3. Cat Food Trap
Chi Jin had only ever truly disliked a handful of people in his life. Taozi, his roommate after graduation, was one of them. The first year of their shared apartment had been relatively peaceful, even allowing for shared meals, drinks, and a revolutionary friendship. But ever since Taozi started dating, her hidden, annoying qualities had burst forth like a flood, sweeping away the false prosperity built on shared rent.
Despite her modest background, Chi Jin's intelligence was a blessing, and her studies and advancement were smooth sailing. Upon graduating from graduate school, she overcame numerous obstacles and secured an offer from Zhong Xin. She then interviewed for a position on "Face," where she was even awarded the title of Best Intern for several months. At that time, she felt her life was bright. Until a transfer order arrived, transferring her from Jiang Xuhuan's group to Du Yanni's.
Even though they were both editors, the gap between people was sometimes more despairing than the chasm between species. It was unclear whether Du Yanni was jealous of her budding talent or if she had a nascent gene that destroyed young women's ambitions. Chi Jin would pull all-nighters, research countless resources, and craft a thorough draft, only to have Du Yanni reshuffle it, casually erasing the signature and slapping her own name on it, euphemistically calling it "the fruit of teamwork." Several times, when column opportunities seemed within reach, they were snatched away at the last moment, always with the utterly hypocritical remark that "newcomers need more time to mature."
The most hateful thing is that after becoming a regular employee, she took advantage of Chi Jin and kicked him out to Group A.
In fact, her love for Faces originated from the weekly print issue, which she practically grew up devouring. When she first arrived at Team A, she wasn't so discouraged, still hoping to achieve something. But the environment both builds and wears people down, and many of the colleagues in Team A were more indifferent. In an era when print media is on the decline, calling for a revival is not only troublesome but also foolish. As time went by, everyone in Team A began to slack off. Over time, a kind of sluggishness permeated the team, like a frog in boiling water. Chi Jin, caught in this situation, felt like being entangled in an invisible spider web, her sharp spirit gradually being worn away.
However, this change did not affect the relationship between the three dining friends.
The three dining companions also included Ouyang Yuan, a general editor of Group A, and Qin Xiancheng, the general editor team leader of Group B. They had joined the company two years earlier than Chi Jin and were considered seniors, but because of their similar age and shared hatred (for the cafeteria), they could barely keep each other company.
"Xiao Chi, what are you thinking about? Is your aunt urging you to go back to your hometown to take the civil service exam and go on a blind date?" Qin Xiancheng nudged her with his elbow.
Chi Jin was so sleepy that his eyes were dull: "Not...sleepy."
"Why did you stay up late last night?"
"It's hard to put it into words. It's all a sin."
"Come to think of it, what on earth has kept you going to Zhongxin? Is it because you used to watch 'Faces' as a kid?"
Qin Xiancheng was curious.
"Xiao Chi mentioned this during the orientation party. Have you forgotten? We were playing Truth or Dare. She picked this question."
Qin Xiancheng scratched his head and said, "I'm sorry. I was busy looking at the little beauty."
The "little beauty" he mentioned was Jin Yaojia, a talented girl who came in at the same time as Chi Jin, and her name was just as hers.
"I'm looking for an editor named Zhou Cheng," Chi Jin said. "I've been writing to the editorial department of Faces since I was a kid, and only a few years ago did I receive a reply from this editor."
"Oh yeah, I remember now."
"He just hasn't been found yet. He should have retired based on his age."
"We didn't find Zhou Cheng, but King Chen looked for us many times," Ouyang Yuan added.
Everyone privately called Chen Yisheng "Chen Da Wang," meaning "when there's no tiger in the mountains, the monkey calls him Da Wang." At the same time, there were also nicknames like Chen Zhuren and Chen Paopi, but because the former was easily confused with "Editor-in-Chief" and the latter sounded like "Pigsy," they eventually settled on Chen Da Wang.
In fact, Chi Jin thinks the living king of hell is more appropriate.
Speak of the devil, and here he is! The Living Devil, carrying his food tray, sat down behind them. Not only at their table, but also at nearby tables, the whispers dropped a notch. The three dining companions instinctively fell silent, becoming terrified. However, the white-collar workers on other floors were much more daring in their gazes. After all, Chen Yisheng was still quite attractive in this office building.
"Good afternoon, Brother Yiwen!"
The man speaking with such pretentiousness was Jiang Hu, the editor-in-chief of Childhood. He smiled broadly and nodded to the familiar faces around him, then sat down across from Chen Yisheng with perfect naturalness. "Do you mind if we have dinner together, Editor-in-Chief Chen?"
Faces and Childhood appear to be friendly publications, but are actually sworn enemies. Jiang Hu, as his name suggests, is a smiling tiger. He publicly acts as a brother to Chen Yisheng, but secretly regards Chen Yisheng as his number one enemy.
The nickname Chen Da Wang came from the editorial department of "Childhood".
Everyone assumed a fight was about to break out, but unexpectedly, Chen Yisheng didn't even raise his eyelids. He picked up the plate and replied calmly, "It's inconvenient. Enjoy."
Qin Xiancheng almost laughed out loud, and quickly lowered his head to eat: "Brother Sheng is so cool."
Occasionally, when Chen Yisheng showed some favor or helped "Face", everyone would call him Brother Sheng.
"It's hard to swallow. I'm going downstairs to buy a sandwich cushion. Who wants to join me?" Ouyang Yuan said.
"Please bring me some siomai. I want to go, but the proofreader is so unreliable, and I can't always bother Xiao Chi. I'd better keep an eye on it myself." Qin Xiancheng finished his meal. "This Luo Cheng, he's the only proofreader since Sister Zhao went on vacation, and he's getting cocky! Either push it to the general editors and exploit the interns, I'll go teach him a lesson!"
The general editor who was pushed was Chi Jin, and the intern who was exploited was Xiao Duan.
Chi Jin cast a grateful look: "Help me say a few more bad things about him. I'll bring you some food. I just need to go to the supermarket to buy some things. Sister Yuan, Brother Qin, are you two going back first?"
Ouyang Yuan glanced at the time and said, "It's not time to go to work yet. I won't get any more money for staying a minute longer. It doesn't matter who owns the company, it's not mine."
Ouyang Yuan is the youngest in the office, but because of her extraordinary mental state, all the general editors and interns call her Sister Yuan.
"Sister Xingyuan, let's go to the supermarket."
The three of them went to put the plates away. Chi Jin caught a glimpse of Chen Yisheng, seated in a corner, leisurely sipping a bowl of curry rice. He didn't glance around, didn't touch his phone, and exuded a quiet, unapproachable presence. At that moment, as if sensing something, he suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze fixed squarely in their direction.
The embarrassing thing was that it seemed like Chi Jin was the only one looking at him.
Chi Jin's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously forced a dry smile.
Ouyang Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but her speech quickened: "Xiao Chi, your cultivation is too shallow! Treating King Chen like air is a basic skill! If you make eye contact now, you'll be drafted!"
Chi Jin quickly lowered her head and rushed to the supermarket with Ouyang Yuan. She wasn't looking for another meal, but just wanted to give Chen Yisheng two cans of cat food on the way, so that they would be even. Ouyang Yuan looked sharp: "You have a cat? I remember you are allergic to cat hair."
"Ah... there are quite a lot of stray cats in our neighborhood. They look so pitiful." Chi Jin responded quickly, "Do one good deed a day."
Ouyang Yuan didn't ask any more questions, and turned back to the sandwich: "Do you want the meat floss one or the tuna one?"
…
After lunch, Chen Yisheng rubbed his temples as he walked back to his office. As soon as he opened the door, he saw two cans of "Meow Meow Fresh" on the table that didn't belong to him. Underneath the cans was a note: "Cleared."
What do you mean by "written off"? He subconsciously turned his head and looked outside at the open office area.
Chi Jin's workstation was just diagonally in front of her. She was hugging a giant elephant headrest, her head buried in it, as if catching up on some sleep. After a moment's thought, he sent a message to her main WeChat account using his secondary account: "How much?"
Unexpectedly, she was just leaning on the headrest playing with her phone, and replied immediately: Haha, you are too polite, how dare I ask you for money. It should be [Rose]
Chen Yisheng looked at the slightly stiff "rose" expression and tapped the screen with his slender fingers: It is only right that I should reimburse it.
Sent successfully.
He looked up at Chi Jin's workstation again. The figure, buried in the elephant's headrest, suddenly sat up and frantically grabbed her phone. She stared at the screen for a few seconds, disbelief written all over her face. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned her head and glanced directly in the direction of his office.
A second before her gaze swept over, Chen Yisheng had already looked at the computer screen in front of him very naturally and attentively, his fingers tapping on the keyboard, looking like he was very busy.
…
Holy shit? Has this living devil changed his nature?
Chi Jin glanced at Chen Yisheng's office in surprise, seeing his hands flying across the keyboard. What a workaholic.
In the end, poverty triumphed over everything. She took a deep breath, and with the tragic courage of a hero, she opened the payment screenshot and sent it! She prayed inwardly: For my sake, please let this be over!
"Xiao Chi!" Qin Xiancheng came over in a hurry, holding a stack of hot proofreading manuscripts. "Is this what you and Xiao Duan did again? Promise me that you won't do this intern's work anymore, okay?"
Chi Jin shrugged. "There's nothing I can do. You can't split up the two columns. Wan He said he was going to find some material, then he just punched in and disappeared. I can only leave my manuscript to be proofread, otherwise if there's a problem with the publication, everyone will suffer."
"No. I'll go talk to Sister Huan when work starts this afternoon."
"Sister Huan will protect Chi Jin, but what if word gets out to King Chen? He'll accuse Chi Jin of being impetuous and unable to endure hardship." Ouyang Yuan said, "Team leader B has a promising future. Stay out of the trivialities of our nursing home, or you'll get yourself stained."
"Actually, I also know that it's not good to do these menial tasks all day long." Chi Jin lowered her voice with a hint of self-mockery, "It's a fact that I can't keep up with the column. Even if I write it, it's..." She didn't say the rest of the words, and Du Yanni's face appeared in front of her.
"Hey, how can I know if you don't write it down?" Qin Xiancheng patted her head with the document. "You don't even have a fighting spirit. How can I believe that I won the election for team leader by a narrow margin?"
Speaking of this, Chen Yiwen moved up one place on Chi Jin's "hate list". It was he who gave the most important vote to Qin Xiancheng, causing her to fail at work for the first time.
"Okay, okay." Chi Jin turned on the computer, "Actually, I'm not completely flat on my back. I'm planning to do something big recently."
Actually, it’s because my side job got busted, so I have to keep quiet recently.
"Great job, Xiao Chi! Make a fortune quietly!" Qin Xiancheng gave a thumbs up.
"I look forward to watching your comeback!" Ouyang Yuan was serious for once.
Chi Jin had recently been preparing topics for next month's Sports Faces column in A Magazine. The semifinals and finals of the National Speed Horse Racing Championships were to take place at the end of the month, and there were three top contenders. Chi Jin had already done background checks and finished a rough draft, waiting to see who would take home the championship.
Before leaving work, Chi Jin was summoned to the office by Chen Yisheng again, this time through his WeChat account. Chi Jin knew it was about work, but she had hardly had any important work recently, so she couldn't guess why the living devil summoned her before leaving work on Friday.
Knock on the door and enter.
Chen Yisheng was still sitting behind his large desk, the setting sun filtering through the blinds, casting streaks of light and dark on him. He looked up at her, his gaze as calm as a deep pool, yet weighing a thousand pounds.
"Sit down." He pointed to the chair opposite, his voice emotionless.
Chi Jin sat down as he was told, his back straight, and his notebook on his knees, like a primary school student awaiting trial.
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