48. Goodbye Editor
A week later, the air in the office seemed to be covered with an invisible layer of ice.
Chen Yisheng's promotion and transfer order has been officially announced. He will soon leave the "Face" office and become the deputy editor-in-chief of Zhongxin Media.
In fact, Chen Yisheng's promotion had been on the horizon for a long time. Jiang Hu was his sworn enemy and the strongest contender for the position of deputy editor-in-chief. The company's new magazine, "Satellite," focused on entertainment, with the monthly print edition merely a gimmick. The magazine perfectly suited his style, and since he was in charge of the new magazine, it was obvious who would take on the deputy editor-in-chief position.
When the news came, colleagues gathered around and expressed their blessings, either sincerely or politely.
Only Chi Jin remained quietly seated at her workstation, her gaze fixed on the screen before her, her fingertips mechanically tapping away at the keyboard, as if completely cut off from the hustle and bustle of the surroundings. She could clearly hear every laugh, every "Editor-in-Chief Chen, please take care of me in the future," and even sense every movement of that familiar figure in the crowd.
A tacit understanding formed between them that was even stranger than that between strangers - complete disregard.
More indifferent than a stranger.
He no longer passed by her workstation, no longer issued direct instructions regarding her manuscripts. Even when their eyes inevitably met briefly in the air, they would instantly bounce away, as if they had touched something scalding hot, leaving no ripple. His eyes had returned to their original, if not even more, cold and distant look, as if the loss of control, the struggle, and the red-eyed departure that night had all been an illusion that had never happened.
This week, they occasionally met in the tea room or corridor. The space was too small to avoid each other. Chi Jin would subconsciously hold his breath, while Chen Yisheng would nod his head expressionlessly and very slightly, as if he was treating any ordinary employee whose name he might not even remember. Then, he would pass by without even looking at him, bringing with him a gust of cold wind.
No words. No goodbyes.
The afternoon he changed offices, he took away only a small cardboard box, not even the pot of cloud bamboo, as if he didn't want to be associated with any trace of Chi Jin.
Chi Jin was revising a manuscript when she heard the noise. Her fingertips paused, but she didn't look up. She suppressed the urge to look up with all her willpower, and only used her ears to catch the gradually receding footsteps until they completely disappeared in the direction of the elevator.
Yes, she was such a bad person, she should have dragged him down a little bit. She had betrayed his feelings, and she didn't deserve any good ending.
The office area was quiet for a brief moment, and then returned to its usual busyness, except that a core with a strong presence was temporarily missing.
On phones and computers, in DingTalk and WeChat groups, messages of well wishes from colleagues to Chen Yisheng kept popping up, filling the screens. They were overflowing with enthusiasm and lavish praise.
Chi Jin's finger stayed on the mouse for a long time, and finally he just closed the chat window silently.
There was no word typed into her chat box. No blessings, no farewells, just like a complete and irrelevant stranger.
She simply opened her WeChat address book, found the familiar name, hesitated for a moment on the "Delete Contact" option, and ultimately didn't press it. She simply set it to "Chat Only."
Then she took a deep breath and refocused her attention on the cold screen in front of her, as if nothing had changed.
But the words on the screen seemed to blur for a moment.
Du Yanni was promoted to editor-in-chief, Fang Tang remained in his current position, and the other deputy editor-in-chief position was unsurprisingly filled by Jiang Xuhuan. Du Yanni made three major changes upon taking office, but nothing in the editorial department seemed to have changed.
The only thing that changed was the distance between Chen Yisheng and Chi Jin.
…
The day when the second half of November's monthly issue is published is also the final moment to test all the hard work, anxiety and sleepless nights of Group A over the past month.
Chi Jin arrived earlier than usual, her heart beating faster than her feet. She practically held her breath as she entered the office. For the first time today, she hadn't bought a magazine because this issue was special. On every editor's desk, there was a brand new copy, still emitting the faint scent of ink.
The cover is very impactful.
The deep, dark blue backdrop resembles the stillest sky before dawn. Yue Kairu, dressed in a meticulously tailored knight's uniform, doesn't look directly into the camera. Instead, he stands sideways before an ink painting of a galloping horse, his head slightly tilted back, his gaze serenely gazing into the distance. His profile is resolute, his eyes filled with stories—the melancholy of the past, the relief and resilience of the present. The exquisite manipulation of light and shadow, half shimmering in light, half veiled in haze, perfectly aligns with his theme of "Coronation at Dawn."
The design of the word "Face" is also unique, using a font that blends some ink splashes with metallic texture. It is a collision of tradition and modernity, which is both stable and groundbreaking.
"Master! Here she is!" Duan Xingche, with his sharp eyes, was the first to spot her. He practically jumped over, his face filled with uncontrollable excitement. "Did you see it? It's so beautiful! It just arrived from the printing factory! The real thing is ten times better than the electronic draft!"
Chi Jin picked up a book, her fingertips touched the smooth coated paper cover, and felt the subtle raised printing process. She took a deep breath and opened the inner pages.
Her article, "Yue Kairu: Rider of the Dawn," is featured on the golden page immediately following the cover. The title's font is powerful and evocative, while the text itself is meticulously arranged. Interspersed with high-definition photographs of Yue Kairu training, contemplating, and ultimately achieving victory, each image imbued with narrative and artistic tension. These are her words, carefully crafted over countless nights, transformed into the fragrance of printed ink, complementing the visual design beautifully.
Editor's column, this was probably the last time her name was written together with Chen Yisheng.
"Yeah, it looks good." She tried to make her voice sound calm, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her.
"It's more than just beautiful!" Brother Zhao also came over. He rarely put on airs of seniority, his face beaming with pride. "I just got a call from the distributor saying the first batch of newsstands and bookstores have received very good feedback and inquiries are quite high."
The office buzzed with anticipation, everyone's face brimming with anticipation, including those in Group B. This wasn't just a magazine; it was the report they all, especially Group A, had submitted under immense pressure.
As soon as the afternoon lunch break ended, the colleague in charge of media monitoring suddenly shouted, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Everyone immediately gathered around his computer screen. A real-time monitoring system was frantically capturing the reprints, comments, and popularity of this issue of "Faces" and Yue Kairu's cover story on major news portals, social media platforms, and self-media accounts.
"Wow, everyone, look at the trending searches on Weibo." Qin Xiancheng said.
Everyone quickly pulled out their phones. The hashtag #YueKaiRuFace# had quietly climbed to the middle of the trending search list, and its popularity continued to rise.
Many influential self-media outlets in the fields of sports, culture and even finance reposted the cover story immediately, and gave it high praise, such as "a profound and good article", "the transformation of "Faces" is amazing", and "Yue Kairu's story is only interesting when told in this way".
Many key quotes from the article were picked out by readers and widely circulated on Weibo and WeChat Moments, especially those punctuated by Chen Yisheng. Authoritative media commentator "Media Lao Yuan" wrote, "It's been a long time since I've seen such a profound, stylish, and highly influential feature in traditional print media. Faces's attempt to break through this niche has been a success, with renowned editor Chen Yisheng at the helm and emerging editor Chi Jin equally outstanding, worthy of attention from peers."
"Success... Did we succeed?" Guo Xin muttered to himself, his voice filled with incredible ecstasy. "After being transferred to Group A, I finally succeeded once."
Chi Jin watched the positive feedback scrolling across the screen. Her heart, gripped tightly by a warm hand, felt a surge of pain, swelling and swell, nearly bursting out of her eyes. She subconsciously raised her head, her gaze piercing the excited crowd toward the editor-in-chief's office.
But the editor-in-chief has been replaced.
She wiped away her tears.
Jiang Xuhuan reported the preliminary situation to Du Yanni. The new editor-in-chief showed a rare look of relief. He said, "Don't crowd around. The hype is only temporary. We can't take follow-up and data analysis lightly. Team A, especially Editor Chi, did a great job this time."
There was a burst of good-natured laughter and even more enthusiastic applause in the office area.
"Master! Awesome!" Duan Xingche was so excited that he almost gave her a hug, but he held back and clapped his hands vigorously instead.
Guo Xin also smiled and patted her shoulder: "Team Leader Xiaochi, the manuscript is indeed beautifully written and worthy of this cover."
Chi Jin was surrounded in the middle, accepting congratulations from all sides. He was a little overwhelmed and could only keep saying "Thank you everyone, it's the team's credit."
At this moment, her cell phone vibrated. It was an unfamiliar number. She picked it up in confusion.
"Hello, are you Chi Jin, editor of Face magazine?" The other party's voice was polite and professional.
"I am, who are you?"
"Hello, Editor Chi. We're from Mr. Yue Kairu's studio. Mr. Yue just saw the finished issue and is very satisfied. He asked us to call to thank you and your team. He was deeply moved by your report, saying it was the most thorough and respectful piece he's ever written about him." The other party's tone was filled with sincere admiration. "Mr. Yue also said that he hopes to have the opportunity to invite you for coffee in person next time he's in Guangzhou to express his gratitude once again."
Chi Jin held the phone and listened to the other party's words. A huge sense of professional accomplishment enveloped her.
"Thank you, Mr. Yue, and thank you for your recognition. This is what we should do..." She tried to maintain a professional demeanor, but the excitement in her voice was difficult to completely conceal. "But how did you get my contact information?"
"Editor-in-Chief Chen Yisheng said he's no longer with Faces and that you were primarily responsible for this article."
After hanging up the phone, her colleagues around her looked at her curiously. Chi Jin took a deep breath and announced as calmly as possible: "It was Yue Kairu's studio that called, and Mr. Yue himself was very satisfied."
"Wow!" Cheers broke out in the office area again.
Chen Yisheng... after all, it was he who first suggested writing about Yue Kairu, so he's the biggest contributor. It's just that his suggestion only came when Chi Jin was alone, and he didn't take credit for it after leaving "Faces," and he hasn't sent any congratulations yet.
It seems to have nothing to do with him.
"Quick, Xiao Jiang, tell Chief Editor Chen... This is the good news for Chief Editor Chen now," Du Yanni said. "He's made a lot of sacrifices, so we must immediately invite Chief Editor Chen to celebrate with us."
"Okay." Jiang Xuhuan took out his phone, "I'll contact him right away."
"Team A performed well, and everyone's performance doubled." Du Yanni said, "Don't let up, keep working hard. Especially you, Chi Jin, you still need to settle down and grow."
"Next week's topic selection will be the same as usual. We need to plan the direction of the next issue based on the experience this time. Let's get busy." Fang Tang said with a smile.
"Yes, Editor-in-Chief Du, we understand." Chi Jin responded immediately.
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