6. Rain Curtain Clash
On the third floor of an old residential building, the top floor, rain was pouring down outside the window, and traces of moisture were quietly spreading through the cracks in the living room ceiling.
Taozi sat cross-legged on the sofa, fuming at the landlord on her phone. Chi Jin had originally found the apartment, but Taozi had always handled the negotiations with the landlord. Her IQ and EQ usually dropped when she was around a boyfriend, but she was incredibly reliable when it came to maintaining the rent. With her sweet talk and coaxing skills, she had managed to keep the rent on their old, run-down apartment stable even during these years of soaring prices.
Chi Jin took a photo of the leaking wall as evidence, then went to the kitchen to get some water. On the countertop sat a still-warm cup of milk tea, her favorite grape drink—Taozi's "apology gift" from her when she brought her boyfriend home to stay the night. It wasn't expensive, but it was better than nothing. Chi Jin looked at the milk tea, then glanced at Taozi, who was arguing with him. The slight anger in his heart dissipated like a balloon punctured by a needle.
"Done!" Taozi hung up the phone, beaming with joy. "The landlord said he'll get someone to fix it once the rain stops! He'll cover all the costs."
“That’s what landlords should do.”
Taozi changed the subject and stared at Chi Jin with bright eyes: "Tell the truth! I saw you on the balcony just now. There was a nice car that brought you back! Who was it?"
"Ride." Chi Jin picked up the water cup and said calmly. She was thinking about how to talk to Taozi seriously.
"You're hitchhiking and you're still running back to knock on someone's car window?" Taozi obviously didn't believe it and moved closer.
Chi Jin didn't even raise his eyelids and said nonsense: "My married boss is over fifty years old, has bad breath and body odor, and he and his wife are chasing after their third son. What can he think?"
"Ah? Then why would he be so kind to give it to you? If someone shows kindness without any reason, he's either a traitor or a thief!"
"Huh?" Taozi lost interest immediately. "You're not going to take advantage of me, are you? Why are you so kind to send your subordinate back?"
"Don't talk about him for now." Chi Jin put down his water cup and looked serious. "Taozi, I'll say this again, and for the last time. It's okay for your boyfriend to come and play. But not for him to stay. This is my bottom line."
"But he said he didn't have money to book a hotel because it was all spent on travel expenses. A high-speed train ride here would cost him over 400 yuan."
"If you can't even afford a house, forget about dating. Go get a job in a factory first." Chi Jin's words were rough but true. "Taozi, my words are harsh because this is my attitude. I admit that we do get along well and can talk, but this issue is my principle."
"Chi Zi, you'll know once you've fallen in love. Men are fun." Tao Zi hugged her arms and acted coquettishly, her voice soft and sticky, "He only comes to see me once a month."
"Okay," Chi Jin pulled out his arm, "then you give me money, and I'll stay in the hotel every time he comes."
"Sure!" Taozi agreed readily.
Chi Jin was stunned: "...Then why don't you take the money and go get a room directly?"
"That won't do!" Taozi said confidently, "Of course the man has to pay for the room! That's the principle!"
Chi Jin choked.
Chi Jin had both relationships when he was in school, and campus love was as pure as boiled water.
"Then next time he comes, reimburse me for a few days of hotel expenses."
"Can."
"You are not allowed to enter my room for any reason."
"Deal!" Taozi agreed readily, then raised a finger. "But! You have to send me a screenshot of the hotel booking and your check-in time clock! No kickbacks!"
Chi Jin readily agreed: "Okay, it just so happens that I can improve my life, thank you for your grace."
Taozi is an only child in the area, but her family lives in the suburbs. She works in the city center, making it inconvenient for her to return. Judging by her food, clothing, and daily expenses, her family seems to be well-off. As for why she lives in this old, run-down apartment, it's likely due to its prime location, her employer's kickbacks in the form of rental subsidies, and her supposedly meeting Chi Jin too late.
"I'm going back to my room." Chi Jin said, "I'm going to retreat this weekend."
"You stayed up all night yesterday, didn't you? Why don't you rest early today? Why are you working so hard lately?"
“I love going to work.”
"Are you crazy?"
After a brief exchange of words, the two of them retreated to their rooms. Chi Jin took a hot bath and snuggled in bed, listening to the rain for an hour while playing on his phone and scrolling through his social media feeds. Travel photos from all corners of the world, grids of photos of his children, the positioning of his new company... the time since graduation felt like it had been fast-forwarded.
She sighed and tossed her phone aside.
Okay, try your best.
She threw back the covers and turned on the computer screen.
…
Today was a topic selection meeting, so everyone had arrived earlier than usual. Chi Jin entered the conference room with several editors, their cautious probing and superficial flattery filling his ears. Rumors of Du Yanni's "big move" hung over everyone like a low pressure. Chi Jin sat down next to Qin Xiancheng, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the edge of his notebook.
"Skip the editorial recommendations. First, the Faces of Our Times column." Du Yanni presided over the topic selection meeting. "Who's coming?"
After a brief pause, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Fang Tang said, "Let's compete fairly, regardless of seniority or position. Everyone can speak freely."
Editor-in-charge Jiang Xuhuan calmly stood up and walked to the screen. The Face of the Times column was practically a sure thing for her. She was familiar with the process, and her proposals were as solid and powerful as ever. Nine times out of ten, she won the bid for the Face of the Times column, and everyone assumed she was a sure thing. Therefore, the editors in Group A were clearly just going through the motions, and Chen Yisheng scolded them profusely.
When it came to "Entertainment Faces," competition instantly heated up. As "Face," the magazine's flagship column, in an era before digital media, many readers were introduced to public faces around the world through "Face." Especially in today's era of celebrity-driven economics, "Face" directly impacts young readers' wallets and magazine sales. Two-thirds of editors have zeroed in on this topic, with a wide variety of proposals. Naturally, this section has always received the most submissions, and the sheer variety of promotional articles is dazzling.
In the end, Jin Yaojia from Group A got the opportunity to edit this column, not because her content was particularly outstanding, but because she got an exclusive interview with the director of a recent award-winning art film.
Once this killer weapon was brought out, everything prepared by other editors paled in comparison.
Chi Jin secretly glanced at Chen Yisheng. He had no expression and did not make any extra comments on Jin Yaojia's proposal. Of course, this was his usual style, but after the last ride, Chi Jin always felt that he and Jin Yaojia were a little close.
But now wasn't the time to be distracted. It was time to work on her "Faces of Education" column. The next biweekly edition, which happened to be Teacher's Day, had Chi Jin chosen one of the city's top ten teachers as her starting point.
"Stop, Chi Jin. What were you listening to when I was talking on Friday? Today's topic selection meeting is to decide on the second half of the month at the end of August. The first half of the month in September you mentioned is not within the scope of our discussion." Du Yanni interrupted her, "Even if you want to be the first to fly, you should consider whether it is appropriate at this time, right?"
Chi Jin’s PPT was only on the second page, and his introduction hadn’t received as much ridicule as it did.
Everyone in the conference room was aware of the conflict between Du Yanni and Chi Jin, and no one could fail to hear that she was taking advantage of the situation.
Chi Jin's fingers tightened around the page-turning pen for a moment, but his expression remained calm, his tone steady and clear. "Editor-in-Chief Du, the minutes of last Friday's meeting didn't explicitly limit the timeframe for topic selection. I think it's better to plan in-depth content ahead of time than to submit a worthless manuscript out of necessity. The Teacher's Day feature is time-sensitive, so starting preparations now will ensure quality and avoid wasting resources later on."
Seeing the atmosphere in the conference room becoming increasingly tense, Jiang Xuhuan smoothed things over by saying, "Why don't we first see what she has prepared? I'm sure Editor Du also clearly distinguishes between public and private matters."
Chi Jin understood and spoke before Du Yanni could. "Thank you. The screen lists the major awards and titles of Professor Liu Min from the School of Journalism at Jinghua University. He is undoubtedly an authoritative teacher."
The screen clearly lists Liu Min's academic titles, major awards and submission records to "Faces".
"Over the past forty years, Professor Liu has submitted articles to Faces magazine and had them accepted 32 times, including 25 for "Entertainment Faces" and 7 for "Faces Around Us." According to data from the editorial department, the proportion of paper submissions has dropped to less than 5% in the past three years. Professor Liu is one of these very few who persist, and the quality of her manuscripts has always been at an extremely high level. This year is her last year of teaching at Faces magazine. As a senior writer and reader of Faces magazine, in-depth reporting from her perspective or with her as the subject not only coincides with Teachers' Day, but also reflects the deep connection between Faces magazine and the intellectual community and its loyal readers."
The vast majority of editors here majored in editing, publishing, Chinese language, journalism, and other related fields, and everyone is familiar with the masterful figure Liu Min. Faces only solicits submissions from the public for entertainment, contemporary, and historical figures. Liu Min is highly regarded in the industry, having contributed biographies of numerous masterful figures. She is an ideal reader and contributor of the highest quality.
Deputy Editor Fang nodded and praised, "Xiao Chi's background work is very detailed. Teacher Liu Min is indeed an old friend of Faces. But if we use Teacher's Day as a starting point, it would be more resonant to choose teachers in compulsory education."
"Editor-in-Chief Fang's concerns are very practical." Chi Jin was well prepared and calmly pulled up the data chart. "But according to the precise reader portrait released by the company last year, 72.3% of the readers of 'Face' have a higher education background or are currently pursuing higher education. Considering the core audience characteristics of print media and in-depth reading public accounts - a pursuit of cultural depth and ideological value, Professor Liu Min, as a leading academic, with his influence, storytelling, and profound insights into education, can more accurately reach and impress our core readership. Short video platforms are more likely to attract mass traffic, but the foundation of 'Face' lies in its depth and quality."
"Okay. I think it's good." Deputy Editor Fang nodded in approval. "Yanni, what do you think?"
Du Yanni quickly scanned Chi Jin's draft outline, a cold smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "The idea is acceptable. There are two basic typos in the third line of the sixth paragraph. And on the second page, there's a mix of full-width and half-width symbols, and the overall formatting is messy. It's hard to trust the final quality of this manuscript if it doesn't even meet the basic standards. In comparison, Wan He's topic on special education teachers has a novel and unique approach, and the draft is more complete. It's clear they put in real effort."
She knew she hadn't put as much effort into the draft of the education version as she had into the sports version, and while the formatting and proofreading were a bit sloppy, the core content and purpose stood up well. She felt guilty, but she accepted the criticism calmly: "Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Du, for your correction. I will correct the details immediately. However, the core value of this topic lies in its depth and social significance. I believe Professor Liu Min's story deserves further exploration."
The score was tied at 1-1, and everyone turned to Chen Yisheng. Their gazes were fixed, waiting to see how this notoriously demanding editor-in-chief would "cook up" Chi Jin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
