53.Awards Ceremony

Zhongxin Media's annual awards ceremony has always been the company's most prestigious event. The banquet hall was ablaze with lights and a bustling crowd of elegantly dressed people. Beneath the enormous crystal chandelier, every face was filled with perfectly composed smiles and anticipation.

Of course, the reason why everyone is looking forward to it is that after today's award ceremony, everyone except those on duty can enjoy the New Year's Eve holiday.

Chi Jin was sitting in the area of ​​the "Face" magazine team, wearing a well-cut pearl gray satin long dress that made her skin look whiter than snow. She had booked and rented it from an app the day before yesterday for two hundred yuan a day, and she had to send it back at noon.

She tightened her fingertips slightly, seemingly looking intently at the main stage, but her heart was already wandering, searching again and again for that familiar figure in the crowd.

Chen Yisheng... would he come? He was already on a business trip, and he hadn't answered the phone yet. He might still be avoiding her, or perhaps he didn't care about the ceremony at all.

The host's voice was filled with enthusiasm as the awards were handed out one by one. When the "Best Design Award" and "Best Content Award" were both won by the "Face" team, cheers erupted in the team area. Chi Jin also applauded, but his smile was slightly dazed.

Next comes one of the most important individual awards - "Editor of the Year".

"This year's Best Editor Award is given to an outstanding editor who has successfully led the column innovation and produced phenomenal content with a unique perspective, innovative thinking and extreme professionalism." The award presenter kept the audience in suspense, and the work photos and achievements of several nominees quickly flashed on the big screen.

Chi Jin's photo is prominently listed - the revamped "Face" paper magazine she presided over has received unprecedented attention.

"The winner of this year's Editor of the Year is—" the guest dragged out his words, deliberately looking at several editors, and finally fixed his gaze on Chi Jin, "Congratulations to Face magazine—Chi Jin!"

Warm applause poured in like a tide. Duan Xingche excitedly pushed her to her feet. The spotlight shone on her face, burning her. Chi Jin took a deep breath, suppressed the various emotions surging in her heart, lifted the hem of her skirt, and walked step by step towards the stage where the light was concentrated.

Every step seemed to be treading on memories of the past. The student whose manuscripts were repeatedly rejected, the girl who saw her own words transformed into type for the first time, the editor who fumbled through the workplace, lost herself for a time, and then found her way again... and the woman who, on a night of overtime, was struck by a truth that had remained silent for years.

She stood in the center of the stage and took the heavy crystal trophy from the presenter.

"Congratulations, Editor Chi, you're so promising!" The guest smiled and shook hands, then asked as usual, "Is there anything you want to say to everyone at this moment?"

Chi Jin adjusted the height of the microphone. The lights were a bit glaring, making it difficult for her to see the people in the audience.

The words of thanks she had prepared rolled over her tongue. She thanked the company, the team, and the leadership...

But her gaze uncontrollably turned towards the entrance to the guest seats again.

Empty. He still didn't come.

She clenched the trophy tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and recite those safe, formulaic words of thanks, a figure suddenly stepped out from the shadows at the side of the stage.

Tall, familiar, and dressed in a well-ironed dark suit, he held another trophy stand in his hands—for the next collective award?

It’s Chen Yisheng.

There was a slight commotion and murmurs in the room. Clearly, his appearance had caught everyone by surprise. He had recently been promoted to deputy editor-in-chief, and logically wouldn't be presenting an award like this.

Chi Jin's breathing suddenly stopped.

How could he...

Chen Yisheng walked with a steady pace, his face serene as usual. Only behind his glasses, the moment his gaze met Chi Jin's, did a fleeting, complex wave of emotion flash across his face. He walked to the center of the stage, standing beside the original award presenter. He nodded slightly to the host, acting naturally, as if it were a pre-arranged move.

The host was clearly a bit surprised, but quickly recovered and smoothed things over with a smile. "Wow, it looks like we have a surprise! Let's welcome Deputy Editor-in-Chief Chen! Mr. Chen, you just got off the plane, right? Do you have any special wishes for our outstanding winner?"

Chen Yisheng took the microphone, his voice coming through the speakers, deep and steady, as always: "Congratulations to 'Face', congratulations to Chi Jin."

His eyes fell on her, controlled and professional, as if the phone call that night and the longer secret had never existed.

He raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Well-deserved."

These four simple words were like a stone thrown into a pond, creating violent ripples in her heart.

All rationality, considerations, and the importance of the occasion collapsed at that moment.

Looking at his face so close to him, looking at the deep eyes behind his glasses, looking at the polite yet distant distance he kept from himself... the string called restraint in Chi Jin's mind suddenly broke.

At the moment when Chen Yisheng finished speaking and was about to hand the microphone back to the host, Chi Jin made a move that shocked the whole audience under the gaze of everyone in the audience -

She suddenly took a step forward, opened her arms without hesitation, and hugged him tightly.

The cold edges of the trophy were between them, hurting them, but it was far less intense than the strength of her heartbeat at the moment.

This was the first hug between the two of them, and to be precise, it was Chi Jin's one-sided wish.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, and then there was a greater uproar and whispers.

Chen Yisheng's body froze. He hadn't expected Chi Jin to do something so intimate and sudden. His arms remained slightly bent, as if he didn't know where to place them.

Chi Jin buried her face in his neck and shoulder, breathing in his fresh and familiar scent, mixed with the cool touch of his suit fabric. She could feel the stiffness of his body, and the equally intense heartbeat beneath it.

Thousands of words were stuck in my throat, and the name that had been suppressed for a whole night and a whole day, the name that connected the past and the present, the silent dedication and the belated feeling of emotion, was almost about to come out.

But in the end, she just used up all her strength to hug him tightly. In the interweaving of silence and noise, she called out very softly in his ear with a trembling voice that only the two of them could hear:

“…Zhou Cheng.”

Just two words.

The deliberate, polite aloofness that surrounded Chen Yisheng melted away the moment those two words reached his ears. His pupils narrowed slightly, and the arm around her shoulders tightened, almost subconsciously.

He understood.

He understood—

She knew. She knew everything. The pen name, the past, the name that had been replaced, her own sacrifices.

This hug was like a belated response and confirmation that spanned a long time.

The host on stage was stunned. Even experienced as he was, he didn't know how to control the situation. The discussion in the audience became louder, a mixture of curiosity, surprise, and a bit of excitement from watching the fun.

Fortunately, the hug didn't last long.

Chi Jinxian released her hand and took a small step back. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes watered, but her gaze remained unusually clear and resolute. She didn't bother to see anyone's reaction, but simply gave Chen Yisheng a meaningful look.

That glance contained too many complex and difficult-to-express emotions—gratitude, guilt, shock, and a passionate feeling after re-examination.

Chen Yisheng also looked at her, his usual calmness and composure almost collapsed, his eyes were filled with surging waves of fear, disbelief, and a barely perceptible trace of embarrassment and shock after being completely seen through.

The air between the two of them seemed to be filled with electric tension.

Chi Jin turned around and faced the microphone again, facing the countless gazes from the audience. She took a deep breath, as if the shocking hug had never happened. Her voice was only hoarser and more resolute than before:

"Sorry, I'm a little excited." She paused, trying to calm her pounding heart. "Thank you to the company, thank you to everyone on the team for their hard work. This award belongs to everyone at Faces. Especially... thank you to all the leaders, colleagues, and partners who have given me silent but crucial support on my journey."

"Without those foundations of the past, there would be no Faces today, and no me standing here. Thank you everyone!"

She bowed gracefully, as if the previous episode was just a small footnote to her excitement about winning the award.

There was applause from the audience, even more enthusiastic than before, filled with all kinds of speculation and curiosity.

The host quickly took over the conversation and tried to get the atmosphere back on track.

Chi Jin clutched the trophy, her palms wet with sweat. She didn't dare look at Chen Yisheng again and quickly walked off the stage. She could feel a deep, burning gaze fixed on her back.

Back at his seat, Qin Xiancheng gave him an ambiguous and curious look, which meant, "Is there something going on between you and King Chen?"

Duan Xingche asked directly, "King Chen's sudden return is it because of you, Master?"

She just forced a smile and had no intention of explaining.

The ceremony continued, and "Face" unsurprisingly won the grand prize, "Best Innovation Project Group." As the team went on stage to receive their award, Chi Jin, standing in the crowd, involuntarily cast his gaze toward the guest seats once again.

Chen Yisheng had returned to his seat in the front row. His profile was stern, emotionless. But his hands, resting on his knees, were clenched into fists.

Chi Jin's heart began beating uncontrollably again.

The award ceremony finally concluded in a warm atmosphere. The crowd began to flow, and congratulations, greetings, and discussions intertwined.

Chi Jin slowly moved out with the crowd, but her heart seemed to be hanging in the air, with nowhere to land. She didn't know what to do next, should she go find him, or wait for him...

Just as I was confused, my phone vibrated slightly.

She took it out and saw that it was an extremely concise text message from a familiar number.

[Basement garage, Area B, No. 17.]