ATLAS TRANSLATES

Chu Zhi had always had an interesting way of thinking.

When she was younger and did well in school, her teacher asked her to give a speech as an outstanding graduate representative at middle school graduation. Chu Zhi excitedly agreed and went up on stage without notes, starting to chat.

It began well enough, but then took an unexpected turn as she launched into a free-flowing discussion with the students below about unreasonable school rules, questioning where all the tuition fees went since there hadn’t been any improvements, not even in the cafeteria food – suggesting perhaps the money had been embezzled.

The students loved that graduation ceremony speech, but the teachers disagreed, leading to Chu Zhi avoiding visiting her middle school teachers for many years.

So in high school, when teachers asked her to give speeches, she refused.

In university, though Chu Zhi studied very diligently, she couldn’t be called hardworking. There were always others who worked a thousand or ten thousand times harder. Though her GPA wasn’t low, outstanding students were everywhere.

Like this year’s outstanding graduate representative, student Xiao Yi.

So watching Lu Jiaheng standing on stage now, Chu Zhi felt complex emotions.

She thought that even if the Earth was destroyed, volcanoes erupted, and polar ice caps melted to submerge all continents, nothing would be as shocking as Lu Jiaheng giving an alumni speech.

From inside out, Lu Jiaheng didn’t seem suited for such serious academic occasions – his demeanor would make people overlook the fact that he was actually quite scholarly during his studies.

Somehow, Chu Zhi felt a bit proud.

The person on stage had a distinctive voice, with many girls’ voices in the background. Chu Zhi spoke quietly, and Zhou Ming couldn’t hear clearly, letting out an “Ah?”

Chu Zhi didn’t speak, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the person on stage.

He wasn’t particularly dressed up – black suit, white shirt, no tie, giving him a casual air.

With glasses on, that lazy, frivolous energy was somewhat suppressed, adding a scholarly air – like a refined beast.

The beast’s speech was quite low-key, briefly boasting a bit before offering good wishes to his junior schoolmates, looking quite handsome when acting proper: “You’re at the best age now, with passion and fighting spirit, with pride and reckless energy. People say you need to be polished, become smooth, have your edges worn down, change from being impulsive to being calm and detached. They call this growing up, as if turning from a polygon into a sphere is the mark of everyone’s maturity. When you leave campus and enter society, you’ll have to learn to bow to the world – that’s true. I don’t know what you’ll all become in two, three, or four years, but at least now, you’re still polygons. You should live boldly and brightly through this time. Even if there are collisions and difficult setbacks, as long as someday in the future, when you think back to yourselves then, it was about striving and fighting, about burning passion, then all those collisions and polishing will have been worth it.”

He paused, smiled faintly, “Though I’m only a few years older than you, I already feel old. My girlfriend tells me every day that I’m losing more hair each day.”

Having just been moved to tears and feeling ready to take on the world, Chu Zhi was stunned for several seconds, muttering quietly: “I don’t tell you about your hair loss every day…”

Zhou Ming still couldn’t hear clearly: “What?”

“Nothing.”

Lu Jiaheng continued on stage: “And coincidentally, my girlfriend is also graduating today, sitting down there.”

Applause thundered through the auditorium, with cheering rising and falling, sharp whistles, and people shouting “Who is it?!” “Let her come up on stage!”

Chu Zhi: “…”

He stood far away on stage, his expression not very clear, though you could vaguely make out what seemed to be a smile. Head slightly tilted, his gaze reaching far out, seeming to look in her direction, yet also not quite.

Chu Zhi’s heartbeat was like drum beats, pounding out rock music.

Chu Zhi felt the drumming echoed through the entire auditorium, yet seemed like only she could hear it.

He wore glasses today – who knows if they had the same effect as a 200x scope, maybe he could see her face clearly from such a distance, along with the rock music played by her heartbeat.

Chu Zhi’s thoughts were in chaos.

The person on stage continued stirring things up: “Before I went abroad, at the airport, I told her – let’s get engaged when I come back.”

The background noise reached a new peak.

The auditorium was filled with cheers. His voice, amplified through the microphone and speakers, became infinitely large. You could hear every slight tremor in his voice through the subtle electrical current, making even her fingertips start to tremble.

For the first time, Chu Zhi felt the school auditorium’s sound equipment was so advanced.

“She said no,” Lu Jiaheng continued.

The squeals turned to laughter, with some boys shouting loudly: “Senior, are you capable or not?!”

Lu Jiaheng didn’t mind, lowering his eyes with a light laugh, patiently waiting for their laughter to subside before raising his hand, pressing his index finger to his lips: “Shh.”

As the noise gradually decreased, he spoke softly, his gaze looking down at the audience, yet seeming to look at just one person:

“Congratulations on graduating.”

When everything ended, Chu Zhi walked out of the auditorium with Lin Tong and the others.

The entire campus was filled with graduates in academic gowns, gathering in small groups to chat and take photos.

Gu Han was still reminiscing about when Lu Jiaheng went on stage. With what she thought was a gentle and handsome smile but actually gave people goosebumps, she looked at Chu Zhi lovingly, her voice full of affection: “—Congratulations on graduating.”

Chu Zhi: “…”

Lin Tong couldn’t help laughing: “Though he said ‘congratulations on graduating,’ he probably wanted to say something else, like ‘I love you’ or ‘marry me’ – just didn’t know if saying that would make our Zhi so embarrassed she’d crawl under her chair.”

Gu Han was still a bit disappointed: “I actually thought he would make a romantic confession, but unexpectedly the female lead didn’t even show her face.”

“You don’t understand, this kind of situation – looking at you among the crowd, with that sweet secrecy that only we two know about – is much more exciting than your way of showing off love openly.”

As the young girls chattered while walking out, Chu Zhi thought that would be the last time she saw Xiao Yi.

The tall boy stood like a pillar at the auditorium entrance. Today, as an outstanding graduate speaker, he had clearly prepared very thoroughly, but following Lu Jiaheng, such an academic and rigid speech inevitably seemed a bit stiff and boring.

Lin Tong and the other three left first. Chu Zhi and Xiao Yi walked side by side toward the school’s main road. For the first few minutes, no one spoke.

Chu Zhi didn’t know why Xiao Yi called her again – she felt there was nothing left to say.

At first, Chu Zhi had many thoughts – wanting to expose his lies, wanting to take back what was hers.

But as time passed, she suddenly felt these things were quite meaningless. When you encounter unfair things but don’t resolve them immediately, afterwards it always feels like you’ve lost half the momentum.

Being classmates for four years only to end with mutual destruction, making a dramatic scene for others to watch. Chu Zhi’s temperament had always been this way – letting things go quickly. And ever since she discovered the relationship between Xiao Yi and Zhao Mei, somehow she became calmer.

It was as if she gained some vague sense of self-approval, or a bit of inexplicable backbone.

June was hot, the French phoenix trees lush and green, their tender leaves scattering light across the ground.

Xiao Yi spoke first.

He was a bit hot and took off his graduation cap, looking ahead as he spoke: “Congratulations on graduating. You look beautiful today.”

Chu Zhi didn’t speak, turning her head to look at him strangely.

They hadn’t spoken since she won the award at the college advertising festival.

Today, he pulled her aside to say many things – trivial things, reminiscences of the past, prospects for the future.

Walking through the shade, he finally got to the point: “That Senior Lu who spoke at the graduation ceremony – his girlfriend is you, right?”

Chu Zhi paused, finally raising her head to look at him properly for the first time today.

Xiao Yi’s expression was mild, with a hint of a smile, his gaze distant as if remembering: “I remember him, back in freshman year. He followed behind you attending classes for several weeks, and even gave you—” he thought for a moment, “a bunch of apples?”

Chu Zhi: “…”

The outstanding graduate representative’s memory was indeed good.

Chu Zhi took a deep breath and finally spoke: “Monitor, what exactly do you want?”

Xiao Yi answered irrelevantly: “Did you refuse his proposal?”

Chu Zhi said dryly: “That’s my business…”

“Why did you refuse? Isn’t he the heir to Jing Heng?” He suddenly smiled, making a gesture in the air, “So you see, the difference between a group heir—” his finger turned to point at himself, “and a poor family’s child is right here, can’t even win over a girl.”

Chu Zhi finally felt a bit impatient.

She also took off her graduation cap, tilting her head back to look at him with some amazement: “Do you think the difference between you two is in family background?”

Xiao Yi smiled: “In looks too?”

“That’s not quite it – you two aren’t the same type,” Chu Zhi shook her head, saying very seriously, “Lu Jiaheng is a man, but you – I can’t see anything manly about you.” She paused, then continued: “Not only that, but you’re also thick-skinned. I wonder if you know what shame is at all?”

Xiao Yi froze in place.

By now they had reached the end of the tree-lined path. Ahead was the main road by the teaching buildings, with a car parked on the side.

Lu Jiaheng stood by the car, looking up to see her.

The two locked eyes across the distance. The girl in academic dress jumped up excitedly to wave at him, hopping over like a little rabbit. The black academic gown fluttered, her soft long hair braided in a pretty fishtail braid, the ends swinging to her chest as she ran, catching bits of fuzzy light in the sun.

Halfway there, someone called her from behind.

She turned back to listen, then a few seconds later turned around again to run toward him.

Lu Jiaheng leaned against the car, smiling as he waited for her to come closer.

The young girl had put on very delicate makeup today, creating a stunning first impression. Her skin was porcelain white with a touch of blush, looking healthy and rosy. The slight dark circles under her eyes from preparing for her thesis defense and job hunting were covered up. Her eyeliner extended slightly, making her round deer eyes curve up slightly, adding a touch of allure.

She stood before him, looking up with mascara-coated long lashes fluttering like brushes, looking at him very happily.

Lu Jiaheng raised an eyebrow: “All dressed up so pretty, who are you planning to seduce later?”

Chu Zhi looked around, secretly extending one finger to hook his finger, pulling slightly.

He looked down, instinctively curving his finger, watching her slender white fingertip hook his: “What are you doing?”

Chu Zhi giggled: “Seducing you!”

He paused, turning from passive to active, hooking her finger to pull her closer, bending down to whisper in her ear: “Then what were you sneaking peeks at just now? Afraid of being caught cheating by your official boyfriend?”

Chu Zhi maintained a straight face: “Pretty scared, but you’re just slightly more tempting.”

Lu Jiaheng laughed softly, freeing a hand to pat her head: “Little thing got bolder after graduating?”

She quickly dodged backward, afraid he would mess up the fishtail braid Lin Tong had helped her with this morning. Keeping some distance, she just held onto his one finger, swinging it: “Are you going back to the company soon?”

“Mm, but I can stay a bit longer.”

Chu Zhi thought for a moment, then shook her head: “You should go back, otherwise you won’t finish your work and will have to stay up late again.”

Before Lu Jiaheng could speak, Chu Zhi had already obediently opened the back door and climbed in: “Can I secretly keep you company?” She raised both hands, “I swear to heaven, I won’t make a sound, I just want to see what you look like when you work.”

“…”

Lu Jiaheng held the car door frame with one hand, looking down at the little person sitting in the car: “Chu Zhi, raising both hands means surrender.”

Chu Zhi: “…Oh.”

“One more thing.”

“Hmm?”

“You were walking and chatting so happily with that guy just now, what were you talking about?”

Chu Zhi thought for a moment before realizing what he meant. She blinked: “We weren’t that happy.”

“You saw me but got called back by him – what did he say to you?”

She leaned back in the car seat, saying slowly: “He said… goodbye.”

Lu Jiaheng’s eyes narrowed, his expression looking quite dangerous: “You’re planning to see him again?”

“No, no, I scolded him,” the little girl looked quite excited, “It was my first time scolding someone, I was really fierce, super cool!”

Lu Jiaheng let out a lazy laugh: “How is it your first time? Don’t you scold me every day?” He drawled, “Lu Jiaheng bastard, Lu Jiaheng pervert, Lu Jiaheng psycho.”

Chu Zhi: “…”

After the graduation ceremony, the next day happened to be weekend, allowing Chu Zhi to rest at home for two days.

Early Monday morning, she arrived at the company on time.

Although Chu Zhi had graduated, she wasn’t yet a formal employee – she would have to wait until passing the evaluation at the end of the month to become permanent.

On graduation day, Xiao Yi had specifically called her back to say he would keep her relationship with Lu Jiaheng secret, and had said goodbye.

Chu Zhi never understood what the point of his actions was, since in her view, they wouldn’t have any chance to meet again.

Until Monday morning, when she arrived at the office and saw Xiao Yi sitting in the adjacent marketing department’s meeting room talking with Ye Kanning.

The glass door of the meeting room was open, with Ye Kanning and the product manager sitting inside. The woman sitting next to Xiao Yi was Zhao Mei.

Chu Zhi was stunned for quite a while, her first reaction being that Xiao Yi had brought his whole family including Zhao Mei to jump from Zhuo Si to Jing Heng.

She returned to her desk and turned to ask the person in the pink shirt beside her: “What’s this activity of Manager Ye’s about? Those two – are they new employees?”

Pink Shirt loved being asked questions. He pushed his keyboard away and eagerly leaned over: “No, you know Zhuo Si? They’re quite famous in PR and advertising circles. Their team is supposed to be really good. Apparently the vice president made the connection – they want to establish a long-term partnership with our company.”

Author’s Note:

Sorry, Monitor Xiao, please don’t rush to collect your death flags yet, the scene still needs you.