ATLAS TRANSLATES

Tao Zhi held her breath.

The young man still carried the cold air of late autumn from outside. His fingers were cool but his palm was warm, his long fingers threading through her hair as his contradictory temperature and weight pressed down lightly on her head.

It felt nice, and a bit ticklish.

She wanted to scratch, but was afraid if she raised her hand, Jiang Qi Huai would stop patting her head.

She unconsciously swayed her head slightly, pressing against his palm and nuzzling gently.

The young girl’s soft hair entwined with his fingertips, the black strands interlacing with his cold white skin in stark contrast. Jiang Qi Huai curled his fingers slightly, then after a moment, withdrew his hand.

The weight suddenly lifted from her head, leaving emptiness. Tao Zhi felt unsatisfied and looked at him regretfully, saying softly: “Won’t you pat me more?”

Jiang Qi Huai made a “tsk” sound.

Tao Zhi immediately behaved: “I was just kidding, I’m sorry.”

Grandpa Jiang had his back to the two young people, his gaze fixed on his book, trying his best to blend into the living room wall background and pretend he didn’t exist.

Jiang Qi Huai looked over.

Tao Zhi finally remembered Grandpa Jiang was still in the living room. She quickly put down her test paper and silently turned her small stool back to face the tea table, continuing to work on the test.

The tea table was rather low with nowhere to put her legs. She bent her knees, resting her chin on them, curling up like a tiny shrimp as she pretended to diligently work on the test.

Jiang Qi Huai took off his coat and hung it aside, turning his head: “Why not go inside to write?”

Tao Zhi’s pen traced over a question stem as she hummed: “You weren’t home. Can’t enter private territory without permission, even small animals know that.”

Jiang Qi Huai bent down to pick up her small backpack from the sofa and walked toward the bedroom: “Come write inside.”

Tao Zhi gathered up her test papers and bounced after him.

As she got up, she looked back at Grandpa Jiang.

The elderly man had also turned to look at her. Their eyes met and Grandpa Jiang winked at her.

Tao Zhi rubbed her face, feeling awkward.

She felt guilty about taking advantage of his grandson right in front of Grandpa Jiang.

Jiang Qi Huai’s room was no different from last time she came. It was still clean and tidy, with the bed made neatly, reminding Tao Zhi of her own bed where she could never fold the blanket properly.

She didn’t like folding blankets and wouldn’t let Auntie Zhang do it either. In the morning she would just pile it up into a small mountain heaped in the middle, then after showering at night would simply bury herself in it.

Northern China had already started heating in November. The bedroom was warm and dry, with fine dust particles visible floating in the soft rays of the setting sun.

Tao Zhi put the test papers on the desk but didn’t sit down, instead running to the door and mysteriously beckoning to Jiang Qi Huai: “Come here.”

Jiang Qi Huai followed her out.

Tao Zhi went into the kitchen where there were two big bags. She opened one and pulled out two large boxes of strawberries, turning around to show him like presenting a treasure: “I bought lots of strawberries.”

Jiang Qi Huai glanced at the things on the counter: “You bought all this?”

“Can’t just eat and drink for free every time I come,” Tao Zhi removed the plastic wrap from the strawberry boxes and walked to the sink. Jiang Qi Huai had already turned on the tap to wash his hands: “I’ll do it.”

He smoothly took the box from her hands. Tao Zhi didn’t insist, letting go to stand aside and watch.

He took out a fruit dish from the cabinet, picked off the strawberry leaves one by one and tossed them in to rinse, washing thoroughly and skillfully.

Tao Zhi leaned against the wall watching, suddenly realizing these were things she liked to eat. Because she liked them, she wanted to share them with him.

But she didn’t know any of Jiang Qi Huai’s own preferences.

What he liked, what he disliked, his favorite foods — these all seemed completely blank. Besides studying and earning money, this person seemed to have no other preferences in life.

Tao Zhi suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Though they were of similar age, they seemed to live completely different lives.

She didn’t have to do any housework, didn’t worry about food, clothes or money, didn’t have to consider life’s burdens, living under Tao Xiu Ping’s protection, yet still had so many moments that made her sad.

Compared to her, Jiang Qi Huai must have more of these moments, not fewer.

When he was alone, did he also feel that life was very, very hard?

Tao Zhi’s mood dropped as she pressed her lips together watching him: “Your Highness, do you have any foods you like?”

Jiang Qi Huai put a washed strawberry into the fruit dish: “No.”

Tao Zhi stretched her head forward: “What about fruits, none either?”

“Mm.”

Tao Zhi licked her lips, hesitated for a moment, then boldly asked: “What about peaches?”

Jiang Qi Huai’s movements paused as he looked up.

She blinked at him innocently: “You don’t like those either?”

The water flowed loudly in the kitchen. Her voice was soft, seemingly without any deeper meaning.

Jiang Qi Huai looked at her, his peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly.

This young girl was like a clever and crafty kitten, reaching out her paw to test him tentatively before quickly withdrawing it, staying quiet for a while, then unable to resist reaching out again to softly scratch at him before swishing her tail away once more.

She was quite skilled at it.

So skilled it inexplicably irritated him.

Jiang Qi Huai’s aura dropped two more degrees. He turned around holding the washed strawberries: “Hold out your hands.”

Tao Zhi obediently held out her hands.

Jiang Qi Huai placed the strawberry dish in her hands and walked out of the kitchen, saying lightly: “I’m allergic to peaches.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Tao Zhi divided the strawberries into two plates, leaving one for Grandpa Jiang in the living room and taking the other into the bedroom to put on the desk.

While waiting for dinner, she continued working on the test paper she hadn’t finished in the living room.

Soon after, Jiang Qi Huai was chased out of the kitchen again by Grandpa Jiang. The elderly man seemed very persistently bothered by him stealing his chance to show off. When he entered the bedroom, he saw Tao Zhi poking her nose with her pen, deep in thought over a question.

Jiang Qi Huai walked over and sat on the bed, casually picking up the completely correct test paper she had shown him earlier.

Most were long-answer questions. Tao Zhi’s handwriting was very recognizable. Next to her solution process, there would occasionally appear another line of small text.

The same color pen but completely different handwriting – those characters were neat and beautiful.

Jiang Qi Huai paused.

Meanwhile Tao Zhi couldn’t solve a problem, so she turned to look at him, her gaze following his to the paper as she pointed at the writing happily: “This is another solution method my tutor taught me.”

Jiang Qi Huai looked up: “You got a tutor?”

Tao Zhi nodded, holding up two fingers: “A sophomore, also graduated from Experimental. I originally thought finding a student was too young and wanted my dad to find a teacher who would be better, with more experience, you know? But this senior explains problems really thoroughly.”

Senior.

Jiang Qi Huai also nodded but said nothing more.

Tao Zhi didn’t notice anything wrong and continued working.

She was stuck on the previous question and wanted to ask Jiang Qi Huai, but he had already pulled out a workbook from the desk and lowered his head to write.

His pen moved smoothly and quickly across the page. Tao Zhi didn’t want to distract him from studying with her questions, so after some thought, she skipped that problem and continued on.

Jiang Qi Huai waited until Grandpa Jiang called them out for dinner, but Tao Zhi never asked him anything.

He glanced at her test paper from the corner of his eye. She had left the problem she couldn’t solve completely blank but finished everything after it.

He had sat right there beside her, but this ungrateful girl, now that she had her senior tutor, wouldn’t ask him even a single question.

Not even one question.

She must think his ability wasn’t as good as her senior tutor’s.

Jiang Qi Huai’s lips turned down as he put down his pen, closed the workbook, and got up to leave.

Throughout dinner, he didn’t speak again.

Even Tao Zhi, who wasn’t particularly sensitive, could feel something was off with him.

Grandpa Jiang glanced at his silent grandson, then at Tao Zhi, silently mouthing: Did you fight?

Tao Zhi shook her head, gripping her chopsticks, not knowing what had gone wrong.

When he came home and saw her, he had seemed quite happy.

He had even patted her head and said she was amazing.

Tao Zhi felt frustrated, thinking boys were so hard to understand.

Usually, she would just ask directly, but with Grandpa Jiang here, she couldn’t say anything.

They ate quietly, with only Tao Zhi occasionally joking with Grandpa Jiang while Jiang Qi Huai remained silent throughout.

After the meal, Tao Zhi’s mood had also dropped. She didn’t stay long, helping Grandpa Jiang clear the dishes before packing her things to leave.

Jiang Qi Huai walked her downstairs.

The stairwell was completely quiet. Tao Zhi walked down with her head lowered, pushed open the security door, and cold wind immediately rushed in through her coat.

Tao Zhi started feeling sulky too.

This person’s personality was really annoying.

She had no idea how she had offended him again.

Walking out of the residential building to the entrance of the small alley, Tao Zhi felt more and more stifled until she couldn’t hold back anymore.

She stopped suddenly and turned around, looking at him with irritated furrowed brows: “What did I do to offend you again?”

Jiang Qi Huai had been following behind her and almost couldn’t stop in time, leaning back slightly to avoid bumping into her.

“Nothing.”

“Then why are you giving me the cold shoulder here,” Tao Zhi said irritably. “Not talking during dinner, not talking while coming downstairs. Why is your personality so annoying?”

Jiang Qi Huai didn’t speak.

The alley fell silent. A cat curled up sleeping in the corner occasionally raised its head to look at them warily.

After a while, Jiang Qi Huai suddenly said out of nowhere: “You don’t understand when I explain problems?”

Tao Zhi’s anger stuck in her throat as she stared up blankly: “Huh? I understand.”

Jiang Qi Huai pressed his lips together: “If you understand, you don’t ask.”

She froze for two seconds, suddenly understanding.

The scholar felt he had been outdone.

The scholar’s self-esteem was hurt again.

This person usually seemed so cold and unfeeling, yet could be somewhat childish in certain ways.

“But you were doing problems then,” Tao Zhi said pitifully. “And you weren’t paying attention to me either. You don’t even actively help explain when you see I can’t solve something.”

The young girl looked at him with grievance. Jiang Qi Huai met her gaze for a moment: “Your senior tutor will.”

“That’s different,” Tao Zhi pouted.

“How is it different?”

Tao Zhi frowned: “It’s different in every way. A tutor is just a tutor, how can you be the same as him?”

Their voices had gotten a bit loud. The cat curled in the corner seemed startled and darted into the depths of the alley with a meow.

The old street lamp buzzed, casting their shadows long in the dim light.

Jiang Qi Huai lowered his eyes. The young girl also lowered her head, her long hair falling softly with a small whorl at the crown.

“Tao Zhi,” he suddenly called her name.

Tao Zhi looked up, her cheeks still puffed unhappily.

Jiang Qi Huai looked at her coolly.

“Do you like me?”