ATLAS TRANSLATES

Shu He wasn’t affected at all by her words. She remembered the woman’s name and said, “Ms. Cheng, there is no possibility between Xu Yichi and me.”

The woman gazed at her appreciatively, as if examining an expensive blue diamond she had carefully selected.

She still called her Ms. Cheng, just like during her interview years ago, rather than the fawning “Mrs. Xu” that others used.

She clearly remembered being asked this question back then. The young girl showed no embarrassment or nervousness, her clear eyes revealing a maturity that didn’t match her age.

“You are Mrs. Xu, Xu Yichi’s mother, but these titles exist because you are Ms. Cheng first. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this form of address.”

Because of this answer, she immediately chose Shu He as her son’s tutor.

Ms. Cheng lazily rested her chin on her hand as she looked at the woman before her. She smiled gently, as if discussing something ordinary with a younger person.

“Why not? My son is quite outstanding.”

She seemed genuinely confused. The bank card lying on the small round table remained untouched, neither taken back nor accepted by a new owner.

Beside the bank card sat Ms. Cheng’s small purse, adorned with a lustrous, transparent, and noble ruby.

“He’s not the jewel I want.”

Ms. Cheng smiled. “What if he’s better than your original one?”

Shu He smiled apologetically. “Mine is very good, very much to my liking.”

“But I heard that your jewel is flawed, discarded and unwanted.”

Ms. Cheng’s casual remark made Shu He’s outward respect gradually cool.

“Miss Shu.” She took out a red velvet box. A thirty-carat diamond ring cast a dazzling light, and the woman’s delicate white hand slowly pushed it to align with the bank card.

Throughout, Ms. Cheng’s refined and dignified beautiful face showed no anxiety, only an innate, subtle confidence and elegance that suggested she always got what she wanted.

“Which of these isn’t better than what you like?”

“People should be smart.”

Shu He’s light-colored eyes revealed a hint of coldness. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and she suddenly thought of Jing Yi.

“I’m truly sorry, Ms. Cheng.”

Her voice was calm, her gaze unwavering, and for the first time, she countered with sharp directness: “This jewel you’re protecting in the palm of your hand.”

“I’m not interested.”

—

Back in the car, Xu Yichi lazily pushed up the sunglasses on his nose. His hopeful gaze instantly vanished when he saw the red velvet box in her hand.

His tone was annoyed, like a black panther that failed to catch its desired prey, revealing undisguised anger. “She didn’t agree again?”

Ms. Cheng, despite her helplessness, felt curious about the jewel in Shu He’s heart. “What kind of person could make her like him so much?”

Xu Yichi tugged at his lips. Resting his chin on his hand, he appeared arrogant yet indolent. “No matter who it is, Mommy, you’ll help me deal with him, won’t you?”

Ms. Cheng gave him an affectionate glare. “Do you want to be the other man?”

Xu Yichi laughed lightly. Despite his disdain, his tone was lazy, yet wheedling: “Would you let your son be a backup for a cripple?”

“If Shu He won’t cooperate, just make that cripple disappear.”

“Mommy, you’ll help me, right?”

The scale of love can be extremely unbalanced.

Some people are abandoned by their loved ones. Even with a broken spine, even crawling with all their might toward what they desire, that love remains distant.

Yet for others, those who love them want to give them everything good in the world. It’s not just favoritism—it’s indulgence.

He gets whatever he wants.

Shu He was right; choosing a partner isn’t like selecting a jewel. But as long as little Chi needs it, she would help him get it.

—

The hot spring they visited was newly opened. Because Blue Leaf’s film crew had shot there, they gave her two overnight passes, so they wouldn’t be going home tonight.

After soaking, they went to the third floor for spa treatments. With her eyes closed, she briefly told Blue Leaf about her conversation with Ms. Cheng.

Blue Leaf immediately became indignant: “Does having money make her so great?”

But while waiting earlier, she had also glimpsed that diamond. Even from that distance, the reflected light had dazzled her.

It seemed like they were extraordinarily wealthy…

After hesitating for a while, Blue Leaf quietly asked: “You really weren’t tempted at all?”

Shu He’s eyelashes flickered as she responded vaguely: “At that moment, I just felt resentful.”

“Hmm? Resentful about what?”

Yes, what was she resentful about?

Jing Yi’s father told her he wasn’t worthy, that he wasn’t good enough.

Ms. Cheng also thought he was abandoned, a flawed jewel.

Everyone wanted her to give up on him.

Everyone thought he wasn’t worthy.

She felt resentful for Jing Yi.

Why should he be the one abandoned?

And she felt resentful for herself. Why was what she wanted always so hard to hold onto?

In her daze, she thought of Jing Yi alone at home.

She opened her eyes to check her phone. The cold white light illuminated a message from him, sent an hour ago.

Jing Yi: [Sister, when are you coming back?]

Besides this message from an hour ago, the chat box was completely silent.

Shu He opened the monitoring app. The living room was empty, so he was probably in his room.

[Not coming back tonight. Don’t wait up.]

“Should we go see an exhibition tomorrow?”

Blue Leaf’s invitation pulled her thoughts away, and she didn’t linger on his lonely “Okay” reply.

“Tomorrow?”

Just before the screen darkened, a countdown app notification popped up. She closed her eyes, the cool mud mask on her face making her voice sound muffled: “I have something tomorrow.”

Blue Leaf wasn’t disappointed and casually asked, “What is it? Busy at the shop?”

“No.” In Shu He’s mind, she slowly recalled the expectant look in the man’s eyes.

“There’s some kind of Star Awards, and someone insists I wait for him.”

Before Blue Leaf could realize who “he” was, the massage therapist chimed in, “I’m looking forward to that too!”

“I wonder who will win Best Actress this year.”

Blue Leaf was immediately distracted from the main point, responding vaguely: “I think it will be—”

The two chatted enthusiastically while Shu He drifted into drowsiness.

Perhaps because she was in an unfamiliar environment, or because she was feeling down, she didn’t sleep well all night. She kept waking up intermittently, instinctively reaching for her phone.

But seeing the quiet chat box, her pupils stung from the bright light, and she would turn the phone face-down again.

The next day, Shu He went to the shop first.

Tong Yuan and the others made the daily desserts, but when she saw Shu He come in wearing a mask, she instinctively asked, “Sister Shu He, are you making something yourself today?”

She shook her head. “Private order.”

Tong Yuan made a sound of acknowledgment and didn’t ask further.

After a busy afternoon, Shu He left work early with the cake.

When she returned home, the living room was empty. She guessed he had already left for the awards ceremony.

She casually placed the cake on the table and clicked on the live broadcast preview, waiting for it to start with little enthusiasm.

At exactly seven o’clock, just as the live broadcast began, she received a private video message, arriving precisely to the second, as if it had been scheduled.

The sender was Jing Yi, who should have been at the event right now.

While keeping an eye on the broadcast, she halfheartedly opened the video. On the screen, the man’s smile seemed deliberately practiced, his black eyes appearing to look at her through the phone—

“Sister, I’m truly sorry. I’m not brave enough, so I can only tell you everything in this cowardly way.”

“I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“After you hear it all, if…” He paused with difficulty, that perfect smile like a mask constraining him: “If you don’t blame me, don’t hate me…”

“Please wait for me to come back, okay?”

In the live broadcast, waves of cheers rose and fell, but Shu He could only hear his deep voice tearing open his wound—

“Jing Lin was my brother.”

“He… died in that kidnapping case.”

—

The ten-minute video felt endless to Shu He, and at times, she didn’t dare to continue watching.

Her whole body felt like it had fallen into an ice pit. Shock, anger, heartache—all these violent and uncontrollable emotions tore at her. But after the chaos, only bewildered silence remained.

Like experiencing a fierce, people-devouring storm that howled as it carried her into a wasteland. Silence, only silence.

A silence with no end in sight.

A terrifying silence.

Her vision blurred, and she couldn’t hear anything.

Until a notification popped up at the top of her phone. The three characters [Qi Shan Jing] startled her for a moment, and when she came back to her senses, her finger had already clicked on it.

BlackHandsomeGossip: [Shocking revelation—Famous lyricist Qi Shan Jing is actually a descendant of Ren Yin Yue!]

Comments rolled in non-stop:

[Huh? Ren Yin Yue? If I remember correctly, didn’t her son die?]

[Right, doesn’t she only have one son?]

[Could it be an illegitimate child?]

[I suspect this is just for publicity before the awards. Otherwise, why would Qi Shan Jing suddenly be nominated this year and this information suddenly come out?]

The account with the evil purple egg avatar continued posting—[According to a confidential source, Qi Shan Jing “suddenly” returned to the country that year, followed immediately by a sudden kidnapping. But in that kidnapping, the one who was killed was Ren Yin Yue’s eldest son. These coincidences are thought-provoking and make it hard not to speculate about what conspiracy might be behind the kidnapping.]

The comments section exploded. At this moment, who cared about celebrity red carpets? Qi Shan Jing’s name instantly went viral.

[Damn, was he behind it…?]

[Suddenly returning home, both being kidnapped, yet only the eldest son gets killed… chilling when you think about it!]

[I can imagine hundreds of dramas about rich families fighting for inheritance! This is too scary!]

[My god, how can someone like this win an award?]

At the same time, there were also some different opinions:

[I feel like the timing of this leak is intentional.]

[There’s no evidence, why make wild guesses?]

[Above poster, are you really that naive? Just after returning to the country he encounters a kidnapping, and he’s the only one who survives? That’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?]

Public opinion fermented quickly. By the time Shu He clicked on the trending topics, someone had already dug up Jing Yi’s photos and real name.

Even photos of their college relationship had been posted.

Shu He’s mind went blank with a buzz. Sharp ringing in her ears crossed with chaotic, anxious heartbeats. All kinds of conspiracy theories, curses, and insults were hurled at him. She couldn’t imagine what kind of gazes he was enduring at the venue right now.

She couldn’t sit still any longer.

She didn’t want to wait for him to come back!

She needed to go to his side immediately!

Sitting in the taxi, Shu He clicked on the live broadcast with trembling hands—

The man’s pale face showed no emotion. He took the microphone from the host, his pitch-black pupils calmly looking at the multiple flashes of light aimed at him. His ice-cold voice reached her ears one word at a time—

“Please don’t harass my ex-girlfriend. She knows nothing about this.”

Shu He immediately covered her lips.

At a time like this, the only thing he said was to keep her from being involved.

Countless spotlights, countless media outlets followed him like the kidnappers of years past, forcing him, questioning the truth of that year.

Shu He couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She couldn’t watch his wounds being torn open again.

She closed the broadcast and kept calling Liang Xu. Perhaps because he was dealing with the public opinion crisis, he never answered.

Neither did Jing Yi’s phone.

Her anxious heart raced higher with the speed of the car. When she reached the event venue and rushed toward the crowd, she didn’t notice a familiar black sedan passing behind her.

—

The man’s tall shadow fell silently in the empty living room.

Until his eye sockets were so dry they hurt, Jing Yi blinked in confusion.

She wasn’t here.

In the final part of the video, he told her that if she still wanted him, she should wait for him to come home.

So this was her answer.

He had expected this, hadn’t he?

He had actually hoped she would still want him, even if just out of pity.

But now, it seemed even pity was gone.

He was alone again.

Everything was exposed, everyone was accusing him, cursing him, wishing he were dead.

Jing Yi hadn’t expected to be this calm, so calm that he could barely feel his own heartbeat.

It was as if something within him was about to be extinguished.

He retreated emptily and numbly until he had completely stepped out of this home that was filled with Shu He’s presence.

He suddenly smiled self-mockingly. This wasn’t home.

They were just living together.

He had used some despicable methods to fight for their final time together.

But now, everything was over.

He stepped into the apartment across the hall, which no one had entered for a long time.

Empty, with hardly any furniture.

Dust everywhere, not a trace of life, like an abandoned shell.

Perfect for him.

Perfect for him to die here without anyone discovering him.

For so long, he had cowardly huddled in a corner, forcing her to break up, making her suffer, yet selfishly sticking to her, disappointing her again and again.

It was his fault.

But he was still reluctant to destroy the tattoo on his wrist. He didn’t want his blood to soil anything related to her.

It was because of the tattoo that he had survived time and again.

He wanted to hold on until he saw her again, to apologize to her.

Yet out of greed, he fantasized that she would still want him.

He found the razor blade he had hidden for a long time. Back then, Liang Xu, fearing he might do something, had stubbornly moved into his home, checking daily for dangerous items.

Later when he moved out, Jing Yi never took the items out.

Slashing the wrists was the most direct and deadly way to commit suicide.

He couldn’t be careless like before. This time, he had to use force.

The sharp blade cast a cold gleam in the dim light, vaguely reflecting his emotionless, pale face.

The moment the blade touched his wrist, there was a “BANG”—

The sound of the door crashing against the wall was like a clock awakening him from a nightmare, accompanied by a woman’s familiar cry rushing toward him—

“Jing Yi!”

He stumbled from the impact. The blade clattered to the floor with a crisp sound. He was held tightly, as if an invisible rope bound him, leaving him nowhere to escape.

This suffocating feeling of being restrained made him slowly perceive the warmth in his arms, her chaotic breathing, the increasingly tight grip, her body trembling against his, her hands caressing him—

His deadened heart reignited at this moment. The pounding seemed about to burst from his chest, the heavy rhythm telling him clearly that this was not a dream.

She hadn’t left.

She had actually found him.