ATLAS TRANSLATES

Xie Ci stopped teasing her, his lips curving into a slight smile.

“Alright, you go up, I won’t fool around anymore, I’ll head home now.”

After a moment, Xu You looked at him twice, “Should I see you off?”

“What’s there to see off? It’s just a few steps away, I’ll walk back to sober up.”

Xu You paused. Still opened the door and got out. After standing steady, she turned and said, “You get out too.”

She was worried he might drive back later.

Xie Ci sat in the car watching her, making a sound of agreement.

A young couple walked by, probably just finished watching a movie, still holding a bucket of popcorn.

They were whispering intimately, the girl holding her boyfriend’s arm, her eyes catching Xu You standing under the streetlight, causing her to pause.

“—Teacher Xu, why are you standing here so late at night?”

This young girl was about to graduate with her master’s degree, interning at Xu You’s news agency, and happened to live in the same complex.

Xu You said: “Just discussing something with a friend.”

After speaking, the girl’s gaze couldn’t help but drift behind Xu You, but she didn’t say much more, just nodded and said goodbye.

Xu You watched them walk away, hesitated for a moment, then said to Xie Ci again, “Never mind… shall I take you to your complex entrance?”

She asked tentatively.

Xie Ci held back his laughter, raising an eyebrow, “Don’t be so serious, you go up, I’ll leave too.”

She had also realized she was being a bit inappropriate.

Since he said this, Xu You could only say: “Then get home and sleep well, remember to give me a call.”

“Got it, Teacher Xu.” he said.

“……”

“Who’s your teacher.” Xu You was speechless, “I’m going.”

She walked two steps, then turned back to instruct, “Go back quickly, don’t stay under my building.”

Xie Ci nodded, “I know.”

The light in the stairwell was broken, completely dark. Xu You hadn’t brought her phone, directly going up in the darkness.

Reaching the third floor where she lived, she stood at the door for a moment.

Putting the key in, Xu You finally stopped spacing out and came back to her senses.

—

Xie Ci leaned against the Range Rover’s door, head down playing with the car keys in his hand. His slender wrist, the glowing red cigarette unextinguished between his fingers. He turned his head to take a drag, then exhaled.

The night was quiet, smoke dissipating.

The next second, his smoking motion paused.

Xu You stood not far from him, her gaze unmoving, continuously watching him.

Xie Ci seemed to have expected this, seeing her without surprise.

Xu You said softly, “Xie Ci, how is it after so many years, you’re still the same.”

She knew it.

It was the same before too.

Always stubbornly guarding under her building, if she didn’t go coax him, he’d rather freeze to death than leave.

Looking carefree but having such a stubborn streak.

Every time, on nights like this when she came down to find him. He would always be waiting idly, then smoking.

Xie Ci smiled, casually extinguishing the cigarette and standing up.

“I know you’re soft-hearted.”

—

Going up the stairs, no lights. They walked one in front of the other, step by step, moving slowly.

The night’s moon was somewhat bright, casting especially clear shadows on the ground.

Xie Ci asked, “Xu You, are you afraid?”

“Afraid of what?”

“What do you think?”

“Don’t know.”

Turning, reaching the first landing.

He looked at her blurry silhouette, silently counting the steps in his heart.

Xie Ci slightly raised his hand, using force to grab her hand hanging at her side.

Xu You looked down once, didn’t struggle.

The whole way up had no lights, darkness really was a good thing.

At least that’s what Xie Ci thought.

“Xu You.” He called her.

“Mm.”

“You’re considered a high-level intellectual now.”

Xu You stopped walking, waited until going up another step, then said, “You’re not bad either.”

“Really?”

“Being able to earn money with your own hands, I think that’s very good.”

He fell silent.

Bringing up old matters made her feel a bit depressed.

“But life is full of things that don’t go as wished.”

Xu You repeated again, “Many professions, many choices, you fixing cars, earning money with your own abilities, I think that’s very good.”

“You’re very good.” she said.

“I know I’m good, stop talking, it feels like you’re giving me a ‘good person card’.”

What was originally heavy made her laugh involuntarily, “What good person card.”

Xie Ci: “……..”

Thinking of the playful words at dinner, Xu You thought for a moment, said: “If I were to give you a good person card, it should be….”

“Should be what?”

“You’re very good, but I’m too beautiful, you’re not worthy.”

Xie Ci chuckled, laughed twice, couldn’t help laughing more.

He could see her profile clearly, half-jokingly asked again, “Then will you look down on me for not having common topics to discuss?”

Xu You’s eyes were calm, answering very peacefully, “Rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea – the smoke and fire of human life is also interesting.”

He paused for a moment, but had no more words.

Having just drunk, his brain was reacting a bit slowly.

Silence spread.

After not even a few minutes, Xie Ci’s voice sounded again.

“You speak quite literary now, with a strange cold humor. I think, I probably fell for this serious cold humor of yours back then.”

Xu You was quiet for a while, looked up at him once, “When was I ever cold humorous with you.”

“……”

“You forgot?” Xie Ci lowered his head, his lips accurately and quickly touching her face, “Things you said to me yourself.”

Xu You let him kiss her, “What?”

Xie Ci recalled, “What was it called, knowledge is your own, or something, how did it go?”

After so long, he couldn’t remember clearly either.

Xu You didn’t know why, but felt a bit uncomfortable.

She spoke up, “You remember my words very clearly.”

Xie Ci pulled at the corner of his mouth, smiling lazily, “Of course, you were more rigid than my parents, liked to give inspirational speeches right from the start.”

“…….”

Xu You remembered something. Being led by his hand, she walked two steps, tentatively asking, “Do you go back now? For New Year?”

Xie Ci didn’t react much.

But seeing her serious expression, he revealed a smile, “I go back, there are relatives at home.”

“Your father…”

Xie Ci smiled, “You don’t need to be so careful, I go sweep his grave every year.”

“Can you tell me about your past few years?” For the first time, Xu You calmly asked Xie Ci about the past.

—

Back then when things happened in Xie Ci’s family, it was because they happened to encounter a crackdown, his father was reported to the provincial disciplinary commission for collusion between officials and businesses in the neighboring city. Actually someone up top was deliberately suppressing a certain political faction, anti-corruption was prevalent at the time, Xie Dongyun was just a sacrifice.

Xie Dongyun received the news and immediately rushed back from out of town, but had a car accident on the highway.

The driver died on the spot, Xie Dongyun was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. But it was no use, he soon passed away too.

Later Xie Ci couldn’t accept his father’s sudden death. The family encountered misfortune, Xie Tianyun left behind many assets, but because of the sudden death, there was no time to make a will. Relatives found a lawyer for Xie Ci to sue the mistress at the time.

But he didn’t know how to do business, so Xie Ci’s uncle took over the business and took him to another city.

Xie Ci’s hand couldn’t fully recover, he was no longer considered normal, his father had died, and his unexplained departure from Xu You was unavoidable.

All these things added together, at just 18 years old, he felt living on was difficult, not even knowing what strength to use to wake himself up tomorrow.

Xie Dongbo said to Xie Ci at the time: “Uncle will help manage the company, but the company is always yours, even if you have no ability later, uncle will support you for life in place of your father.”

No matter how big the accident, life had to go on.

Walking out of the shadow of losing family and going to Shen City to open an auto repair shop was two years later.

Xie Ci still remembered what Xu You had said.

She said she wanted to go to Shen City.

He found he still couldn’t control thinking about her. Deep feelings were always unconscious, but by the time Xie Ci realized, Xu You had already been pushed further and further away.

These years, Xie Ci had tried to forget Xu You.

But there was no way, don’t know what spell he was under, just couldn’t forget. Just occasionally knowing she was attending university in Shen City, he had clearly decided not to find her, but couldn’t control secretly going to see her after not long. The more he saw, the more he couldn’t forget.

The only thing Xie Ci could control was not appearing in front of her, trying not to disturb her life.

Until that day she appeared at his repair shop.

In that instant, he even thought he was dreaming.

Rationality seemed to not exist. He really couldn’t bear to just hide like that.

—

After talking about these years, it was actually just a few sentences, could be said in the few steps up.

After he finished speaking, Xu You suddenly came close, reached out both arms, and tightly embraced his waist.

The two pressed close. His waist tightly embraced by her arms, in the darkness, Xie Ci’s heart suddenly stopped for a moment, his hand suspended in the air, not knowing how to react.

Xu You’s head rested against his shoulder, and suddenly a very selfish thought emerged in Xie Ci’s mind.

If saying these things could win some of her sympathy, that would be good too. After all, she was feeling heartache for him.

Xu You’s warm body nestled against him like this, skin touching closely, the distance between their two hearts also extremely close.

As soon as this thought emerged, the pleasure rising from his feet suddenly rushed to his head. His exposed skin even raised tiny bumps.

Xie Ci counted his own breaths, one, two, three….. his hand slowly circled around her shoulder, just resting on it.

Xu You spoke hoarsely, “Xie Ci.”

His movement paused, guiltily responded.

He came back to his senses, hearing her ask.

“These years, have you not been doing well at all?”

“Yes.”

“In the future, if anything happens, can you tell me directly?”

Xie Ci agreed, “Okay.”

Reaching the third floor, Xu You opened the door, Xie Ci following behind her.

She went in to change shoes, saying to the person behind her, “Come in.”

A simple two-bedroom apartment, but decorated very warmly, wooden dining table, wooden floor, teddy bear pillows everywhere. Iris art books, several hanging orchids arranged on the balcony.

Xie Ci casually looked around.

Xu You put on slippers, putting down her bag and keys. Xie Ci followed behind her, picked up a magazine from the table, holding it to flip through.

The content was boring, he leaned against the doorframe passing time, waiting while Xu You was busy with something unknown.

Xu You went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of ice water, she picked up hers to drink, her other hand reaching out.

“Drink some water.”

Xie Ci took it, tilted his head back and drank the glass empty.

“Where do I sleep?” After drinking, he asked.

At this time, the phone placed aside rang.

Xu You picked it up, looked at the caller ID, “Wait, I’ll take this call.”

She turned around, softly answering with a “hello.”

“A Chai, are you asleep?” It was Chen Xiuyun.

Xu You: “I’m not sleeping, just had dinner with old classmates.”

“Are you home?”

“I am.”

It was very quiet beside her.

Xu You absent-mindedly listened to her mother talk, her eyes glancing at Xie Ci. He had already sat down on the sofa, propping his head playing with his phone, legs stretched straight out.

Casually talking about some small matters. Xu You walked into the room.

After a while, she came out of the room carrying a spare comforter, putting it on the sofa beside him, “Remember to cover yourself if you get cold while sleeping.”

It was getting late, Xu You went to her room, opened her computer, flipping through work emails.

Tomorrow afternoon she had to go to an esports competition venue for interviews, in a couple days there was also an opening ceremony event. And her pitch from a few days ago about the Hope Primary School in the mountain area had been approved, she would need to go do field research in a while.

Many things piled up together, but Xu You had taken annual leave next month, needing to go back home to visit Small Aunt’s grave. Small Aunt got esophageal cancer a few years ago, being elderly she couldn’t fight it, passing away in the hospital a few days ago. She thought she could take advantage of the annual leave to spend time with her parents too.

Coming out after showering, wet black hair draped on her shoulders. Xu You wore a nightgown, conscious of Xie Ci in the living room, she specially put on a small jacket.

Though very sleepy just now, after showering, she felt much more energetic. Xu You went to the kitchen, took out a watermelon from the refrigerator, tearing off the plastic wrap, she bent down to pull open the cabinet, finding a stainless steel spoon.

Just turning around, Xie Ci was leaning in the doorway.

Xu You’s movement paused, closing the cabinet, asking: “Do you want watermelon?”

“Yes.”

She passed the chilled watermelon in her hand to him, “It’s for you.”

Xie Ci: “Are there seeds? If there are I won’t eat it.” He was very picky.

“There aren’t any, eat it.” Xu You scooped a spoonful, bringing it to his mouth.

Her expression was very natural.

Xie Ci froze for two seconds, compliantly opening his mouth to eat.

“Xu You.” After eating two bites, he suddenly called her name.

“What is it?”

Xie Ci said, “When we’re together in the future, can you take good care of me?”

She lowered her head and scooped another spoonful, making an “mm” sound, “I can.”

—

Xu You lay in bed reading, waiting for her hair to dry before sleeping.

Looking at the ceiling, Xu You suddenly remembered university before. A roommate asked her if she had someone she liked, and if she could be with him in the future, what kind of days would feel most comfortable.

She felt she was a very boring person, not yearning for grand waves. Growing up obediently since childhood, studying well, never causing trouble for anyone. Xie Ci was the first wave in her life.

It’s just that she was a bit introverted then, not knowing how to be good to people. So she was too cold to Xie Ci, and had regretted it these years. But he was no longer by her side.

The roommate turned her face, eyeing the spacing out Xu You, just about to speak, when she heard her voice.

Calm and gentle, seeming to carry no emotion or color.

“The most comfortable days.”

“I want to walk in the park with him on summer evenings after dinner, pass by the colorful fountain pool, watch dogs on the grass. And the aunties doing square dancing, we can feel the breeze while walking, chat about anything.”

“Then at the complex entrance, pick a tasty watermelon from the fruit stand, put it in the refrigerator.”

“After showering, enjoying the air conditioning, eat watermelon together with him, then watch TV.”

“I think life like this is wonderful.”

The doorknob was gently turned, a face showing through the door crack.

Xu You walked quietly to the living room. The TV was still playing a rerun of a football match.

She tiptoed over, under the white thin flowing dress hem, her slender calves showing.

In the living room the main light was off. Xie Ci had drunk too much and was probably tired. He slept on the sofa with eyes closed, his black hair soft. His breathing was deep, seemingly fallen into deep sleep.

She used her fingertip, bit by bit, gently touching the skin of his face.

After a long while, she crouched down.

Xu You pressed her lips together, reaching out to pull the thin blanket over Xie Ci.

Then, a light floating kiss fell on his forehead, then on his closed eyelashes.

Sleep well.

She said softly.

Then standing up, she bent down to pick up the remote control on the tea table, turning off the TV.

The last bit of noise was extinguished, the room sinking into darkness.

Xu You was tiptoeing, just about to leave, when suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“—Hey.”

Xu You’s body froze, and the next second, a hoarse voice came from behind her ear.

“You kissing me got me hard.”

In an instant, Xu You felt all her blood rushing to her head.

The feeling of guilt and shame mixed together. Her first reaction was to break free from his hand and run away, but before she could shake free, that force forcefully pulled her to fall onto the sofa.

A dark shadow quickly pressed over, his body against hers, his breath like burning magma.

Xu You was wearing pajamas, the neckline slightly open, exposing a large patch of bare skin on her chest and neck. She started struggling, her legs kicking wildly.

He bent his elbow, pressing beside her ear, his voice hoarse beyond recognition, “Xu You… you dare to secretly kiss me.”

As if she had committed some terrible crime.

“You… don’t press me.” Her voice was weak, her arms sore and soft, powerlessly pushing against the person on top of her.

No matter how she struggled, it had no effect of resistance.

The hormonal scent in the air was about to explode, Xie Ci took advantage of his position, his hand also starting to slide down mischievously.