ATLAS TRANSLATES

I woke up in the morning, holding my throbbing head. The room still had lingering scents from our intimate time together.

Despite being together for so long, this was my first time seeing Fu Junyan’s sleeping face. He slept quietly, in a neat and tidy position, alert and still. His clean, clear, and refined face looked handsome and elegant. To me, it would be hard to find another man in the world with such a beautiful appearance and steady character.

I lay on the pillow watching him, feeling I could never get tired of looking. Like in all those cliché soap operas, I smiled foolishly at the male lead while wrapped in blankets.

He really was the male lead in my life. I thought back to how gently he had treated me yesterday. Everything was so wonderful. Every moment with him was comfortable and beautiful. He cared about all my little moods. Sometimes he was even more loving and caring than my father. I smiled happily to myself, joy bubbling up inside me.

Suddenly, Fu Junyan stirred. I was startled, remembering intimate moments from yesterday. I covered my face and pretended to be asleep.

“Silly pufferfish, breathe!” His amused voice interrupted me.

I opened my eyes slightly. Fu Junyan had turned to lie on the bed, propping his face up at a 45-degree angle as he gazed at me, looking relaxed and charming. He smiled softly and playfully poked my cheek with his finger, then gently stroked my face. My cheeks flushed red as I let out a breath and opened my eyes to stare at him.

Seeing my reaction, he chuckled and pulled me into his arms. He nuzzled my neck and murmured, “Darling, I really don’t want to get up. Let’s not go to Suzhou and just stay together like this forever…” His intimate tone and affectionate actions were impossible for me to reject. I obediently reached out and wrapped my arms around his back longingly.

I said, “Okay…”

Then he laughed and nibbled my ear, saying “Silly pufferfish.” Ugh, he was teasing me…

Suzhou doesn’t have an airport, so we had to fly to Shanghai and then drive there. We took an early morning flight to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

I slept the whole way and was still groggy when we arrived, but Fu Junyan looked energetic and even more handsome than usual. I marveled at the difference between men and women. Even though we had been intimate last night… why was his energy so, so good?

When Wan Qing saw the rumors about Fu Junyan and me, she wanted to clarify things. She already knew I was the second boss, so she had become more obedient and no longer blindly pursued profits. But Fang Qing stopped her in time and indirectly let her know the truth through my authorization. I don’t know how she felt when she learned Fu Junyan and I were a couple, but both of our companies tacitly agreed to remain silent and observe. To be honest, it was more like we couldn’t be bothered to deal with it…

My cousin said he was very shocked and complained that I didn’t want him anymore. And my father cursed Fu Junyan, calling him “despicable.”

Our tickets were for first class, and we sat together. After boarding, I kept yawning and couldn’t stay awake, with tears of sleepiness falling. Seeing me like this, Fu Junyan gently stroked my hair affectionately. I shamelessly pouted and complained while wiping my eyes, “It’s all your fault…”

He turned his head and smiled at me, saying, “Mm, eating pufferfish is good for the body.”

I continued drowsily glaring at him, thinking dramatically to myself: “Fighting heaven brings endless joy. Fighting earth brings endless joy. Fighting with Junyan, you’ll lose terribly!”

After taking off my sunglasses, I fell asleep leaning on Fu Junyan’s shoulder. He woke me up once halfway through to drink some milk, coaxing me, “Darling, eat something to fill your stomach.” I squinted my eyes, threw aside the cookies he offered, and gulped down the milk in a daze. Then I smacked my lips and fell back asleep on his shoulder.

When I opened my eyes again, the plane had already landed at Hongqiao Airport. Fu Junyan put away the blanket and handed it to the flight attendant, politely saying, “Thank you.” Then he stood up and gently ruffled my hair, smiling, “If you don’t wake up now, we’ll be kicked off the plane.”

I looked at him in confusion, rubbing my eyes and peeking behind us. Oh! The plane was empty! Seeing this, I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and said apologetically, “You could have woken me up…”

Fu Junyan cleared his throat seriously and said formally, “I wouldn’t dare.”

I tilted my head and glanced at him. He smiled and adjusted my collar, then held my hand as we walked out of the cabin. He sighed and joked, “Last time Shuang tried to wake you up, you threw an alarm clock at her. The time before that, when Xiao Qi tried to wake you, you threw him out. Just now when I called you to eat, you threw the cookies in the aisle. I was worried that if I dared to wake you up, my darling might throw me out too?” He raised an eyebrow, his eyes bright, and gently pinched my nose.

I frowned, knowing I was in the wrong, and just mumbled, “Well, you could have kissed me. You know, like how the prince kisses the princess and she wakes up! I’m the pufferfish princess…” I saw him lean in to listen intently, so I got more excited and said, “You could have carried me too, you know, like a princess carry. Hehe.”

“Hehe.” He imitated my low chuckle, squeezing my palm as he led me onto the airport shuttle. He stood in front of me, shielding me and creating a small space for me. People around us held their breath and looked our way, with whispers gradually spreading and curious glances. We exchanged a glance and tacitly ignored it all.

Fu Junyan lowered his head slightly and said softly to me, “Shameless.”

I nodded and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, “Mm, really shameless.” We tilted our heads and smiled at each other.

I don’t know how they got the news, but a large group of fans came to greet us at the airport. With their arrival, the airport instantly became a sea of white and blue. Chants of “World’s Best, Gu Baobei” and “Junyan, Unparalleled in the World” echoed through the terminal. The airport security had no choice but to mobilize everyone.

As soon as we collected our luggage, the ground staff stopped us to ask if we wanted to use the VIP passage. Logically, we should have slipped away to avoid chaos. But looking through the glass doors at all those hopeful faces smiling, anxiously waiting, and anticipating…

I don’t know if it’s because being surrounded by love makes one’s heart particularly soft, but I unconsciously tugged at Fu Junyan’s finger. He turned his head slightly to look at me, interrupting his conversation with the staff. Following my gaze, he also looked at the sea of blue and white. His eyes, dark as night, moved slightly as he looked at me knowingly and nodded slightly. Then I heard him politely decline the airport’s offer for us to use the VIP passage.

When he finished speaking, I felt relieved. I truly felt that going out to let the waiting fans see us would put my mind at ease.

Fu Junyan smiled and held my hand tightly. Standing beside me, without looking at me, he gazed at the sea of people and sighed softly, “Soft-hearted silly girl.”

I rubbed my nose and glanced at him secretly, saying, “It’s because you’re by my side that I feel safe enough to do this…” Then I winked at him playfully and said, “Besides, they’re our fans! It’s not like they’ll eat us, right?”

He didn’t answer, just turned to look at me, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly as he smiled warmly.

“No matter how strong the wind and rain, Fu Junyan will never let go of Gu Baobei’s hand.” After a long moment, his thumb caressed the back of my hand as he looked at me and said each word slowly.

“Mm.” I smiled, feeling like I was in a warm cloud, completely at ease from my heart to my body. So I gently squeezed his hand back and recited in a voice only he and I could hear, “Even if mountains crumble and rivers dry up, I will not regret. I only wish to stay with you forever.”

And he said, “I know.”

Fu Junyan then pulled our luggage with one hand and held mine with the other as we walked out of the security gate. We raised our heads together, stood still, and nodded with a slight smile to everyone. He tilted his handsome face slightly and said to everyone in a gentle voice, “Thank you.” I leaned against him and waved to everyone, not speaking, just smiling softly.

Some people screamed, some cried, it was boiling and noisy…

Then, Fu Junyan just put his arm around my shoulder, protecting me as we slowly walked through the crowd. He was smiling the whole way, with a clear smile emanating from his ink-dark eyes, incredibly warm. The fans gradually quieted down, consciously opening a path for us. Some fans even blocked the media reporters who tried to approach. They didn’t push or shove, as if forming a Great Wall to protect us. Some people still had tears of excitement or sadness in their eyes.

Long after, many people still sighed that they had never seen such a calm, grand, and safe airport pickup scene with so many fans.

Later, Fu Junyan told me, “Chinese fans are actually the most tolerant in the world. They scrimp and save on food and clothes, yet spend thousands or tens of thousands of yuan just to see a star for a moment. They live in cramped basements, yet can fight and protest for artists who live in villas. They are numb to their own lives, yet can cry and be upset for artists. But some Chinese artists are the laziest – some sing one hit song and then just live off that one song for life, passing their days in comfort.” At that time, he just rubbed his forehead and sighed softly.

I suddenly had a realization and turned to ask him, “Is that why you don’t want to participate in events or go to award ceremonies?”

But Fu Junyan didn’t say anything, just smiled and patted my head.

After leaving the airport, we were picked up by Xiao Wu, a staff member from the SZ Municipal Publicity Department. When we arrived in Suzhou, it was already after 6 pm. Xiao Wu was surprised that we didn’t bring managers or assistants. Fu Junyan and I both smiled at his comment but didn’t answer.

While we were still on the highway, two news items were broadcast consecutively on the radio. One was “Fu Junyan and Gu Baobei Travel Together at Airport, Face Fans and Implicitly Confirm Relationship.” The other was “Insider Reveals Fu Junyan and Gu Baobei Collaborating Again on City Promotional Video, Travel Together for Work, No Romantic Relationship.” Then the radio started giving examples of how Fu Junyan cared for me like a sister…

I was embarrassed. Who was this unreliable insider? One sentence made our just-confirmed relationship ambiguous again…

The car drove all the way to Pingjiang Road and stopped in front of an ancient small courtyard. Xiao Wu gave Fu Junyan and me each a key, pointing to the ancient courtyard to indicate we would be staying here tonight.

He said, “We should have arranged for you to stay at a hotel. But this shoot is to promote Suzhou, so the bureau takes it very seriously. That’s why we specially prepared this small courtyard. Don’t be fooled by its unassuming appearance – this old house is several hundred years old. If you look closely, you’ll find it’s exquisite inside and out. We’ve already changed all the bedding for you. We thought you’d bring assistants, so all the bedrooms are cleaned and ready. The mini-fridge is stocked with food too. As for rooms, just choose whichever you like. Also, there are lots of delicious places to eat on Pingjiang Road, you can try them out. You two are arranged to stay here for these two days. The small film crew we hired has already arrived, but the main director won’t be here until tomorrow afternoon. We’ll officially start shooting the day after. I hope you both rest well. If you have any problems, feel free to contact me anytime.” Finally, he rubbed his nose awkwardly and asked, “Is it convenient for just the two of you to stay here?” He was probably confused by the news reports too.

I smiled and nodded, saying “It’s fine.” Just looking at the old, somewhat dilapidated courtyard gate made me very satisfied. My father once said that Suzhou looks run-down on the surface, but when you enter, it’s full of subtle charm. This place has much more character than a hotel.

As Xiao Wu was leaving, he scratched his head embarrassedly and said, “Everyone really likes you two. Could I get your autographs?” I naturally nodded, and then Xiao Wu excitedly pulled out a big stack of photos of Fu Junyan and me from his bag. I was a bit dazed, looking at the photos covering the stone table and just smiling stupidly. I said his bag was so heavy, and there were really a lot of autographs to sign…

Fu Junyan glanced at our photos on the table, his face also showing a somewhat helpless smile. Then he pulled me up as I was about to sit on the stone chair, and turned to reply kindly, “Why don’t you leave these here, and come pick them up when you come to the set the day after tomorrow? Is that okay?” Xiao Wu nodded, happy to get a definite answer, and left smiling like he’d just found money.

As soon as Xiao Wu left, I tossed my key to Fu Junyan, telling him to keep them both. He put the keys in his pocket, then joked in a rare show of smugness, “Darling, you’ll have to stick close to me, or you won’t be able to get back home.”

I let out a whimper and hugged his waist, nuzzling him. Then I pointed at the photos and shook my head, pouting. Fu Junyan understood and just nodded, saying, “I know.” So in the end, he was the only one who signed the photos…

At night, Fu Junyan went out and bought some local Suzhou wheat wine. He also bought some barbecue and made a pot of millet porridge with red dates and lotus seeds. It smelled delicious and made my mouth water.

He pointed at the red dates suggestively and said, “For blood nourishment.”…

Later, we closed the severely peeling ancient door and sat in the courtyard to eat dinner.

In the night, the whole courtyard was filled with a leisurely atmosphere. A rock that may or may not be considered a rockery stood among fragrant grasses, three green trees, and moss-covered ground. Some moss grew on the rocks, some in the corners of the walls, black and green. The air here always seemed to have moisture in it. Taking a deep breath, it felt warm and humid. Moonlight shone diagonally on a small corridor in the courtyard, next to the ancient door house, fresh and unique, soft, with a pervasive sense of tranquility everywhere.

I held my bowl and blew on the millet porridge, occasionally chewing on some beef skewers. Sometimes I would put down the bowl when it was too spicy, fanning my mouth. Fu Junyan’s eyes were fixed on me, dark and bright. He just drank directly from the wine bottle, looking elegant and refined with warmth in his usually cold, noble eyes. He just smiled, with undisguised happiness in his eyes. Seeing him like that, I thought the wine must taste really good, so I dipped my chopsticks in for a taste. It turned out to be spicier than chili peppers…

Remembering how my father used to point at places and tell me stories about history when I was little, I blinked and turned to ask him, “Fu Junyan, do you know any history about this courtyard?”

Fu Junyan actually nodded and smiled softly. Seeing this, I got excited and blinked at him expectantly.

But he didn’t speak, just pointed his chin at the porridge in my hand. I took the hint and scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and fed it into his mouth. Fu Junyan swallowed it with relish before saying, “Suzhou has over 2,500 years of history, and this courtyard, speaking of history, is over 600 years old.”

“Oh!” I nodded, looking around. It really is an old house!

But as he was speaking, he paused again, eyeing the porridge in my bowl, his eyes bright. I obediently blew on another spoonful and fed it to him, looking at him eagerly, urging him with my eyes to continue.

He savored it, glancing at the porridge in my bowl again before continuing with a pitiful look: “I heard this family used to be in the private salt business and made quite a fortune, becoming wealthy. But they couldn’t build a garden, and didn’t want to live in a small house like others. So they had someone build this exquisite courtyard.” He paused again, licking his lips seductively as he watched me feed myself some porridge.

I really couldn’t resist his pure, innocent eyes and alluring actions. I simply scooted closer to him, held up the bowl, and fed him spoonful by spoonful like I was feeding An’an. He just sat there with his mouth open, waiting for me to feed him, his face full of satisfied smiles, showing a rare childlike side. Soon the bowl was empty. I looked up at him with puffy cheeks and said, “Now can you continue the story?”

But he shook his head, raising his eyebrows slightly and looking at me pitifully as he said, “I’m hungry.” His tone was as innocent as could be.

“Ah…” Before I could speak, he pulled me into his arms and lowered his face to kiss my eyes. I pushed him a little and said, “Weren’t you hungry?”

He wrinkled his nose like I do and said, “I am hungry, but not the kind of hungry you’re thinking of.”

My mind went blank as I realized what kind of hunger he meant. I pushed him again and said, “Finish the story first! You can’t just leave it half-told! Are you trying to keep me in suspense?”

He chuckled softly, nuzzling his nose against my cheek. His breath had a faint smell of alcohol but wasn’t unpleasant. His face gently pressed against mine as he breathed out hot air on my face, saying, “With such beauty before me, I can’t continue making up the story.”

Making it up!! Fu Junyan, are you openly flirting? You’re actually making up stories? Where’s the integrity of Mr. Fu? Did Xiao Qi eat it? This is too much! Before I could finish my internal grumbling, Fu Junyan had already picked me up.

I kicked my legs in his arms, “What are you doing, Fu Junyan? You’re drunk, where are you taking me? What’s the rush?”

“Impatient…”

Huh, this man who looks so refined on the surface.

“What’s there to be impatient about? I’m not going to run away. Be careful not to trip! What if you fall?”

I worriedly watched as he carried me back to the room, afraid he might stumble or walk in an S-shape.

Fortunately, even slightly drunk, Fu Junyan was still very reliable. He steadily carried me back to the room without bumping into anything.

However, once the door closed, I was embarrassed, unconsciously blushing.

He looked at me and chuckled softly, “Why are you blushing?”

“I’m hot,” I said in a voice as quiet as a mosquito’s.

“You’re hot? Where are you hot?” The smile in his eyes was about to spill out, making me blush even more.

“I’m hot all over! I’m so hot I can’t stand it! I’m about to explode from heat, you arsonist of my heart!” I shouted, wishing I could burrow into the ground and disappear.

He just laughed loudly, his chest shaking with laughter.

I don’t understand how Fu Junyan really got drunk tonight.

When we were on the “Regretful Love” set, I had seen Fu Junyan and Brother Dingyue finish several cases of beer together! I had also witnessed his feat of drinking several bottles of foreign liquor, and he was fine then! How could… one bottle of wheat wine knock him down? It’s strange…

That night, in a century-old small courtyard on Pingjiang Road in Suzhou, Fu Junyan pounced on Gu Baobei, battling for three hundred rounds. The neighbors heard and said the next day, “Whose cat was in heat? The sound kept coming, all night long…”

Extra scene: Drunken truth-telling Gu Baobei couldn’t drink, but she liked the taste of foreign liquor mixed with red tea, the most tasteless and common kind. Ruo Fan was filming out of town, this time as the lead actress. She was extremely happy and mailed each of her good friends a bottle of top-quality red wine.

Gu Baobei was also happy for her friend. That evening, with Fu Junyan not at home, she drank alone.

Fu Junyan returned from the supermarket with An’an and Xiao Qi to find Gu Baobei crouching in a corner, hugging her legs, humming a song with squinted eyes. He frowned slightly, carrying Gu Xiao’an and Xiao Qi into the room and letting the two little ones play dominos. Then he walked out of the room, picked up the empty wine bottle rolling on the carpet, and crouched down to look at Gu Baobei.

“Darling, why did you drink so much?” Fu Junyan gently brushed away the long hair floating in front of Gu Baobei’s eyes, looking at her with some concern.

Hearing the sound, Gu Baobei slowly turned her eyeballs, saw it was Fu Junyan in front of her, and tilted her head to smile at him, saying foolishly, “I’m a snail!”

Fu Junyan shook his head, knowing she was drunk. He could only pat her hair and coax, “Okay, you’re a snail, you’re a snail.”

Gu Baobei nodded, sniffled, hiccupped a few times, and then said breathlessly, “I’m a snail, I was born with a house, but I’m not strong!” She poked her own head, pouted with a crying tone and continued, “The worst people in the world are those who bullied me, saying I would be fine without him! Saying they would love me forever! Saying I’m pretty so I’ll have a good future! Then loving me but still dumping me to marry someone else! Saying it’s because of some debt of gratitude! Gratitude, my foot! So what if he liked me, it can’t compare to one hug from Fu Junyan. Bad person!”

Then she lowered her head to play with her fingers, sniffling as she continued to talk to herself, “I died as an old virgin, can you believe it? An old virgin! No one picked the flower when it bloomed, no one loved me, no one hugged me, I had nothing but money. He was even afraid to hug me in case Xu Mei saw… What a joke Gu Baobei’s past life was!” Then she suddenly grinned and nodded heavily, saying, “But I’m not sad anymore…”

She raised her face like a child, her big blue eyes as bright as the sky, and said, “Fu Junyan is the warmest person in the whole world. He turned me into a pufferfish, a pufferfish that’s well-protected, a pufferfish that’s not afraid even without a shell. I like Fu Junyan so much, I like An’an so much, it’s so good to be alive… so good…” She smiled and then suddenly pouted again, “But, but I don’t dare tell Fu Junyan I loved someone before. I’m afraid he’ll be sad…” As she said this, tears seemed to appear in her eyes.

Fu Junyan had been listening quietly all along, his eyes always calm and unruffled. Finally, he sighed, hugged this little woman who was talking to herself like a child, and gently patted her back, saying in the gentlest voice in the world, “It’s okay, darling, it’s okay. I know. I’m here, I’m here…”