ATLAS TRANSLATES

Jian Zhongyou didn’t really understand the world of young people – he couldn’t even name one or two current popular celebrities.

It was the start of the school term. He had sneaked out for a bit during the break, and now had many matters waiting for him.

Today was Monday. He had just finished a meeting when he received Bai Lian’s message. As soon as he opened the image, he saw large black text:

[“Old Days’ Music Arrangement Exposed”]

He squinted and sent Bai Lian a few symbols. As an elderly person who could operate videos, he wasn’t very familiar with many Weibo functions and scrolled through rather slowly.

Bai Lian sent another message: [“Exposed?”]

Though he hadn’t found what was exposed yet, he replied quickly: [“nonsense”] [“Let me check”]

Principal Jian got tired of scrolling and asked a nearby teacher he knew to help operate his phone.

“Miss Yan Lu?” The teacher took Principal Jian’s phone. Having helped record Yan Lu’s voice twice before, he naturally knew her. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you check.”

Within a few minutes, the teacher learned the whole story from Weibo.

The music arrangement circle didn’t have such high barriers. Before this, most people wouldn’t specifically analyze a song’s arrangement. Now that internet trolls had found something, it just showed this was the only flaw they could find in the song.

On the other end of the phone, Bai Lian saw the reply and understood this matter had nothing to do with Principal Jian.

She waited for his response.

Yan Lu was still busy in the kitchen with Zhang Ma.

The two assistants, Xiao Tian and Ah Huang, originally came to get Yan Lu back to handle this matter. Unexpectedly, before they could deal with it, Yan Lu had them washing and picking vegetables.

“Xiao Tian,” the kitchen space was small, so Ah Huang squatted in the living room removing shrimp veins, feeling confused, “what exactly am I here for? Why am I squatting here?”

He looked back at Yan Lu helping in the kitchen.

Such a big issue concerning Yan Lu’s reputation, yet she wasn’t worried at all. Instead, she was leisurely staying in the kitchen.

Xiao Tian picked at the shrimp veins, feeling strangely calm, “Just keep picking.”

Outside, after Bai Lian and others finished eating watermelon, some went to throw away garbage while Bai Lian and Ning Xiao went inside.

“Why haven’t you started practicing problems yet?” Ning Xiao moved a flower pot inside, his voice calm.

Bai Lian took a pair of scissors, “The ones on the app?”

At the start of the month, the app released new problems. Ning Xiao had already started practicing, but Bai Lian hadn’t begun. Many people were stuck on one particularly current problem from the app.

“Yes, I was just looking at the Landau-Siegel zero point.”

Bai Lian stood by the window, lowering her head to trim flower branches, “I’ll look at it in a few days. Right now I need to help He Wen organize some materials.”

He Wen was like a senior brother who enslaved his junior sister. When new literature came out that he didn’t have time to read, he’d give it to Bai Lian to read and summarize the core points for him.

Bai Lian hadn’t even started university yet, but she was already experiencing the treatment of a first-year graduate student.

However, the literature He Wen sent was all in her area of interest.

Ning Xiao, who already knew who He Wen was: “…”

As the two talked, Xiao Tian and Ah Huang squatting nearby listened in confusion. What app, what He Wen…

And what was that road something from the west?

What were all these things?

The two were completely bewildered.

Finally, they started talking about grandmother and Uncle Wang – the boy’s grandmother was sick, and his uncle was taking care of him at home. This was more like normal student conversation.

Today there were many people at home, but with Yan Lu and the two assistants’ help, Zhang Ma prepared dinner very quickly. She pushed two tables together, and everyone gathered around to eat.

“Ah Lian, when is Chi Lu coming back?” At the dinner table, Zhang Ma remembered that Zhang Ba and Lawyer Chi were present the last time they ate together.

When Zhang Ma mentioned Chi Lu, Yan Lu also looked at Bai Lian.

Chi Lu was Zhang Shi Ze’s lifesaver.

Bai Lian held her chopsticks and reached for a piece of Chinese cabbage, then replied, “Next month.”

Last year Chi Yundai was banished, but this year he returned to his regular post. Ming Dongxing said he didn’t have much vacation time, but would still make time to come back and test Zhang Shi Ze.

At the dinner table, they chatted about various things, but no one mentioned Yan Lu’s situation.

This meal lasted until after seven. As Ah Huang helped clean up the table after eating, he lowered his head to ask Xiao Tian, “How does Sister Lu have so many student friends? Also, who is Chi Lu?”

“Don’t know,” Xiao Tian put the dishes in the kitchen.

Ah Huang and Xiao Tian had never been involved with Zhang Shi Ze’s matter. They didn’t even know “Chi Lu” was a lawyer, they just thought it was some name.

“These classmates are so lucky to be friends with Sister Lu,” Ah Huang sighed, then worried about the main issue again.

Time Entertainment knew Ah Huang and Xiao Tian were at Yan Lu’s place. Since the PR department couldn’t convince Sister Xin, they called Ah Huang instead.

After taking the call, Ah Huang finally found a chance to talk to Yan Lu, “Sister Lu, PR department communicated with me. You just need to post a clarification on Weibo.”

A clarification that the music arrangement had nothing to do with her.

Yan Lu shook her head, without explaining.

If this wasn’t clarified, with such a big commotion, Yan Lu might lose quite a few resources. Ah Huang really couldn’t understand, “Xiao Tian, what do you think they’re thinking? Who actually did this arrangement?”

Xiao Tian shook her head. Yan Lu always recorded songs by herself, so she didn’t know who wrote the lyrics and music.

In all of Time Entertainment, probably only Sister Xin and Yan Lu knew.

At eight o’clock, the students and Zhang Ma said goodbye.

Jiang Fuli’s car was waiting for her across the street.

As Bai Lian walked toward the car, her phone vibrated several times. Principal Jian had finally figured out what was going on.

Instead of sending a message, he called Bai Lian directly.

Bai Lian pressed the answer button as she walked toward the light on the other side, “Principal Jian.”

“I found out,” Jian Zhongyou didn’t waste words either. He was still sitting at his desk, clicking open a long screen recording, “There’s an internal performance video from our school online. I conducted that performance, and I’m checking the school’s archives for that performance.”

Principal Jian’s memory of this performance wasn’t very clear. Only after seeing netizens’ video did he realize he had done this arrangement.

It was Principal Jian’s own style anchor point.

Nothing more to say, Principal Jian could only sigh. The netizens, or rather Yan Lu’s opponents, were too formidable. They could find these arrangements from among so many years of performances at Jiangjiang Music Academy, each nearly three hours long.

“What do you plan to do?” Bai Lian pulled off a leaf from nearby, playing with it in her hand, her voice unhurried.

Seeing her walking so slowly, Jiang Fuli got out of the car to wait for her.

Bai Lian hadn’t finished talking with Principal Jian.

“This needs to be managed,” Principal Jian had also calmed down. Having lived so long, he knew that with such high attention, there must be someone stirring things up behind the scenes, “Otherwise, even if we clarify, many people won’t see it.”

Everything needs attention.

It takes a moment to spread rumors, but forever to clarify them.

After they hung up, Jiang Fuli opened the car door and asked a few questions. Bai Lian explained the whole situation about Yan Lu.

“You wrote the new song?” Jiang Fuli knew about her songwriting, and his expression turned cold.

“Mm.” Bai Lian wasn’t too concerned. She got in the car and opened her phone to check the paper He Wen gave her.

Jiang Fuli sat next to her, raised his hand to let Ming Dongxing drive, his eyes narrowing slightly: “Tell Principal Jian not to act rashly on this matter. Give me Yan Lu’s manager’s contact information.”

“Old Days” had already been labeled as “dishonest.” To completely clarify this matter wasn’t something Principal Jian, an outsider, could achieve.

Bai Lian opened Sister Xin’s WeChat and shared it with Jiang Fuli.

Jiang Fuli clicked to add her as a friend directly.

“Why are you looking at this?” While waiting for Wang Xin to accept, Jiang Fuli’s gaze fell on the new paper Bai Lian was reading.

It looked familiar.

“He Wen gave it to me.”

Jiang Fuli knew what He Wen was doing as soon as he heard this. The light was on in the back of the car, and he sat under it in his black shirt and pants, his refined features particularly cold. Hearing this, he just pulled his lips into a slight smile.

Far away at the test base, He Wen, wearing sterile clothes, suddenly sneezed.

A male student in the lab looked at him, “He Wen, are you catching a cold? Don’t infect our junior sister.”

He took out a mask for He Wen to wear.

He Wen: “…”

In North City.

At Time Entertainment, the PR department hadn’t left work yet, all dealing with Yan Lu’s matter.

In the office, the boss was earnestly advising Sister Xin: “You’ve been in the entertainment industry so long, you should know what brings the highest returns. With the songwriter there, we can find any arranger. Just push the responsibility and give him some compensation to keep him quiet. Is this arranger Yan Lu’s father? Why won’t you compromise at all?”

Hearing this, Sister Xin sitting opposite just raised an eyebrow.

Principal Jian might not be Yan Lu’s father, but Bai Lian counted as one.

With Principal Jian’s status, he only arranged music for Yan Lu because of Bai Lian’s relationship. Looking at the entire entertainment industry, no senior had Principal Jian’s status.

“If PR department wants to clarify, just push the responsibility onto Yan Lu directly,” Sister Xin put down her teacup. Yan Lu had been through too much, and Sister Xin had become indifferent, “We’ll try our best to refute other things, this isn’t plagiarism in the first place.”

Seeing that Sister Xin and Yan Lu seemed to have lost control, the boss lit a cigarette and looked at Sister Xin: “If that’s the case, let Yan Lu rest for a few more days. This time let Man Xi do ‘Perfect Day’ instead, to avoid the storm.”

‘Perfect Day’ was a variety show invested in by Time Entertainment. Businesspeople always seek profit and avoid harm. Now that netizens were “avoiding” Yan Lu and had released a bunch of her old scandals.

Time Entertainment feared it would affect their variety show’s reputation.

Yan Lu currently had two variety shows, ‘Perfect Day’ and ‘Come On Friends’. She had signed a contract for the latter but not the former.

Of course, if Yan Lu’s situation got worse, it could be said to damage the artist’s image, and the variety show could also terminate the contract and make Yan Lu pay compensation.

Sister Xin took out her phone to contact the marketing accounts.

Just as she opened her phone, she received a new friend request.