ATLAS TRANSLATES

“Lian Jie,” outside the door, Lu Xiaohan looked at Sister Xin closing the back door and turned to Bai Lian, “It feels a bit strange.”

Bai Lian looked up at the doorframe, unconsciously twirling her phone in her hand.

“Not sure,” she gripped her phone, thinking briefly, “You go home first, ask around a bit.”

When the students from Class 15 left, they weren’t as relaxed as when they arrived.

But no one in Class 15 could have imagined –

What could the usually sunny Zhang Shize have done? At most, something happened at home, or worst case, Zhang Shize himself was sick, or in a car accident?

Pah!

Lu Xiaohan slapped herself.

Jinx.

This was also what most people in Class 15 thought.

Bai Lian went to the hospital on her way to see her aunt.

Today, Ji Heng only came at noon to bring chicken soup for Shen Qing. His timing was off – Xu En and Ji Mulan were both there, and the room was filled with health supplements they had brought.

Seeing Bai Lian arrive, Xu En smiled and greeted her, “Ah Lian, school’s out.”

Very normal, he always knew how to keep his distance.

Never crossing the line.

Bai Lian didn’t have much hostility towards him, but that was about it. With Ji Mulan standing next to him, Bai Lian just gave a “Mm,” which was her greatest display of politeness.

“Mr. Xu, why are you here tonight?” Ji Shaojun had just finished class not long ago and poured two cups of water for Ji Mulan and Xu En.

Today he didn’t make Bai Lian do it.

Mainly because Ji Shaojun felt Bai Lian was hostile towards Ji Mulan and feared Bai Lian might splash water in Ji Mulan’s face.

Xu En smiled and after routinely asking about Shen Qing’s condition, he pondered briefly: “One of my business partners is in the ICU, I’m going to see him later.”

“I see,” Ji Shaojun nodded, not asking further, “Then you should go quickly.”

Xu En also knew that Ji Mulan didn’t get along well with this mother-daughter pair. He wasn’t clear about their past issues, but lately he could sense Ji Mulan had major attitude problems towards Bai Lian.

After he left with Ji Mulan.

Ji Shaojun looked at Bai Lian, gesturing for her to pour her own water, “You and your mom…”

He was wondering if there was any chance of reconciliation between them.

After all, they were mother and daughter.

Now even Ji Mulan and Ji Heng’s relationship had eased somewhat.

“Stop,” Bai Lian couldn’t stand hearing about Ji Mulan, she put her workbook on the table, “Uncle, I’m here to see Aunt.”

In others’ eyes, there didn’t seem to be much problem between Bai Lian and Ji Mulan.

But only Bai Lian knew –

The original Bai Lian was already dead.

Dead in the cold lake.

Ji Shaojun silently watched Bai Lian sit on Shen Qing’s bed, habitually feeling Shen Qing’s pulse.

Shen Qing gave him a glare, annoyed at his meddling.

Ji Shaojun turned to make a cup of tea for Bai Lian himself. He had few blood relatives, Ji Mulan was his sister, he still couldn’t let go.

“Ah Lian, your grandfather said you sleep at midnight every night? And wake up before 6?” Shen Qing could now sit up leaning against the headboard, though her head was still wrapped in bandages.

Her voice had regained strength.

Overall, she was recovering very well.

Ji Heng got up at night to go to the bathroom and saw Bai Lian’s window still open. He came worrying about this today.

Shen Qing spoke for Ji Heng, “Health is very important, let’s take it slow, no rush this year.”

Bai Lian withdrew her hand and looked up. She was still wearing her school uniform, the zipper not fully zipped up, revealing the white collar inside. She just looked at Shen Qing like this, her features delicate and beautiful, her voice soft and slow, “But I need to study, Aunt.”

Shen Qing: “…Right, right, studying is most important, studying is most important, but try to sleep by midnight if possible.”

Ji Shaojun put the tea aside, listening very helplessly.

Is this how you persuade someone?

Bai Lian left after seeing Shen Qing, after all, there was still a Lansi waiting for her at home.

After she left, Ji Shaojun glanced at Shen Qing, “Dad asked you to persuade her, not indulge her.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Shen Qing leaned against the headboard.

With Ji Shaojun’s personality, he’d be even more useless than Ji Heng.

Before Bai Lian could speak, he’d probably already say, [It’s fine Ah Lian, you can study as late as you want, Uncle will keep you company.]

Ji Shaojun opened his mouth.

He wanted to refute.

But he didn’t know where to start refuting.

“Sophistry!” He could only bury his head and go to the bathroom to fetch water for Shen Qing.

** Outside the hospital ICU.

Liu’s father, in his sixties, looked at Liu Xinming inside the glass room, his gaze fierce, “No matter who it is, I want him dead. Get me Zhao Jingzhou, even at ten times the price, get him for me!”

Zhao Jingzhou, the top lawyer team of Time Light Media.

From a red circle firm.

Always undefeated.

He was also extremely popular online, without a single lost case, the lowest result being a mutual settlement.

“Director Liu, we’re already contacting him!” The person beside him said in a low voice, “Mr. Xu is here.”

Just as he spoke, the elevator doors opened, and Xu En walked down the corridor with Ji Mulan.

Director Liu put on a sorrowful expression, “Mr. Xu, thank you for remembering my son at this critical moment. Don’t worry, I’ll handle his affairs for him, it absolutely won’t delay your important matters.”

“Director Liu, company matters can be put aside,” after shaking hands, Xu En looked at the familiar ICU, “What exactly happened to Young Liu, is he still not out of danger?”

As they spoke, the deputy director came to check on patients.

He carried a medical record book and looked at Director Liu, “Mr. Liu, we’ve done our best, the other party was ruthless, the success rate is less than 10%, you need to transfer hospitals quickly.”

Director Liu had already sent the condition to North City Hospital.

North City Hospital gave the same response.

As for why they were still staying at Xiangcheng Hospital…

“Didn’t your hospital have a similar case before, with a successful surgery?” Director Liu stared intently at the doctor, “North City Hospital said it’s better to stay in Xiangcheng than transfer!”

Hearing this, the deputy director was stunned.

He instinctively looked at Xu En.

Xu En was also present for Shen Qing’s previous incident.

Director Liu noticed the deputy director’s eye movement and hurriedly looked at Xu En, “Mr. Xu, you…”

“This matter…” Xu En was also very troubled, “I don’t know that doctor either.”

Ji Mulan looked at Director Liu and tugged Xu En’s sleeve, “Just go ask Ah Lian, she still drinks tea with my dad every day.”

Director Liu looked gratefully at Ji Mulan, then made to kneel down, “Mr. Xu, I beg you to save my son, he’s done so much charity work, to be beaten by a little hooligan…”

“Ah Director Liu, don’t do this,” Xu En also knew Liu Xinming, a famous online philanthropist who had donated to many orphanages, “I’ll try my best, if there’s a chance I’ll help you contact.”

The deputy director said from the side: “But even if that gentleman comes now, the success rate is very low.”

The person who beat this Liu was clearly aiming for his life.

It’s also because the Liu family is wealthy and lucky, Jiang Fuli had just transported a batch of medical equipment before, with various machines keeping one life, if it were elsewhere he would have died that night.

** Ji Heng’s courtyard.

When Bai Lian returned, it was almost dark.

Lansi hadn’t left yet.

Jiang He stayed here yesterday, and was now squatting beside Ji Heng watching him sew clothes.

In just over a week, Ji Heng and the auntie next door took turns working non-stop, finally embroidering all the patterns.

This was also because Ji Heng’s craftsmanship was exquisite, almost without having to undo and re-embroider.

If it were others, it would take at least half a month to finish embroidering.

“This is really amazing!” When Bai Lian returned, Lansi was praising the nearly finished garment, “Amazing!”

Bai Lian looked at that long robe.

The deep blue satin base reflected light under the big lamp, about 130 cm long, the hem of the robe embroidered with layer upon layer of wave patterns, one layer blue, one layer yellow, one layer red, then another layer blue… repeating like this for over a dozen layers.

Above the wave pattern were auspicious cloud embroideries, three-colored cloud patterns, with very small crape myrtle flower patterns spreading out at the hem.

Matching the sleeve cuff color.

But between the collar and hem, countless gold-based red-patterned dragons were embroidered, interspersed with different colored patterns, which were Lansi’s favorite flower colors.

Although it was gaudy.

It had a unique style.

As soon as Lansi saw it, he couldn’t take his eyes off, “Let me try it!”

He took off his gaudy jacket and eagerly tried on the long robe.

Bai Lian came out of the room with silver needles and saw Lansi wearing the long robe. He wasn’t very familiar with the frog buttons, so Ji Heng fastened them for him.

Lansi was usually accustomed to an unruly style.

Floral pants and floral shirts.

Today’s long robe was still his favorite floral colors, but the deep blue satin and exquisite embroidery made the originally gaudy floral colors seem like a work of art.

Jiang He sat to the side, marveling at the brand new Lansi. He was amazed at how Lansi transformed from a disco old man to a handsome little old man.

“Not bad.” Bai Lian slowly pulled out a silver needle and commented.

With her eye for quality, she could naturally see that not only was Ji Heng’s embroidery skill exquisite, but the satin fabric he used for Lansi was also top-notch! It’s just…

Bai Lian glanced at the warehouse, almost every bolt of fabric in Ji Heng’s warehouse was very precious, where did he get them from?

“Yeah!” After putting on the long robe, Lansi was unwilling to take it off. He sat on the stool, gesturing for Bai Lian to give him acupuncture like this.

Wash? He was unwilling to take it off to wash for now.

“You want one too?” Ji Heng wrapped the embroidery needles in oiled paper, lowered his head and found Jiang He’s eyes full of admiration.

Jiang He usually doesn’t speak.

But after Ji Heng finished speaking, his eyes clearly brightened two degrees.

Ji Heng opened the oiled paper again, “What color do you like?”

Before asking, Ji Heng hadn’t thought there would be a particularly outrageous answer.

After all, except for Lansi, everyone else he knew including Bai Lian had very normal aesthetic tastes.

Before hearing Jiang He’s answer, he never thought he would hear this kind of answer–

“Chinese cabbage.”

Ji Heng: “…What?”

Jiang He looked up, afraid Ji Heng hadn’t heard clearly, and gestured with his hand: “Big Chinese cabbage.”

Ji Heng’s mind flashed with one, two, three big Chinese cabbages: “…”

Really.

Very fortunately, his granddaughter’s aesthetic taste was very normal.

Otherwise, if everyone around him had aesthetic tastes like Jiang He and Lansi, he would doubt this world someday.

** Xiangcheng Police Station.

Yan Lu supported Zhang Ma, strongly suppressing her emotions, asking the police officer in an orderly manner, “Can’t we visit? We want to see if he’s still okay…”

The police officer knew this young man had brutally beaten a philanthropist into that state, so his attitude towards Yan Lu and Zhang Ma was very cold, “Sorry, before the verdict takes effect, family members are not allowed to meet, except for the defense lawyer.”

After saying this, he didn’t care about the two of them.

He just left.

This wasn’t their first time here.

Zhang Ma sobbed, “Xiao Ze wouldn’t do this…”

“Let’s go first,” Sister Xin forcibly pulled the two away, “For criminal cases, even if the Liu family is willing to settle privately, the sentence won’t be short. Now there are only two important things, one is to find a lawyer, the second is to try to request a letter of forgiveness from the Liu family…”

The question is, how did Zhang Shize get involved with Liu Xinming? Sister Xin couldn’t figure it out.

On the desolate roadside, Zhang Ma shook her head, “I don’t know, he usually just plays basketball and video games, no other hobbies, at most there’s that Chen family kid…”

She knew Zhang Shize very well, but couldn’t find any connection between Zhang Shize and Liu Xinming.

“This is strange…” Sister Xin frowned.

But Yan Lu seemed to recall something. She returned to the hotel to check yesterday’s surveillance footage.

Sister Xin knew Yan Lu had unusual feelings for the Zhang family, so she accompanied her to watch the surveillance, “Why are you looking at yesterday’s footage?”

It was playing at 16x speed.

Yesterday afternoon at 3 o’clock.

A stranger left a letter in front of Yan Lu’s door.

“Is this a anti-fan?” Sister Xin was surprised.

Yan Lu pursed her lips without speaking, and scrolled down again. Close to 6 o’clock, Zhang Shize came carefreely carrying a lunchbox, looked at his phone at Yan Lu’s door and then put down the lunchbox–

He picked up that letter.

“I know, Sister Xin, it’s all my fault…” Yan Lu covered her face, “I ruined him…”

Sister Xin supported her, “Wait, don’t panic, what exactly happened?!”

Yan Lu bit her lip without speaking, just asked the hotel staff to copy this video segment.

When the two returned to the room, Yan Lu started organizing all the assets she had accumulated since her debut. As an 18th-tier minor celebrity, apart from a brief period of popularity at the beginning, she had been cold most of the time, so she didn’t have many assets.

She opened WeChat again and transferred back the money for buying a cemetery plot.

Beside her, Sister Xin was calling Man Xi, “Oh yes, it’s me. Man Xi, can you contact Director Liu’s secretary?”

On the other end of the phone.

Man Xi had just finished work when she received the call. She glanced at her own manager, “Yan Lu’s manager is asking me to contact Director Liu’s people.”

“Yan Lu?” Man Xi’s manager had extensive connections in the industry.

Since Man Xi shot to fame, he had been managing her. He thought for a long time before remembering who Yan Lu was, “The person Wang Xin manages, the one who introduced you to Immortal Destiny Mountain?”

Man Xi became popular because of the xianxia drama “Immortal Destiny Mountain”, which Yan Lu had helped connect her to.

Sister Xin also knew about this, which is why she reached out to Man Xi.

He made a phone call and came back with an unpleasant expression.

“Man Xi, delete all contact information for this Yan Lu,” the manager sneered. He used to be mortal enemies with Wang Xin, but now Wang Xin was managing the lukewarm Yan Lu, completely incomparable to him, “I knew why Wang Xin came to find you, offended the Liu family and still wants to drag you down. You’d better not get involved in this matter, don’t stick your neck out.”

Although Man Xi is now a top-tier star, she still has a ten-year contract with Time Light Media. If she offends the higher-ups because of this and gets shelved, her career would be over.

Man Xi didn’t expect the matter to be so serious.

But she never questioned her manager’s judgment.

She took out her phone, unfollowed Yan Lu on Weibo, blocked her number, and deleted her WeChat.

** The next day.

Ji Heng woke up early and saw Bai Lian squatting on guard.

Ji Heng recited emotionlessly: “Isoprene undergoes ozonolysis, then hydrolysis in the presence of zinc…”

Very perfect.

Ji Heng went to the bathroom like a wandering soul.

In the outside bathroom, Jiang He had already squeezed toothpaste for him and handed him the toothbrush, his pitch-black eyes staring at Ji Heng without blinking, not saying a word.

Ji Heng: “…”

He took the toothbrush, expressionlessly, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t make clothes for you.”

Jiang He blinked, “Big Chinese cabbage.”

“Got it.” Ji Heng lowered his head, brushing his teeth very unemotionally.

Chinese cabbage it is.

Ji Heng had already learned to be resigned to his fate, learned to comfort himself.

Compared to the floral patterns Lansi insisted on adding, Chinese cabbage was at least a bit cuter.

Bai Lian went to school as usual. When she arrived in the morning, most people in class still had no clue about Zhang Shize’s whereabouts.

“I climbed over the wall to his house’s yard last night,” Wen Qi sat on Zhang Shize’s desk, analyzing seriously, “There was no one in the yard, don’t know where he went. You know that day, right? He was playing games with me, then suddenly he was gone!”

Wen Qi recalled this.

“Suddenly gone?” Bai Lian stopped writing. She turned sideways and looked back, her eyes narrowing, “Explain more clearly.”

Wen Qi recounted everything about Zhang Shize returning home and then mentioning him in the group chat.

“Oh, before that, he went to deliver food to his Yan jie.” Wen Qi shrugged.

Bai Lian’s fingers unconsciously tapped on the desk as she thought.

She wasn’t very familiar with the internet, so she asked Lu Xiaohan to check on Yan Lu’s recent activities.

While searching, Lu Xiaohan suggested, “We should also ask Teacher Lu.”

Others thought the same.

But Teacher Lu didn’t come today, she had a class and took leave.

At noon, the students from Class 15 went to check Zhang Ma’s flower shop again, but still no one was there.

After school in the afternoon.

Bai Lian was with Lu Xiaohan and others.

Jiang Fuli had made time today and was waiting with Jiang He at the entrance of the milk tea shop.

Bai Lian saw them from afar and was about to go over when a car beside her lowered its window: “Ah Lian.”

It was Xu En.

Lu Xiaohan beside her saw this and said: “Ah Lian, we’ll go to the Zhang family’s place first to check.”

The few students from Class 15 didn’t disturb them and left first.

Bai Lian stopped in her tracks. She glanced inside the car.

Ji Mulan wasn’t in the passenger seat.

So she didn’t leave, and politely asked, “Do you need something?”

“It’s like this,” Xu En got out from the other car door. He knew Bai Lian was busy with studies, so he didn’t waste words, “I have a business partner who’s in a similar situation to your aunt before. Now neither North City nor Xiangcheng dare to perform surgery. Can you help contact that doctor from before?”