ATLAS TRANSLATES

They stared at each other for a while.

Xu You quietly asked Xie Ci what he was looking at. Her head tilted slightly upward, the line from her chin to neck was soft and delicate.

He just kept looking at her, his eyes flickering. It was like a withered tree meeting spring, sweet water gushing forth from parched earth.

“…can I hug you?”

After speaking, Xie Ci turned his head away and coughed awkwardly.

His voice was so low, it was almost as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

Whether she hadn’t heard or not, Xu You neither agreed nor disagreed.

He held back for two or three seconds, but ultimately couldn’t resist. Without waiting for Xu You’s agreement, Xie Ci took two steps forward and directly wrapped his arms around her.

She didn’t resist, so he held her tighter, his body tense, as if afraid Xu You would run away, looking like he wanted to merge her into his body.

Xu You stood frozen in place, her chin bumping against his shoulder, not knowing how to react.

This was a secluded corner, with tall scattered trees providing cover nearby. The wind blew past, making the leaves rustle.

They were pressed close together, and Xie Ci’s school uniform must have been freshly washed. It had a faint, pleasant scent of soap.

Blinking, Xu You came back to her senses and calmly lowered her eyelashes. Her hands, which had been naturally hanging at her sides, hesitated as she lifted them slightly, then dropped them again. Finally, she slowly hugged Xie Ci back, patting his back tentatively.

“Are you okay?”

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

“Xie Ci?”

“…don’t call my name.”

His voice actually held a hint of grievance as he said hoarsely: “I want to hug you longer.”

Xu You: …..

It had been so long since Xie Ci had hugged her — as long as their cold war had lasted, that’s how long it had been since he’d truly felt what it was like to hold her tightly in his arms. He lowered his eyes, secretly looking at the top of Xu You’s head, then afraid of being discovered. His heart was so happy, yet there seemed to be some inexplicable grievance that made it feel sour and swollen. Xie Ci swallowed and asked softly, as if talking to himself: “You must have been quite happy during the days without me pestering you.”

These words came out of nowhere.

Her fingertips dug into her palms.

“Xu You, it was all my fault.” He seemed to realize he had said something wrong and immediately apologized.

“……”

“Xie Ci, what’s wrong?” Her voice was very soft, like a sigh that could dissipate at any moment.

Xie Ci buried his head in her neck, “Nothing…”

“I won’t get angry with you anymore, so please don’t ignore me anymore… Xu You… I’ll become better.”

Xie Ci deliberately gave her the cold shoulder and avoided seeing her, thinking this would make himself feel better. Since childhood, he had been spoiled by the girls around him. When it came to emotions, he was delicate. So when he stumbled with Xu You, Xie Ci’s first reaction was to avoid it. On that cold winter night, his remaining pride and self-esteem made him lose courage, and he painfully hung up Xu You’s phone.

After that, Xie Ci felt like his whole person had broken down. During countless late nights, he held his phone, editing countless versions of ‘breakup letters’, but in the end couldn’t send them. He just couldn’t bring himself to break up with Xu You.

He would rather give up on himself than say those two words to her.

At school, Xie Ci had wanted to accidentally run into her countless times, or do something to get her attention.

Sometimes when they encountered each other, he deliberately ignored Xu You, keeping his eyes on the path ahead. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, and as they passed by each other, his peripheral vision was filled with nothing but her.

For some reason, Xie Ci just wanted to see her looking upset because of him, thinking perhaps this would make him feel better. So these ‘chance encounters’ became more frequent. Xie Ci would even pass by her classroom several times a day, pacing back and forth. But Xu You always maintained a calm appearance, sometimes doing homework, sometimes chatting with classmates next to her seat, not even noticing him passing by outside the window. She would occasionally smile, and that slight curve of her lips pierced Xie Ci’s heart, even raising an inexplicable anger in him.

How dare Xu You smile.

Why was Xu You so happy.

Wasn’t she upset at all?

Did she simply not care, was that why she could be so happy?

Why was he the only one suffering?

Human emotions are truly mysterious things. Perhaps just a second ago, you were still stubbornly competing with someone unknown, refusing to back down no matter what. But in that one second, when your tense heart relaxes and that held breath releases, everything falls apart. Taking the initiative to admit mistakes and apologize becomes no big deal.

Because Xie Ci increasingly realized that no matter how hard he gritted his teeth, he still missed Xu You terribly. In the cold war he had unilaterally started with her, the only one being tortured was himself.

He used to think he had control of the situation, but later suddenly realized he had to face reality.

Life’s exhaustion starts from desire. Desire less, and do less, then body and mind will be at ease. But his heart was already gone.

—

On the way back, Xie Ci kept making small movements. He would occasionally raise his arm to touch her palm with his fingertips, then curl his fingers back as soon as they made contact.

He seemed to be enjoying this little game immensely.

Xu You felt ticklish and couldn’t help but create some distance between them, “Xie Ci, what are you doing?”

“Tch, you’re so unromantic.” He snorted.

The second-year teaching building was not far away. The basketball game had just ended, and it was almost time for lunch.

Xie Ci walked behind Xu You with his hands in his pockets, maintaining a distance that was neither far nor near, his gaze following her shadow. He had just finished playing basketball, and his messy black short hair was slightly damp with sweat. The zipper of his blue and white school uniform jacket wasn’t done up, just hanging open. Xie Ci had good skin, a fair complexion, and was tall, which made him very popular with girls his age.

Occasionally, when groups of two or three girls passed by arm in arm, whispering among themselves, they couldn’t help but look at him.

The two had just reconciled. Walking down the path wearing what could be considered alternative ‘couple outfits’, plus being so obviously watched by others along the way, Xie Ci couldn’t help feeling a bit elated and proud.

Xie Ci casually put his arm around Xu You’s shoulders and leaned close to her ear, asking seemingly casually: “Having such a handsome boyfriend like me must make you happy, right?”

“……”

Xu You removed his hand and kept her eyes on the path, “Just walk properly.”

“I’ve never seen someone as wasteful as you,” he muttered.

She heard him and looked up, “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

Xie Ci frowned, looking very serious, “I’m this good-looking, yet you won’t even properly look at me. Wasting such a handsome face, you really got lucky.”

“……”

Xu You couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculousness, “I’ve never met someone as shameless as you.”

“Thicker than a curved city wall.”

At this, she laughed again.

She had wanted to tell Xie Ci this before, but back then they weren’t close, so Xu You only dared to complain in her heart.

Now…

“You’re in trouble now, Xu You, daring to insult me.” Xie Ci’s arm wrapped around her neck, forcing her to lean against him.

Xu You stumbled, and worried about people seeing, struggled and patted his hand, “You’re so annoying, Xie Ci, let me go.”

“First tell me if I’m handsome or not, then I’ll let you go.”

“Not handsome, you’re so narcissistic……”

Xie Ci persisted, laughing playfully, “How am I narcissistic? I’m obviously this handsome, stop deceiving yourself, okay?”

They hadn’t been reconciled for long, and his roguish nature was showing signs of revival. Xu You really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, thinking Xie Ci’s temperament was really like a child’s, hot and cold, needing to be coaxed.

But actually, Xie Ci wasn’t really being narcissistic.

Xu You came late and didn’t know, but someone had once posted a thread titled ‘Those Boys Who Made Us Crazy Over the Years’ on the Yi Zhong school forum. It listed various handsome guys from first to third year, was later pinned by the moderator, and was popular for quite a while, even having photos stolen by students from other schools. However, this wasn’t a school prince voting thread, but purely an appreciation thread. So whenever the original poster introduced someone and attached a photo, the comments below would be full of friends sharing private photos.

Xie Ci, as Yi Zhong’s famous school rebel who was also handsome, was nominated by the original poster with a side profile photo, which caused quite a stir in the forum. After all, most people in school had only heard his name but never seen him.

There was a paragraph the original poster wrote about him:

I think everyone must be familiar with this one, heard he’s quite a leader too.

Class 9, First Year, Xie Ci. His photos are really hard to find, but this junior has quite the presence. I’ve always wanted to get to know him, actually I’ve seen him before, and at first glance I couldn’t help but exclaim, this boy is so fair-skinned, even fairer than girls.

But I heard he really likes playing basketball, so his body is super good!!

Actually, many girls must have discussed this already, well I won’t say more…..

Then below this post, there were many requests for contact information and front-facing photos, with hundreds of replies:

[OP, give us more, not enough to look at.]

[Wow, it’s our brother Ci…..]

[Are there any others?]

[Just asking if there are other photos, if not we’ll post them ourselves]

[Please share photos above]

[+1 for photos from above]

[Tsk tsk! Xie Ci was my senior in middle school, haven’t seen him in a long time, wonder if he’s even more handsome than in middle school~~~~]

[So cool (admiring)]

[OP, you’ve really hit the jackpot this time.]

[Holy crap, this definitely needs to be upvoted, someone please tell me if this super handsome guy has a girlfriend!!!]

[Amazing amazing, let’s start a chant below: Yi Zhong’s chaos depends on Brother Ci!!!]

[This thread is way better than that lame school prince thread next door……]

So the group of friends who were close to Xie Ci unhesitatingly contributed all the private photos they had.

There were photos of Xie Ci wearing only shorts at a hotel, drinking at KTV, playing basketball….. even photos of him smoking in the men’s restroom were leaked.

Because of this thread, he could really be recognized wherever he went for a while. It annoyed Xie Ci for quite some time.

—

Song Yifan and others witnessed Xie Ci clinging to Xu You as he walked her back to class.

Xu Xiaocheng guessed the two had probably reconciled, and with his arm around Song Yifan’s shoulder, sighed, “Look at Ci’s expression, he’s all lovey-dovey again.”

Song Yifan also sighed, “That’s good, but I really didn’t expect they could make up. It’s the first time I’ve seen a girl who can make Xie Ci so obedient, can’t help but submit…”

In the following days, people in class obviously noticed that the low pressure surrounding Xie Ci had mysteriously disappeared.

Even the teachers found it strange.

In a few days there would be monthly exams, and the liberal arts teachers handed out a stack of materials. Class time was basically spent memorizing or self-studying. Song Yifan and his group weren’t the type to sit still, so they planned several activities and, seeing that Xie Ci had finally returned to normal, prepared to invite him to go have some fun together in the afternoon.

But Xie Ci didn’t pay any attention to them at all.

“Are you coming or not?”

Song Yifan had called out to him excitedly at first, but when he kept ignoring them, he got impatient and pressed down on the test paper Xie Ci was reading, “Has reading made you stupid?”

“Are you annoying or what?” Xie Ci pushed his hand away, not even bothering to look up, “What are you calling me for?”

“Playing billiards? Haven’t been out in a while…”

“No,” Xie Ci rejected the idea before Song Yifan could finish.

Song Yifan then suggested several other places to hang out, but Xie Ci refused them all.

Frustrated, Song Yifan started, “Hey! Listen…”

“Can you stop being noisy?” Xie Ci sat motionless in his chair with several books open on his desk. “Go play by yourself. Don’t bother me, I’m busy.”

Xu Xiaocheng, who was reading a gaming magazine, shuddered and turned around, “Don’t tell me you’re going to study.”

Song Yifan persisted, “Then what are you going to do? Are you that busy? Besides, Xu You is in class so you can’t find her anyway.”

“Get lost.”

“I won’t leave until you agree. I can’t let my brother be poisoned by textbooks and turn into a stuffy bookworm.”

Xie Ci gave him a cold glance and said, “Can’t you have some ambition, Song Yifan? Monthly exams are coming up. Stop bothering me while I’m reading.”

“……..”

The people nearby couldn’t help but laugh.

Song Yifan gathered his courage and retorted, “Reading?! Brother, what are you hoping for? Can you even understand it? Don’t force yourself, okay? You’re not planning to suddenly catch up to Xu You, are you? Can we stop dreaming?!”

“Damn you, get lost!” Xie Ci got angry from embarrassment, threw a book at Song Yifan’s forehead and kicked him. “Are you asking for it?”

“Hahaha, sorry, sorry, don’t hit me.”

The teacher’s angry desk-slapping sound came from the podium, “Song Yifan!! Mind your classroom discipline!! Why are you out of your seat again? Get back to your place immediately!”

Some girls in front turned around.

They only saw Song Yifan awkwardly half-crouching in the aisle, while Xie Ci sat beside him, resting his head on his hand, looking completely uninvolved.

—

The grade’s basketball tournament ended after a week, with Class 1 winning the championship. Xie Ci played in the later matches, possibly because Xu You promised to watch and help him with his clothes. He played with particular enthusiasm in every game, moving with incredible style.

Xu You cheered once for Xie Ci, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the crowd’s screaming. Her eyes followed the white figure running non-stop on the court, and she couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Two other girls from Class Zero came with Xu You. Yu Yi covered her ears and added nervously, “These girls’ screaming is terrifying, so crazy. Why are there so many people here? It’s way more than just two classes…”

Tong Dong replied helplessly, “They’re obviously here to see the handsome guys and join the excitement, what else?”

Class Zero happened to have PE class, so they came to watch.

“Xu You, when should we leave? We have a chemistry test tonight,” Yu Yi tugged at Xu You’s arm.

“Huh?” She snapped back to attention and turned her face, “I’ll leave after class. I want to watch a bit more, you guys can go back first.”

“It’s okay, we’ll keep you company.”

While they were talking, the crowd suddenly erupted in excitement again. Everyone’s attention turned to their direction, with the whole venue cheering.

Yu Yi’s words were interrupted as she reflexively looked up. She immediately saw the boy in the white jersey on the court. He was smiling, and while running, he brought his index and middle fingers together, touched his temple, and flicked them in their direction, as if signaling to someone from afar.

This gesture made the entire basketball court erupt in screams.

“—Waaaaaaaaaah!”

A girl standing next to Xu You turned bright red, squeezing her friend’s hand and repeatedly whispering, “Xie Ci just waved in our direction, oh my god, I’m going to faint… He’s so handsome!!”

Song Yifan ran past Xie Ci, noticed his eyes still fixed in a certain direction, and couldn’t help but jump and bump his shoulder, “Alright, alright, your eyeballs are about to fall out, you’re the most handsome on the court! Stop looking at your girlfriend and focus on the game, boss!”

The basketball whooshed through the air as a teammate threw it over.

Xie Ci jumped in place, caught the ball with one hand, and snorted with a laugh, “Mind your own business, get lost.”

—

After evening self-study ended, Xu You organized the draft paper on her desk and handed the chemistry test paper to the group leader.

The test they just took was quite difficult, making her break out in sweat. Feeling hot, Xu You was wearing just a simple white short-sleeve shirt. She quickly packed up her things and was about to pick up her backpack.

Shen Yang came over with paper and pen, “Hey, Xu You, can I ask you about one of the questions from earlier?”

“From the chemistry test?” Xu You paused.

Shen Yang nodded.

She put on her backpack and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I’m in a hurry to get home today. The teacher will probably go over it in class tomorrow, you can listen then…”

“Oh… okay then.” Shen Yang pressed her lips together, “Goodbye, take care on your way home.”

Xu You responded with a sound of agreement.

Going down from upstairs, the motion sensor lights were broken, making the stairwell very dark and hard to see. It was peak time after class, and Xu You felt squeezed by the people around her, barely able to breathe.

Holding the handrail, she finally made it to the first floor.

At the corner of the corridor’s end.

Xie Ci leaned against the wall, waiting idly for Xu You to finish class.

Finally seeing Xu You walk past, his eyes lit up. He caught up in a few steps and grabbed her arm, “Hey, didn’t you see me?”

“Huh?”

Xu You stopped walking and squinted her eyes, “It’s too dark, I couldn’t see clearly.”

On the way home.

They passed an intersection where there was an ancient, enormous phoenix tree with dense branches and leaves. The nearby streetlight cast a warm yellow glow.

Feeling uncomfortable being watched by the person beside her, Xu You stopped and said to Xie Ci, “You should head home now, don’t stay out too late.”

“It’s not even late.”

“……”

Xie Ci said, “I’ve been studying seriously these past few days.”

“Really?” Xu You pressed her lips together and sincerely said, “That’s good, do you understand it?”

“No.”

“……”

After a while, Xu You couldn’t help but laugh. She turned back to look at him, examining Xie Ci’s expression, and earnestly consoled him, “It’s okay… take it slow.”

“I studied hard, don’t I get a reward?”

“What kind of reward do you want?”

Xie Ci didn’t answer, his gaze pausing for a moment.

But his look became a bit…

A bit…

Xu You sensed something was off and pulled her hand away from his grip, quickening her pace forward.

“—Hey, wait up.”

Xie Ci called from behind, quickly stepping forward to block her path. Then he pulled her into a nearby dark alley…

“What are you doing?” Xu You, wearing her backpack, was pressed against the wall behind her.

She was made to tilt her head back.

Xie Ci used one hand to hold her head in place, the other braced against the wall, and leaned down to kiss her deeply.

“Let me kiss you.”

“I missed you so much…” he murmured softly between kisses.

Not satisfied with just kissing and tasting, he couldn’t help but gently bite her lip.

After a long moment, he turned his head aside and pulled back slightly to catch his breath.

Xu You stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Xie Ci’s neck, and lightly pecked his cheek.

Xie Ci was caught off guard, his mind exploding like fireworks.

“That’s your reward, now go home,” she whispered near his ear.