51. Dim Lights
As the year drew to a close, December was a busy month for all companies, and Zhongxin Media was no exception. Chi Jin hadn't seen Chen Yisheng since their last dinner, even though their offices were just down the stairs from each other.
When reporting on the progress of "Faces" at the end of the month, Chi Jin remained calm, but his fingertips were unconsciously scratching on the notebook - we will finally see each other today, right?
However, the door of the conference room was pushed open, and another deputy editor-in-chief walked in.
Assistant Lin explained with a smile, "Editor-in-Chief Chen is on a temporary business trip for three days. This report will be reviewed by Editor-in-Chief Yang. Editor-in-Chief Chen's assistant will convey the details simultaneously."
At this moment, Chen Yisheng's assistant came in with a teapot, smiled politely at everyone, and poured tea for the editors in turn.
Chi Jin lowered her eyes, a sense of inexplicable loss spreading in her heart. It was clearly someone she had rejected time and time again, drawn a clear line between them, and even blocked them directly, so why did she feel empty and uncomfortable when she couldn't see him?
Actually, this was the first time since she joined the company that she had not seen Chen Yisheng for so many consecutive days.
"Let's go to Faces first today. Editor-in-Chief Chen has always said that your abilities are in no way inferior to those of the editor-in-chief." Editor-in-Chief Yang said with a smile, "Let's get off to a good start."
Chi Jin quickly calmed down, stood up gracefully, and gave a clear and calm report.
It was almost lunchtime when she returned to the editorial office of Faces. Duan Xingche approached her warmly upon seeing her return, "Master! Let's go have lunch together?"
"Let's go." Chi Jin took off his work badge. "You're so enthusiastic about eating today? It's rare."
"Sister Yuan and Brother Qin are both out on business, so it's just the two of us having dinner today." Duan Xingche also took off his work badge. "I'll treat you to something delicious, Master."
"Why do you suddenly want to treat me to a meal?" Chi Jin happily accepted, "I won't rip you off. Let's go to the Sichuan restaurant downstairs. There shouldn't be many people there now."
"Go ahead—"
The two chatted and laughed as they walked toward the elevator. Just then, the elevator door dinged open, revealing a few editors, including Chen Yisheng's assistant. The three of them nodded in greeting.
The assistant smiled and said, "Editor Chi, Editor Duan, are you going to dinner?"
Duan Xingche temporarily stopped his excited conversation and continued a little awkwardly, "Ah, yes. By the way, I don't think I've seen Editor-in-Chief Chen much lately."
"Editor-in-Chief Chen is on a business trip. Editor Chi should know about this."
Chi Jin paused when he was suddenly called out, then smiled politely, "Well, it was mentioned in the meeting just now."
The assistant glanced at Duan Xingche's collar, which was uncovered, and suddenly lowered her voice with a gossipy smile, asking, "Editor Duan, do you have a girlfriend now?"
Duan Xingche's face flushed instantly, and his ears were pink. "Uh... well... my master just introduced me to someone."
The topic was suddenly interrupted because of this. Duan Xingche had just been hired and was not very busy at the end of the year, so there was not much work to do. He suddenly remembered that Chi Jin wanted to introduce her roommate Taozi to him, and that was why he invited Chi Jin to dinner.
In the Sichuan restaurant, the two of them grabbed a seat by the window.
Chi Jin took out his phone and quickly pushed Taozi's WeChat business card to Duan Xingche, and began to sell melons: "Here, I recommend it to you. Taozi is the only girl in the local area. She is smart and beautiful, with a lively and lovely personality. She has a sweet mouth and is very capable. She is definitely the type of sweet girl you like."
Duan Xingche scratched his head: "Master, how did you know that?"
"Intuition. Look at Qin Xiancheng. Brother Qin definitely likes beautiful women with temperament."
"Then... I'll add you!" Duan Xingche stared at the phone screen, rubbing his fingers nervously. "It's mainly because I've been busy lately. Tomorrow's award ceremony has nothing to do with me. Now I finally have some energy... I can think about dating."
Chi Jin nodded: "You are still young, there is a cost of trial and error."
"She...what's her name? I'll make a note."
"Tao Zai Yi. Tao Yuanming's Tao means being at ease and being attached."
"It's a nice name..." Duan Xingche repeated it softly, the corners of his mouth unable to help but curl up, "It's quite cute. Then... then I'll try to chat with you."
…
The spicy and fresh aroma of the Sichuan restaurant still lingers on my lips and teeth, but as soon as I return to the "Faces" editorial office, the atmosphere immediately switches to a state of preparation for battle.
Just after lunch break, all the editors-in-charge and chief editors in the office were making their final sprint for the crucial year-end performance review in the afternoon.
In sharp contrast to the low pressure in this area, the workstations of the trainee editors and ordinary editors who had completed their work reports yesterday afternoon seemed much more relaxed, with occasional muffled laughter and chatter audible, as if they were from two completely different worlds.
Chi Jin sat down at his workstation and quickly woke up his computer. Duan Xingche approached him attentively, his voice soft and gentle, "Master, how are your preparations for this afternoon's performance review going? Is there anything else I can do for you? Feel free to call me anytime."
Chi Jin still stared intently at the screen, shook his head, and without stopping, opened the PPT that he had revised and rehearsed countless times. "It's basically done. I'll go over the details one last time. Thanks."
"Master, isn't the color scheme of this data visualization chart a little lacking in eye-catchingness? Would the editors find it lacking in focus?"
Upon hearing this, Chi Jin leaned forward slightly and examined it more carefully for a moment. "That makes sense. Changing the main bar chart of the core growth data to bright orange will immediately increase the contrast and make it more visually focused."
"Shouldn't the font size of the annotations next to it also be increased accordingly?" Duan Xingche added cautiously, "to ensure that the key information can be seen at a glance."
Chi Jin raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and his hands had already started to operate: "Not bad, classmate Duan, now you are guiding your master very professionally."
Duan Xingche chuckled, "Master has taught me so much, so I'm just following his lead. It's only natural!"
She took a deep breath and focused again on her performance report. She focused on the entire process of the "Print Media Reform" project, from its proposal, to its success, and strived to present every key decision, every team collaboration, the final impressive results, and the widespread industry impact it brought, using the most concise and professional language.
This is not just a personal report, but also a final summary and display of her and the entire Group A's hard work.
After finishing the final check, Chi Jin closed the computer, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest for a while.
Just then, the quiet chatter of several colleagues nearby drifted into her ears. "I heard from higher-ups that Faces, as a benchmark project for successful reform, may have major changes after the new year, requiring adjustments to its structure and content direction."
"Ah? Still need to change it? But King Chen... Editor-in-Chief Chen was just promoted from our company, right? He will definitely protect us, right?"
"It's hard to say... Look, since his promotion, he's barely been back to our place except for necessary official business, and we haven't seen any benefits from him... It seems like he's trying to avoid suspicion."
These words were like tiny needles, gently piercing Chi Jin's heart.
After Chen Yisheng left Faces and became editor-in-chief, he hadn't given Faces any special favors or resources, either overtly or covertly, and even maintained a somewhat deliberate distance. She knew Chen Yisheng; he wasn't ruthless or cold-blooded, but he certainly wasn't the type of leader to abuse his power for personal gain or give others leverage.
"His relationship with our editorial department seems lukewarm right now. He left behind so many old documents and project materials, and he hasn't explained them clearly. I don't know how to categorize and archive them."
Hearing this, Chi Jin suddenly opened her eyes. She stood up and walked straight to the office of Jiang Xuhuan, the current deputy editor-in-chief.
"Sister Huan." She knocked on the door, her tone calm but firm. "I want to sort out those old documents and project materials that Editor-in-Chief Chen left behind when he left. I'll start after my performance review this afternoon, and I'll try to finish organizing and archiving them all before the New Year."
Jiang Xuhuan was a little surprised and looked up from the computer: "Why did you suddenly think of sorting all that? It's a lot of work."
Chi Jin said calmly, "It's the end of the year now, so cleaning up is a good start for the new year. And there might be some information worth considering in those documents, so sorting them out would also be beneficial to the group."
Jiang Xuhuan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay, that's good. Those things are piled up anyway, it would be great if you could sort them out. The key is with the administration, I'll go say hello, you can pick it up anytime."
The afternoon performance review was intense yet efficient. Chi Jin stood at the presentation table, composed and clear, presenting her achievements and reflections from the previous year. She handled management's occasionally pointed questions with ease, readily citing data and presenting clear and thoughtful thinking. In her closing remarks, Editor-in-Chief Yang specifically praised "Face" for its innovative approaches to media convergence and its remarkable achievements.
After the work report was finished, everyone left the office and the office gradually became quiet. But Chi Jin did not leave.
She actually got the key from the administration and opened the cabinet where Chen Yisheng's old files were stored.
Inside were several large boxes of documents, notes, draft contracts, and project plans. She took the first box out and placed it on her workstation, brewed a cup of strong tea, and then sat down to patiently sort through the documents.
It was a tedious and time-consuming task. She flipped through the pages, deciphering the sometimes hurried and sometimes meticulous handwriting, categorizing them by project, year, and importance, labeling them, and preparing to enter them into the electronic archive.
The paper was cold, but she seemed to be able to see how Chen Yisheng had been strategizing here over the past few years, how he had reviewed every manuscript, and how he had outlined every topic.
Time slipped by quietly. The sky outside the window had already turned completely dark, the city lights the only remaining companion. In the office, only the single light at her desk remained on, providing a small glimmer of light in the vast darkness.
Tonight, she is destined to spend it with these documents that carry traces of the past years and someone.
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