Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  It dumbfounded Xuxu.

  She had forgotten all about this tricky issue. Who would hire a pregnant woman?

  She bent her head and gazed at her own tummy as she mocked herself. She belonged to the group of the elderly, the weak, the sick, and now, the pregnant.

  “Just concentrate all your energy on the baby. I will support you. We don’t need any money from Flourish & Prosper.” Mu Li gently patted Xuxu’s tummy. “My salary can easily support you and the baby. I’ll ensure that you’ll have a comfortable lifestyle.”


  Xuxu was touched by her gesture. She softly said, “I still have my own savings.”


  She had received a fixed salary while she was working at Flourish & Prosper. She didn’t spend much except for expenses like her electricity bills and daily expenses.

  Since she had been staying with the Yan family in recent months, she had saved up most of her salary. It should sustain her for some time.

  But she wanted to find something to do to occupy her time. If her expectations weren’t that high, it should be relatively easy to find a job.

  Mu Li nodded. “Okay. Let me know if you need my help.”


  She cleaned the entire house—even changed the bedsheets and blanket.

  Mu Li took her own promise seriously, and she had someone seal up the door. She left after making Xuxu’s dinner.

  She suggested hiring a helper, but Xuxu didn’t agree to it. Though in the end, both of them gave in. Xuxu agreed to hire a part-time helper who would help her clean the house twice a week.

  After dinner, Xuxu sat in her balcony with a book and started reading.

  ‘Slam!’


  There was a loud noise outside the door. The noise had pulled her out from the exciting story she was reading.

  ‘Cough…… cough.’


  Then she heard indistinct sounds of the door opening followed by the sound of a man’s cough. But her attention was re-diverted back to her book as she flipped the pages.

  She was tired although it was barely nine in the evening. Perhaps she was drained after traveling for so many days. She yawned as waves of sleepiness crashed over her.

  She put the book down and went to the toilet. Then after switching off the lights, she closed the bedroom door and strode across to draw the curtains.

  Her eyes casually swept across the windows next door, and she saw how the room was dimly lit. She turned her head, drew the curtains, and climbed into her bed.

  ‘Cough, cough.’


  She could still hear the man’s constant coughs. Xuxu switched off her bedside lamp. She pulled her blanket over her head.

  She couldn’t remember how long had she tossed and turned before she fell asleep. She slept through the entire night.

  The next morning, she sluggishly walked through her room and entered the bathroom. She began to brush her teeth.

  ‘Ding dong.’


  She heard the sounds of the doorbell but wasn’t sure if it was hers. She paused and listened intently once more.

  ‘Ding dong.’


  She became certain that it was hers.

  She peeked her head out of the bathroom and yelled at the door. “Who is it?”


  No one answered, and it made her frown. She had a hunch who the person was, and so she decided to ignore it. She continued to brush her teeth.

  The doorbell rang shortly once more.

  She became annoyed and stomped out with big strides. She wrenched the door open.

  But no one was outside her door. She saw a thermal container on the floor near her door when she was about to close it.

  At a glance, she somehow understood, and so she turned to glance at the door next door. She ignored the container and shut the door.

  She cooked two eggs for herself and heated a glass of milk. As expected, she threw up everything she ate.