Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Ning Qing was still in Beijing when she received Chen Shulan’s call.

  Qin Yu had just paid apprenticeship and her future studies were suspended for the time being. She would follow Dai Ran to learn the violin, so Ning Qing had arranged food and accommodation for her along with various contacts.

  Qin Yu wasn’t from the Shen family, after all, so it wasn’t good for her to stay in their house for a long time.

  Lin Qi directly transferred a sum of money to Ning Qing and asked her to buy an apartment not far from Dai Ran’s residence.

  It was a gift for Qin Yu.

  It wasn’t cheap to buy an apartment in Beijing, so Lin Qi had indeed spent a lot of money on her.

  Ning Qing had been busy with these matters recently.

  She was a little surprised to suddenly receive a call from Chen Shulan. Chen Shulan usually didn’t call anyone much, but she seemed to be a little more diligent recently.

  On the phone, Chen Shulan asked, “When are you coming back?”


  “Mom, did something happen? Where’s Ning Wei? I can’t go back for the time being.” Ning Qing was stunned and glanced at Lin Wan and Qin Yu, who were taking a look at the house, before lowering her voice. “Yu’er was just accepted by Teacher Dai, so she has to stay in Beijing for a long time. I’m too worried about her.”


  “I have something to tell you.” Chen Shulan coughed. Her eyes were deep, but her voice was gentle. “Find time to come back as soon as possible.”


  Then, she hung up the call.

  Ning Qing frowned and stood by the window with her phone. After thinking for a while, she called Ning Wei, but it was hung up after a few rings.

  “What’s wrong?” Qin Yu finished looking around and approached Ning Qing when she noticed her strange appearance.

  Ning Qing frowned. “Your grandma told me to go back.”


  “For what?”


  “I don’t know. I’ll go back tomorrow to see your grandma.” Ning Qing put away her phone, feeling uneasy.

  **

  At night.

  At Yun Cheng Airport.

  “Young Master Jiang, why did you suddenly come to Yun Cheng?” Cheng Mu spent a day in the school doctor’s office and drove Cheng Juan’s car to pick up Jiang Dongye.

  It was no secret that Jiang Dongye was forced by Chairman Jiang to take over the Jiang’s consortium in recent months.

  Jiang Dongye flipped through his emails and answered with a smile, “I’m looking for someone.”


  “Gu Xichi?” Cheng Mu was stunned.

  “Yeah,” Jiang Dongye answered lightly.

  Cheng Mu almost stepped on the wrong throttle. “He’s also in Yun Cheng?”


  Why were they coming to Yun Cheng one by one?

  What kind of treasure was in Yun Cheng?

  Cheng Mu drove the car back to the villa.

  Lu Zhaoying was leaning on the sofa and holding a pillow in his hand while resting one leg on the table. When he saw Jiang Dongye, he raised an eyebrow. “You’re fast.”


  Cheng Mu walked in behind Jiang Dongye with a stony face.

  How could he not be fast in regards to Gu Xichi?

  “Where’s Master Juan?” Jiang Dongye sat on the other side and glanced around, but couldn’t see Cheng Juan.

  The butler brought Jiang Dongye a cup of tea. “Young Master just returned from the hospital and is taking a bath upstairs.”


  Jiang Dongye nodded, then thought it was strange. “Wasn’t his surgery for the month already done?”


  Did he make an exception this month?

  The butler shook his head. How could he possibly know the details of his master’s matters?

  “It’s Qin Ran’s aunt.” Lu Zhaoying lowered his leg and grabbed a piece of pastry. “She was working in a plastics factory when her leg got injured by the machine. Come to think of it, Hao Dui, don’t you find it strange?

  “Her aunt was working in a plastics factory, but what kind of formula did the factory director want from her?”


  Hearing this, Hao Dui also shook his head and thought it was strange.

  Cheng Mu was no longer surprised.

  Qin Ran’s friends were so diverse, from field reporters to the mayor of Yun Cheng, to the backbone of the criminal investigation team……

  If she had a little aunt with some weird formula in her hand, it was actually not strange in comparison.

  **

  Upstairs, Cheng Juan finished his shower and rolled down his sleeves before walking down.

  “Master Juan, can you give me a list of the trips to and from Yun Cheng today?” Jiang Dongye picked up his chopsticks at the dining table.

  Ever since ancient times, clothing, food, housing, and transportation had been the top priorities and the most expensive industries.

  Asia was occupied by five giants.

  There was an additional IT section.

  These five giants were involved in other countries and held great presence especially in the domestic field.

  Some people speculated that the Yunguang Consortium directly occupied the IT sector as well as two continental plates, but these ordinary people didn’t know nor understand the affairs of these giants.

  People like Jiang Dongye didn’t know what social connections Cheng Juan had, but he was someone who could converse with the giants. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to get He Chen back from the border so quickly last time.

  Finding Cheng Juan was definitely more efficient when looking for a list.

  Cheng Juan stared at him and squinted slightly without speaking.

  Jiang Dongye took a bite and sighed. “Master Juan, just take pity on me. If I can’t find Gu Xichi, my old master will start to abuse me. Look at how many big bosses are supporting Gu Xichi’s back, but I’m all alone.”


  Cheng Juan pulled a chair lazily and raised an eyebrow. “Someone will send it to you later.”


  Jiang Dongye’s spirit suddenly rose.

  Cheng Juan held his chopsticks in one hand and sent a message on his phone in the other.

  Within twenty minutes.

  Jiang Dongye received a huge database on his mobile phone.

  He finished his meal in a hurry and asked the butler to get him a computer.

  Of course, it was impossible for Jiang Dongye to check this huge amount of information one by one, so he sent it to his group of men too.

  Yun Cheng was also a city and there were tens of thousands of people flowing in and out daily, so it took a long time for them to check and screen through everyone.

  Three o’clock in the morning.

  Jiang Dongye received the results from his subordinate.

  “Where?” Jiang Dongye was shocked. He walked to the sofa and poured himself a glass of water.

  His subordinate told him a name cautiously—


  Li Dazhuang.

  The most similar person he could find after looking for Cheng Juan to ask for the database and spending a whole night looking through it was actually Li Dazhuang?

  Goddamnit, Li Dazhuang.

  No matter how good-mannered Jiang Dongye was, he couldn’t help but want to throw his phone.

  In the middle of the night, he knocked rapidly on Lu Zhaoying’s door.

  When Lu Zhaoying opened the door and pushed a chair out forcefully, he avoided it and asked in a calm voice, “Do you have the URL of the Hacker League?”


  He would find Gu Xichi even if he had to dig through the entire Yun Cheng.

  **

  The next day.

  It was Saturday.

  It was time to visit Chen Shulan.

  Qin Ran got up early and went downstairs to see Ning Wei first. She looked much better than yesterday.

  Mu Nan didn’t go back at night and had moved a table and chair over to Ning Wei’s ward. He had a black laptop on the table, which was a gift from Qin Ran when he got the top spot in his exam.

  When Qin Ran reached, he was typing on the keyboard with a book of phrases in his hand.

  “Are you doing a translation?” Qin Ran walked behind him and found that he was translating a very complicated foreign medical paper that involved many professional terms.

  Hearing her, Mu Nan raised his head and stood up, his fringe covering his dark eyes. “Yes, Brother Song sent it to me.”


  He was an English-to-Chinese translator, and because of the specialty involved in the field, his pay was higher than the average article and he received 170 yuan per thousand words.

  Song Luting gave him professional articles of 17,000 words.

  Mu Nan had been doing translation for a long time, but since this was the first time he had received such professional translations, he also found it more difficult than usual.

  “Mom is still sleeping.” Mu Nan’s voice was very soft as he put everything away. “I’ll go up to visit grandma with you first.”


  Ning Wei’s incident came suddenly, and now that Chen Shulan seemed to be better, neither of them wanted her to know about it.

  In the VIP ward.

  The caregivers were helping Chen Shulan clean the room.

  She smiled when she saw them coming in. “Aunt Chen is much better than before. She can even walk on her own now.”


  Chen Shulan’s condition did look better than before, and her face was even glowing a healthy complexion.

  She held the table and walked around slowly.

  She looked fairly radiant.

  As if the light was returning to her.

  She turned her head and smiled at them. “You’re here.”


  Then, she sat down on a chair and glanced at Mu Nan. “What about your mom? Is she working again?”


  “Yes.” Mu Nan’s expression remained unchanged as he took two steps forward and passed an apple and a fruit knife to Qin Ran for her to cut it.

  Qin Ran also sat on the table and cut the apple slowly.

  After a while, the door of the ward opened slowly.

  Qin Ran looked up and handed Mu Nan the cut apple pieces. “Come in.”


  A thin and tall figure entered.

  He took off his sunglasses and threw the medicine box on the table, revealing a slightly delicate face and a big smile. “Grandma, I’m here to see you.”


  Gu Xichi had lived in Ninghai Town for some time and called Chen Shulan grandma as well.

  Chen Shulan remembered him as the good-looking young man.

  “Oh, Xiao Gu, you’re back?” Chen Shulan sat back on the bed and was obviously very happy to see him.

  Mu Nan had never seen Gu Xichi before, but judging from Chen Shulan’s reaction, he was probably Qin Ran’s friend. He glanced at Gu Xichi and lowered his head to continue to cut the apples.

  Qin Ran had already looked through Chen Shulan’s physical report.

  He had come this time to specifically use his own equipment to scan through Chen Shulan’s body again.

  Then, he would do his own research based on the results.

  After Mu Nan cut the apple, he poured Gu Xichi a cup of tea.

  Gu Xichi took it and casually dragged a chair over to sit down. “Thank you.”


  Chen Shulan looked good both in spirits and physical condition today.

  The three of them stayed in the ward for one morning before Chen Shulan urged them to hurry and have their lunch, saying it wasn’t good to stay in the ward.

  “Okay, grandma. Then I’ll come and see you another day.” Gu Xichi put on his sunglasses and peaked cap. He embraced Chen Shulan very gracefully before leaving.

  Qin Ran was anxious about the results of Gu Xichi’s inspection, so she excused herself and followed him.

  **

  Mu Nan was the last to leave.

  She waited for him to close the door and leave.

  Chen Shulan’s eyes closed slightly and then slowly opened.

  She wore her shoes and walked out while using the wall for support.

  The VIP floor didn’t have many people around.

  She watched as Mu Nan stopped at the sixth floor instead of the first floor.

  Chen Shulan pursed her lips and returned to her ward to get her coat before heading directly to the sixth floor.

  The sixth floor consisted of mostly single wards.

  Chen Shulan looked one room after another and finally saw Ning Wei in the ward at the end of the corridor. She was lying on the bed, her left leg wrapped heavily in gauze, and several tubes inserted into her.

  She was either unconscious or still asleep.

  Mu Nan sat by the computer and occasionally glanced at Ning Wei.

  Chen Shulan’s eyes turned dark and she turned around quickly, staggering towards the elevator.

  Before she could go far, she leaned on the wall, covered her chest with one hand, and slid down along the wall.

  “Old lady, are you okay?” A passerby lifted her up.

  “I’m fine. Thank you, young man.” After a long while, Chen Shulan eased her breathing and returned to her own ward with the help of a nurse.

  Three o’clock.

  Ning Qing returned from Beijing but didn’t go to the Lin family’s house.

  She couldn’t get through to Ning Wei and she was afraid that something had happened to Chen Shulan, so she came over to the hospital directly.

  “Mom, where’s everyone else? Where’s Ning Wei? Mu Nan? Ran Ran?” Seeing that Chen Shulan’s ward was empty, Ning Qing frowned deeply. “I only went to Beijing for a few days, how could they be so full of trouble?!”


  She picked up her phone and looked down to call Qin Ran.

  Angrily, she wanted to call Qin Ran and ask her how she was taking care of Chen Shulan.

  “Don’t call Ran Ran, she’s busy,” Chen Shulan opened her eyes and said emotionlessly.

  “I knew you were biased towards her. She refused to come to pay apprenticeship with me in Beijing but went there with a bastard!” Ning Qing couldn’t stop herself. “Forget it, I can’t control her. I don’t care what happens to her after high school.”


  She said this also to show Chen Shulan that her focus would be on Qin Yu from now on.

  Chen Shulan didn’t speak.

  She looked out the window for a long time before speaking, “Do you remember me telling you last time that Ran Ran had been practicing the violin?”


  “Yes, what’s wrong?” Ning Qing poured a glass of water for Chen Shulan.

  Although Chen Shulan had said that, she didn’t mention Qin Ran’s level.

  Ning Qing had asked, and it seemed like she hadn’t taken any grading test, so she didn’t pay attention to it afterward.

  She thought to herself,

  “Besides practicing the violin, Ran Ran also liked to write her own musical notes.” Chen Shulan turned around. “She threw it away after writing it, but I kept it. When I was in the hospital, I asked you to take my luggage from the Lin family’s house. Those musical notes were inside.”


  Ning Qing paused, the shock in her eyes very obvious. “Ran Ran…… she knows that too?”


  Chen Shulan coughed a few times, her muddy eyes bare, her voice soft and slow. “I watched the video you sent me, and the song that Qin Yu played during the apprenticeship competition is the one Ran Ran played three years ago on her birthday. Say, isn’t that strange?”