ATLAS TRANSLATES

When I went to Ruofan jie’s room, Gu Xiao’an was still asleep. The little chubby bundle had his special small blanket draped over his tummy. His tiny belly rose and fell with his breathing, and his chubby little hands were stretched out from under the blanket, looking incredibly cute and adorable. Xiao Qi was already awake by this time, still crouching lazily by An’an’s bedside with half-closed eyes. Hearing the noise, Xiao Qi’s eyelids drooped a little and it gave a low bark towards me.

I walked over and sat at the bedside, bending down to pat its fluffy head before turning to look at the sleeping An’an.

Ruofan jie had already changed her clothes. She was sitting in front of the makeup mirror, brushing her hair while asking me with concern, “How did your urgent matter go?”

I nodded and said, “It should be about done.” Then I asked, “Did An’an make any fuss last night?”

“He didn’t fuss at all. This child is truly well-behaved,” she turned her face to look at the still-sleeping An’an, her eyes filled with genuine affection, suddenly resembling her mother’s gaze. She said, “Yesterday, not long after you left, An’an seemed to wake up. I got up again a while later, still groggy, wanting to use the bathroom. I saw his tiny body sitting obediently beside me, not waking me up, just sitting there properly with his big eyes open, not crying or making a fuss. I said, ‘An’an, why are you awake? Come, lie down and sleep.’ Guess what he said? He told me very seriously: ‘Sister is gone, waiting for sister.’ Gu Xiao’an is only three years old, right? How can there be such a well-behaved child? It’s good that he’s young and loves to sleep when tired, he fell asleep again sitting up not long after.”

“He’s still a month away from turning three!” I shook my head and said, lowering my head to gently stroke An’an’s soft hair. This is also why I’ve always insisted on keeping An’an by my side. Although he’s young, he still has some shadows in his little heart due to the car accident, and lacks a sense of security. Although the child won’t say these things himself, subconsciously he will always be more sensitive and fragile than other children. An’an is indeed a smart child, and because he knows the genuine love from me, Fu Junyan, and his uncle and cousins, he can be so happy. But An’an is still a child after all, a child who lacks a sense of security more than other children.

Beside me, Ruofan jie turned her head to look at An’an’s sleeping face and sighed, “Your Gu Xiao’an, I feel both heartache and envy for you. Such a child, I want one too!”

Hearing this, I found it a bit funny: “Then go have one.”

“With whom?” She glared at me, but as she spoke, there was some melancholy in her eyes: “In this day and age, how easy is it to find someone you’re willing to share honor and disgrace with?” She shook her head and sighed, “Look at me, I’ve always played supporting roles, but the supporting roles I played before can’t be compared to now. In this drama, I’m considered the second female lead, but before, the roles I played were, to put it bluntly, just extras. I climbed up from the bottom of the industry. At the beginning, I did my own makeup with cheap cosmetics, took the bus, and sometimes was even ordered around like a little girl. At that time, I took any role I could get, just wanting to appear on screen more to let more people know me. Once, a production team asked me to play a dead person. I thought that was fine too, as long as I could show my face, I’d take anything. As a result, that director had me lie face down on the ground, and I lay there for sixteen hours. Sometimes I’d even get stepped on. When I went home, my body was covered in bruises. But later, when the movie was released, my face never appeared on screen. Among a large number of corpses, I didn’t even know where I was. At that time, I really regretted it, you know?”

Although I didn’t know why Ruofan jie suddenly said so much, I still felt a bit sad listening to it. I opened my mouth to say something, but she shook her head at me and just continued, “But now it’s all worth it. You see, I introduced my sister-in-law to my brother, my brother’s company is getting bigger and bigger, and indirectly, I also have a backer, and gradually I’m getting more attention. When I took this drama, I didn’t even look at the script. When I saw that you and Fang Dingyue were the leads, I agreed without thinking. Just with the two of you’s star power, even if we just smiled stupidly at the camera, it would be enough for popularity. Sure enough, although our drama is in a life-and-death struggle with the opposite crew, it’s considered popular after all. I’ve also benefited from you guys. Bai Xiao, this person, well, you can’t say she’s good, but you can’t say she’s bad either. Who isn’t selfish? The other day when I went out, an old lady even pulled me aside to educate me! She told me that women shouldn’t be so bad and whatnot. I was so happy hearing that, it means people recognize me. But for people like us, we’ve seen too many different things along the way. Things like accompanying drinks, accompanying sleep, being kept… or using the name of love to hype and exploit… I guess they don’t even know themselves if their feelings are real or fake. We’ve seen all kinds of faces in this industry, and when acting, we often see some pure-as-death love stories. The contrast is frightening…”

She sighed, then slowly lamented, “Believing in love in stories, despising love in reality, this is my life.” As if remembering something, she smiled bitterly and said, “Xiao’ai, don’t look at how carefree I seem usually. Actually, I also want to find someone who gives me support, warmth, and stability. I don’t need to be free from fear and suffering, I just need to know that he won’t leave, that he will be with me, and I’ll be content. But you see? I don’t have that…” As she said this, Ruofan jie’s expression was lost and sorrowful…

Hearing this, I also fell silent. Isn’t this just a little bit of what every woman is seeking, after all?

At this moment, there was suddenly some small movement behind me. I quickly turned around to see Gu Xiao’an shifting his little body and opening his eyes. Seeing me turn and look down at him, his big bright eyes rolled around, and his chubby little hand rubbed his eyes. He blinked and looked at me again. The little fellow was dazed for a moment before stretching out his small hand and waving at me. The joy on his face couldn’t be hidden at all. His little teeth flashed, revealing his adorable little dimples as he called out in his baby voice, “Sister! Hug!”

Hearing An’an’s voice, Xiao Qi suddenly jumped up. Where was the laziness from before? It shook its body vigorously, barking enthusiastically twice, and started chasing its tail happily at the bedside, looking quite excited. I laughed and reached out to pull the just-awakened Gu Xiao’an into my arms, gently poking his cute little face and jokingly scolding, “Little spoiled one!” Then I gently pushed the excited Xiao Qi with my foot.

Ruofan jie also burst into laughter. She came over and ruffled the little head of Gu Xiao’an in my arms. Gu Xiao’an pouted his little face, looked up at me and then at Ruofan jie, and said softly to Ruofan jie, “Thank you, weird sister, for taking care of An’an!”

“Such a good boy!” Ruofan jie couldn’t help but bend down and kiss An’an. I glanced at her disapprovingly and wiped An’an’s face. Ruofan jie has now fully accepted An’an calling her “weird sister”, mainly because Ji Jie’er’s recent misfortunes have put her in a good mood.

“Look at how stingy you are. When you find a man in the future, are you going to keep him in a cage?” She saw me holding An’an tightly and rolled her eyes at me, casually tossing her hairbrush aside and sighing, “Alright, I’m not telling you those things to make you unhappy. Firstly, I wanted to find someone to express my feelings to. Secondly, our drama is about to wrap up, and I really don’t want to part with you.” As she spoke, she looked at An’an in my arms again, reaching out to pinch his chubby little face. Seeing this, I stepped back, and Xiao Qi, quick and lively, jumped in front of me, baring its teeth protectively and barking once.

This commotion made Ruofan jie put her hands on her hips like an oil bottle, pointing at it and laughing heartily. She scolded me once more for being stingy and then said, “Go back and check your email to see the new script Screenwriter Liu Wenwen sent. The ending has been written too. Ah… Sister Wenwen, for the sake of ratings, she’s really gone overboard…” As she said this, she winked at me with a look of anticipation for a good show. I was speechless, with a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

For the next few days, I was at the film set almost day and night. The crew was rushing to finish shooting, and when I went back at night, I didn’t even have the energy to listen to An’an play the violin. Often, after settling An’an, I had no strength left and would fall asleep immediately. So, forget about telling An’an bedtime stories. I had to negotiate with An’an, saying that sister would owe him for now. The little one was very understanding. He just shook his head obediently, his little hand touching my face and saying, “Sister tired… sleep together.” At those times, holding his tiny body, I felt so happy and blessed.

I hadn’t seen Fu Junyan for several days. Firstly, his group was also busy wrapping up their shoot. Also, the more I thought about it later, the more shy I felt. I was really embarrassed to see him, afraid that as soon as I saw his face, my face would immediately turn as red as a monkey’s bottom. In my heart, I felt annoyed, ashamed, and excited, falling into a whirlpool of emotions, completely restless.

These days, I often couldn’t sleep for more than a few hours before starting work again in the early morning of the next day. For several consecutive days, I was so busy that I didn’t have time to wash my hair. It looked good on camera, but I felt so disgusted that I didn’t want to touch it myself. I was also grateful that Fu Junyan was busy these days, otherwise wouldn’t he just drive me away and return me like a defective product?

In my spare time at work, all I could think about was wanting to quickly return to the hotel to wash my hair. Unfortunately, that day there was a scene where Han Zaijun had to embrace Bai Yan. Brother Dingyue hadn’t even stretched out his hands before he stepped back disgustedly, asking me without any subtlety, “Xiao’ai, how many days has it been since you washed your hair?”

In my heart, I grumbled, struggling a little, especially hoping at times like this that he would be a bit more polite with me. But I still moved my lips and answered softly, “Three days.”

Hearing my reply, Brother Dingyue’s expression calmed. Then he reached out and poked the top of my head, then touched his own hair and said, “That’s not too bad then. I haven’t washed mine in four days.” I was stunned at that moment, really wanting to throw down the script and refuse to film with him! What kind of primitive people are these? Ah!

On the day Fu Junyan finished shooting, as soon as I got the news, I prepared to pack up all of An’an and Xiao Qi’s things in the room, along with the two little ones themselves. As soon as he was done, I held Gu Xiao’an’s little hand, with Xiao Qi following behind, and went to his room to find him.

When I mustered up the courage to stand in front of Fu Junyan’s door, taking a deep breath to prepare myself mentally, before my hand could knock on his door, Fu Junyan opened it from inside. Then, he just leaned casually against the doorframe, looking at me knowingly yet with surprise, raising an eyebrow.

I knew he wanted to say, why are you knocking when you have the password? Because I felt guilty and awkward, I just smiled stupidly at him, then pushed Gu Xiao’an in front of me. Xiao Qi got excited too and was about to leap forward, but I quickly held back Xiao Qi’s leash, strictly forbidding it from pouncing on Fu Junyan and howling now. So I pulled it back while lowering my head and giving it a mischievous smile. Xiao Qi whimpered, its eyes full of resentment for not being able to pounce on Fu Junyan, while I raised my face and chose to ignore it.

Gu Xiao’an, with his little violin on his back, looked up at Fu Junyan with his big bright eyes and smiled. At this moment, with an adoring expression, he stretched out his little hand towards Fu Junyan and said with his pink little mouth the words I had taught him beforehand: “Brother-in-law! An’an is here to keep brother-in-law company!”

Fu Junyan looked down at Gu Xiao’an, gently patted his head, then crouched down to take off the little violin from An’an’s back and slung it over his own arm. Then he picked up Gu Xiao’an with one arm. Only then did he look at me again, not exposing my little trick, but unable to hide the smile in his eyes. He nodded at me and said, “Come in!”

I tried to appear calm as I carried An’an’s Pololo backpack with his milk bottles and followed them in, closing the door behind me, but almost shut Xiao Qi outside. Luckily, it squeezed in quickly… Seeing Fu Junyan’s half-packed suitcase inside the room, I felt a mix of envy and jealousy in my heart. I want to go home too, you know.

After Fu Junyan carried An’an into the room, he talked with the little one for a while. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I only saw Gu Xiao’an nodding obediently in his arms, the dimples on his little face appearing again and again. Soon after, Xiao Qi also jumped onto the bed, and the two little ones were rolling around on the bed. Gu Xiao’an was shouting, “I’m a little dog! I’m a little dog!” I looked up at the ceiling, speechless. An’an is Pololo one moment, a little dog the next… it’s like I’m running a zoo…

At this time, I saw Fu Junyan walk out, half-closing the door behind him. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, gazing at me. His deep eyes slightly raised, and suddenly his lips curved into a smile as he said, “Not hiding from me anymore?” His tone was light and playful.

Um… I had indeed been avoiding him these past few days, but I still stubbornly said, “I wasn’t hiding from you, the crew has just been busy rushing to finish filming!”

“If you weren’t busy rushing to finish filming, with no time to take care of An’an and having to send him to me, when would you have come to find me?” he asked me with a half-smile, his tone even carrying a hint of grievance and coquettishness.

Huh! Coquettishness! I curiously raised my head to peek at Fu Junyan, and he actually winked at me, his eyes flowing with a captivating charm. I lowered my head in embarrassment. Oh no, I can’t take it! I can’t handle Fu Junyan being cute!

Then, I felt him move closer to me. I didn’t move. He reached out to hug me, and I didn’t resist. My mind was still replaying his tone from just now, each word tickling my heart.

Then I heard him say, “Silly pufferfish, are you shy?” His voice was full of laughter. I was embarrassed, deeply ashamed of myself. Was I trying to tease him? Or was he teasing me?

I stiffened in Fu Junyan’s embrace. He chuckled softly again and again. I could feel the vibration of his chest. Suddenly feeling a bit ruffled, I raised my fist and lightly punched him.

“Laugh! What’s so funny! Can’t I be shy? Ah! Which of your eyes saw me being shy? You’re the one who’s shy, your whole family is shy…”

“Mm, the silly pufferfish is shy,” he nodded in agreement very seriously, but now laughed even harder, even laughing out loud. I looked up at him from his embrace with annoyance, pouting to protest, but accidentally touched the corner of his lips.

Both of us were startled for a moment. He suddenly stopped laughing, looking down at me intently, his eyes deepening. He lowered his head slightly and kissed my lips again.

How can there be such a good person in this world? Whenever I see him, whenever I’m with him, it feels like I have the whole world. Only now do I know that this is how it feels when people who truly love each other are together, this is how it feels when people who truly trust each other love each other. It’s mutual attraction, mutual warmth. I’m intoxicated, feeling deeply entangled, falling into it.

I got a bit lost in my thoughts, then heard him laughing softly by my ear. That laughter sounded so nice, I’m simply his fangirl.

His breath also fell on my face. Finally, his light kisses covered me. He gently kissed my forehead, his gentle voice carrying a bit of indescribable enchantment. I heard him say, “Silly baby, hug me.”

Then, he pressed against my ear as if making a vow, saying, “Gu Baobei, if I’m serious, I’ll become obsessed. But I’m willing to have this obsession for you. I will love you, love you very, very much. Please don’t let me down.”

His words were slow and deliberate, murmuring like they carried the scent of opium, deadly yet alluring.

He actually remembered my words verbatim, actually using my words to make a vow to me! My heart stirred, feeling an indescribable sense of being valued and respected.

I sniffled, and after a while, I gave an “Mm” and nodded lightly in his embrace. But my nose was a bit stuffy, and this sound was really strange, so unpleasant. I muttered, “Why does it sound like a pig’s grunt?”

Fu Junyan chuckled, pursing his lips a bit helplessly. He nuzzled my neck with his head, his hair brushing my ear, tickling me. I heard him say, “Silly pufferfish, it sounds more like a wolf’s howl…”

What’s that supposed to mean? I angrily bit his ear. You dare laugh at me! He didn’t dodge, still laughing, but spoke to me in a tone used to coax children: “Wolf is fine too. Wolves are animals that only have one mate in their lifetime. One encounter, one love for life.”

Hearing his words, my heart warmed, and my arms around him tightened.

He glanced cautiously at the door behind him and admonished me gently, “Silly baby, don’t provoke the fire.”

Saying this, he hugged me and didn’t let me move anymore. He sighed again, “Ah, having a child so early isn’t very good either.”

I rolled my eyes at him, feeling both gratified and wanting. You really think An’an is your own child, huh?