ATLAS TRANSLATES

“Xiao’ai, since you said Fu Junyan is now in the hospital and still needs surgery. That means you, Fu Junyan, and the assistant director of the crew were all trapped in the desert, but why did only you and Fu Junyan make it out? And as the woman with the weakest physical strength, why are you the only one unharmed? Xiao’ai, can you give a reasonable explanation for this?”

“Xiao’ai, you went straight into the arms of a wealthy family as soon as you left the desert. What about Young Master Junyan? Can you confirm his current physical condition? How is the Young Master doing now? Are you using the Young Master to climb the social ladder and gain sympathy?”

“Xiao’ai, may I ask why you and Chairman Mo went to the obstetrics and gynecology department together? Does this mean you’ve been cheating for a while? Xiao’ai, are you pregnant? Is today’s joint appearance to announce your relationship?”

“Xiao’ai, don’t you need to apologize to all of Young Master’s fans? Why is Young Master Junyan seriously ill in the hospital, while you’re unscathed?”

“Hello Xiao’ai, the assistant director’s wife suspects that you murdered her husband for survival. What do you have to say about this? Why didn’t the assistant director, a grown man, crawl out of the car? Did he actually escape from the car? What did you eat to survive nine days in the desert? Or did you eat human flesh?”

Hearing this, I, who had been patient until now, almost unbelievably raised my head to look at the reporter who was questioning me at a rapid pace. I blurted out, “Human flesh! Be careful not to get doxxed online! You’re the one eating human flesh! Your whole family eats human flesh!” As I said this, I unconsciously frowned and puffed out my cheeks, letting out an angry breath…

I could imagine people suspecting that we might have done some bad things to fight for food, but I definitely couldn’t imagine murder and cannibalism. How could someone be so unconscionable? I shook my head involuntarily, looking at the questioning reporter with some disappointment and coldness, and at the crowd below holding the same doubts, holding their breath waiting for my answer. I couldn’t help but feel heavy-hearted. How bad does one have to be to lose their humanity to this extent? But then, my cousin lightly kicked my foot. It’s a live broadcast… Gu Baobei, you stupid pufferfish!…

I took a breath, shook my head at my cousin who was about to open the microphone in front of him, reached out to turn off his mic, and then said seriously, as if there was an old mother hen fluttering in my chest: “You have too many questions. How can I answer them all at once? Putting aside the other questions for now, I want to first address the questions about Fu Junyan and me. Gu Baobei has only one thing to say: I love him, and he loves me. We want to be together, no ifs, ands, or buts. If you still don’t believe what I’m saying, then I’ll say this only once: if anything happens to Fu Junyan, I will still live on. I won’t seek death. But in this life, I, Gu Baobei, will be buried with him. Is that enough? Do you believe me now?”

Then, I turned my head to look at my cousin. Receiving his encouraging gaze, I continued: “I am an actress, but I’m also an ordinary person. Ordinary people have friends too. Ordinary people also eat and drink with friends when they’re happy, seek help from friends when they’re in trouble, and chat with friends to vent when they’re feeling down. Ordinary people also have poor friends and rich friends. You can’t assume that just because I’m an actress, I’m a woman, I look decent, and a few wealthy people appear around me, that I’m trying to climb the social ladder in one step. I know you won’t believe me even if I say this, so I have no choice but to make something public. I hope you won’t dwell on this issue anymore.”

I calmed down a bit, paused for a moment, and then continued: “First of all, Xiao Group’s CEO Xiao Moxiao is my father. It’s natural for a father and daughter to come and go together, to support each other. So, this gentleman beside me, Mo Group’s CEO Mr. Mo Nuoyun. We’ve already filmed ‘Regretful Love’, and I played out my mother’s story myself. I believe everyone should know the story’s beginning and end, so this person, whom you call my affair partner,” I gestured in front of my cousin, smiling sarcastically, “He is my cousin, my childhood companion, and also my best friend and family. How despicable do you think my relationship with him could be, as Ms. Ji Jie’er suggests?” I raised my chin and snorted. Baby, did Mommy make you feel better? Let those who want to muddy the waters between me and your daddy buzz off… Aowu!

As I said this, I straightened my expression and entered the main topic I wanted to clarify today: “Regarding this desert incident, I want to say that I’m alive and standing here safely, not because of any despicable actions. But because there was a fool who loved me with his entire life, who gave me all the water. So about the assistant director’s matter, although I’m very sorry and very sad, I must clarify,” Before I could finish, I heard a clear male voice from behind me saying, “No need to clarify.”

I turned my face in surprise and saw Fu Junyan sitting in a wheelchair, appearing so abruptly at the conference room door. He still had an IV drip on his wrist, wearing a white cable-knit sweater on top, with a light gray blanket over his legs. But even so, he still looked clean and refreshing, like a spring breeze, only the paleness of his complexion added a touch of pitiable beauty and fragility. His manager, Manager Xu, was pushing him, with a solemn expression.

Looking at Fu Junyan who had suddenly entered my field of vision, still elegant and handsome, my heart felt indescribably sour for a moment. How did he wake up after surgery? I quickly got up and walked towards him. The photographers from various newspapers also stood up excitedly and crowded forward. The scene became chaotic again. The hotel’s security guards instinctively blocked my way. Because I was afraid of the glaring flashlights, I walked with my head slightly tilted, but I heard Fu Junyan immediately say in a pleasant and clear voice: “You can take photos, but please don’t use flash on Xiao’ai.” I unconsciously stopped in my tracks because of his words, my heart surging and my nose slightly sour, but I just slightly lowered my eyes, walked to his side, squatted down, held his hand, and smiled at him silently, pulling up the corners of my mouth.

Fu Junyan squeezed my palm, very gently, somewhat weakly saying in a low voice: “Be good, stand behind me.” I nodded, squeezing his hand back, obediently standing up. Manager Xu nodded to me, smiling faintly as he gave his position to me. So I obediently stood behind Fu Junyan, pushing the wheelchair. I couldn’t see his expression, but I saw a group of increasingly wolf-like reporters. I could only anxiously turn my face to look at the image in the side broadcast.

Then I heard Fu Junyan speak softly, with a gentle smile on his lips. He said warmly: “Junyan has just come out of the operating room. I apologize for interrupting the press conference midway and causing inconvenience to everyone.” Then he slightly lowered his eyes, the warm smile gone, his expression becoming calm, like pine and bamboo, quiet and still. He said: “Regarding the passing of the assistant director, Junyan is deeply sorry. But this indeed needs no explanation. For your doubts, Junyan only wants to say that although Junyan is not talented, he should be able to estimate the approximate location of the incident site. If we ask a professional team to search, I believe it can be found. Not letting the assistant director be abandoned in the wilderness, alone, is also Xiao’ai’s and my wish. At that time, many things will become clear, and Junyan won’t waste words on it.”

“Although what the Young Master says makes sense, conducting such an excavation in the desert requires a lot of manpower and resources. The local government may not be willing to make such a large expenditure. At that time, can’t you use this as an excuse to delay again and again?”

“They don’t need to pay for it, I will.” Fu Junyan smiled lightly, gently curling his lips, his clear gaze meeting that reporter’s, asking transparently: “For someone who has died once, what does money matter?” His tone was cool and clear, yet cleanly and neatly silenced many people.

As he spoke, he smiled, his warm smile softening the atmosphere like the return of spring to the earth. Fu Junyan raised his eyes, looking calmly and composedly at everyone, then turned slightly to gaze warmly at me for a moment, before finally speaking slowly, word by word. I heard him say: “Giving her the water, protecting her out of the desert, all of this, it’s just three words: I was willing. So there’s nothing that needs to be questioned or speculated about. Just like this foolish child, who almost gave up her own life because she didn’t want to be a burden to me. I don’t mind people paying attention to our lives, but many times, our affairs, it’s enough that we know our own joys and sorrows.”

As he spoke, Fu Junyan’s expression showed a fleeting sadness. He looked heavily at everyone, his eyes as deep as the night sky. Then I heard him continue: “I don’t understand, what kind of education have you all received? After a disaster, instead of being grateful that someone is still alive, you question why someone is still alive? In times of danger, saving the elderly, women, and children first, isn’t this what should be done? This is the basic demeanor a person should have. And as a man, my woman being unharmed is my pride. Who has the right to criticize? And why should she stand up and apologize to you?” Every sentence he said was forceful, and gradually, I clearly saw that those who were still arrogant a moment ago slowly lowered their heads in shame.

Fu Junyan calmly and peacefully looked around the conference room, finally shaking his head and sighing softly. He said: “I feel deeply saddened by this…”

The entire conference room suddenly fell silent at his sigh, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing and the wind outside the window. Finally, in this oppressively quiet moment, Fu Junyan gently patted the back of my hand on the wheelchair, saying softly: “Are you tired of standing? Darling, let’s go, we should go back and rest.”

The result of the press conference was that Fu Junyan and I once again dominated various news frontpages. Our faces were all over entertainment news, magazines, and newspapers. On internet searches, we remained at the top for a long time… Television entertainment news repeatedly reported about us. Our official Weibo accounts were almost paralyzed, unable to log in…

Fu Junyan even laughed and said: “Combining all the reports, we could gather photos of us from every angle at the press conference…”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful, sitting in the hospital room, watching our faces repeatedly appear in the entertainment news while peeling an apple. I asked: “Fu Junyan, do you think the general public will get sick of seeing our faces?”

Fu Junyan heard this and innocently shrugged his shoulders. Watching a certain fruit channel replay the press conference again, he suddenly chuckled, half-leaning on the bed head, muttering: “My darling is so brave, she can even stand up to protect me now…”

Hearing this, I felt embarrassed, feeling that Fu Junyan’s words were full of sourness. But I didn’t say it out loud to stimulate the patient. Instead, I chewed the apple noisily and clung to his arm, saying fawningly: “Uh, I just treated it as a… uh… acting class…”

“I thought you were being strong for the baby…” he childishly hummed softly, leaning over to take a bite of the apple in my hand.

I was stunned at first, then exclaimed, quickly pulling Fu Junyan to make him spit it out, jumping up and shouting: “Can you eat this? Can you eat this right after surgery? Fu Junyan, spit it out! Spit it out!”

“Would you be heartbroken if I choked?” He really swallowed the apple, then casually rubbed his belly and asked me.

I looked both anxious and angry, unable to react to his sudden behavior. I wanted to punch his chest but stopped mid-air, angrily grabbing the apple and starting to bite it furiously until only the core was left in my palm. Only then did I feel relieved. Then I boldly said: “Fu Junyan, what’s wrong with you? Try to provoke me again! Try not to take care of your body again! The doctor said I’m malnourished! If you anger me again, I won’t eat and you’ll be worried to death!”

“Don’t eat, let’s both not eat.” He pouted, looking meaningfully at the apple core I had just crunched in my hand and smiled. The smile was beautiful, but too bewitching, exuding a mischievous air.

I felt a bit embarrassed and confused. Looking at his unusually dark eyes gazing at the TV screen, I finally vaguely understood why he was acting this way, and couldn’t help but shout at him: “Why are you throwing a tantrum like a child! I held the press conference to protect you! I’ve always been like a fool, can’t I not be a fool for once? I just wanted to do something for you! I want to protect you too! Why does a man always have to be strong? Men can cry too, men can whine too! Just like cousin, he can sulk all day just because he got stuck in a door! Why does Fu Junyan have to be brave and strong? Doesn’t Fu Junyan feel pain or sadness? Young Master Junyan is human too! My man is human too!” I turned my face away, holding back tears that were about to fall again.

Fu Junyan listened and paused. He suddenly lowered his head, no longer with that smile on his face that I found annoying. He just quietly looked at me. After a while, he reached out to pull my sleeve as if to comfort me. I glared at him, pulled my hand away, and turned my head to ignore him. He sighed helplessly, let go of my hand, and conceded first, saying gently: “I was wrong. Silly pufferfish, I was just scaring you. I can eat apples, there’s no problem.”

Then he turned his face, raising his chin beautifully, helplessly and coaxingly shaking my arm, saying: “Don’t cry. Come, sit properly, look at me.”

I secretly glanced at him, seeing that he had returned to his spring-like demeanor. I finally moved my bottom, magnanimously turned my head, sat up straight looking at Fu Junyan, puffing up my cheeks like a pufferfish, staring at him.

Fu Junyan helplessly reached out to rub my hair, then poked my puffed cheeks, gently touching my nose and saying: “You! Spoiled baby!”

I wrinkled my nose, pouting and patting his hand disapprovingly. “Isn’t it because you spoil me!”

“Mm.” He nodded, his eyes full of laughter.

I pretended to be haughty and snorted, then asked arrogantly: “Fu Junyan, why can’t I protect you? I just wanted to clarify these messy rumors, to let you recover peacefully. Is that not okay?”

He was silent for a while, looking at me thoughtfully for a long time before saying: “It’s not that it’s not okay…” He paused, then looked at me almost helplessly and asked: “But darling, have you thought about it? How can we criticize someone who has already passed away? Should we blame him for parking in an area with quicksand? Or blame him for losing the keys? Or blame him for giving up on survival? Even if this is the truth, we can’t do this.” As he said this, he looked deep into my eyes and sighed softly: “The deceased are gone, everything is silent.”

His words hit my heart one by one, gently. I paused, slightly lowering my eyes, remembering the assistant director’s watermelon-like belly and his always smiling face. I lowered my head in guilt. I explained anxiously: “Fu Junyan, I just wanted to tell them that we didn’t kill the assistant director. I didn’t think that far. I didn’t mean to blame him, I never thought that way…”

Fu Junyan heard this and smiled comfortingly at me. He reached out to touch my face, his long fingers pressed against my lips, shaking his head at me and saying: “No need to explain, I know.”

As he spoke, he gently lifted my chin, and I looked straight into his exquisitely beautiful eyes, watching his long, dense eyelashes flutter slightly, like a breathtakingly beautiful painting. Then, he said to me word by word, earnestly: “Silly child, how can you think things are so simple? What use is clarification? What is the truth? In this world, there is no truth. Whatever you believe, that becomes the truth.”

I was stunned, not understanding the vicissitudes in his tone, but his words, so transparent, pierced straight into my heart.

Seeing me staring at him in a daze, Fu Junyan smiled and reached out to pull a tissue to take the apple core from my hand, then threw it into the trash can. He pulled out another tissue, carefully wiping my hands while continuing to say: “Clarifying at this time isn’t wrong, at least it can put the minds of those who love us at ease. However, we could have waited a bit longer. Even if we find solid evidence for the cause of the assistant director’s death, there will still be people who gossip. Moreover, right now, we can’t produce any evidence. Silly darling, there are too many things in this world that can’t be explained clearly. We live for ourselves. As long as we have a clear conscience, we don’t need to care about how others see us, understand?”

As he said this, he suddenly stopped, holding my hand, his beautiful eyes looking deeply at me, with added seriousness in his eyes. He said, “And silly pufferfish, the timing of your press conference was very bad. Darling, you need to understand that you were born prematurely. Your body is already very weak, and now you’re pregnant. Physical health is the foundation of everything. Why did you have to stand out at this time? I wish I could protect you every moment, but when I came out of the operating room, I couldn’t find you. So, I must seriously tell you that I’m very worried and angry about your behavior today.”

I was speechless, ashamed and even more ashamed… But since coming back from the press conference, there was one thing I couldn’t understand. Thinking about it, I still couldn’t help but ask. I fawned on him with a silly smile, tilting my head and asking untimely: “But how did you know? I… I cut the TV cable right from the start!”

Fu Junyan heard this and shook his head, looking at me with a half-smile. He tapped my nose and called softly: “Silly pufferfish.” Then his long finger slid down to the mobile phone on the table.

Isn’t modern technology too advanced?!!!!!!!! I stared at the phone in frustration, then lowered my head and secretly glanced at Fu Junyan twice, before weakly shaking his arm and whining in a muffled voice: “Fu Junyan, I know I was wrong. So if you’re angry, will you punish me?” As I said this, I patted my belly and said very boldly: “I have a shield, you know!”

Fu Junyan heard this and simply turned his face away speechlessly. Just as I was about to gloat, he suddenly turned his head to look at me innocently and said: “I can’t bear to trouble you, so I’ll just trouble myself…”

This is a killer move! “Aowu, no…” I started pretending to be pitiful with a crying face.

Seeing this, Fu Junyan laughed silently, then pretended to be calm and hummed, saying: “Then be good.”

“Okay…” I tilted my head, cupping my face with both hands and peering at him.

Fu Junyan reached out to pull down my hands covering my face, then lightly patted my face and said: “Alright, I’m not teasing you anymore. I’m more obedient than you, knowing I need to recover quickly to take care of you.” As he said this, he yawned tiredly, looking at me quietly, somewhat childishly holding my hand and squeezing it, saying: “Darling, remember, always stand behind me, let me protect you, protect the child, protect An’an, and even your father. Only when I fall and can no longer get up, can you stand out to protect the elderly and children. Understand?”

“Why? I want to protect you too…” I was a bit angry, widening my eyes to glare at him.

“You guard my home front, and I protect you. This is equal.”

“It’s not equal at all…”

“You protect my inner court from chaos, that’s the best protection…” As he said this, he childishly rubbed his eyes, blinking at me and pouting, saying: “I’m sleepy.”

“Okay.” I could only nod with puffed cheeks, seeing he was tired and not saying more. I just leaned down to kiss his forehead, saying: “I’ll kiss you once, sleep well…”

He smiled, suddenly pouting, looking at me very innocently, his eyes rippling with freshness and cleanliness, pointing at his lips and saying: “Mommy kissed, now baby kiss again.”

I was completely enchanted by him, obediently leaning down to kiss his lips again.

Then, the hospital room fell quiet. I tilted my head, leaning back in the chair, silently watching Fu Junyan. His sleeping face was pure and clean, his long, dense eyelashes casting a faint shadow on his lower eyelids. His breathing was particularly steady due to sleep, and his delicate face slowly falling asleep was as beautiful as spring snow melting.

It was only then that I suddenly thought, after traversing thousands of mountains and waters, spanning two lifetimes, the true good times and beautiful scenery were actually this person beside me.