ATLAS TRANSLATES

The Ren family.

When Ren Wanxuan returned home, she saw Ren Qian instructing his secretary, “Do you have channels for tobacco? Get more tobacco.”

The secretary nodded.

He had heard that Master Chen’s men were aggressively looking for various tobaccos recently. Though things seemed peaceful on the surface, no one knew how much had been secretly mobilized.

Xiangcheng didn’t produce much tobacco.

They were searching all over the country for rare tobaccos, trying to get on Master Chen’s good side.

After Ren Qian went upstairs, the secretary finally looked at Ren Wanxuan. “Miss, did that Class 15 person come apologize to you today?”

“No,” Ren Wanxuan shook her head, feeling uneasy. “The principal didn’t look for me either. I hope nothing bad happened.”

Even if the Class 15 people didn’t come, the principal should have come!

But Ren Wanxuan didn’t see anyone that afternoon.

After her outburst that day, Ren Wanxuan only found out when she got home that it was quite serious. But she was too embarrassed to go find the principal herself.

So she had the secretary handle it.

“What could happen?” The secretary was very confident in Ren Wanxuan’s capabilities. “What else could they do? Other than you, who could they find to help with the promotional video?”

Hearing the secretary’s reassuring words, Ren Wanxuan calmed down. He had a point.

“What you need to do now is be patient and see who cracks first. Strength is everything,” the secretary said with a smile. “Just watch, they’ll come begging you tomorrow.”

**

The library.

Bailian had just sat down with Jiang He when she received a text message, a string of numbers without a name –

[Let’s meet somewhere and talk tomorrow.]

Unsigned, but Bailian knew it was from Ji Mulan.

She didn’t reply.

On the other end, Ji Mulan felt annoyed seeing no reply to her message.

Beside her, Xu En was video conferencing with the executive director. His brows were knitted together. “No tobacco channels under our flag? Look again. Master Chen is in Xiangcheng, a rare opportunity.”

In Jiangjing, they didn’t even have a chance to meet Master Chen.

Ji Mulan didn’t really understand these figures. There was a huge gap between her and Xu En, just as Ji Xing had said. Bringing Bailian along might not be a good thing after all.

She sat quietly beside Xu En, listening without disturbing their discussion.

Xu En ended the video call before looking at Ji Mulan. “She didn’t agree to meet you?”

“Mm,” Ji Mulan nodded, then shook her head. “I’ll go find her directly tomorrow.”

Xu En didn’t care much about Bailian. He only cared about the rejected visit request.

Bailian was looking through the Jiangjing University prep camp app in the library.

She was weak in chemistry.

She had always been too lazy to do the questions, but coincidentally, the Jiangjing University prep camp app allowed skipping questions you didn’t know.

Today Bailian did one physics question and one math question.

“Started practicing questions?” Jiang Fuli had just arrived upstairs and saw someone using the Jiangjing University prep camp questions. He raised a brow.

Bailian had one hand pressing down some paper and the other holding a pen, calculating a question. Wearing a snowy white top, she was half sprawled over the table. Under the library lights, her side profile was smooth as jade. No matter how you looked, she appeared gentle and pretty.

She was very serious when doing homework, but today she somehow gave off a lazy, unhurried vibe.

“What’s that?” Bailian changed position, propping her chin in her hand lazily and tilting her head up a bit.

She saw Jiang Fuli holding a glass bottle.

It contained light blue water with dark blue crystalline structures inside, like snowflake flowers.

Bailian was quickly drawn to the beautiful colors.

There weren’t many people in the library. Jiang Fuli sat down across from her, slightly leaning against the chair back. He slid the bottle over, a somewhat nonchalant gesture. “Blue crystal flower vase.”

Bailian took it and put down her light. She quietly looked at the crystallized blue flowers under the lamp.

“Made with glycine and basic copper carbonate,” Jiang Fuli’s light-colored eyes always appeared distant. But now, sitting in the library under the lights, they took on a hint of allure. “Do you know the other name for this shade of blue?”

Bailian was still observing the blue crystals.

From Jiang Fuli’s description, she roughly knew this was made with chemicals.

“Klein blue,” Jiang Fuli said lightly.

Bailian nodded, silently repeating the name to herself.

As they spoke, Jiang Fuli saw Bailian doing app questions. He straightened up a little and seemingly casually asked, “Started practicing questions?”

He had assumed Bailian didn’t want to do questions.

Later he found out her chemistry and biology were a bit weak, yet he didn’t see her studying chemistry.

“Mm,” Bailian glanced at her phone, then smiled. “It seems you can skip the chemistry ones.”

A certain someone profoundly hid his talents and remained breezy. “That’s good.”

Jiang He sat next to Bailian, expressionlessly flipping through a large dictionary.

“There will be a local training camp for the Jiangjing app over winter break,” Jiang Fuli picked up Bailian’s phone and briefly scrolled through. “It’ll be quite helpful for chemistry.”

It was Bailian’s first time hearing there was a training camp. She looked thoughtful.

Nine o’clock.

The library was closing.

Jiang Fuli watched Bailian pack up her backpack. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. He contemplated briefly, “Chi Yundai made a lot of delicious food today.”

Chi Yundai was the best cook Bailian had met.

She was a little hesitant about his cooking, but still zipped up her coat decisively and tilted her head at Jiang Fuli in regret. “Then you and Jiang Xiaoniao can go eat. I’m going home to eat with Grandpa.”

Ji Xing had been worried these past two days.

Bailian went home to eat with him every night.

“Your grandpa hasn’t eaten yet?” Jiang Fuli looked at her.

“Mm, you guys go eat,” Bailian waved behind her as she walked away. “I’ll take the bus home.”

She got on the bus that had just pulled up.

Jiang Fuli expressionlessly watched as the swaying bus slowly drove off, leaving only its rear end to him.

Beside him, Jiang He squatted on the ground.

He silently glanced up at Jiang Fuli.

Jiang Fuli looked down at him condescendingly and coldly sneered, “Squatting to avoid being seen by others?”

?

**

The next day, Tuesday.

Bailian didn’t eat lunch. She had to go reshoot the promotional video.

It was still the same photographer. He recognized Bailian and was very surprised. “Classmate Bai, you know Liangti script too?”

Before Bailian could speak, the excited principal beside her explained to the photographer, “That’s right. And Classmate Bai’s Liangti script is very good.”

They had to reshoot Bailian writing big characters today.

Bailian took off her school uniform jacket, revealing the ivory colored top inside. Then she picked up a wolf-hair brush.

“Just write on this desk pad.” The photographer’s voice was gentle. Since the principal had recommended this new candidate, they would naturally cooperate.

Bailian stood in front of the desk pad.

One hand pressed on the paper, the other holding the wolf-hair brush. Her eyes were lowered.

A wooden hairpin loosely held up her hair.

Dappled sunlight streamed in through the tree gaps and glass windows, falling sporadically on her, enshrouding her in a hazy, mysterious way.

Though she didn’t have any extra gestures like Ren Wanxuan, everyone present unconsciously held their breath.

She had a certain indescribable aura that intricately linked her with the entirety of Xiangcheng.

The clash of ancient and modern was very pronounced.

After a long time without hearing the next step, Bailian looked up and asked in confusion, “Can I start now?”

“Ah,” the photographer came back to his senses. “Yes, yes, just like that. It feels great.”

He turned on the camera.

Only then did Bailian hang her wrist and bring the brush down on the paper –

[Drinking heavily, fighting battles, a lone arrow storms the netherworld]

This was the line of words on the stone at First Middle School, and also the line Ren Wanxuan had failed to write properly over and over that day.

Bailian completed it in one go.

Her brushstrokes were forceful and bold, vigorous and unrestrained. The principal had felt the overpowering momentum yesterday when she used the black brush. It was even more so today with the wolf-hair brush she was most used to!

At a glance, it felt like the killing aura and arrogance of each stroke lunged out.

This line of words, with just one look, could conjure up a scene of brave soldiers killing enemies.

Such was the charm of calligraphy.

Such was the resonance in Chinese people’s DNA, who with just a line of words could feel their blood boil.

After finishing, Bailian also looked at the line of words for a while, very dissatisfied. Then she turned her head to the photographer, “I’ll redo it.”

Since it was just a promotional video, it didn’t need to be perfect.

She didn’t take off the weight on her wrist either. Her wrist strength wasn’t up to par yet.

Bailian was about to take down the ink stone to crumple up the paper.

The principal quickly stopped her and snatched the paper from Bailian’s hand. “Redo it? Why redo when you wrote so well?”

The photographer also replayed the video.

He didn’t understand calligraphy, but could feel the shock from Bailian’s style.

When filming Ren Wanxuan last time, he knew calligraphers needed to be in the right state to write well. A good state produced good writing. Without the state, no matter how you wrote, you wouldn’t be satisfied, like Ren Wanxuan.

Bailian had written so beautifully. If this were destroyed, what if she couldn’t write something like this again?

“Classmate Bai, just leave it like this,” the principal carefully blew the ink dry. His eyes didn’t leave the writing once. “Go back to class first. We’ll keep the words like this.”

He seemed afraid Bailian would crumple up the paper.

Clearly, he and the photographer had the same thought.

Bailian: “…”

She opened her mouth, really wanting to explain.

Then the photographer pushed her out the door.

Bailian looked speechlessly at the closed door for a while. “Principal, my uniform.”

The door opened a crack.

Her uniform was tossed out.

After taking her uniform, Bailian stared at the door for a long time—

Fine.

She slowly walked towards the cafeteria.

Lunchtime wasn’t over yet for most students. As soon as Bailian entered the cafeteria, Lu Xiaohan waved to her, “Here!”

Lu Xiaohan had gotten food for Bailian.

**

After eating, the group headed back to class.

On the way, they happened to run into Class 8 who had also just finished eating.

Ren Wanxuan and her followers also had less than positive impressions of each other, but at least maintained superficial peace.

Ren Wanxuan’s gaze slowly fixed on Zhang Shize.

Zhang Shize got goosebumps all over. “Sis Bailian, let’s go. There’s filth here!”

He exaggerated, leaving with the Class 15 students.

Behind them, Ren Wanxuan’s expression worsened. She had assumed Zhang Shize deliberately came to apologize. How could he just leave like that?

Beside her, Chen Zhuo also recalled the previous incident. “How was that handled?”

“I don’t know,” Ren Wanxuan felt gloomy inside too. She knew it was time to film this afternoon, but Zhang Shize hadn’t looked for her and the principal hadn’t either. “I’ll go ask the principal.”

Everything about this affair seemed shady from beginning to end.

The secretary had told her to hold steady, that the principal and Class 15 people would definitely come to her.

She had been very confident at first, not worrying about it at all. But now, with time running out, she still hadn’t seen a single person come apologize!

Only now did Ren Wanxuan start to panic.

She went to the principal’s office to look for him, but the principal wasn’t in his office right then.

Ren Wanxuan waited patiently for over ten minutes before he finally strolled in.

“Student Ren,” the principal was very surprised to see Ren Wanxuan, then seemed to realize something. He smiled and didn’t directly address it. “Have a seat first.”

Only after Ren Wanxuan sat down did the principal pour himself a cup of tea and slowly say, “Student Ren, is there something you’re looking for me about?”

Seeing the principal’s composed manner, Ren Wanxuan knew things weren’t as she and the secretary had imagined.

“Principal,” Ren Wanxuan’s etiquette had always been good. She was very polite. “Don’t take my grandfather’s secretary’s words to heart about that tourism promo matter.”

This was giving him an out.

The principal smiled gently. “So you’ve forgiven Zhang Shize?”

“We’re all schoolmates.”

The principal nodded. “That’s good then.”

He didn’t say anything else.

Ren Wanxuan waited for the principal to pick up where she left off, but after the “that’s good,” he fell silent.

Seeing Ren Wanxuan still hadn’t left, the principal was puzzled. “Anything else, Student Ren?”

She bit her lip and looked at the principal, speaking in an almost humiliating way, “I will film the promotional video.”

“Promotional video?” The principal looked up from his computer and smiled. “Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Just now, Classmate Bai already finished filming it.”

Ren Wanxuan’s humiliated expression instantly shifted to shock. Her heartbeat even skipped. “What?!”

The principal continued composedly waving her over. “You didn’t know? Classmate Bai can actually write Liangti script too. I’m watching the video she filmed right now. Student Ren, come take a look too.”