ATLAS TRANSLATES

From the driver’s seat, Assistant Yu watched as Academician Ma walked up the magnificent steps.

His gaze fell on the notebook in Academician Ma’s hand.

As an assistant professor, he had been by Academician Ma’s side for a long time.

The academician always carried this notebook with him. While he didn’t know what was on the USB drive, the notebook surely contained Academician Ma’s life’s work.

Although he used many coded numbers, it was undoubtedly classified material.

At the entrance, the manager respectfully escorted the elderly man upstairs.

As he turned, he thought he saw infrared lights on the steps, but when he looked again more carefully, they were gone.

The Sixing Club was very quiet today.

On the top floor.

When Academician Ma arrived, Bai Lian had just blown out the candles, and Lu Xiaohan turned on the lights.

Unable to stay long, Academician Ma didn’t go inside. He looked at the people in the room, his gaze passing over Jiang Fuli and Xu Nanjing, waiting for Bai Lian at the door.

Xiao Bingwen was quietly discussing with Xu Nanjing why Director Chen showed such respect to that blonde guy.

Before they finished their discussion, the manager opened the door again.

“Miss Bai, are there more guests coming?” Xiao Bingwen asked while turning his head, only to see Academician Ma standing outside with his typically messy hair, holding a notebook.

Academician Ma, an international quantum physics giant.

Foreign laboratories had broken countless rules trying to recruit him, all without success.

He was a living fossil in the Physics department.

Xiao Bingwen had only seen him in lectures or university physics textbooks, and now he appeared at Sixing.

Xiao Bingwen blinked.

Beside him, Xu Nanjing had met Shi Yu before, so he was calmer than Xiao Bingwen, though his confusion grew – first Jian Zhongyou and Principal Shi, then Dean Shu.

And now even Academician Ma had shown up?

Bai Lian was also very surprised. Academician Ma should have been someone who paid no attention to matters outside his field. His circle was simple, only physics – all other social interactions were beyond his consideration.

Why would he come here?

She glanced at Jiang Fuli, who stood up first. Bai Lian quietly told Ji Heng something and went out with Jiang Fuli.

“Academician Ma,” Bai Lian walked outside, “Why did you come?”

Jiang Fuli lazily followed behind Bai Lian.

Academician Ma hadn’t planned to come, but Jiang Fuli said this was an important year for her.

“Heard it was your birthday,” Academician Ma looked around at the environment, very quiet with no disturbances, “This place is suitable for reading and research.”

Bai Lian looked around, usually this place shouldn’t be this quiet.

“Have you reviewed the algorithms?” Academician Ma stopped evaluating the environment and routinely asked Bai Lian several questions. She answered them all, showing considerable insight.

It was clear she had studied diligently after returning.

Such top-tier talents were too rare in China.

Academician Ma had finally found someone who matched his expectations perfectly, and hadn’t plunged headfirst into the bottomless pit of dark matter like Jiang Fuli.

Looking at Bai Lian, as if seeing the near future, his voice became gentle, “These are some insights I’ve gathered since entering the field, and a USB drive with my collected materials. Take your time reviewing them throughout your university years.”

Academician Ma handed the notebook and USB drive to Bai Lian.

“This…” Bai Lian lowered her eyelashes, looking at the notebook and USB drive.

“Take them without worry,” Academician Ma looked at her, coughing lightly, “If this year is your starting point, I hope you can carry our dreams to the mountaintop. The answer lies on the path.”

The hallway lights at the club weren’t bright.

Bai Lian looked at Academician Ma, whose eyes were cloudy yet gentle. From their first meeting, Bai Lian had noticed his poor health.

But when she was leaving Jiangjing, he still came to see her off.

“Thank you.” Bai Lian accepted the notebook, respecting heaven, earth, ruler, parents, and teachers – she had always respected her teachers.

Academician Ma had no interest in such gatherings. Jiang Fuli and Bai Lian saw him downstairs.

Downstairs, Assistant Yu saw Academician Ma come down in less than ten minutes with two people beside him. The assistant looked at the young woman with her hair loosely tied up.

Before he could be surprised that the academician had come to see Bai Lian.

His gaze fell on the tall man beside her. The man had lowered eyes, with the club’s entrance lights behind him making his face unclear, only showing a smooth jawline. His entire figure was noble and cold, like the solitary moon hanging high in the sky.

Such a cold aura, the assistant had only seen in one person.

He got out of the car, opened the door for Academician Ma, and looking up, indeed saw those extremely light eyes, “Young Master Jiang.”

Assistant Yu respectfully called out.

After Assistant Yu drove away, he looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Jiang Fuli enter the club beside the young woman, speaking to her quietly.

He could clearly see that Bai Lian was holding Academician Ma’s notebook.

“Don’t spread word of today’s events,” In the back seat, Academician Ma closed his eyes.

After seeing Academician Ma off, Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli walked back upstairs.

Jiang Fuli walked on her left, one hand in his pocket. The server stood at the elevator door, pressing the button as they approached.

Reaching the top floor.

Jiang Fuli turned his head to look at Bai Lian, “Want to check out the terrace?”

At this time, it wasn’t hot outside.

The terrace was large, surrounded by fresh flowers. Standing on Sixing’s top floor terrace, one could overlook the bar street and night market opposite.

Bai Lian held the notebook in her left hand, supported herself on the railing with one hand, watching the city lights below. Pink roses bloomed in the flower pot beside her.

She used to like standing on city walls too, watching sunsets, the moon, and stars.

Back then, there were countless stars.

The terrace below was covered with green lawn, occasional wooden tables and pavilions, surrounded by decorative lights.

Jiang Fuli turned his head to look at her for a while.

Then lowering his eyebrows, he covered her right hand. Jiang Fuli’s palm was always cool, like spring water slowly flowing from snow mountains in summer.

The rose petals beside them swayed in the wind, their shadows falling on their hands, trembling slightly.

Jiang Fuli lowered his eyelashes, unfolded Bai Lian’s fingers, then placed a long wooden box he had been holding for a long time in her palm. Looking up, the surrounding lights scattered in his light eyes, turning into countless stars. He seemed very casual: “A gift.”

Bai Lian looked into his eyes, smiled lazily, “What is it?”

Jiang Fuli released his hand, with bits of laughter in his eyes. He rarely had such gentle moments, now appearing even more ethereally beautiful, outshining the brilliantly blooming roses around them, “Take a look.”

Inside the box was a white jade hairpin, with fine texture, crystal clear, seeming to have a layer of fluorescence under the dim lights. The end of the pin was carved with a poppy flower.

Meanwhile in the private room.

“Why hasn’t Sister Lian returned yet,” Lu Xiaohan handed a piece of cake to Xu Nanjing, “Have some cake.”

Xu Nanjing held the cake but didn’t eat it, his gaze still on the door, “Why did Academician Ma come to see Sister Ah Lian?”

Lu Xiaohan didn’t know Academician Ma.

But Ning Xiao and Tang Ming had guessed something.

Back at the Boyuan base, Academician Ma suddenly came to attend class, and later Bai Lian took them to his lecture.

Lu Xiaohan spoke, “Probably asking what she’ll study later, I heard Dean Shu asked if Sister Lian wanted to join the Chinese department.”

Lu Xiaohan cut another piece of cake for Xiao Bingwen.

Bai Lian’s classmates seemed very casual about these people coming to see her.

Xiao Bingwen held his fork without eating, unconsciously asking: “That was Academician Ma… do you know what Academician Ma does?”

Ning Xiao looked down at problems on his phone, not looking at Xiao Bingwen.

Tang Ming patiently explained to Xiao Bingwen, “I know Academician Ma, I attended his lecture last year and bought that condensed matter book, though I haven’t really understood it yet.”

These professional terms clearly showed they knew Academician Ma’s identity.

So why were they still so calm?

Xu Nanjing heard he had attended Academician Ma’s lecture and suddenly looked up: “Which university did you apply to?”

“Jiang University,” Tang Ming scratched his head, very embarrassed, “I didn’t do as well as Sister Lian and Ning Xiao, barely meeting the Physics department’s requirements.”

Jiang University’s most famous major, Physics, was the ceiling in China, ranking among global universities.

The score requirements were incredibly high, most students entered through competitions.

Back then, even with Jiang Fuli’s tutoring, Xu Nanjing only got into Jiang University’s Economics department.

Xiao Bingwen looked at the embarrassed Tang Ming. Tang Ming, Ning Xiao and the others were students from Xiangcheng. He thought they were like Lu Xiaohan, just getting into schools in Jiangjing, how were they all at Jiang University, and all in the Physics department?

When did Jiang University’s Physics department become so common?

Xiao Bingwen looked at Tang Ming’s baby face, suddenly feeling that Bai Lian’s classmate also became unfathomable.

Xu Nanjing noticed something. He knew Bai Lian’s previous ranking on the Jiangjing app, which was basically the college entrance exam ranking, more or less the same.

Plus he was busy with auctions and mining business, flying abroad for several months, only finishing in early July.

Hadn’t paid much attention to the college entrance exam.

Now finally realizing, Xu Nanjing put down his small cake: “Wait, how much did Sister Ah Lian score in the college entrance exam?”

“Her?” Lu Xiaohan casually sat on the table, picking up the camera nearby, operating it to watch playback, “750, perfect score, national champion. Go search the news from Beicheng and Xiangcheng, even the Beicheng Education Bureau couldn’t control it, it was everywhere, that was truly the grand reception befitting a national exam champion… tsk.”

Having witnessed that grand reception, Lu Xiaohan wasn’t surprised by whoever came to see Bai Lian.