ATLAS TRANSLATES

Xie Ci brushed past her apricot-red lips, fleeting, not daring to linger.

That small warmth tingled all the way to the heart.

Xu You’s shoulders were fixed in his grip, unable to move.

Just that one touch left both of them frozen.

The streetlights cast a warm, dim glow, with few people on the street.

In the cold night, a light breeze made fingertips and necks feel cool.

“Can I kiss you again?” His voice dropped low, somewhat hoarse. He seemed to be holding back, his breathing heavy.

Before Xu You could speak, just as she turned her head, her shoulders were gripped and pulled closer.

Xie Ci lowered his head and moved in again. This time it wasn’t a light touch, but a firm press against her lips, his movements intense.

The things in her hands fell to the ground.

Xu You’s eyes widened as she whimpered. She tilted her head back, desperately twisting her body, trying to escape Xie Ci’s hold.

But he had already lost control, like an agitated prisoner, one hand supporting the back of her head, his wet tongue repeatedly brushing against her lips, touching her teeth.

A forceful kiss.

Unable to swallow in time, nerves trembling.

Xie Ci’s hand slowly slid to her slender neck, unable to leave.

His fingertips pressed against that delicate spot, repeatedly caressing.

Finally, completely unable to stop.

He ignored her struggles, lowering his head further, gently smelling her scent.

Bit by bit.

Restraint was only temporary.

Reason was completely gone, because desire could never be extinguished.

—

When Xu You returned home and opened the door, she found her father sitting on the sofa.

Chen Xiuyun sat beside him knitting a sweater, looking up when she saw Xu You and complaining: “Why are you back so late today?”

“I went to buy some things,” Xu You answered, lowering her head while changing her shoes.

At the dinner table, halfway through the meal, the topic of arts and science streams came up again.

Father Xu stopped his chopsticks, “A Chai, why are you so distracted today? I’ve had to ask you the same thing several times.”

“Ah, ah, what…” Xu You looked up, appearing to have just snapped back to attention.

Father Xu frowned, “What have you been thinking about lately? Don’t be like this at school too, how will you study?”

The living room TV wasn’t turned off, with the evening news anchor’s voice coming through.

“Regarding xxx, citywide xxx complete production halt….”

Xu You’s attention was divided as she listened.

“Your father is asking if you’ve filled out that form,” Chen Xiuyun put a piece of meat in Xu You’s bowl, trying to smooth things over, “Don’t we need to sign something like this?”

Xu You nodded, then after a while looked down at the rice in her bowl, saying softly: “I know.”

After showering that evening, Xu You turned on her desk lamp and opened a physics workbook.

This physics material was bought in first year, a thick stack with every page full of notes and annotations.

She sat at her desk spacing out for a few seconds, then turned to where she had left off last time, taking out a scratch paper to continue calculating.

Chen Xiuyun came into the room once during this time, placing a glass of milk beside Xu You and reminding her: “Drink it while it’s hot, tomorrow’s a rest day, so sleep early tonight.”

Xu You nodded, “I know, Mom.”

“Don’t blame your father for being strict with you, he just wants the best for you.”

“Mm, I know.”

“Are you adapting well to the new school? How are you getting along with your classmates? Are you still in touch with your old friends?”

“I’m adapting, rarely in touch anymore.”

Xu You skipped the middle question, and Chen Xiuyun didn’t ask further.

Father Xu was watching TV in the living room, the volume turned very low.

Chen Xiuyun looked at the scratch paper covered in dense writing on her desk, sighed internally, and left the room, closing the door.

There would be another monthly exam next week.

Xu You propped her chin with one hand, twirling her pen, planning to continue the problem she hadn’t finished.

This was a complex physics problem, combining electromagnetic fields and kinetic energy theorems. She had been calculating for a long time but kept finding errors, her thoughts stuck at one point unable to progress.

She had written several equations, arranged together.

Looking at those numbers and letters crowded together, Xu You’s mind wandered for the first time.

She dropped her pen, lay on the desk, face turned sideways staring blankly at the snow-white wall.

How could there be such a shameless person….

Xu You’s mind was a bit messy, her eyelashes slowly fluttering.

The phone on her bed rang.

Xu You pushed back her chair and stood up, walking to the bed to grab her phone and check the caller ID.

The contact ‘Xie Ci’ kept jumping on the screen.

Xu You froze for two seconds, her finger pausing over the end call button.

She didn’t use her phone much and didn’t know how to block someone.

The phone rang continuously several times, and Chen Xiuyun heard the noise, calling from the living room: “A Chai, why is your phone keep ringing?”

Xu You was sitting on the bed, hearing her mother’s call, she hurriedly responded: “It’s nothing, just a call from my classmate!”

In her fluster, she somehow pressed the answer button.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she still put the phone to her ear and said “Hello.”

There was no response from the other end, just some noisy background sounds.

The door suddenly knocked, startling Xu You, the phone still at her ear.

Father Xu opened the door and peeked in, “Who’s calling?”

“My classmate.” Xu You secretly clenched her palm, trying to stay calm, “They’re asking me about a problem.”

Father Xu was suspicious, “Why is your classmate calling at this hour? Boy or girl?”

“My desk mate, a girl.”

“If you’re not doing homework then rest, don’t waste time.”

“I know, Dad, I’ll go to sleep after I finish this physics problem.”

Father Xu still looked doubtful but didn’t say more, closing the door.

Xu You secretly sighed in relief.

A teasing voice came from the other end, Xie Ci holding back laughter: “What were you just mumbling about?”

Xu You had been speaking to her father in their Jiangnan dialect, which sounded like gibberish to outsiders.

He was laughing on the other end, though she didn’t know what was funny. Xu You just listened silently.

“Why are you calling me?”

She asked calmly after he finished laughing.

Xie Ci was squatting by the roadside, looking up at the dark sky. He held his phone while extinguishing the cigarette between his fingers on the ground.

The cold wind blew across his face and into his neck.

“Nothing much, just missing you, is that okay?”

—

His circle of friends was still at the table eating and drinking, laughing and toasting each other. The aroma of food, alcohol, and cigarette smoke mingled together.

But he found such activities increasingly boring.

After several bottles of alcohol and cigarettes, Xie Ci couldn’t get interested in anything, suddenly wanting to hear Xu You’s voice.

Her, with not-so-good Mandarin, who sometimes when angry would still stutter curses in that soft voice.

He took out his phone from his jacket, placing it on the table with one hand, eyes watching the screen as he dialed again and again.

The other end neither answered nor hung up.

Song Yifan sat next to him and could casually glimpse the contact name.

Remembering Xie Ci’s numerous past relationships, he couldn’t help but sigh internally.

Before, when they went out to play, those girls would constantly call Xie Ci, checking up on him or saying sweet nothings.

Every time a call came.

Xie Ci would just put the phone on the table, letting it ring, too lazy to answer.

His undisguised indifference directly angered Song Yifan, who was single at the time.

How could someone with such a dog-like attitude still have a girlfriend?

Song Yifan, both envious and jealous, complained: “With so many calls, why not just bring your girlfriend out to play?”

“What’s there to bring out?” Xie Ci was completely indifferent.

“Damn, dating without being clingy, are you even emotionally invested, brother?”

As Xie Ci expressionlessly dialed for the fourth time, Song Yifan finally couldn’t help but mock: “Brother, do you remember what I said to you before?”

Xie Ci was distracted.

“What did you say?”

“Emotionally invested?” Song Yifan asked tentatively.

Before he could finish, he saw Xie Ci stand up and leave his seat, pushing open the private room door to go out.

Those who didn’t understand the situation looked at each other.

Someone asked: “Little Black, why did Ci leave?”

Song Yifan leisurely crossed his legs, putting on airs as he sighed: “It’s all karma, your Brother Ci went to pay his debts.”

—

Xu You stared at the ground without blinking, not saying a word.

The wind was quite strong on the other end, occasionally hearing the roar of passing motorcycles.

“I’m going to hang up now,” Xu You said, then paused for two seconds.

Xie Ci: “Hm?”

“Nothing…..”

He laughed, “Going to sleep so early?”

Xu You gripped her phone, couldn’t help saying: “It’s not early at all now, not everyone’s like you still out playing so late.”

After saying this, she seemed to realize it was somewhat inappropriate and stopped.

“Okay, okay, okay, alright, alright, you’re the good girl.” He coughed once, his tone somewhat coaxing.

Another silence fell.

Xu You didn’t make a sound.

He suddenly said: “Can I come find you? I want to see you.”

And want to kiss you too.

Xu You guessed Xie Ci might have had some alcohol. His mind wasn’t very clear right now.

She said flatly: “Do you have a problem?”

Xie Ci made a ‘heh’ sound, laughing rather than getting angry at her scolding: “Next time you scold me once, I’ll kiss you ten times.”

“Want to test it?”

Her parents were calling from outside.

Xu You responded, wanting to hang up the phone, but as she moved the phone from her ear she heard him say: “How can I get you to be with me?”

She froze.

“Just give me one chance, okay?”

“Give me one chance, and I promise I won’t bother you anymore in the future, really.”

Xu You’s mind was caught on one thing, somewhat lost in thought.

After a long while.

She asked softly: “If you can’t do it, will you really stop bothering me?”

“………”

“Xie Ci?”

“Probably.”

Xie Ci hadn’t expected her to give in so quickly, responding after a delay, “Don’t be too hard on me.”

Her finger joints had turned white from being twisted. Xu You’s eyes looked at the window, where there was a small patch of light and shadow.

She heard herself say: “I want a box of Zhen Zhi Bang, if you can buy it today I’ll agree.”

His last words before hanging up were:

Don’t sleep, wait for me to come find you.

—

Xu You turned off the light and climbed into bed under the quilt.

The phone in her hand was still lit.

Thinking of the news she had heard during dinner.

Xu You opened the web browser and typed in “Zhen Zhi Bang.”

Related searches popped up, the first one:

20xx year, Zhen Zhi Bang ceases production citywide.