ATLAS TRANSLATES

Tao Zhi suddenly felt that in life, one should never underestimate what could happen.

For instance, she used to think that having her crush see her in ugly thermal underwear in high school was the most desperate moment of her life. Yet seven years later, that same person had now seen her walking around in lingerie.

And he even brought it up.

Tao Zhi stared at him expressionlessly, pointing at the door: “Get out.”

Jiang Qihuai didn’t move, raising his eyes as if about to say something.

Tao Zhi instantly took two quick steps to the door, stood on tiptoes, and covered his eyes with both hands as she leaned close.

“You didn’t see anything,” she threatened in a low voice, “You’re blind, understand?”

The girl’s warm body pressed close, with one less layer of fabric between them, the sensation was even more distinct. When she pressed against him, some soft lace from somewhere brushed against his palm and fingertips.

The tactile sensation combined with the recent visual memory kept tugging at his taut, fragile nerves.

Jiang Qihuai’s throat bobbed as he responded softly: “Mm.”

Tao Zhi took a deep breath, her face burning with embarrassment. She firmly covered his eyes, terrified that even a sliver of light might leak through her fingers and let him see: “Then get out!”

She kept his eyes covered as she maneuvered him to turn around, then pushed him out, until he was out of the bedroom.

As soon as Jiang Qihuai was pushed out, Tao Zhi slammed the door shut with a “bang” the next second.

“…”

Jiang Qihuai leaned back against the bedroom door, listening as the music inside stopped and everything went quiet.

He lowered his eyes and sighed, raising his hand to rub his strained eyes.

Jiang Qihuai washed his face, went to the kitchen, washed the grapes from the fridge and put them in a fruit bowl, then checked the ingredients in the fridge and started making beef soup.

With the soup simmering on low heat, he glanced at the bedroom door. Thinking to let Tao Zhi have some time alone to calm down, he went downstairs to get his laptop from the car, then sat on the living room sofa to handle work.

The aroma of beef gradually wafted out. By the time he finished his work it was noon, and there was still no sound from the bedroom.

Jiang Qihuai lifted his head, closed his laptop and set it aside, then got up and walked over.

He stood at the door and knocked: “Zhizhi.”

No response.

Jiang Qihuai called her again: “Time to eat, are you hungry?”

The bedroom remained silent, completely still.

Jiang Qihuai waited five seconds and said: “I’m coming in.”

This time, Tao Zhi’s low voice instantly came from inside: “Don’t come in.”

Jiang Qihuai ignored her and pressed down on the door handle.

The door wasn’t locked. After pushing it open slightly, Jiang Qihuai waited a few seconds before walking in.

Tao Zhi was sprawled out on the bed, blanket covering her from toes to head, with just a tiny bit of black hair peeking out.

Jiang Qihuai raised his hand and gently tapped the top of her head, saying helplessly: “Tao Zhi.”

Tao Zhi squirmed under the blanket like a small animal, her fingers grabbing the edge to pull it up further, covering even the exposed bit of her head.

Jiang Qihuai grabbed the blanket edge and slowly lifted it a little.

Half of Tao Zhi’s face buried in the pillow was revealed.

She had changed clothes, now wearing a soft white cotton short-sleeved loungewear, both arms pressed under her body, curled up into a roll.

Looking very withdrawn.

Jiang Qihuai laughed.

Tao Zhi heard it. Her face still buried in the pillow refusing to look up, she just unhappily wiggled under the blanket a couple times, then raised her foot to kick him.

Jiang Qihuai caught her delicate foot in one grab, holding her ankle as he tucked it back under the blanket, asking with a tugged smile: “What are you doing?”

“I’m being antisocial,” Tao Zhi’s voice was muffled.

Jiang Qihuai held back his laugh and asked: “Why?”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Tao Zhi said pitifully, “Don’t bother me, I want to be alone.”

Jiang Qihuai: “It’s not a big deal—”

Tao Zhi yanked the blanket open, turned her face toward him, and angrily cut him off: “You’re still talking about it! Why did you bring up my thermal underwear!”

Jiang Qihuai: “…”

“That was so many years ago! How many years has it been, and you still bring it up!”

Tao Zhi truly felt embarrassed, and the more she talked about it, the more she felt she had lost face. By the end, even her eyes were red: “How was I supposed to know you were still at my place, I thought no one was home, I just wanted to try it on since I’d never worn it before.”

Tao Zhi’s lips trembled as she choked out: “And you’re still laughing at me, I’m already so embarrassed and you’re still mocking me.”

Jiang Qihuai was stunned.

He had never seen someone get so upset about feeling embarrassed that they nearly cried from their own frustration.

Jiang Qihuai sat on the edge of the bed and said patiently: “What’s there to be embarrassed about, it was quite cute.”

As he spoke, he remembered how happy Tao Zhi had looked having fun by herself in the room, and couldn’t help but laugh again.

Tao Zhi was thoroughly annoyed now, kicking him with both feet from under the blanket: “You’re still laughing! You just want to see me make a fool of myself!”

Jiang Qihuai licked his lips trying to hold back his smile, letting her kick him as he raised his hands to hold her ankles: “How is this making a fool of yourself?”

“It just is,” Tao Zhi muttered quietly and pitifully, “I’m going to throw it away right now, I’ll never wear it again in my life.”

“Why not wear it,” Jiang Qihuai’s fingers stroked lightly, his fingertips brushing against her smooth skin, causing a slight tingling sensation, “It looked so good.”

Tao Zhi couldn’t help but try to pull her feet back slightly, but couldn’t break free.

Jiang Qihuai held her ankles, his fingertips trailing over her delicate ankle bones, movements gentle as he said softly: “Wear it for me every day from now on.”

Jiang Qihuai didn’t go to the office, staying home with her all day, though he wasn’t idle. After finally coaxing the ancestor out of the bedroom for lunch, he had been working on his laptop.

Tao Zhi was also going through the photos she had taken yesterday at the SINGO photo studio. She had spent almost all day in the studio, taking loads of photos. Tao Zhi was selecting them one by one from the large collection, then opening software for post-processing.

The entire afternoon, they each did their own work, one leaning on the sofa, the other sitting at the low tatami table by the floor-to-ceiling window, the atmosphere harmonious and peaceful.

Until around six, when Fu Xiling returned home, breaking the silence.

Fu Xiling rarely didn’t work overtime today. After the security door’s keypad beeped and opened, the young girl entered first with her bag, saying as she came in: “Can your cooking really be eaten? Won’t we get food poisoning?”

“Who are you looking down on? How do you think I survived abroad?” Ji Fan followed behind, carrying two large plastic bags in each hand.

Inside, Tao Zhi and Jiang Qihuai turned their heads almost simultaneously.

Ji Fan stopped.

Fu Xiling: “Oh.”

Tao Zhi: “Oh.”

Fu Xiling: “Study God is here.”

Tao Zhi pointed at the annoying person behind her: “Why are you here?”

The moment Ji Fan saw Jiang Qihuai, his expression changed. He narrowed his eyes: “What are you doing at my sister’s house?”

Jiang Qihuai actually felt rather lazy about dealing with his childish three-year-old-like provocations.

But after so many years, as the only high school friend he had maintained contact with, and who had kept him updated about Tao Zhi’s situation, Jiang Qihuai decided to play along.

Jiang Qihuai: “What are you doing at your sister’s house?”

Ji Fan said unhappily: “This is my sister’s house, what’s wrong with me coming?”

Jiang Qihuai nodded, lifting his chin slightly toward the sofa, saying calmly: “Nothing wrong, have a seat.”

Ji Fan: “…”

What, is this your house or something??

Fu Xiling looked at Jiang Qihuai, then at Ji Fan, and finally at Tao Zhi.

Tao Zhi blinked at her.

Fu Xiling nodded in understanding and pulled Ji Fan by his jacket zipper toward the kitchen: “Hurry up, the fish is still in the bag.”

Ji Fan was dragged into the kitchen by her, took out the ingredients from the bags one by one, then went to wash his hands at the sink.

Fu Xiling had already finished washing her hands and was unwrapping a bundle of spinach. As she picked through it and put it in a water basin, she said quietly: “Why don’t you like Study God?”

Ji Fan lowered his head: “I don’t dislike him.”

Fu Xiling made an “oh” sound and said softly: “Then why do you act like an angry cat whenever you see him with Zhizhi?”

Ji Fan frowned and said matter-of-factly: “Because he’s not good enough for Zhizhi.”

Fu Xiling choked, not knowing how to refute for a moment.

She paused and said: “But I saw you were quite supportive of Zhizhi and Dr. Jiang, even helping to trick them into having dinner together.”

Ji Fan took the fish out of the bag and said carelessly: “No matter how many meals they have together, it’s useless, Zhizhi doesn’t like him.”

So Jiang Qihuai was different, because she liked him.

Fu Xiling rolled her eyes, thinking “you seem to understand quite well.”

“I also think Study God isn’t good enough for Zhizhi,” Fu Xiling agreed, “I mean, he’s just the youngest investment director, has only loved Zhizhi all these years, has a good job, makes lots of money, is handsome, and height-wise…”

Fu Xiling paused, looked him up and down, and said slowly: “He’s just slightly taller than you, nothing else special about him.”

Ji Fan: “…”

Ji Fan didn’t know why, but hearing Fu Xiling describe Jiang Qihuai like that made him dislike him even more.

Unfortunately, the person he had just grown to dislike more entered the kitchen right then, lowering his eyes and unhurriedly rolling up his shirt sleeves: “I’ll do it, what needs to be made?”

Fu Xiling looked at Ji Fan, put down the spinach, and told him several dish names.

Jiang Qihuai’s gaze swept over the ingredients laid out on the counter, and he nodded.

Fu Xiling went out, and Tao Zhi was curled up on the sofa with her phone. Hearing her come out, she raised her head and waved her over.

Fu Xiling sat down and leaned in to look, blinking: “What are you doing?”

Tao Zhi’s phone was on WeChat’s name modification interface. Her fingertips tapped the screen, inputting characters one by one, then did some operations before finally locking the screen.

Fu Xiling looked at the phone in her hand, which had no case.

She pointed to the kitchen: “Study God’s phone?”

Tao Zhi nodded, saying with a serious face: “Did you see me take his phone just now?”

Fu Xiling shook her head and said solemnly: “Nope, didn’t see anything.”

Ji Fan had learned to cook while abroad alone. Tao Zhi had eaten his cooking a few times – it was barely passable, but when faced with Jiang Qihuai, he clearly could only be an assistant.

The two worked quickly. Tao Zhi and Fu Xiling were only halfway through their variety show, still curled up on the sofa discussing which young idol was more handsome, when dinner was ready.

Tao Zhi turned off the tablet, jumped off the sofa and bounced over, peering forward next to Jiang Qihuai. Five dishes and one soup, with Coca-Cola chicken wings and steamed fish taking up the large plates.

Everyone sat down. Tao Zhi had been busy all afternoon and was already hungry. Being among familiar people, there weren’t any formalities to observe, so she eagerly picked up her chopsticks and was the first to grab a chicken wing into her bowl to gnaw on.

Halfway through eating it, she seemed to remember something. With the chicken wing in her mouth, she raised her head and used her chopsticks to pick up another one, putting it in Jiang Qihuai’s bowl.

“Try your own cooking,” she said indistinctly with food in her mouth.

Jiang Qihuai raised his hand and lightly tapped her head: “Swallow before speaking.”

Ji Fan sat across from them, forced to watch a minute of the couple’s sickening sweet interaction. He rolled his eyes, took out his phone to take a picture of the table, then opened WeChat and posted it to his Moments.

Caption — Young master’s culinary skills.

Completely ignoring Jiang Qihuai’s existence and claiming all the credit.

After posting, he refreshed his Moments feed and casually scrolled down.

Scrolling through one by one, until he reached a certain post, Ji Fan’s movements stopped. He stared at his phone screen expressionlessly for a full three minutes, then raised his head to look at Jiang Qihuai with a thunderstruck expression: “Wait, bro, you can be like this when dating?”

Jiang Qihuai was seriously picking up the chicken wing Tao Zhi had given him, his gaze focused on it as he replied without looking up: “Like what?”

“What do you mean ‘like what’?” Ji Fan was amused. Even though he wasn’t stupid enough to think Jiang Qihuai would post such things, it didn’t stop him from wanting to tease him a bit, “Look at your own Moments? How can you forget what you just posted?”

Jiang Qihuai put down his chopsticks, picked up his phone from the table edge, opened WeChat and checked his Moments.

His WeChat was very clean, basically having nothing, but now there was something different.

His WeChat name had been changed, four characters stacked in pairs, with a cute pink peach emoji at the end.

— Zhizhi Taotao [peach]

Opening the first post in Moments.

— LOVELOVE! My girlfriend is the cutest in the world! [heart][heart]

Below was a selfie of Tao Zhi. The young girl sat behind her computer, tilting her head and propping her chin as she looked at the camera, her black hair tied in two buns like a doll, lips curved up, her long upturned eyes smiling into crescents.

Posted an hour ago, there were already a bunch of comments:

[Wang Zhezi]: Congratulations, teacher.

Followed by hesitant but warm congratulations from his company colleagues to their leader, their words even containing slight traces of terror.

Jiang Qihuai: “…”

Tao Zhi quietly ate her chicken wing, looking elsewhere innocently while secretly stealing glances at him with her peripheral vision, wanting to see his reaction.

She watched as Mr. Jiang sat beside her, head lowered looking at that Moments post that was completely opposite to his usual style, staying silent for at least a minute.

Then, his finger moved slightly, calmly long-pressing on the selfie she had posted to save it, anand under her eager gaze, set it as his Moments cover photo.

“…”

Tao Zhi: ?