ATLAS TRANSLATES

This morning, a person with top-secret clearance came to see prisoner 1108.

When he arrived, the young prison guard felt like the entire prison was under sniper surveillance.

If something went wrong with Mr. Jiang’s visit…

He had no doubt this place would be razed to the ground.

Now in the evening, another superior came to investigate.

“I don’t know, orders from above,” the warden said, walking out. “However…”

The orders came from someone in the Security Bureau…

Inside the room.

Zhang Shize stared wide-eyed at the man in front of him. “Dad? What are you doing here?”

Zhang’s father looked at his face.

After a long moment, he looked away and sneered, “Just got back from a business trip to hear you’re in jail.”

Zhang Shize: “…”

“One year,” Zhang’s father sat across from Zhang Shize, glancing at him. “You’re lucky you met someone influential, otherwise it’d be at least ten years.”

“Hehe.” Zhang Shize chuckled.

The two didn’t talk much. After a few minutes of silence, Zhang’s father asked, “Do you want me to get you moved to a different cell?”

He was referring to the injuries on Zhang Shize’s face.

Zhang Shize shook his head, “No need, Brother Jiang taught me a few moves.”

His hands were still cuffed, but he demonstrated a bit for his father.

“Dad, don’t tell Mom when you get back.” Zhang Shize reminded his father not to tell them about his injuries.

“You don’t need to tell me that.”

“Also, also,” Zhang Shize hadn’t seen his dad in a long time and had a lot to say, “While I’m not home, argue less with Mom, don’t make her angry.”

Zhang’s father: “…”

Aren’t you the one making her angry?

“Did you hear me?” Zhang Shize persisted, “She always forgets to trim the flower stems, remember to do it for her. And for Sister Yan, have Mom prepare an iris for her every day. You can’t give it to her yourself…”

“…Alright, alright, I got it.”

The visitation time quickly passed. Zhang’s father watched as Zhang Shize was led away. Once he was out of sight, his forced relaxed expression disappeared.

His whole demeanor became very solemn.

After leaving the prison.

He took out another phone and turned it on. The phone had no other miscellaneous apps, not even basic ones like phone or messaging.

It only had one communication app, with an unread message notification.

**

Meanwhile, with Ji Heng.

When Bai Lian and Jiang He returned, Lance was shouting in the yard.

“Jade! Jade!”

To go fishing today, he wore rather tight floral pants and a matching floral hat on his head.

Chen Ju quickly grabbed the fish that jumped out of Lance’s hands. “Dr. Lance, leave it to me, it’s fine, it’s fine!”

He casually grabbed the fish and gave it a swift cut.

Clean and efficient.

Lance was very impressed. “Wow, slice it!”

Ji Heng ignored the chaos outside as he fried the fish head hot pot base in the kitchen.

“Miss Bai,” Chen Ju looked up and saw Bai Lian. He showed off the fish he caught to her, “Look, I caught this one!”

Bai Lian looked down.

Chen Ju had been back for quite a while, but the fish he caught was still hanging at his waist, not taken down.

Bai Lian: “…”

She didn’t understand, but respected it.

She had reason to suspect these three had walked around Qingshui Street several times this afternoon.

Jiang He very naturally squatted beside Chen Ju, watching him kill the fish.

Bai Lian returned to her room and took out the invitation Little Seven gave her last night. It was a black and gold invitation, with “East Wu Club” embossed in gold on the cover.

She looked at it for a moment, then confirmed with Little Seven if this was the “East Wu” that Ming Dongheng and the others mentioned.

Little Seven wasn’t familiar with these things, so she asked others before replying to confirm for Bai Lian.

Bai Lian–

[Can it be given to someone else?]

She asked very sincerely.

Meanwhile.

An administrator of the East Wu Club received this message and was a bit confused. “What is Mr. Bai’s teacher asking?”

“If it can be transferred.”

The administrator: “…That’s not allowed.”

This was the first time he had encountered such a request.

Little Seven relayed the East Wu Club’s message to Bai Lian.

Alright then.

Little Seven: [Sis, their administrator asked if they can add you.]

Bai Lian: [1]

Preparing for Ming Dongheng.

Little Seven sent over Bai Lian’s profile picture.

When the East Wu Club staff received the recommended profile, they perked up. It was an ancient, heavy city tower avatar–

This avatar clearly belonged to a highly respected old master!

**

At Xu En’s residence.

The assistant found an opportunity to report the matter of the old lady to Xu En.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Xu En was startled to hear the old lady had called Bai Lian.

He suddenly stood up and walked out.

While instructing, “Prepare the car, we’re going to the Ji family.”

Ji Mulan was reading a finance magazine downstairs when she heard the commotion. She stood up, surprised, “Where are you going?”

“To your dad’s,” Xu En looked at Ji Mulan, “I need to talk to Ah Lian in person.”

The Ji family lived on Qingshui Street.

Ji Mulan had been back for so long but had never taken Xu En there.

That area was too old, with outdated alleys and houses. Xu En had mentioned visiting Ji Heng a few times, but she didn’t really want to take Xu En there.

“It’s so late now,” Ji Mulan closed the finance magazine and suggested slowly, “If you have something to discuss, why don’t you call my dad and we can meet him tomorrow?”

What she said made sense.

Xu En calmed down. This would be his first visit, and he hadn’t prepared any gifts. It wouldn’t be appropriate to show up unannounced.

He turned back and told his assistant to prepare some gifts.

Then he took out his phone to call Bai Lian.

The moment the call connected, Xu En felt like he could breathe again.

Thankfully.

Bai Lian hadn’t blocked him.

Xu En knew she had probably blocked Ji Mulan.

“I already declined on your behalf. I didn’t expect the old lady to look up your number. I know this must have caused you trouble, I’m really sorry. I’ll explain everything to the old lady.” Xu En returned upstairs, full of apologies.

Bai Lian was elegantly gnawing on a fish head. She sat on a stool, her tone very calm and unconcerned, “It’s fine.”

She hung up the phone.

Xu En finally relaxed.

Beside him, the assistant was also very apologetic.

“In the future, you need to tell me about these things first,” Xu En said sternly. “Although I’ve been busy lately, I still have time for this. If you can’t handle such small matters, I wouldn’t mind replacing you.”

The assistant’s heart sank.

He gained a new understanding of Bai Lian’s importance in Xu En’s heart.

“Mr. Xu, there’s one more thing,” the assistant remembered, “Old Mr. Ren has requested to meet with you.”

Ren Qian had been suspended for fifteen days pending investigation. Once someone is under investigation, many trivial matters get dug up. His position hadn’t changed, but his secretary had been dismissed.

His public credibility in Xiangcheng had been greatly affected.

So he was desperately trying to maintain connections. Chen Ju was completely out of reach for Ren Qian. Not just Ren Qian, even Xu En hadn’t met the legendary “Old Chen” since coming to Xiangcheng.

Unable to find Old Chen, Ren Qian turned to Xu En, who had come from Jiangzhou.

Xu En was now a major investor in Xiangcheng, with the tourism and hotel development in the area depending on him.

“I don’t have time recently,” Xu En waved his hand, “Go buy some tobacco, I noticed Old Mr. Ji likes to smoke. I’ll go to Xiangcheng No. 1 High School to find Ah Lian tomorrow.”

The assistant understood.

**

One week later.

Saturday morning.

Location: Xiangcheng Prison.

Jiang Fuli stood beside Bai Lian, slightly lowering his head. His cold and handsome profile was clearly visible as he glanced coldly at Zhang Shize opposite them, “That’s right, how come you still haven’t learned after a week of studying?”

He wore a simple trench coat, but even without doing anything, the nobility ingrained in his bones was distinctly apparent.

Before Bai Lian could scold Zhang Shize, he had already added fuel to the fire.

Zhang Shize opened his mouth and looked at Jiang Fuli with a bitter expression.

The problem was…

Jiang Fuli decisively said, “Look, he’s even glaring at me.”

“Zhang Shize,” Bai Lian was still holding a pen in her right hand. She looked up at him seriously, “You don’t really want Chi Lu to appeal your case another day, do you? Chi Lu would actually do it.” If not unleashed while baking a cake, then one becomes a psycho while baking a cake.

Zhang Shize: “…”

He looked crestfallen.

Beside Bai Lian, Jiang Fuli stood tall and elegant, smiling slightly at Zhang Shize, graceful and gentlemanly.

The two of them had been tutoring Zhang Shize for an hour.

Mainly Bai Lian was doing the talking.

Outside.

Zhang’s parents and Yan Lu were waiting to see Zhang Shize.

Today, Bai Lian wore a white undershirt with a jade green diagonal-front tied top over it. The white undershirt peeked out a bit, and the neckline and collar were embroidered with flowers in shades of stone green and bright green.

As the door opened, her skirt and sleeves swayed slightly in the breeze.

The cool-toned clothes reduced her languid air, adding a touch of coolness instead.

If Sister Xin were here, she’d be scheming about Bai Lian in her mind again.

“When’s your audition?” As Bai Lian passed by Yan Lu, she remembered Yan Lu’s audition.

The “Da Yong” production team had already arrived in Xiangcheng ahead of schedule. Some scenes were to be filmed on location in Xiangcheng, and the city gate area had recently become a filming location.

Yan Lu paused, “Next Wednesday.”

Bai Lian estimated the time. This week she had been watching Yan Lu’s spear techniques, walking posture, and various etiquette. Yan Lu already had the feel of the Da Yong era.

“Alright,” Bai Lian spoke casually, “I’ll come find you again in the evening to teach you one last move.”

“Thank you.” Yan Lu looked at Bai Lian very seriously.

As they were talking.

Jiang Fuli stood at the main gate waiting for Bai Lian. He held the car keys in one hand, with the other in his coat pocket, standing backlit and looking blurry and cold.

“Why do you keep staring at Mr. Jiang?” Zhang’s mother nudged Zhang’s father.

Zhang’s father snapped back to reality, “How much money do we have? Quickly buy a couple more houses in Xiangcheng.”

He suddenly spoke up.

Zhang’s mother: “…?”

**

Wednesday.

Yan Lu was auditioning for the female lead role in “Da Yong”.

The audition location was at a residence near the Xiangcheng city gate.

Many celebrities had flocked to Xiangcheng these days, with various behind-the-scenes photos online. Xiangcheng had gained some popularity on the internet as a result.

Yan Lu was number 32 in line.

When Bai Lian arrived, it wasn’t Yan Lu’s turn yet.

There were still over a dozen artists waiting for interviews in the courtyard.

“Miss Bai.” Sister Xin tried to help Yan Lu relax. She was very surprised to see Bai Lian arrive.

Bai Lian leisurely took out a black mask and put it on, revealing only a pair of dark eyes.

She was still wearing the No. 1 High School uniform. Some people’s aura can’t be hidden even with a mask. She was also tall, standing out among the crowd.

Quite a few people couldn’t help but look her over.

Wearing a school uniform and unfamiliar – probably a newcomer.

The entertainment industry is very realistic. Few people would bother with those who aren’t famous.

They quickly looked away.

Bai Lian didn’t care about others’ glances. She put on headphones to listen to vocabulary while opening her phone.

Teacher Jiang: [How much longer for her?]

Bai Lian had left him in the car outside. Mainly because if he came in, Bai Lian wasn’t sure if the auditions could proceed normally. She leisurely replied—

[Three more to go]

The biggest investor, Teacher Jiang: [Oh]

Outside the courtyard gate, another van stopped.

The door opened automatically, and everyone looked over.

A tall girl in a purple and white cardigan appeared. She wore sunglasses and a black baseball cap, only revealing her chin and a hint of red lips.

“Ah, it’s Teacher Manxi!”

“Teacher Manxi is here!”

The previously lazy artists perked up and rushed forward to greet Manxi.

Manxi had become a hit with a xianxia drama at the beginning of the year.

She was now an A-list actress! Currently the top star of Shiguang Entertainment, all of Shiguang’s resources were focused on Manxi. Her fans spanned the whole country, with a trend of developing towards top-tier celebrity status.

If she could secure the female lead in “Da Yong” this time, as long as her acting wasn’t terrible, becoming a top celebrity was just a matter of time.

After all, the White Lady she was playing was already top-tier in historical circles! As long as she acted well, with the fans’ bias towards the White Lady character, it could sustain Manxi’s career for life.

“Sorry, Manxi is in a hurry,” Manxi’s manager and assistant smiled as they shielded her from the crowd. “We have to rush back to Beicheng for the ‘Perfect Day’ recording after the audition.”

“Perfect Day” was currently the hottest variety show.

As expected of Shiguang Entertainment’s top star.

Manxi and her manager didn’t even look at Yan Lu and the others, not pausing for a moment.

“Oh, you’re here,” from inside, the associate director came out personally to welcome them, smiling. “We’ve been waiting for you. We were just telling the director how well Manxi has practiced with the spear. Go show him…”

The group went inside.

“As expected of Manxi, the associate director came out to greet her personally.”

“She even practiced with the spear. The female lead is definitely hers this time…”

“…”

Others discussed in low voices.

Bai Lian finally looked up. She turned to Sister Xin, puzzled: “She doesn’t have to wait in line?”

Before Sister Xin could reply, a young man nearby glanced at Bai Lian, “Does an A-list star like Manxi need to wait in line?”

“Yan Lu,” Bai Lian gripped her phone and said leisurely: “If you can’t even beat her, I’ll have Chi Lu sue you.”

Yan Lu: “…”

After Manxi went in, twenty minutes passed without her coming out.

Sister Xin’s expression wasn’t good either. Usually actors would come out within five minutes. Staying this long meant the directing team must be very satisfied with Manxi.

Nearly half an hour passed.

Manxi finally came out, escorted not only by the associate director from earlier, but also the director himself.

The group was laughing and chatting.

The expressions of the female artists waiting outside were not good. Most of them had been waiting since morning. There were even two A-list actresses earlier, including an award-winning actress, but the director didn’t personally escort any of them out.

The “Da Yong” directing team was clearly very satisfied with Manxi!

As Manxi passed by Yan Lu, she glanced at her from the corner of her eye, then let her gaze linger on Bai Lian’s face for less than half a second before casually looking away and returning to her car.

The directing team escorted Manxi to her car.

The associate director looked at the remaining few female artists and suddenly asked: “Do we still need to continue the auditions?”

With these words, the expressions of all the artists waiting for auditions changed.

Sister Xin couldn’t help but grip Yan Lu’s collar tightly.

The director originally didn’t want to continue, but after thinking for a moment, he waved his hand casually, “Let’s keep going.”

However, after the particularly impressive Manxi, they weren’t expecting much from the upcoming auditions.

The next three auditioning actresses went in and came out in less than three minutes.

Until it was Yan Lu’s turn.

The director didn’t say anything. The associate director waved his hand casually, “Just sit at that table and make a pot of tea.”

Yan Lu looked at the only table, which had a teapot and teacups on it. All her movements had been guided by Bai Lian. Two weeks ago, she started imitating the Da Yong era in her daily life.

She picked up the tea grinder and skillfully ground the tea.

Clean and efficient.

The associate director, who had been watching casually, suddenly sat up straight.

He exchanged a glance with the director, both their eyes showing surprise and amazement.

After Yan Lu finished her performance, the director’s expression became serious. He looked at Yan Lu curiously, “Have you studied Da Yong culture before?”

Yan Lu answered confidently, “I’ve been learning recently.”

The director observed her carefully. Yan Lu’s words and actions all carried an ancient air. He nodded to himself, then felt a bit regretful.

Yan Lu’s etiquette was better than Manxi’s. If not for Manxi, he would definitely choose Yan Lu for the female lead. But unfortunately, Manxi’s spear skills were more convincing.

Their production needed to be historically accurate. If the spear skills weren’t good, the audience wouldn’t buy it. If only these two could be combined somehow.

Thinking this, the director sighed. He asked casually, “Do you know how to use a spear?”

He didn’t have much hope.

Nowadays, young actors in the entertainment industry didn’t have martial arts skills anymore. Most couldn’t even do basic moves, let alone endure any hardship.

He had asked the same question to everyone auditioning for so long, and only Manxi could handle the spear with some skill.

“Yes, I do.”

“What?” The director and associate director suddenly looked up. They exchanged a glance, then stared intently at Yan Lu. The associate director asked: “What spear techniques do you know? Can you do a straight thrust?”

Yan Lu recalled that evening after seeing Zhang Shize.

Bai Lian came to the Zhang house to find her.

She wore a green top and white skirt, her profile lit by the sunset glow, her eyes sharper than Yan Lu had ever seen.

She held a long spear, her brows tinged with frost, languid yet casual: “Everyone knows the White Army is most famous for its ‘Returning Horse Spear’. Because the White Army had no reinforcements towards the end, the Returning Horse Spear was their trump card for turning defeat into victory. Every one of them knew it. So, Yan Lu, today I’ll teach you the final move—”

Yan Lu looked up. She stared at the director and associate director, her eyes determined, enunciating each word: “Returning Horse Spear!”