ATLAS TRANSLATES

Because “Regretful Love” only aired two episodes per week, although post-production for the entire drama was not yet complete, official promotions had already begun. Major TV stations started airing promotional clips in rotation and clearly set the broadcast date.

Then John made a sweeping gesture and chartered a plane for everyone to return home.

That day, I met Uncle En Hao. Just like in my previous life, when he saw me, even his hands trembled slightly. He said, “Baobei, you look so much like your mother.”

I nodded, looking at this kind old man.

Then he said, “Baobei, you acted very well, really well. They would be proud of you.” Uncle En Hao hadn’t said this in my previous life. So when I heard it, I actually felt proud to the point of tearing up.

I just didn’t expect that when leaving Italy, it was Fang Dingyue who came to pick up me and An’an. I unconsciously looked behind him and asked, “Where’s Fu Junyan?”

“He seemed to have an urgent matter and left last night. He’s not going back with us.”

I nodded, feeling an inexplicable emptiness in my heart. I looked at Gu Xiao’an who was grinning foolishly at me but didn’t say anything more.

Then he said, “Xiao’ai, thank you for the daisies.”

I thought for a moment and said to him, “Fang Dingyue, don’t be sad. Get better soon.”

Last time when we went to Venice, Xiao Qi was transported with the plane. This time, as soon as we got off the plane, Gu Xiao’an kept looking around with anticipation. But Xiao Qi didn’t come back with us at all. How could the little guy wait for him?

By the time I pulled him along to go through customs with the crew, Gu Xiao’an was already holding back tears, his big eyes innocently looking at me, saying, “Xiao Qi! Qi Qi! Jiejie! Pick up Xiao Qi.” I was very helpless but could only pat his hair. I squatted down and said to him seriously, “An’an, Xiao Qi is not Jiejie’s dog, nor is he your doggie. He’s Fu Junyan’s. So when the owner isn’t here, Xiao Qi can’t be with us, understand?”

Gu Xiao’an listened, blinking and looking at me for a long time. Then his mouth turned down, full of grievance as he threw himself into my arms.

Seeing this, Fang Dingyue walked over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head, patted the little head pouting on my shoulder and said, “This child can’t see Xiao Qi, so he’s throwing a tantrum.”

None of us expected fans to come pick us up at the airport, and on quite a large scale too. Gu Xiao’an wasn’t afraid of people, but seeing so many people crowding towards us, he still got scared and shrank into my arms, burying his face firmly against my chest. Fang Dingyue wore sunglasses and took off his hat with a cold face, placing it on An’an’s head to cover the little one. Then he stretched out his hand to protect me as we walked forward. But halfway through, we couldn’t move any further.

The people around us seemed to keep increasing, surging in this direction. I held An’an with more and more difficulty, my feet also getting jostled and unable to stand steady. Fans started screaming and cameras were directly shoved in front of my face. Fang Dingyue pursed his lips, reached out to block them, and simply pulled me and An’an into his arms. Then he spoke with displeasure, “Please make way, don’t scare the child.”

“Ah! It’s Fang Dingyue! Fang Dingyue!”

“Ah! Gu Baobei is over here! Mo Qian and Xinyao are standing together!”

I was dumbfounded, thinking Fang Dingyue would have been better off not speaking. Because with just one sentence from him, even more people surged in this direction. Fang Dingyue’s coldness also grew stronger and stronger. I patted Gu Xiao’an’s back with one hand, helplessly popped my head out from Fang Dingyue’s embrace. I tugged on Fang Dingyue’s sleeve and said, “Fang Dingyue, don’t be unhappy. They like you.”

Hearing this, his brows and eyes moved. In the end, he nodded at me. Jay saw that we were being squeezed badly and also forced his way through the crowd to stand on one side, wanting to shield me and An’an a bit.

I looked at him with a bitter face, feeling that with one more person, the fans squeezing towards us seemed to have increased again…

John was both alarmed and happy, but fortunately, he finally regained his senses and shouted for security. In the end, only with the help of security did we get into the van. Although the van was also blocked by fans for three hours before it could start moving.

After returning home, all the way until I finished the post-production recording, I still hadn’t seen Fu Junyan. Gu Xiao’an paced in circles in the room every day. Without Xiao Qi, he wasn’t even willing to look at Paw Patrol. I really had no choice and thought about helping him buy a puppy. But who knew, when he went to the pet market, he was very picky and wouldn’t even look at anything. He put on a fierce face and said, “Qi Qi is the best!” That wasn’t enough. I don’t know where he learned it from, but the little guy even looked up at me and said, “An’an and Xiao Qi are a match made in heaven!” I drove him home very despondently, feeling I had raised a brat. He and the dog were a match made in heaven…

One day, I had nothing to do and opened my computer. I accidentally clicked on a short behind-the-scenes clip of “Regretful Love”.

In the clip, I was wrapped in a blanket, looking at the gondolas in the river. Fu Junyan walked over from behind and nodded at me, handing me a cup of warm milk. I reached out to take it, holding it in my palms, and squinted my eyes in comfort from the warmth. He sat down beside me, the corners of his mouth curved in a faint smile, casually chatting with me. At that time, I saw myself in the footage, sweetly tilting my head to look at him, smiling with curved brows and eyes. Suddenly, I felt like a corner of my heart had been hollowed out. It didn’t hurt, it just felt terribly empty.

I really didn’t know when John had filmed these scenes. I only then recalled the saying “the stomach knows homesickness”. After returning home, my stomach actually started feeling homesick. In Italy, Fu Junyan had always taken care of my and Gu Xiao’an’s three meals on his own initiative. With his sudden departure, I became all thumbs. All the subsequent reactions to his absence followed one after another, although Gu Xiao’an was still very well-behaved.

But I discovered that Fu Junyan really had a way with things. At least when he was around, taking care of An’an wasn’t so tiring. When he was around, there was always warm water at home. An’an wouldn’t hold an empty cookie box and look at me, clutching his little tummy and saying he was hungry, only for me to search the entire house and not find a single thing to eat. He would tell An’an stories and answer An’an’s thousands of whys. He would do many, many things. You didn’t notice, but he had already permeated your life. I suddenly felt that I had always been confidently certain I was taking great care of An’an. But actually, that was all because there was a Fu Junyan by my side. He had long prepared everything properly, done everything properly.

I couldn’t cook either. In the beginning, I made do with the only things I knew how to make – poached eggs, fried eggs, steamed eggs, boiled eggs. Later on, An’an would hide at the sight of eggs and I started feeling nauseous too. I could only make an emergency request and have Shalira Hotel deliver meals on a set schedule every day.

I also only belatedly realized that I couldn’t get in touch with Fu Junyan. For four and a half months, he had silently integrated into my life. But when he left, I didn’t know how to find him.

With the broadcast of “Regretful Love”, the number of my Weibo followers rose at an unstoppable momentum. My Weibo had also been upgraded to a verified account.

Every time, I would subconsciously go open Fu Junyan’s Weibo to take a look. His scenes hadn’t started airing yet, but his popularity had already exploded. Come to think of it, this man seemed to have an innate magic power. Amazingly, just like in my previous life, his fans still called him “Junyan”, “Junyan the Gentleman”. Even though he was filming a modern drama, his fans praised him, “A beautiful jade-like person on the path, an unparalleled nobleman in the world.” It showed how captivating this man’s appearance and demeanor were.

Fu Junyan’s homepage was still empty with nothing on it. His profile picture was a tree, quietly standing there. Like him, clearly very warm and steady, yet suddenly making people feel they couldn’t grasp him. I closed his homepage, only because of a vague sense of loss, and unconsciously sighed again.

When I posted a photo of Gu Xiao’an hugging Paw Patrol, it caused another series of sensations.

“Xiao’ai, who is this child? A little prince!”

“Yo! Xiao’ai, isn’t this the child who was held in your arms at the airport?”

“So cute, so cute, Jiejie kisses…”

The name that once only belonged to me and Jay was no longer a secret, starting from who knows when. Instead, the people who called me Baobei by my real name became much fewer. Even if they called me that, they mostly addressed me by my full name.

I looked at all sorts of comments. At three in the morning, I finally couldn’t hold back and posted a Weibo, “An’an has been listless since returning from Venice. He complains that the milk I make doesn’t taste good, pouting and asking me for Xiao Qi every day. He says he and Xiao Qi are a match made in heaven, saying he misses Xiao Qi… So, does Xiao Qi miss An’an?”

So, does Fu Junyan miss Gu Baobei? Then I kept my eyes open, unable to fall asleep the entire night.

In my previous life, I very readily signed with Xu Mei during filming, so my days were still quite stable. But now, as the plot became more and more popular, my phone also kept ringing nonstop. Various management companies were already showing signs of fighting over me. Some TV drama and commercial offers also followed one after another. I really had a bit of difficulty handling it all by myself.

I found a good aristocratic kindergarten for Gu Xiao’an. Dad also liked him very much. Every day after school, he would send someone to pick up An’an and teach him the violin for two hours. Dad even took out the little violin he had custom-made for me when I was young, his eyes filled with two hundred percent enthusiasm. An’an also seemed fascinated by the instrument. He was more obedient than me. If he couldn’t play well, he would keep practicing without getting annoyed, never throwing tantrums like I did when I was little. The two of them seemed to have found new joy. Only I seemed to be at a loss.

During this time, Fang Dingyue had already signed with a management company. The news of Jay renewing his contract at a sky-high price was also very sensational. John would send us the ratings and then attach several sentences: “A hit! A hit!” It made me feel like he was the rookie who had just entered the industry.

Until that day when I took An’an to kindergarten, I saw several newspapers hanging in the newsstand during a red light. Fu Junyan’s photos filled the entire page. After dropping off Gu Xiao’an, I couldn’t wait to put on sunglasses, get out of the car, and take out money to buy a few copies.

The newspaper said that Fu Junyan had signed with Huiteng International at a sky-high price. I smiled knowingly, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief in my heart. Finally, there was news of him after so long. In my previous life, he had also signed with this company. His path to stardom had always been smooth, quickly reaching a position that others could only look up to but never reach.

My heart felt a bit settled. Then I thought of myself and felt that I couldn’t keep going solo either. I often felt that I had a dual personality. Sometimes I was unsociable, sometimes lively. Getting along with those around me was not an easy thing after all, especially when crisis management was needed. I alone seemed powerless. But if something really happened, I couldn’t go to the Gu family for PR, right? That would be too far-fetched. So I thought about it and gave my cousin a call. My cousin, Mo Nuoyun, the president of the Mo corporation.

Things were quickly settled. The next day, the news reported: “”Regretful Love” lead actress Gu Baobei signs with Starlight Entertainment, company to heavily promote her.” Starlight Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Mo corporation, my family’s company.

My cousin arranged the company’s best manager for me. Her name was Wan Qing, a veteran in the company and a well-known manager in the industry. Her style was clean and decisive. I guessed my cousin had her put down the artists under her and focus on managing only me. She was unhappy about it, but she was always smiling. I also didn’t want to directly say, “I’m your second boss!” Such words were a tactic used to hit someone when they were down. When dealing with colleagues and friends, there was no need to act superior.

I hoped my manager would be wholeheartedly devoted to me and of one mind with me. Although when she turned around with a stack of scripts and commercials for me, I waved my hand to refuse. Her stiff smile and itchy expression left a deep impression on me.

In two months’ time, half of “Regretful Love” had aired. But Fu Junyan didn’t attend a single promotional event. I privately asked John about it. John turned his head to look at me with a strange expression and said, “You didn’t know? When he signed the contract, he made it clear that it didn’t include subsequent promotions.” I froze for a moment, but then I thought about it again. This indeed fit Fu Junyan’s style of doing things in my previous life.

So this time at the fan meeting, Fu Junyan naturally still didn’t come.

“Xiao’ai, congratulations on signing with a company.” As soon as Fang Dingyue saw me backstage, he said this to me, waving his hand for me to sit over.

“You’re not bad either. Your company is heavily promoting you to be the top actor!” I smiled at him.

He nodded but waved his hand. After I sat down, he said to me mysteriously, “We have to rely on strength!”

I laughed and lowered my head to take a glance at the document in his hand. When his new manager saw my action, he reached out to stop me. But Fang Dingyue waved his hand and glared at him with displeasure. I rubbed my nose, feeling Fang Dingyue was truly imposing.

“Take a look, it’s fine.” Saying that, he handed the document directly to me to read. I actually felt embarrassed. I glanced at it and smiled, shaking my head.

He raised his brows casually and said, “I’m selecting scripts. What about you? Does your company have any arrangements?”

I shook my head. I really hadn’t accepted any scripts yet. I just said, “How could it be so fast? There are a few commercials though. I want to take a look first.”

He nodded. At this time, Jay finally walked out of the dressing room. He took off his sunglasses and greeted us. Fang Dingyue looked up at him, closed the document and handed it to the assistant beside him.

“Xiao’ai, I heard you signed with a company. How come you don’t even have an assistant?” Jay said as he raised his brows to look at me. He pulled over a chair and sat down.

“That’s precisely why I signed with Starlight Entertainment, because I don’t want someone following me…” As I spoke, I realized that the person following behind him wasn’t Xu Mei.

“Where’s Mei-jie?”

“She’s not well. The company gave her a month off.”

Really? Xu Mei would let him go? “Mei-jie is so dedicated. How could she possibly abandon you just because she’s sick?” Xu Mei considers you her prized possession. How could she possibly not fiercely keep an eye on you and let you out?

Jay’s expression changed a little when he heard this. He looked around, then glanced at Fang Dingyue before leaning closer to me and saying, “Xiao’ai, I’m not lying to you. Mei-jie got into a car accident and is in the hospital right now.”

I looked at him in surprise when I heard what he said. Jay was ultimately a kind-hearted person. He would mostly tell the truth to friends. I thought about it and felt a mess inside. When did Xu Mei ever get into a car accident in my previous life? She pretended to be sick, pretended to commit suicide, pretended to be dead, but never actually had anything happen to her… “Is she okay?”

Hearing me ask this, Jay had a bitter expression and didn’t look very good. After a long time, he said, “The doctor said she might be paralyzed.”

“That serious!” I blurted out before realizing it was inappropriate. I patted him and didn’t say anything more. But my heart was in turmoil. I had never thought that the woman who had thoroughly schemed against me for ten years in my previous life would be paralyzed in a car accident. If she was paralyzed, what could she use to cling to Jay? Suddenly, I felt everything was incredibly ironic.

At the fan meeting, we sat in a row. Many fans were so excited that they shed tears. Seeing this, everyone was very touched.

Afterwards, the organizers reserved time for reporters to conduct a short live interview. But originally, everything was going well. However, a reporter suddenly asked, “Miss Gu, today Apple Weekly published photos of you and Fang Dingyue taking a child out to play. And at the airport, he also protected you and the child. Is that child really your secret love child?”

I was shot!

Hearing that, I turned my head to look at Jay, then at Fang Dingyue. Due to agitation, I unconsciously blurted out, “Which eye of yours saw that I have a secret love child?” But as soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I misspoke. This kind of phrasing was actually my habit. When I couldn’t win against my dad, who had a sharp tongue, I could only stubbornly retort with this one sentence. The consequences were endless…

I could only awkwardly turn my head away and look at Fang Dingyue and Jay for help. As a result, the two of them decisively pursed their lips and secretly laughed.

“You’ve misunderstood. That’s Xiao’ai’s younger brother.” Finally, Jay spoke with a smile. Then he said, “Xiao’ai dotes on her younger brother a lot. When we were filming, An’an often came to the set. Everyone knows An’an and likes him very much. So they often bring food and toys for the child. When there’s a break, everyone fights over taking An’an out to play. Regarding this matter, please don’t make groundless speculations.”

Later, I bought that newspaper. The photos were taken so harmoniously that I felt very conflicted. Fang Dingyue seemed to think the same. He reposted the newspaper content on Weibo and attached a sentence: “Thanks to Apple Daily for giving me such a cute ‘son’. But Xiao’ai is his sister. How do we calculate this seniority?”

Afterwards, netizens started drawing circles and crosses. Someone commented, “Mo Qian, Mo Qian, you’re in a pseudo-sibling relationship! A pseudo-sibling relationship! Father and daughter! Pseudo father-daughter relationship! Oh! So harmonious! So passionate…” I rubbed my forehead and replied, “Fang Dingyue, you’re overthinking…” Jay also replied, “Dingyue, you’re really overthinking…”

John was also very capable. The next day, he released a behind-the-scenes clip. The time when An’an wrongly gave Jay milk to drink was actually filmed by him and included. I suspected if this old man had installed hidden cameras on the set. The next scene was the one where I had a violin duel with Fu Junyan. In the footage, An’an and Xiao Qi were dancing around us, incredibly happy.

Gu Xiao’an’s popularity also started soaring because of this commotion. Of course, I was happy that my own little rice dumpling was loved by everyone. But a bit later, Wan Qing came to find me. This time, she actually said that a few companies wanted to engage An’an to film commercials.

An’an was still too young. If he couldn’t avoid exposure, so be it. But I was firmly against using a child to make money. So I thought about it and said, “An’an is still young. He doesn’t need to earn money to support the family. Sister Qing, when he’s a bit older and sensible, if he wants to take this path, I won’t object.” Sure enough, my great manager put on a black face again.

Later, when I opened Fu Junyan’s Weibo homepage again, I discovered that he had actually updated.

When I looked with a bit of nervous trembling, I saw that he had attached a photo of Xiao Qi. Below it was just one short but meaningful sentence. He said, “Xiao Qi misses An’an very much…” And my eyes grew hot. I didn’t know why, but I really wanted to cry…