ATLAS TRANSLATES

His words seemed to come out of nowhere, and Tao Zhi was confused: “What boyfriend?”

Jiang Qi Huai didn’t speak, just pushed his phone forward.

The phone screen showed their group chat from earlier, with the last messages being Li Shuang Jiang and Fu Xi Ling’s conversation about seeing Ji Fan when they got home.

Tao Zhi hadn’t checked the group chat that evening. Just seeing this part reminded her of how those two had stood dumbfounded at the door earlier as if struck by lightning, which made her want to laugh.

But something else caught her attention more.

“You actually didn’t leave the group?” Tao Zhi scrolled through the chat history and looked up, “You even read through it.”

Jiang Qi Huai pointed at the phone: “This annoying group keeps making noise.”

Tao Zhi checked the top right corner and sure enough, it was muted.

She put the phone on the table and said seriously: “Your Highness is busy managing state affairs, it’s best not to waste time on such trivial matters.”

Jiang Qi Huai: “…?”

“Besides, your subject has not yet taken a wife,” Tao Zhi tapped her finger on the phone screen and said solemnly, “That’s my brother.”

Jiang Qi Huai looked at her expressionlessly: “Speak normally.”

Tao Zhi was already used to his cold and emotionless manner. She continued unfazed: “Your Highness, shouldn’t you eat your meal soon? It’ll get cold. That cashier at the front — which minister’s daughter is she? She’s been looking at you for a while, just waiting for you to go reheat your lunch box.”

Jiang Qi Huai had just picked up his chopsticks when he lowered his voice coldly and called out: “Tao Zhi.”

Tao Zhi shrank her neck and shut up, turning to look outside while continuing to drink her probiotic drink.

Jiang Qi Huai ate very quietly, making almost no sound. Tao Zhi just lazily propped up her head and stared absentmindedly at the people coming and going on the street outside, not saying anything either.

The golden retriever from earlier had been brought back by its owner, and now there was also a Samoyed interacting with it.

Tao Zhi watched with great interest.

A moment of silence fell between the two of them, but it wasn’t awkward — it even felt somewhat harmonious.

This harmony was broken by a phone ring.

Tao Zhi’s phone rang in her jacket pocket. She unhurriedly took it out and yawned before answering: “Hello—”

“When are you coming back? You went to send someone off and ended up getting lost yourself?” Ji Fan started yelling as soon as he picked up.

Tao Zhi opened another chocolate stick: “Leave your old man alone.”

“Look, just look at what you’re saying,” Ji Fan said heartbrokenly, “Young master here is just checking up on you, and by the way, when you come back help me bring a bottle of cola — Pepsi, not Coca-Cola.”

Tao Zhi disagreed with him: “Coca-Cola is forever supreme.”

“Coca-Cola has no soul,” Ji Fan said, “Pepsi is the true king.”

Tao Zhi: “Get me Coca-Cola.”

Ji Fan was clicking away at his keyboard on the other end: “Do I not even have the right to drink the cola I like anymore?”

Tao Zhi couldn’t be bothered with him and just hung up.

She got up to get a bottle of Coca-Cola from the shelf, paid for it and put it on the table, then sat back down and continued eating her chocolate stick.

Jiang Qi Huai watched as the young girl sat beside him, munching on cookies like a hamster, his eyes questioning — why did you come back?

Tao Zhi pressed her index finger against the end of the chocolate stick, frowning slightly, somewhat dissatisfied: “Why are you always trying to make people leave?”

“Didn’t someone call you?”

Jiang Qi Huai was almost finished eating. Tao Zhi checked the time and threw the cola into her bag: “Fine, I’ll head back then.” She got up and walked towards the exit. The automatic sensor door opened in front of her, and Tao Zhi waved at him, “See you tomorrow.”

The young girl had her hands in her jacket pockets, carrying a big bag as she bounced out of the convenience store.

The wind was a bit strong outside. Tree shadows swayed under the yellow streetlights. Her hair wasn’t tied up but fell loosely around her neck and collar, slightly naturally curly, tinted with a soft fuzz by the light, making her whole person appear gentler.

She turned the street corner and disappeared from view. Jiang Qi Huai looked away, and right then his phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

WeChat made a “ding dong” sound. Jiang Qi Huai looked down, put down his chopsticks, covered his lunch box, picked up his phone and opened the message.

Then he found it was from that Beautiful Girl Justice League again.

The league that he had already muted.

At some point, Tao Zhi had unmuted it for him.

And she had also sent a message in the group.

Zhizhi Grape: [Forgot to throw away the wrapper, help me throw it out, no need to thank me for this great favor]

Jiang Qi Huai: “…”

Jiang Qi Huai turned his head and saw a dark blue chocolate stick wrapper on the table where the young girl had been sitting.

Li Shuang Jiang immediately jumped in: [What what? What wrapper?]

Zhizhi Grape: [None of your business, do your homework]

Ji Fan was woken up the next morning by Tao Zhi banging on his door.

The young man had been playing games until past 4 AM last night, and felt like he had just fallen asleep when someone started hammering on his door like they were trying to break it down.

Tao Zhi held a glass of milk, drinking it slowly while knocking on his door at a frequency of three knocks every ten seconds: “Ji Fan.”

“Ji Fan—”

“Ji Fan ah.”

“Student Ji Fan, time to wake up.”

“Time to get up for school, Ji Fan.”

This went on for about five minutes.

The door was suddenly yanked open. Ji Fan stood in the doorway wearing black pajama pants with no shirt, his face dark with anger: “What do you want!”

An inherited bad morning temper.

Tao Zhi slowly took a sip of milk: “It’s seven o’clock, time to get up for school.”

“I just got back! Just got back!” Ji Fan rubbed his messy hair with dark circles under his eyes, “Can’t I rest at home for a couple of days?”

“How come this little student doesn’t love studying at all,” Tao Zhi imitated the grade director’s tone and frowned critically at him, “Since you’re back, of course you should get right back to studying. How could you let your big sister go to that hateful school alone?”

“From the moment you specially bought me Coca-Cola instead of Pepsi last night, our relationship was over,” Ji Fan leaned against the doorframe, looking half-dead: “Besides, I came back secretly, Dad doesn’t know, and the school hasn’t been notified yet, right?”

“They have,” Tao Zhi finished her glass of milk and licked her lips, “I told Dad this wonderful news last night, and he said he’d let Old Wang know today so you can go directly to report in.”

Ji Fan: “Who’s Old Wang the Turtle?”

“The homeroom teacher,” Tao Zhi said, “Hurry up and wash up and change. Don’t make me get a bucket of cold water to help wake you up.”

Ji Fan closed the door.

Half an hour later, Tao Zhi bounced energetically to school dragging Ji Fan, who was like a dead fish. Ji Fan had to go to Teacher Wang’s office first to check in, so Tao Zhi went to the classroom alone.

Morning self-study had just begun, and the classroom was quiet. Thanks to Fu Xi Ling and Song Jiang’s help yesterday, Tao Zhi had finished her homework for the first time since school started. Having nothing to do at her seat, she suddenly felt a bit empty.

Just before class started, Teacher Wang returned to the classroom with Ji Fan following behind.

“Class is about to start, everyone wake up and be alert. If you’re sleepy, stand up and move around a bit. Zhao Ming Qi, stop sleeping, did you stay up all night playing basketball or something? Those of you still doing homework, better put it away before I get angry.” Teacher Wang patted the lectern, “Also, we have a new student joining our class starting today to study with everyone — Class Monitor.”

Tao Zhi looked up.

Teacher Wang: “After class, show the new student where to get his books and jacket.”

Tao Zhi responded and looked at the person at the podium.

The new student stood leaning against the blackboard, dark circles almost reaching his mouth, nodding off sleepily.

“Ji Fan,” Teacher Wang called.

Hearing his name, Ji Fan forced himself to be alert and stood straight.

“Are you so tired you can sleep standing up?” Teacher Wang looked around and pointed to the back, “You can sit there for now. Don’t be shy to ask your classmates if you have any questions about studying.”

Ji Fan nodded.

The only empty seat in the class was next to Jiang Qi Huai. He trudged to the back, pulled out the chair and sat down, about to lay his head down.

Just as his arm touched the desk and before his head could rest, Ji Fan’s movements froze.

As if just realizing something, he turned his head to look at his new deskmate.

Jiang Qi Huai also turned to look.

Ji Fan stared at him.

Jiang Qi Huai looked at the gaudy gold and red baseball jacket he was wearing that looked very emo.

Ji Fan looked him up and down from hair to chin several times, frowning as he thought for a long while before hesitantly speaking: “Jiang Qi Huai?”

Jiang Qi Huai finally moved his gaze from that ugly piece of clothing.

Ji Fan: “Holy shit, it really is you? How did you end up at Experimental?”

Jiang Qi Huai raised an eyebrow.

That expression seemed to say — who are you?

Ji Fan was about to speak when Teacher Wang started class at the podium.

Jiang Qi Huai turned his head, instantly entering his “I’m in class and anyone who dares say another word to me will die” mode, not sparing another glance for his new deskmate.

His new deskmate had slept less than three hours and was so tired his head was spinning and his mind was fuzzy. He didn’t think too much about it and just laid down to sleep.

Even the group discussion during class couldn’t wake him up.

He took up the entire desk while sleeping. Fu Xi Ling didn’t dare say anything and had to use her book as a pad to write on.

This continued until class ended.

Tao Zhi had played a card-drawing game for the entire class. When the bell rang, she unhappily threw her phone back in her desk after drawing the last white card and stood up.

Ji Fan was sleeping so deeply he was snoring.

Tao Zhi stretched, turned around, and slapped him on the head.

“Fuck!” The young man was sleeping soundly when her slap startled him awake. He suddenly sat up straight, “Who the fuck hit me!”

This shout was earth-shattering. The classroom instantly went quiet and everyone turned around. Li Shuang Jiang was in the middle of putting a wafer in his mouth and turned with his mouth wide open, accidentally stuffing the wrapper in too.

Tao Zhi couldn’t be bothered with him and just grabbed his collar to pull him up. The chair made a clattering noise, and when Ji Fan saw who it was, he immediately became docile, calling out “Hey hey” while covering his collar and stumbling after her: “Slow down, slow down, I just bought this jacket, it was quite expensive.”

The discipline committee member was dumbfounded by this scene: “What the… did our class get another boss? Do school bullies need school bully doctors?”

Zhao Ming Qi hooked his neck from beside him: “Those two know each other?”

“You two know each other?” In the corridor, Tao Zhi asked the same question.

Ji Fan carefully adjusted his expensive collar: “Who?”

“Jiang Qi Huai,” Tao Zhi took a piece of milk candy from her uniform pocket as she led him out of the teaching building and across the landscaping towards the library to get his uniform, “Didn’t I hear you call out to him just now?”

“Oh, him,” Ji Fan thought for a moment, “I guess you could say we know each other, we had a fight once.”

Tao Zhi’s steps faltered, thinking she had misheard: “You two what?”

“Had a fight, when I first went to Affiliated School,” Ji Fan took the piece of milk candy from her hand, unwrapped it and put it in his mouth, speaking unclearly, “That bastard was so arrogant, acting all high and mighty just because he was good at studying.”

Indeed.

Tao Zhi nodded in agreement.

“I couldn’t stand him, so I deliberately picked a fight with him,” Ji Fan continued.

This time Tao Zhi couldn’t defend him: “…You’re really asking for it.”

Tao Zhi felt Ji Fan was also too lawless, picking on a bookworm like Jiang Qi Huai who only focused on studying.

“That bastard almost put me in the hospital,” Ji Fan was never one to care about saving face when talking to Tao Zhi. He let out a breath and said with lingering fear, “He can really fight.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Tao Zhi: “?”