ATLAS TRANSLATES

Tao Zhi darted through the front door right as the minute hand struck nine.

Tao Xiu Ping held a teacup while Ji Fan clutched a can of soda: “You’re back?”

Ji Fan took a sip of his soda: “You’re back?”

Having sprinted all the way from the taxi at the community entrance, Tao Zhi stood at the doorway bracing her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths. Unable to speak, she just waved at them.

Tao Xiu Ping glanced at his watch, calmly setting down his teacup: “Nine o’clock, quite punctual.”

“Yeah, quite punctual.” Ji Fan had just finished his can of soda and made an exaggerated basketball shooting motion to toss it into the trash bin that was barely an arm’s length from his feet.

Finally catching her breath, Tao Zhi took off her shoes and walked to the sofa, collapsing into it, not wanting to talk.

Now that she was home and could finally rest, she felt tired, even though she hadn’t really done anything all evening.

She sat holding a sofa cushion for a while until her stomach very timely growled twice.

Tao Xiu Ping looked at her: “Not full?”

“Haven’t eaten dinner.” Tao Zhi answered honestly. She stood up and walked toward the kitchen, “Is there anything to eat at home?”

“The dinner dishes are all cold now,” Tao Xiu Ping put down his notebook and followed her, “Want Dad to make you some egg noodles?”

Tao Zhi made a sound of agreement.

She leaned against the kitchen island, watching Tao Xiu Ping take eggs and tomatoes from the fridge: “You went to see that little boyfriend of yours, how come you haven’t eaten dinner?”

Tao Zhi didn’t respond.

Tao Xiu Ping noticed her low mood and joked on purpose: “He didn’t feed you?”

Dark circles ringed the man’s eyes. Since returning last time, he hadn’t gone on any business trips, but this didn’t seem to make him any less busy – if anything, he seemed to have more things to handle each day.

Tao Zhi didn’t respond to his joke, suddenly calling out: “Dad.”

Tao Xiu Ping cracked the eggs into a bowl and beat them: “Hmm?”

“Are you going bankrupt?” Tao Zhi suddenly asked out of nowhere.

“…”

Tao Xiu Ping looked at her somewhat surprised, couldn’t help laughing: “Other people’s kids all want their dads to earn more money, how come you’re always hoping I’ll go bankrupt?”

Tao Zhi frowned slightly: “Just feels like lately, you seem very tired every day.”

Tao Xiu Ping’s smile faded as he gave her a deep look. He opened his mouth, then stopped.

After a moment, he smiled again, putting the beaten eggs on the counter and turning on the tap to wash the tomatoes: “Adults are always like this. Even you have your own troubles now, how could Dad not have any?”

Tao Zhi nodded, pondering: “So do you have a woman you like? Are you getting married?”

Tao Xiu Ping choked at her shocking words.

Tao Zhi said very considerately: “If you really have an auntie you like enough to marry, I suppose I could accept it.”

She was very open-minded about this. Tao Xiu Ping let her do whatever she wanted, so when it came to Tao Xiu Ping, if he really had someone he liked, Tao Zhi had no right to stop him.

That would be too selfish of her.

She had someone she liked, things she wanted to do, and her own life to live. Tao Xiu Ping should have the same.

Even if she might feel a bit uncomfortable inside, she could work hard to accept it and overcome those feelings.

What a selfless and kind peach.

Tao Zhi was moved by her own understanding nature.

Tao Xiu Ping watched his daughter’s expressions changing from conflicted to determined, and finally to acceptance, finding it somewhat amusing.

Kids were cute when they were little, and now in their teenage years they had all these strange and interesting thoughts.

He raised his hand, flicking some water droplets at her: “What nonsense are you thinking about? Besides Zhi Zhi and Ah Fan, Dad doesn’t like anyone else.”

Tao Zhi waved her hand with an expression that said “just keep pretending”: “Yeah yeah, I know.”

Tao Xiu Ping: “…”

Tao Xiu Ping was a good cook, though they rarely got to eat his cooking. He peeled and diced the tomatoes, mixing their sweet and sour flavor into the thick noodle soup with egg bits. The handmade noodles were perfectly chewy. Even though it was just a simple vegetarian noodle dish without meat, Tao Zhi ate with great enjoyment.

Halfway through, Ji Fan also came bouncing over, craning his neck to peek into the kitchen: “Old Tao, any noodles left?”

Boys had big appetites – just a few hours after dinner he was hungry again. Tao Xiu Ping had made a whole pot and served him another big bowl.

Ji Fan sat next to Tao Zhi slurping noodles.

Tao Xiu Ping sat across from them, watching them eat.

There was an indescribable, strange sense of satisfaction.

Though they were difficult to manage, sometimes he didn’t know how to educate them, repeatedly wondering if his approach might have the opposite effect, and it was hard to balance family and work.

But in these quiet moments, there was an indescribable happiness.

Probably, Ji Jin was the same way.

Just watching them eat and sleep, watching them study and grow, made her feel very happy.

In those years when he had thrown himself completely into work and making money, she was alone in this house, with only these two children by her side.

At one moment, Tao Zhi and Ji Fan suddenly raised their heads simultaneously to look at him.

Tao Xiu Ping came back to himself: “What’s wrong?”

“You just sighed,” Ji Fan said with noodles in his mouth, his words unclear.

Tao Zhi nodded and said: “Must be going bankrupt after all.”

“…”

Tao Xiu Ping narrowed his eyes: “Little brats with too many weird thoughts, no! Your old man is not going bankrupt!”

Ji Fan loved stirring up trouble: “Maybe it’s just because your boyfriend didn’t feed you.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

“Right, that boy… called Jiang Qi Huai, isn’t he?” Tao Xiu Ping asked.

Tao Zhi buried her head in her noodles, pretending to be deaf.

Tao Xiu Ping: “Such a good school as Affiliated High, why did he transfer to Experimental? I heard he grew up with his grandfather?”

Tao Zhi’s fingers holding the chopsticks paused. She raised her head.

Tao Xiu Ping asked as if casually: “What do his parents do?”

“How do you know he grew up with his grandfather?” Tao Zhi said.

Tao Xiu Ping made an “ah” sound and looked at Ji Fan, but before he could speak—

“Don’t say you heard it from Ji Fan,” Tao Zhi cut him off, “I never told Ji Fan about his family situation either, right?”

Her expression changed in an instant, even Ji Fan hadn’t quite reacted.

Tao Xiu Ping took a deep breath: “Zhi Zhi…”

“You investigated him?” Tao Zhi’s anger rose instantly, “Just because your daughter is dating him, you had to dig up everything about his background, right, CEO Tao?”

Tao Xiu Ping also raised his voice: “It’s precisely because my daughter wants to date him that I need to know what kind of person he is!”

The dining room suddenly fell silent. Ji Fan looked at Tao Zhi, then at Tao Xiu Ping, silently moving his noodle bowl back.

Tao Xiu Ping sighed: “I asked you today because I wanted to know if you understood these things. Do you know his family situation?”

“I don’t care what his family situation is,” Tao Zhi said stiffly, “I like him as a person, whether he has money or not doesn’t matter to me.”

“You think Dad cares about his family conditions, whether he has money?” Tao Xiu Ping took a deep breath and stood up, “It’s not that simple.”

Tao Zhi stared at him wordlessly.

She thought of that man tonight and Jiang Qi Huai’s reaction then, suddenly unable to find words to argue back.

Tao Xiu Ping went upstairs to his study. Soon after, he came back down with a document folder and placed it in front of Tao Zhi: “Take a look.”

Tao Zhi hesitated, put down her chopsticks, and slowly unwound the string on the folder.

She held those thin papers, reading line by line. With each character she read, the hand gripping her heart tightened a little more.

“Until age four he was in an orphanage, then his grandfather found and took him back. Nobody knows who his mother is. His father was a thug with no job, imprisoned for assault during a burglary. Fortunately the victim didn’t die, he was sentenced to over ten years, then got some years reduced for good behavior and was recently released,” Tao Xiu Ping rubbed his eyes, speaking slowly, “Has he told you any of this? No, right?”

The last bit of color drained from Tao Zhi’s face.

No wonder.

No wonder Tao Xiu Ping, who never really cared what time she came home, suddenly set such an early curfew.

No wonder he never said anything despite knowing about her puppy love.

Tao Zhi’s fingers gradually tightened on the edge of the paper, her head lowered as her eyes slowly turned red.

She suddenly pulled her hand back, the sharp edge of the paper instantly cutting her delicate skin, blood slowly seeping from her finger.

Pressing her bleeding fingertip, she asked: “What’s your point in showing me this?”

“I wanted to know how much you understood,” Tao Xiu Ping no longer hid anything, “And you tend to act on impulse. Dad hopes you can look at things more rationally. You need to understand, your nature is too simple, and some people just aren’t suitable for you.”

Tao Zhi was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: “You are indeed, always very rational.”

Tao Xiu Ping frowned: “Zhi Zhi…”

“When I get into fights, when teachers call parents in, you never focus on how I feel, but rather tell me better ways to solve problems. I’m used to it, you’ve always been this way,” she said softly. “But shouldn’t he be the one who suffered the most?”

Tao Xiu Ping stared at her steadily.

Tao Zhi’s voice carried a hint of choking: “Just when he thought he could finally have a family, he had to face that kind of father. He was happiest as a child, most carefree as a child, why did he have to grow up suffering so much?”

Tao Zhi couldn’t help thinking about what she was doing at five or six years old.

Clinging to mom asking for bedtime stories, asking dad for lots of new plush toys, making trouble and fighting everywhere with Ji Fan.

When she got into trouble she’d hide in mom’s arms, never having to worry about anything, because no matter what happened, dad and mom would always handle it.

Above her head, there was always an invincible sky.

But Jiang Qi Huai never had a sky from the beginning.

He had nothing.

So everything he got, every bit of love, maybe even every piece of candy, to him was a generous gift, fate’s favor, something he stole, a luxury he was lucky to have.

Tao Zhi’s eyes were red-rimmed, tears falling uncontrollably in big drops: “He’s really good, he can do everything well, he’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met. He’s already tried so hard to make himself better, he’s working so desperately to escape that swamp…”

“But you want to so simply drag him back in? You want to use this way to tell him he doesn’t need to try at all, because no matter how much he struggles, no matter how well he does, he can never escape this in his lifetime?”

Tao Xiu Ping stared at her blankly, unable to say a word.

Tao Zhi’s vision was blurred by tears. She raised her hand to wipe her eyes forcefully, then stood up, saying between sobs: “Dad, this isn’t fair, you’re being too cruel to him.”

She didn’t look at Tao Xiu Ping’s expression, pushed back her chair and ran out the door.

In the night streets with flickering lights, Tao Zhi got out of the taxi, crossed the road amidst sharp honking sounds, and ran with all her might toward the alley where Jiang Qi Huai’s house was.

At the bus stop not far ahead, she saw his silhouette in the distance.

Jiang Qi Huai had gotten off the bus. Under the streetlights his figure was indistinct, his features hidden in the night making his expression unclear. The only thing perceivable was his unchanging proud and upright bearing.

He stood a little in front of the bus stop sign, suddenly raising his head to look at her from afar, then stopping in his tracks.

Tao Zhi ran to him with all her might.

The cold wind felt like it carried ice shards, stinging her face mixed with tears, but Tao Zhi seemed not to feel it.

She threw herself straight into the boy’s arms.

The strong impact made Jiang Qi Huai step back. Looking stunned, he instinctively opened his arms to catch her, stumbling back half a step before barely steadying himself: “What’s wrong?”

Tao Zhi hugged his waist tightly, burying her head deep in his embrace, almost greedily absorbing his warmth and scent.

She shook her head, nuzzling him with her nose, her voice still hoarse from crying: “Cold.”

Jiang Qi Huai frowned: “Why did you come out without a coat?”

“I didn’t have time,” she nuzzled again, “I was in a hurry to see you.”

“Let go,” Jiang Qi Huai said.

Tao Zhi shook her head, holding him tightly and refusing to let go.

Jiang Qi Huai sighed: “Let go first, I won’t run away.”

Tao Zhi slowly, reluctantly loosened her grip.

“Don’t move.” Jiang Qi Huai pulled down his jacket zipper, took it off, and wrapped it around her entirely.

Warmth instantly blocked out the cold.

His jacket was very long on her, reaching down to her calves. Tao Zhi stood obediently still, letting him bend down to put it on her, turn up the collar, and zip it up.

After bundling her up, Jiang Qi Huai straightened and looked at her.

The girl’s eyes were red, still bearing traces of undried tears.

Jiang Qi Huai raised his hand, his cool fingertips gently brushing her reddened eyelids as he said softly: “Snuck out?”

Tao Zhi thought for a moment, feeling it was more like storming out after a fight.

She nodded: “Mm.”

“Got scolded?” Jiang Qi Huai asked again.

She shook her head: “No.”

“Why the sudden rush to see me?” he asked finally.

Tao Zhi fell silent again. She looked at him expectantly for a few seconds, then moved forward to hug his waist tightly again, clinging to him and refusing to let go.

Jiang Qi Huai laughed, letting her hug him, seeming somewhat helpless: “What are you doing?”

“I want to become a rice cake,” Tao Zhi said softly.

Jiang Qi Huai looked down, stroking her hair as he obligingly asked: “Hmm? Why do you want to become a rice cake?”

“So I can stick to you forever, and you won’t be able to pull me off,” Tao Zhi said in a muffled voice.

“Why would I want to pull you off?”

“How should I know, you’ve always found me annoying, it’s always been me clinging to you,” Tao Zhi complained dissatisfied, “You never tell me anything.”

Jiang Qi Huai’s fingers paused as he fell silent.

Tao Zhi hadn’t noticed his reaction.

She was just very simple, single-minded, unable to be as rational as Tao Xiu Ping, and didn’t want to think about so many things.

Tao Zhi just wanted to act on her own thoughts and impulses.

Because she liked him she got close, because she liked him she tried hard, because she liked him she didn’t want him to be alone.

Whatever he didn’t have, she would give him; whatever he lost, she would help him get back.

If he had to bear everything alone, then she would become his sky.

She loosened her grip a little, looking up at him very seriously: “Your Highness, if any annoying people come to bother you again, you have to tell me, I’ll protect you.”

Jiang Qi Huai’s eyelashes trembled, then lowered: “Hmm? How will you protect me?”

Tao Zhi didn’t hide her plan from him. Though there were still undried tears in her eyes, she made her threat very directly: “I’ll get Ji Fan to beat them up until they’re hospitalized for half a year and can’t get up. He’s really devious, best at doing things like this. Guarantee no one will even know who did it.”

Jiang Qi Huai: “…”