Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  The nightlife in Jin City was vibrant and exciting.

  Jin City was a very popular city on the internet. It was most famous for its food.

  Considering Xiang Wan’s mood, Bai Muchuan did not want to go to noisy places and in turn, refused three suggestions made by Xie Wanwan in a row. In the end, the four of them decided to go to an atmospheric private kitchen in the city.

  The private kitchen had adopted a classy and artistic style. It felt very suitable for people who loved literature.

  Xie Wanwan placed her hands in her pockets as she gave Bai Muchuan a lazy sidelong glance but said nothing.

  Tang Yuanchu coincidentally caught that little action of hers.

  Bai Muchuan and Xiang Wan walked in front under the guidance of the waitress. Tang Yuanchu deliberately slowed down his pace to block Xie Wanwan to give her a reminder.

  “They’re getting along very well.”


  Xie Wanwan felt as if she had been pricked by a needle.

  Not because of what he said but because of the one who reminded her.

  Xie Wanwan gave a disdainful sneer. “Do you mean I can’t see that for myself?”


  Tang Yuanchu looked at her quite deeply with a hint of worry. “I do think you can’t see for yourself.”


  Xie Wanwan sighed. “.……”


  She gritted her teeth.

  However, the next moment, she told herself she should not bother with a silly idiot like him.

  Xie Wanwan ignored Tang Yuanchu and walked faster. However, he followed along and walked beside her.

  “Captain Bai’s leaving tomorrow, you should let them have some time together. Why do you want to do this?”


  Xie Wanwan really felt giving this young man a good thrashing.

  She turned and gave him a chilly glance. “Little boy, you should change your name to Tang Seng[Tang Monk].”


  “.……?” Tang Yuanchu was confuzzled. “I’m already an adult.”


  Xie Wanwan grunted. “.……”


  Tang Yuanchu sneered. “It’s troublesome for an adult to change their name.”


  “.……”


  The remark she made was meant to tell him he was a busybody and nagged too much. In the end, she felt like her ‘fist’ had landed onto the cotton wool—no effect.

  Xie Wanwan’s peeved mood dissipated and ended with her propping her forehead……

  The lightings in the private kitchen felt gentle and warm.

  Bai Muchuan and Xiang Wan had gone inside a private dining room. When Xie Wanwan went inside the room, he was discussing the menu with Xiang Wan.

  She saw the two of them behaved familiarly with each other, but Xiang Wan’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed and did not seem to be interested in food. Bai Muchuan was holding a pen he would twirl from time to time. That pen twirling behavior was something he used to do during school days—he was still the familiar Bai Muchuan she knew.

  However, every time he said a dish, he would take a look at Xiang Wan’s reaction to know which dish she was interested in……

  The Bai Muchuan who cared so much for a woman felt like a stranger to Xie Wanwan.

  “Finished ordering?”


  Xie Wanwan placed her handbag down and sat on her seat slowly.

  Bai Muchuan took a glance at her. “Almost.”


  From the beginning till the end, he never once asked what she wanted to eat.

  His body was facing towards Xiang Wan where she could see his well-defined side profile clearly; his chin, lips to his high-bridged nose—that line was smooth and sexy……

  From the viewpoint of how women appreciate men, Bai Muchuan belonged to the best type of men in the eyes of women.

  From Xie Wanwan’s perspective, the Bai Muchuan she had known all these years had changed.

  As he grew up from a boy to a man, he was getting manlier. That made Xiang Wan, who was looking at the menu quietly, seemed more feminine and loveable beside him……

  It was as though they were the only two people left in the world.

  Xie Wanwan was originally a supporting character in their story.

  Yet at that moment, she realized she was not even a supporting character but part of the background scenery that did not matter at all.

  Xie Wanwan looked away. She did not want to look at them.

  She could not help it and found her gaze stuck on him again.

  Why didn’t she pluck up enough courage in the past?

  Xie Wanwan felt a little suffocated in her heart. She lowered her head and reached out for a teacup before her……

  The teacup was empty.

  That puzzled her a little.

  “Didn’t you want to drink some wine?” Tang Yuanchu noticed her expression. “What wine would you like?”


  Xie Wanwan frowned. “No wine for me tonight.”


  Tang Yuanchu was perplexed. “Why?”


  , thought Xie Wanwan inside her head.

  She didn’t bother explaining to Tang Yuanchu. She glanced at him, there was warning in her eyes.

  “You’re a man after all. Why are you being such a busybody by poking your nose into my affairs?”


  “.……”


  Xie Wanwan looked at the waitress. “Excuse me, could you fill up my teacup with rose tea?”


  “Yes, Miss—”


  The waitress suddenly stared at Xie Wanwan with her mouth agape and eyes wide-opened.

  When she entered the private dining room earlier, Xie Wanwan had removed her mask. That was why the waitress was shocked.

  “You are?…… y-you are…… Xie Wanwan?”


  Everyone grew silent. “.……”


  Xie Wanwan smiled at her while making a ‘shush’ gesture. Her eyes were also curved as she smiled, totally different from her usual bored reaction when she got recognized by the public. “Miss waitress, please don’t tell anyone I’m here. I just wanted to have a quiet meal.” Xie Wanwan seemed to be in a good mood.

  “Sure, sure, of course, we won’t go around and tell everyone.”


  Hearts were as though popping out of the waitress’s eyes as Xie Wanwan acted friendly to her.

  “Miss Xie…… May I have your autograph?”


  “No problem!” Xie Wanwan put on her usual smile when facing the public. “But, would you mind waiting for me to finish my meal first?”


  “Sure, no problem! Thank you so much!” The waitress could not contain her excitement. After taking the order form and menu from Bai Muchuan, she took another glance at Tang Yuanchu who was sitting beside Xie Wanwan before she left the room……

  Bai Muchuan and Xiang Wan was obviously a couple in her eyes.

  If so, the man who was sitting beside Xie Wanwan would easily be mistaken as her boyfriend……

  Tang Yuanchu noticed the waitress’s prying eyes. He cleared his throat and turned his face away from her.

  In contrast, Xie Wanwan did not seem to be bothered. She lifted her now filled teacup and took a sip slowly. “Assistant Tang, send me my schedule for next week when we go back later……”


  “Yes……”


  The waitress went out of the room.

  Xiang Wan could not hold her laughter when she saw Tang Yuanchu’s confused and upset look.

  “If you’re a part-time designated driver,” sneered Xie Wanwan. “I guess it won’t be difficult for you to part-time as my assistant.”


  Tang Yuanchu swallowed the unhappiness. “Serving the people is my duty.”


  Xie Wanwan continued to give a snort. “The waitress did not have a good eye!”


  Tang Yuanchu sighed. “.……”
……

  The dishes came quickly.

  In just a couple of minutes, the table was filled with their orders.

  When they served a dish, Bai Muchuan would look at Xiang Wan.

  “Do you like this dish?

  “How about this?

  “I thought you liked spicy food?

  “It’s good to eat light dishes……”


  Xie Wanwan could not take it anymore.

  “Little Bai, can’t we have a normal dinner and not turn this into a ‘wife doting show’? Don’t forget there are two lightbulbs

  sitting here as well, right?”


  Bai Muchuan looked at her calmly as always. “That’s exactly why both of you are here, so you both will provide warm and brighten us up.”


  “Yeah sure.” Xie Wanwan picked some food and placed them on her plate. “Don’t forget we have high appearance fees as well……”


  “I don’t want money,” continued Tang Yuanchu in a serious manner as he chewed on some cabbage. “Captain Bai, continue your lovey-dovey act……”


  He was obviously spouting nonsense in a decent manner.

  Xiang Wan’s heavy mood was lightened up because of him.

  Xie Wanwan could not help retorting Tang Yuanchu. “Will you die if you don’t s*ck up to your boss for once?”


  Tang Yuanchu was surprised. “You can actually tell?”


  “D*rn!” Xie Wanwan was always pretending to be a goddess, a fairy, or a lady before the public in order to uphold her image. When she was with her own friends, she would tend to be herself and not really give a d*mn about her image.

  Upon hearing from him, she gave a glare at Tang Yuanchu. She realized she couldn’t take it anymore and got up from her chair.

  “Please excuse me. I need to go out for a puff.”


  She swept Bai Muchuan a glance and took his lighter which he placed on the dining table.

  “Lend me your lighter.”


  Bai Muchuan did not say anything to that.

  After Xie Wanwan left the room, it was only the three of them. Now that Tang Yuanchu was the only “lightbulb” left, he started to feel uncomfortable.

  After two to three minutes, he felt he needed to get out of there.

  “Captain Bai, Teacher Xiang, I need to go look for Miss Xie, I’m worried she may take things too hard……”


  The first part of his excuse was perfect.

  The latter part, well, he might have accidentally invoked some unwanted emotions.

  Xiang Wan smiled at him. “Do go ahead.”
……

  Finally, it was only the two of them in the private dining room.

  Under the warm-colored lights, Xiang Wan’s fair complexion seemed to have a pinkish hue.

  Her complexion was very good as she was even fairer than Xie Wanwan. There was a saying that a fair complexion would make up for three not-so-perfect physical traits. Even if her facial features were not as exquisite, in Bai Muchuan’s eyes, she was like a pure and natural piece of beautiful jade.

  He puffed a sigh and pinched her face lovingly.

  “Little Xiang Wan, after I leave, you need to take your meals regularly and eat well.”


  “Hm.” Xiang Wan nodded her head.

  Before she could feel moved by his words, he suddenly grunted.

  “If you get any skinnier, I might need to wait for a long time before I can touch you.”


  “.……”


  Xiang Wan took a look at the half-opened door before glaring at him. “Can’t you behave yourself and be more mindful?”


  “Why are you blushing?” A smile formed in Bai Muchuan’s face as he patted her head. “We are already in a relationship, why can’t we talk about this?”


  “What if others heard it……”


  “There’s no one else here.”


  Xiang Wan pursed her lips slightly and thought of Xie Wanwan who left the room earlier.

  “Xie Wanwan……” She looked at Bai Muchuan. “She doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today?”


  Bai Muchuan studied her expression. “You’re feeling sour?”


  “Of course not,” chuckled Xiang Wan. “I just feel she has something to tell you privately?”


  However, Bai Muchuan did not give Xie Wanwan a chance.

  He refused to go to dinner with her. When he did, he made sure Xiang Wan was with him.

  His attitude toward Xie Wanwan was already very obvious. Nonetheless, women tend to be less sensitive in their feelings—the more setbacks they suffered, the more they would hang on and unwilling to let go.

  Xiang Wan grunted. “I still feel like I’m the third person that came in between you and her.”


  Bai Muchuan sighed. “.……”


  Xiang Wan looked at him. “Before me, is she the only woman around you?”


  Bai Muchuan cleared his throat. “Of course not.”


  Xiang Wan seemed curious. “Who else is there?”


  “There’s a lot,” said Bai Muchuan in a serious manner as he counted, “my grandma, Nanny Li and……”


  “Stop!” Xiang Wan laughed as she knew he was blabbering and trying to change the topic. “Bai Muchuan, she likes you. You finally noticed it, right?”


  This time, Bai Muchuan did not answer her.

  Since he did not deny, that meant he acquiesced to her words.

  Xiang Wan took another glance at the half-opened door, then back at Bai Muchuan’s handsome face.

  “You men always tend to drag your feet when dealing with emotional matters. Maybe you didn’t want to hurt her, so you pretended you didn’t know about it, but she might think, since you were aware of her feelings all along and you never rejected her outright, she would think she still had a chance. Bai Muchuan, avoidance is not the way out.”


  Bai Muchuan looked at her casually.

  He reached for his cup naturally.

  “I didn’t know that until now.”


  “Well, you know about it now,” she deduced, “but have not thought about how to handle it?”


  Bai Muchuan remained silent.

  There was a pause of half a second before he looked at her and asked. “How do you handle it when you met a suitor? For example, Cheng Zheng?”


  “.……”


  “I have no time to think about all these things!” Bai Muchuan looked serious. “Xiang Wan, my free time is only enough for you and you alone.”
……