2. The aftermath of the execution
Escaping the execution ground, Chi Jin rushed all the way to the subway station almost without touching the ground. The evening breeze, with its sticky summer night air, couldn't blow away the cold sweat on her back.
Her mind was filled with Chen Yisheng's expressionless yet oppressive face, and the ambiguous words about "the spirit of the past." She scratched her hair in frustration. She didn't even dare to touch or reminisce about "the past." Why did he suddenly bring it up in that tone?
She blamed this mess on her roommate Taozi - if she hadn't suddenly sent a man in to ruin her mood, she wouldn't have been so slow to step into the trap of the living devil!
She returned to her rental apartment, sweating and irritated. The glaring men's shoes in the entrance and the unpleasant smell in the air nearly snapped her already tense nerves. She slammed the bedroom door shut, completely isolating herself.
The cramped space was her only fortress. Fatigue, frustration, and dread surged over her like a tide, threatening to drown her. No, if this continued, she would either be frightened to death by Chen Yisheng or driven to death by this boundary-less shared living situation.
Chi Jin drank a can of cold beer in a depressed mood.
She needed an outlet. An outlet that would allow her to forget all this for a while and regain a sense of control.
Yes, for her, it was all about getting back on track. Even if it was just for that pitiful performance, even if it was just to prove something to Chen Yisheng. She needed to find a container to pour out the churning, sharp emotions in her head.
A strong, long-lost impulse suddenly gripped her.
…
Zhongxin Media Group, firmly established as a leading print media company in China, has recently expanded its new media division, maintaining its momentum. Its flagship magazine, Face, is divided into two divisions: Group A oversees the twice-monthly print edition, while Group B oversees all new media operations across all platforms. While Groups A and B may be alphabetically named, it's clear which group holds the most promising future. Groups A and B share 70% of their topics, often holding joint discussion meetings. However, Group A has long been privately labeled a "retirement home."
Chi Jin is the unlucky guy who was kicked from the "future" into the "nursing home" half a year ago.
At that moment, with huge dark circles under her eyes, she drifted into the "Face" editorial office like a wandering soul. The aftereffects of staying up all night had fully taken hold, with a splitting headache and a shaky step. She just wanted to quickly slip back to her workstation, ideally to be invisible for the entire day.
But because of last night's inconclusive decision, she'd spent the entire morning feeling like she was carrying a ticking time bomb, on edge. And Chen Yisheng seemed to have calculated everything perfectly—either he'd be holed up in the executive meeting room for secret talks or summoning the deputy editors-in-chief for small meetings. The two of them hadn't even had a chance to see each other. This suspense was more torturous than a direct verdict.
With only ten minutes left before lunch break, Chi Jin was ravenous. Unexpectedly, the door to the editor-in-chief's office flew open. Chen Yisheng's gaze fell squarely on Chi Jin, and he uttered a stern "Chi Jin, come here for a moment," then turned back without looking back.
It's finally here! Chi Jin rubbed his dry and painful eyes, pressed his rumbling stomach, and didn't dare to neglect it, so he trotted to catch up.
The door to the editor-in-chief's office closed behind her and the air conditioning was turned on full blast.
Chen Yisheng never had the habit of talking nonsense. After sitting down, he got straight to the point. "That interview with a pet trainer you submitted the day before yesterday was originally scheduled for finalization today. There are quite a few issues with it. Come and take a look at it yourself."
Chi Jin has been a bit of a mess over the past six months, but he's still got the knack for reading his boss's expressions and understanding his temper. She wouldn't dare say anything about Chen Yisheng in real life, but on the set of "Face," he's the ultimate decisive figure, exemplifying both efficiency and results.
Simply put, I don't like to use waste.
She almost suppressed the smug feeling in her heart that said, "See, I'm still capable." Her expression was calm, and her voice was light and even: "I've finished the revisions and sent them to your email. Please take a look."
Fortunately, the anger I felt last night was not in vain, as I vented it all on revising the manuscript.
This efficiency wasn't too surprising to Chen Yisheng. After working together for a year, he had a good idea of Chi Jin's abilities and his occasional stubbornness.
"Did you stay up late to revise it last night? You seem to be dozing off all the time today."
Although the large window in the editor-in-chief's office does not have the high-definition level of a surveillance camera, it can clearly see who is slacking off or taking a nap at the workstations below.
"Editor-in-Chief Chen is so busy, and he's still worried about the lives of us low-level minions." Chi Jin laughed dryly and quickly tried to make amends, "But it's okay, I'm still young, and staying up late occasionally will help me recover faster."
She wished she could carve the words "I work hard" on her forehead.
Chen Yisheng raised his eyelids from behind the screen and gave her a look that said, "You're smart!" Chi Jin recalled her thoughtless "boasting" last night, and a chill ran down her spine. She'd spent the entire morning rehearsing every possible flattery and polite remark in her head, waiting for the next move.
"There are still problems."
"You point out problems and criticize laziness. It's an honor for us editors."
Chen Yisheng seemed choked by her overly exaggerated flattery. He glanced at her, didn't respond, and continued to read the manuscript. As the mouse scrolled, his eyes fell on the document and he asked, "The requirement was to finalize the manuscript three days in advance, but you submitted it five days in advance. So what were you 'responsible' for in those two days?"
"It's just proofreading, plate making, helping other editors review manuscripts, printing documents, archiving... and so on." Chi Jin's voice became lower and lower as he spoke. He also felt that these jobs sounded a bit...unpresentable.
But this has been the norm for the past six months. If it weren't for the covert and overt help from editor Jiang Xuhuan, she wouldn't have been able to get a single column published.
"...Are you an intern editor?"
Chi Jin picked his fingers: "Almost the same."
"Don't take these odd jobs anymore. Finalizing the draft three days in advance means you have enough time to optimize it to the best possible state and submit it on time." He added slowly as he annotated, "Don't you know where the problem is? Then why did you just submit this rubbish the day before yesterday?"
Chi Jin almost gasped. She finally managed to write a column, but he called it "waste"? She felt so frustrated that her fingers unconsciously dug into the edge of the table. "...I understand. Thank you, editor-in-chief, for giving me the opportunity to correct it."
"If you want a chance, go buy Monopoly. There are plenty of them there." Chen Yisheng knocked on the table. "Chi Jin. Keep a positive attitude. Opportunities don't always come."
"I know, I know. I also know that not every editor has the opportunity to receive your personal guidance and comments. It's my honor."
"You know better," Chen Yisheng said, "Do your job first, then complain about other things."
"Yeah. Then can I go now?" She was so hungry that she couldn't help but glance towards the door.
He stopped typing, his fingertips hovering above the keyboard. He looked up, his deep gaze locking onto hers. "What kind of dragon and tiger cave is my office? You're leaving right after you arrive?"
Chi Jin quickly corrected his attitude: "No, you say, I listen."
"It's lunch break." He glanced at the gradually emptying office.
Chi Jin nodded repeatedly.
"Let's talk about something other than work."
Chi Jin's alarm bells rang loudly again: This devil kept her here during lunch break, could he really be treating her to a meal? Was he really going to settle that private account from last night?
"Big Pancake...that's my orange cat." His voice seemed slower than when he was talking about work, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "The first time was with the can of freeze-dried food you brought when you came on Monday. He loved it."
"Ah?" Chi Jin uttered a short and stupid monosyllable, completely failing to keep up with the Chief Editor Chen's leaps of thought.
She was stunned, her mind went blank, and all the prepared excuses to deal with the "private account" were instantly stuck.
Freeze-dried? This turn of events is too sudden.
Instead, he didn't pay much attention to her gaffe because he was so out of control. "After you left last night, he kept scratching at the carpet and licked up all the freeze-dried crumbs. I usually feed him other brands; he's very picky."
Was Chen Yisheng exchanging cat-raising experiences with her? Because his cat loved the discounted freeze-dried food she'd bought for kickbacks?
"Uh...really? That's...pretty good?" Chi Jin managed a few words dryly. "Well...that brand is 'Meow Meow Fresh', and it's very cost-effective."
Damn it! When poor people evaluate a product, they always mention the price/performance ratio.
"Send me a link." He suddenly said, his tone returning to his usual commanding tone.
"Ah? WeChat main account or WeChat sub account?" A stupid monosyllabic word comes with a stupid multiple-choice question.
"...It's up to you." He choked. "APP is fine too."
In order to prevent the door password from being leaked in the app, Chi Jin had even reminded the owner, and that's why he added her on WeChat. It's really not how that damn Chen Yisheng felt when he added her on WeChat with his fake account.
"...Okay, okay." Chi Jin nodded almost sleepwalking, his fingers stiffly reaching for the phone in his pocket, "Oh... oh no, I bought it at a discount store."
"No wonder I can't find it online. Could it be a three-no product?"
Chi Jin scratched his head: "That's a chain supermarket, it should be guaranteed. If your kitten likes it, I'll bring two cans to work tomorrow."
"Tomorrow is Saturday." Chen Yisheng reminded lightly.
"Ah? If I go to your house to deliver something this weekend...would your wife feel bad about it?"
Chen Yisheng obviously didn't expect her to mention "Madam". He was slightly startled, then his brows furrowed rapidly before relaxing. He said, "What I mean is, just tell me which supermarket it is."
Embarrassment instantly overwhelmed her head, and she could only mumble, "Okay, I'll send it to you."
"Thank you." Chen Yisheng responded and turned his gaze back to the screen. "Go and rest."
Chi Jinru felt as if she had been pardoned. She took off almost like a catapult and rushed out as if there was a real monster behind her.
The door closed gently behind her, isolating the two worlds inside and outside.
Inside the door, Chen Yisheng's fingers suddenly stopped tapping on the keyboard. He leaned back in the wide chair, his gaze fixed on the closed door.
Chi Jin still doesn't know that it was him, Chen Yisheng, who advocated transferring her from Group B to Group A.
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