ATLAS TRANSLATES

When the hospital room was abruptly opened, I remembered Xiao Yichen’s words and instinctively used half my body to cover Fu Junyan’s upper body. But when I turned around and saw it was Daddy and my cousin coming in, my tense nerves relaxed, leaving only helplessness and sadness in my heart. I moved away, collapsing into a chair nearby.

Daddy looked tired, his coffee-colored shirt had obvious stains at the elbows, and because of his sprained leg, he stumbled a bit as he walked with a cane. He looked at me, who was crying uncontrollably, with confusion and concern, then turned to look at Fu Junyan as he approached us. When his gaze finally fell on the gunshot wound near Fu Junyan’s heart, there was a moment of bewilderment and shock on his face. Then, frowning, he asked me, “Is that a gunshot wound?”

I looked at Daddy painfully and nodded, reaching out to try and wipe my constantly flowing tears. Hearing this, my cousin also stepped forward, exclaiming in disbelief, “How is that possible? With Fu Junyan’s status in the entertainment industry, with his character and behavior, who would dare to harm him? Who would harm him? How could there possibly be a gunshot wound?”

I closed my eyes and took a breath, just shaking my head at them. I half-propped myself up to button Fu Junyan’s shirt, tucked in his blanket, and after using these actions to try and calm my emotions, I looked at them again. I told myself, I need to be strong…

I heard myself say, “Daddy, please listen to me first. Dr. Xiao told me that Fu Junyan has a gastric injury this time, but the specific situation still needs further examination to diagnose. However, the worst possibility is that he might need a partial gastrectomy.” I paused, trying to calm myself down, reaching out to hold Fu Junyan’s gradually warming hand. I said, “If it’s a gastrectomy, even if Dr. Xiao tells me there’s no danger to his life, Baobei isn’t a fool. I know it will have some impact on his body, more or less. But no matter what he becomes, no matter what the consequences are, no matter how we’ll live in the future, I want to be with him. Now, I just want to tell you without any bias, for Gu Baobei, in this life, there’s no other love in life, and only Fu Junyan to depend on in death, it can only be Fu Junyan.”

I took a breath before continuing, “Fu Junyan is now in a coma, and I also saw a large number of reporters when we came just now, and the assistant director died in the desert, but we survived. I don’t know what storms will come next. But every time, it’s Fu Junyan who protects me, takes care of me. Now he’s tired, while he’s resting, I, the most useless pufferfish in the world, should stand up, because I also want to protect my man. So, as my closest, most loving family, can you support us, believe in us, in our most difficult time?”

Maybe my tone was too heavy, or maybe because Gu Baobei has always been carefree and has never spoken so formally in her life. After hearing my words, Daddy and my cousin were silent for a long time. They pulled chairs to sit in front of me and looked at me for a long time, finally exchanging glances and both nodding solemnly to me.

My cousin held his head high, his expression no longer carefree as usual. He closed his eyes very seriously before saying, “Silly sister, I won’t interfere anymore. In this world, what kind of man did I expect you to find? When I first saw him, Fu Junyan, I thought he was stunningly handsome, good enough for you, and I was already grateful. It’s just that I was still a bit reluctant, you’re our family’s little princess, how could you be taken away by a man in the blink of an eye? Now that such a thing has happened, you’ve always been timid since childhood, without faith you simply couldn’t have made it out. If he hadn’t been with you, protecting you, if he didn’t have the ability to find the right direction, how would I be seeing you today? In such difficult circumstances, he, Fu Junyan, was able to bring you out, protect you without a scratch. He loves you with his life, what more can I, as a brother, say? Moreover…” My cousin moved his lips, not continuing, but instead came over and took out a tissue to wipe my tear-stained face.

There was a vague joy in my heart, but because of Fu Junyan’s coma, these emotions became less intense. I turned my head to look at Daddy, who still hadn’t expressed his opinion. Daddy’s eyes darkened, knowing I was looking at him, he also gazed at the comatose Fu Junyan for a long time. Finally, he sighed and turned his head to look at me meaningfully, saying, “I knew this child was extremely intelligent the moment I met him. He does things very methodically. When he followed me into the study, the first thing he said to me in private was straight to the point. He said without any concealment, ‘He wants to marry you, he wants to cherish and spoil you for a lifetime.’ Then, he notarized all his assets and property to me, such a thick book. I only looked at the first page and knew he was very clearly and explicitly telling me that he’s not just an actor, he’s pursuing you because he loves you, your positions are equal, you are a match. Fu Junyan’s first step was to shut my mouth without being servile or overbearing. Later, when I asked him to play chess, I rudely disturbed him, and you, this silly girl, even had the speaker on while eavesdropping, but he remained calm and composed throughout, neither arrogant nor impatient. Finally, during dinner, I put at least half a pack of salt in his noodles, but he ate it all without changing his expression, not drinking a sip of water from start to finish.”

At this point, Daddy paused, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes. It seemed he calmed himself before saying, “When your birth father was alive, people said of him, ‘Mo Qian is a man of deep thought and careful consideration, steady and self-restrained, not showing his edge, one cannot judge him by appearance.’ And this Fu Junyan you’ve found, he treats people with warmth like a spring breeze, but he’s even more so. I, Xiao Moxiao, at his age, absolutely did not have such depth, such cultivation. But you spoke so absolutely, at that time when you hadn’t encountered any waves, you said you had reached the point of having no other love in life and only him to depend on in death. How could I not worry? What’s worse is that Fu Junyan is too smart and too young, he’s only twenty-two, there’s still a long life ahead, a man’s heart can change in an instant. As a father, my biggest worry is that he’s too good, and if one day he’s not yours, Gu Baobei’s, who else will you find? What will you do for the rest of your life?” Daddy lowered his eyes dejectedly, finally calming down to say, “But now I’m not worried anymore. My silly child, fools have fool’s luck, when a man is willing to love you with his life, what else is there to say…” As he spoke, Daddy reached out and patted my shoulder encouragingly.

I let out a sigh of relief in my heart, suddenly remembering that in such a situation where we didn’t know if we would die tomorrow, Fu Junyan had said so comfortingly, ‘Perhaps, this isn’t a bad thing.’ For the first time in so long, I genuinely smiled, but my mind was very clear. I thought for a moment before looking up and saying the most important part, “I told Dr. Xiao that Fu Junyan’s gunshot wound was caused by a stray bullet while filming in Somalia. But…”

I lowered my head, and after a while, continued, “But I know that’s impossible. Because if he was hit by a stray bullet while filming, given Fu Junyan’s fame, there’s no way their crew wouldn’t have let any news leak out… If it was a stray bullet, it couldn’t have just happened to hit such a fatal spot… I really want to know what exactly happened, and who was so vicious as to want to harm him, to put him in mortal danger.” Uncontrollable anger flashed in my eyes, but ultimately, when my gaze returned to Fu Junyan, who looked as if he was just sleeping, it settled into calmness. I turned to look at my cousin, saying word by word, “But, hardships don’t destroy feelings, suspicion does. He hid it from me because he was afraid of hurting me. Now that I know, Fu Junyan wouldn’t bear to see me upset. He will tell me, and I only want to hear it from him. So, don’t investigate, don’t probe, don’t open his wounds, okay? A person like him, even if he’s in pain, he won’t cry out…”

Hearing this, my cousin looked at me helplessly, tilted his head back and let out a breath, then finally nodded, smiling as he reached out to stroke my forehead and pat my face. He said, “Baobei has learned to care for others…” As he spoke, he turned his face to look at Daddy, mysteriously took out a folded medical record from his pocket and handed it to me. I saw him wave it, his face full of joy as he said, “Our precious princess, congratulations, you’re going to be a mother.” Then he frowned, pointing at me and saying, “But your malnutrition is very serious! You need to listen to your brother and eat more, understand?”

I widened my eyes in disbelief, pointing at the medical record in his hand, then stupidly pointing at myself, covering my mouth unable to speak. Tears spilled out of my eyes again, I wanted so much to tell Fu Junyan, look, I finally did something for you too…

After the weather improved two hours later, my cousin and Xiao Yichen left first with Fu Junyan, who was still in a coma. Daddy and I went to the police station to make a statement. Along the way, camera flashes followed us, and Daddy angrily shouted at the paparazzi several times with his temporary cane. This made our image look even more like a weak woman and a disabled person…

At the police station, I met the assistant director’s brother for the first time. His features were very similar to the assistant director’s, but he was very thin, without the assistant director’s usual watermelon belly. He was very tall and didn’t speak Mandarin well, stammering as soon as he opened his mouth. But just by looking, you could tell he was an honest and simple person, just as Fu Junyan had said.

When I saw him, his face was haggard, paired with a sorrowful expression, looking at me helplessly. As I repeatedly shook my head under the police officer’s questioning and repeated the circumstances word by word, such a tall and thin man, as if all his strength had been drained, collapsed to the ground sobbing uncontrollably, no one could stop him. I wanted to go over and comfort him, but as soon as I took a step, Daddy held me back. He shook his head at me, his gaze falling on my abdomen. And I, stroking my belly, hesitantly looked at the tall, thin man who was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and ultimately didn’t go forward.

Fu Junyan was still in a coma, so I stayed in the hospital room with him, not going anywhere. My cousin became like a mother hen, protecting her chicks, bringing me food and soup every day, being extremely attentive. He didn’t even manage the company anymore, and there were fewer rumors. He even insisted on supporting me to go to the obstetrics department for check-ups. I clearly wasn’t showing yet, but his attitude was as if I was about to give birth tomorrow.

I was already four weeks pregnant. The doctor told me that the baby was too small to have an ultrasound yet. He also said that my nutrition wasn’t very good, and that I must eat more, not just think about dieting and neglect the child. I smiled and didn’t say much, just lowered my head to touch my belly, feeling truly happy in my heart. When my cousin heard that the baby was four weeks old, he also became extremely excited, asking the doctor uncontrollably: “Does your hospital have any dad training classes or something? I want to join! I absolutely must join!” Hearing this, I elbowed him irritably and rolled my eyes at him.

After leaving the medical office, I couldn’t help but fire off: “Cousin! You can’t even handle Gu Xiao’an, what are you fighting with Fu Junyan for?” My cousin was at a loss, complaining: “Don’t mention that little fox to me…” But as he spoke, his almond-shaped eyes were still smiling…

After a series of examinations, Xiao Yichen and several experts we invited conducted a comprehensive consultation for Fu Junyan. Finally, he told me with relief that Fu Junyan’s gastric injury wasn’t severe, and only needed a small gastric repair surgery. If he recovers well after the surgery, it won’t have a big impact on his body. I nodded, finally letting go of my worries, just waiting for him to wake up. At that time, I must scold him, scold him harshly, scold him for being the stupidest idiot in the world, an idiot even more foolish than me…

Sure enough, the news of our encounter with danger and rescue quickly made the headlines. It was causing a stir everywhere, and fans began to sit-in and protest at the door of our management company. People also started calling to ask about my situation. After much hesitation, I only answered calls from Brother Dingyue, Shu Shuang, and Sister Ruofan to report that I was safe. Not wanting our caring fans to worry too much, I also updated my Weibo, writing just a short sentence: “Thank you for your concern and love, I believe everything will get better, cheer up!”

There were also some small situations with the two little ones. The auntie hired to take care of An’an accidentally let An’an see the TV news, which happened to show the scene of Fu Junyan being carried onto the plane on a stretcher. Although An’an was young, he seemed to have an innate sense and superhuman alertness to danger. After seeing the report, he started crying loudly, being extremely naughty for the first time in his life. No matter how the hired auntie tried to comfort him, he wouldn’t cooperate, refusing to eat or sleep, just hugging Xiao Qi and crying loudly, calling for his sister and brother-in-law. Xiao Qi also started acting up, not only bristling but also biting the auntie. Daddy rushed back but couldn’t control them either, so he had to bring the two little ones to the hospital.

As soon as Gu Xiao’an entered the hospital room, he cried with gasping breaths and rushed into my arms. My cousin took a quick step forward to block his little body charging towards me like a train, while his other foot blocked Xiao Qi who was barking and pouncing wildly, afraid they would bump into me. Daddy watched all this, sweating profusely, leaning on his cane and shaking his head as he leaned against the door, muttering: “Where can you find such stubborn children and dogs?”

Gu Xiao’an stopped crying when he clearly saw me and Fu Junyan lying unconscious on the bed. He was just busy struggling in my cousin’s arms, trying to climb onto me. Hearing Daddy say this, the little one immediately stopped kicking his little legs, poked out his little head. Even though his face was still tearstained, he smiled and blinked his bright big eyes, raising his little hand and answering in a childish voice: “Here!” Xiao Qi also wagged his tail, stopped pouncing, and shook his fluffy head proudly, giving a “woof”. We all didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, feeling both warm-hearted and amused.

My cousin irritably put Gu Xiao’an, who always liked to oppose him, on Fu Junyan’s hospital bed, patted his little head and told him I wasn’t feeling well, asking him to be quiet. An’an heard this, nodded with his chubby face, looked at me, then tilted his head and started to seriously examine the unconscious Fu Junyan, no longer paying attention to my cousin.

Then, my cousin bent down to pick up Xiao Qi, who had been pouncing at my feet, hugged him, looked at me, then at Fu Junyan still sleeping on the bed, patted Xiao Qi’s fluffy little head, and said to him in an angry tone: “Dog! Listen up, you have to get along with young master! Your owners are both fine, see? Stop barking. And! If you dare bite me! I’ll bite you back! Got it?”

What kind of achievement is that? The dog bites you and you bite back… Cousin, you coward…

I held back my laughter, seeing that Xiao Qi indeed seemed to understand, whimpering a few times, then shaking his fluffy head, angrily looking at my cousin and barking. His bright black eyes turned to look at me, panting with his tongue out and wagging his tail, stretching out his paw wanting to pounce on me. Seeing this, my cousin just leisurely held him and wouldn’t let go. Xiao Qi saw that I didn’t reach out to save him for a long time, his nose twitched, and he barked a few more times, looking pitiful with his ears drooping.

I felt sorry for him, turned my head and carefully asked Daddy: “It’s okay to just hold him for a while, right?” But Daddy shook his head, saying firmly: “Dogs are not good for pregnant women.”

I had no choice but to reach out and stroke Xiao Qi in the air, seriously saying to Xiao Qi: “Xiao Qi, can you live with my cousin for a while? Sister isn’t feeling well recently and can’t take care of you. When I’m better, I’ll bring you back, okay?”

Xiao Qi seemed to understand, he stopped barking and moving, just looking at me with his bright black eyes, his eyeballs wet as if he was about to cry, very human-like. At this time, Gu Xiao’an, who had been lying on the hospital bed, also turned his head. He tilted his little head, looking at this one and that one, suddenly made a crying face, gasping for air and looking at me crying, calling out in a childish voice: “Sister! Sister! Xiao Qi won’t bite sister and brother-in-law! Don’t drive Qi Qi away! Don’t throw Qi Qi away, Qi Qi doesn’t bite people!” I was embarrassed, indeed the little dumpling knew that Xiao Qi had done something wrong, felt guilty, and thought I was going to punish Xiao Qi…