ATLAS TRANSLATES

For a long time after entering university, Tao Zhi kept wondering if one day she would accidentally meet him in the vast campus.

Just like how she met Lin Su Yan, at some time, some place, the encounter would happen naturally.

Girls probably all think this way, imagining countless times in their minds what it would be like to run into an ex-boyfriend who dumped them.

Would they pass by each other like strangers and leave cleanly, or rush up and give him ten slaps, or calmly greet each other like old friends.

When it actually happened, they did greet each other, but it wasn’t really that calm.

Nearly seven years had passed, and the young man who once occupied her heart and eyes had become blurry and unfamiliar. The red glow of the cigarette between his fingers burned quietly, scorching her fragile and tense nerves.

Tao Zhi wanted to go inside.

Just as she was wondering whether to say goodbye for formality’s sake or just turn and leave, the wooden sliding door was pulled open again with a “swoosh” from inside. Li Shuang Jiang’s loud voice filled the entire quiet balcony: “Boss! Been standing outside for an hour! If you don’t come back the sashimi will all be eaten—”

Halfway through speaking, he noticed there was another person on the balcony, and froze for a moment when he recognized who it was.

His mouth was still open, and after a good while, he came back to his senses.

“Huai bro!” he shouted.

Tao Zhi was startled.

Li Shuang Jiang rushed onto the balcony. The small balcony was connected, separated only by a long red lantern hanging to the ground. He pushed aside the lantern and rushed to hug Jiang Qi Huai.

“I’m gonna cry, you beast!” The nearly six-foot-tall man now had red-rimmed eyes as he patted Jiang Qi Huai’s back hard. “How many years has it been! Couldn’t contact you at all, playing vanishing act on your bros huh?”

His voice was so loud that almost everyone in the private room could hear. Zhao Ming Qi and Jiang Zheng Xun had rushed over after getting off work, and had just entered when they heard him howling on the balcony.

One after another, people stuck their heads out from inside. Zhao Ming Qi’s eyes widened: “Holy shit!”

He slapped Jiang Zheng Xun’s back, only able to say two words: “Holy shit?!”

Jiang Qi Huai held his cigarette out with one hand, gave a faint smile, and patted Li Shuang Jiang’s arm with his other hand.

Li Shuang Jiang let go of him, raised his hand to rub his nose and asked: “Here with friends?”

Jiang Qi Huai gave an “mm” sound, paused, then added: “About to leave.”

Li Shuang nodded and asked: “Any plans after?”

Tao Zhi had a bad feeling.

Before Jiang Qi Huai could speak, Li Shuang Jiang continued: “Come have a few drinks with us? Just Zhao Ming Qi and us few, all old friends.”

The bad feeling came true.

Don’t come, don’t come, don’t come…

Tao Zhi kept her eyes lowered, not looking at him, silently chanting in her heart.

The next second, Jiang Qi Huai put out his cigarette, threw it in the nearby trash can, and said lightly: “Alright.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Haven’t seen each other for so many years! Do you have to be so familiar right away?!

Be a little more aloof!

When Jiang Qi Huai returned to the private room, everyone inside was eating enthusiastically.

Cheng Yi held his wine glass, lamenting the unfairness of life.

“Lin mei has a boyfriend, Editor Gu has a girl he likes, and that idiot old Lu probably has kids coming soon, but what about me!” Cheng Yi angrily pounded the table, “Where’s my cute little partner?! I’m almost thirty!”

“You’ll probably be the same at eighty,” Lu Jia Heng lowered his head sending WeChat messages, not looking up as he said, “Just got the waitress’s phone number ten minutes ago, you don’t deserve to have a partner.”

Cheng Yi pointed at him: “This isn’t like when you used to have a bunch of girls’ numbers in your phone?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, that’s life-threatening,” Lu Jia Heng seriously corrected him, “Besides, back then people asked for my number.”

Cheng Yi immediately deflated. He saw Jiang Qi Huai come in, and his dimmed eyes brightened again, as if a dying person had seen new hope: “Director Jiang!”

Jiang Qi Huai walked to where he had been sitting before and bent down to pick up his coat.

Cheng Yi looked at him, opening his arms wide: “Ally! From now on it’s just us two depending on each other, you can’t betray me!”

Jiang Qi Huai leaned back, making Cheng Yi’s hug miss, and lifted his eyelids slightly: “I’m leaving first.”

“What’s up with you,” Cheng Yi asked puzzled, “We just started eating.”

Jiang Qi Huai stood up and walked to the door: “You all keep eating.”

His hand was on the door frame, about to pull open the sliding door, when he turned back and looked at Lu Jia Heng: “Don’t come out.”

Lu Jia Heng raised an eyebrow: “Am I sleeping here tonight?”

Jiang Qi Huai ignored him.

With two “swoosh” sounds, the private room’s sliding door was pulled open then closed.

Cheng Yi looked towards the door, still not understanding: “What did he mean by not letting you come out?”

“Afraid I’ll be seen by someone familiar.” Lu Jia Heng poured a glass of wine, saying lazily.

Cheng Yi: “What’s that mean?”

Lu Jia Heng looked at him, suddenly feeling a surge of pity for this idiot. He called out: “Old Cheng.”

Cheng Yi: “Huh?”

“Your ally is probably going to be gone.” Lu Jia Heng said meaningfully.

Cheng Yi: “Huh??”

Tao Zhi pinched her chopsticks, head down as she picked up the last piece of salmon sashimi.

She kept her eyes down, focusing intently on eating as if oblivious to everyone, as if Zhao Ming Qi and the others drinking boisterously across from her didn’t exist.

Li Shuang Jiang had his arm around Jiang Qi Huai’s neck as they clinked glasses. Sometimes Tao Zhi felt that friendship between men was simple yet magical – no matter how many years passed without seeing each other or staying in touch, just two drinks when they met again could make them pour their hearts out again.

Li Shuang Jiang had never been seen drunk in high school, but after being trained at business dinners since starting work, his alcohol tolerance had clearly improved. Zhao Ming Qi was already slumped over beside them, but he was still acting fine.

As for Jiang Qi Huai.

Tao Zhi discreetly glanced at his wine glass that had been refilled again – this person hadn’t stopped drinking since sitting down.

“By the way, what do you do now?” Li Shuang Jiang asked.

Jiang Qi Huai held the small sake cup between his fingers: “Investment.”

“Damn, then you must be loaded now,” Li Shuang Jiang waved his hand, “I don’t know anything about that field, you’ll have to recommend some stocks to your brother sometime.”

Tao Zhi looked up in surprise.

Jiang Qi Huai didn’t seem like someone who would do this kind of work. He had always been lazy about dealing with people, only liking to bury himself in his own work. She thought he would choose a technical research-type job.

Just as she looked up, she met his gaze across the table.

Whether by coincidence or unconsciously, when she looked at him, he was also looking at her. Under the bright indoor lights, his eyes were still that clear, cold amber color, naturally carrying a distant indifference when looking at people.

Tao Zhi neither avoided nor challenged his gaze for a few seconds before lightly moving away, casually picking out some udon noodles from the sukiyaki pot.

The sukiyaki had been cooking too long, the broth completely absorbed into the udon noodles, the sweet and savory flavor hitting her tongue and throat.

Even someone like her who loved sweets thought the taste was a bit cloying.

Tao Zhi bit her tongue, poured a glass of lemon water and gulped it down, suppressing that overly rich sweet and salty taste.

Indeed some things shouldn’t be left too long.

The meal was eaten to satisfaction and enjoyment. Before parting, Li Shuang Jiang, carrying the now unconscious Zhao Ming Qi, asked for Jiang Qi Huai’s home address.

“If you dare play disappearing act on me again, I’ll go straight to your house and break down the door,” he warned.

Tao Zhi stood to the side and rolled her eyes.

What’s the use of breaking down his door?

This person could just move houses.

Li Shuang Jiang and the others had all been drinking, so they left their cars and took taxis. Fu Xi Ling needed to go home for the weekend. Before leaving, she hesitated and said to Tao Zhi: “I can go back tomorrow if you want.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Shuang Jiang grabbed her collar and pulled her away: “Let’s go! Sister Ling, Brother Li will give you a ride home since it’s on the way!”

He grabbed one person in each hand and jumped into the car like a monkey, moving so fast he seemed like a criminal desperate to flee the crime scene.

By the time Tao Zhi reacted, all that was left was the taxi’s exhaust fumes.

And her ex standing beside her.

It was almost midnight, and the outdoor temperature had dropped several degrees. Tao Zhi raised her hand to pull her scarf up, then put her hands in her coat pockets.

After a pause, she still politely said: “I’ll be going then.”

The bright red scarf made her skin look almost transparently white. Watching her habitually pull up her scarf to cover her chin, Jiang Qi Huai was momentarily lost in thought. He paused then said: “It’s too late, I’ll take you home.”

Those familiar words almost snapped Tao Zhi’s nerves that had been tightly wound all evening.

On which winter night, in which warm small bedroom, had the young man also stayed by her side, saying the same words.

Tao Zhi’s fingers curled in her coat pocket. Her face showed no emotion as she leaned against the Japanese restaurant’s wooden doorframe, saying lazily: “No need, I already called a car.”

Jiang Qi Huai withdrew his hand that was about to hail a car, nodded, and said compliantly: “Going the same way?”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Are you really Jiang Qi Huai?!

Show your true form quickly, you thick-skinned account hacker!!

Tao Zhi took a deep breath, raised her head, and called out to him: “Jiang Qi Huai.”

“I’m not the type of person who likes to stay friends with ex-boyfriends after breaking up. I’m very happy to have met you tonight, and I’m very glad to see you’re doing well now. It’s fine for old classmates to have dinner together, but there’s no need for extra contact.”

She said slowly and calmly: “Let’s keep some distance between us, okay?”

The words were direct and clear, even carrying a hint of presumption. Tao Zhi didn’t want him to misunderstand, so she added: “Although I know you don’t mean anything by it, we should still avoid suspicion, right?”

Jiang Qi Huai didn’t speak, looking down at her.

The woman leaned against the doorframe, the restaurant’s warm light enveloping her fair, delicate face. Her upturned eyes were beautifully aggressive, her gaze scattered and cold.

She seemed to have changed a lot, yet also seemed not to have changed at all.

The girl who used to be so afraid of cold that she wore thermal underwear in early autumn now only wore pencil pants under her coat, showing a stretch of straight, slender ankles, yet still liked red scarves, still liked sweets, still couldn’t be bothered to hide any of her emotions.

When she liked something she would get close, when she disliked something she would reject it, direct and decisive.

The sound of cars crushing snow on the road broke the long silence with a crunching noise. A black car slowly stopped at the curb, and at almost the same time, Tao Zhi’s phone rang.

She pulled out her phone to answer it, no longer looking at the person in front of her, responding while straightening up and walking towards the car.

As they passed each other, Tao Zhi’s arm was suddenly grabbed.

Her steps were pulled to a stop.

The night wind stirred up fallen snow. With his back to the light, Jiang Qi Huai’s expression was hidden in darkness and couldn’t be seen clearly. His voice was tense and hoarse: “What if I do?”

Tao Zhi was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately. She turned back: “What?”

Jiang Qi Huai held her wrist with great force, yet carefully, like a drowning person desperately grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood floating on the sea.

“Mean something else,” he said softly.