ATLAS TRANSLATES

Xu Miyu turned to look at Aunt Yan, wanting to understand the meaning behind Uncle Qi’s words, “What future days are there.” She saw Aunt Yan’s expression darken.

Uncle Qi, however, took the initiative to clarify the confusion on Xu Miyu’s puzzled face, “Xiao Xu, it’s because I’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I don’t have much time left. So, I thought, while I’m still alive, I should quickly make up for the regrets of my youth, marry her, and have a wedding banquet. Coincidentally, my birthday is approaching, and she feels it might be my last birthday, so she insisted on organizing a birthday banquet for me. That’s how we ended up having this argument.”

After hearing the reasons behind their argument, Xu Miyu felt a sudden sadness.

She tried to gather herself to say something celebratory to encourage Uncle Qi and Aunt Yan, but Uncle Qi spoke first, comforting her instead.

“Xiao Xu, don’t worry about Grandpa. Grandpa is fine and has come to terms with it. When you reach our age, you’ve pretty much come to terms with life. Matters of life, aging, sickness, and death, can’t be avoided. Since they are here, just face them calmly.”

After a pause, Uncle Qi, with deep emotion, shared his life insights with Xu Miyu, acquired through over twenty years of solitude, “So, young lady, you must cherish the present, follow your heart, and don’t let inner demons delay you and leave regrets. Xiao Xu, while you’re still young, boldly pursue what and whom you like. Don’t hesitate, or you’ll regret it when you’re old. Look at me, if it weren’t for my pride back then, Aunt Yan and I wouldn’t have missed half a lifetime.”

As he spoke, he laughed and shook his head, “Thinking back now, all the worries about compatibility when we were young were really unnecessary. Too much pride can make oneself and those around them unhappy.”

After listening to Uncle Qi’s reflections, Xu Miyu was silent for a while.

His words had touched her, making her think of Ji Feng and herself.

Towards the end, Uncle Qi said to Xu Miyu, “Xiao Xu, let me tell you the truth. Why the two of us insisted on organizing a separate event—it’s because our budget is limited. Organizing two events together would cost a lot, and we were afraid we couldn’t afford it. Until you suggested combining them, we dared to think about it. But your hotel is high-end with a good reputation. Won’t it be quite expensive to organize both events together?”

Xu Miyu immediately reassured Uncle Qi, “Uncle Qi, I won’t hide it from you. I have some authority, and I can offer you and Auntie the lowest discount. Rest assured, I will personally take charge of your wedding banquet and birthday celebration.”

Uncle Qi and Aunt Yan happily held hands, looking at each other with smiles.

Xu Miyu thought, looking at their smiles towards each other, whether she invested money or effort into their event, everything felt worthwhile.

After the two elderly people left, Xu Miyu returned to her office. Her event planner, Zhou Qingqing, was surprised when she learned everything. Zhou Qingqing, as Xu Miyu’s assistant and apprentice in the department, always considered Xu Miyu’s interests first. “Sister Miyu, the discount you offered to those two elderly people far exceeds the minimum limit our hotel can provide. Are you planning to spend your own money to help them with the event? Besides, many large-scale events are waiting for your supervision. They are both revenue-generating and reputation-building. The events for those two elderly people are small and private. You can leave them to me to handle…”

Xu Miyu suddenly looked up at Zhou Qingqing. Zhou Qingqing stopped her chatter unconsciously.

The videographer on the side continued tirelessly filming them.

Xu Miyu spoke to Zhou Qingqing after a moment. Despite the sharpness in her gaze, her voice was gentle, and she spoke openly to Zhou Qingqing, “Qingqing, I actually think the value of each event for us should not be measured in terms of money or reputation. It’s about after the event, seeing the people involved feeling happy and satisfied. We will feel happy and satisfied too.”

She smiled and patted Zhou Qingqing’s shoulder, “I will personally handle the event for the two elderly people. If they are satisfied in the end, I will be happy too.”

After saying this, she turned her head and saw the videographer still diligently filming.

Unable to resist, she advised, “Master, you’ve been filming all day. It’s time to pack up and go home. Look, the videographers from other event teams have already finished work and are resting.”

In the evening, Ji Feng was tormented by the incessant rain from the Autumn Rain Season, making it difficult for him to sleep. As usual, he pulled out the recorded videos to watch.

He watched the footage from the day, and when he reached the part where Xu Miyu and her staff were talking, he couldn’t help but rewind and replay it

.

Her words about the value of each event, not being measured by money or reputation, but by the happiness and satisfaction of the people involved, struck a chord with him.

A small smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

He thought, this troublesome woman seems to be doing everything to captivate his heart. Her laughter, her words, her attitude, all make it increasingly difficult for him to get over her.

By the way, he became very interested in the event of the two elderly people. He started paying attention to the progress of the event every day, asking Xue Rui to arrange it in the planning department, instructing the videographer to continue filming more meticulously, and demanding timely submission of the daily footage.

After detailed communication and understanding of the preferences and requirements of Uncle Qi and Aunt Yan, Xu Miyu began designing the banquet process, arranging the venue decoration, finalizing the menu, and preparing the invitations, among other things.

After finalizing the invitation style, Xu Miyu began to help the two elderly people formulate the guest list for the banquet.

With the list roughly determined, Xu Miyu, after double-checking it twice, looked up and asked Uncle Qi, “Uncle Qi, what about your son? Should I send him an invitation? Some guests requested invitations for their parents and children, wanting a sense of ceremony. But others preferred not to receive invitations, as they felt it would be inappropriate. What about your side? Do you want to send an invitation to Mr. Qi?”

After hearing this question, Uncle Qi’s expression changed, visibly dimming.

“As for my son, forget it. Regardless of whether he receives an invitation or not, he won’t come.”

Xu Miyu was somewhat surprised by this response. She cautiously inquired about the reason Mr. Qi wouldn’t attend the event.

Uncle Qi looked at Aunt Yan, and she reassured him, “It’s okay, go ahead. Little Xu is wholeheartedly helping us; she’s not an outsider.”

Uncle Qi then looked at Xu Miyu and sighed, “Because he disagrees with me being with Aunt Yan. He has given me an ultimatum, saying that with Aunt Yan, there is no room for him, and without Aunt Yan, there is no room for him either, forcing me to choose.”

The words were quite harsh, almost like a life-or-death ultimatum. Xu Miyu listened with widened eyes.

Uncle Qi’s tone suddenly changed, “In my opinion, he just doesn’t understand. I’ve been with him for thirty years, and when he was a child, I didn’t find him a stepmother to mistreat him. I raised him single-handedly, bought him a house. I feel I don’t owe him anything. Now that my days are numbered, I want to live for myself for a couple more days, so I decided to choose Aunt Yan.”

While saying this, Uncle Qi held Aunt Yan’s hand.

Aunt Yan turned to Xu Miyu with a smile and said, “Listen to this old stubborn man. He talks tough, but he’s contradictory. He’s always been like this since he was young. He sounds casual, but deep down, he can’t let go of his son.”

Aunt Yan sighed, “Privately, I also thought of talking to Young Qi and advising him to communicate well with his father, especially considering his father’s condition. But your Uncle Qi, this old stubborn fellow, not only doesn’t let me talk to him, he doesn’t want me to mention his illness. So, his son still doesn’t know his situation, and the father and son are still arguing endlessly.”

Uncle Qi interjected, “Why bother going to that stubborn mule? Are you going to wait for him to shout at you? I can’t stand that.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Miyu got a sense.

She observed Uncle Qi’s mouth saying not to bother with his son, but his eyes betrayed a desire for his son to attend the event.

Seeing Aunt Yan trying to mend their father-son relationship but feeling helpless, Xu Miyu tentatively asked, “How about I try to communicate with Mr. Qi?”

Uncle Qi decisively rejected, “No use, that boy is more stubborn than me.”

Aunt Yan, however, seemed pleased, though she restrained herself, saying, “But wouldn’t this be too troublesome for you? After all, it’s not within your job scope, right?” Even though she said this, Xu Miyu could sense Aunt Yan’s expectations in her words.

Following this expectation, Xu Miyu said, “It’s okay. Since I’m in charge of the event, I want to do everything I can to avoid regrets. Aunt Yan, please give me Mr. Qi’s contact information.”

Xu Miyu contacted Uncle Qi’s son, Qi Yunguang. She arranged to meet him at the coffee shop in the Swai Hotel.

The videographer dutifully followed through. After Qi Yunguang gave his permission, the videographer silently set up the equipment and began filming.

Qi Yunguang, in his thirties and tall, underwent a sudden change in demeanor from gentle and polite to resembling a younger Uncle Qi—fiery and confrontational—after Xu Miyu explained why she had called him.

“Supervisor Xu, don’t bother persuading me. I won’t attend any wedding banquet or birthday celebration for my dad and that old lady.”

Before Xu Miyu could ask why, Qi Yunguang began to vent his grievances, “Why do you think I disagree with them being together? Because I feel that old man never had me in his heart. From childhood to adulthood, he never spoke a kind word to me. He’s always angry! Since he doesn’t care about me, I don’t want to give him a comfortable time!”

Before Xu Miyu could inquire further, Qi Yunguang continued to express his reasons, “Maybe his personality has always been like this, but that’s not important. What’s important is that now, both he and that old lady are in their seventies. Since he’s been a widower all his life, at this age, he should be content. Why can’t he control himself after meeting that old lady? Why do they have to be together and get married?”

Qi Yunguang became more agitated as he spoke, even using rich exclamatory expressions, “Do you know, after these two finally got together, hey, it’s truly an eye-opener. The old man has turned into someone else’s servant, picking up dishes and massaging shoulders. I’ve grown up. Ask him if he’s ever picked up dishes for me or massaged my shoulders?!”

Qi Yunguang, infuriated, slammed the table, causing the coffee cups to jump on the surface. “Since he only has that old lady in his eyes, let him organize the banquet with that old lady. One less for me, one more is too many!”

He angrily uttered these words.

Xu Miyu, upon hearing this, completely understood and identified the root cause of the son’s refusal to approve of his father being with his first love.

Qi Yunguang, in fact, yearned for paternal love. But comparing Uncle Qi’s attitude towards Aunt Yan, he felt that Uncle Qi only cared about Aunt Yan and not him, leading to resentment and anger.

She now realized that Uncle Qi and Qi Yunguang were truly father and son, both incapable of expressing their emotions.

When Qi Yunguang’s emotions calmed down a bit, Xu Miyu shared her own family story. She explained how her relatives, exploiting her daughter and sister, engaged in illegal confinement, were the ones who truly lacked affection for their children.

Qi Yunguang listened in shock, even asking in disbelief, “Illegal confinement?!”

Xu Miyu nodded, indicating she wasn’t exaggerating to persuade him, “Yes, they illegally confined me to extract money. They are currently facing legal consequences.”

Qi Yunguang was shaken by this revelation, unable to find words immediately.

After some thought, Xu Miyu asked Qi Yunguang, “Mr. Qi, did you ever fall while holding eggs when you were a child?”

“No, I didn’t fall holding eggs, but I fell holding a can of fruit.” Qi Yunguang replied.

Xu Miyu asked, “Did the can break?”

“Yes, it shattered, and the contents spilled everywhere.” Qi Yunguang responded.

“I fell holding eggs once. My shoes were too old, the soles came off, and my parents wouldn’t buy me new ones. I had to pick up the ones my sister and even my brother had worn. That day, the shoes lost their soles, and there was broken glass on the road. It pierced my foot, and I fell. The eggs scattered, but my parents rushed up and slapped me, scolding me for being wasteful and ordered me to clean up the yard. They didn’t ask if my foot was okay. When I asked if we had bandages and antiseptic at home, they said no, and complained that I was making a fuss over a small cut. Later, I had to go to a neighbor’s house to borrow antiseptic and bandages. I still have a scar on the sole of my foot now.”

Xu Miyu shared, smiling with a strength that was hard to bear.

Qi Yunguang listened with wide eyes, mouth slightly open, unable to speak.

“Think about when your father saw you fall. Did he first blame you for breaking the can, or did he first inquire if you were hurt?” Xu Miyu asked Qi Yunguang again.

After some contemplation, Qi Yunguang said, “Well, he first asked me angrily why I didn’t watch where I was going and if I was hurt. Then he grudgingly took me to buy a new can.”

He paused abruptly.

He remembered his father’s anger but overlooked what his father had actually done behind that annoyance.

“You see, Uncle Qi has always had you in his heart. Parents who lack affection for their children are not like him; they are like my parents.”

Seeing the emotional impact on Qi Yunguang, Xu Miyu seized the moment and delivered another blow, “Mr. Qi, there’s actually something you don’t know.”

She informed Qi Yunguang about Uncle Qi’s illness, how it was in the advanced stage.

Qi Yunguang was left stunned, asking incredulously, “What did you say? What did you just say? My dad, in the advanced stage?”

Xu Miyu nodded slowly, telling him, “Your father didn’t want you to know about this. He said he feared it would upset you and affect your work if you knew. But Aunt Yan insisted that you should know, after all, you are Uncle Qi’s only son. If it’s not disclosed now, when Uncle Qi is gone, you’ll blame yourself even more.”

Pausing, Xu Miyu continued, “Aunt Yan initially wanted to tell you personally, but she said you never agreed to see her. So, with her authorization, I am now conveying this matter to you.”

Qi Yunguang felt like he had been hit suddenly, his whole being somewhat dazed.

Finally, Xu Miyu handed the invitation for the banquet to Qi Yunguang, inviting him to attend.

Qi Yunguang neither refused nor agreed but, before leaving, told Xu Miyu, “My mind is in turmoil right now, and I can’t give you an answer. Let me think about it.”

After Qi Yunguang left, Xu Miyu recounted the meeting to Aunt Yan.

She felt a bit sorry for Aunt Yan, “I said everything that needed to be said, advised everything that needed to be advised, but in the end, I couldn’t secure a definite answer. He didn’t say he would come, but he didn’t say he wouldn’t.”

Aunt Yan sighed with some regret, “Well, we’ve done our best. Since that child didn’t say whether he’s coming or not, Xu, you’ve already done a lot for us. Thank you, Xu!”

Xu Miyu smiled, telling Aunt Yan not to mention it. Though she smiled on the surface, there was an underlying regret in her heart.

In the days leading up to the banquet, Xu Miyu would send messages to Qi Yunguang, gently sharing stories from her childhood. She hoped he could discern what truly lacked parental care and that Uncle Qi’s paternal love was not as little as he thought.

She never gave up trying to persuade Qi Yunguang to attend the banquet.

However, she never received a reply from Qi Yunguang.

Until the day before the banquet, Xu Miyu still hadn’t given up. After much thought and drafting a lengthy message, she felt it was unnecessary at this point. So, she deleted the long essay and sent a brief message.

On the day of the banquet, Uncle Qi and Aunt Yan’s old friends, classmates, neighbors, and colleagues, everyone who received invitations, gradually arrived.

However, as the banquet approached, Qi Yunguang was still absent.

Xu Miyu decided to let it go; at this point, her primary task was to take care of the guests who had already arrived.

Suppressing a hint of regret, she began to coordinate various aspects of the pre-event activities.

Ji Feng and Xue Rui discreetly attended the event, sitting at the back of the venue.

Recently, the hotel was thriving, hosting various events in other banquet halls. These were large-scale business activities, much more profitable than the private banquet in front of them. Many journalists, social media influencers, and others had crowded into those halls, hoping to get firsthand information to attract public attention and traffic.

Xue Rui asked Ji Feng why they didn’t check out the other banquet halls first, as they were all grand and lively.

However, Ji Feng was not enthusiastic, telling Xue Rui, “Those events may have earned both fame and money, but after seeing so many, it feels uninteresting. They are all the same grandeur, but numb, lacking any emotional impact.”

Xue Rui nodded in agreement, feeling the same way.

They quietly sat at the back, waiting for the banquet to begin.

Soon, they saw two people sneaking in through the back door, holding cameras. They appeared to be journalists.

They sat in the vacant seats next to Ji Feng and Xue Rui, chatting casually before the event started.

“There are too many people in the other banquet halls. It feels like there are more people filming the scenes than actually attending the events,” a younger journalist remarked.

“Yeah, we can’t even find a place to set up our equipment. That’s what we get for arriving late,” another older journalist added.

“But luckily, brother, look, there aren’t many colleagues recording here. Maybe we can get an exclusive scoop.” The younger journalist tried to console himself.

“What’s there to record here? It feels like a typical wedding or birthday celebration,” the older journalist poured cold water on his excitement.

The younger journalist immediately said, “But I heard that the event here is planned by the hotel’s ace planner, someone named Xu… ah, right, Xu Miyu. She’s personally in charge. Rumor has it that she is the core figure for the hotel’s events now. So, you see, despite the neighboring big events she didn’t personally handle, she came to oversee this side. I think there must be something special about the activities in this banquet hall.”

The older journalist became interested, “Then shall we record a bit here?”

“Record it!”

Ji Feng and Xue Rui listened to their conversation clearly. Ji Feng smirked silently.

The event officially began.

The first ceremony was the wedding ceremony.

After the initial procedures, the emcee invited the officiator and the two elderly individuals to the stage to exchange rings.

Before Uncle Qi put the ring on Aunt Yan, he turned and scanned the audience below. The audience thought he was about to interact, and they immediately cheered, everyone turning into atmosphere contributors.

Only Xu Miyu knew that Uncle Qi was not seeking interaction; he was still unwillingly searching the crowd for his son. Deep down, he still hoped for his son’s witness and blessing at such a moment.

Xu Miyu felt somewhat uncomfortable in her heart. In that moment, she really wanted to rush out, even if forcibly, and bring Qi Yunguang in.

But in that moment, she suddenly seemed to hear Qi Yunguang’s voice—

“Old man, I’m here!”

Xu Miyu immediately followed the sound and saw that the voice was indeed from Qi Yunguang. He had just rushed in through the main entrance, leaning against the wall, catching his breath.