ATLAS TRANSLATES

Bai Lian was unaware that a group of teachers were discussing her grades.

She was reading at a bubble tea shop when Chi Yundai sat across from her with a cake, gesturing for her to try the new item. His gaze fell on the stack of A4 papers in her hands.

After casually glancing at the content, Chi Yundai choked on his cake. He quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth and asked, “Are you reading review papers?”

Having graduated so long ago, he was shocked to see students working so hard these days. Not just graduate students, but even those who hadn’t started university were already reading reviews?

Bai Lian turned a page. “Mm-hmm.”

She had been reading the compressed file of documents Dean Ma sent her, along with several pages from professional textbooks. For the past two months, she had been doing fewer physics problems and instead spent her free time reading reviews. She hadn’t even bought a single textbook yet.

It was just like studying English, accumulating professional vocabulary.

Chi Yundai made a sound of surprise and suddenly said, “When you and Young Master Jiang go to tutor him, take me along.”

Other people’s students were reading reviews in their third year of high school.

His troublesome student was still memorizing first-year vocabulary in his third year.

“We just went the day before yesterday,” Bai Lian looked up. “We’ll be taking a break for a few days.”

After finishing her final exams, she would be leaving Xiangcheng for a short while. Jiang Fuli had arranged for someone from the lab to cover for Zhang Shize for a few weeks.

Chi Yundai carefully asked Jiang Fuli a few questions on his phone, then took a big bite of cake, as if it were Zhang Shize.

Bai Lian: “…”

She silently apologized to Zhang Shize in her heart.

The last exam in the afternoon was English.

Bai Lian had a large vocabulary, so reading and listening were almost effortless for her. The only challenging parts were the multiple choice and cloze test questions.

It was like this when she did English exercises—

—When will you come back for dinner? —We ___ come back A. now B. soon C. in a while D. immediately

She had lost most of her points on these types of questions before, and as expected, she saw several such questions at a glance this time too.

She hadn’t really studied grammar or tenses. Just memorizing vocabulary and listening to original English was already a huge challenge for her.

After finishing all the questions, she went with her first instinct for the uncertain ones and didn’t change any others.

With half an hour left before school ended, Bai Lian finished filling in her answer sheet and left the exam room early.

The others in the same exam room were already used to this scene. They looked up briefly before numbly returning their attention to the seemingly incomprehensible reading comprehension questions.

Outside the school gates, Jiang Fuli had parked his car at the intersection. He turned off the engine and was talking to someone through his Bluetooth earpiece.

He looked up and saw the girl coming out of the main gate. Her light blue dress was gentle and elegant. A soft breeze brushed her cheeks, like turbulent waves returning to calm.

“Wait a moment, I’m going to call Auntie,” Bai Lian approached and leisurely tapped on the passenger window. She tossed the rolled-up documents through the window and returned to Zhang Ma’s flower shop to pick up the iris bouquet that had been trimmed yesterday.

Zhang Ma had already wrapped the bouquet. She was going to visit the set with Bai Lian today and had specially prepared some soup for Yan Lu.

When they returned, Jiang Fuli’s car was still parked in the same spot.

The person on the other end of the Bluetooth call, hearing that someone dared to make “Young Master Jiang wait,” didn’t dare say another word.

The filming for “Da Yong” in Xiangcheng was almost finished. They would return to Jiangjing at the end of the year to film the other half of the drama.

When Bai Lian arrived, Yan Lu’s assistant was waiting for them at the entrance.

The assistant was a young girl.

This wasn’t her first time seeing Bai Lian and Zhang Ma, but when she saw Jiang Fuli behind Bai Lian, she became slightly nervous.

Jiang Fuli put on a mask and baseball cap, hands in his pockets, casually following behind Bai Lian.

His presence was strong, but thanks to the baseball cap and mask, once they reached the set, he stood in a corner waiting for Bai Lian to talk with Yan Lu. He didn’t look at anyone or speak to anyone, so he didn’t attract much attention.

Bai Lian wasn’t wearing a mask. Her face was so outstanding that as soon as she entered, a bunch of people looked at her.

Some people were eager to get her contact information.

After learning that Bai Lian was just visiting the set and not an artist, these people withdrew their gaze.

Good looks without a powerful company behind them were useless, especially for an ordinary person. There was no need to socialize.

Yan Lu had just finished filming a scene.

“You’ve lost weight again.” Zhang Ma crouched down to open her thermos and poured a bowl of soup for Yan Lu.

Yan Lu rubbed her shoulders, with obvious fatigue on her face. She had many scenes to film in Xiangcheng, all involving horseback riding and fighting scenes. She didn’t use a stunt double for any of them, performing high-intensity scenes every day.

“Scene 258, Bai Chongyu is injured,” the director called out.

Bai Lian and Yan Lu stood in the corner, quietly looking up at the actor playing Bai Chongyu.

Behind her, Jiang Fuli also raised his head slightly, though the brim of his cap hid his expression.

Seeing Bai Lian’s interest, Yan Lu explained to her. She had read through the script on her first day and knew this scene. “Scenes 258 and 259 are connected, but 259 can only be filmed when we get to Jiangjing.”

It was Zhang Ma’s first time seeing a film set too. “Why?”

“Although these are two separate events, they happen at the same moment. The screenwriter is very clever,” Yan Lu had thoroughly digested the script. Her face was cold and beautiful, but her expression was serious. “He wants to create a sense of destiny. Bai Chongyu goes to the battlefield at 26, and at 27, Emperor Jiang sends the Third Princess to Western Mo for a political marriage to secure peace. At the same moment, Bai Chongyu is guarding the northern border of Xiangcheng and gets shot by an enemy arrow.”

Zhang Ma saw the actor playing Bai Chongyu spit out a large mouthful of blood. The realistic acting made her very nervous. “He seems to be badly injured.”

Bai Lian nodded beside her and said softly, “Mm.”

After the scene was finished, the props team pushed the lighting equipment past them. One of them looked up impatiently at Bai Lian, Yan Lu, and the others: “You lot over there, can you move out of the way? Don’t block our light, alright?! If this scene doesn’t turn out well, are you going to take responsibility?!”

Yan Lu hurriedly led Bai Lian to step back a few more steps, almost pressing against the wall.

Jiang Fuli’s face darkened.

The person in charge of props suddenly felt a chill.

Bai Lian lifted her head slightly. She wasn’t sure if she was really blocking the light, as she didn’t understand photography and set design.

She turned her head to comfort Jiang Fuli: “Hey, you’re blocking the light and you’re still angry.”

Jiang Fuli slowly withdrew his gaze: “… Hmph.”

“Yan Lu,” someone called out from the other side, “Can you help me get Teacher Gu’s thermos?”

Yan Lu looked at the thermos on the table beside her and was about to hand it over when her assistant quickly took it. “Sister Yan, you rest for a bit. I’ll take it.”

Bai Lian stood to the side, quietly watching as Yan Lu’s assistant helped one teacher with this, another teacher with that, and then went to help the crew move things.

Yan Lu even found time to help the stage crew with the lighting.

“I’m doing pretty well now,” Yan Lu sensed the change in Bai Lian and Zhang Ma’s emotions and quickly said, “It’s already a rare opportunity for me to play the lead in such a big IP. I can learn a lot here.”

Although Yan Lu had become famous because of one song, she had only moved from being an unknown to a recognizable third-tier celebrity. Without any backing from capital, she was still far from comparable to these film and television stars.

Everyone else in the crew was either a film queen or a film king. She was still just a newcomer in the entertainment industry without any background.

This was just how the industry worked.

Seeing that Bai Lian didn’t say anything, Yan Lu finally had a moment of free time and asked her assistant to bring over her script.

The assistant went to get the script from Yan Lu’s chair.

A man was sitting on the chair, resting with his eyes closed. The assistant said softly, “Teacher Chu Yue, could you get up for a moment? I need to get Sister Yan’s script.”

Chu Yue didn’t open his eyes.

His assistant, who was playing on his phone nearby, glanced at Yan Lu’s little assistant. “Can’t you see that Brother Chu is resting?”

The little assistant quietly walked back. “I’ll go get you the backup copy.”

Bai Lian finally couldn’t hold back. She patted the little assistant’s shoulder: “Is that Yan Lu’s chair?”

The little assistant nodded. In the crew, basically all the main actors had their own rest chairs. Yan Lu had one too, but most of the time, Yan Lu’s chair didn’t belong to her personally.

If it wasn’t this person sitting there to rest for a while, it was that person.

For the film queens and kings, no one dared to touch their chairs.

Yan Lu went to help someone else with props again.

Across from them, Chu Yue finally opened his eyes. He sat up, and the little assistant went to talk about getting the script.

Chu Yue’s manager came over with a cup and a packet of medicine. He took a photo, then looked around and set his gaze on Bai Lian. “Hey, you there. Yes, you. Help Brother Chu mix this cold medicine.”

He put the medicine and the glass in Bai Lian’s hands.

Bai Lian held the cold medicine and the glass.

Jiang Fuli leaned lazily against the wall, lowering his eyes to glance at the things in her hands. He crossed his arms, his voice dangerous and cold: “… Are you going to mix it?”

“Mix it for his ancestors,” Bai Lian irritably put the glass down on the table.

Her gaze fell on Chu Yue, who still hadn’t moved from the chair, with Yan Lu’s script pressed under him on the seat.

Jiang Fuli raised an eyebrow, his gaze coldly sweeping over Chu Yue.

When Chu Yue’s assistant came back later and saw the medicine untouched on the table, he glared fiercely at Bai Lian.

The next scene was a confrontation between Yan Lu and Chu Yue.

Yan Lu had to fight with Chu Yue on horseback. Chu Yue couldn’t ride a horse, so he sat on a lower prop horse, holding a long spear to act out the confrontation with Yan Lu.

The martial arts instructor was directing Chu Yue from the side, but the gap in martial arts skills between Chu Yue and Yan Lu was quite large.

“Yan Lu, are you trying to stab me to death with that spear?” When they got stuck in the middle, Chu Yue’s face darkened, and he coldly said to Yan Lu, “Can you stop waving that spear around? It’s hurting my eyes.”

The people around didn’t dare to speak.

The martial arts instructor was also silent.

Anyone with eyes could see that the problem was with Chu Yue.

This Chu Yue was currently a popular celebrity, an artist under Tianhuan, the largest entertainment company in the country. His acting skills were average, but Wan Qiushan had made an exception to let him join the crew due to Tianhuan’s influence.

He was playing a minor role as the fifth male lead, one that didn’t require much acting skill. He had just recently joined the crew.

These types of popular but temperamental and troublesome celebrities often caused problems.

Wan Qiushan couldn’t say anything to Chu Yue, so he could only look at Yan Lu. “Yan Lu, try to improve your expression a bit. Scene 291, take five—”

Bai Lian stood to the side. She remembered all of Yan Lu’s lines and movements clearly. The Chu Yue opposite either forgot his lines, messed up his expressions, or got the movements wrong.

“Watch out—”

On the fifth take, Chu Yue’s spear almost poked the horse’s eye. The startled horse reared up on its hind legs!

The martial arts instructor was close by and quickly moved to grab the horse’s reins.

However, a figure in light blue was even closer.

The martial arts instructor and the director watched in astonishment as the blue-clothed, black-haired girl in front of the camera grabbed the reins. Her slender white fingers gently patted the horse’s back, and the startled white horse suddenly calmed down.

Her eyes lowered, and as she held the reins, there was a lazy yet indescribable tension in her posture.

“Yan Lu, do you even know how to ride a horse?!” Chu Yue’s face darkened. He was handsome, but now he seemed embarrassed and angry, blaming Yan Lu for not knowing how to ride.

With his powerful backing and current popularity, no one in the crew dared to say anything to him.

Wan Qiushan’s face was also very dark.

“Are you alright?” Bai Lian’s expression didn’t change. She only looked up at Yan Lu on the horse’s back.

Yan Lu shook her head.

Bai Lian nodded. “Come down.”

Yan Lu, with her cold and beautiful appearance, never refused Bai Lian. Without asking why, she jumped down from the horse’s back.

Bai Lian took her long spear, then grabbed the reins. She raised her left leg, stepped into the stirrup, and with her right hand casually pressing on the back of the saddle, she lightly pushed off the ground and leaped onto the horse’s back, settling into the seat!

She held the reins with her left hand, her back straight, and her right hand holding the long spear at an angle. The blue hem of her dress fluttered lightly in the wind.

Her dark eyes slowly lowered, and she pointed the tip of the spear at Chu Yue with a commanding presence. “If she doesn’t know how to ride a horse, I’ll demonstrate for her.”

She casually looked over at Yan Lu: “Watch carefully.”

After saying this, she tightened the reins. The horse seemed to understand her command and reared up on its hind legs before charging wildly towards Chu Yue.

The galloping speed caused Bai Lian’s skirt, sleeves, and hair to flutter, reflecting orange light in the sunset. The horse pranced proudly, and the long spear in the girl’s hand carried a thunderous momentum. With a feint, she lowered the spear, and its tip shot out like a emerging dragon, aiming straight for Chu Yue’s right hand!

Chu Yue didn’t even have time to react. The martial arts instructor had also stepped aside at Bai Lian’s aggressive approach. Chu Yue was holding a long spear in his right hand as well.

Unable to move because he was sitting on the prop horse, Chu Yue could only see Bai Lian’s blurred figure in his vision. He felt his right wrist go numb as Bai Lian knocked his spear to the ground with one move.

But that wasn’t all. The horse under Bai Lian’s command, as majestic as those recorded in history, reared up on its hind legs, its front hooves coming straight for Chu Yue’s face!

His face was Chu Yue’s biggest asset.

He couldn’t even scream, instinctively raising his hands to cover his face and closing his eyes.

Just as the horse’s hooves were about to land on Chu Yue, Bai Lian suddenly yanked the reins, turning the horse 180 degrees in mid-air, while she leaned back slightly.

Chu Yue had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had saved his life.

Bai Lian and the horse suddenly stopped, then her right hand thrust the spear backward! Without turning around, this cold glint struck first!

Bai Lian’s left hand hadn’t even released the reins—

No one had time to react to this scene. Chu Yue watched as the spear came straight for his throat, while Bai Lian hadn’t even turned her head. His face turned pale as he leaned backward, falling off the prop horse with a loud “thud”!

Jiang Fuli didn’t say anything. He was still standing in the corner, wearing a mask and black baseball cap. His posture was clearly excellent, and perhaps only when the crowd fell silent could one sense the natural aura of authority around him.

Wan Qiushan, in front of the main camera, suddenly stood up from his seat.

Only then did Bai Lian leisurely turn her head. She adjusted the reins, slowly withdrew her spear, and twirled it in her hand. The breeze moved her clothes and the red tassel on her long spear. She gave a lazy smile to Chu Yue, who had fallen to the ground, “… Do you need me to demonstrate again for Yan Lu?”

Wan Qiushan felt that this was the spirited and vigorous scene he had imagined—

Even if a fierce wind were to suddenly rise on flat ground, she could still ride it for ninety thousand miles.