ATLAS TRANSLATES

Chen Jinyao’s visit to Capital University was a spontaneous decision.

The venue was packed, with no empty seats in sight.

Carrying Yan Chi, she lingered at the entrance for a moment before wanting to leave.

Standing for too long would be too tiring for her.

She had actually come together with Yan Cheng.

Yan Cheng needed to go to the venue early for preparations. As for her, considering Yan Chi was young and active, unlikely to stay still in one place for too long, she decided to walk around campus with him before the speech began.

When it was almost time, they followed the direction signs to get here.

“Chi Chi, can you come down for a bit?” Little Yan Chi seemed uncomfortable seeing so many people at once. The usually chatty child suddenly went quiet, obediently resting his head on Chen Jinyao’s shoulder, his small hands tightly wrapped around her neck, face buried there. Chen Jinyao noticed the little one’s mood and, after some thought, decided to walk further away, gently patting his back. “Mommy will call daddy to come get us.”

Yan Chi remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

But his small movement of holding Chen Jinyao tighter gave him away.

“Chi Chi?”

His short legs swung back and forth, still refusing to let go.

Still not speaking.

After a moment of standoff.

The little one seemed to have calmed down and slowly lifted his head. His chubby white face was scrunched up, then, with reddened ears, he shyly looked embarrassed: “Mommy, I need to pee.”

After saying this, he continued stating facts with a serious face in his baby voice: “I can’t hold it much longer.”

Chen Jinyao: “…”

Little Yan Chi was dressed especially smartly today.

A white T-shirt paired with dark denim overalls, chosen by Yan Cheng.

While it looked good, these denim overalls didn’t have an open crotch.

In the ladies’ room, Chen Jinyao struggled with the clothes while Yan Chi struggled to hold it in.

His short legs kept stomping.

“Don’t move,” Chen Jinyao patted his leg.

But this wasn’t something that could stop just by saying so. Yan Chi made a troubled face, “Mommy.”

“Mommy, if I wet myself and make my pants wet, will you spank me?” His language ability was extremely strong, and when he wanted to speak, he could talk in long segments, importantly in an orderly and clear manner.

Chen Jinyao unbuttoned his clothes, “Yes, I will.”

“…”

“Little kid, why aren’t you wearing open-crotch pants?”

Recently all the pants Yan Cheng bought for him had zippers. That wasn’t all – such a tiny child, and under his pants, he was wearing Ultraman underwear.

“…” Chen Jinyao shook her head repeatedly, couldn’t help muttering under her breath: “Like this, it’s no wonder if he wets himself.”

The little one heard her quiet complaints and tried to comfort her instead, “Don’t worry, Mommy, I can still hold it.” After a pause, he added seriously word by word: “Daddy says important things shouldn’t be shown to others.”

“I don’t want to be embarrassed.”

Chen Jinyao: “…”

At this moment, in the venue.

The host had already gone on stage to give the opening speech.

The formulaic opening drew thunderous applause from below.

Yan Cheng had called Chen Jinyao several times, but no one answered.

Later, he simply sent her a text message, telling her to find a short-haired girl in blue volunteer uniform at the main entrance of the venue, who would take her backstage.

While picking up the squatting Yan Chi, Chen Jinyao checked the message and replied “Got it.”

“Mommy.”

“Mm.”

“I’m a man.”

“Mm, you are.”

“Then it’s not right for me to come to the girls’ bathroom.”

“Oh.” Chen Jinyao put his overalls back on with a straight face, “It’s not right, but Mommy can’t go into the men’s bathroom.”

Hearing this, little Yan Chi shook his small head, pressed his lips together in thought for a moment, then sighed: “Ah, what’s the use of having daddy.”

Su Ran met Chen Jinyao in the bathroom.

She had just entered when she saw Chen Jinyao bending over the sink, holding a small bundle in her arms. The little bundle was chattering endlessly, calling out “Mommy” sweetly every few seconds, so well-behaved it could melt anyone’s heart.

At first, she didn’t realize it was Chen Jinyao. Su Ran just paid a bit more attention, but when the other person raised her head and her face was reflected in the mirror, she recognized her and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Searching far and wide without success, Yet now she found herself at a loss for what to do.

Reality had shaped her, making her willing to do anything to secure a good job in the capital.

Earlier in the venue, she had already made plans.

Zhiyuan Technology’s recruitment standards were getting higher and higher. Academic qualifications were just one part; candidates also needed to demonstrate comprehensive abilities.

No wonder their campus recruitment was only at prestigious schools.

Su Ran had been struggling to find work in society these past two years, running into walls everywhere. Now she only hoped to get in through the back door via Chen Jinyao, which would make job hunting easier. Even though they weren’t close, as long as she succeeded, she could give gifts and treat her to meals later.

But seeing Chen Jinyao at this moment, she suddenly backed down.

Because she suddenly realized, The relationship between a dentist and patient halfway through treatment, Was actually similar to that of strangers.

No one has an obligation to help a stranger. Even if the stranger promises a reward after success.

Su Ran stood there stunned, and before she could recover, Chen Jinyao had turned around with the little bundle in her arms, their eyes met.

Somehow, Su Ran suddenly felt guilty and her gaze became evasive.

In that instant, Chen Jinyao also withdrew her gaze and passed by her without a sideways glance.

Indeed, they were just strangers.

Chen Jinyao, now with a happy family, Had long forgotten the existence of someone like Su Ran.

---

On stage, the tall and straight man wore a white shirt, dress pants, and black leather shoes. His shirt and pants were without a single wrinkle, perfectly crisp, highlighting his meticulousness. Yet oddly enough, for some reason, he insisted on wearing gold-rimmed glasses without lenses, which served as an accessory making him appear more approachable.

After he stood in the middle of the stage and received thunderous applause lasting more than ten seconds, followed by the final scattered claps fading away, the venue fell into silence.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to Yan Cheng on the stage.

Young, handsome, and successful.

He radiated endless charisma from the moment he appeared before them.

Girls excitedly whispered among themselves, while boys’ eyes showed admiration.

Chen Jinyao didn’t go backstage.

She politely declined the volunteer at the door, found a corner to lean against the wall with Yan Chi, and watched the suddenly serious Yan Cheng.

Very charming, Chen Jinyao evaluated in her heart.

If she had gone backstage, she wouldn’t have been able to see him like this.

Weighing the pros and cons, standing tired for a while would be worth it.

“Mommy.” Yan Chi seemed a bit excited seeing his proper-looking father, but given there were too many people around, he didn’t dare show his excitement too obviously. He was a low-key boy, his grape-sized eyes fixed on the stage, going from confused to delighted. After staring enough, he turned to rest his head on mommy’s shoulder and whispered, “Mommy, look, it’s daddy.”

“Mm, it’s Chi Chi’s daddy.” Chen Jinyao looked down at him, smiling, thought for a moment, then asked: “Is daddy impressive?”

“Very impressive!” He clapped his small hands and said loudly.

The speech officially began.

All the lights in the venue were turned off, pupils suddenly contracting at the change in light. The thick curtains were all drawn, blocking the dazzling sunlight from outside. The hall was dim, with the only remaining light source focused on the stage.

“Hello, junior schoolmates.”

As soon as he spoke, applause erupted.

Yan Cheng raised an eyebrow and continued with the so-called pleasantries.

These words appeared very frequently during student days, and as someone who had been through it, he knew well how unwilling the students below were to hear such content.

After saying a few casual words, he got to the main topic.

He didn’t plan to talk about Zhiyuan Technology.

Nor did he plan to talk about everything he experienced during Zhiyuan Technology’s development.

“You understand those grand principles better than I do, and those words that make your blood boil are actually meaningless.”

“Why do I say this? Because the feeling of blood boiling doesn’t last long.”

“After listening, you’ll be excited for at most a week, and after a week you’ll go back to being an idle fish.”

A wave of laughter rose from below.

Yan Cheng slightly narrowed his eyes, his gaze moving slowly from left to right as if searching for something. He promptly changed his tone, putting away his sense of humor and his innate flamboyant spirit. When he spoke again, his voice became gentle, mixed with a touch of warmth, as if about to tell a story, “I believe many of you heard about me several years ago.”

“The me from back then and now could be called completely different people.” He suddenly stopped his searching gaze, and after looking at the right corner, he barely moved his eyes away, “Today I want to talk about why I had such a big change. Boys, listen carefully, this will be more useful for you in the future.” As for the so-called entrepreneurial journey, this topic would be more suitable for Luo Xiao.

Many people in the venue were very excited.

Some thought such gossip was utterly boring and went about their own business.

Fortunately, order was still maintained, not disturbing Yan Cheng’s main show.

“What I want to talk about today is responsibility.”

“Only those who can bear responsibility have hope of achieving great things in the future.”

“I believe many male students here already have girlfriends. I want to ask you to search your hearts, have you considered your and your girlfriend’s future?” After speaking, he gave the audience two minutes for discussion.

Chen Jinyao watched Yan Cheng.

Yan Cheng secretly raised his eyebrows at her, then lowered his eyes and unbuttoned his cuff with one hand, his movements slow and deliberate, adding a touch of scholarly elegance. After unbuttoning, he rolled up his sleeve one circle at a time, subtly revealing his toned forearm.

Many people below were whispering that Yan Cheng had gone off topic. Such words continuously reached Chen Jinyao’s ears. Chen Jinyao’s brow twitched as she belatedly realized that Yan Cheng’s seriousness was all fake – he just couldn’t stay comfortable if he didn’t stir things up for even a minute!

“When you become aware of responsibility and have plans for the future and are already taking action, you’re already on the road to success.”

“I’m a reformed rake that’s worth more than gold.” He smiled, like a spring breeze, “When I first got married, my friend saw my wife, looked at me and then at my wife, and said ‘a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.’”

After a pause, he shrugged, “Obviously, the flower is my wife, and the cow dung is me.”

Another wave of good-natured laughter rose and fell.

“What did the cow dung think at that time?”

“It could have two thoughts. First, work hard to turn things around, swap the meaning of that sentence, make itself good and the flower bad. Second, be good to the flower, and after the flower knows it’s good, before long, everyone will know the cow dung is good.”

“I chose the second option.”

“Then quietly, imperceptibly, I had some small changes.”

“The change in thinking led to changes in my actions.”

“Success needs action, and also needs correct thinking as guidance.”

…

Once he started talking, he just poured everything out.

There were indeed secrets to success he wanted to teach the junior schoolmates, but it felt like the secrets were hidden and needed to be discovered by oneself.

What first came to mind seemed more like Yan Cheng showing off his love life indirectly.

Chen Jinyao couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

She simply turned her face away to kiss little Yan Chi’s chubby cheeks.

Determined not to look at the stage.

Fortunately, he knew when to stop.

He interspersed many other topics in between.

However, at the end, he fell back into old habits.

Yan Cheng never looked at notes, nor had he prepared any such thing, speaking freely, talking about whatever came to mind.

“Responsibility, thinking, action, self-reflection, and many other things are all indispensable, but success actually doesn’t have a clear boundary, it’s an ambiguous concept.”

“Regarding Zhiyuan Technology, the biggest contributors are from the technical department. One point to mention is that in work and life, you all need a group of like-minded partners.”

“Because of them, we have today’s Zhiyuan Technology.”

“And my decision to join them brings us back to the initial topic – because of responsibility, because I am a husband, and also my child’s father.”

“At that time, I thought that I would become my child’s role model in the future.”

“That I can stand here today and become a so-called successful person in your eyes, honestly speaking, I must thank my wife, thank my wife for accompanying me all the way, letting me gradually mature from being childish.”

Small chubby hands covered Chen Jinyao’s ears.

Yan Chi: “Daddy is being embarrassing.”

Chen Jinyao’s lips curved up, almost laughing out loud: “…”

The speech ended, and the venue started to stir.

The host barely managed to stabilize the order of the venue, and struck while the iron was hot to announce the next procedure.

Student questions.

Originally, because they were afraid Yan Cheng would be embarrassed, They had specially found several student plants, with questions written in advance.

However, the pre-written questions were completely unrelated to what Yan Cheng talked about today. Changing the questions on the spot was difficult because everyone had been too absorbed in listening and now their minds were suddenly blank, leading to an awkward silence.

Later, a female student in the front row came out just in time to save face.

“So, senior, are you really henpecked?”

It would have been better not to save face.

Yan Cheng pressed his lips together, his deep eyes flashing with points of laughter: “No.”

“She doesn’t control me, so of course I’m not considered henpecked.”

“At most, I have ideological awareness and self-discipline.”

Below instantly erupted in teasing whispers.

A male student shouted: “But senior, you weren’t like this before, were you?”

“Mm.” Yan Cheng certainly admitted it, while not forgetting to instruct them, “When you all start families and careers in the future, remember to correct your past bad habits.”

“Why?”

Yan Cheng raised his eyebrows, half-jokingly and half-seriously said: “Because of love.”

Hearing this, Chen Jinyao’s heart skipped a beat.

She saw the seriousness in his eyes, After saying so much, only this sentence was truly meant for her.

She was grateful the venue environment was dim, so her blushing couldn’t be seen.

However, there were still quite a few burning gazes sweeping over.

With this, the venue’s order completely collapsed, unable to be stabilized.

Some clever person seized the opportunity to pursue, asking Yan Cheng: “So are you this easy to talk to with everyone now?”

Yan Cheng: “Of course not.”

The voice came through the microphone, and everyone finally settled down and turned their attention back to the stage. Yan Cheng glanced at Chen Jinyao before locking his gaze on the student who asked him this question, “You’re my junior schoolmate, but at this afternoon’s recruitment fair, if you don’t have the ability to get in, Zhiyuan will still reject you.”

Ignoring the laughter that erupted once again.

Yan Cheng bowed: “Finally, I hope my junior schoolmates will be as excellent as me, and when you set sail after graduation, you’ll all have bright futures ahead.”