13. A shortcut
Fang Tang presided over the weekend summary meeting as usual. Autumn was approaching, and summer work was gradually winding down, ushering in a busy autumn season. Regarding personnel, the upcoming national autumn recruitment campaign was a major event. Zhongxin's magazines were assigned to different regions each year, and each editorial department was required to dispatch personnel to participate in recruitment presentations and interviews on the ground.
"The group's requirements are clear." Fang Tang looked around the conference room, his voice clear. "Each campus recruitment team needs to be led by an editor-in-chief or above, with one or two full-time editors. This year, I'll be in charge of the C City site, and Editor-in-Chief Chen will still lead the Beiyuan University Town site. Everyone, please consider your personal circumstances over the weekend. If you are interested and can coordinate time, please contact us directly on Monday to explain."
Last year, Qin Xiancheng, Wan He, and Deputy Editor Fang Tang visited City W and found several talented individuals, but they were ultimately transferred to other editorial departments. Faces has been saturated with new talent over the past two years, so there's no need to actively recruit new members. A trip to City W could be considered a funded trip.
In contrast, Chen Yisheng, who remained entrenched in Beiyuan University Town year after year, caused everyone to groan. He was serious and meticulous, but in such situations he always seemed a bit rigid. Working around the clock with him for days on end was often exhausting and depressing. Many editors would rather stay in the office and work overtime than sign up to partner with him on field trips.
Chi Jin, who joined the company during the spring recruitment period last year, was still an intern editor during the autumn recruitment period and was not eligible for an overseas assignment. She clearly remembered that only Chen Yisheng had joined Jingda during the spring recruitment period.
At the end of the regular meeting, the work for the following week was finalized, and the office quickly filled with the relaxed atmosphere of the weekend. Fang Tang, packing up his papers, glanced at Chen Yisheng and asked with concern, "Editor-in-Chief Chen, that facial injury looks quite shocking. Is this considered a work-related injury?"
"Didn't my sister-in-law say to ask the company to compensate for the medical expenses?" Jiang Xuhuan joked.
Chi Jin and Duan Xingche, the only two people who knew about the situation, exchanged a glance, neither daring to speak. Qin Xiancheng, however, immediately caught their flirtatious glances and nudged Chi Jin with his elbow, "You're not dating an intern, are you? Office romances are not encouraged."
Although the voice was low, it still startled Duan Xingche next to him. His face flushed instantly, and he waved his hands repeatedly, his voice stuttering: "Qin, Qin brother! Stop joking!"
The editors gathered their belongings in groups of three or four and lined up at the time clock. The line moved slowly, but Chi Jin remained unhurried, her gaze fixed on the lingering bruise on Chen Yisheng's cheekbone. She quietly moved to his side, tidying up her desk as she whispered, "Editor-in-Chief Chen...you really don't want me to pay for your medical expenses?"
Chen Yisheng obviously didn't expect her to get so close in public. He was slightly startled, then cleared his throat: "Aren't you usually very active after get off work?"
"Well, you can still speak clearly to me, so it seems that everything is fine."
Qin Xiancheng patted Chi Jin's shoulder and said, "There's a new barbecue restaurant downstairs that's received good reviews. Do you want to go with us?"
"It looks like they bought a lot of advertising."
"Okay, so what do you want to eat?"
"Uh, Brother Qin, I have other plans."
"Oh my..." Qin Xiancheng sighed exaggeratedly and deliberately glanced at Duan Xingche not far away. "Inviting you to dinner is harder than climbing to the sky. Well, go date your 'little friend'!"
"Qin Xiancheng!" Chi Jin was a little embarrassed by the joke and glared at him, "Don't make up stories, the kid is shy!"
Duan Xingche, who had just finished clocking in, was carrying a backpack and looked like a frightened rabbit. He bowed slightly to the people here and said goodbye in a low but clear voice: "Sister Yuan, Brother Qin, Sister Chi Jin... I, I'm leaving first." After that, he ran away quickly.
Qin Xiancheng looked at Duan Xingche's back, then looked at Chi Jin, and said "tsk" meaningfully.
Chi Jin bumped his arm half seriously and half jokingly: "I will never eat with you again!"
Qin Xiancheng laughed heartily and clocked out happily.
After Chi Jin finished packing her things, she saw Chen Yisheng still sitting in the conference room. She poked her head in through the door and said, "Editor-in-Chief Chen, aren't you going to get off work?"
"Wait a moment." He didn't even look up.
"Do you have an appointment later?"
"Just say what you want to say." Chen Yisheng finally raised his eyes, his gaze calm and unperturbed.
Chi Jinxin made up her mind and walked in delicately: "I want to treat you to a meal."
Chen Yisheng frowned: "Are you bribing me?"
"How dare I?" Chi Jin waved his hands repeatedly. "You were injured because you were protecting me. I have always felt guilty. This week I have been thinking about treating you to a meal. Today is Friday. Will you come?"
"No need, it's just a small favor." Chen Yisheng's gaze returned to the screen, his tone distant and formal, "I never eat with my subordinates. You can leave now."
"Well...and there's also the matter of kitten adoption."
"Send me a WeChat message." Chen Yisheng seemed really busy.
"Okay, then... Editor-in-Chief Chen, have a nice weekend."
"Have a nice weekend." Still a calm response.
Chi Jin punched her card in disgracefully and squeezed onto the subway. She sighed, unsure of herself. She couldn't answer herself whether treating Chen Yisheng to dinner was purely out of gratitude for his heroic act of saving the damsel in distress.
In the enclosed space, amidst the clamor of voices, she felt a hollow and chaotic feeling within her, like a tangled, invisible, and inextricable mess. She couldn't be sure if her invitation to Chen Yisheng for dinner was purely out of gratitude and guilt for his heroic act, or if it was mixed with other, even unfathomable, thoughts.
Ultimately, she couldn't quite grasp Chen Yisheng's attitude towards her. Was that subtle peculiarity her illusion, or perhaps a casual oversight beneath his rigidity?
After much deliberation, she didn't go home, but took another subway line based on her experience. She needed to find someone to talk to, even if it was just to listen to someone's voice. Looking through her friend list, a name popped up - Liu Xiaoke. The two were roommates in graduate school, and at that time they served as each other's relationship advisors. Xiao Liu was from the south and took the civil service exam in Jing City in her third year of graduate school. However, after graduation, time seemed to have been accelerated. Although they lived in the same city, the number of times they met was very few. The last time they met seemed to be half a year ago.
When the call was connected, Liu Xiaoke's voice was filled with fatigue after work, but when she heard that Chi Jin was nearby, she readily agreed to meet him. The two of them met at a noisy grilled fish restaurant.
Xiao Liu arrived, dusty and exhausted, looking like a student. As soon as they finished chatting and sat down, she couldn't wait to ask, "By the way, when you returned to school last week, did Professor Liu mention Xiaofang? When is she getting married?"
Chi Jin was slightly taken aback, her brows furrowed subconsciously. She had assumed this old friend shared her reservations about marriage. But Xiao Liu's tone now betrayed a barely concealed envy of someone settling down early.
Sure enough, before Chi Jin could answer, Liu Xiaoke seemed to finally be unable to contain herself. With an expression mixed with shyness and showing off, she suddenly raised her left hand. On her ring finger was a diamond ring.
"I'm sorry, Chi Zi," she said briskly, with a hint of deliberate apology, "I'm sorry, Chi Zi, Song Chi proposed to me."
Chi Jin's heart felt like something had suddenly gripped her. This was the couple she'd strongly opposed back in graduate school. Back then, it was Chi Jin's then-boyfriend, Yang Yi, who had introduced Song Chi, whom she'd met playing basketball, to Liu Xiaoke. In Chi Jin's opinion, Song Chi had few other notable qualities besides his wealthy family background. And Xiao Liu, with her fair skin, beautiful features, and gentle personality, could have been a better choice.
"I know you haven't always been in favor..." Liu Xiaoke caught Chi Jin's momentary stiffness and spoke faster, as if to find excuses for herself, but also as if to persuade Chi Jin, "So... I never dared to tell you. We have met each other's parents, and they are very satisfied. His parents agreed to buy the wedding house in Jingdong District in full, and the betrothal gift... is 580,000."
Chi Jin listened in silence, still startled by the figure. Like Liu Xiaoke, her family wasn't particularly well-off, and Liu Xiaoke's burdens were even heavier—she had an older brother and a younger brother. Establishing a permanent home in Jing City had once been a shared goal for them. But now, Liu Xiaoke had chosen a path they had both despised, a "shortcut" they had once scoffed at.
But this kind of "evil ways" is declaring its success in an irrefutable manner.
Liu Xiaoke's next words were light yet weighty: "And my brother also passed the college entrance examination and got into Jingshi University."
The implication is that her fiancé can provide for her entire family.
"I know we all have some realistic considerations when we grow up."
Chi Jin paused after she finished speaking. She still had a lot to say and ask, but it was stuck in her throat. Finally, she added dryly, "Congratulations on your marriage. I'll pay for tonight."
For four solid hours, she swallowed all the complaints she wanted to share with Liu Xiaoke about work pressure, the anecdotes she wanted to share, the subtle, unspoken feelings she had for Chen Yisheng, and… the disappointment she felt at the soured friendship. Her friend had chosen to conceal even the most important decision of his life from her. At the very moment of frustration when she needed his support the most, he was preoccupied with his own "major event."
Maybe they can't be considered friends.
A cold feeling of being isolated silently enveloped her.
No wonder in the past six months, the invitations she sent out always fell on deaf ears or were rejected for various reasons.
Thinking of this, Chi Jin drank a sip of sour plum soup in silence and continued to listen to her gossip about her and her fiancé.
"How are you doing in Zhongxin? How's it going in the media industry these days?" Liu Xiaoke finally turned the topic to Chi Jin, his tone carrying a hint of unconscious superiority within the system.
"No one is as good as you civil servants, you can always get a stable income regardless of the weather."
It turns out that one day, she would say such words.
Liu Xiaoke smiled and said, "At least I won't starve to death. It's definitely not as high as your salary."
Chi Jin had been having a rough six months. After being transferred to Team A, her bonuses had dwindled, and she didn't even receive any performance bonuses last month. If things continued like this, she'd be leaving Jing City in a matter of months, let alone settling down there. But she couldn't bring herself to say a word about these predicaments to her friend, who was about to move into a fully paid-for wedding apartment in Jingdong District and had a 580,000 yuan betrothal gift in hand.
"It's not bad," she said vaguely, her voice a little tense, "After all, the rent near Zhongxin is not a small amount."
"Chi Zi!" Liu Xiaoke suddenly remembered something and spoke eagerly, "I'm getting married in winter. You must be my bridesmaid then! This is what we agreed on, right?"
Chi Jin looked into her expectant eyes, trying to mobilize the muscles on his face. In the end, he could only squeeze out a standard smile as if in a professional interview: "Okay. Of course. I will always remember it!"
She remembered, but now she wished she had forgotten.
"If you have a boyfriend, bring him along to play." Liu Xiaoke asked curiously, "It's been so long since Yang Yi...you really haven't dated anyone else? Aren't there a lot of guys in your industry?"
Chi Jin didn't reveal anything: "No. If you have a suitable handsome boy, remember to introduce him to me."
"Haha, okay, leave it to me!" Liu Xiaoke agreed readily.
The clock struck half past ten, and the grilled fish restaurant gradually thinned out. Chi Jin was in no mood to continue this conversation filled with estrangement. She picked up her computer bag, which had been placed beside her. The edges were already showing obvious signs of wear and tear. She casually stroked the strap and whispered, "You gave me this bag when I got the job offer from Zhong Xin, remember?"
Liu Xiaoke's eyes fell on the old bag, and a subtle embarrassment flashed across his face. He then scratched his head sheepishly: "Well... it's a bit embarrassing to talk about it. At the beginning... I bought a pair of couple's computer bags. Song Chi looked at them and said he didn't like them. And it just so happened that you had just received an offer at that time, so you needed a... well, a bag that looks more mature and like what office workers use..."
Chi Jin's hand holding the bag stiffened for a moment, as if burned by the casual "just right." An indescribable bitterness instantly washed over her nose. It turned out that the gift she had cherished for years, a token of friendship and a starting point for her career, was nothing more than the "second best" that was despised in other people's love lives.
She forced herself to maintain her expression, and soon, a standard, impeccable smile, like one worn through an interview mask, reappeared: "Okay. I've become part of your play."
Leaving the grilled fish restaurant, the night breeze carried the chill of early autumn. Liu Xiaoke was picked up by Song Chi's car. Through the car window, she could still be seen smiling and waving goodbye. Chi Jin stood alone on the neon-lit street, watching the black luxury car merge into the traffic and disappear.
Things are not what they used to be, and neither are people.
She raised her hand and hailed a taxi.
The fleeting images of the city flow outside the window like a silent river, pushing everything familiar to the unfamiliar shore.
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