The next morning, Shi Xinxin arrived at the magazine office very early. Her long-missed colleagues were surprised to see her in the office. "Why are you back so soon?"
Everyone thought Shi Xinxin had gone to enjoy a better life and would never return to the magazine office, never expecting her to come back in such a short time.
Seeing her full of energy, no one had much to say.
"You all know that wealthy people are often picky. I suffered a lot over there. After finally finishing the work, I eagerly returned to the magazine office to find you all," she said.
As she spoke, she embraced everyone. Her colleagues at the magazine treated her well, especially Wen Xiaoxiao, whom she had missed dearly after so long.
With so many friends and colleagues here, was it not better than Sheng Chenjin alone? Shi Xinxin couldn't help but recall the past.
Following this, the magazine was about to hold an editorial board meeting. Shi Xinxin was usually not allowed to attend such meetings.
The main purpose of the editorial board meeting was to discuss the content of the next issue of the magazine. It was usually led by the editor-in-chief with various editors participating. Someone as insignificant as Shi Xinxin could not attend meetings of this caliber.
However, this time, the editor-in-chief specifically asked her to accompany them. Shi Xinxin thought the secretary had a temporary issue and the editor-in-chief asked her to take meeting minutes.
But upon entering the conference room, she found the secretary sitting there perfectly fine. She felt a bit curious and found a corner seat.
As the meeting began, the editor-in-chief did not mention the magazine's content. Instead, he brought up a previous matter.
"The article Shi Xinxin wrote for the exclusive interview with Chairman Sheng Chenjin last time was excellent, bringing in good sales for our magazine. It can be said to have achieved even greater success than we expected. Let's give her a round of applause."
The people in the conference room applauded while casting admiring glances at Shi Xinxin, though there were also some resentful looks mixed in.
Everyone knew that at the beginning, no one was willing to take on this assignment. However, the editor-in-chief insisted on interviewing the chairman and finally forced the task onto Shi Xinxin, who was late in submitting her manuscript.
Who would have thought that she would stumble upon such a great opportunity? Not only did she personally interview Sheng Chenjin, but she also heard that he appreciated her and invited her to work at his company for a period.
She thought she wouldn't return to this poor magazine office after going there, but Shi Xinxin still came back. However, with this, Shi Xinxin would undoubtedly be promoted faster than them.
Based on just one interview article, she had earned the qualification to attend an editorial board meeting. The editors present, who had been working hard for days, naturally felt it was unfair.
But with the editor-in-chief speaking, how many dared to refuse? "So, this time, I announce the promotion of Shi Xinxin to Special Issue Editor. When she secures an important interview manuscript, our magazine will add a special issue. If not, it will be published according to the original parameters."
The meaning was clear. Shi Xinxin only needed to do her job. Not only did she not have to worry every month like the other editors, but her title was also more impressive than theirs.
Special Issue Editor; ordinary content wouldn't even make it into her special issue. How impressive! Shi Xinxin accepted the position with sincere trepidation, and for a moment, she dared not even breathe in the conference room.
This kind of direct promotion frightened her more than being parachuted into a villa area. Why did she always encounter such things?
This was her first time attending an editorial board meeting, so Shi Xinxin didn't know how to interject. This was the usual work of the seniors, and she knew nothing, so she quietly kept her mouth shut and sat in the corner.
After the editorial board meeting arrangements were completed, the editor-in-chief did not adjourn. "We have received a special assignment from the head office to conduct a feature interview in a poverty-stricken mountainous area. Our magazine needs to send two people. You..."
Before the editor-in-chief could finish speaking, Shi Xinxin, from her corner, voluntarily raised her hand. The editor-in-chief paused. "What is it?"
Shi Xinxin calmly replied, "I'll go."
Everyone present was stunned. Logically speaking, Shi Xinxin had just returned from Sheng Chenjin's side and was appreciated by the editor-in-chief. Her work at the magazine was going smoothly.
There was no need for her to go to the impoverished mountainous area for this feature interview. Although it was in conjunction with the head office, the treatment would definitely be much better than if the magazine went on its own.
However, it was still a poverty-stricken mountainous area, a place so poor and dirty that the pampered young ladies in the magazine were all terrified at the mere mention of it.
No one expected Shi Xinxin to volunteer herself at this moment. The few people present were divided into two camps.
One group thought Shi Xinxin was very brave, solving everyone's urgent problem, and was a heroine. The other group thought she was showing off.
Clearly, the editor-in-chief already appreciated her due to the Sheng Chenjin interview. Now, knowing that this was a task no one wanted, and knowing that the editor-in-chief would surely face difficulties when assigning tasks, she voluntarily stepped forward. On the surface, she was helping the editor-in-chief solve an urgent problem, but in reality, who knew what she was plotting?
By pleasing the editor-in-chief like this time and again, was she trying to squeeze out the other editors one by one? But despite their anger, no one said anything.
After all, no one wanted to go to such a place, and even to please the editor-in-chief, they didn't want to be sent to such a barren and desolate region.
"Alright, I'll find you a cameraman, and you will represent our magazine in this feature interview. Be careful on your journey."
The editor-in-chief gave a few verbal instructions. Shi Xinxin nodded and went to prepare. She had just returned to her desk when the editor-in-chief arrived at her table shortly after.
"We just received notification that we will depart this afternoon. According to local meteorological bureaus, there is a possibility of a mudslide in the next two days, so the head office has decided to leave early and return early. If we encounter a disaster, it will be troublesome."
Hearing the possibility of a mudslide, everyone gasped. But to Shi Xinxin, it sounded like it was just going to rain, and she didn't have much to say.
She simply replied, "Okay, Editor-in-Chief. I'll go back and pack my things now."
"Mm, I'll give them your home address, and they'll pick you up directly from your house so you don't have to run back and forth."
"Okay, thank you, Editor-in-Chief."
After saying that, Shi Xinxin packed her things and went home. She refused to let any distracting thoughts enter her mind, focusing only on packing for the business trip.
Although it was only for a few days, she knew that this kind of out-of-town assignment was enough to keep her busy and stop her from thinking about the events of the past period. Be it humiliation or heartache, she didn't want to remember them anymore.