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

The next day at work, Chen Dapeng had just arrived at the General Affairs Department when Su Wanqing came over.

"Xiao Chen, the county head forwarded yesterday's briefing to me."

She stood beside Chen Dapeng's desk, holding a folder in her hand.

"Have you written any reports before?"

I worked for the school newspaper for two years during my university years.

"No wonder." Su Wanqing nodded. "Your writing is good, but government documents and school newspapers are different, so you need to practice more. Just follow along and write them for a while. Ask me if you don't understand anything."

"Thank you, Director Su."

Su Wanqing didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Lin Xiaowan leaned closer and whispered, "Xiao Chen, Director Su is so good to you."

Chen Dapeng was taken aback: "Really?"

"She doesn't usually compliment people much," Lin Xiaowan blinked. "You're lucky."

Zhao Zhiyuan coughed beside her, and Lin Xiaowan immediately shrank back and stopped talking.

Chen Dapeng lowered his head to revise the materials, but he was thinking about something else.

Su Wanqing said, "The county head forwarded it to me."

No wonder.

"The writing is good."

He Ying and her evaluations were both acceptable.

Chen Dapeng's lips unconsciously curved slightly, but he quickly withdrew them, pretending to be seriously revising the materials.

After a while.

Chen Dapeng resent the revised briefing to He Ying, and copied Su Wanqing.

This time, He Ying replied very quickly.

"receive."

There was only one word, and even the punctuation felt official and bureaucratic.

But Chen Dapeng stared at those two words for a long time, and the corners of his mouth curved up again.

I thought to myself: He Ying is quite interesting.

……

The next few days were uneventful yet fulfilling for Chen Dapeng.

I arrive at work at eight o'clock every morning, organize the materials from the previous day, and write down the work plan for the day.

In the morning, I familiarize myself with the functions of each department; in the afternoon, I either write reports or run errands to deliver documents.

He Ying didn't contact him separately.

They met several times in the corridor, and each time Chen Dapeng would bow his head and greet County Chief He.

He Ying nodded and walked over expressionlessly.

Like two complete strangers, superior and subordinate.

But Chen Dapeng noticed a detail—

Every time he greeted "Hello, County Chief He".

He Ying's gaze would linger on his face for a fraction of a second longer than when she looked at others.

A fraction of a second.

It's so short that no one will even notice it.

But Chen Dapeng noticed it.

He began to pay attention to everything about He Ying.

She usually arrives at work at 8:20 in the morning, ten minutes earlier than the scheduled time.

She likes to drink Americano coffee, without sugar or milk, one cup in the morning and one cup in the afternoon.

When she reviews documents, she has a habit of holding the pen between her index and middle fingers, turning it around twice before starting to write.

She taps the table lightly with her index finger when she's thinking.

These are details that others wouldn't notice.

But Chen Dapeng remembered it all.

He even created a special document called "Work Log," but it was full of these kinds of things.

Am I crazy?

He made a self-deprecating joke, but found it somewhat exciting.

……

On Friday afternoon, Chen Dapeng was writing a research report when his phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from He Ying.

"Come with me to Liuhe Town at nine o'clock on Monday morning."

Chen Dapeng typed two words: "Okay."

Only after posting did I realize that Liuhe Town is Fang Mingyuan's territory.

Fang Mingyuan, the executive deputy county head, has a cousin named Fang Zhiwen, who is the secretary of Liuhe Town.

He had heard Lin Xiaowan gossip before that Liuhe Town was an important economic center in the county, and the county's economic development zone was located there.

Fang Zhiwen has been operating in Liuhe Town for many years and is known locally as the "King of Liuhe".

What was He Ying's purpose in going to Liuhe Town?

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment, then sent another message:

"County Magistrate He, what do I need to prepare?"

"Bring your notebook and voice recorder, and also take a look at the basic situation of Liuhe Town. I'll ask you about it on Monday morning."

"OK."

Chen Dapeng put down his phone, turned on his computer, and began searching for information about Liuhe Town.

Fiscal revenue, industrial structure, key projects, leadership team...

He looked at each one and memorized them one by one.

Chen Dapeng was busy over the weekend.

On Saturday morning, he went to see the house owned by Lin Chen's relative.

Two bedrooms and one living room, in the old town, a 15-minute bike ride from the county government.

Fully furnished, move-in ready, and the rent is reasonable.

Chen Dapeng made the decision on the spot and will move in next month.

On Sunday morning, he went through the information about Liuhe Town again at home, compiled three pages of notes, and memorized them perfectly.

In the afternoon, he received a call from his sister, Chen Yang.

"Dapeng, I might go on a business trip to Qingshun County next week."

Chen Dapeng's heart tightened: "When?"

"Wednesday, I think, but it's not exact yet. I'll call you when I get there, and we can have dinner together."

"it is good."

"Oh, by the way, invite He Ying too, I haven't seen her in a long time."

Chen Dapeng held his phone, his palms starting to sweat: "...Okay, I'll ask her."

"No need to ask, I'll tell her. You two are both incredibly polite."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Dapeng sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Is my sister coming?"

"She even invited He Ying to have dinner together?"

……

Chen Dapeng arrived at the government compound at 8:40 a.m. on Monday.

He Ying's car was already parked downstairs.

A black Passat, not the Coaster from last time, was seen; only a few people were going this time.

Su Wanqing stood beside the car, saw Chen Dapeng, and nodded: "Xiao Chen, you sit in the front."

"Okay, Director Su."

At 8:50, He Ying walked out of the building.

She wore a thin black jacket over a white undershirt, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail.

Su Wanqing went up to her and said a few words to her. He Ying nodded and got into the car.

The driver started the car.

The car was quiet; no one spoke.

Have you looked at the information about Liuhe Town?

He Ying suddenly asked.

Chen Dapeng replied: "I've seen it."

"How much is the government revenue?"

"Last year's general public budget revenue was 230 million yuan, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year."

What about the industrial structure?

"Secondary industry accounts for the majority, mainly manufacturing and processing. Tertiary industry is growing, but its share is not high."

How many years did Fang Zhiwen work in Liuhe Town?

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

This question is not mentioned in the materials.

He thought for a moment and replied, "It's not mentioned in the information, so I'm not sure."

He Ying's lips twitched slightly, as if she were smiling, but not quite.

"Ten years. He worked in Liuhe Town for ten years."

Chen Dapeng suddenly understood something.

He Ying's trip to Liuhe Town may not just be for research purposes, but also to learn about some other aspects of the situation.

Fang Mingyuan's cousin.

ten years.

If a town party secretary has been in one place for ten years, it's obvious how deeply entrenched his roots are.

When the car entered Liuhe Town.

Chen Dapeng glanced out the car window and was slightly taken aback.

This town is much more prosperous than Shuangqiao Town.

The streets are wide and clean, lined with three- or four-story shops on both sides, with uniform signs.

The road was bustling with cars and pedestrians, and the shops along the street seemed to be doing good business.

The most eye-catching thing is the cluster of factory buildings on the east side of the town, with blue roofs and white walls, forming a continuous line, and the chimneys emitting wisps of white smoke.

The county's economic development zone is located in Liuhe Town.

This is the economic lifeline of Qingshun County.

Being able to serve as the Party Secretary in such a major economic town is no ordinary position...