45. An accessory

Chi Jin held the small cake plate in her hand. The cream flowers were delicate, and the strawberries were bright red. Her colleagues were all enjoying their desserts, chatting and laughing, but out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but glance at the figure who seemed a little lonely after being briefly surrounded by everyone.

He obviously likes sweets so much.

The thought swirled in her mind with an inappropriate impulse.

As if possessed, she moved past several desks and came to the tea room. He was lowering his head to wash the sticky cream off his hands.

"Editor-in-Chief Chen." Chi Jin heard that his voice was a little unnaturally light, "You really don't want to try some? It tastes pretty good."

She handed over the cake plate in her hand, her movements a little stiff.

Chen Yisheng raised his head, his gaze moving from the sink to the cake, and then to her face. His eyes were deep, and the gentle smile he had just given when accepting the blessing seemed to have faded, leaving only calmness.

"Have you tried it?"

Chi Jin shook his head: "Don't worry, I didn't eat it."

"Then how do you know 'it tastes good'?"

Chi Jin was silent for a second or two, and finally chose to use her more adept way of flattery: "This was cut by Editor-in-Chief Chen himself, so it must be very fragrant and sweet. And when we ordered it, we specifically chose animal cream, which is very healthy!"

"Then why did you hide behind me when I was cutting the cake?" He smiled slyly.

Chi Jin had a strong feeling that he had shot himself in the foot.

Seeing her embarrassment was not what Chen Yisheng wanted, so he shook his head and said, "Okay, I really don't want to eat it," then turned back to the sink and used a small gesture to indicate the end of the conversation.

As expected, he refused.

But why do you still want to give it a try when it is obviously something expected?

Chi Jin asked his heart.

But Chen Yisheng, why did you take off the ring?

She wanted to ask, but didn't dare.

She was afraid of his outright love.

Finally, Chi Jin returned to her workstation silently with the rejected cake.

The bright strawberries and white cream look a little dazzling at the moment.

They had agreed to keep their distance, but she involuntarily crossed the line.

Chi Jin picked up a small spoon, scooped up a large piece of cake and put it into his mouth. The sweet cream now had a complex bitter taste.

…

That evening, Chen Yisheng treated us to a private room at a nearby Shandong restaurant, with two tables of food. The editorial office of Faces had never had the habit of urging people to drink, so both tables were served drinks like Sprite and Coke.

There was laughter and conversation, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed and casual than in the office.

Although Chen Yisheng didn't seem to be good at socializing at the dinner table, he was still moved by his colleagues' enthusiasm at lunch. He picked up his tea cup and toasted everyone at each table.

He doesn't talk much, there are no lengthy greetings, and no boring fatherly sermons, and he turns the table very quickly.

When it was Sister Qian's turn, he even asked a few extra questions about her daughter's recent situation. Sister Qian was flattered and subconsciously smiled and joked, "When will Xiao Chen and his wife have a child? You two will get married..."

She stopped short in the middle of her words, her gaze falling on Chen Yisheng's empty ring finger—the ring was gone.

In fact, Chi Jin had been feeling a bit nervous ever since Chen Yisheng started turning around the table to serve tea. He took off his ring without any preamble, so there was no guarantee that an attentive colleague wouldn't notice and question him.

Chen Yisheng raised his hand very naturally, showing his ring finger to the people who were looking at him with doubt, and said in a casual tone as if he was discussing the weather: "It's a small accessory, and practice has proven that it does have some effect on blocking romantic opportunities. So I picked it."

Everyone looked at each other in surprise. In the past, Chen Yisheng had almost tacitly acknowledged his marriage, and people joked that he had a mistress, and he never refuted it. This "announcement" was so sudden that no one could tell if the ring was really just an insignificant accessory, as he claimed, or if it was a sign of divorce.

Luckily, Sister Qian reacted quickly and immediately smoothed things over with a smile: "Haha, that means high-quality men are returning to the market! That's great! When I find a suitable one, I'll definitely find you one!"

Chen Yisheng clinked his cup and took a sip of tea. The next person to come was Lao Zhao, followed by Guo Xin, Xiao Duan...

Regardless of gender or seniority in the editorial department, almost everyone has experienced Editor-in-Chief Chen's sharp and harsh approach. It is generally recognized that only Duan has received his rare "gentle treatment", and almost no one has heard Chen scold Duan Xingche.

Duan Xingche had already stood up and said respectfully yet shyly, "Editor-in-Chief Chen, this is the first time I've encountered such a lively and warm birthday party at work. On such a happy occasion, I should probably drink to celebrate, but you know me... I get drunk after just one glass, so I really don't want to cause any trouble for you."

He was talking about the drinking party during the last autumn recruitment.

"Hey, what's wrong with a little beer, young man?" Qin Xiancheng, who was watching the fun, shouted to the waiter, "Waiter, add a case of beer to our table! Put it on my bill!"

The waiter quickly came in with a case of wine. Qin Xiancheng stood up enthusiastically and filled the glasses of all the male editors present. He said with a smile, "Ladies, just have some drinks... As for Chi Jin, come on, you have to have some too!"

Chi Jin waved his hand: "I don't drink."

"Oh..." Qin Xiancheng was close to Chi Jin and naturally knew her alcohol tolerance. "Let me see it."

"No, no." Chi Jin was afraid that drinking half-heartedly would disrupt his plan to quit drinking, so he quickly stood up and took the initiative to toast Chen Yisheng, "Editor-in-Chief Chen, I toast to you."

"Okay, okay, I'll spare you female comrades. Come on, Brother Sheng, let's drink..."

Chen Yisheng raised his hand to block the teacup: "We still have to drive. You guys drink."

"Just call a designated driver." Guo Xin said.

Chen Yisheng also hurried down the steps along Chi Jin's path: "Come. Chi Jin."

The two men had already clinked their glasses, and several male editors sat down and tactfully stopped urging them to drink.

"Chi Jin."

He spoke, his voice low, but in the moment of sudden silence in that small area, it was exceptionally clear. He didn't use any endearing terms, nor any special embellishments, but simply called her name again.

"Thank you for your hard work during this period," he continued, his tone steady and restrained, the standard language a superior would use to address his subordinates. "You've done a good job on the reforms. Keep up the good work."

Very official, very proper, no one can find fault with it.

Yet, as he spoke these words, his eyes never left her. The raised wine glass, silent and obscure, unspoken and untouchable, could only carefully convey the bittersweet emotions of friendship under the cover of the clinking of glasses.

"Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Chen. I will." She heard her voice sound dry and tried hard to force a natural smile, but she felt her mouth corners were stiff.

The two men's glasses clinked briefly and symbolically in the air - surrounded by a bustling private room, in front of them was an insurmountable relationship between superiors and subordinates, all the tacit past and unclear future seemed to be condensed under this glass.

He didn't say another word, nor did he show any extra expression. He simply drank the wine in the glass. His Adam's apple rolled, and then he turned sideways, naturally turning to Qin Xiancheng, who had already filled his glass with beer.

Chi Jin also sat down slowly, her heart beating like a drum. The juice cup in her hand was soaked with cool water droplets, but she felt like her fingertips were being burned.

As they ate and chatted, the topic somehow turned to the relationship status of several young editors, and they were surprised to find that almost all of them were single. Qin Xiancheng and Jin Yaojia sat far away, and of course, Qin Xiancheng was the only one who looked clearly uneasy.

"Editor Jia Jia is so beautiful, how come she doesn't have a boyfriend?"

Duan Xingche mentioned before that Jin Yaojia should not be single.

"No. Let Brother Zhao introduce one to me." She smiled like a flower and handled it with ease.

Chi Jin nudged Xiao Duan beside him and lowered his voice: "By the way, I forgot what I was talking about last time. Can I introduce my roommate to you?"

Xiao Duan had drunk some beer and his face was already slightly red. He felt even more embarrassed when he heard this: "Oh, Master, let's talk about it after we're done with this busy period."

"That's fine, she happens to be busy this weekend."

"What about Editor Koike?" the topic suddenly turned to her. "Are you developing a partner?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chen Yisheng pause almost imperceptibly. She blurted out, "Yes."

Yes? Do you have it, Chi Jin? Just say yes?

Perhaps subconsciously, she and Chen Yisheng maintained a "married" persona just like before, just because they didn't want their colleagues to pry too much into and interfere with their private sphere.

"Brother Zhao, I don't have one. Please introduce me to one!" Qin Xiancheng shouted, successfully drawing the focus to himself. "Every day, it's all work. Our company doesn't even organize social gatherings. Our circle of friends is very narrow!"

Brother Zhao smiled, and the two of them clinked their glasses. "You're just a social butterfly, and you still can't get any pretty girls? You guys should all learn from Editor Jiang and get married soon to avoid future troubles!"

Everyone laughed, and after a while they chatted. As it was getting late, everyone started packing up and preparing to go home.

Duan Xingche was drunk again, and in a daze, he hooked his arm around Qin Xiancheng's shoulder, calling him "Brother Qin, Brother Qin" over and over again. Qin Xiancheng patted him helplessly and said, "Okay, okay, I won't ask you to drink again."

The drunken male editors gathered at the hotel entrance, waiting for their designated drivers. The hotel was in the city center, and the designated drivers arrived quickly, picking up people and cars one after another.

Qin Xiancheng's designated driver arrived shortly afterwards. He pointed at Duan Xingche and said to Chen Yisheng, "Brother Sheng, could you please take Duan back? It's not convenient for me to go here."

"Okay." Chen Yisheng helped the limp Duan Xingche over.

Xiao Duan's eyes were hazy from drunkenness, and he tried hard to focus and see who had caught him. When Chen Yisheng's expressionless, handsome face came into view, he seemed startled, frowning and mumbling incoherently, "Why is it the living devil who came to pick me up... Oh, my master and I have been exhausted lately... working overtime every day..."