Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  The salesperson handed Wei Shuyi the lipsticks with an extremely strange expression.

  Ignoring her weird gaze, Wei Shuyi calmly took the lipsticks and stuffed them into his bag before returning home.

  It was still raining in Sanya at night.

  The rain stopped the next day, but Wei Shuyi did not go out for a stroll. Since he had queued up for the entire previous day, his feet were still hurting. He stayed in the hotel for the whole day, playing games. At night, Wei Shuyi changed his clothes and found a restaurant to eat at.

  The restaurant’s dining room was elegant, the music was light, and the buffet was fresh and diverse. The dishes were delicious.

  Everything was fine, except that the restaurant was not single people friendly.

  The seats near the window where the sea could be seen had been reserved in advance by loving couples. When Wei Shuyi arrived at the restaurant, only one dining chair was left, the one in the middle of the dining room. He sat there alone, surrounded by couples deeply in love.

  Wei Shuyi finished his dinner in a few bites. When he walked out of the restaurant, he could not help but heave a sigh of relief.

  ***

  The next day, Wei Shuyi returned to Binjiang City.

  After getting off the airport, he first went home and put his luggage away. Then, he drove to Qiao Jiusheng’s house.

  It was already the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, and every family was busy celebrating the new year. Qiao Jiusheng and Fang Yusheng had been staying in the Fang family home for the past two days, celebrating the new year with the Fang family. When Wei Shuyi arrived there, the Fang family was doing a major cleanup.

  Upon seeing him return, Qiao Jiusheng stared at him, then said, “You got a little tanned.”


  Wei Shuyi smiled and passed her a few boxes of coconut candy and a bracelet.

  “I think this bracelet suits you, so I bought it.”


  It was a yellow jade marrow bracelet. The beads were pristine, lacking any impurities.

  Qiao Jiusheng took a look at it. She was born in a jewelry family, so she could naturally estimate the market price of this bracelet at a glance. It was about 20,000 yuan. It was not very expensive, but not cheap either, especially for Wei Shuyi.

  She took the bracelet with a smile and wore it on her wrist. After sizing it up, Qiao Jiusheng was very satisfied. Then, she said, “I’ve always lacked a favorite bracelet. Now, I have one.” Qiao Jiusheng had many accessories, but she did not particularly like them. However, she liked this one very much.

  Wei Shuyi’s eyes were filled with warmth. “Then wear it often.”


  “Okay.”


  “Did anything interesting happen during this trip to Sanya?”


  Wei Shuyi picked out a few things to tell her. As Qiao Jiusheng listened, the sky turned unknowingly dark. “Have dinner at my place tonight.” Upon seeing Wei Shuyi nod, Qiao Jiusheng asked, “Where are you celebrating tomorrow? If you don’t mind, can you come over and join us?”


  Wei Shuyi shook his head. “No.” He rejected her. Seeing that Qiao Jiusheng was still looking at him, he explained, “I go to my mentor’s house every year for the New Year.”


  “I see.” Qiao Jiusheng was relieved. “It’s good to have someone to accompany you.”


  She rubbed her tummy before saying, “It’s inconvenient for me to return to my maiden home in Junyang City during the Spring Festival.”


  “It’s indeed inconvenient to go back and forth. Don’t give birth at the airport.” Wei Shuyi thought of something and suddenly laughed out loud.

  Qiao Jiusheng patiently waited for him to finish laughing before asking, “What’s so funny?”


  Wei Shuyi said, “If you gave birth on a plane, your elder son would be called Fang Zifei, and your second son would be called Fang Ziji. Together, their names would mean Airplane. Hahaha!”


  Qiao Jiusheng also found it funny. “Then, if I give birth on the highway, the elder son will be called Fang Zigao, and the second son Fang Zishu so that their names would mean high speed?”


  The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

  Fang Yusheng was working hard at home with a hat on his head.

  Aunt Jin’s grandson had been born a few months ago. She would go to her daughter’s house to celebrate the New Year and had already applied for a leave. Qi Bufan also had a family of his own, so he couldn’t care about the Fang family anymore. Fang Yusheng was a very territorial person, and he didn’t want other helpers or people from a housekeeping company to come and help him. Therefore, he had to clean up this huge building alone.

  He felt aggrieved when he saw Qiao Jiusheng and Wei Shuyi chatting and laughing together.

  Wei Shuyi was happily chatting with Qiao Jiusheng when suddenly, a vacuum cleaner appeared in front of him.

  Wei Shuyi stared at the vacuum cleaner, unable to comprehend what was happening. He quickly raised his head and looked at Fang Yusheng in confusion. His eyes were filled with disbelief. “What are you doing?”?

  Fang Yusheng said, “Since you have nothing to do, let’s clean up together.”


  Wei Shuyi took a deep breath and softly reminded Fang Yusheng, “I’m… a guest.”


  Fang Yusheng replied, “No, you’re Ah Sheng’s Brother Wei, our family.” There was no need to be polite between family members.

  Wei Shuyi was embarrassed to reject his family member’s request.

  He wore a hat that protected his head from dust. Holding a vacuum cleaner in his hand, he cleaned the dust and spiderwebs in the corner. Fang Yusheng wiped the table and the stool. The two of them worked well together. Before the sky turned dark, they were done cleaning.

  Wei Shuyi had become covered in dust. Fang Yusheng asked him to take a shower at his house.

  He gave his clothes to Wei Shuyi and found a new pair of underwear for him. As Wei Shuyi soaked in the bathtub, only one thought came to his mind:?

  Wei Shuyi wore Fang Yusheng’s clothes, and they fit him well. The two of them were of similar height and build after all.

  Fang Yusheng’s clothes were a little plain and were mostly gray, black, or white. Wei Shuyi’s clothes were slightly brighter, so he wasn’t used to these clothes. After putting on his windbreaker jacket, Wei Shuyi walked out of the bathroom. At this time, Butler Wan Lang called him over for dinner.

  Fang Yusheng said to Wei Shuyi, “Brother Wei, come with us.”


  “Okay.”


  Wei Shuyi had been to the Fang family several times, but this was his first time entering the main building.

  Over the past year, too many things had happened in the Fang family. Fang Pingjue was sitting in a wheelchair, and his white hair had become much more white. He no longer had his previous elegance.

  Xu Pingfei held Fang Mu’s son in her arms. The child called Fang Shan was teasing her. The child had started to grow teeth. Perhaps, he was a little fidgety, but he was biting hard on a small toothbrush. Fang Shan had already learned to recognize people. He was just like all the children in the world, lively and smiling.

  Upon seeing Qiao Jiusheng enter the house, Fang Shan smiled at her and even laughed out loud.

  Qiao Jiusheng looked at the child with mixed feelings. In the end, she walked over and held her stomach before sitting down beside the child. Fang Shan picked up an ocean ball and threw it at her. Qiao Jiusheng hesitated before throwing the ball back.

  “Haha!” Fang Shan laughed out loud. He thought that this game was fun and threw the ball at her again.

  Qiao Jiusheng played with him for a while.

  At this moment, Wei Shuyi said as he sat beside Fang Yusheng, “Could it be that he treats Xiao Sheng as his mother?”


  Although Fang Shan had rarely seen Qiao Jiuyin after he was born, the connection between a child and a mother was the most subtle and special. Qiao Jiusheng and Qiao Jiuyin looked the same; they were twin sisters. So, it was not surprising that Fang Shan would get close to her.

  Fang Yusheng indifferently glanced at the child.

  In his previous life, this child had died in his hands. He really could not like this child because he was Fang Mu and Qiao Jiuyin’s child.

  Fang Yusheng took a few more glances at the child but did not stop Qiao Jiusheng from playing with him.

  Xu Pingfei heaved a sigh of relief.

  When they were eating, Fang Pingjue and Wei Shuyi exchanged a few polite greetings. Seeing Wei Shuyi speak well, Fang Pingjue had a good impression of him.

  During the meal, they talked about Qiao Jiusheng giving birth.

  Fang Yusheng said, “On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Ah Sheng will go to the hospital to give birth.”


  Xu Pingfei asked, “Cesarean section?”


  “Yeah.”


  Xu Pingfei agreed with this method. She said, “I heard that the placement of the baby is not good. Moreover, she’s carrying two babies. Cesarean section is safer. However, she will also suffer after the cesarean delivery. Yusheng, you have to take good care of her.”


  After some thought, Xu Pingfei said again, “How about this, I’ll take care of Xiao Sheng after the surgery?”


  Fang Yusheng didn’t refuse her offer. He just looked at Fang Shan, who was sleeping in the crib.

  Xu Pingfei knew what he was thinking about and said, “Auntie will take care of Shan Shan. Wan Lang and your dad will be fine. Besides, I’ll be back at night.”


  Fang Yusheng agreed.

  “Have you set a time with the doctor?” Fang Pingjue asked.

  “Yes, we have an appointment.”


  Fang Yusheng had called Zhuang Long and communicated with the private hospital. The hospital held a meeting and finally agreed to let Zhuang Long use their hospital’s venue to carry out the surgery. Zhuang Long was world-famous. Even the hospital director was surprised that he was coming to their hospital.

  Fang Pingjue nodded and said, “Don’t worry. Medical skills are advanced nowadays. They are not as backward as they were decades ago. The children’s mother will be safe.”


  “Yeah.”


  Fang Pingjue had already retired, and his days were becoming more and more leisurely. The arrival of a new life was always something to look forward to. He could not help but think of the child Qiao Jiuyin had abandoned after giving birth. With a sigh, he said, “Take good care of the children.”


  Hearing this, Fang Yusheng looked up at Fang Pingjue and guessed what he was thinking. He couldn’t help but snort and say, “Of course, I’ll take good care of my sons.”


  Fang Pingjue understood that Fang Yusheng was mocking him for not fulfilling his duty as a father. According to his usual temper, Fang Pingjue might have already quarreled with Fang Yusheng. But now, his temper was much more restrained. He just unhappily glanced at Fang Yusheng and did not say anything.

  Fang Yusheng was a little surprised. He snorted and stopped mocking his father.

  After the meal, Wei Shuyi returned to the house with Fang Yusheng and the rest. He packed the clothes he had changed out of into a bag and put them in the trunk. Under Qiao Jiusheng’s and Fang Yusheng’s gazes, he drove the car out of the Fang family home.

  In the trunk of Wei Shuyi’s car was also a large pile of skincare products. These were for Jiaren Wu.

  His car arrived outside Jiaren Wu’s residence. After parking his car by the side of the road, he rolled down the window to look inside. A while later, he rolled up the window and drove away.

  ***

  The next day, which was also New Year’s Eve, all the shops on the street closed for the New Year. Jiaren Wu and Kang Hui met in the parking lot, one driving a motorcycle and the other in a secondhand car.

  They were here to report to the police station,

  The two of them looked at each other. Jiaren Wu raised her eyebrows at Kang Hui and teased him. “Senior Brother, after today, it will be next year. You have to stop being single next year. Otherwise, you will still be on duty on New Year’s Eve next year.”


  Kang Hui tapped Jiaren Wu’s forehead and said, “Good luck to you too.”


  Suddenly, he sighed.

  As they walked in, Jiaren Wu asked Kang Hui, “Why are you sighing?”


  Kang Hui said, “Junior Sister is so beautiful, why am I not attracted to you?” He looked surprised and confused and muttered to himself, “If I have a good impression of you, we can be a couple. But, when I think of spending my life with you, I feel especially…”


  After some thought, Kang Hui continued, “Uncomfortable.”


  Jiaren Wu rolled her eyes. “I feel more awkward than you, alright!”


  Although love at first sight was always based on lust and Kang Hui’s eyes had lit up when he had seen Jiaren Wu for the first time, he did not have that kind of romantic thoughts for her. Not every person would fall in love with good-looking people.

  The two of them talked and laughed as they punched their cards and went to the locker room together.

  Jiaren Wu took off her army green cotton coat and changed into a police uniform and cotton shirt. She tied up her hair. Kang Hui also changed into his clothes. Seeing the two of them arrive, the rest of the police officers got off work.

  ***

  New Year’s Eve was actually not peaceful.

  Wu Jiaren and Kang Hui were both members of the Criminal Investigation Unit of Binjiang City’s Public Security Bureau. They were on duty today and were still very busy. In the afternoon, a few young teenagers who took drugs were sent over from the Chengbei Lingshui Police Station. Fortunately, those kids weren’t addicted to drugs yet. Wu Jiaren contacted their parents and asked them to send their kids to rehab.

  At around eight in the evening, another drug trafficker was sent to the police station from Chengdongqiao Town.

  Jiaren Wu frowned when she saw the woman.

  This woman was pregnant.