ATLAS TRANSLATES

After saying this, Tao Zhi started wondering if she had spoken too confidently.

Jiang Qi Huai was already abnormal – what if he suddenly leveled up again and she couldn’t catch up? What would she do then?

She paused, then waved her hand again: “You don’t need to try too hard, just control yourself a bit. I hope you understand.”

After waiting a while with no response from Jiang Qi Huai, Tao Zhi looked up dissatisfied: “Why aren’t you playing along?”

The autumn night wind stirred up fallen leaves. Jiang Qi Huai reached out, pulled up her jacket hood to cover her head, and tugged at the fleece edges: “That’s enough?”

“Fine,” Tao Zhi knew when to stop and poked her head back out of the hood. “So, why did you call me out?”

Jiang Qi Huai: “…”

The young man remained silent. Tao Zhi looked at him curiously: “Hm? Hmm?”

Jiang Qi Huai didn’t speak.

There wasn’t really anything specific. It was just that when he saw her empty seat at school, hearing Fu Xi Ling and others say she must be very upset, he felt extremely annoyed.

She had always been delicate and pampered, unable to handle even the smallest grievance. At the start of school, after suffering even a tiny loss from him, she had to get even. But when she knocked over his desk and truly felt she had done something wrong, she would awkwardly try to make amends and apologize discreetly.

She really was like a princess in a castle, a rose in a glass dome, raised from childhood with love and care. She had a beautiful, pure, and bright soul – direct and vivid, sincere and passionate – making people unwilling to let her suffer any grievances.

Jiang Qi Huai tugged at the fleece on her hood again, pulling it down over her head: “Why so many questions?”

With her eyes and nose covered by the hood and everything dark, Tao Zhi pushed her head out: “Fine, I won’t ask anymore! Let go!”

Jiang Qi Huai released his hand and stepped back.

Tao Zhi quickly pulled off the hood, the person in her vision reappearing: “Then…” she paused, testing, “I’ll head back first?”

Jiang Qi Huai had no reaction: “Mm.”

Tao Zhi turned to walk back.

She reached the yard gate and opened it to go in, not looking back, head lowered as she walked pretentiously, thinking about how to make her departing figure look its best.

How do models walk on the runway again?

Never mind, too stupid.

Tao Zhi bounced twice in place, walked to the door, and when opening it to go in, secretly glanced from the corner of her eye at where Jiang Qi Huai had been standing.

He had left long ago.

Tao Zhi pouted and slammed the door shut with temper: “Bang!”

And there she was thinking about how to look good!

He wasn’t even watching!!!

She leaned against the door and rolled her eyes. Her stomach growled softly, reminding her that she had originally planned to buy snacks.

But after running into Jiang Qi Huai, she had forgotten.

She didn’t want to go out again, so she simply took off her jacket and went to the kitchen, pulled out a box of milk from the refrigerator, opened it, put it in the microwave to heat up, and drank it.

The kitchen was warm and cozy. She had added two spoonfuls of sugar to the heated milk. Tao Zhi leaned against the counter, holding the milk cup and taking small sips while touching her head.

Just now when Jiang Qi Huai pulled her hood, his fingers had touched her.

Ice cold.

She stood there in a daze until Ji Fan came downstairs playing with his phone, opened the refrigerator to get a cola, and glanced at her: “What are you standing here grinning stupidly about?”

Tao Zhi instinctively raised her hand to pull down the corners of her mouth, expressionless: “Who’s grinning stupidly?”

Ji Fan opened his cola and took two big gulps: “Going to school tomorrow?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I? I’m third in the grade,” Tao Zhi raised her chin proudly. “I’m going to receive honors.”

Ji Fan looked at her showing off and reminded her: “In one subject.”

Tao Zhi finished the last bit of milk in her cup: “Oh right, Old Tao said he’s coming back in a few days and brought you a gift.”

Ji Fan’s eyes lit up.

“A reward for your brave act of tattling to him,” Tao Zhi squinted at him, “So you can keep reporting any movements of that little boy I like to him in the future.”

“…”

Ji Fan choked on his cola and turned away, pretending to cough.

Tao Zhi slept well, and early the next morning, the English listening exercises that had been absent for two whole days once again echoed through the first-floor hall.

Ji Fan came downstairs yawning: “Don’t know why, but hearing this noisy woman babbling actually gives me a nostalgic feeling.”

Tao Zhi took a bite of sandwich without looking up: “You just enjoy being tortured.”

When they got to school, morning self-study had just begun. Today was Chinese classical poetry recitation. The Chinese class representative was standing in front managing discipline when the back door creaked open very softly.

People in the back rows heard the sound and turned around.

Tao Zhi, sucking on a milk candy, returned to her seat nonchalantly. Li Shuang Jiang heard the sound and turned around. Seeing her, his eyes lit up and his mouth opened: “Boss—”

Tao Zhi raised her index finger and said softly: “Quiet.”

Li Shuang Jiang paused, nodded, relieved, and turned back to continue reading the text.

Tao Zhi took off her backpack and pulled out her Chinese book. When she turned her head, she saw Fu Xi Ling staring straight at her.

Tao Zhi looked back at her, rubbed her nose, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Fu Xi Ling’s eyes turned red.

Tao Zhi was stunned: “Hey…”

The little girl suddenly leaned over and hugged her waist, saying in a muffled voice: “Missed you.”

Tao Zhi raised her hand, hesitated, then patted her head.

Ji Fan watched from behind, bewildered. He turned to his deskmate, confused: “Are all you girls like this?”

His deskmate looked at him expressionlessly: “I’m a girl?”

“Oh, my mistake – they,” Ji Fan had enjoyed two days of reversed day and night life and hadn’t quite adjusted back to his time zone, his head still foggy.

The first class was math, and sure enough, Teacher Wang Two told Tao Zhi off.

Teacher Wang had his own personality – he didn’t care why students hadn’t come to class the past two days. Grades showed the truth – if you didn’t do well, even heaven’s king couldn’t save you no matter how reasonable your excuse. Tao Zhi stood up obediently to listen to the lecture, and after class was called to his office to continue.

The math office was a bit bigger than the physics office. The teachers had just started work, some making tea, others chatting. Tao Zhi stood obediently in front of Teacher Wang’s desk.

The math teacher from next door came in, greeted Teacher Wang, saw Tao Zhi and smiled: “Isn’t this the girl from your class who got 140 in English in one month? What’s wrong, in trouble?”

“139, then gets 30 points in math,” Teacher Wang crossed his legs while sorting through papers. “Your subject bias has gone into the Mariana Trench. If you could just get a tenth of your English score in math, that would work too. How about it? Is 9 points not good enough for you?”

Tao Zhi felt Teacher Wang was looking down on her: “Your expectations for me are quite low.”

Teacher Wang laughed in exasperation: “I’d like to have higher expectations, but if you got your English score in math, I’d teach standing on my head. Your English teacher has been grinning ear to ear these past few days – both the grade’s top ten in a single subject and most improved student are from her teaching. Why don’t you let me experience that too?”

As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of papers and threw them over: “Basic questions. Ask if you don’t understand. I won’t put too much pressure on you for now, but get at least a passing grade on the midterm.”

Tao Zhi hugged the papers.

Teacher Wang: “Did you hear me!”

Tao Zhi obediently said “Oh.”

Teacher Wang got a headache whenever he saw her acting well-behaved – she’d say one thing to his face but do whatever she wanted once out the door. He waved his hand: “Go on, don’t waste your English scores.”

Tao Zhi carried the papers back to class and saw Zhao Ming Qi running around with a form in his hand.

She put the papers on her desk: “What’s this about?”

“Sports meet,” Fu Xi Ling said concisely.

Tao Zhi nodded.

Experimental’s autumn sports meet was after the second monthly exam, in early to mid-November, the last major event before final exams.

Tao Zhi showed little interest and started working on the math papers.

Math was different from English. With English, she could work through it with language sense and basics, but with math and science, the large gaps in knowledge points and formulas left her at a loss.

She put the papers aside, deciding to start with reading the textbook first, while considering asking Tao Xiu Ping to find her a tutor.

Time is always mysterious when studying – if you can’t focus on the class, an hour feels like a century.

But once you’re engaged, a whole day passes quickly.

Tao Zhi had never felt time pass so fast.

Experimental’s teachers were very efficient in their teaching and precise with key points, using about two-thirds of the time to teach textbook knowledge and the remaining ten minutes or so for advanced problems. When Tao Zhi didn’t understand something, she didn’t idle – she marked the unclear parts in her book and wrote everything down in her notes.

The last class was study hall as usual. When class ended, Tao Zhi turned around to tell Ji Fan, and they switched seats.

When Jiang Qi Huai returned, he saw the little girl sitting next to her seat, a pile of papers spread on the desk as she flipped through the math book.

He lowered his eyes, standing beside her.

Tao Zhi was immersed in her own little world and only noticed after a while that he had returned. She looked up and patted his seat.

Jiang Qi Huai sat down.

Tao Zhi put down her book and leaned over, looking at him expectantly: “Your Highness, tutoring fee is 200 yuan, extra charge for weekdays.”

Jiang Qi Huai understood.

He lazily propped his foot on the desk rail: “300.”

Tao Zhi’s eyes widened: “You might as well rob me. I could get a Tsinghua student for less than that.”

Jiang Qi Huai raised an eyebrow: “How do you know I won’t get into Tsinghua?”

“…”

You can.

You’re the most amazing.

Tao Zhi rolled her eyes and pushed the math papers to him.

She had struggled through one sheet all day, with no answer key to check against, not knowing how badly she had done.

Sure enough, after looking for two seconds, Jiang Qi Huai’s expression froze.

Tao Zhi propped up her chin: “What’s that expression for?”

“It means,” Jiang Qi Huai picked up a pen and said unhurriedly, “your room for improvement is admirably vast.”

“…”

Tao Zhi wanted to stuff his head into the desk.

Jiang Qi Huai continued: “It’s very easy to improve your total score now. You don’t need to focus solely on English like last month. If you get the basic questions right in each subject, you can get at least 60-70% of the total points. That’s much simpler than improving English, and with science subjects, either you know it or you don’t.”

“If you don’t know it, you don’t know it – no need for long-term vocabulary accumulation,” Tao Zhi said listlessly.

Jiang Qi Huai glanced at her.

Pretty clear-headed.

He didn’t start by teaching from the textbook, but went straight to the problems.

What knowledge points each question covered, which formulas were used – he laid it out clearly. When Tao Zhi encountered something she didn’t understand, she would circle it, and he would explain that specific point again.

The most efficient method.

When he explained problems, his pace was neither hurried nor slow, organized and logically clear. After understanding, Tao Zhi finally realized why Fu Xi Ling said listening to a top student explain problems was enjoyable.

One explained clearly, one understood quickly – in just one study hall period, Tao Zhi completed two sheets.

Tao Zhi felt elated.

Tao Zhi felt that at this steady pace, she could score 150 in math on the next midterm.

After finishing the two papers, she put down her pen and stretched, relaxing from her previous tense state. She leaned back and looked at Jiang Qi Huai from an angle behind him.

The young man was looking at the test paper she had just completed, eyes lowered, gaze calm.

His gaze stopped on one of the problems, his pen tip pointing at the process as he spoke quietly: “This one, wrong formula.”

No one responded to him for a while.

Jiang Qi Huai looked up.

The little girl stretched both arms forward, upper body sprawled out, spread across the desk like a starfish: “I’m tired, my brain is frozen, so tired, can’t think.”

Jiang Qi Huai looked at her without speaking.

Seeing no reaction, Tao Zhi waved her hands, lying on the desk being unreasonable: “Need some reward.”

Jiang Qi Huai sighed, not knowing who she learned this from: “What reward?”

Tao Zhi turned her head, thought for a moment and said: “For example, compliment me once for each problem I solve correctly.”

“…”

Jiang Qi Huai’s gaze was clearly scornful: What are you dreaming about?

He wasn’t good with words to begin with. Tao Zhi thought about it and realized asking him to give compliments might be too difficult.

She propped up her head and sat up, moving closer to him.

Jiang Qi Huai didn’t move away, lowering his eyes to watch her approach.

Close enough that even eyelashes became clear.

Tao Zhi looked up at him, her deep black eyes staring unblinkingly, bright and direct: “Or hug me when I solve a problem correctly.”