ATLAS TRANSLATES

Jing Zeliang moved quickly, and almost overnight, all negative news about Ren Yinyue and Jing Yi disappeared.

Not only that, but Ms. Cheng’s company was suddenly exposed for serious tax evasion issues. Soon after, someone revealed Xu Yichi’s relationship with Ms. Cheng, including how he used connections to push out other actors.

From what she learned from Liang Xu and Jing Yi, Ms. Cheng’s company had complex backing. To bring it down so easily must have required significant effort.

She didn’t pay much attention to the specifics, but Xiang Lanye told her that the production team had found new sponsors, and Xu Yichi’s role would be recast.

The week before going to Bali, Xu Yichi asked to meet her.

Honestly, Shu He didn’t think there was anything left to say to him, but to her surprise, Jing Yi wanted to meet him.

They arranged to meet at another coffee shop. When Xu Yichi looked up, he saw the two of them walking in hand in hand.

After they sat down, he twisted his lips mockingly, “You don’t need to rub it in my face like this.”

If passersby looked at them twice, they would notice the strange similarity between the two men.

Jing Yi never let go of her hand. He glanced lightly at the man before him, his expression cold and distant, clearly playing the role of the proud primary partner.

Shu He let him play with her hand and didn’t order anything. She said flatly, “Did you invite us just to mock?”

Xu Yichi gritted his teeth resentfully, “Is he really that good?”

She had thought he wanted to discuss Ms. Cheng’s situation. Shu He frowned, her patience rapidly wearing thin.

“I think I’ve already told you before.”

She really didn’t want to waste time on Xu Yichi, nor did she feel that matters of the heart needed to be proven to outsiders.

However, the last time she had left Jing Yi waiting alone, making him feel insecure. She thought for a moment and decided to let him hear certain things directly to prevent any more overthinking.

“Whether in the past, present, or future, the only person by my side will be Jing Yi.”

When they left home this morning, Jing Yi had pretended to be magnanimous and unbothered, but upon seeing Xu Yichi, he couldn’t help feeling tense.

What if Xu Yichi was more persistent than him…

But now, his gloominess was easily soothed away.

Shu He didn’t notice his dramatic emotional change. Meeting Xu Yichi’s unwilling gaze, she felt a trace of disgust.

Back when she was a tutor, she never imagined he would become someone so calculating.

If she could, she would rather never have been his tutor.

Seeing them about to leave, Xu Yichi suddenly stood up, knocking over the coffee on the table. “Shu He—”

But this time, Shu He didn’t pause or look back.

Instead, Jing Yi beside her gave him a light glance, just like years ago outside his villa when the man left, marking his territory with a single look.

Back then, Xu Yichi thought it was because he was young. Later, he thought she only liked men of Jing Yi’s type.

He had used every despicable means, yet now couldn’t even get a glance from her.

Once in the car, though Jing Yi was in a good mood, he kept glancing at the person in the driver’s seat, his tone somewhat light: “Sister, do you think I’m useless?”

Shu He looked at him: “Why do you ask that?”

“Logically speaking, I should be the one dealing with rivals like him. And the trending topic issue… you even had to find Jing Zeliang.”

Shu He hadn’t expected him to get stuck on this. Noticing his dejected appearance, she couldn’t help but smile: “Silly.”

“There’s no rule about who must do what. I already made things clear with Xu Yichi before, but he’s too stubborn. It has nothing to do with you or me. Don’t blame yourself, okay?”

“As for the trending topic, you’re the victim. There’s no reason the victim should have to repeatedly expose themselves to prove their innocence.”

Jing Yi just wanted her to comfort him. After listening, he quietly curled his lips and said “Oh.”

But soon, he noticed something odd: “Where are we going?”

“Taking you to meet someone.”

The silver-gray sedan slowly drove into an unfamiliar residential area. After parking, Shu He led him by the hand to buy some fruit baskets.

Jing Yi’s confusion deepened. They took the elevator to the sixth floor. Even when someone opened the door, the man’s face remained unfamiliar to him.

The man’s gaze lingered on his face for two seconds before turning to Shu He beside him: “Is he…?”

“Yes.” Shu He nodded.

He welcomed them in, and only then did Jing Yi notice that the man’s leg was also injured.

The man didn’t look much older, perhaps just a few years older than them.

“You might not know me, but I’ve always remembered.” The man seemed to be looking at another person through him: “I especially remember how your brother was still saying your name before he left.”

Jing Yi’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He looked at Shu He in confusion, as if some premonition was slowly surfacing.

The man’s name was Cai Ling. His first rescue mission was that kidnapping case.

That spine-chilling, shocking scene was still clear in his memory even now.

When he approached that young man, the person was already near death, covered in blood, yet still murmuring another name—Ah Yi.

Cai Ling looked at the face before him that was so similar to that young man. What kind of person could make a dying person care so much?

He thought that Jing Yi must have been very important to that young man.

After leaving Cai Ling’s home, Jing Yi remained silent.

Even after returning home, Shu He worriedly held his hand. When Jing Yi finally came to his senses, she sat on his lap. The man held her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck, mumbling: “How did you think to find him?”

Finding Cai Ling had indeed taken a lot of effort, but she wanted to untangle the knot in his heart.

“You’ve always felt that Jing Lin would blame you, right?”

The soft black hair gently brushed against the skin of her neck. Shu He soothingly rubbed his ear, “But I think, for him to be saying your name in his final moments… perhaps he never blamed you.”

Jing Yi didn’t say anything, just silently tightened his embrace.

That night, he dreamed of Jing Lin for the first time in a long while. The last time he dreamed of him… was when he had almost forgotten Jing Lin.

In the dream, the young man stood on a lawn, birds singing and flowers blooming in the warm sun. He turned his head—the young man once trapped in thorns now smiled gently.

He slowly walked over, looking up with clear, moist eyes: “Ah Yi, you’re even taller than your brother now.”

In an instant, Jing Yi’s eyes turned red and moist. He said with difficulty: “Brother… I’m sorry.”

Jing Lin showed a bright smile, “Why do you cry more as you grow up?”

“Ah Yi, you did nothing wrong. I just wanted to say sorry to you. If only I had been as brave as you back then.”

…

The next day, Jing Yi went to the cemetery. This time, Shu He accompanied him.

In the past, whenever he acknowledged being Jing Lin, he would visit the cemetery out of guilt.

He didn’t want to replace Jing Lin, nor did he want to forget him.

But this time, he came as a brother.

“Brother.” Shu He saw the man’s crystal tears fall as he lowered his eyes and placed the cake he brought under the photo.

When they left, Shu He tried to lighten the mood: “Your brother liked cake too?”

In the sunlight, his eyes were still rimmed with redness. He gave a low “Mm”: “He liked it, but I… didn’t like it at first.”

Shu He’s heart skipped a beat, instantly understanding what he meant.

He blinked his dry eyes, his thoughts drifting far away: “The first time I ate so much cream, I wondered how he could like such a thing.”

When he agreed to become Jing Lin, he secretly ordered a birthday cake.

The sweet cream stuck to his mouth, and he ate with some distress, sitting alone in the hospital room, eating while tears kept falling.

He didn’t understand how Jing Lin could love such sweet, cloying cream.

It was so sweet, sweet enough to make him sick.

Shu He was at a loss for words. She thought he genuinely loved sweets, but never imagined… it was also because of Jing Lin.

“What about now?” she asked.

“Hmm?” He was slow to respond. Shu He patiently said: “Do you truly like it now, or have you just gotten used to it?”

He was a bit confused: “Is there a difference?”

Shu He nodded: “Getting used to something doesn’t mean you like it. I hope our Jing Yi can have everything he truly likes in the future.”

Not being forced to do things just because he’s used to them.

She couldn’t bear that.

Jing Yi quietly pondered her words, then shook his head: “I don’t know.”

He seemed to have gotten used to it, but he didn’t dislike it either.

Shu He didn’t force him to make a judgment, just held his hand, “It’s okay. From now on, no one can force you to do things you don’t like.”

Once he was rebellious, but had his backbone shattered.

Sensitivity, timidity, insecurity—none of these were ever wrong. He was just protecting himself.

And now, he was no longer alone.

“Some may exploit your sensitivity from a distance, but there will always be someone to embrace your timidity.”

As that line from “I Am as Timid as a Mouse” says, she would shelter his sensitivity, embrace his timidity, and kiss away his tears of insecurity. She would never let him be alone again.

—

Jing Yi took the initiative to contact Jing Zeliang.

“You really refuse to change your curly hair no matter what.”

Jing Zeliang spoke first. Jing Yi ignored his mocking tone and placed all the documents in front of him.

Jing Zeliang’s gaze turned cold inch by inch. The words “Termination of Parent-Child Relationship” were illuminated by the incoming light, glaring.

“Your mother and I gave birth to you, raised you, gave you everything good. Is this how you repay us?”

Birth.

Raise.

Everything good.

Jing Yi’s lips twisted in self-mockery: “Then just consider me dead.”

He quietly returned the man’s gaze: “Wasn’t it you who said it? The one who died in the kidnapping case was Jing Yi.”

“You’re giving up everything for a woman?”

Jing Yi shook his head, “I just don’t want to be your puppet anymore.”

He knew Jing Zeliang had many ways to bind him back, force him to become everything Ren Yinyue wanted.

But he didn’t want that anymore. He didn’t want to be timid anymore.

“Have you ever visited Jing Lin?” he suddenly asked. Jing Zeliang remained unmoved, but Jing Yi suddenly smiled.

“Probably not. Perhaps you’ve even forgotten which day is my brother’s death anniversary.”

“But I think brother, like me, wouldn’t want to be your child anymore.”

Jing Zeliang looked at the face before him, so similar to Jing Lin’s. In a daze, his features slowly merged with those of the dead young man.

Sunlight fell on his profile, his bright black eyes gazing at him calmly, without fear, anger, or pain.

“Dad, just consider that both your children died in that kidnapping.”

When he came, Shu He had been worried, so she waited outside the coffee shop.

Back in the car, before she could say a word, he suddenly leaned forward and hugged her.

She silently hugged him back, soothingly stroking his head, “Did he not agree?”

Jing Yi closed his eyes and shook his head. He hadn’t waited for Jing Zeliang’s answer.

It didn’t matter whether he agreed or not. From now on, he would no longer be anyone’s substitute, nor their puppet.

He would just be Jing Yi.

Shu He’s Jing Yi.

—

Liang Xu’s wedding was arranged in Bali. By the time they reached the hotel, it was already past nine in the evening. When Shu He returned to her room, Jing Yi’s obedient smile instantly vanished. He went straight to the groom’s room.

When Liang Xu opened the door, he saw an expressionless handsome face. He asked puzzledly: “Why aren’t you resting? What are you doing here?”

Jing Yi’s black eyes clearly showed displeasure: “You arranged separate rooms for me and Shu He?”

Liang Xu was confused for a moment: “Is there a problem with that?”

Word by word, he said: “She is my girlfriend.”

“…..” Liang Xu realized and laughed in exasperation: “Seriously, is this necessary?”

“Even the bride and I are in separate rooms! You’re just a groomsman and she’s a bridesmaid, and you’re only dating. Why are you being so dramatic?!”