ATLAS TRANSLATES

Reading the first line, Lu Lingxi immediately knew who this article was about – General Bai Li.

The author used the most concise language to describe Bai Li’s final night in Xiangcheng. Because “Da Yong” was currently a hit show, the three members of the Bai family were at their peak popularity.

This perfect-score essay being released at this time garnered significant attention.

Comments below read:

[Though the Bai family left no descendants, reading this student’s words makes me believe inheritance exists in this world.]

[When you put it that way, it feels so romantic (crying)]

[The Bai family seemed born for Xiangcheng]

[I suddenly want to see the sunset from Xiangcheng Tower too]

[+1, I didn’t visit Xiangcheng’s famous street last year, but nothing can stop me now]

[+ID number, I had the same thought while watching “Da Yong”]

[…]

Lu Lingxi stared at the text on the screen.

She recognized that distinctive Guange calligraphy style—

It was Bai Lian’s handwriting.

Lu Lingxi put down her phone and finally exhaled. It was unexpected, yet somehow made sense.

Xiangcheng First High liked to test historical poems about the Bai family. Even with the most obscure topics, Bai Lian never made mistakes. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that she could write this essay from General Bai’s perspective.

Lu Lingxi sat at her office desk, opened her water bottle for a drink, forcing herself to calm down.

**

Meanwhile.

Someone in Class 15 had also found this perfect-score essay.

Bai Lian’s Guange style characters were all uniformly sized and spaced, each character as neat as if printed. Internet users assumed the essay was machine-typed.

Except for Class 15.

Lu Xiaohan quietly screenshot this trending video and shared it to the class group—

[This is Sister Lian’s handwriting, right?]

The neat and beautiful handwriting looked almost unreal through the screen.

Though Bai Lian regularly got perfect scores in Chinese, and the poem at the end of this perfect-score essay was bold and unrestrained like her unique style, but…

Since it was a perfect-score essay, no one in Class 15 dared to be certain.

Wen Qi: [@Bai Lian, sis, did you write this?]

Bai Lian was sitting under a banyan tree.

The shade was perfect, her dress hem touching the ground, a banyan leaf fallen beside her hand.

She was lazily discussing musical arrangements with Jian Zhongyou.

Suddenly tagged, Bai Lian clicked into the class group. She had intended to send Wen Qi a question mark, but seeing the screenshot on screen, her pale fingertips paused on the screen.

In the courtyard.

Director Chen was discussing fishing locations with Ji Heng.

Bai Lian would get her scores tomorrow, so Ji Heng wanted to go fishing today and treat some acquaintances to dinner tomorrow.

Jiang Fuli stood beside Ji Heng, helping them look at new fishing gear.

Noticing a slight change in Bai Lian’s mood from the corner of his eye, Jiang Fuli paused briefly. He handed the fishing rod to Director Chen, who quickly took it and continued discussing with Ji Heng.

Jiang Fuli walked to Bai Lian’s side. The noon sunlight wasn’t so harsh, filtering through tree gaps onto him as he looked down: “Are you going fishing with them?”

Bai Lian came back to herself, looking up, her dark eyes reflecting rippling light, “No, I want to… see the city tower.”

She gently picked up the banyan leaf beside her hand.

**

Xiangcheng’s city tower had been renovated.

Because of “Da Yong” airing, Xiangcheng had become a tourist hotspot, with crowds coming to the old city tower daily.

Next to the huge windmill was a “Da Yong” film base, where many real sets had been built in a short time.

Jiang Fuli parked in the parking lot.

Bai Lian got out of the passenger seat. Due to the large crowds, they had to walk a stretch to reach the tower.

Jiang Fuli wore just a white T-shirt, lazily putting on a cap and pulling it low, the brim almost hiding his entire face.

His usual aloofness decreased significantly.

Even so, he and Bai Lian still drew many glances from passersby. Their appearance and aura were too exceptional. If not for his naturally unapproachable nature, they would’ve already trended on social media from street photos.

Jiang Fuli stood beside Bai Lian at the tower’s base, looking up at the time-worn structure.

His light eyes gazed at the renovated characters “Xiangcheng” above.

Beside him, Bai Lian stood still, quietly looking for about ten minutes before turning to lead him up the tower.

They walked to the steps.

Bai Lian suddenly remembered something. Before them stretched stairs seemingly endless to the eye. She raised her hand to shield from the sunlight, which bathed her in a brilliant glow.

She hesitated slightly: “Maybe you shouldn’t come up?”

Jiang Fuli pressed his lips together, looking down, his pale pupils always cold, watching her without speaking.

He always maintained that elegant yet distant demeanor, but his ink-dark eyes now held accusation. Bai Lian paused, “Never mind, come up if you want.”

Xiangcheng’s tower was very long, with countless steps.

It took two hours to reach the end.

But for Bai Lian, it was like walking on flat ground. She could run it eight hundred times without getting winded.

After walking a stretch, Bai Lian watched Jiang Fuli. Seeing his steps only slowed slightly with barely changed breathing, she relaxed, though still slowed her pace, chatting with him while heading toward the middle.

Around 5 PM.

They finally reached the tower’s peak.

The sun hadn’t set yet, but the clouds around the red sun were already tinged with other colors.

Bai Lian rested both hands on the wall, looking up at the sunset behind the mountains, her black hair slightly disheveled by the wind.

Her posture was casual and lazy, eyes meeting the wind, “The sunset here is quite nice.”

Bai Lian commented.

Jiang Fuli removed his cap, one hand on the wall. His simple, plain clothes carried a cold nobility on him. Standing beside her, looking in the same direction, his back was straight yet relaxed, every movement naturally revealing an subtle aristocratic air: “Yes, it is.”

Bai Lian glanced at him, then smiled.

Bai Li’s body wasn’t found.

The enemy army had taken it.

Bai Chongyu had achieved both provincial and metropolitan examination honors. Chen Ye had jokingly asked if he planned to complete the triple by riding through the streets after the palace examination, but sadly before the palace examination, they received news of Bai Li and rushed to Xiangcheng to take his position.

Bai Chongyu said the yellow sand beneath Xiangcheng was Bai Li’s burial ground.

Bai Lian believed him.

Neither spoke again.

The sunset gradually reddened the sky, light pouring over them both, Bai Lian’s dress hem floating slightly in the wind.

Before them was the sunset, beneath their feet the city tower.

Like a richly colored oil painting.

Many people came to visit Xiangcheng Tower, but few reached the highest point.

Only a few girls were nearby, sitting cross-legged at an angle behind them, somewhat tired.

“They look so good together,” sighed the girl in the middle, staring at the man and woman standing at the tower’s front.

**

On June 26th, the screened exam scores were released.

The college entrance exam scores were no longer trending.

The media had reported everything newsworthy, but all major universities across the country were very anxious now.

Especially Xiangcheng First High.

The principal hadn’t gotten up when he received a call from Education Bureau Director Pan, who urged on the phone: “Why are you still sleeping? I’m already at school!”

The principal had been excited all night, just falling asleep when the call woke him.

He got up to check the time on his phone – only five AM.

Understanding Director Pan’s mood, and unable to sleep anyway, the principal simply got up, washed his face and brought his keys to school.

Director Pan was already waiting at the conference room door, “Where’s Teacher Lu? Why isn’t she here yet? The bureau chief and others are waiting for me to report Bai Lian and Ning Xiao’s scores!”

Xiangcheng First High had been quietly isolated by North City First High.

Fortunately, the school’s overall performance was good this time. If either Bai Lian or Ning Xiao became provincial top scorer, all difficulties would be resolved, and Xiangcheng’s education would reach its peak moment.

“Don’t worry,” the principal turned on the lights and boiled water, “I’ve already notified Teacher Lu.”

Lu Lingxi was called over by several phone calls from the principal.

As Bai Lian and Ning Xiao’s homeroom teacher, she had their ID cards and exam registration cards.

When Lu Lingxi arrived, Class 8’s homeroom teacher and Tang Ming’s homeroom teacher were already there.

On the 26th, the score-checking website had less traffic and wasn’t lagging. As soon as Lu Lingxi arrived, she saw Class 8’s homeroom teacher’s computer showing Chen Zhu’s scores.

Name: Chen Zhu

Subjects: Score, National Ranking Chinese: 127 Math: 121 English: 132 Science: 258 Total: 648 Provincial Ranking: 41 National Ranking: 1,189

Being college entrance exam scores, there was no school ranking, but provincial 41st and national ranking around one thousand had already broken Xiangcheng’s historical record.

Director Pan adjusted his glasses, eyes bright, “Very good, excellent! Teacher Lu, you’re here? Quick, check your students’ scores!”

Lu Lingxi clearly couldn’t wait for Bai Lian and Ning Xiao either.

These two were always slow.

Last night when she called, Bai Lian said she was printing her thesis. Lu Lingxi sat directly at the computer, took out the class statistics sheet, and first entered Ning Xiao’s name and exam registration number.

Today the system wasn’t lagging, and the school system showed scores faster than other places.

Director Pan watched the page intently while talking to the principal, “Ning Xiao’s estimated score was 700, right? Could he make the national top 100?”

“Not sure,” the principal, data staff, Class 8’s homeroom teacher and others all stood behind Lu Lingxi, almost holding their breath as they watched, “Even if not top 100, he should be top 200, Jiangjiang University should be…”

The page appeared in just two seconds—

Name: Ning Xiao

Chinese: 139 Math: 141 English: 148 Science: 290 Total: 718 Provincial Ranking: 2 National Ranking: 6

When the scores refreshed, the principal’s unfinished words suddenly stopped, leaving the classroom silent except for the “beep-beep” of the printer.

And the air conditioner’s running sound.

Director Pan stared at the ranking at the bottom, unable to utter a word.

After a while, the usually most composed Teacher Li from Class 8 couldn’t help exclaiming: “This… national sixth?!”

“No… Teacher Lu, check again!” Some teachers found it inconceivable, asking Lu Lingxi to verify again.

Lu Lingxi’s stiff fingers pressed enter again, and it still showed national sixth.

The office remained silent.

Xiangcheng First High had only competed with North City First High in exams. Though the teachers, principal, and Xiangcheng Education Bureau officials had always hoped Bai Lian and Ning Xiao would do well, even in their wildest thoughts, they only hoped to surpass Song Min.

As for national ranking…

They had never participated before, so they never dared to dream about it.

Director Pan held the principal’s arm, almost sitting on the ground, saying dazedly, “Principal, didn’t you say his estimated 700 points would be around national rank 100? With this score, even Song Min couldn’t achieve it, right?”

Is this rank 100?!

The principal didn’t answer, staring at the second-to-last row—

Provincial Ranking: 2

The principal stared intently and spoke: “Te-Teacher Lu, check Student Bai Lian’s score.”

At these words, everyone in the conference room realized – there was still Bai Lian. Director Pan trembled: “If Student Ning Xiao is provincial second, she, she must be provincial first, right?”

The educational director swallowed, boldly imagining: “Ning Xiao is sixth, she… she must be fifth? Or, fo-fourth or third?”

Her usual scores were much higher than Ning Xiao’s.

Lu Lingxi opened a new page, her fingers trembling so much she mistyped several times.

Next to her, Class 8’s homeroom teacher couldn’t wait, directly taking the mouse from Lu Lingxi, comparing Bai Lian’s ID and exam registration numbers, entering the numbers and clicking enter.

Amidst everyone’s speculation, Bai Lian’s scores appeared.

Name: Bai Lian

Chinese: 150 Math: 150 English: 150 Science: 300 Total: 750 Provincial Ranking: 1 National Ranking: 1

The office’s speculative voices suddenly disappeared, leaving only breathing sounds.

Everyone stared at the last line of ranking on the computer screen—

[National Ranking: 1]

National top scholar.

Women were not allowed to participate in imperial examinations in that era. The top scholar position that era owed Bai Lian, she claimed in the new era.

It seemed to announce to the whole world—

The former Young Miss Bai had forcefully recaptured everyone’s attention.