Xiao Ni’s clear eyes were like a mirror, reflecting Han Qin’s ugliness.
Han Qin was momentarily speechless, unable to meet Xiao Ni’s gaze. She instinctively turned her head aside, but, feeling humiliated by being outwitted by a newcomer, she spun back with anger in her eyes.
“I did make the post, but what does that have to do with your job? Do you really want to stay in proofreading forever? You’re so young, don’t you care about your future?”
When people get angry, they lose their rationality. Han Qin had intended to appeal to Xiao Ni’s emotions, but her words had turned into a threat.
Xiao Ni murmured, “So you really did post it. That’s wrong.”
Is the adult world only about interests, not right or wrong?
No, it isn’t.
In any world, there’s a distinction between right and wrong, it’s just that some people care, and others don’t.
“Being a proofreader isn’t so bad.”
Xiao Ni bowed to Han Qin and returned to her desk.
A flash of malice glinted in Han Qin’s eyes. Before she could decide how to deal with Xiao Ni, Xiao Ni’s resignation letter appeared on the boss’s desk.
Xiao Ni had quit!
Unable to compromise her principles to align with Han Qin, unable to continue working with her, and disappointed by the magazine’s handling of the situation, Xiao Ni had no desire to stay, even if Han Qin offered her the editor-in-chief position.
Xiao Ni, who had worked hard to join the magazine, had given it up.
Seeing the resignation letter, Han Qin realised she might have gone too far.
“She’s abandoning a good job just like that, she must have been bought off by the Rongcheng side!”
Xiao Ni was a key witness.
Panicking, Han Qin called her lawyer friend, who reassured her, “If she really goes to work for the Rongcheng Publishing Group, that creates a conflict of interest with the plaintiff. Her testimony won’t hold up in court.”
In a lawsuit, it’s not the opponent’s evidence you fear, but not knowing what evidence they have. Han Qin’s lawyer friend believed Xiao Ni’s resignation was a good thing. If Xiao Ni testified in court as an editor of Aige, it would be far worse for Han Qin.
“Whether she’s been bought off or not, a young person acting impulsively and resigning first exposes her own weakness.”
These words greatly reassured Han Qin.
Xiao Ni’s resignation left Han Qin in a vulnerable position, with colleagues in the editorial department gossiping even more. But Han Qin, with her strong mental resilience, carried on with her head held high, treating their whispers as air.
Her friend analysed the situation, pointing out that since the Rongcheng side had sued both the magazine and Han Qin, they were now tied together. If Han Qin lost the lawsuit, the magazine would lose too, so the magazine would undoubtedly fight back.
The lawyer friend was right. The magazine soon retaliated.
Although Xiao Ni had resigned voluntarily, the magazine framed her departure as a dismissal, claiming she had committed serious breaches of discipline at work. Han Qin had scoured Xiao Ni’s work QQ chat records and finally dug up “evidence” of her misconduct.
It turned out Xiao Ni had once accepted a packet of ginseng tea sent by one of the magazine’s authors.
Editors and authors often develop friendships over time, and it’s common for friends to exchange local specialities. Xiao Ni received the ginseng tea because the author, who had been staying up late writing and feeling drained, was sent some ejiao cakes by Xiao Ni.
The author received the cakes first and sent the tea as a return gift, a perfectly normal exchange of courtesies. But Han Qin, digging deep, twisted it into bribery.
An editor soliciting valuable gifts from an author is forbidden at any magazine!
The accusation was pinned on Xiao Ni, and Han Qin expected her to make a fuss.
Instead, Xiao Ni said nothing, packed her personal belongings, and never returned to the editorial department.
Zheng Zhihe had been keeping tabs on Aige’s movements and soon learned of Xiao Ni’s dismissal.
“That’s roughly what happened. Honestly, I hadn’t planned to call your former editor as a witness. Now that they’ve labelled her as dismissed for soliciting bribes, her professional ethics will be questioned, making it even less necessary to call her as a witness, though it’s unfortunate for your editor.”
Zheng Zhihe’s tone betrayed little emotion, but he was quietly furious.
The magazine used the same tactics against Wen Ying, a new author, as they did against Xiao Ni, a new editor.
A single smear could ruin a newcomer’s future.
Authors need their reputation, and editors need their credibility just as much.
With such a reason for dismissal, how could Xiao Ni find work in the industry again?
Zou Weijun immediately stepped in, saying she would take responsibility for Xiao Ni’s employment.
“We won’t call Xiao Ni as a witness. With her professional skills, she deserves a job!”
The only reason Xiao Ni was dismissed in this way was that she refused to collude with Han Qin!
There are plenty of capable editors, but those with both ability and professional integrity are rare.
Why work at Aige? If they didn’t want Xiao Ni, and if she was willing to work in Rongcheng, Zou Weijun could recommend her.
With her qualifications and skills, the publishing department needed talents like Xiao Ni.
Since they hadn’t planned to have Xiao Ni testify, offering her a job wouldn’t constitute a conflict of interest.
Wen Ying was also furious.
Perhaps due to her professional habits from her past life, the angrier she got, the calmer she became.
“Auntie Zou, I understand your intentions. You want to help Xiao Ni, and that’s kind, but this isn’t the right way to help. Xiao Ni isn’t someone who would solicit bribes from authors. Whether she testifies for me or not, if she accepts a job you arrange, she’ll be unable to clear her name no matter how much she explains. Finding her a new job is secondary, what matters most is Xiao Ni’s reputation!”
Writing was Wen Ying’s dream, just as being an editor was Xiao Ni’s dream.
All dreams are equally valuable, whether they earn a lot or a little. Wen Ying’s reputation was precious, and so was Xiao Ni’s.
“You mean—”
Zou Weijun looked at Wen Ying, as did Zheng Zhihe.
Wen Ying said earnestly, word by word, “When Youth Idol is published, I’ll have some advance royalties. My plan is to use that money to hire Lawyer Zheng to file a lawsuit for Xiao Ni!”
This girl was truly generous.
Then again, only a big-hearted person could write such warm words.
But with such a penchant for lawsuits, shouldn’t this girl consider studying law in the future?
Zou Weijun smiled too.
“Discussing this among ourselves is pointless. We need to ask Xiao Ni’s opinion.”
Whether it was recommending a job for Xiao Ni or funding her lawsuit, these were Zou Weijun and Wen Ying’s ideas, made without consulting Xiao Ni herself.
Since Xiao Ni left, Wen Ying hadn’t called her.
Initially, it was to avoid drawing Han Qin’s attention, later, during the lawsuit, it was to avoid suspicion. Now, it seemed nothing was stopping Wen Ying from contacting Xiao Ni. As she take out her phone, almost as if by telepathy, it rang first.
It was Xiao Ni!
“Xiao Ni, are you okay? Listen to me—”
On the other end, Xiao Ni interrupted Wen Ying, “I’m fine. You listen to me first. Can you give me the contact details of the lawyer handling your case?”
What?!
Xiao Ni laughed over the phone, “One case shouldn’t trouble two lawyers. I’ll hitch a ride and sue both the magazine and Editor Han!”
