ATLAS TRANSLATES

Chu Zhi thought Zhao Mei must have gone crazy.

She was like a wronged wife discovering her husband’s affair, storming in to catch them in the act. Her expression turned fierce almost as soon as she saw Chu Zhi, not even bothering to maintain her usual composed and intellectual façade anymore, throwing out cold mockery and nonsensical remarks.

Several times Xiao Yi couldn’t bear to listen anymore and interrupted her, standing up to pull her aside, saying quietly: “Let’s talk outside first.”

Zhao Mei violently shook off his hand, her voice cold: “Talk about what outside? What can’t be said here? What did you promise me? What did you tell me back then? Now you’re secretly meeting with her? Xiao Yi, stop being so cheap, she never liked you at all. After you did such a despicable thing, she hates you through and through.”

Xiao Yi’s face turned pale.

He was silent for a moment, slowly exhaling: “I know,” he repeated quietly, “I know, you don’t need to keep reminding me. We’re just discussing some things.”

She pressed on relentlessly: “I don’t need to remind you? Even with my reminders you still can’t help being cheap and looking for her. What would you do if I didn’t remind you? Country people just have cheap bones! Discussing things? Ha, what things do you have that I don’t know about?”

Xiao Yi closed his eyes: “Do you have to—”

“Xiao Yi,” Zhao Mei cut him off with a half-smile, “What else do you have that I don’t know about?”

Xiao Yi finally showed an expression of having reached his limit, somewhat tiredly rubbing his brow: “Do you have to talk like this?”

Zhao Mei sneered: “How am I talking? Which of my words is wrong? Who is responsible for how you are now? Who is it because of?”

Chu Zhi sat propping up her head in the coffee shop chair, blinking as she watched them argue like it was a show.

They had chosen a corner spot with plants as dividers, though they couldn’t quite block the sound of the argument. People kept glancing over.

Zhao Mei probably noticed this too, taking a deep breath to calm down before turning her gaze back to Chu Zhi.

Chu Zhi nodded at her: “Hello.”

Zhao Mei twisted out a smile: “No need for formalities, Miss Chu. I didn’t come here today planning to be indirect, so you can drop these honorifics. I’m always very direct, it makes me uncomfortable hearing them.”

Chu Zhi looked at her very seriously: “That won’t do, you’re almost a decade older than me. My father taught me from childhood that one must be polite to elders.”

Zhao Mei’s expression changed instantly.

Chu Zhi smiled sweetly: “Please sit. I was actually planning to look for you, but since you came yourself, let’s chat directly.”

Zhao Mei remained standing, not moving.

Chu Zhi even gently called a server over to order coffee for her too.

Zhao Mei kept watching her with narrowed eyes, looking partly gloating and partly still uncertain and wary.

The server brought the coffee and set it on the table. Zhao Mei didn’t move, her expression looking like she suspected Chu Zhi and the server had conspired to poison her.

After half a minute of silence, Chu Zhi cleared her throat: “Before this, there’s one thing that needs to be clarified—” she pointed at Xiao Yi beside her, saying very seriously, “I’m not his ex-girlfriend, we never developed any relationship beyond being classmates.”

Zhao Mei’s expression became very complicated, with mockery and contempt mixed with something like jealousy or other emotions. She let out a “ha” that was full of meaning: “Of course there wouldn’t be any non-classmate relationship. Someone like Xiao Yi – you wouldn’t look twice at him, right?”

She stared at her, waiting for her to show an embarrassed expression.

But after waiting three seconds, Chu Zhi frowned, seeming somewhat disapproving and confused by her words: “You think Xiao Yi is that bad? Then why are you with him?”

Zhao Mei: “…”

She even started to suspect Chu Zhi was doing this on purpose.

Leaning back and crossing her arms, Zhao Mei looked at her coldly: “Miss Chu Zhi, we’re not like you, we’re very busy and don’t have time to sit here drinking coffee and chatting. If you have any questions, just say them directly. But if you’re thinking of getting Zhuo Si to withdraw from this bid, I advise you to give up that idea,” she paused, somewhat smugly, “Our leader and Vice President Lu have been friends for many years. Even President Lu wouldn’t refuse this small favor.”

Chu Zhi’s expression remained quite calm, even a bit absent-minded, looking like she hadn’t taken any of what was just said seriously. Her small hand propped up her face, pressing soft indents into it: “There is one question I want to ask,” Chu Zhi slapped her phone down on the table, turning it off, “About the email thing – was that you?”

Zhao Mei hadn’t expected Chu Zhi to ask her so directly.

Back when her proposal was plagiarized, seeing her reaction, Zhao Mei had thought this girl must have a very soft personality, not the type who would come directly confront her like this.

Zhao Mei’s first reaction was to deny it.

Chu Zhi had no way to find evidence about this – Jing Heng’s internal email system, company personnel, these had nothing to do with her.

She glanced at Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi was also frowning at her.

It was as if he was also on Chu Zhi’s side.

The fire in Zhao Mei’s heart suddenly flared up.

She stretched her neck, chin slightly raised like a proud white swan, looking down at her: “What email?”

Chu Zhi licked her lips, blinked, thought for a moment, then took out what Lu Jiaheng had given her at lunch and pushed it in front of her.

Zhao Mei looked down.

A snow white envelope with some thickness, sealed with golden wax, looking quite fancy.

Zhao Mei didn’t move.

Chu Zhi curiously stretched her neck, waiting for her to open it.

When Lu Jiaheng gave it to her, he hadn’t told her what was inside, looking very mysterious, which made Chu Zhi very curious now too.

She waited a while but Zhao Mei didn’t open it. She seemed to have some premonition, or was afraid of something. After quite some time, she finally opened it and pulled out what was inside.

They were photos.

Photos of a man and woman entangled together, doing extremely intimate and ambiguous things.

Zhao Mei only glanced chaotically for two seconds before widening her eyes in disbelief, shooting to her feet to glare at her.

Chu Zhi lifted her head in confusion – there was a table between her and them, she hadn’t even seen what was in the photos.

Xiao Yi sitting beside her had clearly seen them. He seemed shocked, staying frozen for quite a while before slowly coming back to his senses.

He lifted his head blankly to look at the woman beside him.

Zhao Mei opened her mouth: “Xiao Yi…”

Xiao Yi looked at her for a long while, then suddenly lowered his head and laughed: “Congratulations, you achieved your wish.”

He looked at her calmly: “Wasn’t this what you always wanted – to find a rich man?”

Zhao Mei’s eyes reddened as she raised her hand to pull at him: “Xiao Yi… listen to me…”

Xiao Yi suddenly stood up, shaking her off and walking out.

Chu Zhi thought Zhao Mei would chase after him.

But she didn’t.

She just sat there, her gaze looking empty for a long time before finally focusing back on Chu Zhi’s face.

Her previous arrogance was completely gone. She looked like someone whose tail had been stepped on, her voice extremely low, trembling and tense: “You came to find me today just to show me this?”

Chu Zhi didn’t even know what was inside.

She shook her head, repeating: “I just wanted to confirm if you sent out the email.”

“Yes.”

She answered too quickly – Chu Zhi hadn’t even reacted: “Huh?”

“Yes, I found someone I knew to get the email address,” her lips were pale, “One is fact, one is a ‘fact’ from long ago. Did I lie? I just let everyone know these two things. It’s been three days since the first email went out – has your rich sugar daddy taken any action? Has he explained? Has he defended you?” Zhao Mei’s hands pressed hard on the stack of photos on the table as she leaned forward, suddenly smiling, “Little girl, stop dreaming about being a peasant flying up to become a phoenix. Where is there true love in this world? Do you really think those rich men genuinely like you? He just wants to sleep with you.”

She looked possessed, watching her cruelly and gleefully, waiting for her reaction.

Chu Zhi met her gaze. Her previously calm expression started showing waves of emotion as she listened.

Zhao Mei showed a triumphant expression.

Chu Zhi looked like she had been offended, her round big eyes glaring at her, getting angry without any intimidation: “Apologize.”

Zhao Mei slowly raised an eyebrow, her defeated expression finally becoming animated: “Apologize? You should thank me, I’m now—”

The next second, a glass of cranberry juice with ice was completely splashed in her face.

Zhao Mei let out a shriek.

Her white outfit was completely stained with light red, her styled hair hanging with mint leaves and cranberry pulp, juice streaming down, sliding from her chin tip into her neckline, some dripping onto the table.

She reflexively closed her eyes, expression blank for several seconds, not having reacted yet.

Chu Zhi hadn’t reacted either – when she came to her senses, the glass in her hand was empty.

Zhao Mei opened her eyes with a fierce expression: “Chu—”

She looked like she was about to hit her. Chu Zhi reacted extremely quickly, immediately snatching up the hot coffee in front of her, leaning forward to raise her hand and lightly splash it.

The little river flowed whoosh.

Another perfect soprano scream.

The woman in front stood with a mix of cranberry freshness and coffee richness, her elegant big curls dripping wet, mint leaves on her head along with a pile of mixed cranberry and raspberry pulp, even two ice cubes stuck in her chest neckline.

The servers had already rushed over. Chu Zhi, like an agile little white rabbit, grabbed her bag and darted out of the booth, hiding behind the servers at the table edge. She raised her little chin, looking down her nose to give Zhao Mei a heavy “hmph,” then fled the scene at Olympic women’s 100-meter sprint speed.

In the meeting room.

Most of the management had left. Lu Jiaheng leaned back in his chair, looking at the man in front of him, a bit lost in thought.

Behind was a huge floor-to-ceiling window. The clouds were thick, the afternoon sunlight diluted thin, struggling to shine inside.

Lu Hongsheng rubbed his temples, his voice sounding somewhat tired: “What is it.”

Lu Jiaheng curved his lips: “Why do you look so tired? Not sleeping well lately?”

Lu Hongsheng showed slight surprise, lifting his eyes: “Mm, been a bit busy lately.”

“Busy giving email accounts to your mistress?”

The pretense of father-son affection from a moment ago shattered.

Lu Hongsheng’s expression turned cold: “What are you saying?”

Lu Jiaheng looked at him coolly: “If you don’t know, you can go ask your mistress,” he paused, drawling out an “oh,” “But, you do know which mistress I’m talking about, right?”

“I really don’t know, but I do know about yours,” Lu Hongsheng showed contempt, “That intern called what was it, Chu Zhi? The first time I saw her I thought she looked familiar, then later remembered where I’d seen her – wasn’t it in my son’s phone.”

Lu Jiaheng’s lips turned down slightly as he looked at him emotionlessly.

Lu Hongsheng seemed to finally realize he had found his weakness, smiling with three parts smugness and three parts mockery: “I had wondered what kind of person you would fall for, but didn’t expect this type? I heard she caused trouble at another company before – her character doesn’t seem very good. You’re planning to bring this kind of daughter-in-law home?”

This was actually better.

No longer playing emotional family games, no longer letting people hold any pathetic hopes. This way, it actually made people feel more comfortable.

I thank you for bringing me into this world, and also thank your hands that strangled emotion in its cradle.

Lu Jiaheng’s lips drooped as he lowered his eyes, silently laughing: “At the end of this month, you’ll get definitive news – that piece of land you bought at high price is worthless. The key economic development zone is in the southeast,”

He lifted his pupils emotionlessly to look at him, his voice flat like reading a report: “You should have heard some rumors by now, so you’ve been asking about the Jiangnan situation lately, but I can tell you very clearly – even if you treat the Urban Construction and Housing Construction Bureau leaders to more meals it’s useless. You don’t have much money left, and moreover, that piece of land already has a name now. Coincidentally, this land shares your surname, but unfortunately isn’t yours.”

Lu Hongsheng’s expression finally changed.

“And that film and television company of yours just has those few cards – what was that top-tier one called? Qiao Lu? You know what nasty problems she has, right?”

Lu Jiaheng threw the documents in his hand onto the table with a light “pa” sound. He lounged back in his chair, legs spread, his whole body flattened like a pancake. “Being general manager for four or five years couldn’t broaden your horizons even one millimeter. Who would the old man give up on if not you? When father and son don’t recognize each other – tell me, what’s the point of living like this for forty or fifty years?”

Lu Hongsheng gritted his teeth: “When did you do all this, plotting against your own birth father? You think you’re any better than me?”

Lu Jiaheng squinted his eyes, lazily tilting his head: “I didn’t do anything. There’s a saying called reaping what you sow. Nothing happens by luck – the evil you create, even if not repaid immediately, will come back bit by bit in future days to make you pay in full.”

Chu Zhi left the coffee shop, frantically fleeing in her small heels like escaping from a temple, running for two blocks before breathlessly hailing a car.

In the car Chu Zhi received a call from Ms. Deng – Father Chu had just finished work and given himself a vacation. The July-August timing was good, so the couple was going to Provence to see lavender, and asked if she wanted to come along.

Chu Zhi was silent for a moment: “Where are you now?”

“At home! Just waiting for you!” Ms. Deng said happily amidst airport flight announcements.

Chu Zhi: “…”

She sat in the back of the taxi, constantly looking back, afraid Zhao Mei was following to seek revenge. This made the taxi driver look very nervous too, probably thinking she was some deceptively ordinary-looking criminal currently evading pursuit.

As soon as the car arrived, Chu Zhi paid and got out, and the driver eagerly sped away.

Chu Zhi stood there, rubbing her sore feet from running, and went upstairs.

After thinking, she pressed Lu Jiaheng’s floor number.

The elevator doors opened and she walked to his door, first pressing the doorbell and waiting a while with no response before taking out her key to open it.

But just as the key entered the lock, someone opened the door from inside.

Chu Zhi blinked: “You’re home?”

“Mm” Lu Jiaheng lowered his eyes, “Got everything resolved?”

Chu Zhi answered vaguely: “I guess so?”

Lu Jiaheng smiled: “What do you mean you guess? Is there such a thing as guessing about this?”

She took off her shoes to put on slippers and went inside, walking to the living room completely exhausted, collapsing directly into the soft sofa, twisting her bottom and lifting her feet to lie sideways: “Just, I don’t know if how I handled it was right or not.”

“What’s there not to know.” Lu Jiaheng let out a light laugh, walking over to sit beside her, lowering his brows and eyes as he raised his hand, his slightly cool palm covering her chest.

Summer clothes were thin – his palm pressed tightly against the fabric, could even feel the outline of underwear beneath.

Chu Zhi froze as the air stilled for three seconds.

Lu Jiaheng sat by the sofa with his long legs stretched out, hand resting on her chest, not moving, expression lazy. When he spoke, his voice was also light, nothing seeming wrong: “Does it feel better here?”

Chu Zhi: “…”

Chu Zhi’s face turned bright red as she widened her eyes at him, scrambling to sit up and pushing him away.

Lu Jiaheng had only been perched on the edge of the sofa, not really putting much weight, just leaning there lightly. When Chu Zhi pushed him suddenly without controlling her strength, catching him off guard, Lu Jiaheng was knocked off the sofa, landing on his bottom on the floor.

The long plush carpet below was soft, making no sound when he fell, but there was a coffee table behind him. There was a dull thud of flesh hitting something hard – “boom” – making the coffee table shake.

Lu Jiaheng’s brows furrowed in pain with a “tss” sound.

Chu Zhi was also startled, quickly scurrying down to kneel in front of him, frantically apologizing: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Does it hurt?”

Lu Jiaheng lifted his head with furrowed brows, arching his back to recover for a moment: “Are you trying to murder your husband?”

Chu Zhi scrunched up her little face: “Who told you to act like a pervert right away…”

Lu Jiaheng let out a laugh, raising his eyebrows: “I was asking if you feel better now, after handling things this way?”

Chu Zhi: “…”

He propped his hand on the ground and turned to the side slowly, straightening his back with one leg bent, arm resting on his knee as he leaned close to look at her, voice lowered with a hint of magnetic huskiness: “Why is this little friend now so eager for me to act like a pervert?”

“…”