ATLAS TRANSLATES

At noon, Fu Xueli was woken up by a phone call.

Xixi’s voice sounded urgent, “Sister Xueli, the cameraman is stuck outside. We’re not allowed into the complex, and they said we can’t film anywhere.”

Fu Xueli stared at the ceiling, taking a few seconds to react. Oh… she had forgotten about the variety show she had agreed to do. They were supposed to come film at the artists’ residence today.

She struggled to get up and muttered, “Not possible.”

Of course it wasn’t possible. Xu Xingchun was still here, and he couldn’t be caught on camera. That would lead to negative news stories flying around. Fu Xueli called Tang Xin and had her book a hotel at the last minute, telling people to go set it up.

The security downstairs only let Xixi and the makeup artist up.

Her waist was especially sore from just waking up. Half-awake, she noticed a glass of water on the bedside table. Fu Xueli picked it up to wet her throat, then slipped on her slippers and went to Xu Xingchun’s room.

She rubbed her eyes and leaned against the wall, looking at him. The midday sunlight was too bright, making her eyes uncomfortable.

“Xu Xingchun, what did you have for breakfast?” Her voice was still weak and hoarse from sleep.

“It’s 12:30 in the afternoon now.” Cold wind was blowing steadily on the balcony. Xu Xingchun sat in a chair, wearing only a loose thin gray sweater without a coat. The temperature was low. He turned a page in his book, calm and steady as usual.

“Auntie Qi didn’t come?”

“She did.”

Fu Xueli frowned, “Why didn’t you wake me?”

Just then the doorbell rang, interrupting her. She turned to open the door, but looked back to say, “Put on more clothes, Xu Xingchun. It’s so cold.”

Opening the door, Fu Xueli saw Xixi waiting outside with a bunch of things. Seeing Fu Xueli, she immediately smiled brightly and said, “Hehe, Sister Xueli, the security here is so strict. We shouldn’t have to worry about paparazzi sneaking photos.”

“I don’t live here regularly anyway,” Fu Xueli frowned, letting them in.

Xixi and the makeup artist hadn’t received much advanced education. Upon entering, they were intimidated by the row of books. They then quietly muttered that if they could bring the cameraman in, it would surely cause a stir online when broadcast.

Looking around curiously but not daring to wander, they simply glanced around before following Fu Xueli to her room.

Due to time constraints, they only had half an hour to get her hair, clothes, and makeup ready. Fu Xueli hadn’t eaten, so she munched on some toast slices and drank the soy milk Xixi had brought up.

It was almost November and getting cold, but for the variety show she had to wear a knee-length dress.

It was slippery, made of real silk.

Sipping half a cup of soy milk, Fu Xueli felt a bit uneasy. She wandered back and pushed open the door to Xu Xingchun’s room. He was still in the same position, unmoved.

She said, “I have something to do this afternoon and I’m not sure if I can make it back tonight. Call me if you need anything.”

After pondering for a moment, she continued talking to herself, “Will you be okay alone at home? Should I call Auntie Qi to come over, or what?”

Xu Xingchun didn’t answer.

After a short silence, Fu Xueli nodded to herself, “Never mind, I’ll try to come back early.”

“Fu Xueli,” Xu Xingchun called out to her.

Fu Xueli turned back to look at him.

“Take the keys,” Xu Xingchun said. “They’re on the table in the living room.”

On the way, Xixi had a dreamy look on her face. She propped up her head, speaking with a hint of shyness, “Sister Xueli, I feel like Officer Xu is so handsome.”

Even though he was at home recovering, he didn’t look thin or tired at all. Although the distance was a bit far and Xixi couldn’t see him clearly, she just felt he had a uniquely cold aura about him. Yet it suited him well.

Fu Xueli glanced at her, “He’s always been handsome. He was the class heartthrob in high school.”

“Really?” Xixi’s eyes widened.

Fu Xueli thought for a moment, then remembered Xie Ci. She corrected herself, curving her lips slightly, “Oh… there was actually someone more handsome than him, but that guy was a jerk.”

“Actually, I think Officer Xu’s charm is in his demeanor. By the way, was he a top student in school?”

Fu Xueli was flipping through the script for the upcoming recording when she paused, “Why are you suddenly so curious about Xu Xingchun today?”

Xixi looked embarrassed, “I just suddenly wanted to hear about it. I never went to high school, but I really admire people who are good at studying.”

People who are good at studying?

Fu Xueli stared at the paper, lost in thought for a moment.

If we’re talking about people who are good at studying, Xu Xingchun would definitely count as one.

Back in middle and high school, he could just stand there and clearly set himself apart from many others. Every minute, every second, he was just short of telling people, “I’m different.” He had “top student” written all over his forehead.

During the long morning breaks, after she and Song Yifan’s group finished fooling around and returned to class, they would pass through the hallway and see Xu Xingchun in his neatly worn uniform, one hand on the railing, head lowered as he earnestly explained problems to others.

He seemed to have a faint glow around him, the kind of handsome that made passing girls steal glances.

He really was different.

More than one person had approached Fu Xueli about it. The one she could remember was at the last gathering after high school graduation, when most people were drunk. Ma Xuanrui looked like she was about to cry when she leaned in to whisper to Fu Xueli.

Why is it that you don’t have to do anything to make Xu Xingchun like you?

What exactly does he like about you?

Fu Xueli wanted to know too. Besides her good looks, she really had no redeeming qualities. She wasn’t well-behaved or considerate, always doing things her own way without regard for others’ feelings.

What could someone as outstanding as Xu Xingchun like about her?

Did he like her beauty?

Or her indifference?

Xixi was still asking questions, but Fu Xueli didn’t want to go into detail. She avoided the topic and brushed it off with a couple of casual replies.

Next, Fu Xueli quickly went through the script in her hand, memorizing the gist of it. Then in her mind, she started formulating a one-on-one debt repayment plan. She was determined to help Xu Xingchun completely let go of his mental hang-ups and become a normal person again.

But her mind was blank. She thought all day and couldn’t come up with anything.

In the evening, Tang Xin notified Fu Xueli to return to Lin Fei for a meeting. The whole team had to go. There was some surprising news – Lin Fei had signed Ji Qinqin, and she was likely to get some resources in the coming period. The news hadn’t been released yet, so few people knew about it.

Looking at Ji Qinqin’s smiling face, Fu Xueli asked, “Are you the devil?”

“……”

“Why do you keep haunting me lately?”

Ji Qinqin shrugged, “Fu Xueli, you’re not cute at all, hehe. I am the devil, so we’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”

After confirming some things, Fu Xueli couldn’t be bothered to joke with her anymore.

In the afternoon, she received a text message from Fu Chenglin.

Fu Yuandong wanted her to return to Lin City for the New Year – to visit the graves.

This text message instantly ruined half of Fu Xueli’s good mood for the day.

After the meeting, the company generously arranged a dinner at a high-end location. Fu Xueli planned to eat a little and leave. But Fang Nan stopped her, “What’s going on, Fu Xueli? You’re always rushing home. Are you keeping someone there?”

“No, I just have something to do.”

Fang Nan’s smile was mischievous, “I heard your alcohol tolerance is really bad. Are you trying to leave early to avoid embarrassing yourself because you can’t drink?”

Fu Xueli was already in a bad mood and retorted sharply, “What, you want to get me drunk?”

Fang Nan laughed, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Fu Xueli had always been impatient with this drinking culture, but now she was fired up. She said to Fang Nan, “If you were a bit more handsome, I might consider letting you see me down in one glass. But for someone like you, I’m going to show you what society is really like today, even if it kills me.”

Fang Nan: “……”

In the end, Fu Xueli didn’t show Fang Nan what society was really like, but she did experience it herself. So getting too drunk always leads to trouble. Fu Xueli was in a daze, and when she was going down the stairs, she twisted her ankle again.

Utterly unlucky.

She woke up in the night feeling cold.

Fu Xueli had drunk quite a bit and was sleeping deeply on the living room sofa. She sat up, hugging a blanket that had appeared from somewhere. When she raised her head, she felt dizzy and saw what seemed to be swaying double images.

The small chandelier above her head clicked on. Fu Xueli withdrew her hand and turned her head, getting a big fright. “Ah!”

“Xu Xingchun, why are you playing ghost? Are you trying to scare me to death?” She was still startled, the alcohol sobering up quite a bit.

“Go sleep in your room.” His voice was a bit muffled, but he didn’t explain his strange behavior of sitting in the dark for half the day.

Fu Xueli frowned, focusing her vision, “I know.”

But when she put one leg down, she immediately sucked in a sharp breath of pain. Her foot and ankle were all red and swollen, puffed up high.

To the person next to her, it was a different scene altogether.

“Ouch, don’t touch, don’t touch, it hurts a bit.” Fu Xueli’s cheeks were somewhat red, and she couldn’t help but try to struggle, her lips twitching slightly.

Xu Xingchun’s movements paused.

“Don’t move.” He said softly, then went to the side to make a phone call.

After connecting, he said a few words. The person on the other end immediately started cursing, “Xu Xingchun, haven’t you studied medicine?! Is a twisted ankle worth calling about? Don’t you know what time it is? I just finished a surgery, for crying out loud! Disturbing people’s sleep in the middle of the night for such a small thing, are you crazy?!”

The voice was too loud in the night. Xu Xingchun listened without changing his expression, while Fu Xueli felt a bit embarrassed.

Fortunately, there were some ice cubes at home that could be used for icing. Xu Xingchun was injured and couldn’t move easily, with only one hand able to exert force. He knelt in front of her in a very awkward posture.

“It really hurts.” Fu Xueli almost cried, her other foot kicking up onto Xu Xingchun’s shoulder, wanting to escape the restraint.

“Fu Xueli.” Xu Xingchun paused slightly, “Don’t throw a tantrum.”

“I’m not throwing a tantrum, but it really hurts.”

He waited for a moment, seeming to sigh lightly, “Bear with it for a bit.”

“Are you feeling sorry for me?” She slurred, liking to talk nonsense when drinking, regardless of whether she was drunk or not.

“Am I too beautiful?” she asked again.

“Yes, you are.” Xu Xingchun answered calmly. Lowering his eyes, his fingers with distinct bones carried an icy cold chill, yet he used a very gentle technique to massage the ankle that had swollen like a bun.

“Right, I’m too beautiful.” Fu Xueli nodded, “So will you forgive me for anything bad I do?”

“For example?”

“For example…” Fu Xueli was still thinking, but the force he applied with his hand hurt her again.

She thought to herself that Xu Xingchun was still the same after all.

No matter how he tried to act cold and indifferent, he couldn’t hide his true nature.

She had seen through him long ago.

He was like a bunch of dry grass, mostly silent, hiding himself very deeply, but the core of his being still couldn’t suppress its hysteria. Sometimes, he didn’t even bother to hide it.

She felt that Xu Xingchun had always been holding back.

All he needed was a little fire, and he would burn until only ashes remained.