ATLAS TRANSLATES

When Shu He woke up the next day, her back was pressed against a firm chest.

She slowly came to her senses, carefully removing his hand, only to be pulled back by his arm around her waist the next second.

His voice was sleepy and hoarse as he instinctively nuzzled the soft skin of her neck: “What time is it?”

Shu He checked her phone, then turned to embrace him. “Almost eleven.”

He mumbled a response, his eyelids twitching as he struggled to open them. But he seemed too tired and couldn’t manage to open his eyes. His husky voice carried a hint of what seemed like a whine: “Boss Shu… don’t you ever give yourself a day off?”

They had just gotten married and barely had any time for intimacy.

Shu He couldn’t help but smile. She ran her fingers through his messy, soft black hair with incredible tenderness: “What can I do? I need to make money to support my husband.”

“……”

Seeing how exhausted he was, Shu He didn’t disturb him further. She got up to wash in the bathroom, but before long, he walked in with his eyes still closed.

In the large mirror, the man embraced her from behind, his hands tightening around her slender waist. He pressed his face against hers, then buried himself in the crook of her neck, still without opening his eyes. Following the line of his straight nose downward, his lips appeared dry.

Shu He felt ticklish from his hair and held back her laughter. While applying skincare products to her face, she asked softly: “Why not sleep a bit longer?”

He slowly hummed in response. His long, thick eyelashes fluttered, and his dark eyes were clearly filled with drowsiness. “Going to the office later…”

After saying this, he paused, then slowly added: “I’m not a kept man.”

“……”

It took Shu He a moment to understand what he meant. She turned around with a smile, put the toothbrush with toothpaste into his mouth, and taking advantage of his drowsy state, pinched his cheek. “Brush your teeth, be good.”

After leaving the bathroom, she recalled his clingy behavior and felt a wave of disbelief.

They were being too lovey-dovey…

He helped her bathe at night, and she prepared his toothpaste in the morning.

But this feeling made Shu He feel something expanding within her—her heart felt soft and tender, yet completely content.

—

A week later, Jing Yi went to pick up the rings.

When he arrived at the company, Liang Xu happened to be looking for him. But before Liang could speak, Jing Yi suddenly raised his hand and placed it on the desk. His well-defined fingers casually tapped twice. He looked refreshed today, with a smile in his eyes, and slowly sighed, “Manager Liang, what do you think this is?”

Liang Xu: “……..”

The ring on his ring finger was so obvious—he wasn’t blind.

His lips parted, but before he could say a word, Jing Yi’s lips curled upward in a sudden realization: “Oh—this is my wedding ring, mine and my wife’s.”

“………”

Acting as if he couldn’t see Liang Xu’s eye-roll, Jing Yi methodically took out an exquisite box from his pocket. After opening it, his expression seemed troubled, but his tone was unmistakably smug: “What should I do? My wife loves me so much she bought me two rings.”

“…..”

He really wanted to tell him to get lost.

But he was the company’s cash cow.

How did this guy become so shameless after falling in love?

Jing Yi looked at him with feigned innocence, as if curious: “Liang Xu, didn’t your wife buy you two rings?”

“”

Actually, he had paid for the diamond ring, while Shu He paid for the other one.

But so what? Liang Xu didn’t know that.

The fact remained that he had two pairs.

A vein throbbed at Liang Xu’s temple as he gritted his teeth: “…..Kept man.”

Jing Yi wasn’t upset. He put away the other ring, tilted his chin, and said casually: “What, jealous that my wife loves me so much?”

“……”

He really didn’t want to talk to this love-obsessed, wife-obsessed, kept man, childish fool anymore, but he was Liang Xu’s cash cow.

Never mind, he wouldn’t argue with him. Two rings? Could he even wear them all? After Liang Xu finished this mental self-talk, he forcefully steered the conversation to work matters.

Short dramas were the current trend, and many soundtracks became hits because of these dramas.

He thought they could continue the collaboration. After listening to his analysis, Jing Yi nodded in agreement.

That evening, when picking up Shu He to go home, Jing Yi started complaining: “Today Liang Xu called me a kept man.”

“Huh?” Shu He looked at him in confusion, finding it hard to believe Liang Xu would be that kind of person, and guessed there must have been some misunderstanding.

“Why?”

He put on an innocent face. “Maybe because we have two pairs of rings, and he’s jealous of me.”

“…….”

Shu He could guess what had happened. After mentally apologizing to Liang Xu, she sighed: “You need to tone it down a bit.”

“I didn’t do anything much.” He spoke slowly, his eyes drooping. “If he’s jealous, he can buy his own.”

“……”

Shu He kissed his hand. “Lan Ye invited us to dinner on Friday. Are you coming?”

Her abrupt change of topic was too obvious. Jing Yi glanced at her, the grievance in his eyes seeming to intensify.

Shu He blinked, clearly not yet aware of anything.

“I have to go to rehearsal on Friday.”

“……” These days, besides being busy with the store, she also had to occasionally check with Qin Tao about the Li Tang store renovations, causing her to forget about this. She apologized: “Then should I finish early and pick you up?”

Although they were married, Jing Yi knew he couldn’t be too clingy.

He gave a muffled agreement, then pulled her into his arms. Slightly lowering his head, he leaned close to her ear and asked: “But you forgot about my thing. Wife, can I get some compensation?”

As he spoke, his warm breath sent a tingling sensation through her, as if someone had gently pinched her heart. She was always defenseless against his docile tone. She nodded and indulged him: “What kind of compensation do you want?”

“I want to cancel the house rule.”

At this moment, he had much more confidence than last night.

Though called a house rule, there was really just one—reducing the frequency of intimacy.

Mainly because they were newlyweds and, taking advantage of their legal status, had been going at it day and night. Shu He really, really, really couldn’t keep up anymore.

She also discovered, quite tragically, that she wasn’t the same as she had been in college.

In college, she had more energy, and they tried various things. Resting for a day was enough to recover.

But these days, she clearly felt her body was getting tired. Sometimes she would wake up to his advances.

Although the process was indeed quite pleasurable, afterward she would lie in bed not wanting to move.

Especially when he looked particularly refreshed and energetic afterward, which made her furious. Young men… were truly insatiable.

So she seriously established a house rule—rest four days a week, and no activities after midnight.

Jing Yi was dissatisfied: “Sister, you’re such a good boss. While most capitalists are squeezing workers to only one day off, you directly give four days off.”

“……”

For work, he would fully support four days off.

But for this matter, he wanted to be the capitalist.

“What if you deliberately work overtime and don’t come home?”

Including dinner and washing up, they could do it at most twice.

Shu He indeed had this plan up her sleeve, but in this house, she made the rules.

She hadn’t expected him to hold onto this for so long and still remember it.

After a moment of silence, Shu He seriously said: “Doing it too much isn’t good for your health either.”

“But three times a week? Sister, wife, have you forgotten we’re married?”

“…….”

Asking to reduce frequency so soon after marriage—he reasonably suspected she might be getting tired of him.

Shu He seriously considered his opinion, but instead of agreeing directly, she negotiated: “How about two days off then?”

Jing Yi thought about it and reluctantly agreed.

Shu He was amused by his expression and tilted her head closer to him: “Don’t tell me you’re the mean boss who wants only one day off?”

“…….”

“I’m not.” After hesitating for a while, he still asked dejectedly: “Do you not like it?”

Shu He hadn’t expected him to think this way. She denied it quickly: “I don’t dislike it.”

“Then you—”

“Baby.” This unprecedented term of endearment made Jing Yi’s words catch in his throat. He stared at her, looking somewhat dazed.

Shu He’s smile lingered as she swayed his hand: “After my birthday this year, I’ll be 28. Can you please have some mercy on your older sister, okay?”

“…….”

That “baby” made him lose focus completely. He would nod to whatever she said.

However, Shu He still delivered the second piece of bad news with a smile: “Just a reminder, this week’s three days have already been used. For the remaining four days, nothing is allowed, okay?”

“………”

—

But house rules aside, both of them were extremely busy these days, especially Jing Yi. He had to go to the company, presumably busy with soundtrack work—apparently Liang Xu hadn’t found a singer that satisfied him—and he also had to attend concert rehearsals.

Every day when Shu He picked him up after work, his voice was somewhat hoarse.

On the day of the concert, Shu He’s seat was arranged in the first row, with Xiang Lan Ye sitting beside her, extremely excited.

“I’ve never sat in the first row before.”

Previously when attending concerts, they always sat in the stands. She never thought she’d get to sit in such a close position in her lifetime. It was said that scalpers charged at least five figures for the first three rows.

When the show started, she took several photos with Xiang Lan Ye, then lowered her head to send him a message.

Shu He: [Nervous?]

Jing Yi: [It’s okay, you?]

While texting, she heard fans behind her shouting “husband, husband,” and she was distracted by how cute those girls were.

Shu He: [Pretty nervous.]

He might not have expected her to reply like this: [Why?]

Shu He: [My husband’s first major performance, I’m excited.]

Looking at the words “my husband” that she had typed reflexively, she couldn’t help but smile.

Although he was just a guest, this was indeed his first performance.

The lights flickered, and the concert officially began.

Though they came because of Jing Yi, this top-tier singer was indeed very popular. They both got excited with the crowd, and by the time Jing Yi appeared, her voice was already a bit hoarse.

“Next, please welcome someone I really admire, the famous lyricist, Mr. Qi Shan Jing—”

A smooth and powerful piano melody began. As the spotlight gradually focused on one area, the man playing the piano appeared on the screen, and the entire venue erupted in cheers like a tidal wave.

Shu He had initially worried that fans might be displeased with his appearance, but the surrounding noises were filled with excitement.

Even Xiang Lan Ye leaned over to her ear and shouted: “This is so intense!!”

Shu He felt slightly relieved. Her gaze slowly fell on the figure on stage. The man was wearing a meticulously tailored black suit. Today he wasn’t wearing glasses, and hidden under the lights, one could vaguely make out his handsome and well-defined profile.

His slender fingers danced across the black and white keys, the music resonating throughout the venue, perfectly harmonizing with the male singer’s voice.

As the song ended, the nearby fans shouted for an encore, still caught up in the excitement.

This top male singer was quite witty. He smiled and cleared his throat: “Qi Shan Jing’s new song will be released tomorrow on schedule. You can all support it then. As for today, I won’t keep Mr. Qi Shan Jing any longer—”

Everyone thought it was because today wasn’t Qi Shan Jing’s main show, but unexpectedly, the singer paused mysteriously, his tone playful, as if teasing—

“Because Mr. Qi Shan Jing needs to go home with his wife to celebrate.”

Instantly, teasing sounds rose from the audience.

Xiang Lan Ye asked her, and Shu He was also confused—today didn’t seem to be any special holiday.

Seeing that Jing Yi had already left the stage, Shu He couldn’t wait any longer. She waved goodbye to Xiang Lan Ye, who was unwilling to leave this top star’s concert.

Shu He waited in the outer hall for five minutes before Jing Yi came out. When she took his hand, she eagerly asked: “What holiday is today?”

Jing Yi gave her a casual glance. She had applied delicate makeup today, her eyes bright. She had been so excited in the crowd that her cheeks still had a flush.

He didn’t speak, making Shu He inexplicably nervous.

After the car had been driving for a while, she realized this wasn’t the way home.

But no matter how she asked, Jing Yi wouldn’t tell her.

Half an hour later, she stared in astonishment at the decorated venue, her steps instantly halting.

Jing Yi led her by the hand, helping her sit on a high stool.

Shu He was puzzled, but at that moment, her heart was beating exceptionally fast.

Because she saw the piano not far away.

As he walked over, Shu He noticed the flowers at her feet and felt a hint of concern—he was allergic to pollen…

But soon, she noticed something different.

These artificial flowers were made of some special material, looking beautiful and vibrant like real ones. If not examined carefully, one couldn’t tell they were fake.

At that moment, a clear, magnetic voice accompanied by piano music brought her thoughts back—

In a daze, Shu He seemed to see him from their college days.

Back then, he had played the piano and sung just like this.

“I am dust drifting in the vast world

A broken kite with no one to guide it

A decaying, withering flower

Loneliness is my destiny

But you said I am spring

I began to learn how to sprout and bloom

Trying to earn your smile with brightness

Wanting to be embraced by you, to be told I’m liked

Even if it’s just a dream

……”

Shu He looked at the lyrics on the big screen, her eyes gradually misting over.

By the time the song ended and Jing Yi came to her, Shu He was already crying uncontrollably.

He somewhat helplessly put down the flowers and raised his hand to wipe her tears: “Sister, I haven’t even said anything yet.”

Shu He shook her head. She was just thinking about everything he had been through, and all they had experienced together.

She just felt that seeing him standing before her like this, looking so bright and radiant… it was wonderful.

He pushed the bouquet into her hands. Shu He, with red eyes, couldn’t help but burst into laughter: “How tacky…”

It was another large bouquet of money.

Jing Yi rubbed his nose and looked around at the artificial flowers. “Do you like them?”

Shu He nodded and sincerely said: “I love them.”

He sighed in relief: “I thought, my allergy shouldn’t prevent you from having flowers.”

Shu He’s eyes stung. She shook her head. Jing Yi stroked the corner of her eye, his clear voice especially distinct under the romantic lighting: “Shu He, you said you like spring.”

Spring warmth and blooming flowers—he wanted her to have everything she liked, not to give up something because of him.

Shu He was clearly happy, but her chest felt sour. When her emotions had calmed a bit, Jing Yi released her hand and suddenly stepped back. His long legs in black trousers slowly bent as he knelt on one knee—

She instantly knew what he was about to do.

“We got married without a proper proposal.”

On their hands, they wore wedding rings of the same style. He held a new box, and when Shu He saw the new ring, she couldn’t help but cover her face, torn between laughter and tears: “…..Why did you buy another pair?”

Her voice still carried a nasal tone. Jing Yi couldn’t stand up yet. He restrained himself: “It’s a proposal after all, I can’t use the old ones.”

The pink diamond hadn’t even been worn yet, how was it old?

“That pair is for the wedding.”

Shu He’s eyes were red: “…..Spendthrift.”

He hummed with a slight smile: “From now on, I’ll give you all my cards. You can manage me, okay?”

Shu He felt she was being a bit emotional today—she couldn’t control her tears. She nodded firmly: “Okay.”

Looking at her wet, clear eyes, Jing Yi’s nose also felt a bit sour, but he hadn’t finished speaking. He steadied his breath, saying word by word, seriously: “This new song represents destiny.”

His few new songs—secret crush, confession, passionate love, proposal, destiny.

Almost all of his and Shu He’s journey since meeting.

“Sister.” His throat tightened. Although they were already married, he was still a bit nervous. His palms were even sweating, his voice hiding an almost imperceptible tremor.

“Can I belong to you for a lifetime?”

Under the bright lights, surrounded by flowers, Shu He nodded without hesitation.

The moment he stood up, she threw herself into his arms, her heart pounding non-stop, saying over and over: “Yes.”

“Jing Yi, you belong to me for life.”

And the same.

I also belong to you forever.

Their warm, intertwined lips were moistened with saltiness—it was hard to tell whose tears they were. He held her tightly in his arms and said softly: “Sister.”

“Happy one-month anniversary.”