Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Amid the boom of firecrackers, a year had come to an end. The spring wind wafted its warm breath to the wine.

  On the New Year’s Eve. The crackling of firecrackers filled every street; brilliant fireworks lit up the night sky.

  A pair of mother and daughter chose not to spend the New Year’s Eve at their relatives’ house.

  Instead, the two stayed home and watched the sky be filled with fireworks in the balcony.

  “One year has passed again!”


  Watching the fireworks explode, Zhang Manhua bemoaned this to her daughter.

  “Yes…… Time passes so quickly.” Pei Ge nodded.

  Just a year had passed, yet so many unexpected things had happened to her family.

  For example, that annoying fellow became her boyfriend, her second uncle…… turned out to be a bad person who had scammed them of their house years back, and…… her father’s company did not go bankrupt but was seized by someone.

  When she thought of this, the smile on her face dimmed.

  “Ge Ge, in this new year, you should properly date Xiao Ji. Your mom here is still waiting for a grandchild!”


  Zhang Manhua, who was clueless on what she was thinking, talked about her daughter’s new boyfriend.

  She could not hide her smile every time she thought about that young man.

  “Mom, what are you saying? We’ve just started dating; what grandchild are you talking about……” Pei Ge pouted exasperatedly.

  “What barely started. After the New Year’s, we’re gonna meet his parents. This is the first step to marriage!” Her mother grinned at her.

  She rolled her eyes at that. “Fine, fine. Can’t we talk about that right now?”


  “This isn’t anything bad. There’s no reason why we can’t talk about it.”


  “.……”


  She listened to her mother nag for a while and finally managed to extricate herself by making a phone call.

  She might have used this excuse to escape her mother’s nagging, but she was actually intending to call her good friends.

  After sending a message to Pan Xinlei, she then phoned Qin Qitong.

  “Qitong, Happy New Year’s Eve!”


  “You, too!”


  The girl’s voice came through the phone.

  Although she had been through such a terrible incident today and her voice was not as lively as before, her state right now was pretty good.

  “Do you want to come over for the New Year?”


  She hesitated for a while and invited Qin Qitong eventually.

  She was slightly uncomfortable leaving her to spend the New Year’s in Bi Zheng’s place. Although he was a trustworthy person, the two of them were, after all, not a couple.

  Hence, she really could not relax letting a single man and woman stay together.

  “No need. I can just spend the New Year with Bi Zheng! He is alone, and so am I, so it’s just nice! If I leave, he’ll be by himself to celebrate this holiday!”


  Her cheerful voice made Pei Ge’s lips curl up slightly. After chatting for a while with her, she ended the call.

  “That lass has gotten her wish now……” she mumbled, shaking her head with a smile. She then made an international call.

  “Hello, Ge Ge, Happy New Year!”


  When the call was picked up, before she could speak, the cheerful voice of her best friend beat her to it.

  “Xiaoyu, Happy New Year, too!”


  She beamed.

  “How is it on your end, Ge Ge? Are you and your boyfriend doing well?” her best friend asked teasingly.

  Amused, she replied, “Yes, we’re great.”


  “Is that so? Then, when are you giving me wedding treats? I’ve been waiting for it for so long!” She kept teasing her.

  “You’re waiting for my wedding treat, huh? I’d like to point out that I’m waiting for yours, too! You started dating earlier than me, so you should be the one getting married first.” Quick on the uptake, she gave as good as she got.

  Unexpectedly, her best friend fell silent. Her upbeat mood turned a little morose.

  “What’s wrong, Xiaoyu? Did something happen between you and your boyfriend?” Pei Ge’s heart skipped a beat when her best friend did not respond right away.

  “Aiya, it’s nothing. Don’t think too much into this. My darling treats me really well!” Tang Xiaoyu regained her senses and casually brushed it off.

  Of course, she did not accept her excuse and immediately asked, “Tang Xiaoyu, do you treat me as your best friend?! Quickly tell me honestly what’s up between you two!”


  Her best friend sighed when she refused to let it be.

  “I say, Ge Ge, you’re acting more and more like a CFO now. Your temper has become fiercer than before!”


  “Stop that nonsense. Tell me what happened.” She snorted.

  “Forget it; I give up.”


  Tang Xiaoyu nudged her lips and proceeded to tell her frustrations with a stifled voice.

  “Ge Ge, do you think…… if a man dates you but neither acts intimate nor cohabits with you, as well as not bed you…… is he too conservative, emotionally inexpressive, or—”


  Pei Ge interrupted her before she could finish.

  “Stop thinking about it. That man doesn’t love you!”


  “.……”


  “Think about it. He can be called conservative for not bedding you, but you two are dating, so it doesn’t make sense for him never to act intimate with you!” When her best friend continued to be silent, she analyzed further.

  “Although I don’t know why you like that boyfriend of yours so much, I feel that he is not really reliable.”


  “Ge Ge, you are being biased against my boyfriend!” Her best friend became defensive. “Actually, Zhengrong is nice. He really respects females a lot—”


  Her best friend’s act of praising her boyfriend was cut off by an incoming call on Pei Ge’s phone.

  “Okay, okay. Stop spouting nonsense. Just do it your way with your boyfriend. I have another call coming, so I’ll hang up now.”