17. Guest Editor
On the morning of Teacher's Day, Chi Jin made a detour of two kilometers to buy the latest issue of Faces at the only nearby newsstand still open. Since joining the company, she has always kept a souvenir copy of the 10th and 25th edition of the publication date; it has become a ritual for her.
Today, with a learning mindset, she first opened her column, which had won her heart during the morning rush hour, on a crowded subway. The polished version was even better, with solid prose and restrained yet profound emotion. Chi Jin was completely convinced. Jin Yaojian had secured two consecutive interviews with prominent public figures, and the connections and influence behind him were beyond her reach.
As soon as she found a precious seat and sat down, she hurriedly flipped to the editorial column. Glancing at the top of the page, Chi Jin held her breath—the article about education was surprisingly in this prime position! She had thought Chen Yisheng had completely abandoned this article. What made her heart stop even more was the byline at the end of the article:
[(Editor-in-Chief: Chen Yisheng, Special Editor: Chi Jin)]
"Oh my god!" A short but clear exclamation was particularly abrupt in the quiet car. Chi Jin suddenly closed his mouth and snapped the magazine shut, his cheeks instantly burning hot.
She forced herself to remain calm, repeatedly checking the line of small print several times before hurriedly stuffing the magazine into her bag before arriving at the station and nervously stepping into the editorial office.
There weren't many people in the office, but there was a tacit understanding in the air. Eyes flickered over her, and whispers stopped abruptly as she approached.
Ouyang Yuan was transferred, and Qin Xiancheng, who had a say, was out on business today. Chi Jin could only pretend nothing had happened and sit at his workstation, feeling very uncomfortable.
It wasn't until she "accidentally" met Duan Xingche in the bathroom that she grabbed this life-saving straw.
Duan Xingche immediately made his position clear: "Master, don't worry. When someone asked me about you and Editor-in-Chief Chen, I kept my mouth shut!"
"No need to keep your mouth shut!" Chi Jin wanted to cry, "It was nothing in the first place!!!"
Duan Xingche lowered his voice, "But Master, the convention for editorial contributions is that the editor-in-chief is the only one who can be credited. As for a guest editor... how high-ranking does one have to be to be listed as such?"
Chi Jin didn't know what was wrong with Chen Yisheng, but she didn't want to be smeared for no reason: "Does everyone have to assume that Chen Yisheng got some benefit from me?"
"How else can you explain your name being there?" Jiang Xuhuan's voice came from the women's restroom. She lifted the curtain and walked out, her expression calm. Fortunately, it was her who averted a further embarrassing situation.
"Sister Huanhuan, why didn't the editor-in-chief come this morning?"
"I heard," Jiang Xuhuan interrupted her calmly, "that Editor-in-Chief Lin summoned him to the 15th floor for 'tea' because he added your name to the editorial byline without permission. I believe you're all fine, but I can't stop the gossip."
"Editor-in-Chief Chen and I worked on this manuscript together. I wrote the first draft, but the final version underwent a lot of changes, most of which were made by him. He probably just didn't want the manuscript to be wasted, and he was also afraid that I would be angry if I knew that he changed the editorial recommendation without telling me. He meant well but did something bad." Chi Jin speculated, "But he didn't expect it to backfire."
Duan Xingche slapped his forehead. "Sure enough! Editor-in-Chief Chen felt guilty about switching the manuscript, so he promoted me to a regular position early and also secured a byline for you. He wanted to 'compensate' and didn't want to take all the credit and leave us feeling wronged!"
"Given his personality... maybe." Chi Jin was helpless.
"I don't quite like Editor-in-Chief Chen's previous style of doing things." Jiang Xuhuan said, "It seems he is unwilling to let go of this manuscript and take a risk."
Chi Jin picked at his fingers and said, "I just heard some gossip. Editor-in-Chief Chen is much sadder than I am right now. Sister Huanhuan, what will happen to him?"
"This matter can be big or small, depending on the management's mood. But Brother Sheng's strength is there, so even if those editors-in-chief want to take action against him, they won't do anything big."
Duan Xingche breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh, that's great."
The three people's phones vibrated at the same time - Chen Yisheng initiated an emergency meeting notification.
…
In the conference room, Chen Yisheng stood in front.
"I'll take five minutes of your lunch break to briefly address three things," he said. "First, this morning on the fifteenth floor, I received criticism from Editor-in-Chief Lin regarding the irregularities in the byline process for editorial recommendations. The responsibility for this lies squarely with me. I didn't follow the procedures and added my own byline without authorization, setting a bad example for everyone. I apologize."
He bowed slightly, his posture solemn. His gaze then fell on Chi Jin. "Secondly, while Chief Editor Lin criticized the content, he also affirmed the quality of this issue's recommendations and specifically praised Editor Chi Jin's recent significant progress in topic selection and manuscript polishing."
Chi Jin glanced at him, somewhat bewildered. Praise? She hadn't even formally met Editor-in-Chief Lin many times.
Jin Yaojia sat in the corner, his lips curled up in an intriguing arc, and his eyes swept over Chi Jin with a complicated look. Chi Jin was already confused, and now he felt even more uneasy.
"Third. As compensation for taking up everyone's precious lunch break, I'll personally send everyone a small red envelope in the group chat, 30 yuan per person as a meal allowance, as a small token of my apology."
The crowd, initially a bit annoyed by the interruption, instantly perked up when they heard there was money to be made. Thirty yuan for five minutes was a steal no matter how you looked at it.
Chi Jin didn't go to collect the red envelope from the group. After the meeting, she looked up at Chen Yisheng, who happened to be looking back. A brief eye contact, Chi Jin understood, and while everyone was rushing to the cafeteria, she slipped into the editor-in-chief's office.
Obviously Chen Yisheng had figured out her temper and took the initiative: "There's no need to say thank you. I just don't want to see our hard work go to waste, and I can't just write my name on it."
"How were you this morning? You seem very tired." Chi Jin carefully observed his expression. "Even if you didn't discuss it with me in advance, I wouldn't be angry if you just wrote your name."
"It's just a struggle session. Don't I hold those for you all the time?" Chen Yisheng said casually. He didn't care much about the commotion that morning. "But you, you weren't affected by all that gossip, were you?"
It seems he knows it too.
Chi Jin straightened his back: "The innocent will be innocent, I don't care."
"That's good." Chen Yisheng nodded and changed the subject, "The external procurement that Qin Xiancheng is following at Shuanghu Building has encountered some problems. You can go there directly after lunch to provide support. After the procurement, you can leave work directly without punching in."
He quickly arranged the work, seemingly unfazed by the gossip, so Chi Jin didn't ask any more questions. Leaving work early was a good thing, but Shuanghu Building was located in the suburbs, an hour and a half away by subway. Surrounded by emerging business districts and high-end residential areas, it was sparsely populated. Chi Jin had originally wanted to ask Duan Xingche to go with her to gain experience, but unfortunately, he had to leave early due to family matters, so she had to go alone.
The interviewee, who works at Shuanghu Building, is the face of this column, Qin Xiancheng, the executive director of an advertising company. In recent years, he has been actively involved in public welfare work, particularly for those suffering from depression and anxiety. It was only when Chi Jin arrived downstairs at the company building that he realized the public service announcement he often saw on the subway was directed by Director Zhao himself.
"I told Sister Huan, and Sister Huan told King Chen, and King Chen said you can handle it."
Chi Jin pointed at himself: "Me? Chen Yisheng doesn't think I have depression, right?"
"King Chen, are you trying to use a beauty trap? Is he selling out his own people like this?"
Chi Jin rolled his eyes at him: "Do you think it's possible?"
In terms of appearance, there are many people in the editorial department who are more beautiful than her.
Qin Xiancheng sighed: "Anyway, I'm at my wit's end. I'm under so much pressure that I'm almost depressed."
There is no other way, we can only try our best.
Chi Jin didn't respond, checking the time. Qin Xiancheng had spent the entire morning on this, and both parties were running out of patience. If they dragged on any longer, the manuscript would be ruined.
"Show me the first draft you wrote."
Chi Jin leaned against the cold wall, pulled a pen from her bag, and quickly scanned Qin Xiancheng's manuscript. Her eyes were sharp, and the tip of her pen quickly sketched and annotated on the paper.
"This Director Zhao's words are even more rude than those of King Chen. He really overturned my impression of philanthropists."
"The public welfare sector is complex, and practitioners often need a layer of armor to protect themselves and their careers." Chi Jin calmly analyzed without looking up, "Don't come in with me later. I'm afraid he'll have some resistance when he sees you. There was no conflict this morning, right?"
"Not really," Qin Xiancheng waved his hands quickly, "How could I dare? I've always been acting like a grandson, bowing and scraping."
After pressing the pen into Qin Xiancheng's hand, Chi Jin prepared herself for the mission. As expected, after she introduced herself, Director Zhao unceremoniously mocked her, bringing up his earlier dislike for Qin Xiancheng. This was a bad start, and it dealt a heavy blow to Chi Jin.
However, Chi Jin was not intimidated by the scene. She stood still, but did not try to close the distance. "Mr. Zhao, I think you may have misunderstood. Before walking through this door, I was an editor of Faces, just like my colleagues. But now that I stand before you, I would like to express my gratitude to you as an individual who has benefited from your company's charity projects."
Zhao Hengsheng looked at her with sharp eyes, full of suspicion, but the sarcastic tone was slightly restrained.
"When I was in college, I volunteered for a charity event organized by your company. Honestly, I initially went just for my comprehensive test scores, but as a volunteer, I realized that what I thought were finals week, overeating, sudden bursts of tears, and insomnia weren't just 'recent stress'—they were actually symptoms of mild bipolar disorder and sleep disorders."
"Are you from Jinghua?" Zhao Hengsheng's eyes moved slightly.
Chi Jin nodded. "Yes. I've gone from being a volunteer organizer of the project to being the recipient of the service. The professional psychological counseling channels and drug assistance programs your company provides are crucial to me."
"Can you please tell me what happened to you? If you don't want to talk about it, don't say it."
Chi Jin was silent.
She has not told anyone about her sad story since her school days, and she has no desire to remove this thorn in her heart for the time being.
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