14. Don't stay here

My already depressed mood was completely extinguished on Tuesday afternoon.

"Xiao Chi. Editor-in-Chief Chen asked me to inform you that you don't need to write the Education Faces column anymore." Jiang Xuhuan walked over to her workstation. "That's good. Otherwise, writing three columns in a row would be quite tiring."

Chi Jin felt her head buzz. She had thought Liu Min's column was a done deal; after all, Chen Yisheng had personally accompanied her on an interview, and the draft had been approved!

Jiang Xuhuan leaned over and whispered, "It's Jin Yaojia from Group B."

Jin Yaojia?

Chi Jin's pupils shrank slightly: "When did she bid?"

"I'm not sure about that." Jiang Xuhuan patted her shoulder soothingly, "I'm just here to convey Editor-in-Chief Chen's message. Stay calm, there will be opportunities in the future."

"Why didn't he tell me himself?" Chi Jin stood up suddenly, and the chair legs made a harsh sound as they rubbed against the ground.

Glancing towards the second floor, the shutters of the editor-in-chief's office were tightly closed, letting in only cold white light.

"He's in the office, right? I'll go ask him."

"Chi Jin." Jiang Xu quickly pulled her aside, "Don't go too far. He's the editor-in-chief."

Jiang Xuhuan has always taken good care of her, and Chi Jin doesn't want to offend her, but this matter is a bit strange. She doesn't believe that she would be replaced just like that after preparing for so long.

"I know my limits." She pulled away, her voice filled with anger.

Jiang Xuhuan let her go, but still reminded her, "Editor-in-Chief Chen doesn't seem to be in a good mood today."

He's in a bad mood? I'm in an even worse mood!

Chi Jin strode to the second floor, knocked on the door and went in.

Chen Yisheng didn't even look up, his fingertips flying across the keyboard, and his voice came over coldly: "Are you here to call for punishment?"

"How dare I?" Chi Jin tried his best to maintain his composure, but his nails dug deep into his palms. "You, me, and Xiao Duan, the three of us have been busy for so long, selecting topics, interviewing, organizing materials, and proofreading the first draft. Which step didn't we do ourselves? And you just changed it without a word, without even an explanation. Shouldn't I ask for an explanation?"

"When did I ever promise that this article would be in the column?" Chen Yisheng finally stopped, took a sip from his water cup, and cast a sharp glance at her. "Last-minute column adjustments and manuscript replacements are the norm at the magazine. Why are you the only one who demands an explanation for everything?"

"...You only offered suggestions on the horse racing article before. If you don't feel like you were involved, then so be it. But you and I worked so hard on this Teacher's Day article together. We worked on the topic selection, the source material, the interviews, the proofreading. Which step didn't you participate in?" Chi Jin attacked him calmly. "Are you going to tell me again that I'm not special and that you just wrote a column for your junior sister? Editor-in-Chief Chen, how many 'junior sisters' do you have to take care of? Is that the same for Jin Yaojia?"

"This is the editorial department's decision, based on the overall planning of the column and the quality assessment of the manuscripts. I have no obligation to explain the details to you."

"...Why are you so cold?"

"I'm sorry, that's just the way I talk."

"We put so much effort into this column together. Don't you feel wronged?"

"Who hasn't suffered injustice as a junior editor? Ask Du Yanni or Jiang Xuhuan, who hasn't had their article or column suddenly replaced?"

She knew what he said was true. Even though Editor-in-Chief Chen was so glamorous now, he must have suffered a lot when he was a junior editor.

Chi Jin clenched her fists, her chest felt stuffy and anxious. A voice advised her: Forget it, what will happen if you continue to make a fuss?

Seeing that she had stopped, Chen Yisheng stood up, straightened his suit, and walked straight out.

Chi Jin followed him out subconsciously. He stood in an open area, his voice clear as a bell, announcing, "Two personnel changes are being announced: Duan Xingche, an intern editor in Group B, has been promoted to full-time position early for his outstanding work performance. Ouyang Yuan from Group A has been transferred to the editorial department of Autumn Letters, reporting tomorrow."

The anger that Chi Jin had just suppressed suddenly rose up again! What kind of thing was this? Deliberately announcing it right after she questioned him, and even transferring her friend? This was simply adding fuel to the fire!

"No, Editor-in-Chief Chen, what do you mean? Do you have to fire me every time I enter the office?"

"I didn't fire her, I just transferred her to a department that's more suitable for her." Chen Yisheng walked back to the office but didn't close the door. "Chi Jin, colleagues are colleagues. Don't speak up for Ouyang Yuan, or you'll go with her."

"You're eager for me to go with her, right? I'd rather leave the company so I don't get in your way!"

"You're over-interpreting this."

"So what do you mean? It was fine when others falsely accused me of not speaking up for me, but I just laid low and they scolded me for not striving for progress and just waiting to die. Now that I'm working hard and striving to get ahead, they still keep tripping me up and embarrassing me."

Chen Yisheng looked down at her flushed face. "Subjectively, you're not working hard enough, so look for the reasons objectively. It's you who's lacking in work ability. It's you who drags the whole world down with you when you get a little grievance. It's you who keeps coming to my office and making trouble."

She hated it most when others told her she was incompetent, especially when it came from him. A huge sense of grievance and powerlessness instantly overwhelmed her, her vision blurred, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

She bit her lower lip so hard she could taste the hint of rust, barely holding back tears. "Yes... I just don't understand! Doesn't the company talk about 'passion' every day? I'm one of the editors who loves Faces the most, right? Every manuscript that's passed through my hands, no matter its ultimate fate, was written by me, burning the midnight oil, word for word! I've revised the manuscript you submitted five or six times, maybe even more! But why? Whether I lie down or work my ass off, the results are always the same? Not even halfway satisfactory! Is it that in your eyes, everything I do is wrong?"

"Who among you isn't tired? You've been here for so long and you still can't adapt to the pace and pressure here. I think you should leave Faces as soon as possible. It will be good for you and everyone else. Don't stay here and waste each other's energy."

The last sentence "Don't stay here" completely broke Chi Jin. She lowered her head suddenly, and big tears fell on the back of her hand.

"You're right to scold me... I'm too ambitious and too eager to achieve success. Maybe... I'm really not suited to staying at Faces... I'm sorry, I've been under your leadership for so long but haven't achieved any decent results..."

After saying that, she no longer dared to look at Chen Yisheng's expression. She wiped her face randomly, turned around and rushed out of the office, tears bursting out the moment she turned around.

Everyone on the first floor was gathered around Ouyang Yuan, and no one noticed Chi Jin, who had dropped a few small pearls. When she approached, she saw Ouyang Yuan happily packing up her things at her workstation, repeatedly telling her comforting colleagues that "Autumn Letters" had been her first choice when she joined the company, her tone filled with relief at having finally gotten what she wanted.

Some were happy, while others dared not. Duan Xingche, who had been formally promoted early, stood awkwardly at the edge of the crowd, his face showing the confusion of someone trying hard to fit in but not knowing how to express it.

Seeing Chi Jin coming over with red eyes, he felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw. He quickly moved closer and quickly pulled out a few tissues from his workstation and handed them over: "Master... are you okay? As for Sister Yuan, I don't know how to start..."

"She won't care." Chi Jin said with red eyes, "It's just a transfer, just a change of editorial department. I can still see her if I want."

"So are you and Editor-in-Chief Chen okay? I noticed something was a little weird about you two after we came back from Jingda University that day."

Chi Jin shook his head.

"Master, don't feel bad. Although the manuscript has been changed, Editor-in-Chief Chen still feels guilty. Isn't this sending a signal by making me a regular employee?"

In fact, Chi Jin now more or less understood what he meant, and suddenly realized this title: "Why are you suddenly calling me Master?"

"Because to become a full-time employee, don't you need a formal editor to guide you? I told Editor-in-Chief Chen that I wanted you to guide me. He agreed and told me to learn from you."

Chi Jin asked again: "Have you discussed this privately in advance?"

"Hmm. So... I guess Sister Yuan was aware of and agreed to her transfer in advance..."

Chi Jin said "Oh", and the remaining anger in his heart for Ouyang Yuan was mostly extinguished: "Got it. I'll sort it out later and see if there is any information and precautions I can send you."

Qin Xiancheng came over and poked Chi Jin's arm and asked in a low voice, "Sister Yuan, are you okay?"

Chi Jin looked in the direction of his gaze. Ouyang Yuan was calm and composed, quietly packing her things, no different from her usual appearance.

"Maybe it's really okay... Anyway, I have something to do when it's my turn."

The two of them leaned over to chat with Ouyang Yuan for a few more words. She seemed genuinely unconcerned, urging them to return to their workstations and get back to their tasks. The two personnel changes drew most of the attention, and her conflict with Chen Yisheng was temporarily put on hold.

By the end of the workday, Chi Jin had just finished processing the submissions in his email, keeping a few with good ideas and writing as a backup. Seeing Duan Xingche clock out, he remembered the promise he'd made to the child. Gritting his teeth, he simply worked overtime to sort through the documents. A surge of stubbornness surged up in him—even if he really had to leave, he had to finish his last shift.

She glanced at her watch again, and it was already 8:30 p.m. Five missed calls appeared on her phone. She quickly texted Taozi and her mother to let them know she was safe, then dove back into organizing her documents.

Performance evaluation standards, manuscript review rules, copyright agreement templates, topic library material index, online course resources to improve editing skills... Even the manuscript compilation records and learning experience she submitted when she was promoted to a full-time employee, Chi Jin classified and organized them in detail, packaged them into a compressed file called "Newbie's Start-up Pack", and solemnly sent it to Duan Xingche.

The prompt sound of the successful email sending rang out, and her tense nerves finally relaxed. She stretched her arms lazily backwards.

Her outstretched fingertips unexpectedly bumped into a piece of warm fabric. Chi Jin was startled and abruptly retracted her hand and looked back—Chen Yisheng had quietly stood behind her, his tall figure almost covering her.