ying. Why hasn't the subsidy for the edible mushroom base in Shuangqiao Town been paid out after six months?"

Her tone wasn't harsh, but every word was like a nail driven into place.

On the other end of the phone, Du Jianguo, the director of the Finance Bureau, said something, and He Ying, after listening, said "I understand" and hung up.

She looked at Sister Wang and said, "The subsidy should arrive by next week. If it hasn't arrived yet, just call me."

She turned to Su Wanqing: "Director Su, please make a note of this and follow up next week."

Su Wanqing nodded: "Okay."

Sister Wang's eyes were a little red, her lips trembled a couple of times as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded vigorously.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Chen Dapeng watched this scene with a feeling he couldn't quite describe.

This woman was a completely different person from the woman he met in the hotel room.

That night, she was soft, dreamy, and completely unguarded.

Now she is decisive, assertive, and uncompromising.

Which one is the real her?

Or are they all?

……

The second stop was the village's homestay project.

This is a key project for rural revitalization in Shuangqiao Town, transforming idle old houses in the village into homestays and developing rural tourism.

The project is more than half completed, with several small buildings with white walls and gray tiles scattered around, and flowers and plants planted in the courtyard, which looks very charming.

He Ying walked around the village and asked many details—

How were the hydroelectric and power grid solutions implemented?

Who will manage the operations?

How will the profits be distributed?

How much will the farmers receive?

Liu Yang answered each question one by one, but he hesitated and stammered when answering some of them, clearly indicating that he hadn't thought them through yet.

He Ying stopped and looked at Liu Yang: "Mayor Liu, rural revitalization is not just about building a few nice houses."

The house is built, but who will manage it?

What's there for tourists to see?

What benefits can farmers gain from this?

If you can't figure these things out, this project is just a vanity project.

Liu Yang blushed and nodded repeatedly.

Chen Dapeng was taking notes beside him, his pen moving rapidly.

After He Ying finished speaking, her gaze swept over and landed on him.

"Xiao Chen."

Chen Dapeng was taken aback: "Huh?"

"Have you noted down all the points I just mentioned?"

"I've noted it down."

"Go back and compile it into a briefing, then send it to me."

Her tone was businesslike, devoid of any extra emotion.

"Yes, County Chief He."

He Ying looked away and continued walking forward.

Chen Dapeng glanced down at his notebook, which was covered with dense writing on several pages.

He flipped through it and found that besides Liu Yang's report, he had written something else—

"She's very different today."

"Her attitude towards farmers is completely different from her attitude towards officials."

"She looks beautiful when she smiles."

He stared at the last line for two seconds, then crossed it out.

……

We had lunch in town.

In the cafeteria, Liu Yang arranged a table of dishes, all of which were local specialties.

Stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, pickled cowpeas, braised fish chunks, and a pot of free-range chicken soup.

He Ying glanced at the dishes on the table and said:

Keep it simple, there's no need for so much.

Liu Yang said with a smile, "They're all grown and raised by myself, so it didn't cost any money."

He Ying didn't say anything more, sat down, and picked up her chopsticks.

Chen Dapeng sat at the other end of the table, several people away from He Ying.

Su Wanqing sat down next to He Ying and served her a bowl of soup.

"Director Su, you should eat too."

He Ying took the soup bowl.

The atmosphere at the dinner table relaxed a bit, and the cadres started chatting casually.

Wang Desheng from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau told a few jokes, which made everyone laugh.

He Ying also smiled, but she smiled very restrainedly, with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned and her eyes curving.

Chen Dapeng kept his head down as he ate his rice, occasionally glancing up at the food.

He saw He Ying pick up a piece of fish, carefully removing the bones; her movements were slow and meticulous.

He also saw that when she finished drinking the soup and wiped her mouth with a tissue, her finger paused at the corner of her mouth.

These subtle actions go unnoticed by others.

But he noticed it.

She was very elegant during the meal, like a lady...

……

After finishing her meal, He Ying didn't rest and went straight to the next location.

In the afternoon, we visited the village's cooperative, which mainly grows Chinese medicinal herbs.

The head of the cooperative is a young man in his early thirties named Li Xiaojun. After graduating from university, he returned to his hometown to start a business, leading the villagers to grow Solomon's Seal and Bletilla striata.

He Ying squatted down in the field, pinched the soil, and then looked at the growth of the medicinal herbs.

"Your soil isn't fertile enough."

Li Xiaojun paused for a moment, then said nothing.

"The leaves of your Solomon's seal are turning yellow; it's lacking nitrogen." He Ying stood up, patted the soil off her hands, and said, "Find someone from the agricultural technology station to take a look. Fertilize if necessary, and improve the soil if needed."

Li Xiaojun nodded repeatedly.

Chen Dapeng stood to the side, watching He Ying squatting on the ground, and that indescribable feeling welled up in his heart again.

When she squatted down, her trouser legs rode up a bit, revealing a small section of her ankles.

He looked away, pretending to be looking at the medicinal herbs.

……

The survey concluded at 4 PM.

On the way back, the car was quiet, and most people were dozing off.

He Ying sat in the first row, leaning against the seat with her eyes closed.

Chen Dapeng sat in the back, looking at her profile.

Sunlight streamed in through the car window, falling on her face and bathing her features in a golden glow.

She had long eyelashes, a straight nose, and slightly pursed lips.

The way she looks while sleeping is somewhat similar to that night.

Chen Dapeng stared at it for a few seconds, then looked away and gazed out the window.

My phone vibrated.

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

"Get me the briefing by tonight after you get back."

Chen Dapeng glanced at the back of her head—she didn't turn around.

He typed a few words: "Okay, County Chief He."

send.

After thinking for a moment, I added, "You've had a long day."

There was no reply.

Chen Dapeng looked out the window, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

……

It was almost six o'clock when we got back to the county town.

Chen Dapeng didn't leave work; he went straight back to the General Affairs Department, turned on his computer, and started writing a briefing.

His daytime notes came in handy; he wrote quickly and finished by 7:30.

He read through the briefing from beginning to end, revised the wording, and sent it to He Ying's email address.

Then he picked up his phone and sent her a WeChat message: "County Chief He, the briefing has been sent to your email."

I waited for five minutes, but there was no reply.

He waited another ten minutes, but still received no reply.

He started packing his things, preparing to leave work.

My phone vibrated when I reached the bottom of the stairs.

He Ying replied: "Received. Well written, but please double-check the data in Part Three."

Chen Dapeng stared at the four words "Well written" and read them several times.

She said, "It's well written."

He smiled, put his phone in his pocket, and went downstairs.

……

at the same time.

In the county magistrate's office, He Ying sat in front of the computer, looking at the briefing sent by Chen Dapeng.

She looked at it very carefully, checking every piece of data.

The briefing was indeed well-written, with clear organization and a focus on key points, better than many senior staff members' reports.

She originally wanted to reply "Received" directly, but after hesitating for a moment, she added "Well written."

This is not just polite talk.

It's really good.

But after adding that sentence, she felt something was wrong.

"Well written"—this is how a leader evaluates a subordinate, no problem.

But why did she add that sentence?

Just say "Received".

He Ying leaned back in her chair, looked at the line of text on the screen, and sighed.

She saved the briefing, turned off her computer, picked up her bag, and left the office.

She paused for a moment when she reached the top of the stairs.

I heard Chen Dapeng making a phone call downstairs.

"Okay, I understand... Let's talk about it next week... Don't worry about me, mind your own business..."

A woman's voice could be faintly heard from the other end of the phone, intermittent and unclear. He Ying couldn't make out the exact words, but she recognized the voice—it was Chen Yang.

Chen Dapeng said a few more words, then laughed: "Alright, sis, I'm not talking to you anymore... um, bye-bye."

The phone hangs up.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

He Ying stood in the darkness, holding her phone, and after a long while, she continued walking down.