I Became an All-round Artist

Inside a barbecue restaurant in Sucheng, the editors of the fantasy department at Silver Blue Publishing were having a company dinner.

Company dinners were common, though the scale of this one was larger than usual. Even the chief editor, Old Xiong, was present. The main reason for the grand event was the success of The Immortals' Sword, which had sold extremely well. The company was pleased with the recent work of the fantasy department and had given out several rewards. The atmosphere was lively, and Old Xiong, who usually maintained a professional demeanor, had loosened up. He was laughing and chatting with everyone, blending into the crowd as drinks were passed around.

Suddenly, a phone rang from the table where Yang Feng had left his phone.

Old Xiong, with a mouth full of grilled lamb skewer, said with mock authority, "Didn't I tell everyone not to take any calls tonight? We’re here to relax and drink! We work so hard during the week; we deserve to let loose once in a while!"

"Yes, yes!" Yang Feng nodded quickly. Despite Old Xiong’s more relaxed attitude, as a junior editor, Yang Feng wouldn't dare go against his wishes. He was about to hang up when a colleague glanced at the phone screen and said, "It's Chu Kuang calling."

Cough!

Old Xiong nearly choked on his food, quickly swallowing and then clearing his throat awkwardly. "Well, maybe ignoring calls completely isn’t the best idea... Yang Feng, you should probably take that."

The others at the table fell silent.

Yang Feng nodded and stepped aside to answer the call in a quieter corner. The atmosphere at the table became awkward.

Old Xiong took a sip of his drink and tried to lighten the mood. "Yang Feng’s ringtone is pretty catchy, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes!" "Quite nice!" "It's called Red Rose!" "The singer is Sun Yaohuo!" "That song's been pretty popular lately!"

Everyone chimed in, making small talk just to keep the conversation going, and soon the mood appeared lively again.

Before long, Yang Feng returned to the table.

Old Xiong had been waiting. With a smile, he asked, "What did Chu Kuang need from you at this hour?"

"I was about to report to you," Yang Feng said. "It seems the company is planning to acquire a publishing house called Lingchuan."

Old Xiong nodded. "Yes, there’s been talk of that."

Yang Feng continued, "It turns out Chu Kuang’s sister works at Lingchuan, and he’s worried that after the acquisition, she might lose her job. He asked if we could help in any way. But as a junior editor, I don’t have the authority for that, so I—"

Old Xiong looked startled. "You didn’t refuse him, did you?"

Yang Feng shook his head quickly. "No, I said I would ask about it."

"Oh, okay. What’s his sister’s name?"

"Lin Xuan."

Old Xiong relaxed. "Alright. You all keep eating; I’m going to make a quick call."

Old Xiong stepped aside to make a call to the chief editor. Personnel decisions weren’t within his jurisdiction, so he needed approval from above. When the chief editor answered, Old Xiong smiled, "I have a small issue I’d like to report."

The chief editor asked, "What’s the issue?"

Old Xiong explained the situation regarding Chu Kuang’s sister.

After a brief pause, the chief editor responded with mild irritation, "Didn’t you say this was a small issue?"

Old Xiong replied, "Isn't it?"

The chief editor responded, "Really?"

When Lü Bei asked that rhetorical question, it wasn’t because he had doubts; it was because he felt Old Xiong was downplaying the matter.

...

Three days later.

At Lingchuan Publishing, it had just been officially acquired that morning. The new management from Silver Blue Publishing would soon take over. Only ten employees hadn’t been laid off and were being transferred to work at Silver Blue’s headquarters.

Lin Xuan was among those ten.

Unlike the other nine, who were filled with excitement and anticipation, Lin Xuan felt confused. Why hadn’t she, someone who had only recently passed her probationary period, been laid off?

To put things in perspective, the other nine employees were all heavyweights in the industry, including a chief editor, two managing editors, and six senior editors who had nurtured numerous successful authors over the past decade.

Even the nine others were puzzled.

Standing alongside these veterans, Lin Xuan felt out of place. Many editors far more experienced than she had been let go, so why was she still on the list to transfer to Silver Blue?

"Don’t overthink it," Chief Editor Han Xiao said to Lin Xuan. "Maybe Silver Blue wants to show they value new talent. After all, you’ve passed your probation with solid performance."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

A managing editor standing nearby joked, "It’s really thanks to Chief Editor Han’s influence. We thought we’d have to arrange our own transport to Silver Blue’s headquarters, but it turns out they’re sending a car to pick us up."

Han Xiao smiled modestly.

Even he was a bit surprised. Lingchuan and Silver Blue weren’t even in the same league, yet Silver Blue was giving him such a warm reception after the acquisition.

"The car’s here!"

Another managing editor exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "Chief Editor Han, you’ve really got some pull! Silver Blue is sending such a high-end vehicle to pick us up! This luxury van is an extended version that costs at least 10 million yuan!"

A 10-million-yuan vehicle?

Han Xiao was astonished. He didn’t realize his connections were this influential.

Impressive, Silver Blue Publishing!

If they treat me like this, I will surely repay the favor!

At that moment, a few people stepped out of the vehicle. Leading them was a representative from Silver Blue Publishing, who, to everyone’s surprise, was exceptionally polite and humble, devoid of any arrogance usually associated with large corporations. "Are you all from Lingchuan Publishing?" he asked.

"Yes," Han Xiao stepped forward and responded.

The representative from Silver Blue Publishing glanced at the group, pausing for a brief moment on Lin Xuan before saying, "Please get in the car."

The group climbed into the vehicle together, with Lin Xuan dazedly following along, her colleagues chatting excitedly around her.

"Chief Editor Han’s connections are impressive!"

"I wonder what position Chief Editor Han will get at Silver Blue. With this kind of treatment, it’s bound to be high!"

"Chief Editor Han, we’ll be counting on your support in the future."

"Come on, no matter where we end up, we’re all from Lingchuan. Chief Editor Han won’t forget us."

"Let’s be real, though. Lingchuan being acquired by Silver Blue… we can’t argue with that."

"This is one of the top publishing companies in Qinchuan! It’s been a dream of mine to work for Silver Blue!"

...

Two hours later, the car carrying the Lingchuan employees arrived at Silver Blue’s headquarters. They were led to the eighth floor, where a few people approached them. The man at the front had a stern expression.

"I’m Lü Bei, chief editor of Silver Blue Publishing," he announced.

The Lingchuan group shrank back a little. The aura of this big company’s chief editor was overwhelming, and even Han Xiao couldn’t help feeling a bit intimidated. But he also felt a surge of pride. Silver Blue clearly valued him if the chief editor himself was here to greet them. This was no ordinary man—anyone in the publishing world knew who Lü Bei was!

Clearing his throat, Han Xiao introduced himself, "Hello, I’m Han Xiao…"

Lü Bei nodded slightly at Han Xiao before scanning the group again, his eyes settling on the female editors. "Which one of you is Lin Xuan?" he asked.

Han Xiao: "..."

Wasn’t there supposed to be a handshake or something? Why was Lü Bei suddenly looking for Lin Xuan?

Softly, Lin Xuan replied, "Hello, Chief Editor, that’s me."

Lü Bei’s stern face unexpectedly broke into a warm smile as he extended his hand. "Welcome to Silver Blue Publishing!"

"Thank you," Lin Xuan murmured, still in a daze, instinctively shaking Lü Bei’s hand.

"Which department would you like to join?" Lü Bei asked, his smile growing even kinder.

The Lingchuan staff: "..."

Why was Lü Bei being so polite to Lin Xuan? Had he mistaken her for their chief editor? That didn’t make any sense—her age didn’t even match up!

Suddenly, a large figure rushed over from a distance, shouting, "Chief Editor, let’s have Lin Xuan join our Fantasy Department!"

Lü Bei frowned slightly. Old Xiong had already made his way to Lin Xuan, smiling brightly. "I’m the chief editor of the Fantasy Department. You can call me Old Xiong. How about becoming our deputy chief editor? I’ve been looking for an excuse to get rid of our current one!"

"Our magazine department needs people!" Another figure appeared—Yu Rong from Silver Blue’s magazine division. He quickly moved toward Lin Xuan, nudging Old Xiong aside. "Hello, I’m the chief editor of Quidou. We’d love to have you in our department. The position of deputy chief editor would be perfect for you!"

The Lingchuan employees’ eyes widened in shock. Their heads were spinning.

Han Xiao, in particular, felt like his worldview was crumbling.

A luxury car sent to pick them up...

The chief editor himself here to greet them...

Editors fighting over who gets Lin Xuan...

And it wasn’t because of him?

It was all for Lin Xuan?

What kind of treatment was this? Was Lin Xuan secretly the daughter of Silver Blue’s owner?

Lin Xuan didn’t know how to react. She felt like she was dreaming, though even in her dreams, she wouldn’t dare be so bold. "I’ll follow the company’s arrangements," she replied cautiously.

"Then come to the Chief Editor’s Office for now," Lü Bei said, glancing at Old Xiong and Yu Rong with a smile. "The Chief Editor’s Office oversees everything. I’ll be your direct superior, and you can take your time getting to know the departments. Once you’ve made a decision, you can choose which one you’d like to join. Or, if you prefer, you can stay in the Chief Editor’s Office."

"!!!"

The Chief Editor’s Office wasn’t a high-ranking position, but it wielded immense power. It was practically an extension of the chief editor, and all department heads had to treat it with respect.

"Alright," Lin Xuan replied.

Some things were better not to take too seriously. This dream was beautiful—beautiful enough to be a little terrifying. Hopefully, she’d wake up soon.

"Good," Lü Bei said, turning to the rest of the group. "Han Xiao, I’d like to assign you as the chief editor of our Sci-Fi Department. What do you think?"

"Thank you, Chief Editor Lü!" Han Xiao replied excitedly. Though he had been a chief editor at Lingchuan, he would only be a department editor at Silver Blue. Still, he’d happily choose the latter—working at Silver Blue was a whole different level from Lingchuan.

However...

As he thought about how Lin Xuan had gone straight to the Chief Editor’s Office, his excitement dimmed a bit. One thought lingered in his mind: "Lin Xuan must have some powerful backing. I need to stay on her good side."

Her connections were probably terrifying. After all, someone without connections couldn’t possibly be treated like royalty at Silver Blue.

The chief editor personally receiving her like this was a clear signal to the entire company: messing with Lin Xuan was the same as going against Lü Bei.

Not to mention that two department heads had openly fought over her. If Lü Bei hadn’t stepped in, there might have been an actual scuffle!

Han Xiao couldn’t help but regret not building a better relationship with Lin Xuan before.

Who could’ve known?

Lin Xuan, with such powerful connections, had humbled herself to work as an intern at a small company like Lingchuan. Was she just "experiencing life"?

Lü Bei glanced at the remaining Lingchuan employees and then smiled at Lin Xuan. "If you’re attached to your former colleagues, you can choose one to be your assistant."

Everyone froze, their eyes immediately turning toward Lin Xuan, full of hope.

Even the two Lingchuan department heads were tempted!

After all, working in the Chief Editor’s Office was like leaping into the big leagues!

What was wrong with being Lin Xuan’s assistant? Anyone with half a brain knew that sticking close to her meant great things ahead!

Lin Xuan: "..."

Everyone’s reactions were so real. Maybe this wasn’t a dream after all. But if it wasn’t, then what on earth was happening?

Had the timeline of reality shifted?

There was also the possibility that when she got home, she should ask her mother if she’d been switched at birth. Was she actually the secret child of some big shot?

Either way, it was fine.

In the future, whether it was her brother, her sister, or her mother, Lin Xuan promised herself she wouldn’t forget them. If she ever reached dazzling heights, she would make sure they shone as well!

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